Modern Diet and its Impact on Human Health
Shridhar G1, Rajendra N2,3*, Murigendra H1, Shridevi P1, Prasad M3, Mujeeb MA1, Arun S1, Neeraj D3, Vikas S3, Suneel D3 and Vijay K3
1PG Department of Studies in Biotechnology and Microbiology, Karnatak University, Dharwad, 580003, Karnataka, India, E-mail: shridhar@gmail.com
2Director, KLES Kidney Foundation, Professor and Head Department of Urology, India, E-mail: shridhar@gmail.com
3KLES Kidney Foundation, KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital & M.R.C, Nehru Nagar, Belagavi, Karnataka 590010, India, E-mail: shridhar@gmail.com
*Corresponding Author: Rajendra N, Director, KLES Kidney Foundation, Professor and Head Department of Urology, India, Tel: 08312473777
Abstract
The general public’s view of modern diet and human health has undergone drastic changes in recent years. There is general harmony that many chronic health problems, first noted in Western countries but progressively flourished worldwide, relate mainly to diet. There is far less consensus, however, about the dietary factors implicated in such health problems. This lack of understanding has opened the door to a propagation of different recommendations as to the best diet for modern humans. Let me note that all human alive today are member of the same species, Homo sapiens, and as such, all are fully “modern” humans. Dietary fats are a key example. Since the anti-fat health education initiatives of the 1980’s and early 1990’s, certain dietary fats have been increasingly recognized as actually beneficial to health. Diet conscious like the mainstream populace, are now getting the message that wise dietary fat choices offer essential fatty acids, blood lipid management, maintained endocrine and immune function, inflammation control, metabolic effects and even potential body composition and performance benefits. Toward this end, many companies now sell specialty dietary fat supplements and recognized health authorities have begun recommending them to certain population. Increasingly, the average consumer has come to regard the supermarket as obstacle of conflicting and potentially dangerous dietary decisions: low fat, high fat, no fat; no meat, less fatty meat; no eggs, one egg a week, unlimited eggs; less carbohydrate, more whole grains, no cereal products; more fruit, less sugar; and so on. Too much confusing information is available, much attention is paid by the popular press and public to fad diets and preliminary dietary findings, and too little attention is paid to serious dietary recommendation. The present review of studies aims to strengthen our knowledge regarding the dietary requirements, food sources, and potential benefits, Modern food and its impact on human health. Practical suggestions for incorporating healthy fats will be made. Both food-source and supplemental intakes will be addressed with interrelationships to health throughout.
Keywords: Modern diet; Dietary food; Human health; Fat; Diseases; Lifestyle and junk food
Introduction
Unfortunately, today’s world has been adapted to a system of consumption of foods which has several adverse effects on human health. Lifestyle changes has compelled us so much that one has so little time to really think what we are eating is a healthy diet! Globalization has seriously affected one’s eating habits and enforced many people to consume fancy and high calorie fast foods, popularly known as Junk foods [1]. Research into the possible health hazards on consumption of such high calorie foods has given an insight to avoid them, but unfortunately measures taken are not as effective as they need to be. Ailments like Obesity, food poisoning, dehydration, cardiac problems diabetes mellitus, and arthritis have seen a profound rise in developing countries and such unhealthy junk food, processed food, high fat calorie consumption are the notable factors to its contribution. This global problem of consuming unhealthy diet on a large scale and its impact on human health need to be emphasized and inculcate health education which can greatly contribute to its limited consumption and switching over to healthy eating habits for the better living. Knowledge emphasizing about the eating habits, nutritional diet, and quality of unhealthy foods, their health impact and preventive measures should be given to create awareness and render health education for a change towards healthy food eating practices [2]. Dietary fat has both suffered and enjoyed large swings in public and scientific consensus over past decades. The fat-reduction public education initiatives of the 1980’s and 1990’s [3], although credited with lower cardiovascular mortality, have also been linked to overconsumption of dietary carbohydrate and the obesity epidemic facing Western culture [4].
An increased recognition of the types of dietary fat has broadened scientific understanding beyond simply saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Further, researchers have referred to the potency of various dietary lipids as pharmaceutical in nature [5]. For instance, monounsaturated fatty acids, as common to the Mediterranean diet, may reduce cardiovascular risks beyond any effects on plasma lipids, such as via blood pressure normalized glucose tolerance [6]. Highly unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids found in cold water fish reduce inflammation, mediate psychiatric function [7], alter neuro-endocrine activity, and decrease cardiac mortality [8]. A less common fatty acid found in dairy and beef, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), has the ability to dramatically alter body composition in animal models [9]. This type of Understanding is leading to changes in both dietary recommendations, and a wide variety of dietary lipid supplements [10]. Traditional nutrition is a science to provide basic nutrients to the body. However, when nutrition especially absorption of energy substances exceeds the demands of the body or even accumulates excessively in the body more energy consumption is required to dispose the superfluous storage. The body has a perfect nutrition sensing and counting system to maintain a balance among caloric absorption, storage, and utilization. This forms the nutritional sensing system as the major components that absorb and control nutrition through calcium channels, sodium-potassium pumps, and autonomic nervous system. Nutrient-sensing system with mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) as the major component can control nutrition storage, distribution, and utilization in-vivo. Disordered control can lead to metabolic diseases and even cancer. Excessive nutrition is closely correlated with appetite disorders. Appetite control depends on dietary structure and lifestyle, autonomic nervous and Gastro Intestinal (GI) mucosa sensing systems, and interactions between various ingredients in foods and corresponding receptors. Therefore, understanding the interfaces between Modern food and its impact on health have been reviewed from various resources and have been systematically presented, so as to emphasize its ill effects and measures to be adapted towards healthy living.