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Eating and Fitness Excellence > Chapter 7: Beating the Odds |
Chapter 7: Beating the OddsYour heredity helps determine the
types of disease and conditions you are predisposed to
developing. If there is a history of heart disease in your
family, you are at higher risk for developing it.
"To be
forewarned is to be forearmed," says the adage. Therefore, if you
have a family history of any nutrition or inactivity-related disease,
you can beat the odds by modifying your personal nutrition and physical
activity behavior. This chapter discusses the major diseases in
which poor food choices and inactivity plays a role, and provides you
with insights into lessening the odds of developing them.
Obesity,
heart disease, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and
diabetes are the major poor diet and inactivity problems.
Accumulating research indicates that some cancers also have a diet and
inactivity component. Each of these topics is addressed with
specific recommendations on how you can avoid these pitfalls or improve
your health if you already have symptoms or disease.
Special
dietary recommendations are made for athletes and for persons in their
senior years. Information is presented regarding the role of
exercise in achieving adequate nutrition. Implications for the
improvement of these poor diet and inactivity diseases and an
understanding of the special conditions have relevance for everyone.
This
chapter begins with "the marvel of digestion." It is a very brief
primer on the physiology of digestion. The primer is designed to
help you appreciate the complexity of the process and how physical
activity and nutrition are interdependent. It will also help you
have a better understanding of the disease processes that are discussed
in this chapter.
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