Nutrition and Health

The diet has a direct relation to a persons' overall health. In today's culture in the United States, the diet consist of to many 'bad' foods and to few of the 'good; foods. These 'bad' foods includes food that has no nutritional value, the majority of fats come from saturated and trans-fat foods, processed foods, refined flour, refined sugar, and high-fructose sugar.
The four leading cause of death in the United States that are related to diet are

• Heart Disease (CVD) -- There is startling evidence that a diet high in saturated fats  and high-density lipoproteinare are strongly and inversely related to Heart  Disease (Sofi et al, 2008).
• Cancer -- The exposure to many carcinogens are acquired through foods and in the preparation of food. some diet factors that affect cancer risk are; caloric intake, red meats, fat and fatty acids, lack of essential nutrients (Sizer & Whitney, 2017)
• Stroke -- The same conclusion has been reached with stroke risk as with Heart Disease risk and the high intake of saturated fats and trans fats, as well as a lack of fruits and vegetables.
• Diabetes -- Diets high in added sugar, saturated and trans fat, and a diet lacking the needed fruits and vegtables are responsible for the majority of Type 2 diabetes. 

Malnutrition is a condition in which there is a lack of the proper nutrition. This condition is one of the leading causes of death in children according to the world Health Organization, that reports that malnutrition contributes to one-third of child deaths. Malnutrition plays a huge role on the immune system and the ability for a person to fight infections or overcome illness.
Many times there is an underlying reason for the malnutrition such as; drug or alcohol addiction, diseases (AIDS and Cancer), and even poverty or other environmental factors.

See the following link for more information of childhood malnutrition.
http://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/child/malnutrition/en/











Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2017). Nutrition: Concepts and controversies (14th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. ISBN-13: 978-1-30563937-9, ISBN-10: 1-305-63937-5

Sofi, F., Cesari, F., Abbate, R., Gensini, G. F., & Casini, A. (2008). Adherence to Mediterranean diet and health status: meta-analysis. Bmj, 337, a1344.

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