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Johannesburg - The lifestyle choices you make today can largely determine your health in the long term, health experts warn.
Dr Noluthando Nematswerani, the chief clinical officer at Discovery Health, added that fast food is generally high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats.
“The body reacts to these in negative ways, namely the development of illness, such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.”
She explained that indulging in fast foods causes a spike in blood sugar.
“As fast food breaks down quickly because of the refined carbohydrates and added sugar content, it causes a rapid spike in your blood sugar levels,” Nematswerani explained.
“This then results in a surge in insulin to rapidly lowering your blood sugar levels.”
A healthy diet, on the other hand, results in a slow and sustained release of sugar into your bloodstream, which allows for maintained energy levels.
“Ever felt tired after a heavy fast food meal? Now you understand why,” Nematswerani said.
She added that a spike in blood pressure results in high levels of salt in the body’s bloodstream, which contributes to the development of hypertension (high blood pressure).
“If untreated, over time, high blood pressure can result in the development of more serious conditions such as heart disease and stroke,” Nematswerani said.
Examples of foods that increase inflammation levels in the body include processed meats, fried foods such as french fries, soft drinks and sugar-sweetened beverages and refined carbohydrates such as white bread.
Nematswerani suggested consuming at least five servings of fruit and vegetables daily for healthier body function.
“For example, eating leafy vegetables and fruits that are rich in vitamin C and beta carotene contain primary sources of antioxidants that can prevent cancer.”
This is in stark contrast to fast food, which Nematswerani said typically lacks such nutrients, along with enough fibre, vitamins or minerals.
“It’s also laden with kilojoules and for example, when eating one piece of fried chicken, you’re consuming 500 or more calories, 34 grams of fat and 1 200-plus milligrams of sodium.”
She added that a lack of nutrients also negatively impacts physical and mental function and that this eventually can result in serious health problems.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Cleveland Clinic, long-term impacts of regular poor eating can include:
– problems with weight – overweight and obesity
– increased risk for heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes
– digestive problems, such as constipation or diverticular disease. Foods with processed carbohydrates that lack fibre can cause digestive problems.
– Inflammatory – related health conditions and reduced immunity against infectious illnesses.
On the flip slide: following a healthy diet
In a research study called Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mortality published in March 2021 in the “Circulation Journal”, the intake of five servings compared to two servings offer stronger health benefits.
“Interesting, the study found that people who ate five servings per day had a 13% lower risk of mortality, from any cause; a 12% lower risk of death from heart disease or stroke; a 10% lower risk of death from cancer; a 35% lower risk of death from respiratory disease,” Nematswerani explained.
But she stressed that good nutrition combined with a health check-up were essential to optimal health.
“You can do yourself many favours by being proactive about checking your physical health, this Health Awareness Month,” Nematswerani said.
She also believes that knowing the results from just a few important health checks can help in the early detection of chronic illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and even some cancers.
“This act of preventive screening can prompt you in the direction of appropriate treatment and health management, which can successfully improve overall health outcomes, and even save your life.”
Nematswerani stressed that a health check is a structured set of tests to assess your risk of non-communicable diseases.
“The aim is to achieve metrics within a healthy range. If not, your measurements will be identified as either in an intermediate risk range or high risk and in each instance, tailored interventions will be recommended to address your specific risk going forward.”
Discovery’s Health Check’s simple and convenient set of essential health screening and preventive tests include:
Blood pressure. Blood pressure metric should be below 140/90mmHg. Anything above the healthy range can increase your risk of hypertension, heart disease, heart attack, stroke or kidney failure.
Blood glucose. A healthy range for blood glucose should be < 7.8 mmol/L or HbA1c < 6%. Should your metric be above the healthy range, some health risks that could occur include vision loss, heart attack, diabetes, kidney failure and nerve damage.
Cholesterol. A healthy range for total cholesterol should be < 5 mmol/L or LDL cholesterol < 3 mmol/L. Heart attack, heart disease and stroke are potential risks should your level be above the normal range.
Weight adjusted Body Mass Index (BMI). For this check, the healthy range should be BMI < 25 or waist circumference: < 80cm for women and < 94 cm for men. Diabetes and cardiovascular problems are some of the health challenges that can develop because of an unhealthy weight range.
Non-smokers declaration (optional) for at least the past 12 months. Health risks associated with smoking chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
Here are Nematswerani’s three reasons to book your health screening tests:
You may be living with a chronic illness without knowing it
"The International Diabetes Federation tells us that there are almost 550 million people living with diabetes worldwide. However, almost half the adults living with diabetes (240 million) are undiagnosed,” Nematswerani explained.
She added that for most people, this disease – in the form of Type 2 diabetes – is linked to unhealthy lifestyle behaviours and starts off slowly. If it’s not diagnosed or managed, it can lead to strokes, blindness, amputations and other serious complications. Fortunately, these are mostly avoidable.
“Screening tests are key to detecting diabetes early on and doing something about it.”
We can't always rely on how we feel as a way of measuring our health
"Several preventable chronic illnesses have so-called ‘silent’ symptoms which means these illnesses don’t show any identifiable signs until they are quite advanced,” Nematswerani said.
In these cases, Nematswerani said that screening checks are the only way to pick up the start of chronic conditions early and take steps to prevent their progress.
A head-in-the-sand approach can have serious consequences
“Unmanaged chronic conditions put us at risk of developing deadly complications and for example, diabetes and hypertension can lead to chronic kidney disease – a very serious condition which is often silent until about 50% of kidney function is lost,” Nematswerani said.
She added that a person in this condition will eventually end up on dialysis and need a kidney transplant.
"Serious down-the-line complications that significantly affect our quality of life – and our health-care costs – are a reality we all face, if we don’t know our health status,” he said.
“To prevent ill health, health checks are well worth making the time for every year or as guided by a registered health-care professional.”