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Not Following the Heavenly 7: The Big Bad 5 |

CVD |

Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders |

Diabetes |

Respiratory Disease |

Dementia |

Special Boxes of Information (Besides the Big Bad 5)

• It will come as no surprise to many people that smoking, bad eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle do you no good. But what is less well known is that smoking, poor diet and physical inactivity were the root causes of 35% of American deaths in 2000 (Healthy Aging in America, 2007) (Foundation 2007). These deaths were largely preventable, and that is why an increased knowledge about the risks is important, but not as important as gaining insight on how to avoid those risks altogether.
• In 2005, researchers examined data from a large national survey to measure the characteristics of healthy lifestyles and formulate one ‘healthy lifestyle indicator’. The healthy lifestyle characteristics were defined as: non-smoking, regular physical activity, healthy weight, and eating 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day.  Their results showed that out of 153,000 people studied, only 3% reported all four characteristics.
• Plenty of scientific evidence demonstrates that not following the heavenly seven on a regular basis might have deleterious consequences, among those, the big bad five:

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• Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability (Kung et al 2008).
• Almost 652,091 people die of heart disease in the U.S. each year. That is about 27% of all U.S. deaths.
• The most common heart disease in the United States is coronary heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack. Coronary heart disease is the principal type of heart disease. In 2005, 445,687 people died from coronary heart disease. That is about 68.3% of all heart disease deaths (Kung, Hoyert 2008).
• Cardiovascular disease including stroke and heart disease is prevalent in 40% of women over 65 and 31% of men.
• In 2005, 652,091 people died of heart disease (50.5% of them women). This was 27.1% of all U.S. deaths. The age-adjusted death rate was 222 per 100,000 population.
• By state, age-adjusted death rates per 100,000 for diseases of the heart ranged from 141.1 (Minnesota) to 306.8 (Mississippi) in 2005 (Kung, Hoyert 2008).
• In 2005, every 1 in 3 deaths was attributable to CVD (Circulation, 2009) (Lloyd-Jones et al 2009).
• Stroke: Every year around 795,000 people suffer a stroke, either for the first time or experience a reoccurring stroke (Lloyd-Jones, Adams 2009).
• Stroke can have a wide range of impacts, but can be extremely debilitating (Lloyd-Jones, Adams 2009) (Rosamond et al 2008).
• Risk factors for heart disease among adults (for years 2003–2004 unless noted, age-adjusted)
  

• Percentage of persons aged 20 years and older with hypertension or taking hypertension medications: 32.1%
• Percentage of persons aged 20 years and older with high blood cholesterol: 16.9%
• Percentage of persons aged 20 years and older with physician-diagnosed diabetes: 10.0%
• Percentage of persons aged 20 years and older who are obese: 32.0%. Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who are current cigarette smokers (2004-2006): 18.4%
• Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who engage in no leisure-time physical activity (2006): 39.5%
• From 1960–1962 through 2003–2004, the percentage of adults who were overweight but not obese remained steady at 32%–34%. During that time period, the percentage of adults who were obese increased from 13% to 34% (Statistics 2007).
• In 2001–2004, 26% of women age 65–74 years had high serum cholesterol, compared with 11% of men age 65–74 years (Statistics 2007).
• In 2003, approximately 37% of adults reported having two or more of six risk factors for heart disease and stroke (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, current smoking, physical inactivity, and obesity.
• A review examining studies conducted on exercise and cardiovascular risk (Joliffe et al) found exercise to reduce cardiac mortality by up to 31% (Jolliffe et al 2001).
• Both aerobic and resistance training can be beneficial in reducing cardiac risk factors, in reducing physiologic impairments and improving the overall quality of life (Bean et al 2004).

