Nutrition
3/27/2013
Thea Leonard
Body Fat and Eating Disorders
Obesity and eating disorders have become a major problem in the United States. More than one third of U.S. adults are obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Excess body fat can present many problems such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke and even cancer, but not only do Americans struggle with obesity they also struggle with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating.
Many people think that if they are thin then they are healthy, but this is not true. When assessing overall health it is important to consider body composition. Body composition is the ratio of fat to lean muscle, as the ratio increases so do the health risks. Excessive body fat has been linked to various health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke and even some forms of cancer. Obesity is when a person’s weight is 20% above normal weight and occurs when a person consumes more calories than they burn. There are a few different factors that contribute to obesity such as age, gender, genetics, psychological factors, and medications.
As a person gets older their body’s metabolism slows down which makes them gain weight, the older a person gets the less calories they need to consume. Obesity often runs in families, a study shows that of adopted children and it shows that the adopted child weight was closer to the biological parents than the adopted parents (WebMD). Psychological factors are also another major reason as to why people are obese; many people turn to food for different emotions such as sadness, happiness, anger, etc.
Not only do Americans suffer from obesity, but they also suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. It is unknown how many adults and children suffer from these eating disorders. An eating disorder is an illness that causes disturbances to the everyday diet, such as eating too little or eating too much (National Institute of Mental Health). Anorexia nervosa is characterized by extreme thinness, intense fear of gaining weight, distorted body image, and extremely restricted eating. Bulimia nervosa is characterized by eating very large amounts of food and not feeling any control, this is usually followed by behaviors such as forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or a combination of these. The last eating disorder is binge eating, this is where the person loses control over his or her eating, and are usually overweight.
Many different things can lead a person to an eating disorder, someone who has a perfectionist personality and is an over achiever is more likely to develop an eating disorder. Eating disorders take a toll on one’s body, such as changes in hormones which control many different things such as mood, appetite, thinking, and memory. These eating disorders can lead to health problems such as damaged organs, kidneys, heart, brain, drop in blood pressure, loss of hair, irregular heartbeat, etc.
Obesity and eating disorders have become a problem in the United States. More than one third of U.S. adults are obese, and conditions include heart disease, cancer, stroke, and type two diabetes. Not only is obesity a problem in the United States but eating disorders have also become a problem such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. If a person thinks they suffer from any of these medical conditions then they should seek medical attention right away.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (August 13, 2012). Adult Obesity Facts. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
National Institute of Mental Health. (Jan 3,2013). Eating Disorders. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders/complete-index.shtml
WebMD. (March 21,2013). Obesity. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/diet/what-is-obesity
Grosvenor, M. B. & Smolin, L. A. (2006). Nutrition: Everyday choices. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.
References: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (August 13, 2012). Adult Obesity Facts. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html National Institute of Mental Health. (Jan 3,2013). Eating Disorders. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders/complete-index.shtml WebMD. (March 21,2013). Obesity. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/diet/what-is-obesity Grosvenor, M. B. & Smolin, L. A. (2006). Nutrition: Everyday choices. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.
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