• Overview
  • Dietary Advice for General Health
  • Diet Evaluation Standards
  • Special Training and Licensure
  • Organizations and Agencies in Nutrition
• Disease States
  • Cardiovascular Disease
  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • HIV+
  • Hypertension
  • Weight Loss and Maintenance
• Interventions
  • Supplements
  • Multivitamins
  • Probiotics
  • Antioxidants
• Resources
  • Clinician Resources
  • Journals, Newsletters, Magazines, Websites
  • Lifecycle

Disease States

The role of nutrition in the development of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension, type 2 diabetes and HIV is an area of intense research. While genetic susceptibility is receiving a lot of attention, we know that our genetics have not changed that drastically in 40-50 years to account for the rapid increases in the numbers of people with these diseases . Environmental issues are known to have a large effect and these include smoking, drinking, being overweight, lack of exercise and poor diets. A number of signature studies have documented this fact [1], [2], [3]. In a large epidemiological study, women who had five lifestyle habits associated with healthier outcomes (BMI<25, regular exercise, non-smoking, wine/week, and healthier diet choices) had an 82% reduction in risk of CVD [3]. Certainly our genetics may make our environmental risk factors more important or less important but may they also actually affect our nutritional status?

Models

Dr. Heany, in a recent paper [4], has discussed the prevalent medical models which include: 1) invasion model of bacteria and viruses, 2) toxicity model of exposure to detrimental factors, 3) short-latency nutrition deficiency model in which nutritional inadequacies express themselves within weeks or months (scurvy, beri-beri, pellagra, rickets, etc.) and a new addition, 4) long latency deficiency diseases that take many years to develop. These may have different mechanisms from short-latency deficiency diseases even if the same nutrients are involved. The importance of nutrition in cancer, cardiovascular disease and central nervous system degeneration are the main focus for nutritional science research on the role of long-latency deficiency and disease [3].

Critical Thinking Questions:

1. What percent of our risk for chronic diseases (CVD, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer and central nervous degenerative disease) is due to diet in the form of long-latency deficiency disease?
2. What are the calcium paradox diseases that feature elevated intracellular calcium due to inadequate intake of calcium?
3. Should we use drugs to treat diseases that are strongly nutritional in nature? Why or why not?
4. What is the physician's responsibility to help a patient make lifestyle changes in eating habits? Whose responsibility is it, and is it working?
5. Do physicians know what nutrients and eating habits are most associated with the most prevalent chronic diseases in our population?