{"id":434,"date":"2020-01-27T16:16:58","date_gmt":"2020-01-27T16:16:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/fundamentalsofhealthandphysicalactivity\/?post_type=chapter&p=434"},"modified":"2021-07-26T16:49:34","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T16:49:34","slug":"2-5-1-avoiding-chronic-conditions","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/fundamentalsofhealthandphysicalactivity\/chapter\/2-5-1-avoiding-chronic-conditions\/","title":{"raw":"2.6.1. Avoiding Chronic Conditions","rendered":"2.6.1. Avoiding Chronic Conditions"},"content":{"raw":"

Disorders That Can Compromise Health<\/h1>\r\nWhen nutrients and energy are in short supply, cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems do not function properly. Unbalanced diets can cause diseases and, conversely, certain illnesses and diseases can cause an inadequate intake and absorption of nutrients, simulating the health consequences of an unbalanced diet. Overeating high-fat foods and nutrient-poor foods can lead to obesity and exacerbate the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Many diseases and illnesses, such as celiac disease, interfere with the body getting its nutritional requirements. A host of other conditions and illnesses, such as food allergies, cancer, stomach ulcers, Crohn\u2019s disease, and kidney and liver disease, also can impair the process of digestion and\/or negatively affect nutrient balance and decrease overall health. Some illnesses that can compromise health are chronic\u00a0<\/b>and persist for a long time, some are communicable\u00a0<\/b>meaning they \u00a0can be transmitted between people, and some are non-communicable\u00a0<\/b>meaning they can not be transmitted between people.\r\n

Gastresophageal Reflux Disease<\/h2>\r\nGastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a persistent form of acid reflux that occurs more than two times per week. Acid reflux occurs when the acidic contents of the stomach leak backward into the esophagus and cause irritation. It is estimated that GERD affects\u00a013% percent of the\u00a0Canadian population weekly and\u00a024% experiences heartburn\u00a0<\/b>daily or more frequently. [footnote]https:\/\/cdhf.ca\/digestive-disorders\/gerd\/statistics\/(https:\/\/cdhf.ca\/digestive-disorders\/gerd\/statistics\/)[\/footnote] \u00a0GERD tends to be much more prevalent in people \u00a0with obesity.[footnote]Hampel H, Abraham NS, El-Serag HB. Meta-Analysis: Obesity and the Risk for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Its Complications. Ann Intern Med, 143(3), 199\u2013211. http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/16061918. Accessed April 12, 2018.[\/footnote] The most common GERD symptom is heartburn, but people with GERD may also experience regurgitation (flow of the stomach\u2019s acidic contents into the mouth), frequent coughing, and trouble swallowing.\r\n\r\nThere are other causative factors of GERD that may be separate from or intertwined with obesity. The sphincter that separates the stomach\u2019s internal contents from the esophagus often does not function properly and acidic gastric contents seep upward. Sometimes the peristaltic contractions of the esophagus are also sluggish and compromise the clearance of acidic contents. In addition to having an unbalanced, high-fat diet, some people with GERD are sensitive to particular foods\u2014chocolate, garlic, spicy foods, fried foods, and tomato-based foods\u2014which worsen symptoms. Drinks containing alcohol or caffeine may also worsen GERD symptoms.\r\n\r\nThe first approach to GERD treatment is dietary and lifestyle modifications. Suggestions are to reduce weight if you are overweight or obese, avoid foods that worsen GERD symptoms, eat smaller meals, stop smoking, and remain upright for at least three hours after a meal. People with GERD may not take in the nutrients they need because of the pain and discomfort associated with eating. As a result, GERD can be caused by an unbalanced diet and its symptoms can lead to a worsening of nutrient inadequacy, a vicious cycle that further compromises health. Some evidence from scientific studies indicates that medications used to treat GERD may accentuate certain nutrient deficiencies, namely zinc and magnesium. When these treatment approaches do not work surgery is an option. The most common surgery involves reinforcing the sphincter that serves as a barrier between the stomach and esophagus.\r\n

