Author : Dr. P. D. GUPTA
Former Director Grade Scientist, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
www.daylife.page
To perform life processes every organism needs energy, this energy comes from the food we take. Hunger is a normal sensation that occurs when our body tells the brain that the stomach is empty. It's usually unpleasant and typically happens after a few hours without eating.
The hypothalamus, a part of the brain, blood sugar levels, and hormone levels in our body all play a role in hunger. The hormone ghrelin signals the hypothalamus to increase appetite.
The quality of food that an organism eats is important for its health. For example, a diet of leafy green vegetables, fruits, and other non-processed foods is healthier than a diet of potato chips and pasta- ultra-processed food.
Food is a basic need for all living beings because it provides nutrients that are essential for survival:
Energy: Food provides the energy that living organisms need to perform activities like playing, running, and studying.
Growth: Food is necessary for the growth and development of living organisms.
Repair: Food helps repair and replace damaged parts of the body.
Protection: Food contains minerals that help protect the body from disease.
Immunity: Food provides immunity from infections.
The amount of food that's too much varies from person to person, but it's generally when we eat more than our body needs or feels uncomfortably full. Some signs that you might be overeating include:
Feeling heavy in the stomach after eating
Having trouble breathing
Experiencing nausea, heartburn, gas, bloating, or acid reflux
Feeling tired or sluggish after eating
Consistently gaining weight
Having trouble sleeping
Overeating can lead to weight gain, which can increase the risk of cancer. It can also affect our organs and sleep.
The amount of food one should eat depends on many factors, including the age, height, sex, health, genetics, body size, and physical activity.
Eating until you're 80% full is generally considered good advice for controlling the eating habits:
· Hara hachi bu: This Japanese term translates to "eat until you're 80% full". It originated in Okinawa, where people use it to control their eating habits.
· Helps you tune in to the body: It takes your brain about 20 minutes to register how much you've eaten, so stopping when you're 80% full means you'll likely top off around 100%.
· May lead to a lower body mass index and increased longevity: There is evidence that following this practice can lead to these benefits.
· Can help prevent dementia in the elderly: There is evidence that following this practice can help prevent dementia in the elderly.
· Can help you eat healthy foods: You can eat healthy foods until you're 80% full and by definition you'll eat so much less.
However, the extent to which eating until you're 80% full reduces energy intake remains unknown.
Harmful effects of overeating.
Two major hormones affect hunger regulation — ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, and leptin, which suppresses appetite Daily calorie balance is determined by how many calories one consumes versus how many burns. When one eats more than needed, this is known as a calorie surplus. Your body may store these additional calories as fat.
Overeating may be especially problematic for developing excess body fat or obesity. To avoid fat gain, focus on lean proteins and non-starchy vegetables at meals. While occasional overeating likely doesn’t affect long-term health, chronic overeating can lead to obesity. In turn, this condition has consistently been shown to increase disease risk, but chronic overeating may override hormones that control fullness and hunger, making it difficult to determine when your body needs food. Chronic overeating may promote obesity and insulin resistance, two major risk factors for metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.Acute overeating can lead to nausea and indigestion due to large volumes of food entering your stomach and hampering your digestive system Chronic overeating and obesity are linked to slight cognitive decline with aging, though further research is necessary.
After overeating, many people become sluggish or tired. This may be due to excess insulin production, which leads to low blood sugar.
It’s easy to overeat if you don’t pay attention to how much you eat or how full you feel. Indeed, this common habit may lead to bloating, gas, nausea, excess body fat, and a higher risk of several illnesses. Therefore, one should work to prevent overeating by reducing your portion sizes, eating fewer processed foods, and orienting the diet around whole foods. (The author has his own study and views)
