PCOs (Polycystic ovary syndrome), its symptoms and and causes:

 

PCOs (Polycystic ovary syndrome)

PCOs (Polycystic ovary syndrome) is a disease that mostly affects women. PCOs is most common in women who are at their reproductive age. A woman with the problem of PCOs faces an irregularity in their menstrual cycle. That woman would also have an excess level of male hormone which is an androgen. In Polycystic ovary syndrome ovaries develop several small cysts called follicles and after that ovaries fail to release eggs as regular. There is a lot of research done on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome but the exact cause of this syndrome is still unknown. This syndrome can also lead to complications that may be long terms like Type-2 Diabetes and heart disease but the early diagnosis and treatment along with weight loss can reduce the risk of such complications.

Signs and symptoms of PCOs ( Polycystic Ovary Syndrome):

Polycystic ovary syndrome can develop in early menstruation mostly their symptoms are developed during the first menstrual period but sometimes PCOs may develop later and their symptoms are going to appear in the form of weight gain. Its signs are more common in overweight women.

• Irregular or abnormal menstrual periods are the most common symptom of PCOs. A woman with this problem faces heavy periods and has more than 35 days between periods and has periods less than 9 times a year.
• Having androgen (the male hormone) in excess amounts also results in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, such as developing males secondary characteristics like long hair on the face and body, having severe acne and baldness like men.
• The swelling of ovaries and having follicles around the eggs is also a symptom of polycystic ovary. In this condition, the ovaries may fail to function normally.

Causes of PCOs (polycystic ovary syndrome):

• Genetics:

One of its main cause is Genetics. However, a single gene that causes this syndrome is not still found so we can say that multiple genes are involved in causing this ovary syndrome. The other family members of a woman with this problem also have chances to develop PCOs. Also, women with disease of polycystic ovary have a higher risk of developing Type-2 Diabetes.

• Irregularity In hormone levels:

It is also the main cause of developing this problem. These hormones are insulin and androgen (male hormone) which are involved in causing PCOs. The role of Insulin is to keep the level of sugar low in the blood after eating.

• Insulin resistance:

Insulin resistance is also a cause of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. It is estimated that about 85% of women with this syndrome have insulin resistance in their bodies. If our body has insulin resistance then our body’s cells stop their insulin response and it does not keep the sugar level of blood normal after eating as it blocks the entry of glucose into the cells and blood sugar level keeps on rising in the blood which causes Type-2 Diabetes.

• Androgen:

Androgen is also called male hormone and is present In both men and women but it is present in higher amounts in men than in women. In the body tissues of the ovaries and adrenal glands, all women have a small amount of androgen. When this androgen is increased in the body than its normal amount it causes PCOs in women. It shows symptoms like increased hair growth on the face and body, and severe acne.

• Weight and lifestyle of a person with PCOs:

life style and weight also cause PCOs. The overweight and slender women both have the chances of having PCOs but the overweight women have a higher risk of PCOs. Eating too much germ food is also a cause of having PCOs. However, a healthy lifestyle of nutritious food recommended by your dietitian and healthy physical activity can help to treat PCOs.

 

Obesity: its causes, diagnosis, complications and treatment

Obesity as a disease in which the body has an excessive amount of body fats. Obesity is a health problem that involves increasing the risk of other health problems. Such as heart problems, high blood pressure, cancer, and diabetes. We can also measure this problem as if the person has increased body mass index than normal. Adults with having BMI of 30 or more than 30 are obese. This is highly concerned with increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and cancers. It is very common in European countries. According to the centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 42.4 percent of 20 years old Americans are obese. Not only is BMI involved in increasing body mass but other different factors such as age, sex, and muscle mass are also involved.

 

Classifying obesity:

These classifications are for adults having 20 years of age:

• If a person having a BMI of 18.5 or less is underweight. 
• If a person has a BMI of more than 18.5 and less than 25, then he will be considered normally weighted.
• If a person has BMI lies between 25 to 30, in this condition, he will be considered obese.
• If BMI extends these limits then that condition will be called morbid (extreme or severe obesity).

Child obesity:

When a doctor diagnoses it in a child who is over 2 years old or a teen then their BMI would be 95th percent of the people of their same age. So we can classify child obesity as:

• A child less than 5% BMI would be considered underweight.
• A child more than 5% to 85% of BMI would be considered normally weighted.
• A Child having a BMI of 85% to <95% would be considered overweight.
• BMI of more than 95% is obese.

Causes of obesity:

When we eat more calories than we need for our body on daily basis, we became obese. These extra calories are accumulated in our body and cause fat deposition which leads to weight gain. It is not just about having more calories. There are many other causes which include:

• PCO (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)
• Pregnancy
• Growing older
• Not sleeping enough
• Hypertension
• High blood pressure
• Cushing syndrome
• Osteoarthritis

How we can diagnose it:

We can diagnose it by BMI but this is a rough calculation of obesity. There are many other ways to diagnose this problem including testing skin fold thickness, waist-to-hip comparison, and screening tests like CT scans, MRI scans, etc. 

