Lifestyle "Balance"

Metabolism is one of those culturally “hot” words that are talked about in fad diets, supplement advertisements, and weight loss programs. My friends and family talk about it as a simple term, probably because they don’t know or understand all of what this term encompasses. They chalk it down to how efficient our bodies are in context to how skinny an individual is. In some ways this is true, but this oversimplification ignores the beautiful complexity of our metabolism and our ability to live.

With a quick google search of “boost metabolism,” I was bombarded by lists of green and oolong teas that increase metabolism and guidance to eat spicy foods, along with many other tips. Throughout my search, I recognized the consistent perspective of seeking to remedy an imbalance in the body and sometimes with the mind. Through my own life, I have recognized the complexity of this balance and have tried to draw conclusions about practices that help one bring themselves into better balance. Often in different context, equilibrium has been an essential part of conversation in my undergraduate courses from general chemistry, evolution, psychology, and biochemistry. This need for balance, though, is the hinge on which life sits.

Ayurveda refers to this balance and is a type of medicinal practice that plays on the interconnectedness between our minds and every part of our bodies; it “encourages certain lifestyle interventions and natural therapies to regain balance” ("Ayurveda", 2020). I align with a more conservative concept and application of Ayurveda. After reading-up on Ayurveda practices, I recognized that this approach is often focused on promoting and maintaining good health, instead of combating diseases. Though many believers in western medicine would argue against Ayurveda, I think it sounds a lot like preventive medicine, like the thing that most American health insurances cover. Aside from the financial benefits, preventative medicine sets a trajectory for people to be healthier and have more joyful lives. Ayurveda practices, such as nutritional balance, routine exercise, and avoiding harmful habits (like smoking), demonstrate how the whole body is connected and relies upon chemical balances from a small biological pathway to an entire organ system.

On many of the “tips to boost metabolism” webpages, I kept coming across the importance of sleep and hydration in regulating one’s metabolism. I know eating healthy, exercising, drinking water, and sleeping are important to maintaining good health. Yet, I would self-report that I do none of these well, especially sleeping an adequate amount. At this point in my life, I’m privileged to have a body that works decently well and is strong enough to do the things I want. But what do our habits across our lives, even at the times we seemingly have good health, culminate to?

Because of the pandemic, I could not shake the importance of preventative health. From my perspective, preventative healthcare has long fallen through the cracks because prescriptions are easier than lifestyle changes. Additionally, I think that until disease or general poor health is present, there is no immediacy for us to adopt healthy habits and practices. Currently, we are facing the horrific statistics concerning comorbidities and their association to the severity of coronavirus infections and complications. Over a month ago, the CDC reported that only 6% of COVID-19 deaths were from COVID-19 alone ("Provisional Death Counts for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)", 2020). Though many took this data out of context, it reflected a sad truth about the prevalence of chronic and preventable diseases in our country.  According to the CDC, six in ten American adults are living with a chronic disease, and four in ten are living with more than one ("Chronic Diseases in America", 2020). In separate reports, the CDC stated that people in the United States (on average) are getting fatter ("Anthropometric Reference Data”, 2012) that 9.4% of Americans are diabetic and one-third of Americans are prediabetic ("New CDC report", 2017). For a country with so much wealth and technology, it’s disheartening that so many people are struggling with weight, diabetes, and the resulting health complications ("How to Prevent Diabetes: MedlinePlus", 2020).

The prevalence and increased incidence of diabetes and obesity in the United States and across the world is public health issue that needs to be addressed. In a 2016 Keynote address, Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO, stated that the number of adults living with diabetes has quadrupled since 1980 and called the increased global rates of obesity and diabetes “a slow-motion disaster” (Chan, 2016).  Diabetes mellitus disrupts the body’s ability to utilize glucose as an energy source through the body’s development of insulin resistance. This disease is disturbing people’s everyday lives and impacting mental, financial, and physical well-being of many. The development of diabetes mellitus is dependent on both genes and lifestyle. A lifestyle that decreases diabetes risk factors includes weight management, a well-balanced eating plan, regular exercise, and adequate sleep.

Because of my personal sleep habits, I was quite intrigued by the role that adequate sleep, both in quality and quantity, has on the development of diabetes. For context, I often do not sleep the recommended 7 to 9 hours. Over the course of a week, I’ll often average out to about 5 hours a night. Because my habits are not currently impacting my day to day, I have not had a huge motivation to adopt a healthier sleep schedule. But is this system of thinking going to be my literal downfall? Studies have conclusively determined there is a relationship between sleep habits and risk for developing diabetes mellitus (Chattu, et al., 2019; Grandner, et al., 2016; Martin, et al., 2008). One study showed that those who sleep less than 5 h were twice as likely to develop diabetes within their life than those that slept between 7 h and 8 h. Additionally, these researchers outlined how sleep therapy would be “a low-cost method for fighting against the rising epidemic of diabetes” (Chattu, et al., 2019).

Overall, the education about healthy habits and how to adopt them into our lives is subpar. I feel that the general population understands too little about their own biology and because of that it’s difficult for them to make healthful decisions. Since seeing how often water is a reactant in organic reactions and learning how protein structure relies on an aqueous environment, I have been more consciousness of my water intake. I believe that when people are given accurate and understandable information about things that are pertinent to them and their lives, they will make better decisions than they would have. Even when factoring in the relationship between socioeconomic status, health, and the risks for common chronic diseases, lifestyle and learning about attainable healthy practices has the ability to mediate for general health inequality (Wang and Geng, 2019). This study along with others demonstrate that there is hope in combatting these imbalances through more holistic and lifestyle-related approaches. Respecting the multi-faceted nature of diseases and the balance that keeps cells and systems in check is vital in every sense of the word.

References

Anthropometric Reference Data for Children and Adults: United States, 2007–2010. (2012).                   Retrieved 10 October 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_11/sr11_252.pdf

Ayurveda. (2020). Retrieved 10 October 2020, from                                                                                   https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/ayurveda

Chan, M. (2016). Obesity and diabetes: the slow-motion disaster Keynote address at the 47th              meeting of the National Academy of Medicine. Retrieved 10 October 2020, from                         https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2016/obesity-diabetes-disaster/en/

Chattu, V. K., Chattu, S. K., Burman, D., Spence, D. W., & Pandi-Perumal, S. R. (2019). The     Interlinked Rising Epidemic of Insufficient Sleep and Diabetes Mellitus. Healthcare   (Basel, Switzerland), 7(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare7010037Chronic Diseases in America. (2020). Retrieved 10 October 2020, from             https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htm

Grandner, M. A., Seixas, A., Shetty, S., & Shenoy, S. (2016). Sleep Duration and Diabetes Risk:             Population Trends and Potential Mechanisms. Current diabetes reports, 16(11), 106.   https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-016-0805-8

How to Prevent Diabetes: MedlinePlus. (2020). Retrieved 10 October 2020, from             https://medlineplus.gov/howtopreventdiabetes.html

Martins, R. C., Andersen, M. L., & Tufik, S. (2008). The reciprocal interaction between sleep and type 2 diabetes mellitus: facts and perspectives. Brazilian journal of medical and            biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologicas, 41(3), 180–           187. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0100-879x2006005000194

New CDC report: More than 100 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes. (2017).            Retrieved 10 October 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p0718-    diabetes-report.html

Provisional Death Counts for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). (2020). Retrieved 10   October 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/

Wang, J., & Geng, L. (2019). Effects of Socioeconomic Status on Physical and Psychological Health: Lifestyle as a Mediator. International journal of environmental research and    public health, 16(2), 281. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16020281