Why is Nutrition Important?
To fully capture the importance of nutrition is difficult because it has a number of influences on the lives of students as well as adults. This particular site is designed to raise awareness to the importance of nutrition for students, however, it can be applied more broadly as well. The importance of living a healthy lifestyle cannot be underscored.
Overweight and obesity are associated with an increased risk of various conditions in adulthood, but consequences of overweight and obesity are already observed in children. Obese children have been shown to have many of the changes associated with vascular disease in adults, including insulin resistance, high blood pressure and elevated levels of blood cholesterol. Considered previously to be a disease of adults, in the last decade, type 2 diabetes mellitus has become a far more common occurrence in children and adolescents. In addition, multiple studies have suggested that childhood overweight and obesity track into adulthood. Evidence shows that there seems to be no single dietary or lifestyle factor that leads to overweight and obesity, but a variety of different, often interlinked factors, exist. (Buttriss &Weichselbaum, 2011, P 297)
It has long been recognized that good nutrition is of crucial importance for the well being, growth and development of children. Even though the energy cost of growth is a minor component of total energy requirements, growth rate is a sensitive indicator of overall dietary adequacy (Butte 2000). The nutritional requirements (in addition to energy) of children and adolescents are high in relation to their size because of the demands for growth, in addition to requirements for maintenance and physical activity. In the longer term, food patterns in childhood, particularly adolescence, can set the scene for future dietary preferences and eating behaviour in adult life. There is also substantial evidence that poor diet and poor physical activity pat- terns in childhood can lead to problems that manifest later in life, particularly in relation to heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some forms of cancer. (Buttriss &Weichselbaum, 2011, P 298)
Overweight and obesity are associated with an increased risk of various conditions in adulthood, but consequences of overweight and obesity are already observed in children. Obese children have been shown to have many of the changes associated with vascular disease in adults, including insulin resistance, high blood pressure and elevated levels of blood cholesterol. Considered previously to be a disease of adults, in the last decade, type 2 diabetes mellitus has become a far more common occurrence in children and adolescents. In addition, multiple studies have suggested that childhood overweight and obesity track into adulthood. Evidence shows that there seems to be no single dietary or lifestyle factor that leads to overweight and obesity, but a variety of different, often interlinked factors, exist. (Buttriss &Weichselbaum, 2011, P 297)
It has long been recognized that good nutrition is of crucial importance for the well being, growth and development of children. Even though the energy cost of growth is a minor component of total energy requirements, growth rate is a sensitive indicator of overall dietary adequacy (Butte 2000). The nutritional requirements (in addition to energy) of children and adolescents are high in relation to their size because of the demands for growth, in addition to requirements for maintenance and physical activity. In the longer term, food patterns in childhood, particularly adolescence, can set the scene for future dietary preferences and eating behaviour in adult life. There is also substantial evidence that poor diet and poor physical activity pat- terns in childhood can lead to problems that manifest later in life, particularly in relation to heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some forms of cancer. (Buttriss &Weichselbaum, 2011, P 298)