NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY

AND METABOLISM

NDN 10402

TITLE : HEALTHY DIET PLAN TO LOSE WEIGHT FOR

OBESITY TEENAGERS

NAME : ANIS SYAZWINA BINTI SALMAN

MATRIC NUMBER : 050291

COURSE : BACHELOR OF DIETETICS(HONS)

SUBMISSION DATE : 28th MARCH 2019

SUBMITTED TO : MISS HOLIFA SAHEERA BINTI ASMARA

CONTENTS

No. Content Page number

1. Pathological condition of obesity 2-3

2. Diet requirement 3

3. Absorption and digestion 4-5

4. Reference 6-7
OBESITY

Obesity in general terms is a weight greater than what is healthy. It also defined as having an excess
body fat. Based on the National Institutes of Health, BMI ( body mass index) is used as screening tool
to determine overweight or obesity. The BMI equals a person's weight in kilograms (kg) divided by
their height in meters (m)2 . An adult which their BMI falls within 30.0 or higher is obese. Obesity
subdivided into three classes. Class 1 is in the range of BMI 30.0 to < 35 . BMI of class 2 is from 35 to
<40. BMI of 40 or higher is class 3 obesity which also called as severe obesity. However BMI is not
diagnostic of the body fatness or the health of an individual . Below is the details to find your BMI.

Figure 1 shows BMI table, from website nutriactive.com

Based on Malaysian Association Study of Obesity (MASO), this condition normally occurs when our
body taking more calories than it burns. The body will store the excess of requirement calorie intake as
body fat. If it is not used over time, it leads to overweight and obesity. This is also called as positive
energy balance where energy intake is greater than energy expenditure. A series of physiological
processes of body weight is regulated , which have small range to keep weight stable. From MASO
research, they suggest that positive energy balance are influenced by environmental and society. This
includes lack of physical activity , increases in food variety, oversized food portions, and limited access
to healthy foods.
From a website Medbroadcast , in some cases, certain genetics factors may cause the change in appetite
and fat metabolism that lead to this condition. Some person are genetically have higher tendency to gain
weight ( e.g, has a lower metabolism) and leads to unhealthy lifestyle, have high risk of becoming
obese. While from a website Medicinenet, genetics also influence hormones in fat regulation. For
example, one genetic cause is leptin deficiency. Leptin is a hormone produced in fat cells and in the
placenta. Leptin functioning to control weight by giving signal to the brain to eat less when body fat
stores are too high. If it happened that the body cannot produce enough leptin or leptin cannot signal
the brain to eat less, this control is lost, and obesity occurs. Medications also sometimes linked to weight
gain. Each medication give differs reason to weight gain. For example, high blood pressure medications
and antihistamines cause weight gain.

DIET REQUIREMENT TO LOSE WEIGHT FOR TEENAGER

When in comes to weight loss diets, it the calories that count. Diets that provide very low or very high
amounts of protein , carbohydrates and fat are likely to provide low amounts of some nutrients and are
not advisable for long term use. A recent study found that people who added more fiber in their diets
lost almost a much weight as people who followed the heart-healthy and low-fat eating plan. The study
added that people who eat more fiber tend to have a healthier body weight. Fiber is known as
carbohydrate which can be found in plant foods.

Differ from other carbs, fiber can’t be digested and quickly passes through our body system without
causing the blood sugar increase as our body don’t have the enzyme to break down the fiber . Foods
that provide you soluble fiber help in feel full for a longer period of time. This result because it empties
our stomach at a slower pace rather than other foods. In other hands , insoluble fiber helps in adding
bulk to diet and fills our belly without adding calories . It also can improve regularity and less
constipation.

Based on American Academy of Pediatrician , they stated that fiber is an important part of teen’s diet
as it giving as several vital functions in our body which had stated in healthychildren.org website on 2nd
January 2016. However we need to aware that some foods with fiber also contain a lot of calories and
fat. For example , granola is high in fiber but usually contains a lot of sugar and fat which will increase
the amount of the overall calories. Just like granola , avocado also contain high fiber and fat. Basically,
fiber comes the most from plants, so in weight loss diet plant sources are needed . Fiber usually found
in the skin, seeds and membranes of plants. There are many sources such as vegetables , fruits, whole
grains , and also legumes.
DIGESTION AND ABSORPTION OF FIBER

Fibers in this sources of food cannot be digested , so it does not provide calories for energy or nutrients
. Regardless, it provides us with health benefits and importance in our diet. Our body digestion of food
are through combination of mechanical or physical digestion and chemical digestion. Mechanical
digestion includes physically broken down food particles which begins in the mouth which chewing
and continues in our stomach . In the stomach, our muscles will grind the food particles. While chemical
digestion begins in our mouth where the presence of saliva enzymes break down the complex food
particles. Enzymes and acid that produced in stomach continue the digestion . Just like in stomach,
enzymes in small intestine complete the digestion. Foods that contain fiber go through this process, but
the actual fiber molecules remain intact.

