Personal Health Risk Assessment
My family has a history of blindness, as my great grandfather was blind. Apart from blindness, deafness is similarly a condition that poses risk in my family because my sister and I are both deaf. I therefore, face a health risk of blindness in the future. Diabetes has a strong relation with blindness. Meningitis on the other hand, is connected with deafness. In this respect, aging and genetic inheritance are the main risk factors that are likely to determine my state of health in the future. Some others risks that I can manage with positive health choices include high blood pressure, diabetes, high or low blood cholesterol and even obesity. Limited physical activity, increased alcohol, smoking and saturated foods with little fiber, fruits and vegetables are likely to exacerbate my medical state of health in the future (Frances & Ellie 125).
The causal factors for the mentioned medical conditions are unhealthy food choices. These include, low vitamin and mineral intake, high sugar, salt, fats and alcohol intake and reduced consumption of complex carbohydrates. Other risk factors are stress, sedentary lifestyle, age, genetics, smoking, tobacco and high nicotine intake together with environmental contaminants. All these cause the different chronic diseases that interrelate with each other. These include conditions such as hypertension, cancer, diabetes type 2, obesity, stroke, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, diverticulosis and dental and oral disease (Frances & Ellie 125). Kidney problems and failure are also related to the chronic diseases mentioned. This means I need to take a balanced diet with carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vegetables whole grains and fruits. A low calorie intake is similarly necessary together with foods high in fiber. Reducing salt, alcohol, beverages and saturated fat intake is also essential in ensuring a better health in the future.
Diabetes is one of the main chronic diseases with the high likelihood of causing the other chronic diseases. It increases the risk for atherosclerosis and hypertension because it is characterized with the blocking of major blood vessels, which affects blood circulation. Stroke and heart attacks often occur similarly because of poor circulation of blood in the body. Lack of physical activity is a major cause of diabetes alongside with high sugar intake and a sedentary lifestyle. Obese people have high chances of being diabetic because of their high fasting blood glucose, high blood triglycerides and hypertension. Smoking for patients with hypertension and a high likelihood of diabetes also exacerbates their condition. This is because toxins like tobacco and nicotine from smoking damage the heart. Smoking also raises the blood pressure and inhibits oxygen concentration in the heart. Furthermore, smoking damages the lining in the blood vessels, which predisposes the patient to other attacks (Frances & Ellie 125).
A number of different factors that include atherosclerosis, obesity, genetics, age, high salt and alcohol intake and reduced consumption of dietary supplements like vegetables, fruits, vitamins and minerals have the potential of causing hypertension. Prevention of hypertension includes reducing salt intake and weight loss for obese patients. People with hypertension are also advised to increase their consumption of fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and fish among other healthy foods. The increased intake of minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium is similarly essential. It is therefore, clear that there is a strong connection between diabetes and blindness together with different other chronic diseases. This means I should check on reducing the possible risk factors that are capable of causing diabetes. In this context, it is apparent that choosing a healthy lifestyle is of great importance because it is essential in reducing the possibility of acquiring blindness in the future.
Work Cited.
Frances, Sizer & Ellie Whitney. Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies. (12th e.d)
Connecticut: Cengage Learning. 2007. Print. ISBN: 9781285226002
