...Body Fat and Eating Disorders Kay Canaan SCI/241 4/21/13 Joseph Robare Body Fat and Eating Disorders Introduction: “Childhood obesity is best tackled at home through improved parental involvement, increased physical exercise, better diet and restraint from eating” (Bob Filner, 2006, pg. 1). This paper will explore the cause of unhealthy body composition, the factors that influence obesity, as well as the different types of eating disorders. Body Composition: Body composition is necessary for many reasons. For one body composition protects the organs in the body, two it protects the body from temperature changes and for three it gives us energy. However with all things considered you can have too much body composition. Body composition crosses the line of healthy to unhealthy when it reaches the rate of 30 pounds overweight. Unhealthy body composition refers to body fat in comparison to lean muscle mass. It is the unhealthy body composition that leads us toward obesity, and a whole host of medical problems such as heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, to name a few. To ensure your body composition is within normal range you need to measure your BMI (Body Mass Index). To measure BMI a formula of weigh/height^2*703 is used. Factors that influence obesity: Following this idea further it is important to know what causes unhealthy body composition. This can be such things as high fat diet, a diet high in sugar, lack of exercise, and simply overeating...
Words: 908 - Pages: 4
...Fat and Eating Disorders April D Cook SCI 241 8/3/13 Sandi House Define body composition and the risks associated with excess body fat? “Body composition is the body’s relative amount of fat to fat free mass (Scott, 2008).” The less body fat you have the better you feel and the better your body moves. Having too much body fat can cause health risks such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. If you have too much fat around your organs you could damage your liver. What are some factors that influence the obesity epidemic? After reading the research from the US National Library of Medicine, obesity is being affected by high fat foods, fast food intake, and too much television watching for long periods of time and not enough physical activity, and the portion size of foods being bought (Brantley 2005). What are some health problems associated with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder? Anorexia nervosa can cause osteoporosis, brittle nails and hair, yellow and dry skin, muscle weakness, constipation, low blood pressure, brain damage, and organ failure and body weakness. People who become anorexic believe that they are over-weight ("What Are Eating Disorders?", 2011). Bulimia nervosa can cause sore throat, swollen glands, tooth decay and acid reflux, intestinal issues from laxative abuse, dehydration and heart attack. People who become bulimic fear becoming over-weight ("What Are Eating Disorders?", 2011). Binge-eating disorder can cause cardiovascular...
Words: 441 - Pages: 2
...Body Fat and Eating Disorders Paper Andrea Muller SCI/241 September 12, 2014 Cindy Davis Body Fat and Eating Disorders Paper When a person carries too much or excess body in comparison to the lean muscle mass, it calls for an unhealthy body. As the body fat-to-lean ratio increases, so does your health risks. In fact, more often than not an unhealthy body composition can lead to obesity and lead to more critical health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and even cancer. What causes these factors of obesity? Consuming a high in fat, high in sugar, lack of exercise, overeating, and excess alcohol intake are all factors of obesity. On the other hand, eating disorders are serious illnesses that affect someone’s everyday diet by either eating extremely small amounts of food or severely overeating. Such eating disorders include: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating. Whether you are a man or woman, these disorders are very real and can be treatable. Usually, these eating disorders are associated with other mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse. Each eating disorder has specific characteristics to them as well as treatments. However, these eating disorders also take a toll of a person’s health therefore many health risks are of a concern. People with anorexia nervosa analyze eating, food and their weight constantly. This obsession makes them believe that they...
Words: 718 - Pages: 3
...ENC1102 Research Paper 3/15/2014 The Thin-Ideal Women around the world struggle with self-worth as well as depression. Many of these lead to more severe situations, such as eating disorders or even suicide. The idea which has created these issues has developed over time through media and the fashion world. The idea that women are to look a certain way and wear a specific size has caused much turmoil for those living in the Western world. It has been proven through research and studies that show the impact media and advertising has on a woman’s self-esteem as well as her self-image. It has become a cultural idea for women to have thin, curve-free bodies, which cause women who do not fit the image to feel body dissatisfaction along with an importance of the woman’s weight leading her toward depression. Though men can be effected by the stereotypes of body images, it is higher amongst women (Rizon and Fallon, 1988). How Media Portrays the Thin-Ideal The media portrays the thin-ideal through many different aspects. It almost always uses a communicator (the person who is used to relay the message of how thin is the best body image), a message (this is different depending on the type of media used), the channel (which is also different depending on what message the communicator is trying to portray), and finally the audience (who the communicator desires to reach through his or her message using a specific channel). An example of this type of media would be a Weight Watchers...
