Our Poisoned Hearts: The American Diet and Heart Disease

A Research Paper Written by Kashika Bharol

In grocery stores, snacks such as cheetos cost less than a dollar per packet, while healthy apples sell at a steep rate of $4.50 per pound (Yurcaba). The United States population’s ever growing preference for cheap, malnourishing food meant to simply fill stomachs rather than to provide nutrition has taken a toll on the health of the public. The high amounts of unhealthy fats present in foods consumed everyday in the traditional American diet have resulted in heart disease becoming the leading cause of death in the US. Encouraging the public to consume healthier food, providing them with better options for their bodies, and increasing FDA regulation of food would help to lower the occurrence of deaths from heart disease in the US. America’s food problems could lead to an even higher increase in serious disease for the vast population of the country; therefore, the problems need to be addressed before they get out of hand.
In the United States, the leading causes of death have greatly changed through the years. A couple of decades ago, “the top 3 causes of death were infectious disease… As the impact of these diseases has been reduced or eliminated, mortality rates from other causes, especially chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, have increased.” The number one leading cause of death today is heart disease, complications and disease of the heart and blood vessels. (Tippett). As time continues, society faces great changes. As causes of death have changed, new, fatal diseases have emerged which were nonexistent years ago. Heart disease consists of any condition with the heart and related blood vessels, and can include cardiac arrest, heart failure, and artery disease (CDC). The rise of such a disease is significantly concerning, as it poses a high risk of fatality and is quite prevalent. Such a large amount of the US population is affected by cardiovascular disease, and an even larger portion performs everyday actions which contribute to heart disease: they eat.
     Diet is a major contributor to heart disease becoming America’s largest killer, and a large portion of the US population does not practice a healthy one. As per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “Diets high in saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol have been linked to heart disease and related conditions.” The American diet is the perfect example of such poor nutrition, as it is low in nutrition and high in these macromolecules. In fact, the American diet is so malnutritious that “on a weekly basis, 96 percent of Americans don’t reach the minimum for greens or beans, 98 percent don’t reach the minimum for orange vegetables, and 99 percent don’t reach the minimum for whole grains” (Standard American Diet). It is a scientific fact that humans must consume the necessary fruits and vegetables to help their bodies grow and develop smoothly without any complications. However, living in America, it is difficult to meet the nutritional needs of the body when such little part of the population intakes the proper food requirements needed in order for the body to function in a healthy way. New, processed, unhealthy junk foods have emerged and become a staple of the American diet. From various studies done on the diet, it is evident that the majority of Americans do not meet the nutritional requirements for eating vegetables and other foods which aid in the prevention of heart disease. Researchers have taken note of the relationship between diet and heart disease, and a solution is bound to arrive.
     Cardiovascular disease is certainly a deadly and unfortunate disease, but there is a potential for it to be prevented. Scientists have studied patterns in the rise of heart disease and have connected them to gradual change and patterns of the American diet. There is scientific research which supports the idea that the American diet is a contributor to the occurrence of heart disease due to the lack of proper nutrition and a balanced diet. The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society maintains that “[m]any researchers now believe that [heart disease is] partly related to diet… and the food we eat is an important factor in that dysfunction, in part because our diets lack the necessary balance of nutrients” (qtd in How Does Food Impact Health). The increase in heart complications and the rise of the American diet have had similar patterns, and numerous researchers have begun to notice the connection. The link between the lack of nutrition within our diets and the increase of heart disease is a key factor to completely preventing heart disease in the US population, as they have been found to be connected. If one gets better, the other will improve as well. The American diet and it’s relation to the frequency of heart disease has major effects on the general population of the United States. Heart disease is one of the major killers in the US. The CDC states that “a diet high in saturated and trans fats raises blood cholesterol — a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.” The American diet and the unhealthy foods present in it cause not only heart disease, but also many other conditions, including stroke, digestive problems, and cancer, because when food is digested, it does not go to the heart alone, but to other parts of the body as well, including the the stomach and digestive tract. If sufficient nutrition is not provided for the body, it cannot function correctly without complications. Unhealthy food not only causes internal harm, but it also has visible effects. The consumption of unhealthy food is a contributor to many physical bodily conditions, including obesity. In fact, eating “too much [of] fat and sugar can lead to obesity, both of which may contribute to heart disease as well” (Eating Fast Food). Obesity is a product of the unhealthy American diet because it occurs due to fat buildup from overconsumption of junk foods, and aids in the occurrence of heart disease, as the heart has to work faster and harder. The American diet has many effects on the general population of the US, but there are many factors which cause Americans to consume such foods.
