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America’s waistline is expanding, and so is the debate over what that means for our health and our culture. In just three generations, obesity rates have more than tripled, transforming not only our bodies but the very shape of daily lives. Airplane seats, clothing sizes, and even mannequins have all grown larger, and so have the rates of diabetes, heart disease, and other preventable conditions. We have normalized illness,” Dr. Joseph Varon, who is the president and chief medical officer of the Independent Medical Alliance, told The National News Desk’s Jan Jeffcoat during a one-on-one interview on Wednesday. The body doesn’t really care what is trendy,” he added. “It responds biologically, so we’re seeing more diabetes, more fatty liver, more heart [disease] in children. So, when a disease becomes normal, prevention disappears. We have anesthetized ourselves to the warning signs that used to alarm us.” Varon the nation has built an environment that promotes weight gain. “Food supply is dominated by highly ultra-processed, ultra-high calorie, low nutrient products,” he said. “We sit all day, we sleep too little, we live under constant stress. All of these shift your biological hormones towards fat storage. Even architecture plays a role, you know? Escalators instead of stairs. People drive instead of walking. Nobody walks. We have really changed this lifestyle by making obesity 'normal.’” For more, watch the video player above or visit for Jeffcoat's full interview with Varon.
