"Improve metabolic health to reduce disease risk Dr. Hyman linked poor metabolic health directly to catastrophic outcomes in infectious disease. He noted that poor metabolic health from ultra-processed foods "pre-inflamed the American population" and that the US — with 4% of world population — had 16% of COVID cases and deaths. He called this "a 400% increase over expected rates." The implication: improving metabolic baseline is not a cosmetic goal but a survival variable whenever the body faces any systemic challenge. Source: Dr. Mark Hyman, Feel Better, Live More, How Ultra-Processed Food Is Destroying Your Health"