Junk food causes obesity in children

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), “in order to realise the dream of a healthy and capable India”, has formulated regulations to promote and administer food safety at the school level so as to enable children to inculcate healthy eating habits that will last them a lifetime. The Food safety regulator has also prepared a negative list of products that are high on salt, sugar and fats to prevent their availability in school and its vicinity. The list includes an array of food and beverages commonly consumed by school-children, like potato-chips, pizzas, burgers, ready-to-eat noodles, sugar-sweetened carbonated and non-carbonated drinks and confectionary items.

The move comes in the wake of rising burden of obesity and diabetes, mainly among children and young people. Health experts are of the view that this has a direct impact on children’s health, educational attainment and overall quality of life. Latest assessments of various international agencies, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), show prevalence rate of obesity at 23 per cent over the last five years among children and adolescents in the age group of 5 to 19 years. According to experts, consumption of junk food such as various pastries and fried food items, which are rich in sugar and fats, low in fibre, is the major cause behind today’s child obesity crisis all over the world.

Significantly, the FSSAI has emphasised on wholesome and nutritious food availability in schools in order to prevent junk food consumption among children in India, which has the second highest number of obese children in the world after China, with 15.4 million kids having excess weight. The guidelines suggest restricting sale or availability of food items high in fats, salt or sugar within 50 metres of a school’s premise, as such food products are known to have negative impact on health when consumed regularly and so definitely, not desirable for young people.

Researchers point out that junk food lack most essential nutrients like proteins and vitamins required for maintenance of overall health and proper functioning of all the systems in the body. Although it makes you feel full and satisfied, junk food fails to provide with required energy, making one feel weak and tired after a while. A recent study found that people who eat a lot of processed junk food have a markedly smaller hippocampus, part of the brain crucial to learning and memory than those who eat mostly fresh, wholesome food.

Besides, a lot of hormonal changes occur in youngsters, which makes them susceptible to mood swings and behavioral disruptions. A healthy diet plays an important role in maintaining that hormonal balance. And because junk food lacks essential nutrients and vitamins, the likelihood of youngsters to suffer from depression is increased by 58 per cent. Interestingly, the Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) in Goa has recently suggested that teachers must make students and parents understand the need to adopt a healthy food lifestyle and deliver the message of safe nutritious food initiatives through both curricular and co-curricular activities.

Indeed, health experts all across the globe are of the opinion that consumption of unhealthy diet full of junk and fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages are the major contributing factors for the rapidly emerging epidemic of obesity, which is the root for most non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart ailments, cancers and certain chronic respiratory illnesses. Globally, over two billion children and adults suffer from health problems related to being overweight or obese, and an increasing percentage of people die from these health conditions, experts say.

According to experts, those who are addicted to fatty junk food are bound to suffer several serious health illnesses, most common among them being digestive problems including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). That is because junk food is deep fried; the oil soaked in such food get’s deposited on the walls of the stomach lining and thereby increase acid formation. Spices loaded in them irritate the stomach lining, worsening GERD and irritability in the digestive system. Lack of fibre in such food hampers digestion, increasing constipation and hemorrhoids.

Junk food products are loaded with saturated fats, particularly artificial trans fats, that directly increase triglyceride and bad cholesterol levels in the blood, contributing to plague formation in the arteries and consequent heart diseases. Besides, junk food consumption over a period of time can have similar harmful effects on the liver as alcohol consumption does – particularly non-alcoholic fatty liver disease occurs when too much fat accumulates in the liver and triggers inflammation, causing liver dysfunction marked by degeneration of cells and thickening of tissue.

Junk food consumption also increases our risk of cancer. Lack of fibre is the main reason why junk food consumption is linked to an increased risk of cancer of digestive system. A study published in European Journal of Cancer Prevention revealed that consuming too much of fast foods that are high in sugar and trans fats, can increase your chances of developing colorectal cancer. Latest WHO guidelines advocate for a return to better-known traditionally used alternatives, and called on all countries to make the world free of trans fats by 2023.

(The writer is a freelance journalist)