Ballooning Diabetes Rates Highlight the High Cost of Cheap Food
By Dr. Mercola
The recent case of an American toddler diagnosed with type 2 diabetes highlights the severity of the problems our modern processed food diet causes. According to Reuters,1
the three-year old girl, who weighed in at 77 pounds, is one of the
youngest persons ever diagnosed with this obesity-related disease.
In the past, type 2 diabetes was referred to as “adult onset”
diabetes, and most patients were in the senior category. But as our
diets and lifestyles have changed, so has the disease.
And, while lack of exercise is certainly a factor, one would be
hard-pressed to accuse a two-year old of being too sedentary. Clearly,
diet plays a more important role in individuals this young. So what’s
wrong with children’s diets these days?
Many Babies Are Raised on Sugar
In short, most babies and toddlers are fed far too much sugar right
from the start. Many parents fail to realize that infant formulas can
contain significant amounts of added sugars and starchy fillers,2 which paves the way for chronic disease from day one.
Past investigations have also revealed trans fats — now known to promote heart disease — in some formulas, as well as genetically engineered (GE) ingredients, which are also suspected of causing obesity and health problems in the long term, primarily by promoting inflammation and disrupting gut flora.
Last year, data3
from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed
that more than 29 million Americans were diagnosed with full-blown type 2
diabetes,4 a statistic researchers predicted in 2001 wouldn’t be reached until 2050.5
A more recent study,6,7,8,9,10
which also for the first time included estimated disease rates for
certain minority groups, suggests as much as HALF of the American public
may have either prediabetes or diabetes.
Diabetes rates have also soared in other countries. In the UK, rates have risen by 60 percent in the last decade.11
When you start investigating the diets of babies and young children,
these statistics become less surprising. In fact, they’re to be
expected.
One in four Americans eats some type of fast food on a daily basis,12 and nearly half of the money Americans spend on food is spent on fast food meals.13 More than one-third of school-aged children and adolescent eat fast food on a daily basis.
As reported by Reuters:14
“More than 12 percent of the children and adolescents surveyed
got over 40 percent of their calories from fast food, which was defined
as ‘restaurant fast food/pizza,’ according to the data brief from the
NCHS, a unit of the CDC.
‘It is certainly a significant amount and it would be more concerning if someone were not astonished by that number.
It is a sign we have some work to do to help families come up
with practical solutions,’ said Dr. Esther Krych, a pediatrician with
the Mayo Clinic's Children's Center...”
An estimated 56 percent of 8 year-olds also drink soda on a daily
basis, and once the teenage years come, some kids drink at least three
cans of soda a day.15
Analysis Confirms Fructose Is Primary Driver of Diabetes
Processed food and sugary beverages are now taking their toll on ever
younger people as these younger generations are raised on such foods
and drinks from a very early age, and this is why disease prevalence has
exploded.
A meta-review published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings16,17,18
recently confirmed that calories from fructose (think high fructose
corn syrup) and other added sugars are the primary drivers of
prediabetes and diabetes.
Processed fructose and other added sugars not only worsen insulin
levels and glucose tolerance, they also promote a number of different
markers for poor health, including inflammation and hypertension (high
blood pressure).
As a standard recommendation, I strongly advise keeping your total
fructose consumption below 25 grams per day, which is about six
teaspoons. If you have no signs of insulin resistance you should be able
to consume fruit liberally even though it has fructose.
If you have signs of insulin resistance such as hypertension,
obesity, or heart disease, you’d be wise to limit your total fructose
consumption to 15 grams or less until your weight and other health
conditions have normalized.
According to this meta-review, the research clearly shows that once
you reach 18 percent of your daily calories from sugar, there’s a
two-fold increase in metabolic harm that promote prediabetes and
diabetes.
Babies and toddlers really should have no added sugars at all. It’s
completely non-essential for their growth and development. Breast milk
is ideal, and even if you cannot breastfeed, there are far better
alternatives than commercial infant formula.
Buying donor milk is one option. You can also make your own infant formula using whole ingredients like whole grass-fed raw milk or goat’s milk.
Antibiotics May Play a Role in Rising Diabetes Rates
According to a recent study,19,20
type 2 diabetics tend to have been more overexposed to antibiotics in
the years prior to their diagnosis compared to non-diabetics.
This is yet another fast food factor that places young children at
increased risk of diabetes and related health problems. Antibiotic
overuse in food production has also led to the current scourge of
antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotic exposure is one reason why I don’t recommend eating foods
from factory farmed animals, as they tend to be raised on antibiotic
growth promoters.
Each time you or your child eat food made from such animals, you’re
getting a small dose of antibiotics that, over time with regular
consumption, can upset your gut flora and have a notable impact on your
weight and metabolism.21
While a small number of restaurants have taken steps to limit meat
raised on antibiotics, the vast majority of fast food restaurants and
major restaurant chains have not.
