Have Obesity-Related Diseases Begun to Shorten Life Expectancy in the US?

Heading for a shorter life?

Have we reached an turning point in life expectancy due to the obesity epidemic? Professor David S. Ludwig at Harvard Medical School believes so, after reviewing recent statistics.

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Since children and adolescents are at much greater risk of developing modern day diseases such as obesity early on in their lives, even medical advancement will perhaps not ensure that coming generations live longer. They could be the first generation to have lower life expectancies than their parents.

Ludwig suggests that the public health approach towards obesity has been massively wrong, and that it has even contributed to the epidemic. The standard advice – “eat less and run more” – hasn’t worked, since it can lower our metabolism and increase our hunger.

So what’s Ludwig’s suggested alternative? By instead working with our biology and avoiding refined carbohydrates, we might avoid obesity and related diseases. And this could help our children live longer lives.

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