Irritable Bowel Syndrome<\/h2>\r\nIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by muscle spasms in the colon that result in abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and\/or diarrhea. Interestingly, IBS produces no permanent structural damage to the large intestine as often happens to patients who have Crohn\u2019s disease or inflammatory bowel disease. It is estimated that one in five Americans displays symptoms of IBS. The disorder is more prevalent in women than men. Two primary factors that contribute to IBS are an unbalanced diet and stress.\r\n\r\nSymptoms of IBS significantly decrease a person\u2019s quality of life as they are present for at least twelve consecutive or nonconsecutive weeks in a year. Large meals and foods high in fat and added sugars, or those that contain wheat, rye, barley, peppermint, and chocolate intensify or bring about symptoms of IBS. Additionally, beverages containing caffeine or alcohol may worsen IBS. Stress and depression compound the severity and frequency of IBS symptoms. As with GERD, the first treatment approaches for IBS are diet and lifestyle modifications. People with IBS are often told to keep a daily food journal to help identify and eliminate foods that cause the most problems. Other recommendations are to eat slower, add more fiber to the diet, drink more water, and to exercise. There are some medications (many of which can be purchased over-the-counter) to treat IBS and the resulting diarrhea or constipation. Sometimes antidepressants and drugs to relax the colon are prescribed.\r\n

Celiac Disease<\/h2>\r\nCeliac disease is an autoimmune disorder affecting between 0.5 and 1.0 percent of Americans\u2014that is, one in every one- to two-hundred people. It is caused by an abnormal immune reaction of small intestine cells to a type of protein, called gluten. For those who are sensitive to gluten, it is good to know that corn, millet, buckwheat, and oats do not contain the proteins that make gluten. However, some people who have celiac disease also may have a response to products containing oats. This is most likely the result of cross-contamination of grains during harvest, storage, packaging, and processing.\r\n\r\nCeliac disease is most common in people of European descent and is rare in people of African American, Japanese, and Chinese descent. It is much more prevalent in women and in people with Type 1 diabetes, autoimmune thyroid disease, and Down and Turner syndromes. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and can include pale, fatty, loose stools, gastrointestinal upset, abdominal pain, weight loss and, in children, a failure to grow and thrive. The symptoms can appear in infancy or much later in life, even by age seventy. Celiac disease is not always diagnosed because the symptoms may be mild. A large number of people have what is referred to as \u201csilent\u201d or \u201clatent\u201d celiac disease.\r\n\r\nThe destruction of the absorptive surface of the small intestine also results in the malabsorption of nutrients, so that while people with this disease may eat enough, nutrients do not make it to the bloodstream because absorption is reduced. The effects of nutrient malabsorption are most apparent in children and the elderly as they are especially susceptible to nutrient deficiencies. Over time these nutrient deficiencies can cause health problems. Poor absorption of iron and folic acid can cause anemia, which is a decrease in red blood cells. Anemia impairs oxygen transport to all cells in the body. Calcium and vitamin D deficiencies can lead to osteoporosis, a disease in which bones become brittle.\r\n\r\nIf you think you or someone close to you may have celiac disease, do not despair; it is a very treatable disease. Once diagnosed, a person follows a gluten-free diet for life. This requires dedication and careful detective work to seek out foods with hidden gluten, but some stores carry gluten-free foods. After eliminating gluten from the diet, the tissues of the small intestine rapidly repair themselves and heal in less than six months.\r\n

Food Allergies<\/h2>\r\nPaying attention to the way individuals react to various foods is essential in determining what foods may specifically affect a person adversely. Food allergies are one of the many ways in which different body make-ups affect nutritional concerns. Although an estimated twelve million Americans have food allergies, there are likely many more people who say they have food allergies than actually do. This is because food sensitization is different from a medically-determined food allergy<\/b>. When someone has a food allergy, the immune system mistakenly attacks a certain kind of food (usually the protein component of a food), such as peanuts, as if it were a threat and IgE antibodies are produced.\r\n\r\nFood allergy symptoms usually develop within a few minutes to two hours after a person has eaten a food to which they are allergic. These symptoms can range from the annoying to the potentially fatal, and include the following:\r\n