Topic: your disease risk

[Clive]

A cheerful site to wile away the long, dark winter nights.   

http://www.yourdiseaserisk.harvard.edu/


I was surprised to discover that my biggest threats are colon and prostate cancer.     

[sam]

think i might look at that when i get a bit of time to do work in the office next week... looks like i might be there for a while otherwise...

[Simon]

I would have thought mine would have been heart disease, but I am surprisingly at low risk.  I'm going to quit while I'm ahead and not bother with the rest! 

[Lona]

That site gives a false sense of security.

I did the heart disease one.  Answered truthfully all the questions and it said my chance of having a heart attack was low. 

[mistybear]

I think so to Lona.
There is certain information that they don't take into account as they don't ask enough questions.

But I'm at high risk of Melanoma, big surprise.

At least everything else is low.

[Clive]

I think the site is useful because it can highlight potential problems - particularly with your lifestyle.  It alerted me to the fact that if I continue eating red meat nearly every day that I have a high risk of colon cancer.  I had assumed that other components of my diet would have prevented it.  Now I have made a concious decision to switch to chicken and fish.

[mistybear]

Good for you Clive, I rarely eat any animal protein now. I had a little lamb about 2 years ago, only because my brothers girlfriend cooked it, and I felt obliged. And I occasionally have a small bit of chicken when I cook a chook for Michael, hard to resist the smell.
So my risk of colon and some other cancers is very small, it's only family history and my 30 odd years of smoking that will get me. My father died of lung cancer. I gave up smoking 18 months ago.

[Clive]

And good for you too MB.  Quitting drugs is one hell of an achievement.  We are a growing band of smugs!  Hopefully we will one day be joined by a few other well known Pals who haven't quite made it - yet.  I felt considerably better after just a few weeks. 

[Simon]

I don't believe that totally omitting any one thing from a diet is actually that good.  Humans are carnivores, and we need some of the nutrients found in red meats, but in moderation.  Why do you think strict vegans always look so pale and insipid?    A balanced diet of red and white meat (and wine!), fresh fruit and vegetables is far better than leaving something out altogether, in my opinion, and I'm sticking to it. 

Congrats for giving up smoking, MB!  I will claim the Pals award for this, because I quit 10 years ago, and am probably the most annoyingly smug ex-smoker you could wish to meet! 

[Sandra]

Congrats for giving up smoking, MB!  I will claim the Pals award for this, because I quit 10 years ago, and am probably the most annoyingly smug ex-smoker you could wish to meet! 

I think that your chuckle brother Tony, may have something to say about that Simon.
Also hes possibly even more annoying about it than you are 

[mistybear]

For most people a well balanced diet containing a small amount of red meat is perfect, but I have have never thought of myself as most people .
When I was about 22 I was told that I had very high cholesterol and hypertension due to a bad diet, I slowly weaned myself of red meat and salt. And a couple of years later I had a discussion with my brother about the health benefits of not eating red meat verses eating red meat. He thought my new diet was silly and that there was no scientific reason why we shouldn't eat red meat. That was over 25 years ago, he is still a very big red meat eater and he is also taking drugs to lower his cholesterol. Now you tell me who is being silly.
But I shouldn't point the finger as I have also done so really silly things as well.
About 7 years ago I had to visit a cardiologist due to high blood pressure, yes naughty me I went back to my bad diet. I was told that I would be on blood pressure medication the rest of my life, that in itself isn't all that bad, but living in Australia and the fact that I love being outdoors, this lousy medication has a nasty side effect. Every time I got just a little bit sunburnt, my skin would blister then crack and bleed.
I changed my diet and started with just a walk around the block, now I walk about 10Klm a day most days. I stopped taking that medication a couple of years ago.
Now for the first time in years I can spend all day in the garden and go bush walking and I'm going really brown.

The power of diet and exercise is incredible, I saw my mother go through the same, 30 years ago she went from a heart attack to a very healthy woman. Doctor told her straight, one baked dinner could kill you. Her diet is better than anyone I know.

[sam]

I don't believe that totally omitting any one thing from a diet is actually that good.  Humans are carnivores, and we need some of the nutrients found in red meats, but in moderation.  Why do you think strict vegans always look so pale and insipid?    A balanced diet of red and white meat (and wine!), fresh fruit and vegetables is far better than leaving something out altogether, in my opinion, and I'm sticking to it. 

Congrats for giving up smoking, MB!  I will claim the Pals award for this, because I quit 10 years ago, and am probably the most annoyingly smug ex-smoker you could wish to meet! 

im veggie and there is no way i look like i need to eat any meat!