Eating Healthy and Heart Disease (Cause and Effect) - Essay Example

16 May Eating Healthy and Heart Disease (Cause and Effect) Long life is not enough for any individual, but a life that is free from illness is what is needed. Over the years, humanity has realized that eating the right kind of food is essential for a healthy living. Eating the right kind of food is very important for a person to stay healthy throughout his/her life. A balanced diet provides the body the necessary nutrients, the nutrients which are required for the proper functioning of the body parts.

A good diet can be beneficial in reducing the risk of many diseases. As an example, eating more quantity of vegetables and fruits is helpful in reducing blood pressure and many cancer forms. Healthy eating and heart diseases are directly related. It is found that eating fats which are low saturated helps in reducing the risk of diseases related to heart. Changing unhealthy eating habits could help those who are already suffering from illness like high level of cholesterol. A balance of all kinds of food which means the right combination of food is necessary to maintain a healthy body.

“Eating more healthy fat and fewer carbohydrates could help people control high blood pressure and raise their good cholesterol, according to a new study” (O’Leary 9). Usually fats are considered bad for the health but they are also essential ingredient in the overall wellbeing of the body. Certain studies reveal that consumption of fats that are healthy is good for maintaining good cholesterol. Reducing the intake of carbohydrates is another way of maintaining good cholesterol in the body.

“The result from 164 people on different diets showed those rich in protein and good fats outperformed high – carbohydrate diets and reduced blood pressure and the risk of heart disease 20 percent. High on the list of good food was nuts, avocados and olive oil” (O’Leary 9).Diet rich in protein is proved beneficial in lowering the risk of diseases related to heart. Fish is rich in protein. Oily fishes like salmon, mackerel and pilchards have omega 3 fatty acids which are helpful in the prevention of heart diseases.

Healthy food contains a lower degree of cholesterol. Fresh vegetables and fruits do not contain any cholesterol. High degree of cholesterol is linked with heart diseases. When there is some sort of accumulation in the arteries, the arteries become narrow. Arteries which are narrow could lead to heart attack or even stroke. Fibre is not categorized as a nutrient; still it is one of the essential components required in maintaining a healthy digestive system. Some fibres do help in controlling cholesterol level in the blood.

“A pair of studies involving about 27,000 subjects has shown that people with the genetic anomaly can reduce their chance of having a heart attack or stroke with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, especially those eaten raw or lightly cooked” (Ubelacker 1).Genes do play a major role in the health of a person. If the family has a history of heart diseases, the individual is more prone to be affected by it. But with a proper diet, these chances can be reduced.”Despite potentially having a family history of heart disease, or an implied genetic increased risk, you can actually turn off the bad genes by adopting healthy dietary patterns," said co-principal author Sonia Anand of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University in Hamilton.

(Ubelacker 1).A diet which is vegetarian helps in keeping heart diseases away provided that it is healthy. A diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, beans are beneficial. Beans are rich in protein, as well as fiber. Another study illustrates that improving ones diet doesn’t help in heart diseases and cancer. “The $415 million federal study involved nearly 49,000 women ages 50 to 79 who were followed for eight years. In the end, those assigned to a low-fat diet had the same rates of breast cancer, colon cancer, heart attacks and strokes as those who ate whatever they pleased, researchers are reporting today” (Kolata 1).

Some experts also believe that controlling diet won’t make any changes in contracting heart diseases. “As for heart disease risk factors, the only one affected was LDL cholesterol, which increases heart disease risk. The levels were slightly higher in women eating the higher-fat diet, but not high enough to make a noticeable difference in their risk of heart disease” (Kolata 3). Therefore, many people do not have any faith in the logic that healthy diet should be maintained in order to avoid heart diseases.

ConclusionIt is up to a person to believe the concept that healthy eating has an influence on the reduction of heart diseases or not. Some studies support healthy eating whereas some reject out the concept and prove that eating healthy food has nothing to do with heart diseases. For some people, eating healthy food helps; but for others, it does not affect their health (even if they consume unhealthy food). One should discover the best way to avoid this dreaded disease personally. Eventually, what matters is health, not the concept.

Works CitedKolata, Gina. Low-Fat Diet Does Not Cut Health Risks, Study Finds. The New York Times. 2006. Web. 18 May 2012.O’Leary, Cathy. Foods Fats Lower Coronary Risk. The West Australian. 2005. Web. 18 May 2012. Ubelacker, Sheryl. Diet can overcome genetic predisposition to heart disease. LexisNexis , a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 2012. Web. 18 May 2012.