Cranford Hospice is Hawke's Bay's leading palliative care provider. Our dedicated team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
---------------------------
AXA
axaglobalhealthcare.com
Go further with international health insurance. Global support for people who think a little bigger
---------------------------
APOLLONIO
apollonion.com
The Apollonion Private Hospital is an ultra-modern Hospital purposely built to offer the best medical care to its patients.
---------------------------
Durbin
durbinglobal.com
Specialist medical suppliers in sourcing and distributing pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and consumable supplies.
---------------------------
Self
self.com
Women Magazine on Fitness, Health, Food, Beauty & more.
---------------------------
Easyway
allencarr.com
Allen Carr Easyway International operates clinics in more than 150 cities in over 50 countries worldwide.
---------------------------
id Hospital
idhospital.com
All kinds of plastic surgeries at affordable cost.
---------------------------
Al Zahra Hospital
alzahra.com
Al Zahra Hospital Sharjah is the first and the largest private general hospital in the UAE with both inpatient and outpatient treatment at an international standard,
---------------------------
Kunming Children�s Hospital
crhealthcare.com.hk
Kunming Children Hospital integrates first aid, medical treatment, rehabilitation, health care, & scientific research.
---------------------------
UT Health
uthealtheasttexas.com
UT Health East Texas is passionate about delivering the highest quality care with unmatched compassion, outstanding service and innovative technology.
---------------------------
WORLD HOSPITAL DIRECTORY
WHD International Journal of Medical & Health Science
Author and Copyrights: Dr Mariappa Babu Baskar @ World Hospital Directory
Title:
Addictive Foods and their Harmful Consequences
Word Count:
517
Summary:
An article discussing common addictive foods with their harmful consequences on our health.
Keywords:
foods, nutrition
Article Body:
Most of us are fond of at least one product that has the effect of a stimulant and that eventually becomes an addiction. These products include exercise stimulant drinks (they come in cans and look like cola), fizzy aerated drinks, tobacco, betel nut, betel leaf, strong coffee, strong tea, mahuang (an ephedrine-like compound consumed in china), and alcohol.
Before I tell you why we shouldn�t consume these products, I�d like to deal with the question of why we do consume them in the first place.
There�s no one who doesn�t know that products like these, consumed in excess, can severely harm our bodies. Yet, we still find them hard to resist. The need to eat stimulant food is a simple human weakness that has existed for ages: humans (and many animals) have always indulged in foods that give a sort of emotional high. In clinical terms, this means rapid heart beat, a little sweating, dilation or constriction of the pupils of the eye, a warm flush on the face, and a sense of greater sensitivity, concentration and perception.
These sensations of �high� die down within a few hours, and we are left feeling listless and low. This leads to a craving for that food again, to experience the high one more time. And there we are going round and round in a vicious circle.
The physiology of addictions is as follows:
When you eat an addictive food, it stimulates the hormone like substances found at the end of your nerves, which triggers an avalanche of similar stimulatory substances and you experiences a high. As the substances near the nerves are depleted, you get into the low phase, which leads you to crave that food again. This yo-yo phase of nerve stimulation and depletion leads to a pattern of addiction.
Consuming addictive foods is one of the oldest unhealthy food practices and, despite a revolution in health consciousness; it shows no signs of dying out.
Below are some side effects of certain addictive foods.
Alcohol Addiction: Erosion of stomach and intestinal lining, liver damage, nutritional deficiency.
Tobacco: Erosion of gum and tongue can lead to cancer of the buccal mucosa.
Betel nut: Leads to the discoloration of teeth, erosion of the lining of the mouth, and cancer of the mouth and upper tract. It also leads to heart problems among people who already have a weak heart.
Ma huang: It contains ephedrine and leads to heart problems.
Aerated drinks: High doses of caffeine.
Caffeine and xanthine: Found in tea, coffee. These become harmful only in very high doses; don�t consume more than five cups a day.
Mixed drug reactions: People who consume medications for the heart, hypertension and asthma have to be very careful about the interactions of the drugs with stimulant foods, as mixing the two can be fatal. After years of experience, all doctors know how difficult it is to break the food addictions of their patients. So like them, I can only advise a good compromise. If you can�t break the addiction, then at least you should practice moderation.
Home
Contact
Back to "WHD International Journal of Medical & Health Science- Homepage"
