Diet Related Diseases

Just a hundred years ago, many of the most common human afflictions were the result of an insufficient intake of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, due largely to the lack of availability or high cost of fruit and vegetables. Today, the pendulum has swung to the other extreme and although now almost everyone can afford and access fresh fruit and vegetables, we prefer to replace them with convenience foods. The most common diseases we see today have strong links with the changes in diet and lifestyle that have happened during the years.

Cancer

Today, medical researchers are painstakingly unravelling the causes and potential prevention measures for most cancers. The results strongly support the theory that the onset of cancer, a process whereby cells in our body begin to grow and multiply abnormally, is triggeredby a combination of genetic and environmental factors such as pollution, carcinogenic chemicals (eg tobacco smoke), viruses, bacteria and in particular, diet.

Cancers that have been linked to diet include those of the mouth and throat, stomach, large bowel, pancreas, liver, gall bladder, lung, breast, womb, ovaries and prostate.

The main dietary factors associated with cancer risk are high fat or alcohol intake, high salt diets and low fibre intakes.

Any anti-cancer diet always relies on a major contribution from fresh vegetables, which have most of the nutrients which researchers now say can arm the body against the onset and the growth of cancer. It is believed, for example, that the beta carotene in red and yellow vegetables may play a major role in preventing cancer of the lung, breast, larynx, bladder, oesophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, cervix and prostate; that the antioxidant lycopene, in tomatoes helps reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Taking supplements to boost your intake is not recommended as it may have a damaging effect, and in some cases promote cancer.

Vegetables with high vitamin C prevent the formation of nitrosamines (possible carcinogens) from the nitrates in cured and smoked foods like salami and bacon. Other plant chemicals known as indoles found in broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables have been shown to affect oestrogen levels, which inturn potentially reduces the likelihood of developing breast tumours.

A high intake of the natural fibre which fresh vegetables deliver in abundance is believed to protect against diseases such as colon cancer. Perhaps just as important is the reality that high consumption of fresh vegetables means a lower intake of high fat foods, such as fast, convenience foods. A high fat intake increases risk for some cancers and adds excess kilojoules, which cause obesity – another key cancer risk.
For the typical Australian, the 6 rules (for reducing the risk of cancer) which we all need to remember when buying or eating foods are:

• Eat a balanced diet including all types of food but where fresh foods make up most of the menu.
• Eat considerably more vegetables and fruit in as wide a range as possible. (Most of us eat only around half the desirable amount.) Our diet needs to include lots of leafy greens(eg spinach and lettuce), yellow and red vegetables (capsicum, tomatoes and carrots) and crucifers (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage) plus high mineral content tubers like potatoes.
• Avoid kilojoule dense foods such as fatty fast foods, soft drinks and biscuits. Control your weight carefully. Don’t let kilojoules and calories get out of control.
• Avoid nitrates, cured and smoked foods (bacon, salami and preserved meats.)
• Be moderate with your alcohol intake. In today’s high stress world, a little alcohol every day probably does more good than harm but the advantage quickly turns into a health problem when quantities are exceeded.

Cardiovascular diseases

Proper diet and regular exercise are now recognised by most physicians as the foundation stones to preventable heart disease. A combination of obesity with a sedentary lifestyle, a high stress occupation and smoking provides the basic blueprint for most preventable heart disease.

If you also have one or more of the following: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a family history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes, your risk of stroke or heart attack is probably higher.

Proper diet can play a major role in preventing or reducing the risk of stroke or heart attack. Both are caused by a process largely determined by diet:

• Arteries harden due to the build up of deposits of cholesterol and other fatty substances that form plaque and in turn narrow the arteries.
• The heart then strains in order to pump blood through at the required rate.
• High blood pressure results from the arteries’ inability to expand in response to each heart beat.
• A clot can block the artery causing the death of associated tissue or dislodge and block an artery causing a heart attack. If it blocks an artery in the brain, it causes a stroke.

Garlic, onions and ginger are believed to prevent blood clots and garlic has been shown to reduce cholesterol.

Some easy to follow dietary guidelines to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease are:

• Enjoy a diet naturally rich in the minerals and nutrients potassium, magnesium, calcium, and fibre, but lower in saturated fat. Moderate your sodium intake as well. This diet is consistent with dietary approaches for prevention of osteoporosis, cancer and heart disease.
  • Eat more vegetables – at least 2 ¢ cups cooked or double that of raw salad vegies per day
  • Eat more nuts, seeds and legumes – 2 tablespoons (25g) of nuts or seeds plus 1 tablespoon of legumes daily.
  • Eat smaller serves of chicken, fish and red meat – no more than 140g daily with an emphasis on lean, with about 1/5 as red meat or pork and the balance as fish or chicken.
  • Eat more fresh fruit -4 serves daily
  • Eat more wholegrain products – 7 serves daily
  • Choose low fat dairy products – 2-3 serves daily
  • Limit your fats, salad dressings and oils to about 1 tablespoon daily (and which are mostly made from unsaturated fats)
  • Limit sugars and sugared drinks to less than 25g daily
  • Drink less than 3 caffeinated drinks daily
  • Drink less than 2 standard alcoholic drinks daily
• Reduce your level of saturated (animal) fats. Some fats on the other hand can actually help lower your cholesterol level, such as the monounsaturated fats found in avocados and nuts.
• To help control hypertension, cut back on salt and ensure that your calcium intake is adequate.

