The connection between nutrition and disease

(Nutrition and Disease Prevention, 2012)

Which Road Will You Travel?

Attaining the proper nutrition is vital when it comes to our health.  The body requires water, carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals in order to function in the proper manner.  When this nutrition is not supplied; the body will be malnourished lowering our immunity.  This means it will be imbalanced due to being deficient to all the nutrients it requires.  Deficiencies over extended periods of time can lead to chronic disease.   The number one cause of death is heart disease.  The heart is the most crucial muscle the body has!  When foods high in saturated fats and trans-fats are ingested along with not enough fruits and vegetables; plaques form in the arteries that carry nutrients to the heart.  These plaques cause narrowing and eventually blockage to the heart.  Foods high in saturated fats and trans-fats create low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol that cause the buildup leading to the possibility of a heart attack or stroke.  LDL cholesterol is responsible for moving the cholesterol all throughout the body but with its low-density; it gets trapped and does not always make it to where it is intended to go.  When we eat foods such as: fish, olive oil, or whole grains; we can increase our HDL levels that grab some of the sedentary LDL's and take them back to the liver to break them down.  Along with cholesterol, hypertension must also be considered when discussing heart health.  Hypertension occurs when the heart constricts pumping blood away and resistance from the narrowing of the arteries.  Eating fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products while reducing saturated fats and salt in the diet can help lower blood pressure.  Diabetes type-2 is mainly due to food choices that people make.  The pancreas cannot keep up with the poor food choices and slows down the production of insulin needed to break foods down.  This results in the body needing to have insulin put into it by way of pill, injection, or pump.  Certain types of cancer are another chronic disease that is associated with nutrition.  When the body is malnourished, its immunity is low and cannot fight off the minute exposures of carcinogens that we come in contact with daily.  Once a carcinogen is able to enter a weak cell it can change the cell's DNA; making it abnormal which in turn evolves into a tumor.  Once again reducing saturated fats can decrease chances of getting cancer along with limiting red and processed meats.   Obesity, osteoporosis and dental issues are all linked to poor nutrition.  All of these diseases circle around the same issue of malnutrition.  It must be a balance of the foods; everything in moderation.  "A healthful diet and wise food choices are critical components of promoting health and reducing the risk of chronic disease" (Anderson, Palombo, & Earl, 1998).  Attached is a link that gives a little more detail on these diseases along with what changes can be made.

http://www.four-h.purdue.edu/foods/Diet-Related%20Diseases.htm

(Purdue University, 2012)