Body Fat and Eating Disorders Essay

Body composition is composed of lean tissues and fats in the body. Lean tissue includes muscle, bone, and organs, while fats include essential, non-essential, and storage. Obesity has environmental and lifestyle effects. Some effects include high availability of fast food and high fat content food. Advertisements for different types of foods are seen all over the television, and a lot of the ads are for unhealthy foods that are aimed at children. Many families are limited to buying the cheaper foods that are found in stores. Health foods are often more costly and low income families simply cannot afford them. Inexpensive foods are often served in portions that are well above the recommendations for servings. Families keep themselves so busy in this day and time, and this leads to buying foods that are convenient to make. Convenience foods can often be high in fat and calories, making them unhealthy choices. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes a fear of gaining weight. A person may feel fat even though he or she is extremely thin. Some of the health problems associated with anorexia are changes in brain chemistry, brittle hair and nails, weak muscles, bone loss, and fractures. Anorexia can also cause kidney failure and growth problems. Bulimia nervosa is when large amounts of food are uncontrollably eaten and then purged. A person with bulimia may use methods like abuse of diuretics and laxatives to get rid of the food that is eaten. Physical complications include irritation of esophagus, stomach, and throat from excessive vomiting. The teeth can become yellowed and damaged from the acid in vomit. Bulimia also causes lung irritation due to choking during vomiting. The choking allows food to enter the lungs. The loss of body fluids causes low potassium and sodium levels. Muscle spasms and weakness may also be experienced. Some of the health problems associated with it is low blood pressure, slow heart rate, bone loss, heart failure, or kidney failure. Bulimia nervosa is another eating disorder that can cause a lot of problems. Bulimia is actually a combination of anorexia and binging. Bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder and anorexia nervosa can all be serious, life threatening eating disorders. Depression or stress can cause an individual to eat too much which causes an excess weight gain and if left untreated, can lead to serious health problems. Eating too little can cause an individual to be lacking necessary nutrients needed for the body to function properly. Binge eating leads to a loss of control over the binging and purging associated with this disease. Individuals afflicted with these eating disorders typically eat foods that are high in sugar and salt content. The foods these individuals choose are low in healthier nutrients. For this reason, these individuals are at risk for type 2 diabetes which is very serious. High blood pressure, high cholesterol and gallbladder disease are other health risks associated with bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder and anorexia nervosa.