Diet Related Illnesses
Standard: Benefits of healthy eating (short term/long term) benefits/risks

Poor diet and inactivity are the second leading cause of preventable death after smoking. Over 400,000 deaths a year are related to poor diet and physical inactivity. In fact, deaths from obesity are soon expected to surpass deaths from smoking.

Diet is a leading risk factor for diseases that kill most Americans. These top 3 diseases include cancer, heart disease, and strokes. For the first time in history, cancer has now surpassed heart disease as the top killer of Americans under 85. Research from both the American Heart Association and the National Cancer Institute have shown that people who eat a low fat high fiber diet and exercise regularly are less likely to have heart disease or cancer.

What is Cancer?
Cancer, as defined by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is a renegade system of growth that originates within a patient's body. There are many different types of cancers, but all share one hallmark characteristic: unchecked growth that progresses toward limitless expansion. Statistical data shows us that about 60% of women's cancers and 40% of men's cancers are related to nutritional factors.

Diet and Cancer
Studies suggest that differences in diet may also play a role in determining cancer risk. People who eat large amounts of meat, which is rich in saturated fat, exhibit an increased cancer risk, especially for colon cancer. Studies also show that increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables will decrease one's risk. The National Institute of Cancer recommends eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

 

Cancer Fighting Foods Include:
Red and Green Bell Peppers
Leafy green vegetables, especially spinach and mustard greens
Almonds
Sunflower Seeds
Vegetable Oils

What is Heart Disease?
Heart disease is a broad term for any condition that affects the heart and blood vessels. This includes heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, stable angina, unstable angina, congestive heart failure, poor circulation, arrhythmias, and irregular heartbeats.

Cardiovascular disease kills about 500,000 women each year, making it the primary cause of death for woman in the United States.

Foods that Reduce the Risk for Heart Disease
American Heart Association- Dietary Guidelines to prevent heart disease

• Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Choose 5 or more servings per day.
• Eat a variety of grain products, including whole grains. Choose 6 or more servings per day.
• Include fat-free and low-fat milk products, fish, legumes (beans), skinless poultry and lean meats.
• Choose fats and oils with 2 grams or less saturated fat per tablespoon, such as liquid and tub margarines, canola oil and olive oil.
• Balance the number of calories you eat with the number you use each day.
• Maintain a level of physical activity that keeps you fit and matches the number of calories you eat.
• Walk or do other activities for at least 30 minutes on most days. To lose weight, do enough activity to use up more calories than you eat every day.
• Limit your intake of foods high in calories or low in nutrition, including foods like soft drinks and candy that have a lot of sugars.
• Limit foods high in saturated fat, trans fat and/or cholesterol, such as full-fat milk products, fatty meats, tropical oils, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and egg yolks. Instead choose foods low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol from the first four points above.
• Eat less than 6 grams of salt (sodium chloride) per day (2,400 milligrams of sodium).
• Have no more than one alcoholic drink per day if you're a woman and no more than two if you're a man. "One drink" means it has no more than 1/2 ounce of pure alcohol. Examples of one drink are 12 oz. of beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1-1/2 oz. of 80-proof spirits or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.

 

Other Diet Related Illnesses

What is Obesity?

According to the American Obesity Association, obesity occurs when there is too much body fat for one's body. This is generally caused by poor diet and inactivity.

Obesity is a serious medical disease that affects over a quarter of adults in the United States, and about 14% of children and adolescents. It is the second leading cause of preventable death after smoking. In the past 20 years, the percentage of children who are overweight has doubled and the percentage of adolescents who are overweight has more than tripled.

The best way to determine if you are overweight or obese is by calculating your body mass index (BMI). BMI is a number based on both your height and weight and can help to determine the degree to which you may be overweight.

According to the National Institutes of Health, BMI can be used to screen for both overweight and obesity in adults. It is the measurement of choice for many obesity researchers and other health professionals, as well as the definition used in most published information on overweight and obesity. BMI is a calculation based on height and weight, and it is not gender-specific. BMI does not directly measure percent of body fat, but it is a more accurate indicator of overweight and obesity than relying on weight alone.

BMI is found by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. The mathematical formula is:  weight (kg) / height squared (m²).

To determine BMI using pounds and inches, multiply your weight in pounds by 704.5,* then divide the result by your height in inches, and divide that result by your height in inches a second time. (Or you can use the BMI calculator at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/)

* The multiplier 704.5 is used by the National Institutes of Health. Other organizations may use a slightly different multiplier; for example, the American Dietetic Association suggests multiplying by 700. The variation in outcome (a few tenths) is insignificant.

What is Diabetes?
According to the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. 18.2 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.

Types of Diabetes
Type 1: Results from the body's failure to produce insulin. This form of diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. 5-10% of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1.

Type 2: Results from insulin resistance, a condition in which the body fails to properly use insulin, combined with relative insulin deficiency. Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 2.

Gestational Diabetes: Results when a pregnant woman's body is not able to make and/or use all the insulin it needs. This occurs in woman who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood sugar levels during their pregnancy. About 4% of all pregnant woman are diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Pre-diabetes: Results when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. There are 41 million Americans who have pre-diabetes. Recent research has shown that some long-term damage to the body, especially the heart and circulatory system, may already be occurring during pre-diabetes.A recent diabetes prevention program study concluded that people with pre-diabetes can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes by making changes in their diet and increasing their level of physical activity.

What is Malnutrition?
The Merck Manual of Medical Diagnosis defines malnutrition as an imbalance between the body's needs and the intake of nutrients, which can lead to syndromes of deficiency, dependency, toxicity, or obesity. Malnutrition includes under-nutrition, in which nutrients are undersupplied.

What is Osteoporosis?
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones, also known as fractures, occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist. Of the 10 million Americans estimated to have osteoporosis, eight million are women and 2 million are men.

Prevention includes:

• A balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D
• Weight-bearing exercise;
• A healthy lifestyle with no smoking or excessive alcohol intake; and
• Bone density testing and medication when appropriate.

 

What are Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders are a serious and potentially life threatening disorder most often occurring in girls or woman who become obsessed with food, weight and body image.

While eating disorders may begin with preoccupations with food and weight, they are most often emotionally based and about much more than food.

Types of Eating Disorders
Anorexia: While the word anorexia means, "lack of appetite", people with this disease are actually hungry and preoccupied with food. They count calories, collect recipes, and prepare elaborate meals for others. Half the people who have anorexia binge and purge while the other half restrict the amount of food they eat. Very often, these individuals will lie about how much food they have eaten and will conceal their vomiting. This is accompanied by a significant distortion and dissatisfaction with shape or size of their body. There is often a downward spiral of weight loss that requires direct intervention.

Binge Eating: This problem is identified by excessive caloric intake and consequent weight gain. Victims will consume rapid amounts of food in a short period of time without purging. This disease is most often seen in people who are already obese and develop an increased body weight. Foods chosen to binge on are usually high in calories like cake and ice cream. Binging usually occurs in private. People with binge eating disorders tend to be older than those who have anorexia and nearly half are men.

Bulimia: Most often characterized by "binging and purging". People with bulimia will consume large amounts of food in short periods of time followed by an emotionally induced purge. Purging is usually done in secret. Binging includes eating when not hungry, and eating to the point of pain. Vomiting or taking laxatives are used to purge. Other symptoms include over exercising and rigorous dieting. Unlike anorexia, the body weight of these people tends to fluctuate. Excessive vomiting can cause erosion of tooth enamel, enlarge salvary glands in the cheeks and inflame the esophagus. Vomiting can also lower potassium levels in the blood causing abnormal heart rhythms.

Prepared for HealthTeacher by Lisa Ford