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INTRODUCTION
Perhaps no area within the field of human nutrition is more intensively
researched and discussed that the subject of obesity. In spite of all the
research and discussion, it remains a disorder for which there is no clearly
known cause or reliable treatment. This major public health problems is one
of the most complex and misunderstood disorders of our time.
Obesity results when food intake exceeds the caloric needs of the body.
There are various classifications of obesity as defined by insurance company
studies. For example, those identified as obese, 90% are characterized as
mildly obese (20%-40% above ideal weight), 9 percent are moderately obese
(40-100% above ideal weight) and .5% or 1.7 million American adults are
morbidly obese meaning they are 100 lbs.overweight.
From the National Center for Health Statistics the news is discouraging,
even with all of the programs, diet books, diet foods available:
As you can see from the above percentages, there has been an increase from
third of all Americans to more than half in just 8 years. These latest
statistics are based on body mass index (BMI), which is a method of
determining obesity based on height and weight. The center has utilized
this method since 1960; however, with this most recent research a
lower cutoff point was set as a definition of overweight. This cutoff
point is NOW the new BMI guideline that was just published recently.
This action is not without controversy. Some who study obesity and the
effect it has on health, say this is exactly where they belong. There are
other weight researchers who disagree and feel that most of the
overweight people do not belong in the new category.
CAUSES OF OBESITY
There are various causes of obesity with the first being attributed to genetic
factors such as familial obesity. Family resemblance studies support the
impression that obesity runs in families. When one parent is obese, the
chances of a child becoming obese are greater than 40% than when neither
parent is obese; if both parents are obese, the chances become quite likely
that the child will also be obese (80%); and if both parents are lean there is a
10% chance of obesity.
The Nuture Theory explains obesity in terms not related to genetic traits:
Food high in complex CHO (like pasta, rice, potatoes, breads, cereals,
grains, dried beans and peas ) are lower in calories than foods that are high
in fat and are good choices when one is trying to lose weight. In addition,
they are good sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Increasing one's
intake of fresh fruits and vegetables is an easy habit to incorporate. Limit
availability of high-calorie snacks and desserts. Roast, broil, and steam
foods rather than frying them. Select lean cuts of meat and low-fat dairy
products. Go easy on butter, margarine, sauces, and gravies. Eating slowly
will help to feel full sooner - and develop a feeling of satiety.
EATING DISORDERS
One of the conditions that seems to be increasing in prevalence is eating
disorders. I am providing a very brief discussion of this here in the lecture
on weight because it is a function of weight issues for most people.
Twenty years ago, few nutrition textbooks devoted more than a paragraph to
the subject of eating disorders. Although these disorders were known to
have serious effects on health, they were considered rare and of passing
interest. This cannot be said today. Anorexia nervosa and bulemia, the two
major eating disorders, are becoming increasingly common in the US; not
only in total numbers but in the age at which this condition is being
observed. More and more young women and girls are exhibiting the
symptoms. Females are 9 times more likely to devleop an eating disorder
than males.
People with either anorexia nervosa or bulimia are obsessed with the
appearance of their bodies and are preoccupied by thoughts of food, eating,
and dieting. No matter what their size, they tend to consider themselves as
"fat". In most cases this represents a very distorted body image.
People with anorexia nervosa are much more likely to be dangerously thin
than are people with bulimia. In order to lose more weight, a person with
anorexia will follow a strict, very low calorie diet and exercise at nearly
every opportunity.
People with bulimia are often of normal weight or slightly overweight, and
the signs of bulimia often do not appear until people are in their 20s or 30s.
Instead of dieting constantly, people with bulimia tend to interrupt their
usual eating pattern by binging - eating a large amount of food in a short
period of time. The foods chosen for binges are often high-calorie foods
such as ice cream, candy, potato chips, cookies, and other desserts. Food
binges by bulimics are generally followed by attempts to rid the body of the
food that was consumed so that they won't get fat. To do this, they purge
themselves of the food they have eaten by self-induced vomiting, taking
laxatives or diuretics and subsequent fasting.