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TO YOUR HEALTH
FROM BETA-CAROTENE TO HITTING THE WEIGHT ROOM, THE BEST WAYS TO HELP PREVENT
THE MOST COMMON ADULT HEALTH ISSUES
While parents make it a priority to ensure that their kids are
eating the right foods and hitting the
playground or the ball
field, their own health often takes a backseat. According to
Dr.
Rahnana Sachs, M.D.,
who specializes in internal medicine
at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, the most
prevalent adult
health issues she sees in her own practice are
heart disease, which includes high blood pressure and high
cholesterol, diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer. “The major cancers are breast, colon and prostate,” she
says. To help her patients stay healthy, Sachs emphasizes preventative medicine — from eating high-fiber
fruits and veggies to making time for a brisk walk after work.
According to Dr. Sachs, the most important thing an individual can do to maintain his or her health is to stay active. “Committing to exercising three times a week will make all the difference in every single one of these diseases,” she says “It will affect mood; it will affect weight; and it will effect the condition of the heart.”
Here, THE FAMILY GROOVE talks with Dr. Sachs about the importance of exercise, the benefits of pumpkin seeds and why staying mentally healthy matters, too.
THE FAMILY GROOVE: What causes heart disease?
Dr. Rahnana Sachs: Heart disease is when the coronary arteries are blocked. The contributing factors to this blockage include a high cholesterol level in the blood, a sedentary lifestyle, a continuous level of high blood pressure, smoking and a poor diet.
TFG: What can individuals do to help prevent heart disease?
RS: A healthy, high-grain, high-fiber and low fat diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables. In addition to diet, an active lifestyle is important. Individuals should exercise a minimum of three times per week.
TFG: How much of heart disease is genetic?
RS: There is a big genetic component, but a lot of it is treatable today. If you are aware that you have a genetic predisposition, then you should be especially careful to take advantage of modern medications and technologies. Regularly check your cholesterol levels and your blood pressure and treat both if they are too high. With heart disease, you want to look at your cholesterol levels early. Individuals should start checking their cholesterol levels in their early thirties because that [build-up] accumulates.
TFG: What are other adult health issues that are affected by a person’s gene pool?
RS: Osteoporosis has a heavy genetic load. It is extremely important to maintain a good calcium intake from the age of 25 and, without question, after menopause. Doing weight-bearing exercises (verses only cardio exercise) [also helps].
Additionally, diabetes is almost totally genetic. However, just because you don’t have it in your family doesn’t mean that you won’t get it. [More recent research shows that] people who have a high fat and high carbohydrate diet for prolonged periods of time are abusing their system and can develop diabetes. Obesity also predisposes you to diabetes.
TFG: What role does a person’s weight play in adult health?
RS: Obesity is a contributing factor to heart disease and to hypertension (high blood pressure). It can cause diabetes, joint and back pain, sleep apnea and acid reflux, to name a few.
TFG: How can people help to prevent diabetes?
RS: Diabetes is very strongly influenced by weight. Avoid simple carbohydrates and make sure to eat reasonable amounts of protein throughout the day combined with complex carbohydrates. In addition, exercise is extremely important because it utilizes the extra glucose in the blood. And, as always, if an individual has a family history of diabetes they should be screening for diabetes with their family practitioner at least once a year. It’s much easier to treat it earlier rather than later.
TFG: What cancers do you see the most in your practice?
RS: Today, the most frequent cancers that we see, with the exception of lung cancer, are also the easiest ones to screen for: colon, prostate and breast cancer. Prostate cancer is simple to screen for with a blood test and a yearly exam. Breast cancer is also easy to screen if women can get into the habit of doing self-exams combined with a yearly mammogram. Individuals should talk to their practitioner about screening for breast cancer at age 40 and for colon and prostate cancer at age 50.
TFG: What are some preventative measures for cancer?
RS: For breast cancer, reducing your alcohol intake can help. In addition, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a good weight and exercising regularly all have positive effects. And, if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, you might want to consider genetic counseling. For colon cancer, a high-fiber diet is beneficial. Additionally, fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants are known to be good for preventing colon cancer. For example, you should eat squashes and green leafy vegetables, as well as food high in beta-carotene. Certain foods are also good for the prostate, including pumpkin seeds and stewed tomatoes.
TFG: What other health issues should adults be aware of?
RS: Mental health. We have a much older population than we used to. The baby boomers are taking care of elderly parents and people are living longer because of medical technology. As the population ages, there is a lot of depression that goes undetected. And, it can mimic other problems, such as stomach ailments and generalized pain syndromes.
TFG: What can individuals do to keep their mental health in check?
RS: Individuals should be encouraged to be active and remain active. People shouldn’t be sitting home alone.
Dr. Rahnana Sachs, M.D., trained in New York at Columbia University and at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Today, Dr. Sachs practices internal medicine and is affiliated with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where she lives with her husband and twin girls.
—Jennifer Carofano
After a decade of subways, bagels and window shopping in New York City,
Jennifer Carofano now lives with her husband and their two cars in sunny Los Angeles.
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