Health & Wellness: Getting To The Basics Of Health

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Getting To The Basics Of Health

Daily Bread

Love covers over all wrongs.
Proverbs 10:12

The benefits of exercise, good nutrition, and not smoking never change

Does it ever seem like every health promotion article you read says eat right, exercise, and don’t smoke?

Well, there’s a good reason for that. People who eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and do not smoke are healthier than people who don’t. Health-minded people are far less likely to develop cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Recently the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association launched a joint project called Everydaychoices.org in an effort to encourage the prevention and early detection of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. “Everyday Choices for a Healthier Life” aims to increase public awareness about healthy lifestyles, increase the focus on prevention among health care providers, and support legislative action to increase funding for and access to prevention programs and research.

Collectively, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke account for nearly two out of every three deaths in the United States today, according to Everydaychoices.org. Lifestyle factors, such as obesity, poor nutrition, smoking and lack of physical activity, can contribute to the development of each of these diseases. However, the national investment in prevention was recently estimated at less than five percent of annual health care expenditures by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Recent scientific studies confirm the benefits of exercise, healthy eating, and not smoking. In a study of almost 30,000 post-menopausal women, Mayo Clinic researchers found that women who followed only one or none of nine recommended diet and lifestyle guidelines had a 35 percent higher risk of developing cancer than women who practiced at least six of the recommendations. The recommendations were developed by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). Results of the study were published in the July 7 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

The nine diet and lifestyle recommendations studied included:

Not smoking
Having a maximum body mass index (BMI) of less than 25 kg/m2 (for more information on body mass index, go to http://www.baptistonline.org/health/healthieryou/health/bmi.asp) and limiting weight gain to no more than 11 pounds since age 18
Engaging in daily moderate and weekly vigorous physical activity
Eating five or more servings of vegetables and fruits each day
Eating seven or more portions of complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and cereals each day; limiting processed foods and refined sugar
Limiting alcoholic drinks to one drink a day for women
Limiting red meat to about three ounces daily
Limiting intake of fatty foods, particularly those of animal origin
Limiting intake of salted foods and use of salt in cooking

"These diet and lifestyle recommendations have been emphasized for years by doctors and health-related organizations for people 18 years of age and older in our country," said James Cerhan, MD, PhD, head of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center’s genetic epidemiology and risk assessment program and leader of the research study. "We think it’s highly plausible that our findings could be replicated in a broader population, including men and young adults, and be an effective and cost-efficient way to reduce the impact of cancer on individuals and on our communities."

Published: April 25, 2005
Sources: “Everyday Choices for a Healthier Life” (www.Everydaychoices.org), joint project of the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association; and the Mayo Clinic
Writer: Elizabeth Todd Bartholomew, MA, APR

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