respect to the disease-fighting potential of antioxi-
dants. Cancer researchers have made connections
between the body’s ability to fight off cancer and
dietary habits such as eating 9 to 12 servings a day
of fruits and vegetables.
Health conditions may also affect EATING HABITS,
with further consequence for health and well-
being. People who have LACTOSE INTOLERANCE, for
example, cannot consume dairy products, the
most common source of calcium and vitamin D. It
is important for them to obtain these nutrients
through other foods and through supplements.
Some medications may require dietary restric-
tions. For example, people who take monoamine
oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) medications, prescribed
to treat DEPRESSION and occasionally to treat
PARKINSON’S DISEASE, cannot eat foods such as
cheeses and smoked meats that contain the amino
acid tyramine. Health conditions may also limit
what a person can eat; for example, a person who
has CELIAC DISEASE(sprue) cannot eat foods that
contain gluten.
Physical inactivity has come under intense
scrutiny from health experts in recent years as
more evidence emerges to connect physical activ-
ity with health and sedentary habits with disease.
Though scientists do not fully understand the
myriad ways in which exercise affects cell activity,
they know that it increases INSULINsensitivity and
results in overall improved metabolic efficiency. In
a sense, regular physical activity seems for the
body like a tune-up is for a car—it keeps it run-
ning as smoothly as possible. Health experts urge
people to get a minimum of 30 minutes of physi-
cal exercise, such as walking, every day.
The correlations between lifestyle and health
take on particular relevance in the context of the
aging of the American population. As people are
living longer, QUALITY OF LIFEbecomes an increas-
ingly significant focus. Advances in medical tech-
nology now allow routine treatments for
conditions that only a few decades ago were
deadly. Thrombolytic medications can halt and
even reverse HEART ATTACKand STROKEdue to blood
clots. ORGAN TRANSPLANTATIONextends the promise
of normal life to thousands of Americans. Pros-
thetic joints restore movement when arthritis or
injury destroys joints and bones. Yet within the
framework of these advances remains the reality
that individual health is an individual responsibil-
ity. Medical science can fix quite a lot but the way
in which a person chooses to protect the functions
and structures of his or her body plays a signifi-
cant role in health.
See alsoCOENZYME Q 10 ; OBESITY, HEALTH CONSE-
QUENCES OF; OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY; SEXU-
ALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE(STD) PREVENTION; SMOKING
AND HEALTH.38 Preventive Medicine