A recent report22,23,24
produced by six consumer interest, public health, and environmental
organizations warn that 20 of the 25 restaurant chains surveyed have
failed to take any affirmative action on this issue, and are still
serving meat and poultry raised on antibiotics. Chipotle’s and Panera
Bread were the only two restaurants, according to this report, that
publicly affirm the majority of the meats served come from
antibiotic-free producers.
Pesticides in Processed Food Also Raise Diabetes Risk
Pesticides and herbicides are another factor that has now started to
come to the fore as a major driver of chronic disease — including
diabetes. According to a recent analysis25,26,27
of 21 studies, exposure to pesticide — regardless of type — was
associated with a 61 percent increased risk for any type of diabetes.
Twelve of the studies focused on type 2 diabetes specifically, linking
pesticide exposure to a 64 percent increased risk of this type of
diabetes.
"This systematic review supports the hypothesis that exposure to various types of pesticides increases the risk of diabetes,” the authors wrote, adding that:
"Analyzing each pesticide separately suggests that some pesticides are
more likely to contribute to the development of diabetes than others.”
Among the pesticides more clearly linked to diabetes were:
| Chlordane |
Oxychlordane |
Trans-nonachlor |
DDT |
| DDE |
Dieldrin |
Heptachlor |
HCB |
Toxic Glyphosate May Be a Major Health Threat in Food Supply
One of the most widely used herbicides in the US is glyphosate, the
active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup. In late March, the
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the
research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), reclassified28
glyphosate as a Class 2A “probable human carcinogen,” based on evidence
showing it can cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and lung cancer in humans.
Previous research has also linked glyphosate
to an increased diabetes risk, along with a slew of other chronic
health problems, including Alzheimer’s disease, which some believe may
be yet another form of diabetes — basically “brain diabetes.” Swedish
researchers recently confirmed that controlling your blood sugar levels
appear to be an important aspect of dementia prevention for type 2
diabetics, who are at an increased risk for neurological degeneration.
The study included nearly 350,000 people, and blood sugar levels were
tracked using hemoglobin A1C tests. This newer type of test provides
you with an average blood sugar level over the past several months. As
reported by MedicineNet.com:29 “After
taking other variables into account, the study found that those with
HbA1c levels of 10.5 percent or higher were 50 percent more likely to be
diagnosed with dementia compared to people with HbA1c levels of 6.5
percent or less.”
Make Your Family’s Nutrition a Priority
It’s important to keep offering healthy foods to your child, even if
they refuse them or seem to not like them. It can take 10 to 15 food
exposures before a child becomes familiar with and likes a certain food,
so persistence is important. Food is a part of crucial lifestyle
choices first learned at home, so you need to educate yourself about
proper nutrition and the dangers of junk food and processed foods in
order to change the food culture of your entire family.
To give your child the best start in life and help instill healthy
habits that will last a lifetime, you must lead by example. If you're
not sure where to start, I recommend reading through my nutrition plan.
This will provide you with the foundation you need to start making
healthy food choices for your family. You can find even more help in the
book I wrote on the subject, Generation XL: Raising Healthy, Intelligent Kids in a High-Tech, Junk-Food World.
Bring Back Home-Cooked Meals
One of the basic keys to good health and disease prevention is to eat real food... This may be particularly true for diabetes prevention, as processed foods and fast food contain not just one but several components shown to promote metabolic dysfunction and obesity.
This includes processed fructose and other added sugars, trans fats,
antibiotics, and pesticides, along with other artificial ingredients,
such as artificial sweeteners and MSG.
A 2012 study found that both of these additives cause an increase in
fasting blood glucose levels and contribute to the onset of diabetes.
When it comes to meat, it’s important to make sure it’s antibiotic-free
and organically raised.
Ditto for other animal products like dairy and eggs. While some
grocery chains offer grass-fed meats nowadays, your best bet is to
connect with a local farmer that raises animals according to organic
standards, allowing them to roam freely on pasture. Other foods are also
best sourced from organic and local sources, to avoid undue pesticide
exposure. In the US, the following organizations can help you locate
farm-fresh foods:
| Weston Price Foundation30
has local chapters in most states, and many of them are connected with
buying clubs in which you can easily purchase organic foods, including
grass fed raw dairy products like milk and butter. |
| Local Harvest
– This Web site will help you find farmers' markets, family farms, and
other sources of sustainably grown food in your area where you can buy
produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies. |
| Farmers' Markets – A national listing of farmers' markets. |
| Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals
– The Eat Well Guide is a free online directory of sustainably raised
meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, inns,
and hotels, and online outlets in the United States and Canada. |
| Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) – CISA is dedicated to sustaining agriculture and promoting the products of small farms. |
| FoodRoutes
– The FoodRoutes "Find Good Food" map can help you connect with local
farmers to find the freshest, tastiest food possible. On their
interactive map, you can find a listing for local farmers, CSAs, and
markets near you. |
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