scholarly journals Reducing Deaths by Diet: A Call for Public Policy to Prevent Chronic Disease

1970 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norm Campbell CM, MD, FRCPC ◽  
Michel Sauvé MD FRCP FACP FCCP MSc
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Unhealthy Eating ◽  
Unhealthy Diet ◽  
Excess Alcohol Consumption

Chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancer are the leading causes of disability and death in Canada.1,2 The majority of chronic diseases are caused by physical inactivity, tobacco use, excess alcohol consumption and unhealthy diet.3-6 In particular, unhealthy diet is the leading risk factor for death and disability in Canada resulting in an estimated 64,000 deaths and over 1 million years of disability (DALYs) in 2010 alone.7 Worldwide, a staggering 11 million deaths and over 200 million DALYs were attributed to unhealthy eating in 2010.

More Eggs, Less Sugar: A Sneak Peek into the Latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-24
Author(s):  
Darlene Zimmerman
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Healthy Diet ◽  
Dietary Guidelines For Americans

ABSTRACT The 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans provides guidance for choosing a healthy diet. There is a focus on preventing and alleviating the effects of diet-related chronic diseases. These include obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke, among others. This article briefly reviews the primary guideline items that can be used to teach patients with respect to improving their diet. Clinical exercise physiologists who work with patients with chronic disease can use these guidelines for general discussions regarding a heart-healthy diet.

scholarly journals Association between area-level education and the co-occurrence of behavior-related risk factors: a multilevel analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Fernando Boing ◽  
SV Subramanian ◽  
Alexandra Crispim Boing
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Simultaneous Occurrence ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Unhealthy Eating

ABSTRACT: Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the association of four different risk factors for chronic diseases and accumulation of these health behaviors with area-level education, regardless of individual-level characteristics in Brazil. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out in Southern Brazil including 1,720 adults in 2009/2010. The simultaneous occurrence of tobacco smoking, abusive drinking, unhealthy eating habits, and physical inactivity was investigated. Using multilevel models, we tested whether area-level education was associated with each risk factor and with the co-occurrence of them after controlling sociodemographic individual-level variables. Results: We observed a between-group variance of 7.79, 7.11, 6.84 and 1.08% for physical inactivity, problematic use of alcohol, unhealthy eating habits, and smoking, respectively. The between-group variance for the combination of four behaviors was 14.2%. Area-level education explained a significant proportion of the variance observed in physical inactivity and unhealthy eating habits. Residents of low educational level neighborhoods showed a 2.40 (95%CI 1.58 - 3.66) times higher chance of unhealthy eating and 1.78 (95%CI 1.19 - 2.67) times higher chance of physical inactivity. The likelihood of individuals with two or three/four risk factors was simultaneously higher among residents of low educational level neighborhoods. Conclusion: Public policies should consider the area-level characteristics, including education to control risk factors for chronic diseases.

scholarly journals The burden of disease preventable by risk factor reduction in Serbia

2013 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 445-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Sipetic ◽  
Vesna Bjegovic-Mikanovic ◽  
Hristina Vlajinac ◽  
Jelena Marinkovic ◽  
Slavenka Jankovic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Fruit And Vegetables ◽  
Blood Cholesterol ◽  
Years Of Life Lost ◽  
High Blood Cholesterol ◽  
Avoidable Risk

Background/Aim. Reliable and comparable analysis of health risks is an important component of evidence-based and preventive programs. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the most relevant avoidable risk factors on the burden of the selected conditions in Serbia. Methods. Attributable fractions were calculated from the survey information on the prevalence of a risk factor and the relative risk of dying if exposed to a risk factor. The population-attributable risks were applied to deaths, years of life lost due to premature mortality (YLL), years of life with disability (YLD) and disability adjusted life years (DALY). Results. More than 40% of all deaths and of the total YLL are attributable to cigarette smoking, overweight, physical inactivity, inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables, hypertension and high blood cholesterol. Alcohol consumption has in total a beneficial effect. According to the percent of DALY for the selected conditions attributable to the observed risk factors, their most harmful effects are as follows: alcohol consumption on road traffic accidents; cigarette smoking on lung cancer; physical inactivity on cerebrovascular disease (CVD), ischemic heart disease (IHD) and colorectal cancer; overweight on type 2 diabetes; hypertension on renal failure and CVD; inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables on IHD and CVD, and high blood cholesterol on IHD. Conclusions. This study shows that a high percentage of disease and injury burden in Serbia is attributable to avoidable risk factors, which emphasizes the need for improvement of relevant preventive strategies and programs at both individual and population levels. Social preferences should be determined for a comprehensive set of conditions and cost effectiveness analyses of potential interventions should be carried out. Furthermore, positive measures, derived from health, disability and quality of life surveys, should be included.

scholarly journals A review of the epidemiological evidence for the ‘antioxidant hypothesis’

2004 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
SA Stanner ◽  
J Hughes ◽  
CNM Kelly ◽  
J Buttriss
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Plant Foods ◽  
Food Standards ◽  
Independent Review ◽  
High Doses ◽  
Intervention Trials ◽  
Antioxidant Supplements

