Running head: BODY FAT AND EATING DISORDERS

Body Fat and Eating Disorders Nichol James SCI/241 August 11, 2013 Ann Schide

BODY FAT AND EATING DISORDERS

Body Fat and Eating Disorders Body composition is the percentage of fat tissue and lean tissue. A good number of health issues are connected with body fat outbreaks and eating disorders. Lean tissue consists of bone, muscle, and organs. Fat tissue is divided into three categories stored fat and essential fat is need for the body to function properly, non-essential fat has not purpose. Fat has variety of effects on health. Some effect can be long term and others can be short term. Risk associated with too much body fat include: decrease circulation, high cholesterol levels, increased blood pressure, risk of cardiac problems, blood clots and varicose veins, risk of diabetes, and hardening arteries. This happens because the body does not get some of the essential nutrients and substances which are for good health. There are many factors that influence the obesity epidemic. Obesity can be an environmental factor that include high energy, high fat food, fast food consumption, super-size portions, television watching, rather than biological (Brantley, 2005). Other factors include but are not limited to stress, boredom, and comfort or out of control eating. When people are stressed they sometimes eat to calm down, and really dont care what they eat. People are bombarded with advertisements of high fat, high calorie, convenient, and inexpensive food. They eat junk when they are bored, and they are not necessarily hungry, but food keeps there mind occupied. People also used food as a way to comfort them after a bad life situation. Whatever the case maybe they use food as a way to cope with the problem at hand. Some just eat to eat or because they see someone else eating. Often times children are like this they eat a full course and will want to eat again because they see it. Anorexia nervosa as well as bulimia nervosa along with binge-eating is some eating disorders that result in abnormal eating habits. People with anorexia nervosa see themselves as

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overweight, but they are actually underweight. Some people with anorexia nervosa may also engage in binge-eating followed by extreme dieting, excessive exercise, self-induced vomiting, and/or misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas (National Institute of Mental Health, 2013). Some health problems associated with anorexia are starvation, bone thinning, and kidney damage and heart problems. Individuals with anorexia nervosa have a fear of being overweight, so they feel the need to starve themselves. These health issues arise because they are not eating the proper nutrients to promote a healthy body. People with bulimia nervosa have recurrent and frequent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food and feeling a lack of control over these episodes (National Institute of Mental Health, 2013). Health problems associated with bulimia are tooth decay/aches, swollen gums, gingivitis, osteoporosis, heart problems, dehydration, fainting and problems with bowel movement due to laxative use. Unlike anorexia nervosa people with bulimia nervosa usually maintain their weight while slightly being underweight. People with bulimia have a fear of gaining weight, and they are unhappy with the body shape and size. A binge-eater is someone who loses control over his/her eating. People with binge-eating disorder often are over-weight or obese. Health risk associated with binge eating is depression, suicidal thoughts, insomnia, obesity and high blood pressure. People who binge eat feel ashamed so they eat in secret and alone. More than likely it was something physiological that triggered an eating disorder in the first place. Some factors such as stress, loss of job or loved one, divorce, peer pressure, society, and low self-esteem will cause a person to develop eating disorders. Society wants us to think that being thin is the norm for all. People want to live up to the image of being a model thin. Models have eating disorders because they are told if they are not a size

BODY FAT AND EATING DISORDERS zero they are too fat. There is nothing wrong with losing weight as long as its done the right way.

BODY FAT AND EATING DISORDERS

References Brantley PJ (2005) Environmental and lifestyle influences on obesity. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15751906 National Institute of Mental Health (2013) Eating Disorders. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders/index.shtml