When it comes to our health, we don’t have unlimited control. From genetics to environmental conditions, age, and exercise, so many factors impact our lifespan and quality of life. Yet, we do have power over one key component of preventing disease and disability: what we eat. Read on to learn why nutrition is so instrumental to preventive medicine.
Nutrient-rich foods can boost health
Extensive research has revealed how eating foods rich in nutrients can help reduce the risk of diseases. For example, several studies have linked the Mediterranean diet (which relies on plant-based foods, with olive oil, seafood, dairy and poultry consumed in moderation) to decreased risks of diabetes, certain cancers, obesity, and heart disease. Other research has suggested that a plant-based diet could reverse coronary artery disease and that a very low-carb diet could help eliminate type 2 diabetes. These two diets seem very different, yet both promote the consumption of nutrient-rich foods.
Processed foods can harm health
While eating nourishing foods can improve health, eating unhealthy foods (like sugary drinks, fast food burgers, and white bread) can harm your gut bacteria and lead to insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and disease.
Research has validated this, with one study of more than 100,000 people correlating a 10% increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods with a 12% increase in cancer risk. Similarly, a study published in 2019 showed that in 2017, 11 million deaths and 255 million disability-adjusted life years were likely the result of poor diets.
Where you can, rely on whole foods
Try to glean most of your nutrients from whole foods. Here’s why:
Whole foods (such as legumes and fruits and vegetables) provide dietary fiber, which helps promote proper digestion and elimination and reduces the risks of type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, stroke, and heart disease.
Whole foods contain a wide range of different macronutrients and micronutrients, including antioxidants, which protect cells from damage that could lead to disease. These nutrients work synergistically to benefit health.
Whole foods even help with hydration. You can gather some of the water your body needs from fruits and veggies, like cucumbers, lettuce, and melons.
These whole foods are superstars
Include a wide range of whole foods in your diet. However, research suggests that a number of “superfoods”–like these–can be particularly rich in health benefits:
Fatty fish, like salmon and sardines, help fight inflammation and protect against heart disease.
Mushrooms can boost the functioning of the immune system, heart, and brain.
Turmeric helps treat arthritis and metabolic syndrome.
Berries can protect against cancer.
Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and kale, may decrease the risk of heart disease for the right people.
Green tea might reduce inflammation and the risk of disease
Consider targeted supplements
Try to avoid multivitamins and other one-size-fits-all supplements. Here are a few reasons why it’s smarter to go with a more personalized approach for these added nutrients
Too much of a particular micronutrient, such as calcium, can be unhealthy. If you already take in the right amount of calcium from your diet and then take a multi with calcium, you’ll likely take in an excess. This isn’t always ideal, as excessive calcium intake can be linked to issues like kidney stones.
Different vitamins and minerals support different health issues. If you’re prone to migraines, for instance, you might want to take magnesium. However, if you’re experiencing pain due to osteoarthritis, you might pop some curcumin. Meanwhile, vegans supplement with Vitamin B12 and pregnant women with folic acid. Your particular health conditions should inform which supplements you take. Since your body is constantly changing, you’ll benefit from different supplements at different points in your life.
Some nutrients are better absorbed by the body when they’re taken with another ingredient. For instance, you should combine curcumin with black pepper extract. For the most efficacy, look for a supplement pairing curcumin with black pepper extract, rather than a multi with curcumin (and without black pepper extract).
In the future, you may be prescribed food instead of drugs
Since the positive effects of a healthful diet are so powerful, many health practitioners now realize that personalized nutrition is the future of medicine. According to a 2020 analysis published in , the perspective that food is preventative medicine is gaining traction, leading to more physicians and hospital staff increasing their educational knowledge of nutrition. While the power of our food choices seems like an easy thing to grasp, how each food interacts with our own unique biology often is more difficult to identify. Fortunately, a variety of innovative and modern solutions are now available that are tying the links between our gut health - and the health of our microbiomes - and really putting in the ‘precision’ behind ‘precision nutrition’ recommendations.
One of the simplest ways to find out which foods and supplements are right for your unique biology is to test with Full Body Intelligence. Order your test kit today!
Sources:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324956#High-intake-of-some-supplements-is-harmful
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M18-2478?searchresult=1
The information on the Viome website is provided for informational purposes only and with the understanding that Viome is not engaged in rendering medical advice or recommendations. Viome provides this educational information to share the exciting developments being reported in the scientific literature about the human microbiome and your health. Viome products are not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
