Student’s bad eating habits could herald lifelong illness

Recent research emerging from UBC Okanagan delivers a stern warning: the unhealthy eating habits fostered during one’s university tenure could set the stage for a lifetime mired in significant health challenges, including obesity, respiratory ailments, and depression.

The caution comes from Dr. Joan Bottorff, a distinguished Professor affiliated with UBCO’s School of Nursing, who is part of a global team of investigators delving into the dietary habits of university attendees. The extensive study encapsulated the dietary patterns of nearly 12,000 medical scholars from a total of 31 universities located in China, striving to decipher the correlation between dietary behaviours, obesity, and a gamut of diseases.

Dr. Bottorff emphasised the crucial fact that the foundations for many unhealthy eating patterns are laid during the university phase and could persist for a substantial duration of an individual’s life.

“There’s a considerable amount of data that outlines how the consumption of high-calorie meals and sugar-laden foods and beverages by many students during this period can be a precursor to obesity,” Dr. Bottorff stated. While she acknowledged that these aren’t the sole contributing factors to obesity, they are significant and warrant attention.

The groundbreaking study, which recently graced the pages of Preventive Medicine Reports, was spearheaded by Dr. Shihui Peng from the School of Medicine at Jinan University in China. Although prior research robustly associates unhealthy diets with numerous chronic diseases, this particular inquiry aimed to unveil the link between poor dietary habits and infectious diseases, including common colds and diarrhoea.

Dr. Bottorff highlighted that while the structure of the study didn’t allow for a cause-effect demonstration, the association between unsound eating habits, obesity, and respiratory diseases was robustly substantiated.

She further brought to light the biomedical research backing the nexus between obesity and infectious diseases, a linkage further spotlighted amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Bottorff explained, “Recent studies concerning COVID-19 reveal a tendency of individuals with obesity experiencing severe symptoms and outcomes, with explanations pointing towards compromised breathing due to excess weight and subpar inflammatory and immune responses.”

The quintessence of the problem, as per Dr. Bottorff, is rooted in the high-sugar, high-calorie dietary routine embraced by many students, which potentially morphs into a long-term plight, as these habits could segue into obesity. Moreover, she noted a vicious cycle where stress and anxiety could trigger overeating, which in turn could lead to further stress and depression.

She underscores the importance of not overlooking this perilous trend among university-goers, where a substantial fraction is known to indulge in unhealthy diets. “The nutritional quality of the food they consume is directly tied to obesity, which opens the gates to a host of other health issues extending beyond chronic diseases to infectious diseases,” she reiterated.

Dr. Bottorff recommends a university-wide initiative where students are educated on the principles of healthy eating. Additionally, she stresses the imperative for institutions to shoulder the responsibility of offering healthy and affordable food alternatives to the entire student body.

Reflecting on the matter, Dr. Bottorff advocated for a thorough examination of the food environment presented to students, ensuring that cafeterias and vending machines are stocked with healthy food choices. The collaborative effort between UBC Student Wellness and Food Services is a move in the right direction, addressing food security and literacy to mitigate the adverse impact of unaffordable food options and university-induced stress on students’ dietary choices.

Students facing food insecurity now have the recourse of a low-barrier food bank and a meal share program. Concurrently, the culinary team at UBCO Food Services, working in tandem with a registered dietitian, has been prioritising locally sourced, organic, and sustainably produced ingredients to diversify the food options available.

Encouraged by the progress, especially with healthier choices being more accessible in cafeterias and the reorganisation of vending machine items to place healthier options at eye level, Dr. Bottorff acknowledges the strides taken by many post-secondary institutions in addressing these issues. “The momentum gathered over the last four or five years is heartening,” she remarked, “It’s a positive deviation from the past, although there’s still a long journey ahead to fully tackle this issue.”