For digestion in soluble fiber such as pectin and gum which are found in plant, they dissolves in water
to form a gel-like paste. It acts as soften stools and helps slow the movement of the digested materials
through our digestive tract. Besides providing fullness feeling for a longer period, it increases the
nutrient absorption and reducing calorie intake. The examples of source in soluble fiber are barley, oats,
beans and prunes. This types of fiber will bind to bile acids in the intestine and helps secretion. Lower
blood cholesterol lever related to the bile acids produces in the body. This results from the liver that
filters cholesterol from blood to produce bile acids. This helps slow down the absorption of glucose into
the bloodstream and keeping us feeling fuller for longer, helping to control blood sugar levels.

Figure 2 shows types of soluble fiber, from website dietplanlist.com

As we know that lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose are insoluble fiber that remains undigested.
Few sources from insoluble fibers are cereals, whole-wheat bread, apple and others. They
making the stool softer to go through the colon easily as they attracts water. When our body
finish with the fiber digestion, bacteria in colon will start to degrade fiber molecules. Bacteria
will produce an enzyme that degrade the fiber through process of fermentation.

Figure 3 shows insoluble fiber , from website dietplanlist.com

As conclusions, eating food in rich fibers can be an effective strategy to lose weight in
teenagers. This can be difficult as teens have a preference for processed food rather than taking
vegetables, legumes and fruits. There are many ways to fit fiber into teen’s diet. For example,
taking salad as snacks, don’t peel fruits and vegetables that have edible skin, substitutes whole-
grain breas for white bread and else. However, keep in minds that the results will not lead to
long-term results unless pairing it with a lasting lifestyle change.
REFERENCES

- What is Obesity? (no date) .Obesity in Adolescents by © 2019 STANFORD CHILDREN'S

HEALTH, retrieved from https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=obesity-in-
adolescents-90-P01627

- Pathological condition of Obesity ( 5th December, 2018) , Childhood obesity by Mayo Clinic
Staff, © 1998-2019 Mayo Foundation. All rights reserved, retrieved from
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/childhood-obesity/symptoms-causes/syc-
20354827

- Obesity in Malaysia (no date) , Research paper on obesity in Malaysia by Malaysian

Association for the Study of Obesity, retrieved from
http://www.maso.org.my/index.php?profile

- Causes of Obesity ( July,2018) , What causes Obesity by (no name) , retrieved from
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/what-causes-obesity

- Fiber in diet (5th June,2012) , Low-Fiber Diet May Raise Teens' Risk Diabetes by Robert
Preidt, retrieved from https://consumer.healthday.com/diabetes-information-10/misc-diabetes-
news-181/low-fiber-diet-may-raise-teens-risk-for-heart-disease-diabetes-665349.html

- Fiber in Teen’s diet ( 2nd January 2016),Fiber An Important Part of Your Teen’s Diet by (no
name) © Copyright 2019 American Academy of Pediatrics, retrieved from
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/nutrition/pages/Fiber-An-
Important-Part-of-Your-Teens-Diet

- Fiber in loss weight (26th October,2018), Fiber Can Help You Lose Weight — But Only A
Specific Type by Joe Leech,MS , retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fiber-
can-help-you-lose-weight

- Fiber & loss weight ( no date) , High-Fiber Diets and Weight Loss by Amanda Gardner , ©
2005 - 2019 WebMD LLC, retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/fiber-
weight-control#1

- Soluble and insoluble fiber ( 12th June,2018), Insoluble and Soluble for Weight Loss by Malia
Frey retrieved from https://www.verywellfit.com/insoluble-vs-soluble-fiber-for-weight-loss-
3495369
- Food high in fiber ( 20th February , 2019) , 6 High-Fiber Foods for Weight Loss by Lisa
Lillien , retrieved from https://www.verywellfit.com/high-fiber-foods-for-weight-loss-
1087917

- Fiber digestion ( 7th December , 2018) , Can Fiber Be Digested by the Body? By Stephanie
Chandler ,retrieved from https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/can-fiber-digested-body-4829.html