The answer to that query is usually “I don’t know, I think heart disease runs in the family”, “Isn’t it just an age thing?” or “maybe I just have bad genes”.
While there may be some percentage of truth to the consequences of our inherited DNA which can increase certain risk factors (Wehby, G.L, et al., (2018), a larger percentage of our collective chronic health conditions as a nation, are self-Inflicted.
The realities of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even some forms of cancer, are by-and-large, the result of poor dietary habits, lack of sufficient, regular exercise, not enough simple physical activity, smoking and consistent excessive alcohol consumption.
I have often shared this point with my doctor who will admit that some patients she sees, would rather ask for a drug to correct the problems that are showing up rather than simply make needed changes to their eating habits and lifestyle behavior. This connection between poor health and poor dietary habits was the subject of a study published in 2017, that made clear the means to which the daily consumption of processed food can damage our health and ultimately create the potential to cause our untimely demise,
“In 2012, suboptimal intake of dietary factors was associated with an estimated 318,656 cardiometabolic deaths, representing 45.4% of cardiometabolic deaths. The highest proportions of cardiometabolic deaths were estimated to be related to excess sodium intake, insufficient intake of nuts/ seeds, high intake of processed meats and low intake of seafood omega-3 fats. Suboptimal intake of specific foods and nutrients was associated with a substantial proportion of deaths due to heart disease, stroke, or type 2 diabetes.” (Micha R.,et al., (2017).
Information like this should get our attention. But in fact, these warning bells and flashing red lights are mostly ignored by some who either don’t have the capacity for addressing their own health behavior or are more easily led by the constant influences of the social determinants of health (Short, S.E., et al., (2015).
Living a life of consistent good health and wellness requires self-awareness, self-discipline and a desire to make positive changes with beneficial outcomes. These are not always behaviors that are easily actionable or sustained. But then one has to ask the question, what is my quality of my life and could it be better if I simply change my health behavior?
Reference
Micha R, Peñalvo JL, Cudhea F, Imamura F, Rehm CD, Mozaffarian D. Association Between Dietary Factors and Mortality From Heart Disease, Stroke, and Type 2 Diabetes in the United States. JAMA. 2017;317(9):912–924. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.0947 Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2608221
Wehby, G.L, Domingue, B.W., Wolinsky, F.D., (March, 2018), Genetic Risks for Chronic Conditions: Implications for Long-term Wellbeing, J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2018 Mar 14;73(4):477-483. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glx154. PMID: 28958056; PMCID: PMC5861924. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5861924/
Short, S.E., Mollborn, S., (October, 2015), Social Determinants and Health Behaviors: Conceptual Frames and Empirical Advances. Curr Opin Psychol. 2015 Oct;5:78-84. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.05.002. PMID: 26213711; PMCID: PMC4511598. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4511598/