Diet and physical activity: a healthful binomial

Abstract

Individual health status is the result of a combination of different factors such as genetics, dowry, age, nutritional status, physical activity, as well as environmental factors, hygiene, salubrity, stress and tobacco consumption. The existence of bad food habits and other risk factors leads to an increase in the development of chronic diseases, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. Such diseases occupy greater rates of morbidity and mortality in European countries. This situation seems to justify that in our country defective intervention on different risk factors or, perhaps, a worsening in the control of some of them is taking place where the diet and lifestyle seem clearly implied. It is clear that if we take as bases the angular determinants for cardiovascular health identified in the ‘Victory Declaration on Cardiac Health’, healthful food habits, free tobacco lifestyle, regular physical activity and positive psycho-social atmosphere, future perspectives in our country do not seem to be very favourable.