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• Forty-six million Americans report that a doctor told them they have arthritis or other rheumatic conditions (http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/).
• Arthritis is the most common cause of disability in the United States. Almost 41% (19 million) of the 46 million adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis report limitations in their usual activities due to their arthritis (CDC 2009).
• With the aging of the U.S. population, the prevalence of doctor-diagnosed arthritis is expected to increase in the coming decades. By the year 2030, an estimated 67 million (25% of the projected total adult population) adults aged 18 years and older will have doctor-diagnosed arthritis, compared with the 46 million adults in 2003–2005.
• Also by 2030 an estimated 25 million adults (37% of adults with arthritis or 9.3% of all U.S. adults) will report arthritis-attributable activity limitations. These estimates may be conservative as they do not account for the current trends in obesity, which may contribute to future cases of osteoarthritis.
• 66% adults with clinician-diagnosed arthritis are overweight or obese.
• Functional limitations in common daily activities are common among adults with arthritis; 40% report it is “very difficult” or they “cannot do” at least 1 of 9 important daily functional activities.  For example, almost 8 million adults who report an activity limitation due to their arthritis also report severe limitation in their ability to stoop, bend or kneel, and 6 million cannot walk ¼ mile.
• Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis. Overall OA affects 13.9% of adults aged 25 and older and 33.6% (12.4 million) of those 65+; an estimated 26.9 million US adults in 2005, up from 21 million in 1990.
• Among women, reducing bodyweight by as little as 11 pounds  decreases the risk of knee osteoarthritis by 50% (Felson DT et al, Arthritis Rheum 1998;41(8):1343–1355. [Data source: Framingham Osteoarthritis Study] (Felson et al 1998). 
• Participating in moderate physical activity at least 3 times a week can reduce the risk of arthritis related disability by 47% among older adults with knee osteoarthritis (Penninx et al 2001).
• Although physical activity and exercise have been shown to benefit people with arthritis by improving pain, function, and mental health, many people with arthritis report no leisure time physical activity. Almost 44% of adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis report no leisure time physical activity, a considerably higher proportion compared with adults without arthritis (36%).

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• There are 23.6 million children and adults in the United States, or 7.8% of the population, who have diabetes (ADA 2009).
• While an estimated 17.9 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 5.7 million people (or nearly one quarter) are unaware that they have the disease (ADA 2009).
• Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 2006. This ranking is based on the 72,507 death certificates in 2006 in which diabetes was listed as the underlying cause of death. According to death certificate reports, diabetes contributed to a total of 233,619 deaths in 2005, the latest year for which data on contributing causes of death are available. 
• Overall, the risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people without diabetes of similar age.
• In 2001–2004, the prevalence of diabetes (including both diagnosed and undiagnosed) increased with age from 11% among adults 40–59 years of age to 23% among adults 60 years of age and over. The percentage of adults with undiagnosed diabetes was 3% among those 40–59 years of age and 6% among those 60 years of age and over (Statistics 2007).
• In 2003–2006, 25.9% of U.S. adults aged 20 years or older had Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG) (35.4% of adults aged 60 years or older). Applying this percentage to the entire U.S. population in 2007 yields an estimated 57 million American adults aged 20 years or older with IFG, suggesting that at least 57 million American adults had prediabetes in 2007.  
• Studies have shown that people with prediabetes who lose weight and increase their physical activity can prevent or delay diabetes and return their blood glucose levels to normal.
• The Diabetes Prevention Program, a large prevention study of people at high risk for diabetes, showed that lifestyle intervention reduced developing diabetes by 58% during a 3-year period. The reduction was even greater, 71%, among adults aged 60 years or older.
• Exercise is now considered a critical component of the treatment and prevention of Diabetes Mellitus (Jonker et al 2006). 
• Heart disease and stroke account for 65% of deaths in people with diabetes (Franco, Steyerberg et al 2007).
• In adults, having diabetes increases your risk of dying from heart disease by 2 to 4 times more than someone without diabetes (Franco, Steyerberg 2007).
• The risk of stroke is also 2 to 4 times greater in people with diabetes than those without.
• Having diabetes also increase the risk of death from stroke by 2.8.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of increasing incidence of blindness in 20-74 year olds.
• Diabetes is also the leading cause of kidney failure.

