A simple and easy to understand guide for GCSE students. This covers all the important features of the topic on Diet and Health so you can use this as a successful revision tool. Written by Students for Students

1. Weight Problems
By Kashmala

2. Learning Objectives
❖ What health problems are linked to being overweight?
❖ Why is it unhealthy to be too thin?
❖ Why are people who do regular Exercise usually Healthier than
those who don’t?
❖ What issues an Unbalanced Diet can Cause
❖ How issues can also come from Inherited Factors

3. Lack of Exercise
Exercise is important for good health as well as diet. People who
exercise regularly are usually healthier than those who don’t. It can
also reduce your cholesterol levels.
It increases the amount of energy used by the body and decreases
the amount stored as fat as well as building up muscles.
People who exercise regularly are likely to suffer less health problems
e.g Obesity.
Not everyone who is fit is always healthy, you can be physically slim
and fit but not have a good diet.

4. Obesity
If you take in more energy than you use, the excess is stored as fat.
You need some body fat to cushion your internal organs. You fat
also acts as an energy store for when you don’t feel like eating but if
someone eats more food than they need, it is a form of
malnourishment. overtime, they could become Overweight or even
Obese.
Carrying too much weight is often inconvenient and uncomfortable.
Obesity can also lead to serious health problems such as arthritis,
type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Obese
people are more likely to die at an earlier age than non-obese
people.

5. Losing Weight-How?
Many people want to be thinner. This might be for their health or
simply to look good. you gain fat by taking more energy than you
need. You lose Mass when the energy content of our food is less
than the energy you use in your daily life. The 3 main ways to lose
mass are:
❖ Reduce the amount of energy intake
❖ Increase exercise
❖ Reduce energy intake and do more exercise

6. Slimming Groups
Many people find it easier to join slimming groups . At these weekly
meetings, they get lots of advice and support from other slimmers.
All these programs include decreasing energy intake and increasing
exercises.
Fitness Instructors can measure the proportion of fat to muscle and
advice on the right food types you need to eat as well as doing
exercise.
Different slimming programs approach weight loss in different ways
for example many simply give advice on healthy lifestyle, loths of
fruit and vegetables, avoiding energy-rich foods and doing plenty of
exercise. Some however are more extreme and cut out almost all
the carbohydrates from the diet.

7. How does Exercise help?
Exercise can make you healthier by helping to control your weight. It
increases the amount of energy used by your body and increases
the proportion of Muscle:Fat. It can make your heart healthier too
however you need to take care. If you suddenly start taking
vigorous exercise, you can cause other health problems.

8. Lack of Food
In some parts of the world, many people are underweight and
malnourished due to lack of food. Civil wars, droughts and pests
can all destroy local crops.
Deficiency Diseases, due to lack of mineral ions and vitamins are
common in both children and adults when they never have enough
food. Deficiency Disease can also occur if you don’t have a
balanced diet.

9. Lifestyle and Diet
If you want to have a healthy lifestyle, these are the things to look out
for next time you go grocery shopping:
❖ High saturated Fat Content - too much can raise Cholesterol
❖ High Sodium or Salt Content -Too much can lead to High Blood
Pressure
❖ High Energy Content - Too much can High energy can lead to
Obesity

10. Keypoints
❖ If you take in more energy than you use, you will store the excess
as Fat
❖ Obese people have more health problems than others
❖ People who don’t have enough to eat can develop serious health
problems
❖ Exercise helps reduce weight and maintain health
❖ The word “malnourished” can be used to describe people who
don’t have a balanced diet. They may have too little food or take in
the wrong combination of foods.