Kafli 8 – Food /Mood Connections
“I knew no other way than eating to alleviate the loneliness, to fill in the spaces where comfort
and security could have been”.
- Andie Mitchel, It Was Me all Along. A Memoir
Overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk for global deaths.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years
and older, were overweight in 2014. Of these over 600 million – 1 in 8 adults globally - were
obese. The United Nations' goal, set in 2010, to halt the increase in obesity by 2025, will not be
met if the current trajectory continues (The Economist, 2016).
The prevalence of obesity nearly doubled between 1980 and 2008. Global evidence
shows an ever-expanding prevalence of obesity, generally defined as exceeding the average
weight for one’s height and age by 20%. The prevalence of obesity is double that of
undernutrition.
Nearly 90% of Americans believe
that they are overweight and more than
35% say they want to lose at least 50
pounds.
recently, the diet industry has been
caving in to the healthy food consumption
industry “consumers are looking for a more
holistic, more health and wellness
approach...The shift in food trends is
towards fresher and more natural ingredients”
Figure 8.1 Prevalence of Self-Reported Obesity Among U.S. Adults
Social class seems to play a role: women from lower class • Overweight and obesity
backgrounds whose diets are more likely to be higher in fats and account for
– 44% of diabetes
carbohydrates, are
– 23% of ischemic heart
six times more disease
– 7-41% of cancer
1
, likely to be obese than upper-class women. Studies of immigrants and their descendants show
that as new generations move up the socioeconomic scale, obesity especially among females
declines. A simple extrapolation from the body measurements of a child’s Barbie doll reveals the
tremendous social pressure towards slimness and form. - These dimensions are unrealistic for a
living female.
Figure 8.2 BODY MASS INDEX AND RISK OF DISEASE. Relative risk of disease plotted against body
mass index (BMI), calculated as (body mass in kg)/(height in meters)2 or, alternatively, as (body mass in lbs x
703.1)/(height in inches).
BMI values in the 20-25 range are considered desirable, 25-30 are classified as overweight, and over 30 are
classified as obese.
The relative risk of disease compares an individual’s probability (corrected for age) of having a disease with that of
the general population. The curvilinear relationship indicates that obesity markedly increases disease risk.
Obese people are at increased risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, Back and joint
problems and respiratory disorders. Fat men have a higher incidence of certain cancers,
Including those of the colon, rectum and Prostate. Overweight women are at a greater risk for
developing Malignant tumors of the ovaries and uterine lining and after menopause, of the
breasts.
There is an alarming high incidence of dangerously underweight individuals in today’s
striving for slimness generation. In some cases, dramatic weight loss may be attributed to a brain
tumor, bowel disease Or glandular dysfunction.
Is Sugar The world's most popular and dangerous drug?
When given to babies, it becomes a driving force behind the kinds of
foods they will it crave for the rest of their lives. And there are NO
IMMEDIATE NEGATIVE EFFECTS!
Historically, sugar is one of the numbers of “drug foods” that
came out of the tropics and upon which nations build their empires
beginning in the 16th century - Join the party with tea, cocoa,
Chocolate and tobacco.
More than anything, it makes children happy, at least for the period
during which they’re consuming it. It calms their distress, eases their pain, focuses their
attention and leaves them excited and full of joy until the dose wears off. The only downside is
2
“I knew no other way than eating to alleviate the loneliness, to fill in the spaces where comfort
and security could have been”.
- Andie Mitchel, It Was Me all Along. A Memoir
Overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk for global deaths.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years
and older, were overweight in 2014. Of these over 600 million – 1 in 8 adults globally - were
obese. The United Nations' goal, set in 2010, to halt the increase in obesity by 2025, will not be
met if the current trajectory continues (The Economist, 2016).
The prevalence of obesity nearly doubled between 1980 and 2008. Global evidence
shows an ever-expanding prevalence of obesity, generally defined as exceeding the average
weight for one’s height and age by 20%. The prevalence of obesity is double that of
undernutrition.
Nearly 90% of Americans believe
that they are overweight and more than
35% say they want to lose at least 50
pounds.
recently, the diet industry has been
caving in to the healthy food consumption
industry “consumers are looking for a more
holistic, more health and wellness
approach...The shift in food trends is
towards fresher and more natural ingredients”
Figure 8.1 Prevalence of Self-Reported Obesity Among U.S. Adults
Social class seems to play a role: women from lower class • Overweight and obesity
backgrounds whose diets are more likely to be higher in fats and account for
– 44% of diabetes
carbohydrates, are
– 23% of ischemic heart
six times more disease
– 7-41% of cancer
1
, likely to be obese than upper-class women. Studies of immigrants and their descendants show
that as new generations move up the socioeconomic scale, obesity especially among females
declines. A simple extrapolation from the body measurements of a child’s Barbie doll reveals the
tremendous social pressure towards slimness and form. - These dimensions are unrealistic for a
living female.
Figure 8.2 BODY MASS INDEX AND RISK OF DISEASE. Relative risk of disease plotted against body
mass index (BMI), calculated as (body mass in kg)/(height in meters)2 or, alternatively, as (body mass in lbs x
703.1)/(height in inches).
BMI values in the 20-25 range are considered desirable, 25-30 are classified as overweight, and over 30 are
classified as obese.
The relative risk of disease compares an individual’s probability (corrected for age) of having a disease with that of
the general population. The curvilinear relationship indicates that obesity markedly increases disease risk.
Obese people are at increased risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, Back and joint
problems and respiratory disorders. Fat men have a higher incidence of certain cancers,
Including those of the colon, rectum and Prostate. Overweight women are at a greater risk for
developing Malignant tumors of the ovaries and uterine lining and after menopause, of the
breasts.
There is an alarming high incidence of dangerously underweight individuals in today’s
striving for slimness generation. In some cases, dramatic weight loss may be attributed to a brain
tumor, bowel disease Or glandular dysfunction.
Is Sugar The world's most popular and dangerous drug?
When given to babies, it becomes a driving force behind the kinds of
foods they will it crave for the rest of their lives. And there are NO
IMMEDIATE NEGATIVE EFFECTS!
Historically, sugar is one of the numbers of “drug foods” that
came out of the tropics and upon which nations build their empires
beginning in the 16th century - Join the party with tea, cocoa,
Chocolate and tobacco.
More than anything, it makes children happy, at least for the period
during which they’re consuming it. It calms their distress, eases their pain, focuses their
attention and leaves them excited and full of joy until the dose wears off. The only downside is
2
