Role Of Food And Its Medicinal Value

Role Of Food And Its Medicinal Value

Role of Food and its Medicinal Value.
Answer.

Role Of Food And Its Medicinal Value

Most deficiency diseases have been eliminated in the West by the abundance of food supplies. Yet diseases related to malnutrition in the form of dietary excess and imbalance are quite common in the Western countries. Four of the ten leading causes of death— heart diseases, cancer, stroke and diabetes have been linked to diet.

Functions of Food in Human Health

Poor dietary habits and a sedentary lifestyle together account for three lakh deaths in the US every year. Determinant factors account for a third or more of all cases of both cancer and heart diseases.

A high fat diet raises the risk of some types of cancer, heart diseases, and obesity, which in turn contribute to several other problems, including diabetes and high blood pressure. Studiescarried out have shown that the quality of diets consumed by people in the UK and USA during the period 1911–1960 have been steadily increasing, and consequently the growth rate of children also was increasing during the same period. After 1960, the growth rate of children did not show any significant improvement, showing that the diet had been adequate for providing maximum growth in children.

Importance of Food for Energy and Vital Functions

On the other hand, the rate of growth of children in developing countries continues to be poor. The children are malnourished, emaciated, and stunted.