Nutrition as risk factor for development of chronic non-communicable diseases

Abstract

Chronic non-communicable diseases are diseases that arise as a response of the human body to a number of factors, the most important of which are ecological and socio-economic factors. According to the World Health Organization, their classification is based on mortality and morbidity statistics. The top four leading causes of death are as follows: cardiovascular diseases, malignancies, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) present a global public health problem, leading to over 40 million deaths a year, whereby the population aged 30 to 69 years account for one third of the total number of deaths. Risk factors for the development of chronic NCDs can be divided into metabolic and environmental ones. Metabolic risk factors include hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and obesity. Environmental risk factors include: alcohol and tobacco consumption, followed by physical inactivity and unhealthy diet. Unhealthy diet, apart from posing a risk for the development of NCDs, is also the cause of metabolic risk factor development, namely hypertension and obesity. The world nutritional authorities are focused on making dietary recommendations to prevent the rising trend and subsequently reduce morbidity from NCDs.

Keywords

• chronic non-communicable diseases
• risk factors
• unhealthy diet