Tuesday, 10 May 2016
12 Diseases Caused by Smoking | Infographic
Each year, the American Cancer Society encourages smokers to quit smoking on the third Thursday of November. Known as the Great American Smokeout, the event helps smokers understand that quitting, even for just one day, is the first step in becoming healthier. With tobacco use remaining the largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States, the health benefits of quitting begins immediately.
The diseases caused by smoking harm almost every organ in the body. It is the cause of 1 in 5 deaths in the US alone, yet around 42 million American continue to smoke. Find out more about the different diseases that are caused by smoking and learn the steps necessary to quit smoking today.
1. Lung Cancer
Smoking dramatically increases your chances of developing lung cancer. According to the American Lung Association, men who smoke are 23 times more likely to get lung cancer and women who smoke are 13 times more likely. Nonsmokers are also at risk of developing lung cancer. A nonsmoker exposed to secondhand smoke has a 20-30% higher risk of developing lung cancer, and secondhand smoke causes 7,330 deaths a year.
2. COPD
Smoking is the cause of 9 in 10 COPD related deaths. This umbrella term, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, is the number three killer in the US. The CDC indicates that smoking during childhood and teenage years slows lung growth and increases the risk for developing COPD.
3. Heart Disease
People who smoke are four times as likely to develop heart disease than those who do not. Nicotine in cigarettes reduces the amount of oxygen your heart gets and also raises your heart rate putting more stress on your heart. One in 5 deaths from heart disease are related directly to smoking.
4. Stroke
Smoking doubles the risk of stroke. According to the National Stroke Association, smoking causes a lack of oxygen in the blood and makes the heart work harder. This makes blood clots form more easily and then the clots can block blood flow to the brain and cause a stroke.
5. Aortic Aneurysm
The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body. Aneurysms are more common in men than in women according to the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide. It has been shown that the risk for an aortic aneurysm increases even more in men who smoke.
6. Oropharyngeal Cancer
This type of cancer starts in the mouth or throat. The risk of developing it is directly related to how much someone smoked or chewed. The American Cancer Society says that this cancer can affect the voice box, lips, inner surface of the lips, cheeks and gums.
7. Esophageal Cancer
This is cancer of the throat. The National Cancer Institute states that smoking increases the chances of developing esophageal cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma, or cancer on the lining of organs or the surface of skin , is linked directly to tobacco and alcohol use.
8. Cataracts
This ophthalmological condition occurs when the lens of the eye becomes opaque over time and vision is lost. According to the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, it is the leading cause of blindness and the risk of developing it is increased by smoking.
9. Type 2 Diabetes
Around 90% of diabetes cases are type 2 diabetes. The CDC says that smoking is a direct cause of type 2 diabetes. Smokers have a 30-40% increased risk of developing it. People who develop diabetes and continue to smoke are more likely to have trouble controlling their disease, which may lead to increased chances of heart disease, ulcers, infections and amputations.
10. Rheumatoid Arthritis
It has been shown that smoking increases your chances of developing rheumatoid arthritis. The Arthritis Foundation cites a study that centered on the connection between the two. Rheumatoid arthritis causes inflammation in the joints, pain, deformities and immobility.
11. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
SIDS is the sudden, unexplainable death of a child during sleep. It occurs between the ages of one month and one year. Studies have shown that mothers who smoke during pregnancy put their babies at a higher risk for SIDS. A study published in the US National Library of Medicine explain that mothers who smoked prior to pregnancy have the same increased risks as mothers who smoke during pregnancy. The risk is even higher if the father also smokes.
12. Erectile Dysfunction
Many studies have found that smoking is a major factor in erectile dysfunction. Smoking causes plaque build up in the arteries and obstructs blood flow. In one study, men who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day had a 60% higher risk of developing erectile dysfunction.
