Health Issues Related to Digestive System and Eating Habits

Health Issues Related to the Digestive System and Eating Habits

9.7

Health Issues Related to the Digestive System and Eating Habits

Adaptation of Digestive System

Obesity is a health issue on the rise throughout the world.
Although obesity can be controlled through diet management and routine exercise programmes, at times, obesity requires medical treatment.
Specialist doctors may suggest surgical procedures to reduce body weight such as gastric bypass.
A gastric bypass involves a reduction of the stomach size using various methods of surgery.
Among the short-term side effects of this surgery are acid reflux, nausea, vomiting, expanded oesophagus, certain food prohibitions and risk of infection.
The long-term side effects are dizziness, low blood sugar level, malnutrition, stomach ulcer and defaecation problems.

Health Issues Related to Defaecation

The food class that is most important in the defaecation process is fibre. Intake of diet that is high in fibre such as fruits and vegetables can smoothen bowel movements.
This can prevent health problems such as constipation, colon cancer, rectum cancer and haemorrhoid.
Some of the functions of fibre are to:
- Stimulate peristalsis.
- Absorb and expel toxic substances.
- Regulate the absorption of glucose especially for diabetes mellitus patients.
- Increase the population of beneficial bacteria in the large intestine.
Besides, the intake of a large amount of water can ensure that the faeces stay soft and move easily along the large intestine to aid the process of defaecation.

Health Issues Related to Eating Habits

Poor eating habits and an imbalanced diet can cause numerous health problems such as gastritis, muscle dysmorphia, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

Gastritis

Gastritis refers to the inflammation and corrosion of the stomach epithelial layer by gastric juice when there is no food in the stomach.
Untreated gastritis can result in gastric ulcers.
The causes of gastritis include eating irregular quantities of food at irregular hours and excessive intake of alcohol or painkillers.

Anorexia Nevosa

Anorexia nervosa is quite common amongst teenage girls who are obsessed with their body weight.
Anorexics will avoid food to achieve their ideal body weight.
They also suffer from psychological problems and nutrient deficiency because of their normal digestive system is affected.

Bulimia Nervosa

For people with bulimia nervosa who are also obsessed with controlling their body weight, they will eat a lot and vomit out the food that they have eaten or take laxatives that cause diarrhoea.
In the long run, the patient may suffer from dehydration, nutritional problems and eventually cardiovascular disease or kidney failure.

Muscle Dysmorphia

Some individuals feel that their size is small with not enough growth. So, they subject themselves to extreme weightlifting training and exercise.
Sometimes, they consume steroids or muscle building supplements.
This health issue is called muscle dysmorphia.