Curtis Harwell Discusses Diets With High Cholesterol, Fat and Sugar

It’s hard to overstate the impact that cardiovascular disease (CVD) has in the U.S.. Consider the following:

• Cardiovascular disease affects 65 million Americans.
• Close to one million Americans have a heart attack each year.
• In the U.S., one person dies every 39 seconds of cardiovascular disease.
• 1 of 3 deaths that occurs in the U.S. is caused by cardiovascular disease.
• 1 in 3 Americans have metabolic syndrome, a cluster of major cardiovascular risk factors related to overweight/obesity and insulin resistance.
• The total cost of cardiovascular disease in 2008 was estimated at $300 billion.

To put that last statistic in perspective, the World Health Organization has estimated that ending world hunger would cost approximately $195 billion. One might argue that the $300 billion we spend on treating cardiovascular disease in the U.S. is a necessary expenditure; however, a recent study which looked at the relationship between heart disease and lifestyle suggested that 90% of CVD is caused by modifiable diet and lifestyle factors. (1)

Unfortunately, cardiovascular disease is one of the most misdiagnosed and mistreated conditions in medicine. We’ve learned a tremendous amount about what causes heart disease over the past decade, but the medical establishment is still operating on outdated science from 40-50 years ago.