Tips for a Smoke-Free Life
Overcoming an addiction to tobacco isn’t easy. Research by the American Cancer Association found that smokers are most successful at kicking the habit when they have support. This support can include:
- Telephone
smoking-cessation hotlines
- Stop-smoking groups
- Online quit groups
- Counseling
- Nicotine replacement products
- Prescription medicine to lessen cravings
- Guide books
- Encouragement and support from friends and family members
Sunday, 21 September 2014
Butter, Margarine and Heart Disease
Shortly after World War II, margarine replaced butter in the U.S. food
supply. Margarine consumption exceeded butter in the 1950s. By 1975,
we were eating one-fourth the amount of butter eaten in 1900 and ten
times the amount of margarine. Margarine was made primarily of
hydrogenated vegetable oils, as many still are today. This makes it one
of our primary sources of trans fat. The consumption of trans fats from other sources also likely tracked closely with margarine intake.
is
because heart attacks have characteristic symptoms, such as chest pain
that extends along the arm or neck. Physicians up to that time were
regularly diagnosing heart conditions other than CHD. The following
graph is of total heart disease mortality in the U.S. from 1900 to 2005.
It represents all types of heart disease mortality, including 'heart
failure', which are non-CHD disorders like arrhythmia and myocarditis.
The
graph above is not age-adjusted, meaning it doesn't reflect the fact
that lifespan has increased since 1900. I couldn't compile the raw data
myself without a lot of effort, but the age-adjusted graph is here.
It looks similar to the one above, just a bit less pronounced. I
think it's interesting to note the close similarity between the graph of
margarine intake and the graph of heart disease deaths. The butter
intake graph is also essentially the inverse of the heart disease graph.
Here's where it gets really interesting. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has also been tracking CHD deaths specifically since 1900. Again, it would be a lot of work for me to compile the raw data, but it can be found here and a graph is in Anthony Colpo's book The Great Cholesterol Con. Here's the jist of it: there was essentially no CHD mortality until 1925, at which point it skyrocketed until about 1970, becoming the leading cause of death. After that, it began to fall due to improved medical care. There are some discontinuities in the data due to changes in diagnostic criteria, but even subtracting those, the pattern is crystal clear.
The age-adjusted heart disease death rate (all forms of heart disease) has been falling since the 1950s, largely due to improved medical treatment. Heart disease incidence has not declined substantially, according to the Framingham Heart study. We're better at keeping people alive in the 21st century, but we haven't successfully addressed the root cause of heart disease.
Was the shift from butter to margarine involved in the CHD epidemic? We can't make any firm conclusions from these data, because they're purely correlations. But there are nevertheless mechanisms that support a protective role for butter, and a detrimental one for margarine. Butter from pastured cows is one of the richest known sources of vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 plays a central role in protecting against arterial calcification, which is an integral part of arterial plaque and the best single predictor of cardiovascular death risk. In the early 20th century, butter was typically from pastured cows.
Margarine is a major source of trans fat. Trans fat is typically found in vegetable oil that has been hydrogenated, rendering it solid at room temperature. Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction that is truly disgusting. It involves heat, oil, hydrogen gas and a metal catalyst. I hope you give a wide berth to any food that says "hydrogenated" anywhere in the ingredients. Some modern margarine is supposedly free of trans fats, but in the U.S., less than 0.5 grams per serving can be rounded down so the nutrition label is not a reliable guide. Only by looking at the ingredients can you be sure that the oils haven't been hydrogenated. Even if they aren't, I still don't recommend margarine, which is an industrially processed pseudo-food.
One of the strongest explanations of CHD is the oxidized LDL hypothesis. The idea is that LDL lipoprotein particles ("LDL cholesterol") become oxidized and stick to the vessel walls, creating an inflammatory cascade that results in plaque formation. Chris Masterjohn wrote a nice explanation of the theory here. Several things influence the amount of oxidized LDL in the blood, including the total amount of LDL in the blood, the antioxidant content of the particle, the polyunsaturated fat content of LDL (more PUFA = more oxidation), and the size of the LDL particles. Small LDL is considered more easily oxidized than large LDL. Small LDL is also associated with elevated CHD mortality. Trans fat shrinks your LDL compared to butter.
