Under nutrition has been a consistent problem in human history. While under nutrition has affected people during times of war and famine, modern times are seeing a rise in the number of teenaged girls that are undernourished in the attempt to remain thin. Recent studies are showing that under nutrition during teenage years may significantly increase the risk for heart disease later on in life.
Under Nutrition During Teenaged Years
The University Medical Center in the Netherlands did a study to see the effect that under nutrition has on teenagers. They looked at data compiled on close to 8,000 women and concluded that under nutrition is a major risk factor for heart disease.
Nutritional experts say that 2,000 calories a day is the minimum that a woman should be consuming. The researchers studied close to 8,000 women that went through the Dutch famine during the war years of 1944-1945. During this time, Nazis occupied the Netherlands and the then teenaged girls had between 400-800 calories on a daily basis.
The study originally appeared in the European Heart Journal. The researchers say, “The Dutch famine of 1944-45 is a ‘natural experiment’ in history, which gave us the unique possibility to study the long-term effects of acute under nutrition during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood in otherwise well-nourished girls and women.”
They found that women that underwent severe under nutrition had increased their risks for heart disease later in life, by 27%. If the women were teenagers between the ages of 10-17, the risk for heart disease skyrocketed to 38%.
Other historical studies seeming also back up the findings from the Dutch famine. Similar results occurred from undernourishment during the Chinese famine between the years of 1959-1961, and the siege at Leningrad, between the years of 1941-1944.
History Repeats Itself
Some teenaged girls during modern times also experience under nutrition, however on some accounts, it’s voluntary. Many health campaigns are out that try to warn teenaged girls about the unrealistic expectations they may have about their body image and the dangers of extreme dieting. The health campaigns often shift some of the blame to the way the media portrays beauty.
This is particularly alarming, considering that starving their selves at a young age can lead to harmful consequences later on.
As the study states, “Growth that has been hampered by under nutrition in later childhood, followed by a subsequent recovery, may have metabolic consequences that contribute to an increased risk of diseases later in adulthood.”
Researchers also point out that the state of the economy also affects the level of undernourishment, and western countries going through recessions seem to be heavily affected. The Association of Teacher and Lecturers in the UK has stated that since the recession began, close to 3/4ths of teenagers come to school hungry.
Under nutrition, however, is a worldwide problem. The UN Food and Agriculture state that over 925 million people worldwide are affected by undernourishment.
Sources:
Undernourishment: The Dutch Famine
Undernourishment: Increasing the Risk for Heart Disease
Undernourishment: Recessions and the Worldwide Situation