Helath Implcations of Imbalanced Dietary Intakes, Research Paper Example

In one of the recent results on findings by the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, there were findings that highlighted the importance and effects of an imbalanced diet on an individual’s health. The findings point to different health complications that arise by either having too little or too much of a given food class within one’s diet (The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study). The following is a detailed summary of the findings and their implications to public and my personal health.

The study’s findings show that that an increased intake of red meat increases one’s risk of developing premenopausal cancer (The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study). This means that the more red meat that a lady consumes the more she exposes herself to the possibility of developing breast cancer before menopause. This finding has a significant on the fight against breast cancer. Proponents of this fight in public health will discourage women from consuming too much red meat, especially those under the age of 45 years. This in turn has helped realize the implications of too much red meat on my health and have adjusted my diet accordingly.

The findings also show that a Mediterranean diet tends to reduce one’s risk of getting a stroke and CHD. In this category, the intake of fish reduces the risk of getting a strike while the intake of wholegrain and nuts reduces the risk of getting CHD (The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study). Trans fats and carbohydrates on the other hand increase one’s risks of getting CHD and/or a stroke. This will significantly impact public health initiatives geared towards reduce incidents of strokes and CHD. This has helped me incorporate nuts, wholegrain and fish into my diet.

These fact are supported by another report on the prevalence of diabetes in Oman.The studies established that the prevalence rates of diabetes in the Sultanate of Oman is increasing at an alarming rate and the projections of the prevalence in the coming years show a grim image on the status of public health within the Sultanate. It is with great concern and haste that the Omani government should augment its awareness efforts within the communities on diabetes for people to adopt a better and healthier lifestyle through better personalized diets for themselves and their families.

The study suggest that dietary factors tend to increase or reduce the likelihood of children developing Type 1 diabetes. (Al Balushi, Al-Haddabi and Al-Zakwani). Geographical factors do influence people’s lifestyles by the manner in which subjects in the urban areas displayed different symptoms to the ones living in the rural areas. Subjects living in the urban areas exhibited hypertension, obesity and high cholesterol levels. These can be attributed to dietary patterns.

When this study is compared to a similar study conducted in the United Kingdom, it was found that the prevalence of diabetes is much higher in the United Kingdom (WIlkinson, Gurch and Maninder). This is attributed to the lifestyle of the people in the United Kingdom. This is mainly through dietary choices as it is considered as one of the major factors that lead to the development of diabetes in the United Kingdom.

In conclusion, all three studies point towards increasing deterioration in the levels of health as a result of an imbalanced dietary intake. While the prevalence of diet-related illnesses is seen to significantly rise, a change of lifestyle and diet has been found to be effective in mitigating these illnesses by significantly improving immunity and organ functionality.

Works Cited

Al Balushi, K A, et al. “Glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes at a primary health care center in Oman.” Primary care diabetes (2014): 239-243. Print.

The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study. “Findings: Some Highlights.” 2 March 2014. The Nurses’ Health Study. Internet Source. 20 November 2014. <http://www.channing.harvard.edu/nhs/?page_id=197>.

WIlkinson, Emma, Randhawa Gurch and Singh Maninder. Quality improvements in diabetes care, how holistic have they been? A case-study from the United Kingdom. Article. London: BioMed Central, 2014. Print.