Diet and health

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Diet and health
Foundation
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A balanced diet

• A healthy diet should be based on a range and
  variety of different foods, as shown below.
• An unbalanced diet can lead to dietary related
  diseases.

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Malnutrition

• Having intakes of energy and/or nutrients below
  or in excess of needs for long periods of time
  can affect health. It is a serious condition
  called malnutrition. Malnutrition includes both
  under and over nutrition.
• Severe under nutrition (having an intake of
  energy and/or nutrients below what is needed) is
  rare in the United Kingdom, but can be common in
  some developing countries. However, under
  nutrition does occur in the UK, e.g.
  micronutrient deficiencies.
• Children suffer the effects of starvation (not
  enough food) more quickly than adults.

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Under nutrition not enough nutrients

• Worldwide, Kwashiorkor and marasmus are two
  common diseases caused by a lack of protein and
  energy.
• Fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) and
  minerals are stored in the body so it takes time
  for these deficiency diseases to develop.
• Water soluble vitamins are not stored in the
  body so low intakes usually lead to signs of
  deficiency relatively quickly.
• The most common symptom of under nutrition is
  unplanned weight loss. Other symptoms include
  lethargy, low mood, poor concentration, delayed
  wound healing and an increase in illnesses or
  infections.

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Over nutrition more nutrients than required

• Over nutrition is a problem usually associated
  with developed countries, such as the United
  Kingdom, however it is also rapidly increasing in
  some parts of the developing world.
• The most common over nutrition problem is
  obesity, resulting from too much energy being
  consumed, or high levels of inactivity.

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Risks of malnutrition

• The risk of malnutrition is increased by
• increased requirements for some nutrients
• restricted range of foods
• reduction in availability of food
• low income
• medical conditions
• unusual dietary habits
• psychological conditions.

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Health issues

• There are a number of health related issues
  relating to diet, including
• CHD
• Cholesterol levels
• Obesity
• Cancer
• Bone health
• Anaemia

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Rates of CHD

• CHD is the most common cause of death in the
  United Kingdom. It is a major cause of premature
  death (i.e. before the age of 65 years).
• CHD is more common in men than in women.

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Risk of CHD
The chance of suffering from CHD is affected by
many factors. These are called risk
factors. Factors that increase the risk of CHD
include

• smoking
• high blood cholesterol level
• high blood pressure
• physical inactivity
• diabetes.
• Other risk factors
• being overweight or obese
• having a family history of CHD the risk is
  increased if you have a male relative with CHD
  under 55 or a female relative 65 years

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Diet and CHD

• A low-fat, high fibre diet is recommended,
  including plenty of fruit and vegetables and
  wholegrains. Salt should also be limited to no
  more than 6g per day.
• A small amount of unsaturated fat should be
  included in the diet, which will help to reduce
  your cholesterol levels. Foods high in
  unsaturated fat include
• oily fish
• avocados
• nuts and seeds
• sunflower, rapeseed, sesame and olive oil.
• To maintain a healthy weight, combining a healthy
  diet with regular physical activity.

To learn more about CHD, click here.
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Blood cholesterol levels

• Cholesterol is a type of fat made by the liver
  and can also be found in some foods.
• It is needed for healthy cells in the body, but
  if there is too much in the blood it can lead to
  CHD.
• The level of cholesterol in the blood depends
  partly on genetic factors, but can also be
  affected by diet.

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Cholesterol and the diet

• The level of blood cholesterol is affected by
  the amount and type of fat in the diet.
• High intakes of saturated fatty acids, and of
  total fat, can increase the amount of cholesterol
  in the blood, and therefore increase the risk of
  CHD.
• Most people are consuming too much saturated fat
  and need to reduce their saturated fat intake and
  switch to foods containing unsaturated fat.

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Obesity

• Obesity describes people who are overweight with
  a high degree of body fat. Body Mass Index is the
  most widely used method of assessing a person's
  weight.
• Body Mass Index weight (kg)
• height (m)2
• A person is considered obese with a BMI 30-40 or
  morbidly obese with a BMI over 40.
• Waist circumference measurements provides
  information about how your weight is distributed
  around your body. People with larger waists (
  94cm in men and 80cm in women). It is
  understood that a greater waist circumference can
  lead to a higher chance of getting diseases such
  as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease or high blood
  pressure.
• Obesity is also an increasing problem in
  children with 18.9 of children aged 10-11
  classified as obese (NCMP data 2012/2013). Obese
  children are more at risk of being obese later in
  life.