Words: 2864 - Pages: 12
...To me, compulsive overeating is a disease where a person has no control over their food intake. It's a constant eating, a wanting for a more and more. You can't get enough, sort of like a junkie looking for the next high. That is my relationship with food. And I have no control. People that suffer from Compulsive Overeating have what can be labeled not only as an eating disorder, but also as an addiction and even more so as an illness. There are many reasons why people become addicted to food, many using eating as a way to cope with problems or stress in their lives. Eating can also help them conceal their emotions, to fill the emptiness that they feel inside. Food is used as a narcotic to not deal with their feelings or emotions. The tendency for people with this eating disorder is overweight because of the abnormal eating habits. People that do not suffer from the epidemic can and won’t empathize with the victims because of the common stereotypes, stereotype such as greed, gluttony or lack of disciple. Simple suggestions to a sufferer such as “Just slow down or go on a diet” are equally insulting as telling a person suffering from Anorexia to “eat something”. Not only are the words hurtful, but this disorder will negatively bleed into the body and causes health risks. A sufferer with this Compulsive Overeating disorder is prone to high blood-pressure and cholesterol, can develop kidney disease or kidney failure, arthritis, deterioration of the bones, strokes, heart attacks,...
Words: 17730 - Pages: 71
...Throughout the ages, teenagers and young adults have suffered from eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. Eating disorders cannot be controlled when it has reached a certain point and could be fatal to the human body. People always blame the media and models for these disorders because the actresses are always so skinny. What people do not know is that eating disorders can be caused by other things rather than the media and models. When people hear that someone suffering from anorexia they automatically think it is because they want to be a model or an actress, when in reality it could be because of emotional reasons. People need to realize that the media is not always the main cause to an eating disorder, they are dangerous to the body, and there are ways to prevent the disorder. Parents of the teens can be a big help to prevent teenagers to obtain such a disorder. Eating disorders are abnormal behaviors dealing with foods which mostly effect high school and college students. These disorders are divided into three categories: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating which they all are the most difficult mental illness to diagnose or cure. There are a variety of reasons doctors cannot cure or diagnose people with these conditions for the simple fact of people being in denial that they have an eating problem. Studies have shown that depression and eating disorders have a connection so doctors often give patients antidepressants for the use of treating...
Words: 1857 - Pages: 8
...interest; 13 of the most relevant were reviewed in detail. From these, we developed evidence-based best practice recommendations on the psychological assessment and treatment of WLS patients. Regular updates of evidence-based recommendations for best practices in psychological care are required to address the impact of mental health on short- and long-term outcomes after WLS. Key factors in patient safety include comprehensive preoperative evaluation, use of appropriate and reliable evaluation instruments, and the development of short- and long-term treatment plans. Obesity (2009) 17, 880–884. doi:10.1038/oby.2008.571 Introduction Evidence-based best practice guidelines for psychological assessment and care in weight loss surgery (WLS) have been previously described (1). Earlier recommendations focused on patient selection/screening, preoperative evaluation, the relationship between binge eating and outcome, the role of the mental health practitioner in the WLS team, and postoperative support. This report covers key updates in these...
