Nutrition Facts

Nutrition and health is a heavily researched topic of the 21st century. Scientists are relentlessly studying food and its relationship to the human body's overall health and wellness. Below is a compilation of some relevant facts related to nutrition. They reveal the extent to which making good food choices is crucial to be healthy long-term.

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From "Benefits and Statistics about Eating Healthfully Detailed" by Lisa Linck of Kansas State University:

 

• "The World Health Organization stated that at least 80 percent of all heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes, and up to 40 percent of cancer could be prevented if people ate better, engaged in more physical activity and quit using tobacco."

• "Recent data shows that with adults ages 20 years and over, 34.2 percent overweight, 33.8 percent are obese and 5.7 percent are extremely obese."

  • "Poor eating habits and lack of physical activity are the major contributing factors to overweight and obesity in the U.S."

• "Healthy eating can reduce the risk of chronic illness and disease including the three leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer and stroke."

• "37 percent of Americans have cardiovascular disease."

• "41 percent of the population will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime."

• "Only about 21 percent of adults consume the recommended amounts of fruits a day."

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From "Why Good Nutrition is Important" from the Columbia University Center for Science in the Public Interest:

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• "Unhealthy diet contributes to approximately 678,000 deaths each year in the U.S., due to nutrition- and obesity-related diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.1 

• "In the last 30 years, obesity rates have doubled in adults, tripled in children, and quadrupled in adolescents."

• "The typical American diet is too high in calories, saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars, and does not have enough fruits, vegetables, whole grains, calcium, and fiber.

  • Such a diet contributes to some of the leading causes of death and increases the risk of numerous diseases, including: heart disease, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, stroke, osteoporosis, and some cancers"

• "Over two-thirds (67.5%) of American adults are overweight or obese."

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Works Cited:

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Linck, Lisa. “Benefits and Statistics about Eating Healthfully Detailed.” Benefits and Statistics about Eating Healthfully Detailed, Kansas State University, 13 June 2013, https://www.k-state.edu/today/announcement/?id=8989.

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“Why Good Nutrition Is Important.” Center for Science in the Public Interest, Columbia University, 17 May 2018, https://cspinet.org/eating-healthy/why-good-nutrition-important.

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