1. Anthony Calvanese Taylor Johnson J.T. Simanski

2. Introduction Teenagers believe that they cannot get lifestyle diseases. They think that older people like their grandparents can get lifestyle diseases. To a point this is true, because lifestyle diseases do not set in until after years of unhealthy behavior. However, the behaviors that cause these diseases start when people are young.

3. Examples of lifestyle disease For example, almost everyone in the country has some degree of heart and artery disease. Even children only four or five have early traces. Autopsies of teenagers as young as fifteen have shown their arteries clogged with fat.

4. Preventing lifestyle disease You can prevent lifestyle diseases. Over the last two decades, deaths from heart disease has shrunk by a third. Half of the decline was from improved treatments. The other half was due to people’s efforts to avoid heart disease. The choices people make has everything to do with their health later in life. You can prevent diseases by making smart choices.

5. Risk Factors Lifestyle diseases have many suspected causes called risk factors. Risk factors can include bad diet, no physical activity, smoking, drinking alcohol, unrewarding social interaction, other diseases, or inherited genetic traits. When one risk factor increases so does the likelihood of others. All except for the genetic traits are under a person’s control. They are changeable; when a change can’t hurt, but possibly help, why not make it.

6. Family History People who are genetically prone to getting these diseases would benefit most. Take a look at your family’s medical background to see what diseases run in the family. Look at the list on the right to see what diseases may be of concern to you. Cancer Diabetes Heart Attacks Heart Disease Hypertension Liver Disease Obesity Osteoporosis Strokes