What Health Issues Are Linked to Lifestyle?
Learn how diet, smoking, alcohol and inactivity increase the risk of common health issues, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.
Common health issues linked to lifestyle include cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, liver disease, lung disease and some cancers. Lifestyle factors do not always directly cause disease, but they can increase the risk of developing it.
Important lifestyle risk factors
A risk factor is something linked to an increased rate of a disease. Important examples include:
- Poor diet: A diet containing too much saturated fat can contribute to high blood cholesterol. Fatty material may build up inside coronary arteries, restricting blood flow to the heart muscle.
- Lack of exercise: This can increase the risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease affects the heart or blood vessels.
- Obesity: Obesity is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. In Type 2 diabetes, body cells no longer respond properly to insulin, so blood glucose concentration can become too high.
- Smoking: Smoking increases the risk of lung disease, lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. Smoking during pregnancy can also harm an unborn baby.
- Alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption can damage the liver and affect brain function. Drinking during pregnancy can also harm an unborn baby.
- Exposure to carcinogens: Carcinogens are substances or types of radiation that increase the risk of cancer. Tobacco smoke and ionising radiation are examples.
Worked example: smoking and heart disease
Chemicals in tobacco smoke can damage artery walls. Fatty material may then build up inside the arteries, narrowing them. This reduces blood flow and may decrease the oxygen supplied to the heart muscle, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease.
Common exam mistake
Do not say that every risk factor definitely causes disease. A correlation means two variables are linked, but this alone does not prove that one causes the other. A causal mechanism must be supported by evidence.
Assumption: This answer is for AQA GCSE Biology Higher Tier, separate science. The content explained here is also required at Foundation Tier and is shared with Combined Science.
