Approx. 1 in 4 deaths in the US is the result of heart disease. It’s estimated that up to 30% of Americans have Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), a condition of overproduction of fat cells in the liver which can ultimately lead to liver failure. In 2015, it was estimated that almost 10% of the American population had diabetes and 25% had pre-diabetes. Perhaps shockingly, there are now more overweight and obese people than there are underweight people in the world, according to a study published in Lancet in 2014. This study also found that the global obesity rate tripled in men and doubled in women from 1975 to 2014.
While these facts may seem disheartening, the positive truth is the fact that most of these diseases are preventable and reversible. Cardiometabolic diseases are affected by the type and quality of food consumed, exercise, stress levels, sleep quality, relationships, and other modifiable lifestyle factors. Even if you have a strong genetic predisposition or family history to develop cardiometabolic diseases, there is great hope for prevention through using combinations of specific diets, lifestyle changes, supplements, and medications.