Women with Harsh Parenting and Food Insecurity Are At Risk for Obesity

Physical and emotional stresses have been linked with obesity in the females. This research has brought startling evidence to light, stating that harsh parenthood practices, combined with the malice of food insecurity, which are two very common problems, can put the female population at risk of obesity. 

Food insecurity causes internal body changes, becoming one of the risk factors for obesity. Childhood troubles have a similar impact. Harsh parenting comprising of years of rigid discipline, anger, resentment and critical behavior, has a significant effect on the teenage years, affecting the way the fat is stored in the body. 

This prospective research was authored by Brenda Lohman, a professor in human development and family studies and Tricia Neppl, an assistant professor in human development and family studies. The results of the study were subsequently published in Journal of Adolescent Health. 

During the course of this research, 13 year old female adolescents were studied for impacts of food deprivation and bad parenting till the age of 16. The food insecurity in children was reported by the parents themselves whereas home environment and parent-child interactions were observed through videotaping. 

Harsh Parenting: Males vs. Females 

It was hypothesized that the increased risk of obesity in females might be linked with an increase in the levels of cortisol-the stress hormone- in the body when confronted with emotional difficulties. High cortisol levels affect the other endocrine functions, particularly the fat metabolism, putting the females at high risk of high body mass index (BMI). Lack of wholesome food further aggravates the already disturbed metabolism. 

Although there is no difference in the impact that harsh parenting has on young girls and boys, the severity of the consequence in both the genders is slightly different. No plausible explanation for these differences has been postulated as yet. 
According to Brenda Lohman, the lead author of this study, the researchers have, as yet, been unable to explain why the males are less affected than females when faced with the similar circumstances of food deprivation and difficult childhood. 

The Importance of Good Parenting

According to the researchers, the concept of childhood wellness should not remain limited to the pre-teen years only as puberty is the time of major emotional and physical changes. It is during this time that adolescents need good parenting practices the most. 
Poor parenting can mar the child’s adolescence experience, leaving lasting imprints that can later manifest in the form of psychological conditions, such as binge eating, which can further add to the risk of obesity. Good parenting can be ensured by close collaboration between parents and teachers to ensure the best childhood environment free of insecurities. 

READ Parenting Advice: How to Spend Quality Time With your Kids

Overcoming Food Insecurities 

Keeping a close child on the child’s diet during the adolescent years is as important as during the early years of life since growth spurts require additional nutritional support. Healthy, nutritious diet at this time of life ensures that the body weight remains within the stipulated range of Body Mass Index adjusted for height. 
Ensuring an emotionally stable childhood through good parenting and overcoming food deprivation problems in females can be, therefore, implemented as modifiable preventive strategies for the prevention of obesity and to avoid the complications associated with it. 

Prolonged Obesity Enhances the Risk of Cancer in Women

Latest research has revealed that longer periods of being overweight can multiply the odds of certain types of cancers in females, particularly the ones that have an association with obesity. This research was based on a large cross-sectional study carried out in women who had reached menopause. 

The study was carried out by a group of researchers and was headed by Melina Arnold, PhD, from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyons, France. The basic aim of this research was to study the effects of prolonged obesity on the risk of cancers in postmenopausal women. The research was subsequently published in PLoS Medicine.

The researchers analyzed the data of 73,913 postmenopausal women between the ages of 50 to 79 years at the time of recruitment for the study. This cohort group was followed up for a mean interval of 12.6 years. By the end of the study, 6301 obesity-related cancers had been identified in these women. 

About 40% of the women were found to have normal Body Mass Index (BMI). The remaining 60% of the women were found to be overweight for almost 30 years and of these women, nearly half were found to have morbid obesity for an average of 20 years. 

Obesity: A Risk Factor for Cancer

The investigators found out that in adult women, every 10 years of being obese increases the risk of developing cancer by 7% (hazard ratio: 1.07). The highest risk posed by obesity was that of endometrial cancer-a staggering17%-which is one of the most common obesity-related cancers in females. For every 10 years with a BMI of more than 10% over the normal body weight for height, the odds of endometrial cancer increased by 37%. A distinct dose-response relationship was observed between obesity and the risk of endometrial cancer in women. 

The second highest risk (16%) was found to be that of kidney cancer. Breast cancer is another of the common cancers for which obesity is one of the most significant risk factors. It was observed that long durations of being overweight increase the risk of breast cancer by almost 5%. Colon cancer was also demonstrated to have a significant causal relationship with the duration of being obese. Other types of cancers like rectal, liver, gallbladder, pancreatic, ovarian, and thyroid cancers were found to have lesser correlation with obesity. 

READ How to Prevent Childhood Obesity

The Future Prospects

Significant data already exists that highlights the association between obesity and chronic illnesses like diabetes, stroke, gall bladder diseases, cardiovascular disorders etc. This study is the first of its kind to quantify and to prove the relationship between long-term obesity and cancer risk. 

This study emphasizes the need to control the body weight in women. This study has paved ground for mass-level preventive and educational programs in women in order to keep the body mass index under strict check so that the risk of cancer can be controlled. This study has also given rise to a need to carry out similar investigations in male population so that preventable risk factors like obesity can be identified and controlled in time.