(Bravata, et al., 2007) III. Obesity and High Cholesterol

Overweight or obesity is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease leading to heart attack. Obesity is known to:

(1) raise blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels;

(2) lower 'HDL' or 'good' cholesterol;

(3) raises blood pressure levels;

(4) induce diabetes and heightens the risk of heart attack. (Mayo Clinic, 2009)

IV. Physical Activity Recommendations

The President's Council on Physical Activity and Sports states as follows:

(1) Significant health benefits can be obtained by including a moderate amount of physical activity (e.g., 30 minutes of brisk walking or raking leaves, 15 minutes of running, 45 minutes of playing volleyball). Additional health benefits can be gained through greater amounts of physical activity;

(2) Thirty to sixty minutes of activity broken into smaller segments of 10 or 15 minutes throughout the day has significant health benefits. (2008)

V. Analysis & Recommendations

The individual in this case study is on the Atkins Diet. A recently released study shows that individuals participating in the 'Eco Atkins' diet have realized benefits in terms of weight reduction and reduction of cholesterol levels. The Eco Atkins diet is a "low-calories, low-carbohydrate diet high in plant-based proteins." (Elements4Health, 2009) However, there is stated to be "a dilemma relating to the proportion and source of fat, protein and carbohydrate that constitutes the optimal weight loss and cholesterol-lowering diet." (Elements4Health, 2009)

The Atkins diet that is not the 'Eco' Atkins diet has been reported negatively with reports stating that individuals who follow this diet "may worsen risk factors for heart disease compared to other popular diets." (Boyles, 2009) There is a contradiction however, as it is has been reported that low carbohydrate diets are

"...significantly higher in total grams of fat, protein, dietary cholesterol and saturated fats than are low-fat diets. While a low-carbohydrate diet may result in weight loss and improvement in blood pressure, similar to a low-fat diet, the higher fat content is ultimately more detrimental to heart health than is the low-fat diet. (Psysorg, 2008)

VI. Recommendations & Action Plan

If this individual intends to continue the Atkins diet it is recommended that he use the Eco Atkins diet plan. Secondly, this individual should be regularly screened for cholesterol levels and lipid levels as well as being screened for cardiovascular disease onset. While this individual may be at risk...

It is recommended that this individual and his treating physician make sure that this individual receives the proper education material on his conditions and his risk factors so as to support his self-care treatment, intervention, and preventive health care plan.
The primary targeting of health care treatment, intervention, exercise and self-care for this individual should be that of his problem of being overweight since obesity is known to cause and contribute to the other conditions that this individual has developed and those conditions which he has been identified as being at risk of developing.

Bibliography

Asthma (2009) Mayo Clinic. 2 Oct 2009. Online available at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/asthma/DS00021/DSECTION=risk-factors

Boyles, Salynn (2009) How the Atkins Diet Fares in Cholesterol. 1 Apr 2009 WebMD. Online available at: http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20090401/how-the-atkins-diet-fares-in-cholesterol

Bravata, Dena M., et al. (2007) Closing the Quality Gap: A Critical Analysis of Quality Improvement Strategies, Vol. 5: Asthma. Evidence Report. Stanford UCSF Evidence-Based Practice Center for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, January 2007 Publication no. AHRQ Publication No. 04(07)-0051-5

Eco Atkins Diet Beneficial for Weight Loss and Cholesterol Levels (2009) Elements4Health. Online available at: http://www.elements4health.com/eco-atkins-diet-beneficial-for-weight-loss-and-cholesterol-levels.html

Guidelines: Screening for Coronary Heart Disease (2009) Journal Watch 2 Oct 2009. Online available at: http://cardiology.jwatch.org/cgi/content/full/2004/423/1?q=etoc

New study shows low-fat diets more likely to reduce risk of heart disease than low-carb diets (2008) Physorg 29 Feb 2008. Online available at: http://www.physorg.com/news123515568.html

Obesity and Overweight AHA Scientific Position (2009) American Heart Organization. 2 Oct 2009. Online available at: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4639

Physical Activity Facts (2008) the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Department of Health and Human Services. Online available at: http://www.fitness.gov/resources/facts/index.html

Stroke National Guidelines and Recommendations (2009) National Human Genome Research Institute. Online available at: http://www.genome.gov/27527607