by Dr. Joseph Mercola, Mercola:
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- America faces a severe health crisis, with 80% of adults overweight or obese and over 50% pre-diabetic. This epidemic of metabolic dysfunction has occurred in just one generation
- Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a crucial role in chronic diseases. When these cellular powerhouses falter, it triggers a cascade of health problems throughout the body
- The pharmaceutical industry heavily influences medical education, research, and media coverage. Conflicts of interest are rampant, with drug companies funding studies and paying doctors directly
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- Current healthcare systems profit from keeping people sick. Treating symptoms separately with multiple medications, rather than addressing root causes, perpetuates chronic conditions and dependency on drugs
- Solutions involve addressing root causes of metabolic dysfunction through lifestyle changes, reforming agricultural subsidies, stricter conflict of interest rules, and reshaping medical education to emphasize nutrition and preventive care
A survey1 recently conducted by KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), a reputable health policy research organization, found that approximately 12% (or 1 in 8) of U.S. adults have used a GLP-1 drug like Ozempic, Wegovy, or similar medications at some point in their lives.
- About 6% of adults (more than 15 million individuals) are currently prescribed these medications.
- Most adults (61%) who have used these drugs did so to manage chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease.
- 38% of users reported taking these drugs specifically for weight loss.
- Usage varies by age group, with adults aged 50-64 being the most likely to have tried these medications.
These startling statistics are expanded upon in this interview with Tucker Carlson and Calley Means, the brother of Stanford trained physician Casey Means whom I recently interviewed. Prepare yourself for a journey that will challenge everything you thought you knew about America’s health crisis.
The conversation opens with a stark reality check: the United States is facing an unprecedented decline in health, with implications that reach far beyond individual well-being to threaten the very fabric of society.
The interview paints a grim picture of the current state of American health. A staggering 42.4% of American adults are now obese and another 30.7% are overweight.2 That means 73.1% of adults are either overweight or obese. But this isn’t just about carrying a few extra pounds — it’s a visible symptom of a much deeper, more insidious problem plaguing your nation: widespread metabolic dysfunction.
As you delve deeper into the conversation, you’ll discover that this epidemic of poor health has happened with alarming speed. In just one generation, the percentage of overweight or obese Americans has skyrocketed.
Even more shocking, approximately 48% of American adults now have pre-diabetes (estimated 52% of men and 44% of women) when using a fasting blood sugar of 100 mg/dL or higher as the threshold.3 This more stringent criterion provides a more accurate picture of the metabolic health crisis facing the nation.
The crisis isn’t limited to adults either; an estimated 24% of adolescents aged 12 to 18 are pre-diabetic.4 Thirty percent of American adults5 and 18.5% of adolescents and young adults6 (ages 12 to 24) also have fatty liver disease, a condition once seen only in elderly alcoholics.
The economic impact of this health crisis is staggering. Healthcare costs are spiraling out of control, with billions spent annually on treating preventable conditions. On an individual level, the cost of managing chronic health conditions can run into thousands of dollars per year. And these costs have only increased with the introduction of newer medications.
How Dysfunctional Powerhouses Drive America’s Health Epidemic
But here’s where things get interesting and concerning. A key player in this health drama that you might not have considered before, your mitochondria. These tiny powerhouses within your cells are responsible for producing adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency that powers almost all cellular processes. When these mitochondria malfunction, it sets off a cascade of problems throughout your body.
Chronic health conditions put enormous stress on your cells. Initially, your mitochondria try to keep up by increasing ATP production. But over time, this production starts to falter, signaling mitochondrial dysfunction. The consequences of this energy deficit are far-reaching. With less ATP available, all energy-dependent processes in your cells begin to suffer.
