Heart Disease

Introduction

People should know about the risks of heart disease such as what causes it and ways to prevents it. Although some doctors may not bring up issues concerning lifestyle with patients, because they feel patients will not listen, nevertheless patients need to be informed as to their own risk of heart disease. Of course heart disease is caused by a variety of factors. One of the leading causes of heart disease is degenerative changes in the coronary blood vessels. This is something that happens over a long period of time as fatty deposits clog arteries and damage them. Congenital defets may also occur when the fetal heart develops abnormally, most commonly in the heart's valves. While some conditions do render a person more likely to develop heart disease, lifestyle is a major factor in the development and treatment of the disease. There are many ways to prevent, or greatly reduce the risk of heart disease. (Boddington 79)

Discussion

The connection between nutrition and various diseases is undeniable. Preventive health care practices in nutrition should be advocated to reduce health risks and prolong human life. One nutrition and disease link that is indisputable is the correlation between heart disease and diet. Ironically, heart disease is not inevitable, people do have the power to alter their lives. Even a genetic predisposition toward coronary problems may be managed through proper exercise and nutrition. Often, the primary issues are those of understanding and motivation. Lifestyle Choices and Nutrition Powers points out that North Americans are paying for their tobacco use, poor diets, and lack of exercise with health care dollars. New attitudes toward the preventive aspects of health care may not only help people live longer but reduce the burden on the health care system. Human behavior is certainly odd sometimes as we paint our houses, seal our driveways, change the oil in our cars, and do countless other tasks all in the interest of preventing problems down the road. Yet when it comes to our health, many of us do not think about prevention (Powers, pp. 20). Nutritionist Stephen Byrnes author of Diet and Heart Disease It's Not What You Think, has made it clear that many of the assumptions that are often made regarding heart disease and nutrition are proving to be incorrect. For example, he believes that the diets being recommended to reduce heart disease by many medical and nutritional practitioners for the past 50 years may actually being contributing to the problem. He even challenges many of the dietary guidelines organizations such as the U. S. Department of Agriculture, the American Heart Association, (Boddington 12)The American Diabetes Association, and the American Dietetic Association. Byrnes illustrates that certain positive aspects of most causes, prevention, and non-drug treatments for society's ever-increasing incidences of cardiovascular diseases can be easily accessed through nutritional intervention and the supplement of certain nutrients. For example, he stresses the value of nutrient-dense whole foods, such as raw and fermented dairy products and whole eggs instead of imitation eggs. He also ...