Here, we wish to show you alarming statistics about the overall state of health. Chronic diseases are increasingly weighing heavily on the health of the planet, despite advances in modern medicine.
“In 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 61% of all deaths, or 35 million, and 49% of the global disease burden were caused by chronic diseases.”
“We anticipate that by 2030, chronic diseases will account for 70% of the total number of deaths and 56% of diseases worldwide.”
This awareness is imperative for the future of humanity. We cannot live in a world that ignores or tolerates unhealthy environmental and social issues.
To inform you, cardiovascular diseases still top the list of the top 10 causes of death worldwide, despite advances in modern medicine. In our affluent countries, they caused two million six hundred thousand more deaths in 2012 than in 2000, killing 17.3 million people annually.
Cancer, on the other hand, results in 8.2 million deaths per year, and diabetes 5.1 million.
In a March 2015 report, the WHO highlighted that 47.5 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, with 7.7 million new cases reported each year.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, is said to be responsible for 60 to 70% of cases.
Finally, the number of obesity cases has doubled since 1980. In 2014, 39% of the global adult population was overweight, and 13% were obese.
More worrying still, in 2013, 42 million children under the age of five were overweight or obese.
[Source: www.cfna.be]
Chronicle of UN also published an alarming article on “Lifestyle-related diseases: an economic burden on health services,” written by Michiyo Higuchi, MD, MPHM, Dr.PH; Assistant Professor of International Health, Nagoya University School of Medicine.
Many studies reveal that the intake of vitamins and minerals by the global population is significantly inadequate compared to recommendations. Our diet no longer provides us with as many micronutrients as before.
With intensive agriculture and the use of chemicals, the soil has become significantly depleted, and plants have lost their nutritional richness. Modern preservation methods, processing, refining, high-temperature cooking, as well as the use of food additives, severely diminish the nutritional density of our foods. The introduction of overly sweetened, excessively salty products with a high content of saturated or even trans fats turns food into a veritable “poison.”
Not to forget that taking certain medications with their side effects, along with pollutants such as smoking, alcohol, stress, and air pollution, increase the need for essential nutrients. Additionally, a deficiency in one micronutrient affects others and leads to further deficiencies.
However, having a varied and balanced diet is not enough. Mareschi’s studies based on “ideal” balanced menus, as defined by nutrition experts, show that it is impossible to achieve 80% of the recommended intake for most vitamins below 2,500 calories. Moreover, many nutrients are not well absorbed due to pathology, insufficiently diversified intestinal microbiota, or certain foods themselves overexploiting or rendering unavailable the micronutrients they contain.
Furthermore, since the 1950s, numerous experimental, epidemiological, and clinical studies have emphasized the crucial role of macronutrients and micronutrients in the prevention, treatment, or co-treatment of various pathologies. In 1968, Linus Pauling, a renowned American chemist, shed light on orthomolecular medicine, which acts at the cellular level using physiologically active substances (vitamins, minerals, trace elements, essential fatty acids, amino acids, and digestive enzymes).
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, making good dietary choices tailored to one’s profile, nutritional needs, and lifestyle remains an essential foundation for nutritional intake. Nevertheless, you now understand the necessity of taking food supplements to optimize your health.