Incidences of lifestyle diseases are increasing in number and the age of onset of these diseases is decreasing.
Currently, in the U.S., we are spending over 3 trillion dollars a year on treatment for all medical conditions. Over 80 percent of the money is for lifestyle diseases.
Also, the most common cause of personal bankruptcy is medical debt. 
Wikipedia defines lifestyle as "the way a person lives - This includes patterns of social relations, consumption, entertainment, and dress. A lifestyle typically also reflects an individual’s attitudes, values or worldview.
A healthy lifestyle is generally characterized as a “balanced life” in which one makes “wise choices."
Be mindful of your choices and behaviours in these six areas: Nutrition, Exercise or Movement, Restorative Sleep, Stress Management, Positive Social Relations, and Avoiding Risky Substances. Good habits in these areas are the six pillars of a healthy life.
Adoption of the good habits described in the six pillars of lifestyle medicine can prevent, relieve the symptoms of, and in many cases, reverse the progress of lifestyle diseases.
It can also improve the quality of life for those suffering from non-lifestyle related challenges such as trauma, disability, and chronic pain.
Lifestyle diseases are chronic imbalances in normal bodily systems, caused by:
- Poor nutrition
- Lack of exercise
- Poor sleep quality
- Excessive stress
- Insufficient social contact
- Addiction to risky substances
Key insight: Improving one area often leads to improvements in others. For example:
- Exercise reduces stress and improves sleep and digestion
- Increased fiber intake can reduce stress
- Adequate sleep provides more energy for exercise
- Fat Deposits in Arteries: • Some blood fat is normal, but excess leads to arterial deposits • These deposits can be metabolized if levels are controlled • Persistent excess leads to arthrosclerosis
- Dietary Factors: • High-fat, high-sugar meals increase fatty deposits • Low-fat, low-sugar meals allow the body to reduce deposits • Excessive salt intake contributes to high blood pressure
- The Balance Principle: • Salt, fat, and sugar are necessary, but moderation is key • Consistent overconsumption leads to health issues
Remember: Lifestyle diseases develop gradually but can often be prevented or managed through conscious daily choices.
Mayo Clinic - Heart Disease - Symptoms & Causes
.Cholesterol, a type of fat, can accumulate on artery walls over time, forming deposits beneath the arterial lining. These deposits primarily result from a diet consistently high in fats and sugars.
The arterial lining affected by cholesterol buildup may rupture, potentially causing a blood clot to form. This clot can obstruct blood flow, leading to serious health issues such as heart attacks or strokes.
The risk of clot formation increases with the number and size of these fatty deposits in your arteries. However, by reducing the amount of fat and sugar in your diet, you can effectively decrease both the number and size of these arterial fatty deposits.
Mayo Clinic - High Blood Cholesterol
Diabetes: Types, Causes, and Management
Diabetes is a chronic condition affecting millions worldwide, with two primary types: Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1 Diabetes: In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas is defective, producing little to no insulin. Insulin is crucial for transporting glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into cells for energy production. Without sufficient insulin, glucose accumulates in the blood, leading to hyperglycemia.
Type 2 Diabetes: Type 2 diabetes is characterized by elevated blood sugar levels, measured by the A1C test. The primary cause is insulin resistance in cells, which prevents insulin from effectively transporting glucose into cells for energy conversion. This resistance develops when cells accumulate excessive fat, which interferes with insulin's action.
Causes and Prevention: The buildup of cellular fat often results from a consistent diet high in fats and sugars. Fortunately, cellular fat content can be reduced through dietary changes.
Complications and Management: In Type 2 diabetes, persistently high blood sugar levels can overwork the pancreas as it produces more insulin to compensate. This can eventually lead to pancreatic exhaustion. For both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics, reducing dietary fat and sugar intake can help manage the condition. In Type 1 diabetes, this dietary approach may even help reduce the required insulin dosage.
NIH Research Linking High Fat Consumption to Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes
NutritionFacts.Org Identifies Fat as Cause of Type 2 Diabetes
Obesity, at its core, results from a simple imbalance: consistently consuming more calories than the body expends. However, this straightforward principle has several important nuances:
Timing of Calorie Intake: The time of day when calories are consumed plays a role in fat accumulation. Calories consumed earlier in the day are less likely to be stored as fat compared to those consumed later.
The Role of Fiber: High-fiber foods offer multiple benefits in weight management:
- Not all calories from high-fiber foods are fully digested. Some pass through the digestive system, providing nourishment for gut microbiota.
- Fiber slows digestion, allowing more time for calorie metabolism and reducing the likelihood of fat storage.
Satiety and Calorie Restriction: When attempting to reduce calorie intake, it's counterproductive to end meals while still feeling hungry. Proper satiety is crucial for sustainable weight management. The key is to achieve fullness through low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods, particularly vegetables.
This approach allows for satisfying meals while maintaining a calorie deficit, making weight loss efforts more effective and sustainable.
By understanding these nuances, individuals can make more informed choices about their diet, potentially improving their weight management strategies and overall health.
NutritionFacts.Org Video - Evidence Based Weight Loss
Healthline - Fiber Can Help You Lose Weight
Metabolic syndrome is a complex health condition characterized by a group of interrelated metabolic abnormalities that occur simultaneously. This syndrome encompasses several key components:
- Elevated Blood Pressure: Hypertension that may require medical intervention.
