Essay on Familial Diseases Risks

At our family, there is a history of quite some diseases, but the most common are obesity and high cholesterol. Both my father and my mother have been diagnosed with these two conditions. My father was obese between the ages of 20 and 29 years. Then between 30 and 39 years, he was ailing with high cholesterol. My mother, on the other hand, was diagnosed with both conditions at the age of 30 years. My maternal grandmother and maternal grandfather have been suffering from high cholesterol condition. My grandfather who has already passed on after suffering from stroke was diagnosed with high cholesterol at the age of 40. My grandmother got the disease at an older age of 60 years same as the paternal grandfather. The paternal grandmother hailed at the ages between 40 and 49 years. There is a proposition that obesity can be inherited and hence there is no need for some people whose families have a history of this condition to struggle with weight loss strategies (Kiess et al. 2015). It is true that there are some genes that can be inherited. Among these genes is Prader-Willi Syndrome. But this does not mean that people should not exercise or engage in weight losing activities. Even though family history is an apparent cause of obesity, losing weight can significantly reduce the risk.

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Behavioral risks

Given the risks of obesity and high cholesterol in my family, there are high chances that I might also be at the same risk considering my current lifestyle. Recently, I have been having poor eating habits and less time for exercise. I have been eating big portions of food too frequently than I was eating earlier. My sleeping patterns have also been irregular since I am always up for long hours at night doing my studies. The food I have been eating is less nutritious and I have recently turned to eating more junks than a healthy diet. Additionally, my stress level has recently gone up due to the high number of classes that I am taking. Seemingly, my fat level has increased. This is evidenced by the fact that I have been having difficulties running and breathing whenever I try any simple exercises.

Obesity is a condition that occurs over time. The main causes of obesity are poor diet and bad lifestyle. Among them include eating too much food, especially fatty foods, eating large portions of food compared to the body needs and taking too many sugary drinks. Depression, stress, and lack of exercise are the other causes of obesity. High cholesterol can be caused by junk foods and foods containing a lot of cholesterol fats (Plowman & Smith, 2008). These have been my recent way of life. In other words, the kind of lifestyle I have adapted is highly likely to lead to obesity. This is especially so since there is a history of obesity in my family. As a matter of fact, obesity and high cholesterol are the most common condition among my relatives. There is no other disease whose risk is that high. It is worth noting that there is also a risk of diabetes and coronary artery disease although this is not as high, my current lifestyle could be a cause of any of these conditions.

Prevention techniques

Obesity and high cholesterol can be prevented successfully. As the saying goes, "prevention is better than cure" it is important to embrace techniques that can help reduce or eliminate the risk. Some of these techniques are discussed below;

Reduce the level of food intake; there is a level of calories that the body requires daily for a normal active human being. Approximately, a man requires about 2500 calories per day while a woman requires about 2000 calories per day (Plowman & Smith, 2008). These calories are enough for the day to day activities. Though they seem high, it is very easy to consume these levels especially when one is eating too fatty foods. Also, it is possible to consume more than this level if one is taking very big portions too frequently. The extra calories will start forming fats in the body which will accumulate to a level of being obese. Therefore, it is important to reduce food intake especially when one does not have enough time for exercise.

Frequent exercise; normally, doing exercise helps in reducing the number of fats in the body. When one exercise, some calories in the body is burnt. Any fats that could be accumulating are eliminated (Wexler et al. 2007). Therefore, large intakes of food should be accompanied by frequent exercising. Regardless of the tight schedules that one might be having, it is important to fix some time for exercise daily. This will go a long way in reducing the extra fats and subsequently the risk of becoming obese or contracting the high cholesterol condition. Even when one is having difficulties to run or breathe, they should start gradually and increase as time goes and eventually, they will be able to exercise sufficiently.

References

Kiess, W., Wabitsch, M., Maffeis, C., & Sharma, A. M. (2015). Metabolic syndrome and obesity in childhood and adolescence. Basel, Switzerland: Karger

Plowman, S. A., & Smith, D. L. (2008). Exercise physiology for health, fitness, and performance. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Wexler, B., Information Plus (Firm: Wylie, Tex.), & Gale Group. (2007). Weight in America: Obesity, eating disorders, and other health risks. Detroit: Thomson Gale.