Physical Activity and Chronic Disease: What's the Link - Research Paper Example

Physical Activity and Chronic Disease: Whats the Link? Task Physical Activity and Chronic Disease: Whats the Link? Currently, cancer and cardiovascular diseases are most common diseases in the U.S not only in children but also in adults. In this essay some of the most common factors contributing to occurrence of these diseases as well as life changes that can help reduce the vulnerability of these diseases are discussed.According to Hoeger (2011), the prevalence rate of heart and blood vessel diseases reduced by 28 percent between 1960 and 2000.

This was much contributed by health education, since people are made more aware of the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Some of these risk factors include; sedentary lifestyle, smoking and stress. According to a table published by Danaei et al (2009), tobacco smoking accounts for 467,000 deaths in the U.S and sedentary lifestyle accounting for 191,000 deaths. Smoking, stress and sedentary lifestyle greatly increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Research shows that the risk of contracting heart attack by a smoker is twice that of an individual who do not smoke at al.

This is because whenever, nicotine, which is contained in smoke, gets into the blood circulation system; it leads to constriction of the blood vessels resulting into increase in blood pressure. Besides, the harmful byproducts of tobacco smoke have also been associated to increased levels of fatty acids in blood. In addition, cigarette smoke has high amounts of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is known to stick to red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen. This decreases the amount of oxygen delivered to the heart and other parts of the body.

The heart is also burdened to work extra hard to supply enough amounts of oxygen to the muscles. Consequently, stroke can occur at any time in such a person (Rahl, 2010).Sedentary lifestyle is another common factor that contributes to cardiovascular diseases and stroke. It causes obesity that leads to constricting of blood vessels causing high blood pressure. Even though stress alone cannot result into cardiovascular diseases and stroke, research indicates that it is associated with unhealthy actions such as smoking, sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating practices.

However, regular physical activity not only helps to remove toxic substances from the body but also help in relieving stress and reducing excessive body weight which is detrimental to health (McArdle, Katch & Katch, 2010).Presently, with several research findings indicating an increment in obesity rates, illnesses that are associated with being overweight and being unfit, it is very useful to incorporate fitness as well as healthy eating in daily lifestyle. Research indicates that cancer, diabetes and other mental complications are related to lack of physical exercises.

According to scientific publications, individuals who perform regular exercises and lead healthy lifestyle have less chances of cancer attack. Actually, the World Cancer Research Fund assessed that more than 80,000 persons detected to have cancer never embraced healthy lifestyle. This accounted to 39% of cases of the 12 main cancers could have been avoided by implementing better diet, drinking and exercise habits. A number of researches indicate that physical activity is closely linked to reduced threat of colon, prostate, lung and breast cancer.

However, recent reports revealed that less than 50% of Americans engage in regular exercises (Irwin, 2012)In conclusion, research indicates that indeed there is a link between lifestyle and cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Healthy eating helps the body to fight cancer while physical activities is important because it eliminates stress, removes toxins from the body and also reduces excessive body weight which can lead to stroke besides cardiovascular diseases.ReferencesHoeger, K, & Hoeger, A. (2013). Fitness and wellness.

Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.Irwin, L, & American College of Sports Medicine. (2012). ACSMs guide to exercise and cancer survivorship. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.McArdle, D, Katch, I, & Katch, L. (2010). Exercise physiology: Nutrition, energy, and human performance. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.Rahl, L. (2010). Physical activity and health guidelines: Recommendations for various ages, fitness levels, and conditions from 57 authoritative sources. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.