Disease of affluence is a term sometimes given to selected diseases and other health conditions which are commonly thought to be a result of increasing wealth in a society, also referred as the “western disease” paradigm. These diseases are in contrast to so-called “disease of poverty” which largely result from and contribute in human impoverishment. The modern and sedentary lifestyle is argued to be blame for current level of obesity, cardiovascular disease, high-blood pressure, type 2 obesity, osteoporosis, colorectal cancer, acne, gout, depression and disease related to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, Examples of diseases of affluence include mostly, chronic non-communicable disease and other physical health conditions for which personal lifestyles and societal conditions associated with economic development are believed to be an important risk factors such as type 2 diabetes, asthma, coronary heart disease, cerebro-vascular disease, peripheral-vascular, obesity, hypertension and other health conditions associated with increase isolation and lower level of psychological well-being observed in many developed countries. Many of these conditions are interrelated, for example obesity is thought to be a partial cause of many other illnesses.
In contrast, the disease of poverty tends to largely infectious diseases or the result of poor living conditions. These include tuberculosis, asthma, intestinal diseases. Increasingly, research findings shows that disease thought to be disease of affluence also appear in large part of the poor. These diseases include obesity and cardiovascular disease and coupled with infectious diseases.
Diseases of the affluence are predicted to be more prevalent in developing countries as diseases of poverty decline, longevity increases and lifestyles changes.
Causes of diseases of affluence
Factors associated with increase of these conditions and illnesses ironically appear to be things of technological advances. They include,
- Less strenuous physical exercise.
- Irregular exercise as a result of office job involving no physical labour.
- Easy accessibility in a society to large amounts of low-cost food (relative in much low-caloric food availability in subsistence economic).
- More food generally, with much less physical exertion, expended to attain a moderate food.
- More of high fat and high sugar foods in the diets are common in affluent economies of the late twentieth century.
- High consumption of meat and dietary products.
- High consumption of refined flour and products made of such like white bread and white noodles.
- Prolonged periods of little activity.
- Greater use of alcohol and tobacco.
