Study on Junk Food: Excessive consumption of junk food is no longer limited to serious diseases like obesity, heart disease and diabetes, but it is also increasing the risk of anemia (blood deficiency) in adolescent girls. This worrying revelation has come to light in a study conducted by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Queen Mary Hospital of King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow. This survey conducted on 150 adolescent girls from urban and rural areas has revealed shocking facts: 89% of these adolescent girls were found to have anemia cases.
The study, which was done by Queen Mary’s Nodal Officer Prof. (Dr.) Sujata Dev and counselor Soumya Singh, threw light on the dietary habits of adolescent girls suffering from anemia. Research found that these teenage girls were away from nutritious food: –
Only 26% of adolescent girls consumed green vegetables regularly.
Only 16.6% adolescent girls consumed vitamin A rich diet.
In contrast, 25% of teenage girls ate junk food every day.
71% of the teenage girls surveyed admitted that they sometimes consumed junk food instead of the main meal.
These figures show that girls are being badly affected by anemia due to lack of nutrition and habit of junk food.
Rural and urban adolescent girls aged 12 to 15 years were included in this study of KGMU. Of these, 89% of the adolescent girls were found to have anemia, the severity of which was as follows: 26.6% had mild, 42.6% had moderate and 19.3% had severe anemia. This is despite the fact that 74% of adolescent girls were aware of anemia and almost half of the girls were also taking iron-folic acid supplements (52.6%).
Pro. Sujata Dev has emphasized on lifestyle changes to prevent this serious health problem. He suggests that to stay away from junk food, preference should be given to home-cooked food. Apart from this, it is essential to include fiber and protein rich fruits, green vegetables and whole grains in the daily diet. When cravings occur, avoid unhealthy food from outside and drink adequate amount of water. Junk food habit can also be controlled by controlling stress, because stress often gives rise to this habit.
Iron deficiency in the body causes anemia. The bone marrow in our body requires iron to make hemoglobin. Without enough iron in the body, the body cannot make enough hemoglobin for red blood cells. Anemia occurs when there is a deficiency of healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin. These are essential components that help transport oxygen from the lungs to organs and tissues throughout the body. As a result, the oxygen supply reduces and the victim starts feeling tired or weak.