Dental Diseases

Although most of us regard serious dental problems as amongst life’s most unpleasant experiences, we don’t regard them as potentially lethal. However, recent research indicates a strong correlation between gum disease and cardiovascular problems.

Even without that sobering thought, the diet which protects your teeth and gums and guarantees a lifetime of trouble-free eating with your own teeth, requires only a few considerations being incorporated into your daily habits.

The accumulation on teeth of dental plaque is responsible for both dental caries, or the acid corrosion of the mineral component in tooth enamel, and periodontal disease or inflammation of the gums.

Plaque results from the build up of micro organisms in food debris left too long in the mouth. If not regularly brushed and flossed away, plaque will not only cause painful, tooth destroying caries, but also be forced under the gum to inflame them and ultimately attack and destroy the bone surrounding the tooth. Your diet contributes directly to the production of these damaging micro organisms as they generate the corrosive acid generally from types of sugar. All sugars and sweet foods including dried fruits, cordial, soft drinks, flavoured milk, honey etc. are equally capable of causing dental disease which is why, despite the recent extraordinary advances in dental care, very young children today have a high incidence of caries. Manufactured fruit juices and sweet flavourings should be avoided in baby bottles altogether.

Tips for healthy teeth and gums:

• Limit snacking between meals because acids attack your teeth for up to 20 minutes after you have eaten foods containing sugars or starches.
• Brush and/or floss teeth as soon as possible after consuming sweet foods.
• Visit the dentist regularly
• Snack on raw vegetables such as carrots, celery, cauliflower and capsicum to encourage chewing which stimulates saliva, helping protect teeth against plaque.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal. Diabetes is often described by the following terms:

• Type 1 diabetes, which needs to be treated with insulin all of a person’s life. This usually begins in childhood or early adult hood. Type 1 diabetes is sometimes called ‘insulin dependent diabetes’.
• Type 2 diabetes, which occurs most often in adults. Type 2 diabetes may be treated by diet or tablets or with insulin. Type 2 diabetes used to be called ‘mature onset diabetes’ and if treated by diet or tablets alone, ‘non-insulin dependent diabetes’.
• Gestational diabetes, which may need insulin for treatment if diet and activity do not control it.
• Impaired glucose tolerance, which is managed by healthy eating and an active lifestyle. In this condition, blood sugars are raised, but not high enough to be classed as diabetes.

Osteoporosis

Most common in women after menopause when the body produces less oestrogen, osteoporosis occurs when calcium is leached from the bones for other priorities by the body. An alarming 20-25% of Australian women, by the age of 70, will have been hospitalised for bone fractures due to osteoporosis. Lack of exercise, some prescriptive drugs, alcohol and inherited factors all influence bone (calcium) density along with a lack of calcium, vitamin C, vitamin D (which enables calcium transfer to the bones) and fluoride (the stiffening agent in bones.)

Osteoporosis is best prevented through lifelong awareness, a physically active lifestyle and an adequate calcium intake, especially during childhood and adolescence. Several studies have also shown that excess protein, caffeine, and sodium actually increase your risk of osteoporosis. It is recommended therefore to keep meat servings small and fill up instead on starchy foods, fruits and vegetables. In general, eat low-fat dairy products, green vegetables, seeds, nuts and wholegrain foods. Regular weight-bearing exercise or a gym weights-training program is also important.

Obesity

Obesity is the most common nutritional disorder in Australia and unfortunately, is on the increase.

The accumulated deposits of unnecessary levels of fat on one’s body are most often the result of an imbalance in the level of one’ s exercise output to energy intake. However, other more complex factors can influence obesity – hormones, genetic make-up and environment (we all know “bean poles” who eat copiously but never seem to put on weight.) Nevertheless, obesity is often categorised as a disease on its own and a key catalyst for a wide range of often life threatening problems, the main ones being:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Pulmonary (lung) problems
• Gall bladder disease
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Gout
• Certain cancers – colorectal, prostate, cervical, ovarian and breast

Men are more susceptible to abdominal or tummy fat retention leading to cardiovascular disease, stroke and non-insulin dependent diabetes.

Women are more prone to gluteal (thighs and bottom) fat retention and problems such as arthritis and varicose veins.

Some simple weight-reducing measures:

• Keep a food and activity diary, then analyse your diet
• Replace kilojoule heavy cakes, biscuits and confectionary with fruit
• Include more fresh vegetables but less pasta and rice on your dinner plate.
• Replace low fibre white bread, pasta and rice with their wholegrain equivalent.
• Replace high fat dairy produce with low fat dairy produce
• Drink less alcohol and more water.
• Move your body more than you do now. Aim for at least 30 minutes of extra activity accumulated during every day.