A student's poor eating habits can lead to a lifetime of illness

Date:
May 24, 2023
Source:
University of British Columbia Okanagan campus
Summary:
A researcher is cautioning that a person's poor eating habits
established during post-secondary studies can contribute to
future health issues including obesity, respiratory illnesses
and depression.


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FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A UBC Okanagan researcher is cautioning that a person's poor eating habits established during post-secondary studies can contribute to future health issues including obesity, respiratory illnesses and depression.

Dr. Joan Bottorff, a Professor with UBCO's School of Nursing, is one
of several international researchers who published a multi-site study
looking at the eating habits of university students. Almost 12,000 medical students from 31 universities in China participated in the study that
aimed to determine the association between eating behaviours, obesity
and various diseases.

The point, says Dr. Bottorff, is that many poor eating habits begin at university and can continue for decades.

"We know many students consume high-calorie meals along with sugary foods
and drinks and there is lots of evidence to show those kinds of eating behaviours can lead to obesity," says Dr. Bottorff. "These are not the
only habits that lead to obesity, but they are important and can't be
ruled out." The study, published recently in Preventive Medicine Reports,
was led by Dr.

Shihui Peng with the School of Medicine at China's Jinan University. While there is well-established research that links unhealthy diets to many
chronic diseases, this study aimed to show a relationship between poor
eating habits and infectious diseases including colds and diarrhea.

Dr. Bottorff notes, due to the nature of the study, it was not possible
to show cause and effect but the relationship between poor eating habits, obesity and respiratory illnesses were well supported.

"There has been biomedical research that also supports this link between obesity and infectious diseases, and most recently this has been related
to COVID-19," she adds. "We know from some of the recent publications
related to COVID-19, obese people were more likely to have severe
conditions and outcomes.

Reasons that have been offered for this increased vulnerability
include impaired breathing from the pressure of extra weight and poorer inflammatory and immune responses." A typical student diet of high-sugar
or high-calorie foods can become a long- term issue as these habits can
lead to obesity. Dr. Bottorff says there is evidence to show that stress
and anxiety can cause overeating, but overeating can also lead to stress
and depression.

"The bottom line here is that we shouldn't be ignoring this risk pattern
among young people at university. It is well documented that a significant portion of students have unhealthy diets," she adds. "The types of foods
they are eating are linked to obesity. And this can lead to other health problems that are not just about chronic disease but also infectious
diseases." While Dr. Bottorff says students should be taught about
healthy eating while at university the onus should be on the school to
provide healthy, and affordable, food options for all students.

"We need to think about the food environment that we provide students. We
need to ensure that in our cafeterias and vending machines, there are
healthy food options so that they can eat on the go but also make healthy
food choices." It's not an issue going unnoticed. UBC Student Wellness
and Food Services work together to address food security and food literacy
and recognize that a lack of affordable food options, coupled with the
stress of university life, can negatively impact students' food choices.

Food insecure students have access to a low-barrier food bank and a meal
share program. Meanwhile, UBCO Food Services' culinary team prioritizes
local, organic and sustainably-sourced ingredients, and works with
a registered dietitian to ensure a wide variety of food options are
available to all diners.

Dr. Bottorff agrees there have been improvements to food options in
cafeterias and notes the drinks in many vending machines have been
rearranging so healthier items are at eye-level and sugary choices are
lower down.

"I know many post-secondary schools are trying to figure out how we can
do better and are trying to address these problems," she adds. "It's
great, because four or five years ago, we weren't. So, I think we're on
the right road, but I think we're a long way from finished."
* RELATED_TOPICS
o Health_&_Medicine
# Diet_and_Weight_Loss # Staying_Healthy # Nutrition
# Obesity
o Plants_&_Animals
# Food # Food_and_Agriculture # Bacteria #
Agriculture_and_Food
* RELATED_TERMS
o Upper_respiratory_tract_infection o Eating_disorder o
Atkins_Diet o Obesity o Nutrition o Postpartum_depression o
Bipolar_disorder o Healthy_diet

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_British_Columbia_Okanagan_campus. Note: Content may be
edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Sihui Peng, Dan Wu, Tingzhong Yang, Joan L Bottorff. Does obesity
related
eating behaviors only affect chronic diseases? A nationwide study
of university students in China. Preventive Medicine Reports,
2023; 32: 102135 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102135 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230524182034.htm

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