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SingaporeNutrition & Food ScienceQuick questions
Diet, Health and Special Needs
Quick questions on Diet-related diseases - O-Level Food and Nutrition
3short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is obesity?Show answer
Obesity is having too much body fat, caused by a long-term energy surplus: eating more energy than the body uses, often from fatty and sugary foods and a low-activity lifestyle. Obesity is the gateway problem, because it raises the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and joint problems.
What are type 2 diabetes?Show answer
In type 2 diabetes the body cannot control blood glucose properly. Being overweight, especially carrying fat around the middle, makes cells less responsive to insulin (insulin resistance), so blood glucose stays too high. A diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrate and low in fibre makes this worse. High blood glucose over time damages blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves.
What is high blood pressure?Show answer
A diet high in salt raises blood pressure: the body retains water to balance the extra sodium, increasing blood volume and pressure. Being overweight and inactive also raises it. High blood pressure strains the heart and damages arteries, raising the risk of heart attack and stroke. It often has no symptoms, so it is called a "silent" condition.
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