Take a guess... do you think us rugged Aussies are healthier than those fancy-prancy Frenchmen? Us, with our sunburned country and sweeping plains... compared to the French... loitering around art galleries... eating desserts lashed with cream. Us, being (ex) tennis champions... (ex) cricket champions... (ex) swimming champions... compared to the French... (current) cycling champions... (current) soccer champions.
Slowly, the world is getting its act together in providing comparative measures of health between countries. Lots of countries are now doing population samples for the amount of glucose we carry around in our blood stream. Glucose is elevated by eating more sugar and sweet fruits... but importantly, is even more impacted by the amount of food from grain (particularly wheat) we eat.
Population statistics show dependable correlations between the level of glucose in your blood and a whole range of health issues. Of course diabetes is the most obvious... but cardiovascular health is closely correlated... and surprisingly, mental health also is closely linked. Invariably, there is more than one cause for any illness afflicting our complicated bodies... but trying to find manageable ways to improve community health... through economic measures... and with a minimum of side effects. Sugar and wheat are putting their hands up for the roles of 'prime villains'.
How do the two countries compare? France has 5% of its population suffering from diabetes... while Australia has 5.5%. France consumes a wider range of diet... sure, they eat a lot of meat fats and diary products... but polyunsaturated fats are generally good for you. Australians have fallen into the trap of eating too much junk food... and junk food is usually consumed within two slabs of bread... and it's the bread that is 'the villain'... the short-cut to diabetes type 2.
Both countries have about 50% of its population with blood sugar at safe levels... but that means half of us are walking around with blood sugar levels just pleading to be allowed to suffer from type 2 diabetes... asking to increase the levels of inflammation in our arteries... and inflammation of our body's organs... including the brain.
If it's any consolation, Spain has 6.9% of its population suffering from type 2 diabetes... while USA comes in at a whopping rate in excess of 10%.
Diabetes is a disease of junk-food societies... we just can't eat what we want.
Here endeth the second lesson.
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