**4.4 Body weight management**

*Lifestyle and Epidemiology - The Double Burden of Poverty and Cardiovascular Diseases...*

**Extent of body recovery**

2–12 weeks Blood circulation improves and lung function improves 1–9 months Cough, difficulty in breathing and sinus congestion are lowered 1 year Risk of heart disease drops to half compared to that of a smoker 5 years Risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, gullet and bladder are cut by half.

15 years Risk of heart disease is equal to that of a non-smoker

20 minutes Heart rate and blood pressure drops 24 hours Chance of heart attack decreases

*Time of quitting smoking and extent of body recovery.*

There is a strong content-dependent relationship between raised blood pressure and consumption of high amounts of sodium. Dietary guidelines recommend a daily intake of sodium at less than 2.3 grams in the general population and less than 1.5 grams in people with high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease and those aged 50 years old or more. Salt reduction initiates a decline in average blood pressure in a week time. It also improves the body response blood pressure medicines. Lowering blood pressure reduces risk of heart disease, stroke and death due to salt related CVDs.

10 years Risk of lung cancer drops to half compared to that of a smoker and risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decreases.

Stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.

The pioneer trial that examined the role of diet in the management of hypertension was the DASH trial in 1997. The results of the trial revealed that after approximately 3 g sodium intake per day on both control and interventional group; within 2 weeks of the intervention, blood pressures reduced and the results sustained for another 6 weeks. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) reduced by 5.5 mm Hg and diastolic

The DASH eating plan entails a diet rich in fruits and vegetables (8–10 servings/ day); and low-fat dairy foods (2–3 servings/day), coupled with reduced saturated and total fat [19]. DASH is a flexible and balanced eating plan that helps create a heart-healthy eating style for life. The DASH eating plan requires no special foods and instead provides daily and weekly nutritional goals. DASH eating plan recom-

blood pressure (DBP) by 3.0 mm Hg more than the control diet [18].

mends that the choice of foods should also be based on food that are:

• Low in saturated fat (animal fat) and trans-fats (from snacks)

• Rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, fiber (roughage) and protein

• Lower in sodium (table salt, flavourants, spices, processed foods including

Globally, calories obtained from Proteins, Sugars and Fats have been increasing and those from roughage-rich foods have been declining. Consumption of processed foods continues to rise rapidly in low- and middle-income settings. This nutrition transition affects dietary patterns and nutrient intake, which influence the

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water)

risk of developing NCDs.

**4.3 The DASH eating plan**

**Time of quitting smoking**

**Table 1.**

Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including CVDs such as heart disease and stroke, which are the leading causes of death worldwide. Globally, obesity is one side of the double burden of malnutrition, and today more people are obese than underweight in most regions of the world. A body mass index (BMI) over 25 kg/m−2 is considered overweight, and over 30 kg/ m−2 is obese. The issue has grown to epidemic proportions, with over 4 million people dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese in 2017 according to the global burden of disease [20]. Nevertheless, modest weight losses of 5 to <10% were associated with significant improvements in CVD risk factors at one year, but larger weight losses had greater benefits [21].
