Global Courant
A steady diet of late-night pizza, binge drinking, and sugary breakfast cereals is the norm for many post-secondary students, and new research suggests the lifestyle may be wreaking havoc beyond hitting the proverbial freshman 15.
A recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal Preventative Medicine Reports a group of international researchers has found that post-secondary students with unhealthy eating habits can suffer from illness and psychological problems for years to come.
The research team surveyed nearly 12,000 medical students from 31 universities across China. 50.1 percent of the study participants had unhealthy eating habits, including eating sweets, fatty foods and too many calories, while 24.9 percent self-reported having chronic or infectious diseases or mental disorders.
Researchers said the study sheds some light on how unhealthy eating habits are associated with disease and mental health disorders, and “provides further support for a possible causal relationship.”
“The findings underline the importance of addressing OEB (obesity-related eating behavior) in programs and policies to support disease prevention and health promotion among college students,” researchers said in the study.
According to dr. Joan Bottorff, a professor at the University of British Columbia Okanagan’s School of Nursing and one of the researchers who conducted the study, it was not possible for the study to prove a causal relationship.
“It is well documented that a significant proportion of college students eat unhealthy,” Bottorff said in a press release. “The types of foods they eat are linked to obesity and this can lead to other health problems that are not just about chronic disease, but infectious disease as well.”
The study also took into account smoking and alcohol consumption and found an association with self-reported chronic illnesses and mental health problems among the students.
Canada’s Alcohol Consumption Guidelines were updated this year and recommend two or fewer standard alcoholic drinks per week, which is a level that helps prevent alcohol-related health problems, according to the Canadian Center of Substance Use and Addiction.
“The bottom line is that we shouldn’t ignore this pattern of risk among young people in college,” says Bottorff.
The study’s authors write that while the government has increased its investment in student nutrition, necessary institutional changes still need to be made, including greater access to healthy food and drink for students and more physical activity opportunities.
“We know that many college students consume high-calorie meals along with sugary foods and drinks and there is a lot of evidence showing that these types of eating behaviors can lead to obesity,” says Dr. Bottorff. “These are not the only habits that lead to obesity, but they are important and cannot be ruled out.”
However, previous studies have shown that diet is an important factor in reducing disease. In fact, according to one study, making healthy lifestyle choices reduces the risk of stroke by 80 percent. This, according to the study, could mean following the Mediterranean diet, which includes eating foods like olive oil, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
Further, the study authors say that all universities and schools should have a health education curriculum to teach students the risk of their unhealthy habits and how to take better care of themselves.
