Age, genetics of the family, and gender make it extremely difficult for older persons to escape chronic illness. Almost 80% of older persons (aged 65 and above) have at most one ailment, and 68% have two or more. You likely have a parent or grandparent currently managing a condition, or you may be managing one yourself.
Many studies have looked at the impact of lifestyle variables on overall life expectancy and the risk of chronic illnesses, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Also, only some have examined the effects of lifestyle factors on disease-free life expectancy.
All lifestyle-related decisions can impact our physical and mental well-being daily. This might include making healthy life choices, such as what we eat, how often we exercise, and even what we do for a living.
Many people are unaware that a shift in one’s way of life is a major contributor to the rise of chronic illnesses as major killers. Let’s find out more about chronic diseases and their appropriate treatment.
Here are some of the major lifestyle diseases
Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs)
Cardiovascular diseases are a group of illnesses caused by long-term issues with the cardiovascular system (CVDs). More than 17 million people each year lose their lives to cardiovascular disease, making it the leading cause of mortality worldwide. This figure will likely be over 23 million annually by the year 2030. Risk factors for cardiovascular disorders such as hypertension, arteriosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes may be affected by a person’s way of life.
Cardiovascular disease can be diagnosed using various techniques, including electrocardiography (EKG), ultrasound, and angiography. Cardiovascular diseases can be treated in a variety of ways, such as through a healthy diet, exercise, medication, or surgery.
Eating sensibly, avoiding cigarettes, exercising, and having blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly.
How to prevent it?
Protecting your heart and blood arteries while you are young is the preferred approach of cardiologists and surgeons who treat CVD. Considering the onset of CVD may occur as early as infancy, protecting one’s future health requires proactive measures, such as engaging in healthy activity. The following recommendations will assist you in decreasing your probability of developing cardiovascular disease.
Trim the fat and hold the salt: We should all try to reduce our intake of salt, saturated fats, and cholesterol. Eat many fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and whole grain foods instead.
Keep your weight near recommended levels: Overweight people are at a higher risk for cardiovascular diseases. Maintain a healthy body mass index by adhering to the weight guidelines that apply to your height and build.
Don’t smoke: Atherosclerosis and the risk of stroke and heart attack are made worse by smoking. Do not take up smoking if you are not a smoker. And, if you are, quitting is the ideal way to begin living a healthy life.
Get moving: Your cardiovascular system will benefit from a regular workout routine in many ways. It’s a great approach to maintaining a healthy weight while helping you deal with the stresses of everyday life.
Watch your Blood Pressure & Cholesterol: Regularly monitoring your blood pressure and cholesterol levels is recommended. It is best to run blood tests (lipid profile) if your family has a history of cardiovascular disease. Even at this early stage, starting a regimen to manage your cholesterol may be advisable.
Relax: Increased risk of cardiovascular disease has been linked to emotional factors such as stress, aggression, hostility, and anger. Physical effects of stress, such as elevated blood pressure, or unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as smoking, drinking, or poor eating, may contribute to the increased risk.
2. Cancer
Unchecked cell development is the underlying cause of cancer. Every year, cancer affects over 800,000 individuals in India. Cancer is defined by the fast proliferation of aberrant cells in the affected organ or tissue and may spread to other organs or tissues. In a world where over 7 million people lose their lives to cancer yearly, studies have linked unhealthy lifestyles to at least 30% of cases.
Cancer develops when cell division becomes unchecked. An increased risk of developing cancer is associated with the presence of certain ‘damaged’ genes. Environmental factors, including viruses, radioactivity, ultraviolet light, and tobacco, can cause genital harm. The term “cancer” describes a broad spectrum of diseases. There are distinguishing features for each category.
In most cases, a patient’s prognosis may be improved with early diagnosis and treatment of cancer. As discussed below, the risk of acquiring cancer may be lowered by taking preventative measures.
How to prevent it?
If you’re concerned about acquiring cancer, you may take responsibility for five preventable risk factors.
Do not smoke: Tobacco use is responsible for the deaths of about 13.50 lakh people annually in India. People who use tobacco are prone to mouth, throat, esophagus, pancreas, and colon cancers. Despite what we might hear, there is no safe form of tobacco.
Safeguard your skin: Limit exposure to the damaging UV radiation that causes skin cancer. One can do so by protecting exposed areas of skin with sunscreen and clothing, even on cloudy days. Avoid sunbathing, and do not use tanning beds or sunlamps.
Eat more vegetables and cut the fat: No diet guarantees one won’t get cancer. However, people who eat large amounts of saturated fat are more likely to get cancer of the colon and rectum. Studies suggest that people who eat fruits, vegetables, and foods high in fiber have a lower risk of some cancers.
