Dear President Biden:
On behalf of the Endocrine Society, thank you for the opportunity to provide comments and recommendations for the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. The Endocrine Society represents approximately 18,000 physicians and scientists engaged in all research and clinical aspects of hormone health.
Endocrinologists are on the front lines in treating diabetes and obesity -- two of the most common chronic illnesses in the United States and two health conditions inextricably linked to nutrition. The increased prevalence of diabetes and obesity is a public health crisis affecting millions of Americans in every state. The latest (2022) estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are that more than 130 million adults are living with diabetes or prediabetes. Roughly 1 out of every 10 Americans has diabetes while 1 out of every 3 adults has prediabetes. This has resulted in overwhelming increased costs for our healthcare system. Medical costs for people with diabetes are more than twice as high as for people without diabetes. The total cost of diabetes and prediabetes is estimated to be $327 billion in the United States. Meanwhile, the CDC estimates that approximately 42.4% of adults and 19.3% of children are considered obese in the United States. One study found that obesity accounted for $370 billion in direct costs for medical treatment.
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