Do you need to change your diet to improve your health?

Nicola Clegg

Everybody needs a balanced diet to stay healthy. We need a balanced diet because no single food contains the essential nutrients the body needs to be healthy and function efficiently. The nutritional value of a person’s diet depends on the overall mixture of food that is eaten over a period of time, so a balanced diet is one that is likely to include a large variety of food, this ensures that the person takes in all the nutrients needed to stay healthy.

‘A balanced diet is made up of; 10% protein, 60% starchy carbohydrate foods,

And up to 30% fats (resource 3).’

You should have a certain amount of fat in your diet as the body naturally stores fat under the skin and around organs and joints, it provides insulation and protects internal organs. Fat is critical for good health because it is a source of energy when the body doesn’t have enough energy to perform life processes. ‘Diets that do not allow fats are bad for you (resource 5).’

However, too much fat intake can cause obesity. Obesity is a medical condition caused by the accumulation of too much fat in the body causing the person’s weight to increase enough to seriously endanger their health. It can result in serious medical problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependant), hypertension, and osteoarthritis.

Body weight is influenced by energy intake (food) and energy expenditure (needed for basal metabolism e.g. keeping the heart beating) and for physical activity. If a person regularly consumes more calories than they use up they will become overweight or obese.

‘Obesity is one of the most visible, but neglected public health problems. The latest figures for Great Britain show that 25% of men and 20% of women are obese. Today, more adults are obese than ever before (reference 2).’ The amount of children who are overweight is also increasing, over 20% of boys and over 25% of girls ...

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Obesity is a worldwide public health problem. In 2000, it was estimated that about 300 million adults were obese. ‘A recent report estimated that in England 30,000 deaths per year are obesity-related. On average, each person whose death could be attributed to obesity lost nine years of life (reference 2).’ Obesity is the 2nd largest cause of cancer (1st is smoking)

A useful way to find out if a person is average weight for their height is to work out their body mass index (BMI).

Weight in kilograms =BMI

(Height in metres squared)

‘A desired BMI is considered to be in the region of 20-25.

Above this is considered as being overweight.

A BMI of 30 is considered obese.

A BMI of over 40 is considered to be morbidly (severely) obese (reference 1).’

There is a link between BMI and the risk of certain diseases. People with a BMI of 20-25 have a low but average risk, and those people with a BMI of over 40 have a very high risk of obtaining these related diseases. Also, having a waist circumference of more than 37 inches for a man and 32 inches for a woman means you could be increasing your risk of developing heart disease or diabetes.

‘There are three main causes of obesity, these are; biological factors, genetics and lifestyle (reference 4).’

Biological factors- Research has revealed that biological factors are very important in the regulation of body weight, such as, basal metabolic rate, the minimum amount of energy needed to maintain the body’s functions. This affects body weight and weight loss because some people naturally use more calories to sustain the basic body processes. Also, the size and number of an individual’s fat cells can help to determine the amount of weight loss that is possible for them.

Genetics- Obesity can be determined by a person’s genetic makeup. ‘One study published in 1986 followed children who were adopted shortly after birth. They grew up achieve adult weights that were similar to their biological parents rather than their adoptive parents. This indicates that a person’s genetic makeup strongly influences their body weight (reference 4).’ Scientists as yet, are unsure about which genes affect human obesity. More than 250 genes have been identified which may affect obesity. Scientists believe that the cause of obesity in humans is very complex and most likely involves multiple genes and lifestyle factors such as exercise and diet.

Lifestyle- Changes in lifestyles over time such as reduced physical activity and increased calorie consumption have attributed to the increase in obesity we see today. In developed countries we have a very wide selection of grocery products. Also, we have lots of pre-packaged meals, soft drinks and fast-food restaurants. Because of this increase in convenience food we are choosing to eat more and more food which is high in fat, sugar and calories. Adults and children are decreasing the amount of time they spend on exercise, this could be a result of longer working hours, an increase in participation in sedentary recreational activities such as browsing the internet or watching TV and a decrease in physical education in schools. Also, modern day devices such as cars, remote controls and elevators contribute to the decrease in physical activity done in our day-to-day lives. ‘This lack of physical activity has reduced the overall amount of energy expended throughout the day, contributing to the development of obesity (reference 4).’

There are many treatments for obesity, these include; diets, exercise, behaviour modification (such as exercise and eating habits), weight-loss medications (such as sibutramine and orlistat) and surgery (gastroplasty or gastric bypass)

Overall I feel that diet and exercise most affect body weight, a balanced diet and an adequate amount of exercise would be the best way to maintain an average weight and a healthy BMI.