Are heavy folks malnourished?

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KimiSteinbach
KimiSteinbach Posts: 224 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Yeah, I heard that recently.

Thoughts?

Seems logical since we eat all sorts of what-have-you to get this way.
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Replies

  • Shuuma
    Shuuma Posts: 465 Member
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    I'm kind of the opinion that heavy folks (like myself) are OVER nourished. Too much food. Malnourished implies lack of nourishment, which I personally have never had.
  • Dandman1990
    Dandman1990 Posts: 196 Member
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    I don't really think it's a question of your size, it's more a question of your eating habits. For example if I made sure to eat diversely but I ate 3x what I was supposed to each day I would be getting more than enough of the necessary nutrients. However, if I chose to eat simply pizza & other fast food I wouldn't be.

    I'd say the significantly underweight are probably more likely to suffer from malnutrition simply because if most overweight people eat as much as I used to then you probably hit a decent variety of necessary stuff without trying to just because of the volume of food consumed.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Maybe - that's a pretty wide sweeping statement. Some probably are malnourished due to the types of food they eat. But you can also become overweight/obese if you're eating healthy foods but far too many of them. What you eat impacts health, how much you eat impacts weight.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    It depends on what they eat to get overweight. There are people who get overweight with healthy foods and others who eat a healthy diet plus the junk. Those people are probably more misnourished than malnourished: they are getting everything they need, but also extra fats and sugars.

    Another category is those who are overweight, but changing their habits. I am pretty well nourished at the moment, but I still have 80 lbs or so to lose.
  • WhiteRabbit1313
    WhiteRabbit1313 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    Yeah, I heard that recently.

    Thoughts?

    Seems logical since we eat all sorts of what-have-you to get this way.

    It's certainly possible, but it has nothing to do with being heavy. It is directly dependent on the quality of the diet, itself.
  • WhiteRabbit1313
    WhiteRabbit1313 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    Maybe - that's a pretty wide sweeping statement. Some probably are malnourished due to the types of food they eat. But you can also become overweight/obese if you're eating healthy foods but far too many of them. What you eat impacts health, how much you eat impacts weight.

    ^^This.
  • TexasTopaz
    TexasTopaz Posts: 16 Member
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    No doubt SOME are!
    I know that at the peak of my weight ( prior to 2006 I was 236+ pounds) I ate foods with plenty of calorific value, but little nutrition! My skin and hair were both lifeless, and I was always tired.
  • bumblebreezy91
    bumblebreezy91 Posts: 520 Member
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    I'm not sure for the general population, but in December, when I was about 20 pounds heavier and had bloodwork done, I had fantastic numbers except my iron was super low and I was/am considered anemic.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    It's possible but I wouldn't say it's probable in most cases. We live in a society where many food products are fortified to prevent malnourishment.

    Certainly many people with poor eating habits would benefit from a better nutritional profile, but aren't actually malnutritioned.
  • bethanylaugh
    bethanylaugh Posts: 237
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    I'm kind of the opinion that heavy folks (like myself) are OVER nourished. Too much food. Malnourished implies lack of nourishment, which I personally have never had.

    Malnourishment is lack of nutrients, not lack of food. You could eat white bread all day every day and be quite malnourished. :)
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    I'm kind of the opinion that heavy folks (like myself) are OVER nourished. Too much food. Malnourished implies lack of nourishment, which I personally have never had.

    malnourished mean lack of enough essential vitamins and minerals. So if all you eat is cheesecake, even at a caloric surplus you can be malnourished.
  • bethanylaugh
    bethanylaugh Posts: 237
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    "food toxins and malnutrition [are both] well attested as causes of obesity in animals:

    The easiest way to induce obesity in animals is to feed them a carb toxin and a fat toxin – e.g. wheat, fructose, or alcohol with polyunsaturated fats or hydrogenated trans-fats.
    Obesity in animals can also be induced by nutrient deficiencies, as in the “methionine-choline deficient diet.”
    These causes also seem to be active in humans:

    Intake of fructose and polyunsaturated fats is strongly associated with obesity in humans.
    Famine studies show that those who experience a period of severe malnourishment are more likely to become obese."
  • KimiSteinbach
    KimiSteinbach Posts: 224 Member
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    It's possible but I wouldn't say it's probable in most cases. We live in a society where many food products are fortified to prevent malnourishment.

    Certainly many people with poor eating habits would benefit from a better nutritional profile, but aren't actually malnutritioned.

    This makes sense. I suppose I'm trying to get at the fact that maybe we are "overnourished" then.
  • bethanylaugh
    bethanylaugh Posts: 237
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    We fortify foods with 2 or 3 nutrients... and there's TONS of evidence that shows that, for example, folic acid in food is almost ineffective and borderline harmful compared to eating food that naturally has folate in it.

    Here's a bunch of resources on the topic if anyone is interested in researching it! http://perfecthealthdiet.com/notes/#Ch17
  • pianolover2012
    pianolover2012 Posts: 168 Member
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    In my case, I was DEFINITELY malnourished. I have Celiac disease and was diagnosed a year ago as severely malnourished. I am around 197 pounds now after losing some 28 pounds! My weightloss is also VERY slow because my body is obsorbing the needed nutrients. So to answer your question, some ppl can be malnourished while overweight.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    We fortify foods with 2 or 3 nutrients... and there's TONS of evidence that shows that, for example, folic acid in food is almost ineffective and borderline harmful compared to eating food that naturally has folate in it.

    Here's a bunch of resources on the topic if anyone is interested in researching it! http://perfecthealthdiet.com/notes/#Ch17

    Maybe 2 or 3 per food...

    Milk---> vitamins D&A
    Table salt ---> iodine
    Bread ---> Niacin
    Breakfast Cereal---> Calcium, zinc, iron, vitamin C, folic acid, B6, B2, B1, B12, Vitamin D

    Just as a few examples
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Malnourished means poorly nourished. Mal means bad or incorrect.

    Obese people are, by definition, malnourished. They are improperly nourished. Excess of calories, perhaps a lack of certain things like fiber or potassium.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,041 Member
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    No doubt SOME are!
    I know that at the peak of my weight ( prior to 2006 I was 236+ pounds) I ate foods with plenty of calorific value, but little nutrition! My skin and hair were both lifeless, and I was always tired.

    Sounds like me when I was my heaviest. My skin always broke out and had a greyish hue to it. My hair and nails grew for crap. I waa tired all the time. Not anymore!
  • KimiSteinbach
    KimiSteinbach Posts: 224 Member
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    No doubt SOME are!
    I know that at the peak of my weight ( prior to 2006 I was 236+ pounds) I ate foods with plenty of calorific value, but little nutrition! My skin and hair were both lifeless, and I was always tired.

    Sounds like me when I was my heaviest. My skin always broke out and had a greyish hue to it. My hair and nails grew for crap. I waa tired all the time. Not anymore!

    This is how I feel and I'm 50 lbs overweight. I guess this is what I'm getting at. Thank you!
  • KimiSteinbach
    KimiSteinbach Posts: 224 Member
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    Malnourished means poorly nourished. Mal means bad or incorrect.

    Obese people are, by definition, malnourished. They are improperly nourished. Excess of calories, perhaps a lack of certain things like fiber or potassium.

    Makes sense. Thanks

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