Words: 4657 - Pages: 19
...LESSON FIVE & SIX – ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EATING DISORDERS ------------------------------------------------- Specification link: You will be able to outline and evaluate: ------------------------------------------------- Biological, including neural and evolutionary, explanations of anorexia nervosa ------------------------------------------------- Psychology explanations of anorexia nervosa Outline and description of theories | Research evidence and commentary | IntroductionThe DSM-IV Rev identifies three categories of eating disorder: * Anorexia nervosa 1. AN -restricting type – refusal to eat 2. AN- binge eating/purging type – episodes of binge eating followed by removal of food from the body by vomiting, laxatives, or enemas.Both of these are associated with significant weight loss and the other symptoms of AN. * Bulimia nervosa – episodes of binging followed by removal of food from the body by vomiting, laxatives, or enemas (no significant weight loss). * Eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS)The four major symptoms of anorexia nervosa are: * The body weight is 85% or less of normal weight for age and height * Distorted perception of body weight/shape, and/or denial that the weight loss is severe * Intense fear of becoming fat * Loss of three consecutive menstrual cycles in women (amenorrhoea)Anorexia nervosa (AN) and Bulimia nervosa (BN) have much in common, particularly a dissatisfaction with body weight and/or shape....
Words: 3915 - Pages: 16
...types of addiction were addressed and how the film's characters became addicted, if known? Sugarbaby movie tells a story of an obese woman named Marianne Sagebrecht who was a mortuary attendant. Marianne’s problem is that she is unable to control her urge to eat food especially sweets (Sugarbaby, 1985). She suffers from binge food addiction. This type of addiction is where individuals consume a large amount of food such as carbohydrates, which leads to weight gain. The character in the film hides her addiction by eating at home or carrying food to work. How did this addiction physically affect the individuals involved? Marianne in Sugarbaby film is affected by her weight gain after her depression. The weight gain makes her unable to work for long hours without getting tired, walk for long distances and have normal breathing. Her increase in body size made it difficult for her to fit in her clothes. Although the character was...
Words: 685 - Pages: 3
...An Overview of Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia Nervosa (BN) is one of the leading eating disorders worldwide alongside anorexia nervosa and continues to pose a major health threat as sufferers experience psychological and medical symptoms that most often lead to complications (Le Grange & Lock, 2007, p. 4). One of these complications is the tendency of bulimic patients to commit suicide because of aggravating sense of despair and loss of hope. According to Pompili, Girardi, Ruberto & Tatarelli (2006), “suicide in anoxeria nervosa and bulimia nervosa is a major cause of death” (p. 1). Aside from suicide, one of the disturbing realities about bulimia nervosa is how it tends to affect women and adolescents. The usual onset or starting point of bulimia is set at adolescence (Le Grange & Lock, 2007, p. 3) when young adults are starting to form their own self-identity, a process tied to the notion of body image. The seriousness of bulimia nervosa compels one to understand the ‘entire story’ of this eating disorder that includes knowing its history and nature, the etiology, symptoms and prognosis as well as the innovative treatments that have emerged in the recent years that can solve the case and problem that is bulimia nervosa. Bulimia Nervosa: At a Glance Characteristics and symptoms often associated to BN are known to have existed and observed in the ancient times. Emperors Claudius and Vitellius of ancient Rome are found to have exhibited the typical features of bulimia...
Words: 2254 - Pages: 10
...Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and purging, or consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the food consumed, typically by vomiting, taking a laxative, diuretic, or stimulant, and/or excessive exercise, because of an extensive concern for body weight. Many individuals with bulimia nervosa also have an additional psychiatric disorder. Some individuals may tend to alternate between bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Bulimia is also commonly accompanied with fasting over an extended period of time. These dangerous, habit-forming practices occur while the sufferer is trying to keep their weight under a self-imposed threshold. It can lead to potassium loss and health deterioration, with depressive symptoms that are often severe and lead to a high risk of suicide. Bulimia nervosa is nine times more likely to occur in women than men. The majority of those with bulimia nervosa are at normal weight. The majority, about 80 to almost 90 percent of individuals with bulimia are women. However, males do develop the disorder and some studies suggest that the prevalence among males is higher than previously believed. Among women, adolescents are the most at risk. A survey of 496 adolescent girls reported that more than 12 percent experienced some form of eating disorder by the time they were 20. Over the years the size and weight of the average woman has increased with improved nutrition, but there...
