Living Better: What it takes to get healthy in America

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/05/30/ [login to see] /living-better-what-it-takes-to-get-healthy-in-america
When COVID hit, Americans watched the news in horror as the death count rose and rose again, with thousands of deaths a day throughout multiple waves. Deaths from the virus were sudden and tragic, but today we're living through a slower pandemic that also brings a tragic loss of lives every day — from preventable, chronic diseases.

These deaths are often hidden in plain sight. For instance, nearly a thousand deaths a day are linked to diet-related disease – heart disease, complications from Type 2 diabetes and liver disease. And diet now outranks smoking as a leading cause of death around the globe. Chronic stress fueled by poverty and racism also contribute to the toll of preventable deaths.

Deaths from chronic disease are not as dramatic, but the tragedy is that despite having the most sophisticated health care system in the world – great doctors, top-notch hospitals, lots of medical breakthroughs – the U.S. as a nation is not getting healthier.