Nutritional disease and disordered eating

Disordered eating behavior is a common cause of nutritional disorder. The term is used to indicate those instances in which the nutritional disturbance arises from the person's eating behavior rather than from physical or socioeconomic factors. Fasting for religious reasons or as a means of political manipulation are examples of the latter; only rarely do they cause major problems. In many countries, overeating has become the most common form of disordered eating, and its nutritional consequence, obesity, is a major problem area for public health. Disordered eating is not seen as an illness per se, and the response of health workers is to provide nutritional education and to encourage motivation in changing eating practices. Unfortunately, these efforts are often unsuccessful, and insufficient sympathy and assistance are available for those people whose eating is disordered.

Overweight and obesity

Overweight means that weight is higher than “normal,” where “normal” may relate to a population norm or to the likelihood of disease. However, the excess weight may be due to excess fluid, muscle, feces, urine, clothing, intra-abdominal fluid, or pregnancy. “Obesity,” on the other hand, means there is an excess of body fat. This excess usually results from a combination of increased caloric intake and decreased activity. Obesity is one of the major health problems of the developed world and is becoming much more common in developing nations.