Nutrition: A Very Short Introduction by David Bender

Author:David Bender [Bender, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780199681921
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2014-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

Diet and health

Patterns of disease and mortality differ around the world, and one of the factors that can be correlated with many of the differences is diet, although there are obviously other environmental (and genetic) factors involved. This chapter is concerned with the ways in which we can gather evidence that diet is, or may be, a factor in the development of chronic non-communicable diseases (especially atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), and cancer), and how we can use these findings to produce guidelines for a prudent diet and to promote healthy eating.

At one time these chronic non-communicable diseases were known as diseases of affluence, because they were seen mainly in affluent Western countries and mainly among the wealthier sections of society. Increasingly, however, they are becoming major causes of premature death in developing countries, and are more common among the poorer, rather than wealthier, sections of society in developed countries.

The relative amounts of fat, carbohydrate, and protein in the diet are important, as is the mixture of different types of carbohydrate and fat. Consumption of alcohol may have both beneficial and adverse effects on health. A wide variety of compounds in foods (and especially in fruits and vegetables) may also have beneficial effects.

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