The Hidden Cost of Chronic Exposure: Why Health Benefits Must Address Nutrition

There may be disagreements on what humans should eat, but there is growing consensus on what we should not. Consuming foods high in additives with minimal whole food content, along with those exposed to plastics—particularly Di(2-Ethylhexyl)Phthalate (DEHP)—carries significant health risks. When strategies for improving population health and wellness lack a focus on mitigating these risks through nutrition and lifestyle guidance, there is a critical gap. If the prevailing belief is that influencing group lifestyle choices isn’t worth the effort, it may be time to reconsider. Chronic exposures play a key role in rising costs and utilization across categories like cancer, cardiovascular, digestive, and behavioral health. Reducing not just treatment inflation rates, but also the incidence of diagnoses, requires an integrated approach—one that combines long- and short-term strategies. Engagement is the linchpin, and the most effective point for this is at the time of need. Integrating nutritional and lifestyle counseling into the health plan (specifically primary care), delivered by trusted providers with minimal cost to the member, is a PROACTIVE CARE model that works. Research underscores the urgency: increased ultraprocessed food intake is linked to a higher risk of premature death (Nilson et al., 2025), while phthalate exposure—particularly DEHP—has been associated with hundreds of thousands of heart disease-related deaths globally (Hyman et al., 2025).

Nilson, E. A. F., et al. (2025). Premature Mortality Attributable to Ultraprocessed Food Consumption in 8 Countries. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(25)00072-8/fulltext

Hyman, S., et al. (2025). Phthalate exposure from plastics and cardiovascular disease: global estimates of attributable mortality and years life lost. eBioMedicine, 105730. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(25)00174-4/fulltext