Alva James-Johnson: The influence of lifestyle on health problems
I spoke with a mother this week whose 17-year-old son has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
She was, naturally, concerned and hoped he would be all right.
The conversation occurred a day after one of my relatives told me about the outcome of her recent doctor's visit. It turns out she's a borderline diabetic and will have to lose weight and cut back on sweets to stave off the disease. Doesn't sound like fun, but at least it's not a death sentence.
Both situations got me to thinking about health and how we often take it for granted. All it takes is one doctor's visit to put things in perspective. Because, let's face it, there's not much we can do when our bodies break down. And that's for people of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Health is one thing money really can't buy. Yet, it's our most valuable asset.
The problem is our bodies are so complex that you never know what's really going on inside. You could be feeling wonderful one day, and a wreck the next. By the time symptoms surface, you might be already overtaken by some deadly disease -- cancer, for example -- and not even know it. Well, that's the bad news. The good news is there's usually something we can do about it.
Prior to the 20th century, infectious and communicable diseases were prevalent in American society. But today most of the diseases we endure are lifestyle-related and can be prevented if we just change a few habits.
What are the top diseases in America today? Cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and chronic respiratory disease. And it's no secret that diet, exercise and stress play a major role in all those conditions.
Of course, there's never a guarantee that you won't get sick no matter how many fruits and vegetables you eat, or how often you go to the gym. We all have to die from something, and our bodies will eventually succumb to mortality.
In the case of the 17-year-old with type I (or juvenile) diabetes, that was probably unavoidable. Unlike type 2 diabetes, which can be prevented in some cases by eating properly and staying physically fit, researchers are still not sure what causes type 1 diabetes. That makes prevention difficult.
But type 1 diabetes accounts for only about 5 percent of diagnosed cases. That means about 95 percent of the cases are type 2 and may have been preventable.
It seems Americans are finally getting more health conscious. McDonald's and Coca-Cola have been losing sales due to some consumers choosing healthier options, according to recent news reports. Restaurants like Chipotle are becoming more popular because they supposedly use fresher ingredients.
Hopefully other companies will take note and offer healthier menus. But it's consumers who must make health a priority.
This story was originally published May 28, 2015 at 10:49 PM with the headline "Alva James-Johnson: The influence of lifestyle on health problems."