Chapter 1
Urbanization, the Modern
Lifestyle, and Chronic DiseaseWhat’s the Problem?
Chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high
blood pressure, stroke, arthritis, bone loss, and degenerative neu-
rologic and ocular diseases are increasing worldwide as the world
urbanizes. These chronic conditions account for 70 percent of all
deaths in the United States and 60 percent of all deaths worldwide.^1
In the Unites States, 75 percent of the healthcare budget is used to
treat chronic diseases.^2 These diseases result in enormous health-
care costs, loss of work productivity, and human suffering. These
chronic conditions can be significantly reduced, their progression
slowed, and some virtually eliminated by lifestyle changes involv-
ing diet, increased physical activity, and positive mental condition-
ing. Pharmaceutical approaches can only treat symptoms but do
not correct the underlying causes of these conditions. In addition,
adverse drugs reactions (ADRs) are among the top-ten leading
causes of death in the United States.^3
Why so Much Chronic Disease?
As countries urbanize (move from an agrarian lifestyle to cit-
ies) and as manufacturing, transportation, and marketing improve,
more processed foods, which are high in caloric density and low in
nutrient density, are consumed. This is why the world has seen an