Obesity is global public health epidemic – but how can we begin to address such a large public health issue when there is SO MUCH information (bad and good) flooding IG, Facebook, tabloids, TV, the news, etc etc? How do we know what correct? Healthy? Right? The best for us?⁣
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A little history…⁣
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Researchers started to take notice to an increase of approximately 30 pounds of body weight in women on average in the late 1980s, & that the trend was leaning towards a generous disparity between the heaviest Americans & those who were at the end of the weight curve.⁣[1]
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Ironically, 10 years earlier in the 70s, the American food system changed dramatically in response to a corn surplus. Products such as high fructose corn syrup & other additives began creeping their way into foods, & thus is born the TV dinner generation. Corn & soy ingredients can be found in a myriad of highly processed, prepackaged foods – some of these can even be classified as “hyperpalatable”, consisting of excess fat, sugar, & sodium.⁣[1,2]
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Although these foods will not inherently make you gain fat, the calories from these foods can easily add up over a day’s worth of consumption, easily exceeding an individual’s calorie burn.⁣
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Almost 30 years later, obesity affects approximately 390 million women and 281 million men worldwide.⁣[3,4]
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What is more frightening is that obesity is not only affecting adult men and women, but also children as well; 340 million children aged 5-19 years old are considered obese or overweight.⁣[3,4]
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People consistently consume more calories than they are burning, causing an energy imbalance in the form of a calorie surplus. It would appear that the solution is simple – simply take in less calories to achieve a deficit. However, we know that it is not that simple.⁣
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Some people might report that they fight a constant battle with food every hour of every day, & while some might be aware of the implications of their lifestyle choices, find themselves fighting a losing battle.⁣
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A Russian grain shortage in 1972 created a high demand for American grain – 30 million tons to be exact. This drastically increased not only the price of corn but everything that was connected to it, causing the prices of groceries to skyrocket & resulting in severe consumer unrest.⁣[2]
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To solve this issue, the secretary of agriculture Earl Butz urged farmers to significantly increase their production of corn in effort to drive prices back down. He eliminated loans to farmers (a New Deal program) & paid them directly for their crop, even if market prices were down, promising to compensate for the gap in profits.⁣[2]
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With the surplus of corn & soybeans on the market & economic drive to remain competitive in the global food market, the target price for continued to fall, a trend that still holds today.⁣
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Market price for a bushel of corn in 2019 in Central Illinois cost $3.80, almost a 50% reduction since 2012. Lower market price per bushel means lower return for the farmer.⁣[5]
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These changes in agribusiness were intended to reduce inflation & make food more affordable for the American public. However, there appears to be an associated & unexpected side effect of surplus corn; an associated increase in obesity & decline in healthy eating behaviors in America that has been trending since the 1970s.⁣[1,2,6]
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Butz’ urgency in planting corn & soy “fencerow to fencerow” pushed American farmers to eliminate growing of other vegetables, fruit, and livestock. With post-World War II fertilizer’s, there was no need to cycle crops or keep livestock for their manure to maintain soil fertility.⁣[2]
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The market became flooded with surplus corn & soy that could easily be transformed into other additives such as sweeteners, syrups, and hydrogenated fats, leading into a surge of super-affordable, hyperpalatable food sources in the form of fast food, prepacked, highly-processed meals, corn-fed meat, and sugary beverages.⁣[2,6]
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This has created an economic environment that makes it cheaper to buy calorie dense, hyperpalatable foods while creating a false gap increase in price between processed industrial corn & soy products & wholesome fruits and vegetables.⁣[6]
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References:

1. Kessler DA. The end of overeating: Taking control of the insatiable American diet. New York, NY; Rodale, Inc: 2009.

2. Pollan, M. The Omnivore’s Dilemma. New York, NY; Penguin Books; 2006.

3. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Current status and response to the global obesity pandemic: Proceedings of a workshop. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK544130/. Published June 25, 2019. Accessed January 30, 2020

4. World Health Organization. Obesity and overweight. https://www.who.int/…/fact-sh…/detail/obesity-and-overweight. Published February 16, 2016. Accessed January 30, 2020

5. Schnitkey G. Corn and soybean budgets for 2018 and 2019: Low returns ahead. https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2018/08/corn-soybean-budgets-2018-2019.html. Published August 7, 2018. Accessed January 30, 2020.

6. Fields S. The fat of the land: do agricultural subsidies foster poor health? Environ Health Perspect. 2004;112(14):A820–A823. doi:10.1289/ehp.112-a820