Nutrition plays a central role in health by virtue of the simple fact that everyone must eat as a matter of survival. Complexity arises when the choices of foods and accompanying nutrients lead to either health benefits or detrimental effects.
Nutritional factors contribute significantly to the burden of preventable illnesses and premature deaths Nutritional factors are associated with 4 of the 10 major causes of death: coronary heart disease (CHD), cancer, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
What is Preventive Nutrition?
Preventive nutrition is a crucial branch of nutrition science with the goal of preventing or delaying or reducing the impacts of disease and disease-related complications. It focuses on helping patients take health actions that lessen or avoid unneeded interventions of medical care. e.g., a healthy lifestyle, including diet and exercise.
The burden of chronic diseases including High Blood Pressure, Stroke, Diabetes and Cancer was re-emphasized by World Health Organization in 2005 as neglected global health issues. These diseases were responsible for more than 60% deaths (35 Million) worldwide and 80% of these deaths occurred in developing countries including Pakistan.
Many randomized controlled clinical trials have demonstrated that eating habits, together with physical activity, can modify impact of the chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension. For this reason, the combination of regular physical activity and a balanced diet has a central preventive role in reducing the incidence of severe complications from chronic diseases.