Vol. 11, Special Issue 9 (2022)

Author(s):
Dr. Natasha R Marak and Cardeance NM Marak

Abstract:
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioral factors. The main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (like heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes. Modifiable behaviours, such as tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and the harmful use of alcohol, all increase the risk of NCDs. Metabolic risk factors contribute to four key metabolic changes that increase the risk of NCDs: raised blood pressure, overweight/obesity, hyperglycemia (high blood glucose levels) and hyperlipidemia (high levels of fat in the blood). Observational studies (case–control or cohort design) have stated that people with high intake of antioxidant vitamins generally have a lower risk of myocardial infarction and stroke than people who are low‐consumers of antioxidant vitamins. High intake of food items rich in flavonoids, that are powerful scavengers of free radicals (red wine, tea, onions and apples), have been associated with a low risk of cardiovascular disease. Vitamin C, D and E are reported to be involved in the amelioration of side effects which occur in chemotherapy and radiation therapy of lungs, stomach, prostate, colorectal, gastric head and neck cancers. Calcitriol (1, 25 (OH) 2D3) plays an essential role in a wide range of actions which include cell growth regulation, immune modulation and apoptosis, etc. Various cross-sectional and longitudinal cohort studies have indicated a beneficial effect from vitamin D supplementation on the development of type-2 diabetes.