The U.S. is lagging behind in addressing diet-related risks for COVID-19

Banning junk food advertisements on television before 9 p.m. Requiring warning labels on foods with high levels of sugar and salt. Levying a tax on fast food and soda. The pandemic has sparked governmental efforts around the world to address diet-related diseases like obesity and diabetes that put people at a significantly higher risk of dying from Covid-19. In the midst of a global push to improve diets and prevent more pandemic-related illnesses, the United States stands out for both its weight problem (nearly 75 percent of Americans are considered overweight or obese) and the seeming unwillingness of the federal government to address the crisis in a meaningful way, writes Politico. Part of the problem may be a lack of national will to tackle the problem through governmental intervention. Many Americans still view obesity as a character flaw, rather than the complex disease that science has shown it to be.