Stay active and maintain a healthy weight: Studies have shown that regular physical activity helps protect against some types of cancers. Exercising also helps prevent obesity, another risk factor for developing cancer. Teens should get at least 60 minutes of activity daily.
Get regular medical checkups: Your doctor can answer questions about cancer risk factors, prevention, and treatments. They will also be able to advise you on self-examinations and when to begin regular cancer screening tests. When we make positive choices regarding these controllable risk factors, we can work towards a healthy future for ourselves.
Diabetes
Having diabetes hinders your body’s ability to convert nutrients into usable energy and slows your rate of physical development. When the body’s cells cannot take in glucose from the blood, a condition known as diabetes develops. Diabetes affects around 77 million individuals in India.
There are 4 types of diabetes — type 1 and type 2, latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), and gestational.
Type 1 diabetes is believed to be caused by an autoimmune response. Type- 2 is the most common diabetes worldwide and is caused by modifiable behavioral risk factors.
Managing diabetes
The disease cannot be cured, but it may be managed with diet, exercise, and medication. Managing modifiable risk factors for diabetes, such as food, activity, and weight, is the most effective method to prevent the disease.
Type 1 diabetes cannot be avoided in its early stages. A person with diabetes can still live a normal life with the help of regular exercise, a balanced diet, and insulin injections.
Maintain a healthy weight
Get plenty of exercise and eat right on a regular basis. People who are overweight have a much lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes if they engage in regular physical activity and make healthy dietary choices.
Reduce the amount of stress in your life
For older women, stress has been proven to increase the chance of developing type 2 diabetes. Nonetheless, males are vulnerable as well. There is a correlation between stress and an increased chance of developing type 2 diabetes or experiencing a worsening of existing diabetes.
General causes of lifestyle diseases
Too little exercise
One simplest but most effective ways to maintain good health is by moving around. Because of the prevalence of computers and the accepted norm of sedentary work environments, it can be challenging to get up and move around as much as we should during the workday.
Simply put, this means that 41.3% of Indian adults are not getting the 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends. This has made us more likely to experience the negative health effects of a sedentary lifestyle, such as the increased risk of obesity, bone and muscle loss, and poor blood flow.
Increased stress
Many people nowadays suffer from stress and exhaustion because of their modern way of life. There are several contributing factors, chief among them the prevalence of always-on digital connections and the mounting demands for continuous productivity. Worldwide events, such as the epidemic and economic instability, have also become major causes of strain. As a result, our country is in the midst of what the American Psychological Association is calling a “national mental health crisis.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that half of all Americans will be treated for a mental health disorder over their lifetime, which has dire repercussions. Stress has been linked to numerous negative health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and even diabetes if left unchecked for too long. You can confidently say that stress is an extremely underappreciated root of many health issues.
Too little sleep
Many professionals believe that chronic lack of sleep is another major problem. Aiming for seven or more hours of sleep every night is recommended for adults, as it is one of the most important factors that may contribute to good health. As a result, our minds and bodies are better able to recharge and rejuvenate overnight. However, as reported by the CDC, one-third of individuals may not be getting enough sleep.
Many contemporary elements are to blame for this, including prolonged screen time, excessive coffee or alcohol use, unpredictable schedules at work, and stress. Conditions including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke may be worsened by a lack of quality sleep over time.
Poor nutrition
Without question, the food we consume directly impacts our health. Meals should ideally consist of extremely nutrient-dense, well-balanced, whole foods with the correct calories for metabolic health. Despite this goal, the pressures of our contemporary way of life might be impossible to achieve.
Unfortunately, only some have the time or expertise to eat all the time healthily. Instead, we often resort to eating on the go or selecting low-quality processed meals that are low in price but high in calories and nutritional value. Long-term, serious health consequences are possible. Poor diets are linked to various health problems, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, and may be responsible for as much as 22% of all adult deaths.
Bottomline
Lifestyle habits can significantly impact overall health and increase the risk of developing chronic illnesses. Healthy lifestyle choices, such as eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, can help reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions.
Adopt a regime of physical activity, sound sleeping, eating a healthy diet, and taking dietary supplements if needed. You can choose generic supplements for minerals and vitamins as well. For that, you can do any of the following —
– visit medkart.in, search for supplements that the doctor recommends (based on your blood tests), order those, and get them delivered to your doorstep
– Download Medkart’s android app to order minerals and vitamin supplements online from mobile.
– Download Medkart’s iOS app to order the same.
These lifestyle factors can also increase the risk of developing mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. Therefore, people must be mindful of their lifestyle choices to reduce their risk of developing chronic illnesses.
