Hello, World! (especially MR JOHARI who is grading this and whom we will be VERY happy with if he gives us a high mark!)

Okay anyway, we're here to tell you about ...
Unhealthy eating habits!

1. Eating too much (Obese people)
2. Eating too little (Anorexics)

Did you know that 1 out of every 100 teenagers are anorexic? Also, 90% of those with eating disorders are females. Its quite sad, that teenage girls have such low self esteem that they would starve themselves to death. In my circle of friends alone, at least 4 have relatives that are anorexic.

If you ask me, those stick-thin girls aren't pretty at all. I mean, come on, what's cool about looking like a scarecrow with knobby knees and jutting shoulder blades?

Image taken from http://www.fathersforlife.org/images/skeleton7.jpg.

Besides anorexia, another result of unhealthy eating habits is obesity - which can be cured as long as you're willing to exercise and give up certain foods!

Obesity

Obesity is defined as body mass index greater (BMI) greater than 30.

(If you were wondering, BMI is calculated by applying the following formula: weight divided by height squared.)

There are many debates on the causes of obesity. The most common one is, of course, overeating. Some claim that obesity in kids is their parent's fault for not teaching them proper eating habits. Others claim that obesity is genetic. Yet others believe that obesity is caused by the availability of unhealthy food in mordern society. Experiments have been carried out using mice as test subjects. Studies have found that those mice with access to unhealthy food tend to gain more weight.

Picture from http://www.sfpix.com/health_saturdays/Heal_sat1.html.

In recent years, obesity rates in adoscelents have increased by drastic amounts. For children aged 2–5 years, the prevalence of overweight increased from 5.0% to 13.9%; for those aged 6–11 years, prevalence increased from 6.5% to 18.8%; and for those aged 12–19 years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to 17.4%. This might be due to the comforts provided in mordern society. Food is always available and there is rarely any need for laborious activity.

Being overweight/obese puts people at greater risk to health conditions or diseases.
Eg;
Hypertension
Dyslipidemia (eg; high cholesterol levels)
Type 2 diabetes
Coronary heart disease
Stroke
Gallbladder disease
Osteoarthritis
Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
Some cancers (eg; endometrial, breast, and colon)

Everyone should be aware that obesity is a serious health condition and should not be taken lightly. Steps can be taken to cure obesity before it is too late.
Some ways to manage obesity are:
Bariatric Surgery
Diet/Excercie/Counselling/FDA-approved weight loss drugs
Convetional dietary and Excercise Therapy
(Look out for the next post if you want to find out more on these ways!)

Here's a link to a Calories Index for those who are trying to control their weight!
http://www.annecollins.com/calories/index.htm
(Tip: A realistic goal for obese patients is a BMI of 25 and below.)

That's all for now! Check back soon for the next post! (:

Credits go to the website of Centres for Disease Control and Prevention - CDC & www.annecollins.com & http://www.anred.com/stats.html for the information in this post! You can check out those two websites if you want more information on obesity.

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LOVE,

SAM(: