Ever been diagnosed with a life changing (or perhaps life threatening) disease? If so, you're well aware of how scary it can be. Everyday, billions of people around the world are faced with discouraging news. Many of them begin the transition from life as they knew it to adopting the necessary changes, some of which can be unpleasant and/or long term.

Perhaps what's worse than the discovery of having such diseases is knowing how to prevent them, but not doing so.

The road to prevention often sounds more like a beaten path of lectures on lifestyle changes no one wants to make. Yet, chances are many people who become ill would gladly give up unhealthy habits if only they could erase the physical damage already done.

Weight loss, exercise, and proper diet have been the universal advice of doctors for decades because disease prevention is important. No matter how unappealing it seems to exercise more, eat right, and lose weight, the results show up in several positive ways.

But if this sounds like a dreary song and dance you've heard before, stay tuned. Prevention of these five (often related) diseases could cause you to change your tune about healthy living.

#1 Diabetes

Staggering stat: Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expect diabetes to affect more than 48 million people by 2050, In the United States alone. While it's already a widespread epidemic, many don't even know they have it.

Act now! Obesity is undoubtedly the greatest risk factor for developing diabetes, so losing and maintaining a healthy weight is essential for prevention. Many physicians recommend avoiding excessive carbohydrates because it eases stress on the pancreas where insulin is made.

But before making any drastic carb cuts, consider the suggestions from the American Diabetes Association (ADA). They report that low-carb, high-protein or other fad diets may help in losing weight initially, but they're not likely to help with long term, healthy weight maintenance. Such diets also eliminate vital nutrients. Instead, concentrate on an overall healthy eating plan that includes major food groups like lean meats, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and always control portion sizes.

"People really deficit in exercise," says Dr. Frank Becker, endocrinologist from Memorial Hospital of Carbondale. "Today 30 percent of kids are overweight and in a few years it's going to be even higher. Some schools don't even offer physical education (P.E.) classes anymore and that's part of the problem."

Another barrier to exercise is society's extended use of television, computers and video games. "There's a statistic that says one half of men in the United States play video games for up to three hours a day," Becker says.

While exercise has practically become taboo for many people, its effects are far too beneficial to ignore in diabetes prevention. A mere 30 minutes of daily, moderate physical activity produced a 58 percent reduction in diabetes when coupled with a five to ten percent decrease in body weight, as reported by the ADA.

Did you know? Two out of three people with diabetes die from heart disease and stroke?

#2 Heart Disease

Staggering stat: According to the American Heart Association (AHA), coronary heart disease is the single major cause of death in the U.S.

Act now! The U.S. Food & Drug Administration offers these tips for keeping your heart healthy: Get moving and maintain a healthy weight, stick to a nutritious, well-balanced diet, control blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent and manage diabetes, quit smoking, and minimize stress.

A Mediterranean diet is a good option for heart health. It promotes the consumption of healthy fats like olive and canola oils, small portions of nuts, generous amounts of fruits and vegetables, very little red meat, and regular servings of fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and halibut.

Don't like fish? No problem. Dr. Parag Madhani, invasive cardiologist and medical director of the River to River Heart Group in Marion recommends taking 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams of fish oil per day. "It's shown to decrease your chances of sudden death, it stabilizes the membrane in your heart, and it's good for your cholesterol," he says.

Recent studies suggest that the antioxidant properties of dark chocolate may improve heart health as well as drinking red wine in moderation. However, some researchers say that grapes and grape juice provide equal benefits.

Did you know? Smoking will counteract most heart disease prevention measures? For example, smoking even while eating healthy, exercising regularly, and/or taking medications will thwart most efforts to prevent any disease.

"It's like flushing your money down the drain," Madhani says. "If people continue to smoke, all the other stuff we [physicians] do isn't worthless, but it's close to worthless."

Madhani also offers this startling fact for those who don't walk regularly. "If you can't walk a quarter mile in six minutes, you have a 300 percent increased chance of dying than someone who can. The key is to keep moving."

#3 Stroke

Staggering stat: According to the National Stroke Association, stroke is the leading cause of death in America and the No. 1 cause of adult disability. In fact, the chance of having a stroke from ages 45-54 may be more than twice as high for women than men.

"A stroke is basically a heart attack of the brain," Madhani says. "It's a really nasty disease process, probably even more so than heart disease because the margin of error in the brain is far less than the heart."

He further explains that when key areas of the brain are affected by stroke it usually results in permanent damage to vision, speech, movement, hearing, etc.

Act now! Luckily, the National Stroke Association says that 80 percent of all strokes are preventable. In addition to all heart disease and diabetes prevention methods (mentioned above), it's also recommended to maintain a low sodium (salt) diet, monitor blood pressure, and find out if you have high cholesterol or atrial fibrillation.

Did you know the AHA recommends that all people, beginning at age 20, undergo stroke risk factor screening? Tests include recording blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference and pulse at least every two years, and cholesterol and glucose testing at least every five years.

#4 Cancer

Staggering stat: Scientists estimate that as much as 50 percent or more of cancer deaths in the U.S. are caused by social and environmental conditions and the unhealthy choices people make. The American Cancer Society says some of these factors include an unhealthy diet, obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity.

