Body Fat and Eating Disorders

SCI 241

University of Phoenix

Being able to live healthy in this American society has become a challenge. As food portions, cholesterol and technology increases, so does obesity and eating disorders. There are millions of people who are living with obesity or eating disorders. There are other issues that come along with obesity. Finding the source and taking action will help in the fight against obesity and eating disorders.

For the moment you are born, doctors take your measurements. The measurements most recorded are height and weight of a person. Those two measurements are frequently use to get a rough estimate of a person’s body fat percentage. Doctors record the body fat percentage and the age of the person to calculate how much actual body fat is healthy for their age. That is the simplest way to measure body fat, but it is also highly unreliable.

There are different ways of testing body fat because body fat and muscle can often be confused. Everyone had a different body composition which can vary the total amount of body of a person. Some body compositions may be top heavy, bottom heavy, muscular, petite, slim, average or more. Whatever body shape a person carries, it is important to know how much weight is too much. Carrying too much weight may lead to health problems.

The leading sources of obesity in this country are food portions and inactivity. Over the years, portion sizes have increased tremendously. Many fast food chains serve huge portions of unhealthy foods. The other shoe drops with individuals and their lack of exercise. Today’s society is all about now. There are drive-thru everything, online everything, video games, cell phones and various other gadgets that take away from physical activities. Technically, people only have to get up to eat and shower. Without movement, the food that you over consume because fat.

Some people control their weight in the wrong way. One bad method is binge eating which can cause diabetes type 2 by the sudden spikes and lows of the blood sugar level. Bulimia is where a person usually purges food after eating, which may cause tooth decay and gingivitis. Anorexia is when a person avoids food. People with anorexia as usually very thin and tend to have bone loss due to under nutrition.