#STUDY STACK CODE#
In an accompanying editorial, Failing Cardiovascular Health: A Population Code Blue ∗ in the Journal of Cardiology, the authors observe, “The reported findings of secular trends of stalling and worsening cardiometabolic profile should not be a surprise as the obesogenic lifestyle-unhealthy dietary patterns that feature foods and beverages high in saturated fat, sugar, salt, and calories little or no physical activity alcohol too much or too little sleep and hours of screen time-seems to be the norm for many Americans and other populations. The authors of the study made the obvious conclusion that “the findings inform the need for nationwide clinical and public health interventions to improve cardiometabolic health and health equity.” It is notable that the survey criteria used here did not include measurements of exercise (most Americans are deficient,) diet (most Americans eat an unhealthy diet,) stress (most are chronically stressed,) or sleep (most are sleep deprived.) Add these in along with tobacco usage (fortunately now down below 15%) and excessive alcohol consumption and we are a woeful group wondering why we develop diabetes, angina, a heart attack or a stroke, cancer, kidney disease or Alzheimer’s. Equally important, the trend is down in every category over the almost twenty years of this survey. We Americans stack up health wise very poorly.Īfrican Americans and Mexican Americans fared somewhat worse than whites as did men compared to women, less educated vs more educated, and less affluent than more so participants.īut for you well-educated, affluent whites, be aware, you still did poorly. (See the article text for the graphic presentation.) Only 6.8% of the group in 2017-2018 had what would be considered optimal cardiometabolic health.
It consisted of not being obese or substantially overweight, having normal blood sugar (glucose) levels, reasonable cholesterol levels, normal blood pressure measurements, and no overt cardiovascular disease. The criteria defining good health were not outlandish, by any means. In a newly released study from the CDC of 55,081 Americans followed in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2018, cardiometabolic health was found to be poor and worsening over time.