- High Blood Sugar: Indicating potential insulin resistance or pre-diabetes.
- Central Obesity: Excess body fat concentrated around the waist area.
- Dyslipidemia: Abnormal levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.
The coexistence of these factors significantly amplifies an individual's risk for developing serious health complications, particularly:
- Cardiovascular Disease: Including heart attacks and other cardiac issues.
- Stroke: Due to compromised blood flow to the brain.
- Type 2 Diabetes: As a result of prolonged insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar levels
Understanding metabolic syndrome as a interconnected set of risk factors is crucial for early detection, prevention, and comprehensive management of these potentially life-threatening conditions. Addressing metabolic syndrome often requires a multifaceted approach, including lifestyle modifications and, in some cases, medical interventions.
NIH Research Recommending Lifestyle Changes for Metabolic Syndrome
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive inflammatory lung condition characterized by obstructed airflow from the lungs. This debilitating disease significantly impacts respiratory function and overall quality of life.
Primary Causes:
- Tobacco smoking
- Air pollution
Current Treatment Status: While there is no known cure for COPD, recent studies have shown promising results related to dietary interventions.
Dietary Findings: Patients who increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables experienced notable benefits:
- Halted disease progression
- In some cases, demonstrated actual improvement in condition
Potential Mechanisms: The positive effects observed may be attributed to two possible factors:
- Anti-inflammatory properties: Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory compounds.
- Dietary displacement: Increased fruit and vegetable intake may lead to reduced consumption of meat, which has inflammatory properties.
Further research is needed to determine the exact mechanism behind these improvements. However, these findings suggest that dietary modifications could play a crucial role in managing COPD and potentially improving outcomes for patients.
This information underscores the importance of a balanced, plant-rich diet in the holistic management of COPD, alongside traditional medical interventions.
American Lung Association - Nutrition and COPD
Cancer often begins with genetic mutations that cause cells to divide uncontrollably, forming tumors. Various factors can trigger these mutations, including exposure to tobacco smoke, pollutants, and other carcinogens. A cancer diagnosis typically occurs when a doctor identifies and analyzes a lump, determining if it's malignant or benign. However, it's important to note that everyone has some potentially cancerous cells in their body.
A tumor reaching 1 cm or 1 gram contains approximately one billion cells. Smaller tumors, with only a million cells or fewer, may be growing or shrinking depending on various factors.
The body has natural defense mechanisms against cancer, including:
- Cellular enzymes that can repair DNA damage
- White blood cells capable of destroying cancerous cells
- Genes that produce chemicals toxic to cancer cells
Conversely, some genes can promote cancer growth. The activation of these genes is crucial and can be influenced by environmental factors, a field of study known as epigenetics. Nutrition plays a significant role in this process. For example, some foods like milk fat may promote tumor growth, while others like broccoli may help inhibit it.
ScienceNordic - How Our Cells Repair Their Damaged DNA
YouTube Video on Cancer Fighting Immune System
University of Utah - Epigenetics
NutritionFacts.Org Video - Food that can Downregulate a Metastatic Cancer Gene
NIH Research Lnking Milk Consumption to Cancer
The link between Alzheimer's disease and diabetes has led some researchers to propose the term "type 3 diabetes" for Alzheimer's. While this designation is controversial and not widely accepted in the medical community, there is evidence of a significant connection between the two conditions. Studies have shown that individuals with type 2 diabetes have a substantially higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to those without diabetes.
NIH Research - Alzheimer's - Type 3 Diabetes
YouTube Video on Fructose & Alzheimer's Disease
Autoimmune diseases occur when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues. One potential mechanism for this involves the "leaky gut" phenomenon:
- Protein particles from food may pass through a compromised intestinal lining into the bloodstream.
- The immune system produces white blood cells to attack these foreign proteins.
- If the protein resembles a body tissue (e.g., animal pancreas protein similar to human pancreas), the immune response may target both.
This condition isn't necessarily permanent. As the attacking white blood cells die off, the affected organ (like the pancreas) can heal, though the individual may experience temporary discomfort.
Factors that may contribute to intestinal permeability include:
- Consistent consumption of excessive oils and fats
- food additives
Processed meats (e.g., sausages, hot dogs, bologna) which contain diverse animal proteins and high fat content seem especiall risky.
It's worth noting that plant proteins generally don't pose this risk.
This explanation is simplified, and the relationship between diet and autoimmune diseases is an area of ongoing research.
NIH Research - Relationship between Autoimmune Diseases and Diet
If you are sedentary don't start an exercise routine by running a marathon. Start by walking every day. After you have established the habit of walking every day you may try jogging or running and continue if you enjoy it. Most of the benefits of habitual exercise are not dependent on intensity. Walking with a dog or others and greeting other walkers are ways to increase your enjoyment of the activity. Remember, giving compliments is a way to lift your own mood.
If you don't eat much fiber and want to start, add one high fiber food at a time. If you have a negative reaction, you may need to avoid that food so try another. Don't add a lot of fiber all at once since, if you are not used to it, it can cause bloating. Slowly build up the amount of fiber in your diet. It's important to be consistent.
