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Eat for Life The Food and Nutrition Board's Guide to Reducing Your Risk of Chronic Disease (1992) / Chapter Skim
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5 Calories, Energy Balance, and Chronic Diseases
Pages 77-84

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From page 77...
... As the bacteria process the carbohydrate, they produce acid as a by-product, and that acict corrodes the enamel coating the tooth surface and promotes decay of the underlying tooth. People in the United States suffer from fewer cavities than at any time in the past, due largely to widespread fluoridation of water supplies and the use of topical fluorides.
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From page 79...
... Those are warnings doctors have been giving us for a number of years now, and the prescription that usually goes along with that message is to eat less and exercise more. That is sound advice.
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From page 80...
... So it is necessary to look at activity levels, energy balance, changes in body weight, and the composition of the diet, in addition to total calories consumed, when searching for a link between calories and chronic illness. FUELING UP AND BURNING IT OFF On average, American men eat about 2360 to 2640 calories a day, and women eat between 1640 and 1800 calories a day.
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From page 81...
... If you keep your calorie intake constant, you may have to increase your exercise level as you age to keep a constant weight. WEIGHT AND CHRONIC ILLNESS It is not fair to imply that only people who are overweight need to be concerned about their health.
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From page 82...
... For those who are 25 percent or more overweight, the number of fatal heart attacks is 5 times higher than normal. High Blood Pressure The evidence is clear: being overweight is associated with having high blood pressure, and losing excess weight usually lowers blood pressure.
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From page 83...
... Diabetes Excess body fat, which is usually associated with excess body weight, increases the risk of developing noninsulindependent diabetes. In fact, the chance of becoming diabetic more than doubles for people who are 20 percent overweight.
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From page 84...
... As a result, dieting has become a major preoccupation with millions of people in the United States. The same poll found that 31 percent of the women questioned dieted at least once a month, and 16 percent of the women consiclered themselves perpetual dieters.
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Key Terms

  • dental caries
  • body weight
  • chronic diseases
  • excess weight
  • overweight increases

  • chronic disease
  • energy balance
  • excess body
  • heart attacks
  • tooth surface

  • excess amount
  • chronic illness
  • tooth decay
  • poll found
  • body fat

  • activity levels
  • evidence indicates
  • particular chronic
  • heavy cigarette
  • decreasing body

  • bacteria grow
  • true cause
  • current evidence
  • weight usually
  • eat depends

  • thin people
  • leading cause
  • cirrhosis killed
  • obese indicates
  • activity level


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