| Not enough food If you don't eat enough food, you will become too thin and may suffer from health problems. These include:
Deficiency diseases include rickets - which affects proper growth of the skeleton and is caused by not enough vitamin D; and kwashiorkor - which causes a swollen abdomen and is a result of not enough protein. Problems such as these are more likely to affect people in the developing world, where it can be more difficult to get enough food. Too much food In warm weather, or when you don't do much exercise, you do not need to eat as much food as when it is cold or when you have exerted yourself physically. If you eat too much food without taking enough exercise, you will become overweight. Very overweight people are described as obese. Overweight people have more chance of suffering from health problems such as:
The heart is an organ that needs its own supply of blood to keep it working. If the blood supply is reduced, the heart muscle will not work properly and will become weaker. A heart attack happens when part of the heart does not get any blood because of a blocked artery. [ This page has been adapted from www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science ] |