Exercise, diet and nutrition are like the Three Musketeers for being healthy and reducing your risk for chronic disease. While each component contributes its part, the combination is the key to gaining health benefits from each one.
Various factors affect a person's health, and medical professionals classify them as internal and external. Internal factors -- also known as hereditary factors or acquired elements -- include smoking and personal diet or eating habits. External...
Most commercially prepared, packaged foods are required by law to display a "Nutrition Facts" panel and a list of all ingredients on the label. The information on the food label tells consumers the serving size, how many servings per package and...
When your potassium levels become too high, your heart beats irregularly and your muscles may begin to feel weak and difficult to move, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center. Those who experience chronic high potassium levels may...
Only 16 percent of adults living in the United States perform daily exercise, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Physical inactivity is an important risk factor for a laundry list of chronic diseases, including Alzheimer's disease,...
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases reports that an estimated 23 million American adults have chronic kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney failure. The definition of chronic kidney disease is evidence of a...
Attributing shortness of breath to old age is a common misconception and could be dangerous if it delays medical evaluation of this important symptom. Smoking and alcohol abuse increase the risks for conditions that cause difficulty breathing, as...
Protein is found in every cell, tissue and organ of the body. Protein is digested, turns into amino acids and replaces older proteins. If you have chronic kidney disease, your doctor may suggest a low-protein diet. Certain fad diets suggest eating...
Chronic kidney disease is a serious condition that occurs when your kidneys cannot filter the way they are supposed to. There are many situations that can cause kidney disease and there are various stages of this condition. Making dietary changes...
Asthma inflames and narrows your airways, making it difficult to breathe. Asthma tops the list as the most common chronic disease among American children, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, many of whom also suffer from...
The Office of the U.S. Surgeon General periodically issues updates on research about tobacco use and disease risk due to smoking. Its major revelation in 1964, that cigarette smoking causes lung and larynx cancer, was significantly expanded upon...
The majority of Americans regularly take a multivitamin, according to the Washington Post. But according to a panel of experts assembled by the Office of Dietary Supplements and the Office of Medical Applications of Research at the National...
Decades of clinical data have led researchers to make definitive links between cigarette smoking and many chronic diseases. According to a 2004 report by the U.S. Surgeon General, tobacco use is now associated with conditions as diverse as...
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, smoking affects nearly every bodily organ. The brain, lungs, heart, eyes and blood vessels are all impacted by the 400-plus chemicals, including nicotine, that are found in cigarettes, some of...
A superfood is a food that is extremely healthy, containing a large variety of vitamins and minerals or health boosting elements. These are the foods that when eaten in abundance can lower your risk of developing certain chronic diseases. At the...
Lunch meats such as bologna and salami are often highly processed food products that aren't as nutritionally beneficial as leaner meats and proteins. However, turkey can be an exception. Due to its nutritional profile, it's almost always a...
If you need to tone those muscles but can't afford a fitness club or you want to lose some weight but shy away from group weigh ins, don't sweat it. Like the Yellow Pages' slogan used to say, you can "let your fingers do the walking" -- on your...
Diet and lifestyle directly affect kidney health, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Kidneys are designed to help to cleanse the body, but dehydration and poor diet diminish kidney functioning. Once kidneys are sluggish or weak, problems...
Spinach is a leafy green vegetable rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Eating raw spinach as part of a salad adds bulk to your meals without a lot of calories, making it a good choice if you are watching your weight. Baby spinach leaves...
Percent body fat is a measurement that reflects how much of your body is made up of fat tissue compared to lean tissue. According to the American Council on Exercise if your body fat percentage is higher than 31 percent for women, or 24 for men,...
The need for good nutrition both grows and takes on more specific parameters as humans age. A healthy diet for a man or woman over 50 years of age reflects new physical needs due to body changes as well as increased needs to mitigate disease...
Everybody needs good nutrition to reach a good-health potential. Your physical fitness may be in jeopardy if your diet doesn't provide enough vitamins and minerals or delivers more calories than you can use up through regular exercise. Consider...
The pancreas is a gland that aids the digestive process by secreting digestive juices into the first part of the small intestine via a tube that is called the pancreatic duct. The digestive juices join with bile, which is produced by the liver, to...
The most common illness spread by ticks in North America is Lyme disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. The illness is spread by a bacterium called borrelia burgdorferi. Those who develop the condition often suffer from side effects like rash,...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists several chronic diseases linked with an unhealthy diet, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis and certain cancers. Healthy eating can be challenging, especially...
Trans fat -- an industrially produced solid fat made from vegetable oil and hydrogen -- is a dietary culprit that's dangerous to your health. It is used in cooking and baking to improve texture and taste and lengthen shelf life. Trans fat has been...
Although participating in athletic activities is considered beneficial to your health, there is inherent physical risk in any athletic or sporting activity. A personal health record can literally be a life-saver in the event you need medical...
Excess protein deposits in the body are usually described as amyloidosis. This condition is characterized by accumulation of abnormal proteins called amyloids in the body's tissues or organs, including the heart, spleen, kidneys, nervous system...
Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, causing an estimated 438,000 deaths each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. The American Cancer society states cigarette smoking kills more...
