Chronic Obesity Tied to Leading Causes of Death

A persistent, expanding waistline is a significant factor in four of the leading causes of death in Western-oriented diets according to conclusions published in the New York Times best-selling book, “Forks Over Knives”.  The book reveals that the same unhealthy diets which are the root cause of obesity that  promote  harmful formation of plaque in arteries – are the same kinds of diet which can lead to heart attack and stroke. Perhaps more alarming, the National Cancer Institute has concluded that many forms of cancer, particularly colon, breast, endometrial, kidney and esophageal have been linked to chronic obesity.
There have been some key research studies conducted over the past several decades which seem to support this inescapable conclusion. T. Colin Campbell, PhD conducted a study of the Chinese diet over a 36 year period involving over 6,500 Chinese people in 65 rural villages. Highlights of this study demonstrated that Chinese participants living on a plant-based diet had cholesterol levels in the range of 81 to 135, compared to the average American cholesterol level of 200. Dr. Campbell’s study also found that in certain pockets in China where plant-based diets were most common, researchers could not find a single person out of 100,000 who had died from heart disease.
Closer to home, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn  Jr., conducted a 20 year study at the esteemed Cleveland Clinic which demonstrated that a plant-based, oil-free diet did not only prevent heart disease, but showed remarkable promise in reversing it. According to Dr. Esselstyn, “Plaque does not develop until the endothelium, or lining of the arteries is injured – and it is injured every time people eat meat, dairy, fish and chicken…”
That fact that so many leading causes of death have been linked to obesity and a diet rich in meats, dairy and fats, is reason enough for individuals to evaluate their diets and make a concerted effort to incorporate more plant-based foods into their daily meal plans. For more detailed information please visit http://forksoverknives.com
O’Meagher Farms promotes healthier eating by offering a variety of all-natural foods (which are all plant-based) on its website. Please visit us at http://omeagherfarms.com