Lifestyle Associated Diseases

As we all know that the diseases associated with bad lifestyle like Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension and Coronary Heart Disease take a huge toll on human life. The saddest part is that these diseases arise due to our unhealthy lifestyle. Though we have adequate warnings to identify and control them ( if not correct them) we fail to do so.

We have inherited certain genes (thrifty gene hypothesis) that make us prone to these lifestyle associated illness because our society was largely an agrarian society and our ancestors used to toil in fields whole day long with limited food supply, hence our bodies adapted to these living conditions by storing food preferentially as fats and using them during periods of starvations.

After independence; our job and lifestyles changed from an agrarian society to more office-based sitting jobs with little activity and good food supply. Thus we are now energy-rich and have less physical activities.  Thus with preferential fat storage and poor utilization of carbohydrates, we develop obesity and fatty liver which in turn causes insulin resistance (the main hormone which reduces sugar in blood). Underutilization of sugar in tissues like muscles where it is required for metabolism and storing it as fats in the liver, blood vessels and muscles occurs.  This leads to the development of Heart diseases, Diabetes, Fatty liver disease and hypertension.

If we develop a healthy lifestyle with lots of physical activities with at least 10000 steps per day, exercise daily, reduce carbohydrates in diet and replace them with fiber-rich food. Replace sweets and sugars with natural agents like fruits and honey, we can reduce our calories intake and control these diseases from progressing or even reversing them. Moreover, if we start as early as possible and lead a healthy lifestyle we can prevent these diseases. By early I mean even children should be encouraged a healthy lifestyle and diet.