5 modern diseases grown by factory farming

You are what you eat...and that's the problem

Cows
(Image credit: (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki))

Industrial agriculture is making us sick. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), nutritional scientists, and medical professionals warn against the health risks of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). There is a near consensus among experts that overuse of antibiotics, crowded and unsanitary livestock conditions, unnatural feed diets, and a lack of diversification are responsible for some serious global health risks.

Contracting bugs from animals is nothing new. In fact, zoonoses (infectious diseases transferred between species) are a natural part of evolutionary biology. But modern industrial farming practices can turn health issues that were once fairly benign into real concerns.

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Monica Nickelsburg is a digital producer for TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for Transient Pictures, The Daily Beast, NBC, and Forbes. Follow her @mnickelsburg.