Nutrition, Toxins, and Chronic Disease

Course overview

Chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and arthritis are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems both in the United States and worldwide. Globally, hundreds of millions of people are affected by chronic diseases. The personal, social, and community costs of these diseases range in the billions of dollars every year. People with chronic diseases often suffer a slow, debilitating decline of overall health and well-being. However, many chronic diseases can be prevented via a nutritious diet, healthy lifestyle, and avoidance or reduced exposure to environmental toxins. The outcome of this course is for the learner to describe the extent and type of various common chronic diseases; identify toxins and nutritional factors that contribute to the incidence of chronic diseases; and state ways to assess, manage, and/or prevent the incidence of chronic diseases.