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ScotlandHealth & Food TechnologySyllabus dot point

Which health conditions are linked to diet, what causes them, and how can diet help prevent them?

The diet-related conditions linked to poor food choices, including coronary heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, dental caries, osteoporosis, anaemia, high blood pressure and bowel disorders, and the dietary changes that reduce their risk.

An SQA National 5 Health and Food Technology answer on diet-related conditions, covering coronary heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, dental caries, osteoporosis, anaemia, high blood pressure and bowel disorders, with the dietary changes that reduce risk.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.810 min answer

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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  1. What this dot point is asking
  2. How diet causes ill health
  3. The main diet-related conditions
  4. How the conditions are linked
  5. Reducing the risk through diet
  6. Examples in context
  7. Try this

What this dot point is asking

The SQA wants you to name the main health conditions linked to diet, explain how poor food choices cause each, and describe the dietary changes that reduce the risk.

How diet causes ill health

Most diet-related conditions come from one of three things: eating too much of something (saturated fat, sugar, salt or total energy), eating too little of something (fibre, calcium, iron), or a long-term imbalance between energy eaten and energy used. Knowing the cause tells you the cure.

How the conditions are linked

These conditions are not separate problems. Obesity is central: being obese raises the risk of CHD, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. A diet high in saturated fat, sugar and salt and low in fibre tends to cause several of them at once, which is why a single set of dietary changes helps with many.

Reducing the risk through diet

Examples in context

Example 1. A canteen tackling tooth decay. A school worried about pupils' tooth decay removes sugary drinks and snacks from sale and offers water, milk and fruit instead. Cutting free sugar reduces the acid attack on teeth and lowers the rate of dental caries.

Example 2. Protecting bones in later life. An adult eats calcium-rich dairy and uses vitamin-D-fortified margarine and gets some sunlight, building and maintaining strong bones. This reduces the risk of osteoporosis, where bones become brittle, in older age.

Try this

Q1. Name the diet-related condition caused mainly by eating too much sugar that damages the teeth. [1 mark]

  • Cue. Dental caries (tooth decay).

Q2. State one dietary change that would help lower high blood pressure. [1 mark]

  • Cue. Cut down on salt (sodium); also acceptable: lose excess weight by matching energy to activity.

Exam-style practice questions

Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.

SQA N5 style4 marksExplain how diet can contribute to coronary heart disease (CHD), and describe two dietary changes that reduce the risk.
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A 4-mark answer needs the cause linked to diet plus two preventive changes.

Cause. A diet high in saturated fat raises the level of cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol builds up on the walls of the arteries and narrows them, so less blood and oxygen reach the heart, which can lead to coronary heart disease.

Change 1. Cut down on saturated fat and swap some for unsaturated fat (for example use vegetable oil instead of butter), to lower blood cholesterol.

Change 2. Eat more fruit, vegetables and fibre and cut down on salt, because fibre and a lower-salt diet help protect the heart and keep blood pressure down.

A further point that scores is keeping to a healthy weight and being active, since obesity raises the risk. Markers reward the cholesterol/artery mechanism and two valid dietary changes.

SQA N5 style3 marksDescribe how poor food choices can lead to obesity, and explain two health problems that obesity can cause.
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This question links a cause (obesity) to its consequences.

Cause. Obesity happens when a person regularly eats more energy than the body uses, often from foods high in fat and sugar. The extra energy is stored as body fat, and over time the person becomes obese.

Problem 1. Obesity raises the risk of type 2 diabetes, because the body finds it harder to control blood glucose.

Problem 2. Obesity raises the risk of coronary heart disease and high blood pressure, because the heart has to work harder and there is often more saturated fat in the diet.

A further valid point is extra strain on joints. Markers reward the energy-imbalance cause and two correct health problems.

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