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. 1984 Dec;30:2548-2550, 2552-2554.

Health Consequences of Selected Lifestyle Factors: A Review of the Evidence

Dorothy Fitzgerald, John Litt, Donna Ciliska, Betty Delmore, Tish Butson
PMCID: PMC2154258

Abstract

This literature review searched for evidence that lifestyle factors listed on the FANTASTIC checklist are related to mortality, morbidity and quality of life. Physically active individuals appear to have a lower incidence of myocardial infarction and mortality from coronary heart disease; more importantly, exercise enhances quality of life through stress reduction. Poor nutrition often results in obesity, which in turn increases the risk for heart disease, hypertension, hyperglycemia, diabetes mellitus and other conditions. Obesity often results in poor self-esteem and preoccupation with weight loss. Excess dietary fat, inadequate dietary fiber and excess sugar are directly related to morbidity. Mortality rates in alcoholics are two to four times higher than in the general population. Morbidity from alcohol abuse includes a wide range of physical and psychiatric disorders. Up to 50% of traffic deaths are due to alcohol or other drugs. The social implications of alcohol abuse include divorce, child abuse, and spouse abuse. Evidence on the importance of eight hours of sleep at night is conflicting; however, the ability to sleep well and feel rested is an important lifestyle factor. Psychological stress has been shown to affect both the onset of illness and course of disease. The occurrence and onset of heart disease, accidents and injuries, tuberculosis, leukemia, multiple sclerosis and diabetes have been related to stressful life changes.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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