Discussion Assignment
Identify the main risk factors contributing to non-communicable diseases. Then, Identify and define behavioral linkages with disease burden.
Your Discussion should be 3-4 paragraphs in length, detailing your thoughts and position using 2-3 readings references for support. Also, be sure to pose 1-2 well-thought-out questions from which your colleagues can formulate a response or generate further discussion.
One of the main risk factors contributing to non-communicable diseases is thrifty genes. Genes that confer traits that conserve energy for daily living and are prone to fat storage are called thrifty genes. One of the thrifty genes is the thrifty β3 adrenergic receptor gene, and it has been found that carrying this type of gene weakens the action of adrenaline, which breaks down fat and lowers it. As a result, the average basal metabolism of people with thrifty genes decreases about 130-150 kcal compared to those with the non-thrifty type gene (Sipiläinen et al., 1997). The thrifty genes helped people survive when the stable food supply was difficult, but it became the leading risk factor for obesity and diabetes in the current period, which is that food is plentiful.
However, these risk factors alone do not cause obesity, diabetes, or dyslipidemia. In addition to genetic factors, our behavior, such as overeating, high fat intake, and lack of exercise, affect our health. For example, in low-income developing countries, eating a nutritionally balanced diet containing fresh vegetables and meat is economically challenging (Stewart et al., 2006). So people get into the habit of eating large amounts of cheap carbohydrates, such as cheap fast food and sugary sodas, to satisfy their hunger at a low cost. These behaviors lead to lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. This is why people in developing countries become obese despite being economically impoverished. Moreover, in many of those countries, researchers insist that thrifty genes have potentially contributed to this situation.
A particular disease is type 2 diabetes. Genetic and constitutional risk factors induce it, but lifestyle factors such as a daily high-fat diet, lack of exercise, obesity, and stress also significantly contribute to the onset of the disease (Osborn, 2022). Diabetes can not be cured once it develops, and if left untreated, complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy may occur, and in the terminal stages, blindness and dialysis may be required (Osborn, 2022). Diabetes is a vicious disease that gradually erodes the whole body's organs and takes the patient's life.
In conclusion, genetic factors, environment, and our behavior (lifestyle) interact to influence our health.
Question: Is the thrifty gene recognized as a risk factor in your community?
References
Osborn, C. O. K. (2022). What are the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes? Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/difference-between-type-1-and-type-2-diabetes
Sipiläinen, R., Uusitupa, M., Heikkinen, S., Rissanen, A., & Laakso, M. (1997). Polymorphism of the beta3-adrenergic receptor gene affects basal metabolic rate in obese Finns. Diabetes, 46(1), 77-80. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.2337/diabetes.46.1.77
Stewart, A. & Brice, P. Inherited causes of disease in populations. In S. Anderson, H. Barratt, R. Bindra, R. Blackwood, P. Brambleby, A. Brice, A. Burls, M. Campbell, S. Cartwright, I. Crinson, E. Cronin, M Deacon, K. Enock, J. Francis, M. Goodyear, M. Gray, Health Development Consulting Ltd, M. Hensher, A. Jackson...P. Wilkinson. (2006). Public Health. Health Knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/public-health-textbook/disease-causation-diagnostic/2d-genetics/inherited-causes-diseases
댓글