Words: 3440 - Pages: 14
...addresses the relationship between psychological processes and behaviour on the one hand and health and illness on the other...”. Health psychology aims to understand, explain, develop and test theories by evaluating the role of psychology and its perspectives as factors affecting illness, predicting unhealthy behaviours and understanding and evaluating the role of psychology in the experience and treatment of illness. It also aims to put theory into practice by promoting healthy behaviour, preventing illness and thereby improving the health care system and health policy. For example, from programmes developed to help people reduce risk factors to their health, such as obesity and smoking, to understanding how people respond to the onset of illness, how they deal with their illness, how they cope with pain and how they respond to treatments. Therefore, health psychology is an important discipline that has a great deal to offer to the health care system, demonstrating that psychological principals can be successful in providing positive health effects in patients than...
Words: 4240 - Pages: 17
...In today’s society, eating disorders have been found to affect a large number of people. The disorder does not discriminate against gender, age group, or socioeconomic status although it’s more common in the female gender. The three most common types of this psychological disorder include Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge eating. Anorexia is found in a person who refuses to eat or eats a minimal amount to cause severe weight loss. Bulimia involves a person who consumes a large amount of food and then seeks to purge himself of the caloric intake. Most commonly this is accomplished by vomiting. The third type, binge eating, is similar to bulimia accept in this particular case there is no attempt by the individual to compensate for the caloric intake. In the following research paper the causes, clinical findings, and treatment of each of these disorders will be discussed to determine how each varies from one another. Anorexia nervosa is a psychological disorder that is caused by self-induced starvation resulting in severe weight loss. It is considered a psychological disorder because it primarily affects healthy young individuals, mostly commonly young women, who have developed an obsession with becoming thin. It is estimated that 0.5 to 3.7 percent of females suffer from anorexia nervosa in their lifetime (Stunkard, J. A., & Wilson, T., 2008.) The exact cause is not known, but attitudes towards physical appearance and family issues effect its development. Feasting on large...
Words: 3656 - Pages: 15
...HCA 240 May 7, 2011 Public Awareness and Human Diseases Introduction Obesity is an issue that is growing rapidly every day. According to WebMD (2010), “Obesity is an excess proportion of total body fat. A person is considered obese when his or her weight is 20% or more above normal weight.” More and more adults are overweight, but what is worse is that there are more and more children who are obese, or are on the fast track to becoming obese. Families are more inclined to eat out because of its convenience and often do not realize the consequences. Television and video games have replace outside activities such as riding a bike and playing sports. There are many different factors that cause obesity. If one has improper eating habits such as eating fast food often, eating larger portions than what is recommended, or eating to relieve stress or boredom then they are more likely to be obese, or become obese, than someone who eats a healthier diet. “While most overweight people have no more psychological disturbances than people at their normal weight, about 30% of people who seek treatment for serious weight problems have difficulties with binge eating.” (WebMD, 2010) Obesity can also be genetic. If one has a family history of obesity, then their chances of becoming obese are greater than someone who does not have a family history of obesity. According to WebMD (2010), “If your biological mother is heavy as an adult, there is approximately a 75% chance that you will be heavy...
Words: 2102 - Pages: 9
...parents. The family surrogates described their decision-making as a process based in the families’ stories and as extension of the elders’ identities’. At times family members must balance the elders’ freedom and best interest, self-determination and dependence on others, or individual choice and collective pressure. The most common element surrounding ALL Eating Disorders is the inherent presence of a low self esteem Having an Eating Disorder is much more than just being on a diet. An Eating Disorder is an illness that permeates all aspects of each sufferer's life, is caused by a variety of emotional factors and influences, and has profound effects on the people suffering and their loved ones. Dieting is about losing a little bit of weight in a healthy way. Eating Disorders are about trying to make your whole life better through food and eating (or lack of). Dieting is about doing something healthy for yourself. Eating Disorders are about seeking approval and acceptance from everyone through negative attention. Dieting is about losing a bit of weight and doing it healthfully. Eating Disorders are about how life won't be good until a bit (or a lot) of weight is lost, and there's no...
Words: 1334 - Pages: 6