In my opinion, it's likely that both the decrease in butter consumption and the increase in trans fat consumption contributed to the massive incidence of CHD seen in the U.S. and other industrial nations today. I think it's worth noting that France has the highest per-capita dairy fat consumption of any industrial nation, along with a comparatively low intake of hydrogenated fat, and also has the second-lowest rate of CHD, behind Japan.
is
because heart attacks have characteristic symptoms, such as chest pain
that extends along the arm or neck. Physicians up to that time were
regularly diagnosing heart conditions other than CHD. The following
graph is of total heart disease mortality in the U.S. from 1900 to 2005.
It represents all types of heart disease mortality, including 'heart
failure', which are non-CHD disorders like arrhythmia and myocarditis.The
graph above is not age-adjusted, meaning it doesn't reflect the fact
that lifespan has increased since 1900. I couldn't compile the raw data
myself without a lot of effort, but the age-adjusted graph is here.
It looks similar to the one above, just a bit less pronounced. I
think it's interesting to note the close similarity between the graph of
margarine intake and the graph of heart disease deaths. The butter
intake graph is also essentially the inverse of the heart disease graph.Here's where it gets really interesting. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has also been tracking CHD deaths specifically since 1900. Again, it would be a lot of work for me to compile the raw data, but it can be found here and a graph is in Anthony Colpo's book The Great Cholesterol Con. Here's the jist of it: there was essentially no CHD mortality until 1925, at which point it skyrocketed until about 1970, becoming the leading cause of death. After that, it began to fall due to improved medical care. There are some discontinuities in the data due to changes in diagnostic criteria, but even subtracting those, the pattern is crystal clear.
The age-adjusted heart disease death rate (all forms of heart disease) has been falling since the 1950s, largely due to improved medical treatment. Heart disease incidence has not declined substantially, according to the Framingham Heart study. We're better at keeping people alive in the 21st century, but we haven't successfully addressed the root cause of heart disease.
Was the shift from butter to margarine involved in the CHD epidemic? We can't make any firm conclusions from these data, because they're purely correlations. But there are nevertheless mechanisms that support a protective role for butter, and a detrimental one for margarine. Butter from pastured cows is one of the richest known sources of vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 plays a central role in protecting against arterial calcification, which is an integral part of arterial plaque and the best single predictor of cardiovascular death risk. In the early 20th century, butter was typically from pastured cows.
Margarine is a major source of trans fat. Trans fat is typically found in vegetable oil that has been hydrogenated, rendering it solid at room temperature. Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction that is truly disgusting. It involves heat, oil, hydrogen gas and a metal catalyst. I hope you give a wide berth to any food that says "hydrogenated" anywhere in the ingredients. Some modern margarine is supposedly free of trans fats, but in the U.S., less than 0.5 grams per serving can be rounded down so the nutrition label is not a reliable guide. Only by looking at the ingredients can you be sure that the oils haven't been hydrogenated. Even if they aren't, I still don't recommend margarine, which is an industrially processed pseudo-food.
One of the strongest explanations of CHD is the oxidized LDL hypothesis. The idea is that LDL lipoprotein particles ("LDL cholesterol") become oxidized and stick to the vessel walls, creating an inflammatory cascade that results in plaque formation. Chris Masterjohn wrote a nice explanation of the theory here. Several things influence the amount of oxidized LDL in the blood, including the total amount of LDL in the blood, the antioxidant content of the particle, the polyunsaturated fat content of LDL (more PUFA = more oxidation), and the size of the LDL particles. Small LDL is considered more easily oxidized than large LDL. Small LDL is also associated with elevated CHD mortality. Trans fat shrinks your LDL compared to butter.
