 Nutrition Notes
Did you know that the two leading causes of death in 2005 and 2006 were heart disease and cancer? And that chronic disease, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes:
· Are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States
· Account for 70% of all deaths in the U.S., which is 1.7 million each year
· Cause major limitations in daily living for almost 1 out of 10 Americans or about 25 million people
· Most costly, nearly three of every four dollars spent on medicines for adults age 18 and older went to treat these conditions in 20053
· Most common reason people die is due to a chronic disease, according to recent government data4
Although chronic diseases are among the most common and costly health problems, they are also among the most preventable.2 If Americans ate a healthy, balanced diet that
emphasized plant foods and helped maintain a healthy weight as many 1/3 of all cancer deaths1 could be avoided. Also, less than 10% of adults who have diabetes have this illness only3.
Adopting healthy behaviors such as eating nutritious foods, being physically active and avoiding tobacco use can prevent or control the devastating effects of these diseases.
1. http://www.cancer.org/downloads/PRO/nutrition.pdf
2. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/
3. http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/cc/cc012109.htm
4. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/overview.htm
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