Act now! In addition to the ever popular advice on following a healthy diet and regular exercise regimen, Dr. Philip Dy, oncologist and hematologist at St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital in Centralia offers a few more suggestions.

"Taking a baby aspirin daily could prevent not only breast cancer and heart disease, but also colon polyps, which is the main cause of colon cancer," he says.

According to the Mayo Clinic, if you are at high risk of breast cancer, you may be able to improve your odds of staying cancer-free by taking certain medicines, an approach known as chemoprevention. Dy notes that taking chemopreventative drugs, such as Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (Evista(r)), reduces the risk of developing breast cancer by 50 percent.

Cervical cancer, the second most common cancer in women, is now more easily preventable because of a vaccine called Gardasil. Effective against HPV types 16 and 18 which cause approximately 70 percent of cervical cancers and against HPV types 6 and 11 which cause approximately 90 percent of genital warts, Gardasil is recommended for use in girls and women ages 9-26.

Despite having FDA approval, the vaccine remains controversial for several reasons: at the heart of which lies the age at which girls are recommended to receive it. Opponents of the vaccine fear that giving it to young girls will encourage sexual activity, and send a false sense of safety since it does not protect against other sexually transmitted diseases or women who have already been infected with the HPV types(s) that are covered by the vaccine prior to vaccination.

However, the American Cancer Society recommends that the vaccine be routinely given to females aged 11 to 12 and as early as age 9 at the discretion of doctors.

As drastic as it may seem, some forms of cancer may be preventable through surgery. "People forget that surgery could play a very powerful role in preventing some forms of cancer, especially breast, ovary, and colon cancers," Dy says.

Preventative surgeries aren't recommended for everyone. Instead, they're mainly designated for people with certain genetic mutations. For instance, patients who are carriers of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are at higher risk of developing certain forms of cancer. The National Cancer Institute reports that in men, these genes can lead to breast or prostate cancer. Female carriers are at higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

Did you know? Tobacco is the only consumer product known to kill half of its users, according to the American Cancer Society?

#5 Osteoporosis

Staggering stat: The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) reports that more than 1.5 millions Americans experience osteoporotic fractures each year (700,000 of which are vertebral fractures) at an annual cost of nearly $14 billion to the U.S. health care system.

According to the Mayo Clinic, fractures from osteoporosis are about twice as common in women as they are in men.

Act now! Typically, people will not have symptoms of osteoporosis until it's late in the process of the disease and they've sustained a fracture," says Angela Freehill, M.D. from the Orthopaedic Center of Southern Illinois in Mt. Vernon.

As with most diseases, prevention starts with education. While some of the most important risk factors for an osteoporotic fracture are traits that cannot be changed (gender, age, menopause, heredity, ethnicity and body frame), there are other risk factors that you can control.

Lifestyle changes recommended in the prevention of osteoporosis include avoidance of excessive consumption of alcohol, no tobacco use, a diet with adequate calcium and vitamin D and regular weight bearing exercises.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) says that men, with low levels of the male hormone testosterone, or those that have a chronic disease that affects the kidneys, lungs, stomach, intestines, or alters hormone levels are also at risk.

"People should ensure they are getting enough calcium and vitamin D in their diets," Freehill says. "Make sure milk and calcium-rich foods are incorporated into your diet."

She notes that the recommended dosage of calcium varies based on age, gender, and should be discussed with each patient's doctor. Some suggest adding soy to your diet as well.

NOF experts say that weight-bearing exercises are best for strengthening bones, such as walking, dancing, jogging, stair climbing, racquet sports, and hiking.

Did you know? Drinking tea is associated with a higher bone mineral density in women even though high caffeine consumption is associated with osteoporosis? The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study that shows women who were regular tea drinkers had higher bone density in two sites in the hip compared with non-tea drinkers. However, only the benefits of green and black teas were examined, not herbal teas.

So don't put your health on hold. Prevention won't wait, but it will save.

One sleep fits all

Sleep is one of the most valuable tools in overall disease prevention. Getting just an extra hour or two at the first sign of some illnesses can make a world of difference. But not getting enough sleep can weaken the immune system and lead to all kinds of health problems.

"We think that as much as one third of hypertension may be caused by sleep apnea," says Dr. Terry Brown, medical director of the Sleep Disorder Center at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro.

The Mayo Clinic categorizes sleep apnea into two main types: obstructive sleep apnea, the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax, and central sleep apnea, which occurs when your brain doesn't send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.

While it could be described as a nuisance, sleep apnea can also be fatal. Since it happens during sleep, many people don't know they have a problem.

Brown also reports that sleep apnea has been linked to diabetes and stroke. It can also worsen obesity, which then creates a vicious cycle.

"The irony is that you can be sleep deprived or have sleep apnea and become overweight and that, in turn, can make you more overweight," Brown says.

To improve sleep, Brown discourages eating or watching TV in bed and taking hot baths too close to bed time. He says having heavy meals right before sleeping tends to promote reflux, which interrupts sleep.

"People can get a better sleep by always getting up at the same time every day," Brown says. He further notes that milk products serve as a sleep aid to some because they contain Tryptophan. This amino acid is also found in turkey, chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, soy, and various nuts and seeds.