Body Fat and Eating Disorders Paper - Essay Example

Body Composition and Eating Disorders Body composition refers to the ratio of lean muscle mass and fat. A higher ratio of muscle mass to fat increases the body’s metabolic rate and enables it to burn more calories effectively. A healthy body composition can be achieved by losing weight through burning of fats and preserving the healthy muscle mass. However, when muscle is lost in comparison to fat, it could result in increased risk of diseases associated with accumulation of fat within the body tissues.

The risks associated with the condition of obesity or increased body fat includes: heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, high cholesterol, diabetes, back pain, respiratory problems, kidney disorders, gallbladder problems, osteoarthritis, excess fatigue, sleep apnea, metabolic syndromes and urinary incontinence. There are various factors that could lead to obesity or an accumulation of body fat which occurs due to an imbalance in the calories consumed and burnt by the body. Other contributing factors include a lack of physical activity, increased consumption of fat, sugar, alcohol intake, overeating, chronic use of corticosteroids, hormonal imbalances and other related metabolic problems (Body composition and Health, 2002).

Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating have serious effects on the physical and mental health of individuals and in extreme cases can also lead to life-threatening problems. This is mainly because such disorders do not exist for a particular period of time; rather they have the potential to become lifelong disorders in cases where they are not treated. In such cases they could affect the mental, emotional and physical well-being of individuals and also put tremendous strain on their relationships with other people.

In the case of anorexia nervosa, in which individuals starve themselves the body becomes severely depleted of vital nutrients and hence there is a slowdown of metabolic process in order to conserve energy. As a result a number of medical problems arise some of which warrant immediate medical attention. The health consequences of anorexia nervosa includes an abnormal decrease in heart rate and blood pressure which increases the risk of heart failure, bone density reduction, loss and weakening of muscles, severe body dehydration increasing the risk of kidney failure, increased fatigue and general body weakness, dryness of skin and hair with hair loss and growth of lanugo all the body in an effort to maintain body temperature (Health Consequences of Eating Disorders, n.

d; Eating Disorders, 2011). Bulimia nervosa is characterized by repeated binging and purging which can result in severe damages to the digestive system along with electrolyte and chemical imbalance. These can affect the functioning of the heart and other major organs in the body. The major health effects include electrolyte imbalance caused by dehydration and loss of potassium, sodium and chloride ions from the body due to repeated purging, erratic heart beats and heart failure, risk of gastric rupture during binging, inflammation or rupture of the esophagus due to purging, staining and decay of tooth due to constant contact with stomach acids, irregular bowel movements and constipation problems, peptic ulcers and pancreatitis.

In the case of binge eating disorder, many effects associated with obesity are the consequences as the condition is associated with excessive eating without control. The health effects of binge eating includes high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, increased risk of heart diseases and failure, type II diabetes mellitus and disorders of gallbladder (Health Consequences of Eating Disorders, n.d; Eating Disorders, 2011). The major physiological effects associated with anorexia nervosa are extreme body thinning, distorted body image and lack of menstruation among girls.

In the case of bulimia nervosa individuals maintain a healthy or normal weight but constantly express unhappiness about their body shape and size. Other physiological effects include swollen salivary glands and sore throat. In the case of binge eating disorder, individuals often experience guilt and shame due to their overweight which in many cases results in more excessive binge eating. The overweight condition also results in distress or depression over a period of time (Eating Disorders, 2011).

ReferenceBody composition and Health. (2002). Advanced Nutrition Publications Inc. Retrieved 17 May, 2014, from http://ccwm.com/images/body-composition.pdf.Eating Disorders. (2011). National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved 17 May, 2014, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders/index.shtml Health Consequences of Eating Disorders. (n.d). NEDA. Retrieved 17 May, 2014, from http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/health-consequences-eating-disorders