Many muscles in the body affect the breathing process from the nose all the way down to the bottom of the abdomen. The respiration process relies on the upper respiratory system and the lower respiratory system. The upper respiratory system...
Diets rich in fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins, minerals and other substances that promote good health and may reduce your risk of cancer and other chronic diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention....
There are numerous diseases associated with alcoholism. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prolonged excessive alcohol consumption or binge drinking often leads to significant health problems, due to the increased...
The health risks associated with smoking have been well-documented. Tobacco smoke contains at least 250 known harmful chemicals, and at least 50 of these have been identified as carcinogens, or substances that cause cancer. It is not surprising...
Garlic, not typically eaten like other vegetables, such as green beans, is mostly used in various dishes for its pungent and distinctive flavor and aroma. Garlic also offers many health benefits. It is nutrient-rich, high in vitamins and minerals....
A healthy diet improves or helps maintain health and is characterized by consuming an adequate amount of all nutrients through a varied diet composed of mostly whole, unprocessed foods. According to the World Health Organization, consuming an...
Fresh juice from foods such as vegetables and fruits contains essential nutrients vital to sustaining health. Juicing provides a quick and easy way to increase consumption of nutrients, compared with eating the raw foods. The Centers for Disease...
Cancer is a disease that affects cells, spreads and causes development of malignant tumors in various tissues and organs of the body, according to the National Cancer Institute. Many foods have cancer-fighting properties, such as antioxidants,...
According to the Centers of Disease Control, cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Yet in 2008, 46 million Americans -- about one in every five people -- were smokers. The effects of smoking can cause...
Protein comprises cells, tissues, muscle, skin, hair, enzymes and other parts of your body, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Protein is an essential nutrient in food. During digestion, your body breaks down food protein into amino...
Gastric cancer involves any presence of cancerous cells located throughout the digestive tract originating from the stomach. Several contributing factors can fuel this type of cancer, from hereditary predisposition to the presence of Helicobacter...
Garlic is often used in dishes for its distinctive aroma and pungent flavor. According to the World's Healthiest Foods, garlic offers many health benefits---it contributes to heart health, offers antibacterial and antiviral properties and reduces...
The National Cancer Institute, or NCI, estimates that every year about 443,000 people die because of direct or secondhand smoke. If you think these deaths involve only diseases of the lungs, think again. Although lung cancer is the most common,...
A diet pyramid illustrates food categories and proportions of foods you should eat relative to other foods. The Mediterranean diet pyramid is based on scientific evidence. Research by scientists at the University of Athens Medical School in Greece...
Eating nutritious foods enhances your health and reduces your risk from chronic diseases and premature death. A nutritious diet favors health-promoting nutrients and avoids or limits substances that increase your risk for obesity, diabetes, heart...
Cigarettes contains nicotine, a drug that makes smoking highly addictive. In addition to nicotine, tobacco and cigarette smoke contain thousands of other chemicals, many of which are known carcinogens. Cigarette smoking is associated not only with...
Cancer is a major cause of death in the United States today. While the link between diet and cancer remains somewhat elusive, there are specific dietary factors tied to a reduction in cancer development. Foods that are high in fiber,...
Alcohol is among the leading lifestyle-related causes of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The excessive use of alcohol causes nearly 80,000 deaths every year. Heavy drinking has been...
Digestion is the process of breaking food down both mechanically and chemically so the nutrients it contains can be absorbed and used by your body. Optimal nutrition requires a properly functioning gastrointestinal system. A defect in any of...
Tobacco use is deadly. In fact, smoking cigarettes, pipes, or cigars is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cigarette smoking causes about 1 out of every 5...
An infectious disease, also called a communicable disease, comes from one of four pathogens--bacterial, fungal, parasitic or viral--and grows within or on the body. Methods of transmission from one person to another include direct contact...
Alcohol abuse causes many long-term problems, including about 35,000 deaths annually in the United States from "chronic disease alcohol-attributable deaths," according to "Healthy People 2010," a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human...
Chewing tobacco is a kind of smokeless tobacco that is also referred to as spit tobacco, chew or dip. There is a common misconception that chewing tobacco is less harmful to your health than smoking cigarettes, but in 1986, the advisory committee...
For weight control, reduced risk of developing chronic disease, good oral health and other reasons, you should consume a healthy diet, one that is characterized by a wide variety of nutrient-rich, whole, unprocessed foods. Choosing an unhealthy...
The act of breathing brings fresh air into your body and eliminates the waste carbon dioxide gas produced by your metabolism. Ventilation, the flow of air into and out of your lungs, involves not only the lungs, but your respiratory passageways,...
Betel nut refers to a mixture of the nut from the areca tree, part of the areca vine and lime. This combination is called betel nut quid, and it is used as a recreational drug chewed by a substantial part of the world's population in India,...
The cons of smoking are legion, starting but not ending with how they affect your quality and quantity of life. Voluntary use of cigarettes and other tobacco products account for 1 of every 5 mortalities in the United States, says the American...