Whose outliving us and why ? Part 1

My friend Mike Russo owns and operates a no-till, no-chemical Market Garden Operation in Knoxville, Tennessee. When Mike is not keeping restaurants supplied, he attends the summer market in the square downtown. Mike and I have been side-by-side tent mates for the last couple of seasons. It's a good fit as we share the same kind of customers—folks trying to eat better.

Last year, Mike made some positive lifestyle changes. He looked better, appeared more fit, and seemed to have more energy.

Now the short story on Mike is pretty simple - he ditched his sugar addiction and essentially started eating a lot more chicken - a carnivore diet if you will – protein, protein, protein. Eating more chicken is easy, ditching sugar is harder.

What is great about Mike's story is not what he did, but his philosophy that drove his commitment to change. Mike said:

"You know – you only have to be a little better really" 

"Just pick one thing and never abandon it - be religious about doing it and over time that one thing turns into big results"

Mike went on to talk about human fallibility - he said  - "you know my wife loves Five Guys burgers  - so every once in a while we go do that, but shit –  you can't do that all the time and not expect consequences. Give yourself some grace- but stay loyal to your plan. "

Mike's story is great and inspires someone wanting to make a change for the better.

Last year while writing about cancer, I recall discussing the Mark Werk doctrine that said something very similar - "whatever you decide to do, keep it simple. Simple is sustainable.

Mike's story also provides a great prelude to what I want to talk about over the next few blogs – an Eat better, live longer series titled:

Whose outliving us and why?

So – here is a little statistical preamble:

The US population is ranked 49 in the world for longevity and is projected to slip to 66  by 2050.  Of the advanced democracies in the world (G7 Countries -US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK) we are ranked last. 

Why is that?  - Why are we low and expected to get worse?  Some wave top research in Google chalks it up to four factors 

• Lifestyle - Americans have higher rates of obesity, smoking, and drug use
• Violence - The US has higher rates of homicide, gun violence, and suicide.
• Heart Disease – the #1 killer in the world and the US. 
• Cancer - Running a close second in the US.

Ok – now let’s be more specific  - According to the Center for Disease Control – the below chart outlines the top 10 killers of Americans (2023 data).(I added the arrows and additional information in the report for clarity.  

So, heart disease and cancer account for 3.5 times more deaths than their nearest disease competitor – Strokes.  

Now Let’s do some wave top research on the leading causes / risk factors for each category of death.

Heart disease. (a group of conditions that affect the structure and function of the heart. They include: Coronary artery disease, Heart failure, Arrhythmias, Heart valve disease and birth defects) - Leading causes / Risk Factors:

• Diabetes - People with diabetes have twice the risk for heart disease.
• Overweight and obesity- Obesity is a common, serious, and costly chronic disease. 1 in 5 children and 2 in 5 adults have obesity.
• Unhealthy diet- People with healthy eating patterns live longer and are at lower risk for serious health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
• Physical inactivity- Physical activity is one of the best ways to improve your health. It is vital for healthy aging, can reduce the burden of chronic diseases, and help prevent early death.
• Excessive alcohol use- Excessive alcohol use can have immediate and long-term effects.

Cancer.  Two major camps of cancer - The inherited mutation & the mutation after birth camp. After birth mutations are caused by environmental factors and are the most common causes of cancer. Leading causes / Risk factors:

• Tobacco. A major risk factor linked to lung, throat and mouth cancer.
• Diet.  Diets high in processed foods, red meat, sugar, and trans fats may increase your risk of cancer, particularly colorectal and stomach cancer. You can reduce your risk by eating a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains.
• Lack of Exercise. Lack of exercise contributes to obesity which does increase the risk of developing cancers like breast, colon, and endometrial cancer.
•  Alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption may contribute to a variety of different cancers.
• Radiation / UV Exposure. Your cells can be damaged by exposure to high levels of radiation. Common sources are the sun’s ultraviolet rays and radon gas.
• Environmental Carcinogens. Exposure to pollutants and occupational agents can increase a person’s risk of cancer. (arsenic, asbestos, lead, radiation, benzene).

Stroke. A stroke occurs when blood circulation to the brain fails. 80% of strokes are blockages of a blood vessel (by a clot). Major Causes / risk factors:  

• High blood pressure. Hypertension causes a two-to four-fold increase in the risk of stroke before age 80.
• Cigarette smoking. Smoking causes about a two-fold increase in the risk of ischemic stroke and up to a four-fold increase in the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
• Heart disease. Common heart disorders can result in blood clots that may break loose and block vessels in or leading to the brain.
• Diabetes. Hypertension is common among diabetics and accounts for much of their increased stroke risk.
• Cholesterol imbalance. Excess LDL can cause cholesterol to build up in blood vessels, leading to atherosclerosis - leading to both heart attack and stroke.
• Physical inactivity and obesity. Obesity and inactivity are associated with hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. 

Diabetes. Obesity is the leading cause of diabetes in the US. Other factors are:

• Poor diet - we have heard this one.
• Lack of physical activity - …. And this one too.

Ok, that gives us a wave top taste of what is killing us Americans without diving too deep into the water (that's future blogs). 

In the next blog I will dive into the top 5 longest living countries in the world and what are the contributing factors to their longevity.

From there we will have base line between those who are winning (the top 5) and those who are loosing (#49 - us) and can then springboard into any number of topics that may be helpful.

* Sources cites for this article were a host of articles and research papers from : Harvard school of Medicine. Center for Disease control. World Health Organization. Science Direct Research Data Base, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, National Library of Medicine.  

** Reader: If there is a health & well being topic you would like me to write about as part of this series - email me at landbasketfarm@gmail.com

www.landbasketfarm.com

Farmer Kevin