Body Fat and Eating Disorders
Nicole Sloan
SCI/241

Body Fat and Eating Disorders
Body composition refers to the proportion of fat and fat-free mass in the body. Those with a higher proportion of fat-free mass to a lower proportion of body fat have a healthy body composition ("Body Composition", 2014). When a person is overweight due to carrying excess fat, they are at risk for several weight related health problems. Excess fat can also cause a person to have a weaker immune system which leads to infections, slower wound healing, and complications during surgery. There are also psychological aspects of being overweight which can harm a person over time such as becoming depressed, dependent on others, unable to take care of themselves, and possibly developing eating disorders.
There are several factors that contribute to the rise of obesity. The first is that a lot of people are not taught the value and importance of nutrition. People do not eat healthy and most claim they are too busy to exercise. I also believe that people feel that they cannot afford to follow a healthy diet because a couple double cheeseburgers for a couple of dollars is way cheaper than buying healthy fruits and produce at the grocery store. People also find that fast food fits in better with their busy lifestyles, so that also contributes to obesity. When parents feed their children an unhealthy diet, it makes them full and tired which leads to them laying around and watching television instead of getting the exercise that they need to stay fit and healthy. These habits then follow the children into adulthood and they become obese adults.
Eating disorders are serious illnesses that can be life-threatening. They are also extremely complex illnesses, arising from a variety of biological, psychological and social factors ("Learn", 2014). Eating disorders are often developed when a person is ashamed of the way the look and feel, and take drastic measures to change their weight. The three major eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa involves self-starvation.; the body is denied the essential nutrients it needs to function normally, so it is forced to slow down all of its processes to conserve energy ("Anorexia Nervosa", 2014). Anorexia nervosa can lead to health problems such as reduction of bone density, muscle loss and weakness, severe dehydration, which can result in kidney failure, fainting, fatigue, and the risk for heart failure. Binge Eating Disorder