The cause of degenerative and chronic diseases is commonly being rooted to an individual’s genetic make-up. Significant genetic markers have been extracted from the human genome and are being studied for its influence over the development of diseases.

But studies also show that a person’s genetic make-up is only contributory of a person’s health condition, and the development of diseases that are present in a person’s family medical history can be promoted by his lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle which includes a healthy diet and adequate physical activity had shown potential in preventing the onset and development of diseases.

A Swedish research team has conducted a study regarding the benefits of lifestyle intervention in lowering the risk of acquiring and developing heart disease. The method is simple. Participants were subjected to lifestyle changes including diet improvement and increase in physical activity. The results of the study were published in the Science of Internal Medicine, September 13th.

Lifestyle Intervention Against Diabetes and Heart Diseases

According to Margareta Eriksson PhD, one of the Swedish researchers, lifestyle intervention can reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases through improved diet and increased physical activity. The study incorporated the education of participants on the importance of lifestyle modification as an important factor in preventing diseases as a supplement to standard medical care. The study lasted for 3 years and aimed to discover the effects of lifestyle intervention on the quality of life.

151 men and women between the ages of 18 to 65 years participated in the study. The participants from Sweden have moderate to high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. They were randomly divided into two groups; one group was subjected to lifestyle modification program and standard medical care while the other group has medical care alone.

The lifestyle modification program consisted of a thrice a week supervised exercise training and diet consultation for the first three months with regular group meetings 6 times in the first year, 4 times in the second and twice on the third. The meetings were done in groups of 10 to 13 study participants and focused on keeping them on their lifestyle modification program. The participants were also asked to share the total cost they have spent in adhering to the program, the benefits and difference they have observed and the obstacles they had to overcome. The physical activities included in the program are aqua-aerobics, Nordic walking, circuit resistance training, and interval training on a bicycle ergometer. The participants were given information about diet and exercise at the end of each session.

The results of the study were measured through EQ-5D, consisting of mobility, self-care, pain and discomfort, anxiety and depression, and usual activities. The participants’ overall heath condition was measured in a scale of 0 to 1; 0 meaning worst possible health condition and 1 being the best. The form summarizing the results measured limitations in physical, social, emotional function, general health, body pain, vitality, and mental health. The group subjected to lifestyle modification has shown significant difference in results compared to the group without lifestyle modification in terms of quality of life. The results also showed significant reduction in the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

The group with lifestyle modification program paid $377 higher than the control group with medical health care alone. This is the overall cost for the physical activities and medical health care. But the participants of the group had lesser visits to a physician than the control group. This is equivalent to an average savings of $47 for each participant. The researchers confirm the effectiveness of lifestyle intervention programs and its cost-efficiency in preventing diseases and improving a person’s overall quality of life.

Healthy Diet and Regular Exercise

Several studies have evaluated lifestyle modification as an effective disease prevention method by means of improving the person’s quality of life through increased physical activities and a healthier diet. It’s a long term approach that presents feasible and natural methods without subjecting the participant to any side effect. Lifestyle modification, in general, is a gradual change to a person’s habits and aims to make it a permanent change. It is easy to modify your lifestyle by simply eliminating bad habit, being mindful about the food you eat and by getting more exercise and involving in more physical activities.

Choose to Eat Healthy

A healthy diet can easily be achieved by avoiding bad food and by filling your place with the good ones. With fruits and vegetables, you can never go wrong. But before you venture into modifying your diet, you will first have to know the needs of your body. Note that not everyone has the same nutritional requirements. You may get information on food labels on how they can satisfy your needs for specific nutrients by percentage, but the likelihood of having greater nutritional needs than another person is high especially if you have a specific health condition or high risk of having a certain disease.

Before modifying your diet, it’s important to seek medical advice regarding the right foods to eat and in what amounts. This will ensure the effectiveness of your lifestyle modification and intervention plan in terms of diet. If you have high risk of developing a certain disease, make sure to include foods that contain substances that have been medically proven to have inhibiting benefits against the disease. Green tea for example is a known source of antioxidants that reduces the risk of getting cancer. Once you have established a good diet plan, the next step is to stick to it.

Stick to the Plan

An effective diet plan is simple and easy to incorporate into your daily habits. Avoid the obsessive behavior of counting calories and measuring food in cups. A healthy diet must not be stressful and hard to carry out. Make healthy choices and eat the freshest ingredients you can find. You can also encourage yourself to eat the types of food that you are not used to eating by making it attractive; add color, texture and variation to your food to make it a more pleasing and delicious experience. Remember that lifestyle intervention in terms of your diet is a long-term change.

Gradually change your eating habits by slowly avoiding the foods that may be harmful to your health and which may aggravate your risk of developing a certain disease. If you were recommended to eat more greens and you are not the vegetable lover, slowly add a small serving of salad to your meals. Allow yourself to understand and be familiar with the taste of the foods that are good to you and give yourself time to adapt to the change. Lifestyle modification can’t happen overnight. And if you try to speed things up you may end up going back to your previous unhealthy eating habits.

Sweat it Out

The next step to lifestyle modification is the step to the gym. Being overweight is one of the main causes of some chronic and degenerative diseases. Keep your body mass index to a healthy level by maintaining an active lifestyle. It’s not really necessary to wake up early every morning in order to run 10 lapses around the park. Start slowly especially if you have been “away from the treadmill” for quite some time. Let your body adapt to the change in physical activity by doing it gradually. Whatever your means of exercise is, make sure that your body is doing enough movements and effort to keep it healthy.

Sources
scielosp.org
medscape.com
sciencedaily.com
howtodothings.com