They’ve been warning of a pandemic for years, but it wasn’t COVID-19. It was type-2 diabetes.
Susan Benigas, executive director of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine in Chesterfield, says COVID-19 is really a wake-up call for all of us.
“COVID has shone a bright light on the urgent need to address these underlying health conditions that so exacerbate the most harmful effects of COVID-19,” says Benigas. “And these underlying health conditions, the vast majority of them, are lifestyle related chronic diseases.”
The six pillars of lifestyle medicine are healthy eating, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoiding risky substances and positive social connections.
Health experts say 80% or more of all healthcare spending in this country pays for treatment of conditions rooted in poor lifestyle choices.
But that is good news, according to Benigas, because we can take control of our health.
Most of us think about food in terms of "will this make me fat," says Benigas. Instead, we should realize that what we are eating or not eating is the leading cause of disease and death.