Yes. We need to stop subsidizing and normalizing obesity.

Honestly, I think the opioid epidemic is really what is driving this more. Unfortunately the article doesn't bring it up.

Though I do agree with you in general that we need a fundamental cultural change or we are going to see the average life expectancy.

Every morbidly obese child you see has s good chance of not living past 50-60, and their adulthood is going to be marked by early disability.

In fairness the article actually does bring up the drug angle twice, but in passing.

>in our data we saw this [youthful stroke] increase independently of that,” says Brett Kissela, professor and chair of the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Cincinnati, who headed the 2012 work. It is likely drug use among the younger adult population also plays a role, he says

>Ralph Sacco, president of the American Academy of Neurology, notes that “data has been scant” about strokes among younger people. “There has been mounting evidence from different studies suggesting that even though the incidence and mortality of stroke is on the decline, the rates may not be dropping quite as much—and even [may be] increasing—among younger populations,” Sacco says. “The reasons for these trends are not entirely clear but there are concerns about obesity, diabetes and physical inactivity having a greater impact in younger stroke victims.” Drug use may be another factor, he adds.

Thanks, I did miss those references. I do wish they had mentioned IV drug abuse specifically because that is far and away the largest factor. I would wager stimulants like meth and cocaine as as second, followed by vasculitis caused by levamisole laced cocaine (used to be really common when I trained).