In my opinion, it's likely that both the decrease in butter consumption and the increase in trans fat consumption contributed to the massive incidence of CHD seen in the U.S. and other industrial nations today. I think it's worth noting that France has the highest per-capita dairy fat consumption of any industrial nation, along with a comparatively low intake of hydrogenated fat, and also has the second-lowest rate of CHD, behind Japan.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) resulting in a loss of blood flow to the heart (heart attack), was first described in detail in 1912 by Dr. James B. Herrick. Sudden cardiac death due to CHD was considered rare in the 19th century, although other forms of heart disease were diagnosed regularly by symptoms and autopsies. They remain rare in many non-industrial cultures today. This could not have resulted from massive underdiagnos
Sunday, 14 September 2014
Health tips: To eat or not to eat
Eating
regularly is one of the best ways to keep energy high and fuel metabolic
processes. However, choosing junk food as a quick fix will cause brain
sugar to rise suddenly and then crash. It is just a temporary fix that
generally lasts no longer than an hour. While it's tempting to reach for
a chocolate bar, fruit is absorbed more slowly into the body and will
provide an even energy boost without the highs and lows of sugary
snacks. So let's try to find some easy, healthy and long lasting food
facts that can do wonders to your body:
Carbohydrates - Many believe that eliminating cereals and breads from their diet would help them achieve their goals. But the fact is that there is no food that's bad for you. It is always a matter of quantity and all carbohydrates are not treated equal. Whole grain breads and cereals are certainly the best option and contain lots of nutrients but also seem to calm the mind and keep you satisfied.
Supplements for energy - There are a lot of people who depend upon different types of supplements as their main source of energy but the fact is that the energy you get is from the nutrients in the foods you eat. That is why it is extremely important to put foods into your body that will provide you with the proper fuel.
Low-fat foods - This myth has really helped the fat-free cookie market! Unfortunately it's not true; simply because a food is low fat, doesn't mean it's necessarily healthy. These may be loaded with sugar, sodium and chemical preservatives.
Caffeinated beverages - These popular drinks have a dehydrating effect that can drain your energy. Coffee, tea and soda are stimulants that bring you up quickly and then let you crash so it is important when drinking any caffeinated beverage to chase it with an equal amount of ice water.
Fibre supplements - The problem with these tablets is that they don't provide the variety of fibre that you get with natural fibre. So it is better to choose a breakfast cereal with at least 6 grams of fibre along with some other healthy sources of natural fibre all throughout the day.
Too little calories - Consume enough to fuel your body but not so many that they get stored as fat and skip "empty" calories with no nutritional value.
Energy bars - Only use these convenience bars in an emergency. Don't use them as meal replacements as they contain too many calories for the little satisfaction they provide. They really are intended for professional athletes and somehow have made their way over to the diet population.
Food labels - The labels of many fat-free and "lite" dairy products can get pretty heavy, laden with ingredients added to compensate for the richness of fat. Be aware of the difference between products that simply have fat removed and those that are pumped with sugar or "mystery ingredients".
The egg's story - Yes eggs are high in cholesterol, with 200 mg in each yolk but they are also packed with valuable nutrients like protein, healthy fats, and folic acid and B vitamins. So keep eggs on hand as a quick, nourishing food to enjoy in moderation along with other healthy choices of fat on a daily basis.
Whole fruit/juice - Whole fruit gives you more fibre and bulk and the process of chewing will make you feel more full more quickly than juice can. Real juice can be an important part of a healthy diet but it can often pack a major dose of calories so enjoy juice in moderate amounts and try to get most of your servings from whole fruit.
Carbohydrates - Many believe that eliminating cereals and breads from their diet would help them achieve their goals. But the fact is that there is no food that's bad for you. It is always a matter of quantity and all carbohydrates are not treated equal. Whole grain breads and cereals are certainly the best option and contain lots of nutrients but also seem to calm the mind and keep you satisfied.
Supplements for energy - There are a lot of people who depend upon different types of supplements as their main source of energy but the fact is that the energy you get is from the nutrients in the foods you eat. That is why it is extremely important to put foods into your body that will provide you with the proper fuel.
Low-fat foods - This myth has really helped the fat-free cookie market! Unfortunately it's not true; simply because a food is low fat, doesn't mean it's necessarily healthy. These may be loaded with sugar, sodium and chemical preservatives.
Caffeinated beverages - These popular drinks have a dehydrating effect that can drain your energy. Coffee, tea and soda are stimulants that bring you up quickly and then let you crash so it is important when drinking any caffeinated beverage to chase it with an equal amount of ice water.