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• Chronic lower respiratory diseases (CLRD) were the fourth leading cause of death in 2004. The age-adjusted death rate for CLRD in 2004 was 45% higher than the rate in 1980. CLRD mortality increased during the period 1980 to 1999. Since 1999, CLRD mortality has decreased 9% (Statistics 2007).
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which includes emphysema, asthma and bronchitis, are attributable for 6-7% of deaths in the US in people over 65-84 years of age.
• COPD is a leading cause of death, illness, and disability in the United States. In 2000, 119,000 deaths, 726,000 hospitalizations, and 1.5 million hospital emergency departments visits were caused by COPD. An additional 8 million cases of hospital outpatient treatment or treatment by personal physicians were linked to COPD in 2000.
• In the United States, an estimated 10 million adults had a diagnosis of COPD in 2000, but data from a national health survey suggest that as many as 24 million Americans are affected.
• From 1980 to 2000, the COPD death rate for women grew much faster than the rate for men. For U.S. women, the rate rose from 20.1 deaths per 100,000 women to 56.7 deaths per 100,000 women over that 20-year span, while for men the rate grew from 73.0 deaths per 100,000 men to 82.6 deaths per 100,000 men.
• U.S. women also had more COPD hospitalizations (404,000) than men (322,000) and more emergency department visits (898,000) than men (551,000) in 2000. Additionally, 2000 marked the first year in which more women (59,936) than men (59,118) died from COPD.
• However, the proportion of the U.S. population aged 25-54, both male and female, with mild or moderate COPD has declined over the past quarter century, suggesting that increases in hospitalizations and deaths might not continue.
• Respiratory disease is more prevalent in women – in 2006 2.9 million men were diagnosed, versus 6.6 million women.
• Women have a greater vulnerability to cigarette smoking than men, putting them at greater risk for COPD and lung cancer.
• In 2006, 2.2 million people over 65 were diagnosed with chronic bronchitis, a rate of 60.9 per 1000 people, the highest rate of all age groups in the US (2008).
• The most important aspect of treatment of COPD and CLRD is avoiding tobacco smoke and removing other air pollutants from the patient’s home or workplace.

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• According the National Public Health Document ‘Healthy Aging in America 2007′ the known conditions and behaviors associated with cognitive decline include high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, overweight and obesity, smoking and physical inactivity.
• Worldwide, there are now an estimated 24 million people living with some form of dementia. Without a major medical breakthrough in the fight against dementia, this number could jump to as many as 84 million who have age-related memory loss by the year 2040.
• Currently, more than five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, and it is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. About 13% of Americans over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s and half of those over age 85 will develop Alzheimer’s — or a closely related dementia. By 2050 the number is projected to more than double to 16 million people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
• The National Institute on Aging predicts that by 2010, up to 10 million older adults will lack the ability for self-care because of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Current research suggests that by postponing the onset of symptoms by five years can decrease the number of new cases of Alzheimer’s by half (Margolis et al 2001).
• Alzheimer’s and dementia triple the healthcare costs for people over 65 years old.
• According to the American Alzheimer’s Association, risk factors include those that you can’t control, as well as risks you CAN avoid. Age, family history, genetics – those you can’t control. Serious head injury can increase your future risk of Alzheimer’s, so wearing a helmet during activities, seatbelt in the car, and adapting your home environment to decrease risk of falling.  Diseases that affect your vascular system such as heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and high cholesterol can increase the likelihood of developing vascular dementia. Along with promoting general healthy aging, reducing these risks will benefit your cognitive health as well your physical health (ALZ 2009).
• Research demonstrates that regular physical activity can boost brainpower by growing new brain cells in the brain regions associated with learning and memory. Exercising can generate more blood flow to the brain, providing added oxygen and nutrients. Stem cells in the brain can be stimulated to become new memory cells. Keeping your mind bright can be accomplished with less than 30 minutes of physical exercise several times a week (BLC 2009)!

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