Eating a high-fibre diet can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease

Few clinical conditions are mis-diagnosed and inappropriately treated more often than eating disorders.

There is really only one eating disorder: the use of food - or an associated behaviour - for emotional reasons, rather than primarily for nutrition or taste.

Obesity comes from compulsive over-eatimg. There is no way of becoming morbidly obese other than by consistently eating too much.

When you develop symptoms such as a head ache should you not do anything? Take some pain killers? See your pharmacist? Consult your GP? See a specialist or other health professional privately? Go to the nearest Accident and Emergency department – or, in the worst case, should you phone 999 for an ambulance? To stay healthy and get the best available medical advice and treatment when you fall ill, you need to be able to make rational decisions about your health. Doing so can at times be tricky and even a bit scary. In many cases you’ll be able to make the right decision just by using common sense, but it’s easy to feel out of your depth.

Atrial fibrillationAbnormally fast and uneven contractions of the heart muscle, so that blood cannot be pumped efficiently is the most common heart rhythm disorder in the developed world and it is estimated 1 million people in the UK have this condition. Atrial fibrillation, or AFAn abbreviation for atrial fibrillation for short, is the leading cause of strokeAny sudden neurological problem caused by a bleed or a clot in a blood vessel. in the country and may also cause heart failureFailure of the heart to pump adequately. in some patients. It results from abnormal electrical impulses in the top chambers of the heart, the atriaThe two upper chambers of the heart., which can lead to rapid, irregular palpitationsThe feeling when you become aware of your heartbeat - when frightened, for example., breathlessness, chest pain light-headedness and tiredness. AF increases with age and is very frequently associated with having high blood pressureThe pressure of blood within the arteries. but can also occur in patients with no other medical problems.

Tackling obesityExcess accumulation of fat in the body. seems simple. Eat less, exercise more, lose weight. But, for many severely overweight people, diets and exercise just don’t work. Furthermore, repeated attempts lead to the yo-yoing of short-term success followed by inevitable weight-gain, resulting in frustration, despair and worsening health. Obesity is a growing problem worldwide and the number of people looking for a solution to reduce their weight is soaring. Obesity not only reduces life expectancy but it is also associated with a 40% higher risk of developing cancerAbnormal, uncontrolled cell division resulting in a malignant tumour that may invade surrounding tissues or spread to distant parts of the body.. Weight loss can prevent this and lead to a dramatic improvement in obesity-related diseases such as diabetesA disorder caused by insufficient or absent production of the hormone insulin by the pancreas, or because the tissues are resistant to the effects., high blood pressureThe pressure of blood within the arteries., heart disease and high cholesterolA substance present in many tissues and an important constituent of cell membranes although high concentrations of a certain type of cholesterol in the blood are unhealthy.. Treating obesity can also reverse infertility in women and can improve the results of surgeries such as knee and hip replacements.

Many people experience Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBSirritable bowel syndrome, a combination of abdominal pain and constipation, diarrhoea, or bouts of each that occur in the absence of any other diagnosed disease) symptoms.  Often the symptoms are mild but for many the condition is a long term burden. Many patients worry that a more serious underlying problem might be the cause.  This concern can often by reduced by a simple professional assessment without the need for invasive tests.  Tests to exclude serious disease are important when appropriate and, in older patients, may help to reduce the risk of future colonic malignancy.  

Pain in the chest is a very worrying symptom. It can have a very simple and relatively harmless cause, such as indigestionDiscomfort after eating. or muscleTissue made up of cells that can contract to bring about movement. strain, but it can also be caused by a heart attackThe death of a section of heart muscle caused by an interruption in its blood supply. Also called a myocardial infarction., an alarming and potentially life-threatening condition.  It is therefore extremely important to find out quickly and precisely what is causing chest pain but it can often be difficult for doctors to reach a diagnosisThe process of determining which condition a patient may have. based simply on the symptoms and medical history. There is however now a laboratory test that greatly assists with this task.

Endometrial cancerAbnormal, uncontrolled cell division resulting in a malignant tumour that may invade surrounding tissues or spread to distant parts of the body. is cancer of the lining of the wombThe uterus. and it is the most common gynaecological cancer in the UK. It is most common in post-menopausalAfter the menopause - technically only once a woman has had no menstrual period for one year. women aged 50 to 60 years, although approximately 7% of cases are in younger women.

Endometrial cancer is much more common among women who live in the developing world, particularly Europe and North America compared with women who live in less developed countries. This is likely to be because endometrialRelating to the endometrium. cancer is linked to obesityExcess accumulation of fat in the body., with obese women three times as likely to get this disease as women who have a body weight in the healthy range. A healthy balanced diet and an active lifestyle can help to reduce the risk of this cancer.

The term Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBDAn abbreviation for inflammatory bowel disease, a group of inflammatory conditions of the intestine. The two major forms are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.) generally refers to both Crohns Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC), which, as the name suggests are both chronicA disease of long duration generally involving slow changes. diseases involving inflammationThe body’s response to injury. of the gastrointestinal tractThe gut, which begins at the mouth and ends at the anus.. Additionally around 5-10% of patients present with a colitisInflammation of the colon, also sometimes used to mean inflammation of the large intestine generally. (inflammation of the colonThe large intestine. or large bowelA common name for the large and/or small intestines.) that is difficult to diagnose as either UC or CD and can be described under the microscope as 'indeterminate'. Though there is much ongoing research we do not know the cause of these two conditions and subsequently cannot offer a 'cure' of either condition. 

There is general agreement amongst health professionals that a healthy diet, regular exercise, a good intake of water and less stressRelating to injury or concern. will all contribute to self-managed digestive health, but what if you are finding it difficult to get the right balance of these factors? Fibre is not a new phenomenon, and there has long been an awareness that unrefined foods can help to promote health and longevity. Research has been ongoing, but despite this more and more fibre-depleted foods have found their way into our diets. Your lifestyle, age and health issues may mean that maintaining a well balanced diet and being active are not always possible.