Individuals’ physical living level has increased due to society’s rapid advancement. However, as people’s living conditions have improved, issues with population health have also emerged. Hyperlipidemia has become one of the humans’ most common pathological illnesses, especially in the elderly. The causes of this condition are due to changes in people’s diets combined with a lack of physical activity, which leads to a decrease in public health. However, this paper aims to evaluate the prevalence of non-pharmacologic interventions such as diet and exercise in reducing the risks of hyperlipidemia.
The first evidence-based practice that can be implemented as a standard is the physical exercise approach that is proven beneficial to people’s health conditions. The latest research by He and Ye (2020) has shown that physical activity is good for cardiovascular health in adults. Exercise training is also a therapeutic strategy for diabetes and cardiovascular disease prevention. Most recommendations, including a report from the Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee of the Department of Health and Human Services, call for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week (He & Ye, 2020). The observed benefit increases in significance as exercise training continues beyond one week. Additionally, patient preferences can be managed by choosing appropriate exercises, such as aerobics, brisk walking, or Tai chi practice. The latter proved significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 15.6 mmHg and 8.8 mmHg in research completed during 12 weeks (Luxuan et al., 2022). Thus, exercises can provide various options for personal preference, improving overall cardiovascular health in an adult population.
The second standard revolves around a healthy diet that can contribute to health improvement alongside exercise. Low intake of saturated lipids and cholesterol, higher consumption of dietary fiber, and maintaining a healthy weight are some dietary adjustments beneficial to health conditions. Various possible alterations based on different diets must be measured according to the patient’s needs and preferences. The changes in blood pressure brought on by an unrestricted vegan diet are equivalent to those brought on by medical society-recommended diets and portion-controlled diets (Lopez et al., 2019). Similar beneficial results were also shown through the implementation of the Mediterranean diet. Hence, adopting a healthy lifestyle lowers the probability of developing the mentioned diseases by lowering blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other associated factors.
The proposed practices present a wide field for further development in terms of potential implications. Both proposed standards of non-pharmacologic interventions must be developed simultaneously. It implies that the dietary possibilities must be adjusted according to the exercise patterns so that the compound approach work toward the same results, supporting the outcomes of each separate intervention. For instance, implementing a portion-controlled diet must be appropriate for the physical activity requirement of aerobic exercise for people not experiencing a deficit of energy. Additionally, the potential and preferences of the patient must be included in the planning process to establish the suitable intensity of the exercises. To develop health policies that will raise awareness and support accepted treatment modalities, information on the lipid profile and the occurrence of hyperlipidemia can be collected through the proposed approaches. In addition, drug intake has a non-negligible effect on blood pressure control, but mentioned standards do not include an implementation of drug intake. Thus, potential interventions can be considered universal for groups of adults to support healthy living conditions through nursing practice, implementing the project as a method for hyperlipidemia control.
References
He, N. & Ye, H. (2020). Exercise and hyperlipidemia. In: Xiao, J. (eds) Physical exercise for human health. Advances in experimental medicine and biology. Springer, Singapore. Web.
Lopez, P. D., Cativo, E. H., Atlas, S. A. & Rosendorff, C. (2019). The effect of vegan diets on blood pressure in adults: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, The American Journal of Medicine, 132(7), 875-883. Web.
Luxuan, H., Weiwei, Y., Kruszewski, A., Jinming, X., Cherkashin, I., Yuyao, W., Cherkashina, E., Kruszewskiv, M. & Tomczak, A. (2022). The effect of tai chi exercise on hypertension and hyperlipidemia – a systematic study and meta-analysis. Health Promotion and Prevention, 18, 59-70.