Published:

04/15/2015 11:02pm

America Ranks Third in the World for the Epidemic of Malnutrition: Aka Diabetes

When we think of malnutrition, we think of starving children in third-world countries, not something that occurs here in the United States of America. However, America ranks third behind China and India for this epidemiological form of malnutrition, called diabetes. You might be confused by this reference to diabetes as a malnourished state, when the majority of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese, and in no-way resembling the gauntly thin pictures of starving children from third-world countries. But the truth is that the children in America, as well as the adults, are severely malnourished and will succumb to death and disability before their time because of diabetes.

There are two basic types of malnutrition: 1) protein-energy malnutrition, which is usually considered a lack of calories and protein, and 2) micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) deficiency malnutrition. In the case of type 2 diabetes in today's America, this definition of malnutrition actually fits perfectly. Although, type 2 diabetes is often considered an overabundance of energy (calories) that has led to becoming overweight and obese, it is nonetheless an "energy" malnutrition. The body is severely out-of-balance. But in addition to meeting the requirements for this first type of malnutrition, diabetes also meets the requirements for the second type of malnutrition as well, in that diabetes and its metabolic dysfunction is also linked to micronutrient deficiencies.

This epidemic of malnutrition (aka: diabetes) is huge, with 29.1 million Americans documented to have diabetes according to the 2014 National Diabetes Statistics report, published by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Ninety to 95% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, with 5% to 10% having type 1 diabetes. Overall, 9.3% of the American population (or 1 out of 11 people) has diabetes. Even scarier than this number is that 8.1 million or 27.8% of people with diabetes (1 out of 4) don't even know they have it. Pre-diabetes, considered to occur before the actual diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, affects 86 million people in this country (or 1 out of 3 adults). Nine out of 10 people with pre-diabetes don't even know they have it, and will develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years if lifestyle changes are not made. Both pre-diabetes and diabetes can lead to serious health complications, such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, loss of toes, feet or legs, and a host of other health conditions, including fatty liver, sleep apnea, sexual dysfunction, depression, hearing loss, gum disease and so much more.

This prevalence of malnutrition in the U.S. (aka: diabetes) will continue to escalate until our lifestyles and environment are drastically changed. Diabetes is no longer considered a disease of genetics alone. It used to be thought that diabetes was 80% the result of our genetics and 20% due to environment, however, we now know that it is actually the opposite. Diabetes is attributed 80% by our lifestyle and environment and only 20% due to genetics. Over the years, our environment and lifestyles have changed drastically, with the overabundance of processed and fast foods, pesticide-laden produce, meats from institutionalized farming methods, stressed lives and inactivity.

Although we are a nation of food abundance and overweight, we are a nation of malnourished people. Our soils are less nutrient-dense to grow nutritious crops that are then sprayed with pesticides causing the disruption of human cell membranes and cell functioning. Consequently, we are unable to combat these foreign attackers due to our nutrient deficiencies and compromised immune systems. Our meat sources are institutionally farmed, fed with genetically-modified (GMO) corn (contributing to our elevated blood sugars and insulin resistance) and pumped with hormones to make them bigger and more profitable. In addition, institutionally farmed animals are injected with antibiotics to reduce the infections they get from being in close quarters and the illnesses that result from their unnatural diets. Antibiotic resistance today is rampant in our society, and children are going through puberty sooner (and developing diabetes)----something that was not seen when our meat sources were instead pasteur-raised and their nourishment obtained from naturally green leafy forage, naturally hormone and antibiotic-free.

Our processed and fast foods are full of sugar, additives and artificial ingredients that are deficient in micronutrients, harmful to our human cells and promote insulin resistance and inflammation. And then we add to this processed soup mix, our significantly stressed lives, poor diets, lack of sleep, overweight and inactivity, and "bon appétit": we have cooked up ourselves an inflammatory stew, wreaking havoc within every cell of our body, leading to inflammatory conditions like diabetes: America's malnutrition.

By the year 2050, 1 out of 3 Americans will have become malnourished and developed diabetes. Will it be you, your friend or loved one? Let me help you avoid becoming a statistic.

Cheryl Winter is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and registered dietitian with advanced training in diabetes and weight management. She is President of DiabeteSteps Rx®, a full-service onsite and virtual integrative diabetes and weight management clinic. By "integrating" both a functional & conventional approach to diabetes and its associated medical conditions including hypertension, high cholesterol, overweight and obesity, there is the potential to REVERSE these metabolic conditions. Let her help you "transform" your weight and health. Access her FREE E-Report at: http://DiabeteStepsRx.com and begin your transformation now.