Diet impacts infant mortality rates
Last Updated Aug 2007
The hallmark of any health-care system is infant mortality rates. The better the
health-care system, the lower the infant mortality. So you would think since the
United States spends more money on health care than any country, our infant
mortality rates would continue to decline. Apparently not anymore. In the South,
especially in Mississippi, infant mortality rates are increasing. The most obvious
reason is increased obesity and the corresponding increased inflammation that
obesity brings with it. It is now well known that fetal development is
dramatically influenced by the diet of the mother. The increasing pro-inflammatory
diet that drives obesity is most likely making it more difficult for the newborn
child to survive. Mississippi leads the country in the epidemic of obesity, and it
is not too farfetched to believe that infant mortality rates will begin increasing
in all parts of the country within a decade. These ominous statistics coupled with
the epidemic-like growth in type 2 diabetes in adolescents make the prediction that
longevity of the next generation will be decreased compared to their parents a
likely one. That would be a truly sad commentary for our country if it comes to
pass.