Rich Diets

Among the factors considered to be potential con­tributors to this condition was the “affluent diet.” Obviously, individuals’ diets differed, but typical pat­terns in the more prosperous Western countries re­vealed considerably higher levels of sugar, salt, and fat than existed in diets elsewhere.

But now there is an entirely new type of research on dietary factors that could have adverse long-term effects when nutrients are consumed at high levels for long periods. One factor is total energy intake. People whose intake is not limited by a shortage of money and who burn fewer calories because they do not engage in much physical work or exercise tend to gain weight. Grossly obese people are, in general, poor health risks - for diabetes, for example, as well as for cardiovascular heart disease. One can calcu­late the number of calories a person needs to con­sume to maintain an ideal weight, but appetite can be compelling, and obesity is a problem for millions of people, in terms of both physical health and self­esteem. Nutritional science has not been able to provide a simple solution, though the dietary changes to be discussed next have been of some help in this regard. (It should be noted that health risks increase only with severe obesity. Many people feel compelled to become abnormally thin, and young women in particular may become seriously ill from anorexia, that is, “failure to eat.”)