Did you know...?

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"Chronic diseases commonly have a long duration and progress slowly. They have an impact on quality of life and require ongoing medical care. Many chronic diseases are preventable, yet they are the leading cause of death in Ontario. In 2015, chronic diseases caused about three-quarters of deaths in Ontario. [...] chronic diseases not only reduce the quality and length of people’s lives, they are also expensive to treat. Their direct healthcare costs are estimated to be $10.5 billion a year in Ontario."[1]

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"Chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally and are attributable largely to poor nutrition and sub-optimal lifestyle behaviors. [...] They are projected to cost US$47 trillion over the next 20 years."[2]

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References:

1. CCO and Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario). The burden of chronic diseases in Ontario: key estimates to support efforts in prevention. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario; 2019.

2. Kimokoti RW, Millen BE. Nutrition for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases. Med Clin North Am. 2016 Nov;100(6):1185-1198. doi: 10.1016/

j.mcna.2016.06.003. PMID: 27745589

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Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, not only our lifestyle has become more sedentary but our food chain supply has also drastically changed.

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Some common factors:​

• greater amount of highly processed foods (artificial additives, preservatives, GMO's)

• prepackaged or refined foods that may be high in sodium, trans fats, sugars, chemical additives

• industrial agriculture relies on pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers to grow crops, especially in large quantities

• livestock factory farming (animals raised indoor overcrowded in confined spaces, or the use of hormones and antibiotics)

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These factors may have negative consequences on our body such as, the depletion of essential nutrients and can result in more serious chronic health conditions.

 

Some of the negative consequences that may impact our quality of life:

• undesirable symptoms such as: abdominal bloating, heartburn, recurrent headaches, allergies

• higher risks at developing long-term conditions: diabetes, arthritis, eczema, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases

• higher risks of chronic illnesses developing at a much younger age (sometimes even at birth): obesity, asthma, diabetes

 

Most chronic health conditions may lead to:

• invasive treatments

• high-cost treatments (sometimes not covered by public or private payers, if the criteria for reimbursement are not met)

• managing several medications (at times, for different illnesses)

• taking ongoing medications for chronic conditions can lead to more serious health issues like kidneys or liver malfunction