Many Americans have poor diets, but they may not be voluntarily choosing to eat them. A major reason for unhealthy food choices to be so common in the US is money. “Current U.S. food policy is a major contributor to the failures of our food system—making junk food cheaper, healthy food more expensive, and sustainable farming more difficult” (Unhealthy Food Policy). Junk food is generally cheaper than healthy food, and as a result, many people opt for such foods as they are wallet-friendly. US food policy is a major factor which helps to make it easier to purchase junk food, as it is cheaper and readily available. Along with being inexpensive, unhealthy foods tend to be in more abundance in certain areas as opposed to others, targeting places where people are more susceptible to purchase and consume them. “Unhealthy [food sources] compared to healthy food sources are more accessible from schools as well as from places of residence, and while some characteristics of neighbourhood low socio-economic status are associated with less accessibility to healthy food sources, there is no consistent pattern of access” (Engler-Stringer, et. al Unhealthy Food Policy). Junk food is readily available in schools and in neighborhoods of low income, as they are easily accessible to them, financially safer, and “tastier.” These communities are more likely to purchase such foods, and as a result are subject to eating more of them. They are more susceptible to eat an unhealthy diet, and are more likely to get heart disease as a result of overconsumption of such foods. Due to being located in low-income neighborhoods, they likely are not provided with proper education on nutrition and heart disease, as well. Although there are countless factors which contribute to the presence of life-threatening disease, forward steps may be taken to help diminish the threat of it and the effects.
There are many potential solutions to prevent heart disease, including encouraging the public to consume healthier food and providing them with better options for their bodies, and increasing FDA regulation of food. Scientists have determined the kinds of foods which may lower the risk of heart disease. “Lowering… cholesterol can significantly lower heart disease risk. Several lifestyle and dietary modifications can dramatically reduce the risk of heart disease, including: Eating a diet that is low in salt, refined sugars, total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol and high in fresh fruits and vegetables” (Nichols). Avoiding these types of foods helps to greatly reduce the risk of not only heart disease, but many other conditions as well. There are numerous examples of such foods which are abundant in the American diet. Educating the public on incorporating a variety of nutritious foods in their diets via presentations in schools and advertisements in public places would help to spread awareness about heart disease and the importance of diet. As more people would be subject to information about the American diet and it’s link to heart disease, they would learn about it and educate others as well. However, not only would the United States general population need to begin taking action to stop heart disease, but the government would need to as well.
     The government plays a major role in the distribution of food. The FDA is an organization which regulates safety of food in the US. Increasing FDA regulation on how many heart disease-causing agents are in junk and unhealthy foods would help to control the amount of it which  people are consuming, causing the prevalence of heart disease to significantly decrease. This is not a wild concept, as similar action has been taken before in 1978. As more processed foods were newly developing and becoming popular at the time, the US public had concerns regarding what was in their food, and how many calories it contained. Regulations regarding putting labels on reduced/low-calorie foods were passed by the FDA due to the “Increased industry and consumer concerns about healthy diets” (Junod 15) and people could easily detect what they needed to, on their food labels. If the FDA begins to label foods for their health safety as they have done in the past, more people would take notice of the labels and be more conscious towards their health. If enough people get educated on good nutrition, follow it, and join together to take action against the unhealthy American diet and work to help control it, heart disease may be prevented.
Diet has been an issue in the United States for quite some time now, because of the many health risks which unhealthy ones pose. With the growing number of the American population consuming unhealthy, empty calories which hold no other significance than to get cholesterol and sugars into the body, rates of heart disease and related problems have grown. In order to combat the issue and prevent the problem from growing, the public should be educated on and be provided with healthful foods, and the FDA should make regulation on foods stricter. Diets are connected to heart disease, which is a serious condition and nationwide epidemic in the US. Food is fuel for our body, and if the wrong fuel is given, then malfunctions happen.

Works Cited

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