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Problems associated with obesity

• People who are obese are more likely to suffer
  from
• breathlessness
• increased sweating
• snoring
• difficulty sleeping
• inability to cope with sudden physical activity
• feeling very tired every day
• back and joint pains.
• Obesity can also cause high blood pressure and
  high cholesterol levels which significantly
  increase the risk of develop CHD. Another long
  term problem is diabetes. Obesity can also be
  associated with health problems such as gall
  stones, arthritis and some type of cancers.
• In addition, psychological problems may also
  arise, e.g. low self esteem, low confidence
  levels and feeling isolated in society.

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Obesity

• Being active and eating healthy is important in
  maintaining a healthy weight.
• Being slightly overweight is not a risk to
  health, but it is important to not continue
  gaining weight.

To learn more about obesity, click here.
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Cancer

• Cancer is a complex disease where cells in a
  specific part of the body grow and reproduce
  uncontrollably. It sometimes begins in one part
  of the body before spreading to other areas
  (metastasis).
• A wide variety of factors are involved in the
  development of cancer, including
• age
• genetics
• environment
• hormones
• infections.

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Common cancers

• The most common cancers in the UK are
• Lung, prostate and bowel cancer in men
• Breast, lung and bowel cancer in women.

To learn more about bowel cancer, click here.
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Coronary heart disease

• Coronary heart disease (CHD) is caused by a
  build-up of fatty deposits on the walls of
  arteries around the heart (coronary arteries).
  The deposits narrow the arteries and restrict the
  flow of blood to the heart.
• If one of the blood vessels becomes completely
  blocked, the blood supply to part of the heart
  stops and that part is damaged. This is called a
  heart attack.

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Bone health

• Calcium is important for strong bones. Vitamin D
  is needed for calcium to be absorbed from food.
• Osteoporosis is a disease where bones become
  weak, brittle and more likely to break. It is
  caused by severe losses of calcium resulting in
  gaps of the structure of the bone. It is most
  common in men and women over the age of 55.

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Osteoporosis

• Healthy bone is strong and does not break
  easily.
• During childhood, adolescence and early
  adulthood, calcium and other substances are added
  to the bone. This makes bones stronger.
• After the age of 30-35, bone density loss
  begins. It is a normal part of ageing, but it can
  lead to a osteoporosis and an increased risk of
  factures.
• After the menopause women lose bone at an
  increased rate.

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Bone health

• Bone strength is affected by
• genetics
• gender
• sex
• diet
• exercise
• body weight
• smoking
• hormones.
• It is important that people at risk of
  osteoporosis take steps to help keep bones
  healthy and reduce the risk of developing the
  condition, e.g. regular physical activity,
  healthy eating and lifestyle changes such as
  quitting smoking and reducing alcohol intake.

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Anaemia

• The mineral iron is used to produce red blood
  cells. Iron from the diet forms haemoglobin,
  which carries oxygen in the blood. If there are
  fewer red blood cells than normal, the organs and
  tissues will not get as much oxygen as they
  usually should.
• There are several different types of anaemia and
  each one has a different cause. Iron deficiency
  anaemia is the most common type.
• If the bodys store of iron is low and there is
  too little iron in the diet, the symptoms of iron
  deficiency anaemia will start to develop.
• Large amounts of iron can be toxic.

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Symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia

• The main symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia
  include
• tiredness and lethargy
• shortness of breath
• health palpitations
• pale complexion.

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Blood health

• Iron from animal sources is more easily absorbed
  than iron from plant sources. However, Vitamin C
  increases absorption of iron from plant sources.
• It is important that the diets of infants and
  young children contain foods rich in iron.
• Iron requirements increase during adolescence
  because of growth and for girls at the start of
  menstruation.
• Some women have very high iron requirements
  because they have large menstrual losses.

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Task

• Select on dietary related disease and create a
  pamphlet or fact sheet suitable for a teenager to
  learn more about
• the health problems
• risks factors
• steps which could help to prevent the
  development of the disease.

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