Fibre supplements - The problem with these tablets is that they don't provide the variety of fibre that you get with natural fibre. So it is better to choose a breakfast cereal with at least 6 grams of fibre along with some other healthy sources of natural fibre all throughout the day.
Too little calories - Consume enough to fuel your body but not so many that they get stored as fat and skip "empty" calories with no nutritional value.
Energy bars - Only use these convenience bars in an emergency. Don't use them as meal replacements as they contain too many calories for the little satisfaction they provide. They really are intended for professional athletes and somehow have made their way over to the diet population.
Food labels - The labels of many fat-free and "lite" dairy products can get pretty heavy, laden with ingredients added to compensate for the richness of fat. Be aware of the difference between products that simply have fat removed and those that are pumped with sugar or "mystery ingredients".
The egg's story - Yes eggs are high in cholesterol, with 200 mg in each yolk but they are also packed with valuable nutrients like protein, healthy fats, and folic acid and B vitamins. So keep eggs on hand as a quick, nourishing food to enjoy in moderation along with other healthy choices of fat on a daily basis.
Whole fruit/juice - Whole fruit gives you more fibre and bulk and the process of chewing will make you feel more full more quickly than juice can. Real juice can be an important part of a healthy diet but it can often pack a major dose of calories so enjoy juice in moderate amounts and try to get most of your servings from whole fruit.
Say yes to chocolate - Dark chocolate, unlike
white chocolate, contains compounds called flavonoids that may have
beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. Four ounces of
chocolate would provide more than 500 calories, so the amount of
chocolate suggested on weight control plan would have only modest
benefit.
Sodium - It is important to acknowledge that some sodium is necessary for our health, to maintain the proper distribution of fluids inside and outside cells. Sodium is important stuff and that's why we have taste for it and for most of us, though, insufficient sodium is not something to worry about. Most people get far more than they need-often from unexpected sources and a high salt diet does tend to cause a number of health issues. The best approach is to slowly reduce the amount of salt we use to prepare food; in doing so we don't really miss it. Processed foods are the main stealth sources for sodium.
Water - The principle here is straightforward; drink plenty of liquids and avoid drinking empty calories and for most of us, the easiest way to put that principle into practice is simply to make the shift from soda, juice and other soft drinks to the clear, refreshing benefits of water.
Exercise - It's not only what to eat and drink and what not to - the intake side of the equation, but physical activity - output side – is just as important because regular physical exercise is not only an essential part of weight control, it can also offer other benefits. Exercise doesn't have to mean sweat, spandex, stair machines only; activities like standing, walking, fidgeting, etc., contribute towards making our lifestyle active and healthy. Finding more ways to move throughout the day-even slowly and gently….even tapping your toes can have a major influence on your overall wellbeing. So find a way to do it – start slow but start and stick to it and let it quietly become a habit.
Sodium - It is important to acknowledge that some sodium is necessary for our health, to maintain the proper distribution of fluids inside and outside cells. Sodium is important stuff and that's why we have taste for it and for most of us, though, insufficient sodium is not something to worry about. Most people get far more than they need-often from unexpected sources and a high salt diet does tend to cause a number of health issues. The best approach is to slowly reduce the amount of salt we use to prepare food; in doing so we don't really miss it. Processed foods are the main stealth sources for sodium.
Water - The principle here is straightforward; drink plenty of liquids and avoid drinking empty calories and for most of us, the easiest way to put that principle into practice is simply to make the shift from soda, juice and other soft drinks to the clear, refreshing benefits of water.
Exercise - It's not only what to eat and drink and what not to - the intake side of the equation, but physical activity - output side – is just as important because regular physical exercise is not only an essential part of weight control, it can also offer other benefits. Exercise doesn't have to mean sweat, spandex, stair machines only; activities like standing, walking, fidgeting, etc., contribute towards making our lifestyle active and healthy. Finding more ways to move throughout the day-even slowly and gently….even tapping your toes can have a major influence on your overall wellbeing. So find a way to do it – start slow but start and stick to it and let it quietly become a habit.