AbstractObjective:The British Nutrition Foundation was recently commissioned by the Food Standards Agency to conduct a review of the government's research programme onAntioxidants in Food. Part of this work involved an independent review of the scientific literature on the role of antioxidants in chronic disease prevention, which is presented in this paper.Background:There is consistent evidence that diets rich in fruit and vegetables and other plant foods are associated with moderately lower overall mortality rates and lower death rates from cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer. The ‘antioxidant hypothesis’ proposes that vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids and other antioxidant nutrients afford protection against chronic diseases by decreasing oxidative damage.Results:Although scientific rationale and observational studies have been convincing, randomised primary and secondary intervention trials have failed to show any consistent benefit from the use of antioxidant supplements on cardiovascular disease or cancer risk, with some trials even suggesting possible harm in certain subgroups. These trials have usually involved the administration of single antioxidant nutrients given at relatively high doses. The results of trials investigating the effect of a balanced combination of antioxidants at levels achievable by diet are awaited.Conclusion:The suggestion that antioxidant supplements can prevent chronic diseases has not been proved or consistently supported by the findings of published intervention trials. Further evidence regarding the efficacy, safety and appropriate dosage of antioxidants in relation to chronic disease is needed. The most prudent public health advice remains to increase the consumption of plant foods, as such dietary patterns are associated with reduced risk of chronic disease.

Epidemiology of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: scope of the problem and its determinants

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin O’Flaherty ◽  
Susanna Sans-Menendez ◽  
Simon Capewell ◽  
Torben Jørgensen
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Huge Number ◽  
Unhealthy Diet ◽  
The Life Course

The epidemic of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the twentieth century prompted many population-based surveys. Now, a huge number of epidemiological studies provide a clear picture of the risk for CVD. Approximately 80% of CVD can be explained by smoking, high blood pressure, and deterioration of lipid and glucose metabolism, the two latter mediated through an unhealthy diet (high intake of salt, saturated fat, and refined sugar) and physical inactivity. A causal web for CVD shows that the influence is seen throughout the life course, and that ‘upstream‘ factors like socioeconomic status, health policies, and industrial influences all have a powerful impact on the more downstream parameters like lifestyle and biomarkers. This emphasizes that population-level interventions represent the most effective options for future strategies for the prevention of CVD.

Patterns of alcohol consumption among people with major chronic diseases

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thi Thu Le Pham ◽  
Sarah Callinan ◽  
Michael Livingston
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Drinking Patterns ◽  
Risky Alcohol ◽  
National Drug ◽  
Increased Risk

Risky alcohol use places those with existing chronic conditions at increased risk of medical complications. Yet, there is little research assessing the alcohol consumption among this group. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of risky drinking among people with a range of chronic diseases. As part of the 2013 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS), 22684 Australians aged ≥18 years answered questions about their experience of chronic diseases and their drinking patterns. Nearly 18% (CI: 17.2–19.3) of people with chronic disease reported drinking at a long-term risky level, roughly the same rate as those without chronic disease (19.3%, (CI: 18.6–20.2)). Nearly one-quarter, 24% (CI: 23.0–25.3), of people with chronic diseases drank at levels of increased short-term risk, significantly less than the rest of the sample. Respondents with mental illness were more likely to drink at risky levels than the rest of the sample, while the reverse was true of those with diabetes. Overall, those with chronic diseases have similar drinking patterns to the rest of the population, despite increased risks associated with this consumption. Regular screening and subsequent brief interventions for those with chronic disease, particularly mental illness and cancer, are recommended.

scholarly journals Lifestyle Risk Factors and All-Cause and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: Data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (17) ◽  
pp. 3040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inhwan Lee ◽  
Shinuk Kim ◽  
Hyunsik Kang
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Lifestyle Risk Factors ◽  
Disease Mortality ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Lifestyle Risk ◽  
Cvd Mortality

This study examined the association between lifestyle risk factors and all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in 9945 Korea adults (56% women) aged 45 years and older. Smoking, heavy alcohol intake, underweight or obesity, physical inactivity, and unintentional weight loss (UWL) were included as risk factors. During 9.6 ± 2.0 years of follow-up, there were a total of 1530 cases of death from all causes, of which 365 cases were from CVD. Compared to a zero risk factor (hazard ratio, HR = 1), the crude HR of all-cause mortality was 1.864 (95% CI, 1.509–2.303) for one risk factor, 2.487 (95% confidence interval, CI, 2.013–3.072) for two risk factors, and 3.524 (95% CI, 2.803–4.432) for three or more risk factors. Compared to a zero risk factor (HR = 1), the crude HR of CVD mortality was 2.566 (95% CI, 1.550–4.250) for one risk factor, 3.655 (95% CI, 2.211–6.043) for two risk factor, and 5.416 (95% CI, 3.185–9.208) for three or more risk factors. The HRs for all-cause and CVD mortality remained significant even after adjustments for measured covariates. The current findings showed that five lifestyle risk factors, including smoking, at-risk alcohol consumption, underweight/obesity, physical inactivity, and UWL, were significantly associated with an increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality in Korean adults.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Chronic Diseases and Activity-Limiting Disability among Roma and Non-Roma People: A Cross-Sectional, Census-Based Investigation

