Final Podcast

The podcast episode discusses the impact of food on our bodily functions, particularly in relation to chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the social determinants of health and how they contribute to health disparities. The episode also explores the connection between chronic inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Solutions to combat these issues include community gardens and food pantries. The episode ends with questions for self-reflection about food choices and their effects on our health. Hi everyone, welcome back to my podcast Brainiacs. Today we will discuss food as fuel, specifically how the quality and quantity of food can impact our bodily function. Typically, we think of food as our way of getting energy for finals or for hanging out with friends. However, the relationship goes beyond this. Food plays a role in inflammation, blood sugar levels, heart health, neurotransmitter release, and chronic disease progression. Since the impact is so extensive, we will focus on chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease as comorbidities to neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. To give a more holistic understanding of the relationship between these, we will also discuss lifestyle factors, and if you can't tell by the title, we're going to specifically be focusing on food and how that can impact the progression of chronic diseases. However, I do want to emphasize that this episode will primarily focus on chronic diseases as a comorbidity to impaired brain function. Until recently, scientists have solely investigated the genetic underpinnings of the brain rather than the environmental factors influencing this. Understanding the relationship of comorbidities provides a holistic overview of the disease process, causes, consequences, and contaminants. So now let's get started by talking about chronic disease in the United States and their risk factors. According to the CDC, chronic diseases are conditions that last three months or longer, requiring ongoing medical attention and hindering daily functionality. The list of chronic diseases is extensive, but some of the most common ones are cardiovascular disease, or CBD, cancer, stroke, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and Alzheimer's disease, also known as AD. Some statistics are 6 in 10 adults in the U.S. have a chronic disease, and 4 in 10 adults have two or more of these. Despite 90% of the $4.1 trillion in annual healthcare expenditure, chronic diseases are still leading drivers of death and disability in the U.S., which leads us to ask, what is causing these chronic diseases, how can we prevent this, and who is directly impacted? To answer these questions, I interviewed Alicia Smith-Tranit, an assistant professor of sociology at Oberlin College. Professor Smith-Tranit researches aging, race, class, and general life course. Therefore, our interview focused on health disparities and how inequities across broader social and economic factors, often called social determinants of health, determine our proximity to disease. When asked generally what factors influence food access, Professor Smith-Tranit emphasized the significance of geography, or where we live, stating that the neighborhoods we live in determines the type of food we have access to and the quantity of grocery stores. The conversation continues with her addressing how these social determinants of health were created through practices such as redlining. Redlining is a discriminatory practice in which services are withheld from potential customers who reside in neighborhoods classified as hazardous to invest in. This could include grocery stores, hospitals, clinics, etc. Other resources we need to successfully or healthily live. These environments typically compromise racial and ethnic minorities, in addition to low-income residents. From this response, we discussed who is more likely to develop a chronic disease due to proximity to risk factors. Utilizing her research in medical sociology, she discussed some of the analysis she has encountered. Specifically, Black, Hispanic, and Asian people fare worse than white people across the majority of examined measures of health and health care. This is shown through life expectancy data, highlighting that Black people have a shorter life expectancy in comparison to white people. According to this graph, there is a 10-year difference. Now, what is causing this short life expectancy in comparison to white counterparts? Well, it is where we begin to connect it back to food. Black and Hispanic non-elderly adults and children are more likely to experience food insecurity compared to their white counterparts. Specifically, Black and Hispanic children are twice as likely to be food insecure than white children. To tie this back to chronic diseases, I chose to focus on two chronic diseases that have been linked to food or nutrition, including diabetes. It shows that Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults are all at a higher rate for diabetes than white adults. Further, Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults are more likely to have a heart attack or heart disease in comparison to their white counterparts. Now that we have discussed the direct link between risk factors such as food insecurity and chronic disease, let's dive deeper into how CVD, or cardiovascular disease, impacts our brain function. Recently, there was a link established between chronic systemic inflammation and CVD and neurodegeneration. As previously mentioned, food regulates our inflammatory response, so let's look at the long-term impacts of misregulation. Increasing evidence points to chronic inflammation as a key factor in the progression of lesions and related cardiovascular events. These lesions are plaques in our arteries that can travel up to our brain. Recent evidence suggests that the impact of systemic inflammation can trigger neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases such as AD, also known as Alzheimer's disease. To strengthen the connection, epidemiological genetic and clinical data indicate a consistent association between CVD and dementia. Alzheimer's disease, the major cause of dementia worldwide, and CVD affect the same population of patients that share many common risk factors, including food insecurity, which can trigger inflammation as we mentioned at the beginning of the podcast. Accordingly, two recent autopsy studies showed an increased prevalence of CVD and lesions in Alzheimer's patients as compared to their healthy controls. Overall, this research suggests a cascade effect leading to impaired brain function. I emphasize that the cascade begins way before diagnosis, and we as scientists should be identifying precursors such as chronic disease and their associated risk factors when diagnosing and treating. So far, we have covered chronic diseases, their associated risk factors, and food, which is food insecurity. Further, we discussed a specific example of and is linked to the brain via neuroinflammation and AD pathology. Now we will transition to focusing on solutions to combat these, specifically asking why we continue to see high prevalence of these diseases despite the abundant research. What is the research missing or overlooking? To aid in this, I interviewed Donna George, a foreign practicum coordinator and guest lecturer at Oberlin College. Her work involves investigating accessible resources and solutions for communities that risk for food insecurity in addition to successfully establishing food system models. When asked why she got involved in this field, Donna explained that the current field needs to address the systemic issue, stating, and I quote, environmental scientists are only comfortable with the food aspect but uncomfortable with the justice part. She elaborates by saying that a system in the United States makes it so that everyone does not easily access something as simple and fundamental as food. She ties this back to our history as a country. Access and distribution of healthy food through agriculture is regulated by a white supremacy system where they profit from stolen land and forced labor. Claiming that because scientists do not acknowledge the history as it is foundational, not separate, we see the lack of food access in underrepresented communities. Therefore, solutions include establishing relationships with the community and the land to build out programming such as community gardens and food pantries, allowing access to not only fresh and healthy food, but building our education and skill building, community building, environmental benefits, and aid in our physical and mental health. To end my podcast, I want to pose a series of questions you can ask yourself now and later. Firstly, what kinds of food do you buy from a grocery store near you? This can be canned goods, frozen meals, meats, vegetables, fruits, etc. How often do you eat fast food? Believe me, I know how good that 4 for 4 from Wendy's is or the McDonald's salad menu. And lastly, how do you feel after a meal? Do you take a nap, go out for a run, or sit on the couch? Do you feel energized, bloated, tired, etc.? The food we put into our body greatly impacts our health. Although I mentioned solutions, some on a smaller scale like community gardens, and hopefully one day on a larger scale with policy change to combat histories of inequity, these will take time and funding, so please monitor your food intake and how it makes you feel now. Based on these, if you can alter your diet, do, or seek medical attention, even then, I understand that these solutions are still not easily accessible. Thank you for your time. Next week, tune in with us as we will be adding to our series of risk factors impacting chronic diseases. Thank you.