MARIANO, RHEA JANE A.

BSN 1B SEPTEMBER 14, 2019

OBESITY

Carbohydrates may directly influence human diseases by affecting

physiological and metabolic processes, thereby reducing risk factors for the
disease or the disease process itself. Carbohydrates may also have indirect
effects on diseases, for example, by displacing other nutrients or facilitating
increased intakes of a wide range of other substances frequently found in
carbohydrate-containing foods. Evidence of associations between
carbohydrates and diseases comes from epidemiological and clinical studies.
There are relatively few examples in which direct causal links between
carbohydrates and diseases have been proven. Thus, the nutrient-disease or
food-disease associations discussed below must be considered in terms of the
strength of evidence from a range of observational studies and clinical
experiments and the existence of plausible hypotheses.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen dramatically over the
past 3 decades and is threatening to become a global epidemic. A substantial
proportion of the population is at increased risk of morbidity and mortality as a
result of increased body weight. Obesity is generally accepted as resulting from
an imbalance between food intake and daily physical activity. Obesity is thus the
largest nutrition-related problem in the developed world. Health guidelines have
been focused on three particular lifestyle factors: increased levels of daily
physical activity and reduction of the intake of fat and sugars, particularly added
sugars. The urgency to take public action regarding physical activity is generally
accepted, but there is much debate about dietary factors such as total fat intake
and intake of sugars and rapidly digested carbohydrates. In the 1970s, some
nutritionists considered sucrose as perhaps the most important dietary factor
predisposing to weight gain. Since then attention has shifted toward fat as the
major nutritional component promoting excess energy intake and weight gain.
Evidence that the regulation of fat balance has a lower priority than that of
carbohydrates, protein and alcohol has contributed to the general knowledge
that fat intake increases the risk of excess energy intake and the promotion of fat
storage. Low-fat diets are often high in carbohydrate, especially from rapidly
digested sources, such as white bread and white rice. In addition, diets high in
such foods increase the risk of weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease.

Lower carbohydrate, higher protein diets may have some weight loss
advantages in the short term. Yet when it comes to preventing weight gain and
chronic disease, carbohydrate quality is much more important than
MARIANO, RHEA JANE A. BSN 1B SEPTEMBER 14, 2019

carbohydrate quantity. Food high in glycemic index and glycemic load cause
fast and furious increases in blood sugar and insulin that, in the short term, can
cause hunger to spike and can lead to overeating-and over the long term,
increase the risk of weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease. However, the
contribution of any diet change to weight control may be small, together, the
changes could add up to a considerable effect, over time and across the
whole society. Since people’s food choices are shaped by their surroundings, it
is imperative for governments to promote policy and environmental changes
that make healthy foods more accessible and decrease the availability and
marketing of unhealthful foods.

References:
http://www.fao.org/3/w8079e/w8079e09.htm
https://www.nature.com/articles/0803522

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/diet-
and-weight/
MARIANO, RHEA JANE A. BSN 1B SEPTEMBER 14, 2019

Reaction Paper: OBESITY

Carbohydrates are important to our body since it is the source of our

energy. Carbohydrates have taken a lot of heat in recent years. Eating too many
refined carbs — such as the refined sugars in candy and soda, and refined grains
like the white rice and white flour used in many pastas and breads — have
contributed to the rise of obesity. This results to serious health and mental problems
– Diabetes mellitus, coronary heart diseases and other chronic diseases.

Obesity has remained a major challenge in human health especially in

developed nations. Most people take in fast foods, which are rich in proteins,
resulting to accumulation of fat content in the body. One of the most common
causes of obesity includes excessive intake of high protein foods such as fast food.
Excessive intake of high protein food leads to higher production of proteins in the
body than what the body requires for metabolic process, therefore, the excess
proteins in stored in body tissue as fat. Continued consumption of foods rich in
proteins increases the accumulation of fat in the body, which eventually results to
obesity. Lack of body exercise is another key cause of obesity. Body exercise helps
to reduce accumulation of fat contents in the body. However, most people tend
to be too busy with other life aspects and do not have time to do some physical
exercises, which are very vital for their health. This increases the risk of becoming
obese.

From greater mental and physical deficiencies to a cut-off lifespan, added

girth can create a variety of problems. Most striking to many people, though, is
that they worry more about how they look and less with how they’ll live. Youths
only worry about the effect their weight will have on their appearance. Obese
people tend to have poor confidence since they’re scared to be judge or bullied
by others. Although obesity is a potential human health deathtrap, it is
preventable and curable. As it said, “prevention is better than cure,” obesity can
be easily and effectively be controlled through balanced diet and physical
exercises. However, balance diet does not mean people should not eat foods,
which they much like, but requires an individual to take in the required amounts.

Eat foods that is low in carbohydrate but higher in proteins to prevent

gaining more weight. Carbohydrate quality is much more important than
carbohydrate quantity. Therefore, we should always read nutrition facts to
determine which food is good for our health – and for our family.