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (19) ◽  
pp. 3620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincze ◽  
Földvári ◽  
Pálinkás ◽  
Sipos ◽  
Janka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Health Monitoring ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Activity Limitations ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Roma Ethnicity ◽  
Roma Health

The lack of recommended design for Roma health-monitoring hinders the interventions to improve the health status of this ethnic minority. We aim to describe the riskiness of Roma ethnicity using census-derived data and to demonstrate the value of census for monitoring the Roma to non-Roma gap. This study investigated the self-declared occurrence of at least one chronic disease and the existence of activity limitations among subjects with chronic disease by the database of the 2011 Hungarian Census. Risks were assessed by odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) from logistic regression analyses controlled for sociodemographic factors. Roma ethnicity is a risk factor for chronic diseases (OR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.16–1.18) and for activity limitation in everyday life activities (OR = 1.20; 95% CI: 1.17–1.23), learning-working (OR = 1.24; 95% CI: 1.21–1.27), family life (OR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.16–1.28), and transport (OR = 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01–1.06). The population-level impact of Roma ethnicity was 0.39% (95% CI: 0.37–0.41) for chronic diseases and varied between 0 and 1.19% for activity limitations. Our investigations demonstrated that (1) the Roma ethnicity is a distinct risk factor with significant population level impact for chronic disease occurrence accompanied with prognosis worsening influence, and that (2) the census can improve the Roma health-monitoring system, primarily by assessing the population level impact.

Waging war on modern chronic diseases: primary prevention through exercise biology

2000 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 774-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank W. Booth ◽  
Scott E. Gordon ◽  
Christian J. Carlson ◽  
Marc T. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Primary Prevention ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Funding System ◽  
Sedentary Population ◽  
Biology Research

In this review, we develop a blueprint for exercise biology research in the new millennium. The first part of our plan provides statistics to support the contention that there has been an epidemic emergence of modern chronic diseases in the latter part of the 20th century. The health care costs of these conditions were almost two-thirds of a trillion dollars and affected 90 million Americans in 1990. We estimate that these costs are now approaching $1 trillion and stand to further dramatically increase as the baby boom generation ages. We discuss the reaction of the biomedical establishment to this epidemic, which has primarily been to apply modern technologies to stabilize overt clinical problems (e.g., secondary and tertiary prevention). Because this approach has been largely unsuccessful in reversing the epidemic, we argue that more emphasis must be placed on novel approaches such as primary prevention, which requires attacking the environmental roots of these conditions. In this respect, a strong association exists between the increase in physical inactivity and the emergence of modern chronic diseases in 20th century industrialized societies. Approximately 250,000 deaths per year in the United States are premature due to physical inactivity. Epidemiological data have established that physical inactivity increases the incidence of at least 17 unhealthy conditions, almost all of which are chronic diseases or considered risk factors for chronic diseases. Therefore, as part of this review, we present the concept that the human genome evolved within an environment of high physical activity. Accordingly, we propose that exercise biologists do not study “the effect of physical activity” but in reality study the effect of reintroducing exercise into an unhealthy sedentary population that is genetically programmed to expect physical activity. On the basis of healthy gene function, exercise research should thus be viewed from a nontraditional perspective in that the “control” group should actually be taken from a physically active population and not from a sedentary population with its predisposition to modern chronic diseases. We provide exciting examples of exercise biology research that is elucidating the underlying mechanisms by which physical inactivity may predispose individuals to chronic disease conditions, such as mechanisms contributing to insulin resistance and decreased skeletal muscle lipoprotein lipase activity. Some findings have been surprising and remarkable in that novel signaling mechanisms have been discovered that vary with the type and level of physical activity/inactivity at multiple levels of gene expression. Because this area of research is underfunded despite its high impact, the final part of our blueprint for the next millennium calls for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a major initiative devoted to the study of the biology of the primary prevention of modern chronic diseases. We justify this in several ways, including the following estimate: if the percentage of all US morbidity and mortality statistics attributed to the combination of physical inactivity and inappropriate diet were applied as a percentage of the NIH's total operating budget, the resulting funds would equal the budgets of two full institutes at the NIH! Furthermore, the fiscal support of studies elucidating the scientific foundation(s) targeted by primary prevention strategies in other public health efforts has resulted in an increased efficacy of the overall prevention effort. We estimate that physical inactivity impacts 80–90% of the 24 integrated review group (IRG) topics proposed by the NIH's Panel on Scientific Boundaries for Review, which is currently directing a major restructuring of the NIH's scientific funding system. Unfortunately, the primary prevention of chronic disease and the investigation of physical activity/inactivity and/or exercise are not mentioned in the almost 200 total subtopics comprising the IRGs in the Panel's proposal. We believe this to be a glaring omission by the Panel and contend that the current reorganization of NIH's scientific review and funding system is a golden opportunity to invest in fields that study the biological mechanisms of primary prevention of chronic diseases (such as exercise biology). This would be an investment to avoid US health care system bankruptcy as well as to reduce the extreme human suffering caused by chronic diseases. In short, it would be an investment in the future of health care in the new millennium.

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