 

Its Complications:

Obesity can lead to many health complications. A high ratio of body fat can leads to putting strains on our bones and internal organs as well. This causes inflammation in the body and leads to cancer. It can also leads to Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol level, infertility, breathing problems, stroke, and arthritis. 

Treatment of obesity:

For treating this problem our first step is to consort a dietitian. A dietitian will suggest us a diet plan for managing our weight and overcoming obesity. Sometimes they also recommend weight-loss surgeries and medications.

What is BMI (Body mass index):

BMI ( Body mass index)

BMI or body mass index is a value that is collected from the height and mass of a person. For calculating the BMI of a person we divide the body mass by the square of the body height and we express BMI in units of kg/m2, resulting from mass in kilograms and height in meters. We use BMI to measure the total body fat of a person whether he is healthy or not.

How BMI is used:
BMI can be a diagnostic tool, but it does not test obesity or a person's health. To determine if BMI is harmful to health, the health care provider performs another test. Such tests include skin thickness, diet tests, exercise, and family history.

Why BMI is used:

For calculating BMI we require only length and weight so BMI is an inexpensive and simple tool. We will identify a formula based on pounds and meters or pounds and inches.

For children and teens:

BMI is interpreted differently in children and adolescents, although we can calculate it by using the same method as adult BMI. Calculating the BMI of children and adolescents needs to be age-appropriate and gender-based because body fat levels change with age and body fat levels vary between girls and boys with age. Obesity in the 2 to 19-year-old is defined as having a higher BMI or 95 percent of children of the same age and the same sex in the population.  For example, a middle-aged boy (56 inches) weighing 102 pounds may have a BMI of 22.9 kg / m2. This will put the boy in the 95th percentage of the BMI of that child, meaning his BMI is higher than that of the 95% of boys and young men in this population - and he will be considered overweight.

Importance of BMI for body fitness:

As we know that BMI is very important for our body fitness and to remain healthy. If a man and woman have the same BMI then the woman has more body fat than the man. At the same BMI, they may have a different amount of fat on the upper or lower body. Older people of the same BMI have more body weight than adults. Athletes of the same BMI would have more body fat than non-athletes.

Facts about Veganism

Veganism:

In veganism, we eat foods that are not of animal origin. Veganism is avoiding foods from animal sources. And a vegan person enjoys a healthy life when his diet is planned and used correctly. Like avoiding of some specific foods results in the lack of some essential nutrients such as calcium, iron, proteins, and vitamin B12. As nutrients from animal foods are missing from the diet. A vegan person avoids all foods of animal origin such as fish, meat, dairy, eggs, honey, etc. The vegan diet was introduced by a company named Charity in 1964. A vegan diet includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, beans, pulses, and seeds. All foods of plant origin are included in a vegan diet.

Vegan's food list:

In a vegan diet, we eat foods made from plats origins including slices of bread, pasta, nuts, fruits, vegetables, rice, coconut milk, almond milk, vegetable oils, peas, lentils, etc. We avoid beef, lamb, pork, eggs, fish, shellfish, milk, cream, ice cream (all dairy products), mayonnaise, cheese, butter, and honey. 

Types of vegans:

There are four types of vegans which are:

• Ethical vegans
• Environmental vegans
• Health vegans 
• Religious vegans

Ethical vegans choose veganism as their lifestyle and choice they desire cruelty and suffering to animals at any cost. Environmental vegans are those who are motivated by the desire to create a different diet for themselves so they avoid animal-based diets. Religious vegans are those who choose their diet by their religious choices like in India, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. Vegan's lunch: They can use vegan pasta, and fish tacos. Asian noodles with ginger peanut dressing. Bean, rice, and kale bowl with lemon, vegan Greek salad, vegan sushi bowl, avocado cream pasta. These are some most important lunches for vegans.

 Avocado cream pasta:

Avocado cream pasta is a delicious vegan lunch.

Vegan sushi bowl:

Vegan Greek salad:

Fish tacos:

Different types of diet:

WHAT IS DIET:

 

 In nutrition, diet is the sum of all foods that are consumed by us and by other living organisms. The word diet implies the use of specific foods used for healthy living and weight management reasons. Although humans are omnivores and they know well about their food preferences.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIET AND NUTRITION:

Diet, basically relates to food and drink that we consume on daily bases for maintaining our mental health and physical health. Nutrition involves not simply eating a good diet but it is about our body's nourishment on every level.

