NUTRITION & CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Nutrition and its relation to Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

Nutrition and its relation to Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

Introduction

Recent global mortality and morbidity statistics document increase in chronic diseases, amongst residents of developed countries. Amongst these life threatening diseases, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remain a prominent and widespread cause of mortality. CVD includes peripheral artery disease, coronary heart disease (CHD), strokes and atherosclerotic vascular disease. Amongst these various classifications of CVD, coronary heart disease account for majority of sick cases in the first world. Recent researches are centred on gaining insights and explanations towards the association between micro- and macronutrients and its causation towards development of chronic diseases.

Various intervention and epidemiologic studies have established scientifically reasoned guidelines that aim to characterize the risk factors linked with coronary heart disease. The aim is to reduce the exposure of such risks on individuals proactively. These measures are termed primary prevention, since CHD based symptoms and evidences are not observed in the individual. The effort is to pre-emptively strike out the risk factors that lead to CHD. It has to be stated that some of the prime risk factors associated with CHB would remain as it is, whereas some, primary of which includes diet, can be adjusted through adjustments in lifestyle choices, to eliminate the probabilities of acquiring CHD. The nature of alterable risk factors is such that it can be modified. These factors are often the result of poor habits and life choices pursued by individuals. Alteration through proper awareness and management of these unhealthy habits can go a long way in adopting an approach towards prevention of CHD, under cost effective means. Past studies pointed out epidemiologic evidences that classified nine varying factors of risk that account for more than 94% of the threat of initial occurrences of CHD. The aim of this study was to reinforce the linkages observed between CHD causing risk aspects and alterable lifestyle preferences. As such the study was able to re-iterate the importance of diet control and its association with eight of the nine factors that lead to CHD. Modification of diet is attainable and could lead to reducing severities of the risk factors that may cause CHD.

Given the researches in dissecting the causes of CHD, it can be argued that nutritional balance in diet has a great potential of preventing CHD type of life threatening ailments. Stated such, the role of nutrition is vital though underappreciated in medical communities. The emphasis is on prescription medication and it overlooks the fundamental importance that should be given to nutrition (Greene & Fernandez, 2007, pp. 1-9). The above comments do not iterate that prescription drugs are ineffective in reducing risk aspects of CHD; rather its success rate is also articulated and documented through evidence based researches. The benefits of prescription drugs to cure CHD also include health maintenance and increase in life expectancy. Nonetheless, it is also argued that the impact of pharmaceutical drugs is conditional on the individual. Some gets positively affected by the medications whereas others ...