Do Western Diets and Lifestyle Negatively Affect People’s Health?
Do Western Diets and Lifestyle Negatively Affect People’s Health?
Western diets and lifestyle have become more and more popular in many countries all over the world, because western countries are more developed and people think western diets and lifestyle are healthy to people. It is a common knowledge that health includes three aspects: physical health, mental health, and social well-being health, not just without any disease. Western diets refer to the food as red meat, sugary desserts and drinks, high-fat foods and refined grains, etc. Western lifestyle is the lifestyle of low levels of exercise, more consumption of fast food, sedentary lifestyle, more online communication than face-to-face contact, smoking, drinking, etc. This essay will argue that there are harmful effects of western diets and lifestyle on people’s physical health, mental health and social well-being.
One important argument for the harmful effects of western diets and lifestyle is that they have negative effects on people’s physical health. First of all, the consumption of high-fat food, sugary desserts and drinks and red meat causes diseases. For example, after examining over 28,000 middle-aged women for 10 years, researchers find that the risk of developing high blood pressure is about 25 percent higher, comparing those who have red meat less than once every day with those who eat no red meat at all (Nutrition Action Health Letter 2008, p. 9). Moreover, according to Bray and Popkin (1998, p. 1171), when people have very-low-fat food they seldom have obesity and when people take more fat, they are more likely to become overweight. Secondly, less exercise, sedentary lifestyle and other bad habits make people unhealthy. For instance, according to Emerson (2005,p.141), there is clear evidence that low levels of physical exercise could lead to high risk of gaining cardiovascular disease, some cancers and type2 diabetes . Additionally, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol result in
Western diets and lifestyle have become more and more popular in many countries all over the world, because western countries are more developed and people think western diets and lifestyle are healthy to people. It is a common knowledge that health includes three aspects: physical health, mental health, and social well-being health, not just without any disease. Western diets refer to the food as red meat, sugary desserts and drinks, high-fat foods and refined grains, etc. Western lifestyle is the lifestyle of low levels of exercise, more consumption of fast food, sedentary lifestyle, more online communication than face-to-face contact, smoking, drinking, etc. This essay will argue that there are harmful effects of western diets and lifestyle on people’s physical health, mental health and social well-being.
One important argument for the harmful effects of western diets and lifestyle is that they have negative effects on people’s physical health. First of all, the consumption of high-fat food, sugary desserts and drinks and red meat causes diseases. For example, after examining over 28,000 middle-aged women for 10 years, researchers find that the risk of developing high blood pressure is about 25 percent higher, comparing those who have red meat less than once every day with those who eat no red meat at all (Nutrition Action Health Letter 2008, p. 9). Moreover, according to Bray and Popkin (1998, p. 1171), when people have very-low-fat food they seldom have obesity and when people take more fat, they are more likely to become overweight. Secondly, less exercise, sedentary lifestyle and other bad habits make people unhealthy. For instance, according to Emerson (2005,p.141), there is clear evidence that low levels of physical exercise could lead to high risk of gaining cardiovascular disease, some cancers and type2 diabetes . Additionally, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol result in
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