A healthy lifestyle is a vital point for people living with chronic diseases. Modifiable behaviors such as diet and physical activity can significantly improve the patients’ quality of life and help control and maintain chronic illnesses. This paper will focus on exploring the existing body of knowledge to define what measures could be taken in the case of a patient who has chronic diseases of diabetes and asthma.
First, considering other valuable information about the patient, in this case, one should address the fact that the patient’s BMI indicates obesity. Obesity and asthma are commonly associated, and many comorbidity cases signal a close connection between inflammatory and metabolic processes and regulation (Miethe et al., 2020). The data suggests that in such cases of comorbid asthma and obesity, 5% to 10% weight loss can improve lung function and asthma control (Miethe et al., 2020). Therefore, the combination of dietary intervention and introduction to daily physical exercises can significantly improve the patient’s condition.
Dietary and exercise interventions focused on developing a healthy lifestyle reduce risks for other chronic diseases besides asthma, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. According to Kuder and Nyenhuis (2020), weight loss of 5 to 10% leads to a reduced level of medication needed for diabetes. In most research, the weight loss in cases of comorbid asthma and obesity is reached through a combination of dietary interventions and physical exercise programs.
Lastly, even though there is no extensive research on the influence of dietary moderations in asthma, diet is inevitably a vital factor. A poor high-fat and low-fiber diet is often associated with asthma, as high-fat consumption causes inflammatory processes (Kuder and Nyenhuis, 2020). The recommendations for dietary interventions provided by Stoodley et al. (2019) include reducing sodium and fat intake increasing the fruits and vegetables in the diet. The exercise recommendations include 20-60 min of physical activity three to five days a week (Stoodley et al. 2019). Therefore, a healthy lifestyle for this patient’s specific case will require changes in diet and the introduction of regular physical exercises.
References
Kuder, M. M., & Nyenhuis, S. M. (2020). Optimizing lifestyle interventions in adult patients with comorbid asthma and obesity.Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease, 14, 1-13. Web.
Miethe, S., Karsonova, A., Karaulov, A., & Renz, H. (2020). Obesity and asthma.Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 146(4), 685–693. Web.
Stoodley, I., Williams, L., Thompson, C., Scott, H., & Wood, L. Evidence for lifestyle interventions in asthma.Breathe, 15(2), 50-61. Web.