Tens of millions of Americans have been reclassified as chronically ill over the past few decades without their actual blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar ever changing. Reason: Diagnostic thresholds that define “normal” have been redrawn more than once. Here’s what’s really changed, and why it matters. (Based on the vision of Dr. Eric Berg)
Key takeaways
- The 2017 change in the high blood pressure threshold (140/90 to 130/80) added nearly 31 million Americans to the “high blood pressure” category overnight, without any change in their actual readings.
- Cholesterol and diabetes thresholds have also been lowered over the past decades, resulting in tens of millions of people being added to these diagnostic categories.
- The committees that established these limits included members with financial ties to the industries that produced the resulting drugs.
- All three conditions are due to chronically high insulin, driven largely by refined carbohydrates and sugar.
- Research-backed lifestyle approaches — including documented diabetes relief experience — offer real alternatives worth discussing with your doctor.
Threshold #1: Blood Pressure (2017)
For years, 140/90 mmHg was the standard limit for A High blood pressure He snorted. In 2017, a panel of cardiologists lowered this limit to 130/80. Same readings, same people — but overnight, nearly 31 million Americans were classified as having high blood pressure. Meanwhile, the UK, Europe, Canada, Japan and Australia reviewed the same basic evidence and chose to keep their threshold at 140.
Threshold No. 2: Cholesterol
In 1988, the normal LDL level was about 190. In 2001, a committee lowered that number to 130. Statins Prescriptions doubled over the next three years. This threshold was lowered again in 2013. Overnight, another 12.9 million people were diagnosed with high cholesterol. Today, approximately 86 million people have high blood cholesterol, most of whom take medications.
Threshold No. 3: Prediabetes
Perhaps the most striking example is that an entirely new diagnostic category, “prediabetes,” was created based on specifically lowering blood sugar. With one change in definition, 72 million people now have diabetes. Add that to the diabetes incidence numbers, and you’ll find that nearly 115 million American adults now fall somewhere in the category of diabetes or prediabetes.
Conflicts of interest worth knowing about
One notable detail is that the committees that decided these changes included a number of members with financial ties to the industries that produce prescription drugs once someone crosses the new line. This pattern—and the broader question of whether these diagnostic shifts actually extend people’s lives—is explored in depth in the book. Over-diagnosis by physician Gilbert Welsh, and has been the subject of an ongoing campaign by the British Medical Journal called “Too Much Medicine”. A similar pattern has emerged with osteoporosis diagnostic criteria and the BMI definition, which can classify large-muscled individuals as obese despite having a low body fat percentage.
Does lowering the threshold really help?
The key question here is simple: If you change the numbers so that more people are diagnosed and take medications, does that actually lengthen their lives or improve their health? According to this analysis, it has not been proven to increase mortality. Instead, it can set off a cascade sometimes called polypharmacy — one drug causing a side effect, which leads to another drug to manage that side effect, and so on.
The common denominator: insulin
The reason behind these three conditions is chronic high insulin. Chronic high insulin contributes to atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, and progression toward Insulin resistanceprediabetes, and eventually diabetes. The biggest driver of chronically high insulin is a diet high in carbohydrates, especially refined sugars and refined starches.
What actually drives these numbers
There is solid research behind natural, lifestyle-based approaches to these three conditions. For type 2 diabetes, one famous trial found complete remission after 12 months in 46 out of 100 participants – a finding worth knowing about before starting treatment, as patients have the right to be informed of alternatives as part of informed consent.
For LDL cholesterol, there is research behind red yeast rice, niacin (which significantly lowers LDL and raises HDL), plant sterols, exercise, and a low-carb diet. For blood pressure, there is research behind garlic, hibiscus tea, the DASH diet with reduced sodium, exercise, and increased potassium while reducing sodium and magnesium.
Randomized controlled trials are typically designed to test a single variable versus a placebo, and are not well suited to studying multiple lifestyle factors stacked simultaneously — which is part of the reason why there is no formal trial that tests all of these factors combined. But common sense suggests that grouping several of these evidence-backed approaches together — diet change, exercise, better sleep, stress reduction — can multiply their individual benefits, even without a trial specifically proving the combination.
Bottom line
Much of the chronic disease epidemic, as measured by diagnosis rates, has been shaped by where those lines are drawn — not necessarily by people getting sick. Since all three conditions are due to insulin resistance, understanding and addressing this root cause is key in working with these numbers, rather than simply pinpointing them.
Frequently asked questions
Why were these diagnostic thresholds lowered in the first place?
Committees of medical experts review and revise these limits periodically. According to this analysis, some of the committee members involved in these decisions had financial relationships with the pharmaceutical industry, which raises questions about the motivations behind these changes.
Does getting a diagnosis under the lower threshold actually help me live longer?
According to this analysis, these changes in thresholds have not been shown to increase mortality, and could instead lead to a cascade of medications where the side effects of one drug are treated with another.
What is the root cause that links high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes?
Chronically high insulin, usually driven by a high intake of refined carbohydrates and sugar, contributes to all three: atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, and progression toward insulin resistance and diabetes.
Can type 2 diabetes really be reversed with lifestyle changes?
Yes – one well-known trial found complete remission after 12 months in 46 out of 100 participants using a structured nutritional intervention, a finding worth discussing with your doctor as part of informed consent before starting treatment.
Quick start checklist
- ☐ Ask your doctor what thresholds and guidelines he uses to diagnose you
- ☐ Ask about lifestyle alternatives first before starting a new medication
- ☐ Limit refined carbohydrates and added sugars to help control insulin levels
- ☐ Explore research-backed options: DASH diet, exercise, garlic, hibiscus tea, and magnesium for blood pressure
- ☐ Discuss red yeast rice, niacin, or plant sterols with your doctor before starting
- ☐ Never stop or adjust a prescribed medication without medical direction
source: Dr. Eric Berg
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never stop or adjust a prescription medication without talking to your doctor first, and consult your doctor before combining any nutritional supplements (such as red yeast rice or niacin) with prescription medications, since interactions are possible.
