\n\n“In all the coronavirus coverage, one issue that rarely makes the headlines is the correlation between body weight and the severity of COVID-19’s effects. And one angle that virtually never makes the headlines is how the government funds the unhealthy foods that increase obesity rates, thereby increasing our susceptibility to such diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a study<\/a> showing that nearly 80 percent of those hospitalized with COVID-19 were overweight or obese. After age, body weight is the second greatest predictor of COVID-related hospitalization and death. Almost three quarters<\/a> of all Americans ages 20 and up are overweight, and close to half of that group is considered obese.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n …<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Not only is the U. S. government not making any efforts to reduce the obesity epidemic, it is actively subsidizing food that contributes to the problem. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that people fill half their plate with fruits and vegetables, yet the vast majority of its food subsidies<\/a>\u2014$170 billion from 1995 to 2010\u2014go toward the major ingredients of junk food, such as corn, wheat, rice, soy, and milk.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n …<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We have the power to make real changes in the way we eat and move. The government could help that process by taking its thumb off the scale and ceasing to subsidize these foods.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n