The time to crack down on binge-snacking during those stressful all-night cramming sessions is now: Everything you eat counts from the time that you are born, and you will feel the consequences down the line.
Now is an especially relevant time to start living healthier, since February is American Heart Month.
According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular diseases and their complications, including stroke, are the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S.
Dr. Karol Watson, co-director of the UCLA Program in Preventive Cardiology, points to “lifetime cumulative risk factors” where problems begin accumulating from birth as a reason to adopt healthy living habits as soon as possible. The sooner people start living healthier, the sooner the buildup or irreversible risk factors can be negated or even prevented, she said.
You should pay extra attention to your health if you have a family history of heart disease because this is a strong indicator of risk, added Watson. Consumption of tobacco and excessive amounts of alcohol are also harmful according to Dr. Matthew Budoff, an associate professor of medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. Finally, Budoff added that exercise is a requirement to healthy living and not an option.
“You need to be a little smart about it at this point,” Budoff said. “Stay fit, try to eat reasonably well.”
The freedoms of college can be especially perilous.
“College is the first time you’re independent. These habits will stick with you for life,” Watson said.
Many students successfully balance a healthy lifestyle, but others fall short in certain areas.
Budoff noted that, while it is a good thing that cigarettes seem much pricier to students in a bad economy, fast food becomes equally more alluring. People eat at cheaper restaurants where food is not prepared as well and where fewer choices on the menu exist, Budoff said.
“The cheapest food is the worst-for-you food,” Watson said.
Students may claim that they do not have time to worry about health when they’re balancing money and a personal life and cramming for exams. Every grade is crucial in competition against other high-quality grad school applicants, job applicants or even other UCLA students within a class. Throw in a tough economic climate looming over graduation, and managing it all seems almost impossible.
“The stress of college and the burden of college can take away time for exercise, and time to shop for and prepare healthier food,” said Dr. Ronald J. Oudiz, an associate professor of medicine at the School of Medicine.
With all of these obstacles, students do not have it easy.
“The problem is not unique to students, but the behavior is harder to modify,” Watson said. Students are so busy sometimes that they even have problems remembering to take their medicine, she added.
In this environment, it becomes all the more important to concentrate on mitigating stress since stress itself exacerbates and even acts as a underlying factor in the development of heart disease.
“Chronic stress has been shown to cause heart disease,” Watson said.
However, the relationship between stress and heart disease is more complex than a simple cause-and-effect relationship. It is easy to see that stress can cause bad habits to snowball, but it is often difficult to untangle these interrelated factors.
“It’s about how the individual handles the stress,” Watson said.
However, Oudiz emphasizes that blaming the creation of bad habits on college is going too far. He points to opportunities for students such as free entry to the John Wooden Center, and mentions that there are many professors at UCLA who specialize in health science. In fact, he says that college can end up being quite beneficial to the student.
“College has competitive spirit. It enables people once they get out of college to develop good habits,” Oudiz said.
One approach to doing so is to take small, practical steps.
“(Heart disease is) avoidable with minor modifications to lifestyle and habit,” Budoff said.
For example, Watson recommended taking the stairs instead of the elevator, while Budoff recommended cutting back on starches.
Oudiz said that those who put off taking action toward healthy living may find experience to be a tough teacher later if it turns out that they become chronically ill.
“What people don’t understand is that people don’t just die suddenly. They may become sick and become chronically ill and then have to deal with daily life that debilitates them, like after a stroke or a heart attack,” Oudiz said.
It’s important to remember that working on these habits will not pay off all at once, he said.
“It’s an investment that will reap benefits years down the line.”