Most of the chronic diseases present in people benefit from certain lifestyle practices and habits. Chronic diseases are defined as conditions that last for a long time and are not cured, such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, arthritis and allergies. Neurologist Italo Almeida, in an interview with Metropolis Health this Friday (26), stated that around 70% of chronic diseases can be avoided by preventive measures, habits, even if you have genetics that predispose you to the development of these conditions.
“Today, what rules biology is what we call epigenetics, our behavior that controls our genes. The gene expresses itself according to the stimulus you give it. Who today says that food [e outros hábitos] It’s just a fad, which has no scientific data, for God’s sake! This person is simply not reading,” said the expert.
According to him, lifestyle is a medicine that can serve as prevention for this type of disease, which has surpassed infectious diseases as the condition that kills the most. “Imagine we have a medicine capable of reducing most of these diseases by 70 or 80%. There is this medicine, it’s lifestyle”, he added.
Habits for prevention
The specialist pointed out that more than 150 minutes of walking per week already helps prevent many of these chronic diseases, at a stronger than usual and continuous pace. Italo recommended that people discover the physical activity they like and do it frequently, but not out of obligation, as this can help with consistency in practice.
The neurologist also highlighted the contribution of the consumption of legal drugs such as alcohol and cigarettes to the emergence of these diseases. He stated that alcohol is responsible for around 10% of dementias in the world. These drugs, because they are legal, are discredited regarding the harm they can do to the body in the medium and long term.
Check out the full interview:
