reply to these discussion post. initial Discussion question is Discuss why nutrition is a central component in health promotion. What are some of the nutritional challenges for emerging populations? What roles do nutritional deficiency and nutritional excess play in disease?

1. Teaching patients the importance of nutrition is important due to the fact that the patients would be able to control their own health through healthier eating habits. But that is also not a benefit to some patients who lack the cognitive ability to make their own choices. By teaching patient how to control a medical condition like kidney disease or any cardiac problems, they could prolong their lives and slow the disease process. Also, teaching patients about nutrition for prevention is also helps with conditions like hypertension and diabetes. “A balanced diet with sufficient essential nutritional elements is critical for maintaining a healthy body. Both nutritional excess and deficiency are associated with disease. For example, nutritional excess, particularly in refined carbohydrates and saturated fats, coupled with physical inactivity, can result in chronic inflammatory conditions such as obesity and cardiovascular disease” (Nutrients, infectious and inflammatory diseases, 2017). 

Some challenges have emerged over the years with maintaining a healthy diet. With the introduction of more fast-food restaurants and instant meals has increased the obesity and diabetes rate. They are easily accessible and very inexpensive. “Most people in the United States don’t eat a healthy diet and consume too much sodium, saturated fat, and sugar, increasing their risk of chronic diseases. For example, fewer than 1 in 10 adolescents and adults eat enough fruits or vegetables. In addition, 6 in 10 young people aged 2 to 19 years and 5 in 10 adults consume at least one sugary drink on any given day” (Poor nutrition, 2022). Nutrition has a role to play in diseases that could lower cholesterol, lower blood sugar, lower sodium, and lower unhealthy weight. Nutrition could also cause increase in inflammation. In which inflammation is the cause of most cancers and diseases.

References

Nutrients, infectious and inflammatory diseases. (2017). PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5691702/

Poor nutrition. (2022, September 8). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/factsheets/nutrition.htm

2. Health promotion efforts aim to keep people healthy by engaging and empowering them to choose healthy behaviors and make decisions that reduce their chances of contracting diseases. Successful health promotion efforts lead to preventing premature deaths and promoting the quality of life of individuals and populations. Nutrition, as a study of diets, evaluates how a human body uses the nutrients in the diets. The relationship between diets, health, and diseases is crucial in fostering health promotion efforts (Casu et al., 2020). Nutrition also focuses on dietary choices people can make to reduce their risk of contracting diseases. Proper nutrition has been related to more robust immune systems, lowered risk of non-communicable diseases, and improved mental health and longevity, all of which are principal contributors to health promotion (World Health Organization, n.d.)

           In emerging populations, nutritional choices pose considerable challenges because of food shortages and a lack of nutrition knowledge. Malnutrition and obesity result in societal challenges such as impaired development in emerging populations (Chen et al., 2016). Other nutritional challenges in such populations include protein-energy malnutrition, obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies (Chen et al., 2016). Climate challenges that make producing nutrient-rich food difficult are also a problem for emerging populations.

           Striking for a balanced diet with sufficient nutritional elements is crucial in maintaining one’s health. Excess or deficiency of nutrients in one’s diet can have disease ramifications—excess nutritional results from accidental or intentional excessive intake of said nutrients. For instance, the overall intake of refined carbohydrates and saturated fats, combined with reduced physical activity, has been associated with chronic inflammatory conditions such as obesity and cardiovascular illnesses (Oz, 2017). Oz (2017) also asserts that nutritional deficiency results from failure to absorb the necessary nutrients to keep one healthy. It has been associated with growth impairment, poor immune function, and conditions such as osteoporosis, depression, and scurvy. 

                    References

Casu, L., Gillespie, S., & Nisbett, N. (2020). Integrating nutrition and physical activity promotion: A scoping review. PLoS ONE, 15(6), e0233908. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233908

Chen, J., Fewtrell, M., Kennedy, G., Naska, A., Riediger, K., Roos, N., Sanders, T., Tuohy, K. M., & Valtueña-Martínez, S. (2016). Nutrition challenges ahead. EFSA Journal, 14, e00504. https://doi.org/10.2903/J.EFSA.2016.S0504

Oz, H. S. (2017). Nutrients, infectious and inflammatory diseases. Nutrients, 9(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/NU9101085

3.Nutrition plays an important role in health promotion and disease prevention because it helps maintain health as well as preventing disease and death. Nutrition dictates the disease process that affects individuals (Grand Canyon University, 2018). Nutrition causes many chronic disease-affecting communities. Furthermore, it can either heal or cause harm depending on the food choices and lifestyle decision made. Many countries are faced with nutritional problems because of poor nutritious food available that is cheaper than healthier food.

Falkner (2018) argues that nutritional challenges for emerging population include access to healthy food choices because of lack of money since healthy foods tend to be more costly than non-healthy food. The reason behind the trend is that we live in a fast- paced society that entirely depends on fast food restaurant that are junk and unhealthy. An individual who is either nutritionally deficient or nutritional excess, he or she becomes more vulnerable to skin breakdown or wounds particularly those who their wounds take long to heal. Other nutritional problems include obesity, osteoporosis, cirrhosis, diverticulitis, and eating disorder.

Reference

Grand Canyon University (Ed). (2018). Health promotion: Health & wellness across the

continuum. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs429vn/health-promotion-health-and- wellness-across-the-continuum/v1.1/

Falkner, A. (2018). Cultural Awareness. In Health Promotion: Health and Wellness Across the

Continuum. Health Promotion: Health & Wellness Across the Continuum. (Ch. 3). In Grand Canyon University web

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