Dr Wael Barsoum, President of Cleveland Clinic Florida, was in the Cayman Islands recently for its annual Healthcare Conference to discuss the negative effects of environment on society’s health and wellness, focusing on diet to match the conference theme of ‘Food for Thought: Exploring the Relationship Between Nutrition and Health.”
The conference ran from October 19 – 21, and had a record number of over 1200 attendees. Cleveland Clinic Florida was a premium sponsor of this year’s conference, and has been sponsoring the conference since 2012.
Dr Barsoum’s presentation reinforced the fact that growing percentages of illness and death are not due to a change in genetics, but to a change in environment over time, specifically the way we eat. He also stressed that some people may be more at risk due to their genetics, but that ultimately one’s environment and choices made the biggest difference to health.
“Depending on where you live and the environment you live in, you may be tempted to live a lifestyle which creates a more damaging impact for you based on your genetics,” he said. “Recognising what your genetics predispose you to should make a difference in the lifestyle you choose to live.”
He went on to cite that Caymanians are 3.1 times more likely to have diabetes, 2.4 times more likely to have hypertension, 5.7 times more likely to have a heart condition, 2.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and 2.1 times more likely to develop asthma than non-Caymanians. These are largely correlated with high risk factors in Cayman such as alcohol consumption, obesity and smoking rate.
However, the problem is not limited to Cayman, as Dr Barsoum noted that many of the aforementioned diseases are experiencing growth in the United States as well.
“The United States and the Cayman Islands are making this journey hand in hand,” he said. “Trying to reduce the incidence of chronic disease makes a big difference for our communities because the money we would save treating those diseases could be spent on programmes for our children, homeless, elderly and more.”
If you would like to watch Dr Barsoum’s presentation in its entirety, you can find it at healthcareconference.ky/videos.
