Diabetes, Heart Disease and Pancreatic Cancer

The unofficial cause of death in my opinion was lack of physical activity. They would come home after work and sit, they would relax all weekend and never even think about exercising. Even though my parents had completely different diseases there was one common prescription that could have changed their health and hopefully yours.

Do you know that if one pill could do what physical activity alone could do it would be the most prescribed pill in the world?

My father should of realized that a sedentary lifestyle is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Evidence from many scientific studies shows that reducing this risk factor decreases the chance of having a heart attack or experiencing other cardiac events, such as a stroke, and reduces the possibility of needing a coronary revascularization procedure (bypass surgery or coronary angioplasty). Regular exercise has a favorable effect on many of the established risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

In diabetic patients, regular activity favorably affects the body’s ability to use insulin to control glucose levels in the blood. Even moderate exercise when combined with other lifestyle modifications (such as proper nutrition, smoking cessation,and medication use), can be dramatic.

I wished my mother paid more attention to the many studies that reported a slight increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer among overweight and obese individuals.

Physical activity, actually the lack of physical activity, played and important role in my parents lives. For your life is it going to be lack of, like my parents?

Don't forget to visit our website Stay Fit Seniors and watch the video above which shows a husband and wife taking care of themselves.

Enough for Now

Stay active and Well

Dr. Russo