TYPES OF DIET:

There are lots of diets some are therapeutic. The Following are different types of diets:

• Mediterranean Diet
• Ketogenic Diet 
• Intermittent Diet
• Low Carbohydrate Diet
• Veganism
• DASH Diet
• Gluten-Free Diet
• Raw Food Diet
• Vegetarianism 
• Low Fat Diet
• Blood Type Diet
• Cardiac Diet
• Renal Diet
• High Protein Diet
• Low sodium Diet

THERAPEUTIC DIETS:

 

A Therapeutic diet is a meal plan which controls the intake of different food and nutrients in our diet. We follow a therapeutic diet when it is prescribed by a dietitian to cure related diseases. A Therapeutic diet is a modification to the regular diet. A therapeutic diet is followed to maintain our nutritional status, restore nutritional status, correct nutritional status, decrease calories for weight control provide some extra calories for weight gain, and to balance amounts of carbohydrates, fats, and protein for control of diabetes. 

Dietitians recommend this diet to provide a greater amount of a nutrient such as protein. It also decreases the number of nutrients such as sodium. It is important to exclude foods due to food intolerance and allergies. Therapeutic diets also provide us a texture modification due to problems with chewing and swallowing.  

FULL LIQUID DIET:

A full liquid diet includes creamy fluids. SOME EXAMPLES of food allowed are ice cream, pudding, thinned hot cereals, custard, juices, etc. We use this diet as the second step to restarting oral feeding once clear fluids are tolerated. We use this diet for people who cannot tolerate a minimal soft diet. And this diet should not be used for extended periods. 

CALORIES CONTROL DIET:

A Calorie control diet is also called a diabetic diet. This diet controls calories such as it controls carbohydrates, proteins and fats intake in balanced amounts to meet nutritional needs, it controls blood sugar levels/, and controls weight. The most commonly used calorie diet includes calories such as 1200, 1500, 1800, and 2000. 

 

NO ADDED SALY DIET:

This diet is used when a patient has blood pressure issues. In this diet, we use no salt packets in the tray. This food is seasoned as regular food.

LOW SODIUM DIET:

This sodium diet is also called a 2-gram sodium diet. This diet limits salt and salty foods such as bacon, sausage, cured meats, canned soups, pickled foods, salty seasonings, salt crackers, etc.

LOW-FAT \ CHOLESTEROL DIET:

We use this diet to reduce fat levels or to treat medical conditions that interfere with how our body uses fats such as diseases of the liver, gallbladder, or pancreas. It limits fat to 50 grams or no more than 30 of calories derived from fats.

HIGH FIBER DIET:

This diet is prescribed for the prevention or treatment of a number of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases. This increased fiber should come from a variety of sources including legumes, fruits, vegetables, whole bread, and cereals.

RENAL DIET:

This diet is recommended for people having kidney problems. This diet plan is individualized depending on if the person is on dialysis. This diet restricts potassium, sodium, fluid, and protein specified levels.

Under nutrition , its types, causes, treatment and prevention:

UNDER NUTRITION:

Undernutrition is a kind of malnutrition that happens when we take a lesser amount of energy or nutrients to meet our needs to maintain good health and live a healthy life. Basically, malnutrition is the term that contains a definition of both under nutrition and over nutrition.

We can also define under nutrition as ' the lack of proper nutrition in our diet that is caused by lack of nutrients in our food which are necessary for growth and health' 

TYPES OF UNDR NUTRITION:

There are 4 forms under nutrition which are

• wasting
• stunting
• underweight
• deficiencies in vitamins and minerals

CAUSES: The lack of the following vitamins and minerals in the diet is the main cause of undernutrition.

• iron 
• iodine
• vitamin D 
• vitamin B12 
• calcium
• vitamin A 
• magnesium
• potassium
• zinc

UNDER NUTRITION IN CHILDREN:

 The effect of undernutrition is particularly more important during childhood when energy and all the other nutrients are needed for the normal growth and development of children. children are more sensitive than adults so children are severely undernourished as they do not get a sufficient amount of nutrients. They may become dangerously thin with the loss of muscles as with the loss of fat and this is called wasting. As they lack a sufficient amount of nutrients and minerals which are important for their growth and they will stop growing and they look too short for their age this condition is called stunting.

In this picture, a public health worker is measuring the arm circumference of a young child in order to access the nutritional status of the child.

UNDER NUTRITION SYNDROMES:

The severe cases of undernutrition may lead to life-threatening syndromes such as kwashiorkor and marasmus. These syndromes are mostly very common in developing countries where babies and children do not get enough proteins and nutrients. The symptoms of kwashiorkor include too much fluid in the body tissues and which causes swelling under the skin, this condition is known as edema. While marasmus is a type of protein-energy malnutrition that mainly affects children. Mainly its symptoms include chronic diarrhea, respiratory infections, intellectual disability, stunted growth, etc. 

TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF UNDERNUTRITION:

For treating undernutrition we should use a diet that is high in calories, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Using multivitamin supplements and using fortified foods like fortified cereals and milk, having drinks that contain lots of calories, etc.