The concept of "thinness is beauty" makes many people pursue extreme thinness, however, thinness cannot be equated with health. In fact, people who are too thin are often more vulnerable than people of normal weight when facing unexpected emergencies. "Thin people are more vulnerable to unexpected emergencies" is not an exaggeration!
Being too thin is not conducive to resisting diseases
1. Insufficient nutritional reserves in emergencies
The human body is like a city, and nutritional reserves are the food and grass in the city. When encountering unexpected emergencies, such as severe infections, major operations, and trauma, the body will enter a high metabolic state and urgently need a lot of energy and nutrition to repair damage and fight diseases. People who are too thin often have insufficient nutritional reserves, especially lack of key nutrients such as protein, vitamins, and minerals. When encountering emergencies, the problem of "food shortage" in the body will be highlighted, making it difficult to support high-intensity repairs, and even increasing the risk of complications.
2. Low immunity when disease attacks
Nutrition is the cornerstone of the immune system. Protein, vitamins A, C, D, E, zinc, iron and other nutrients are closely related to immune function. People who are too thin often suffer from malnutrition, which leads to a decrease in the number and activity of immune cells, a fragile immune barrier, and difficulty in effectively resisting the invasion of pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. They are more likely to get infected, and the condition is more severe and recovery is slower after infection.
3. Low muscle content makes it difficult to maintain body functions
Muscles are not only a symbol of strength, but also an important organ for maintaining life activities. They play an important role in maintaining body temperature, metabolic regulation, and wound healing. People who are too thin often have low muscle content. When encountering unexpected emergencies, they are prone to problems such as temperature imbalance, metabolic disorders, and delayed wound healing, which affect the prognosis.
Sarcopenia will make things worse
Sarcopenia is a syndrome of reduced muscle mass, decreased muscle strength and/or decreased physical function associated with age and disease. It not only affects the quality of life of the elderly and patients, but is also associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes, such as falls, fractures, hospitalization and even death. People who are too thin, especially the elderly who are too thin, are at high risk of sarcopenia. Sarcopenia makes it more difficult for patients to cope with unexpected emergencies, increasing the risk of complications and the risk of death.
So, how do you judge whether you are too thin?
Body mass index (BMI) BMI = weight (kg) / height (m)². For adults, BMI < 18.5 is considered to be underweight.
Body fat rate Male body fat rate is less than 10% and female body fat rate is less than 15%, which is considered to be too low.
Other signals such as fatigue, weakness, chills, hair loss, menstrual disorders, etc. are often signs of malnutrition.
For sarcopenia, preliminary screening can be carried out by measuring indicators such as calf circumference, grip strength, and walking speed. If sarcopenia is suspected, it is recommended to go to the nutrition department of the hospital for professional diagnosis and evaluation.
There are four ways to gain weight scientifically
1. Seek professional help. It is recommended that people who are too thin go to the nutrition department of the hospital for a comprehensive nutritional assessment, find out the causes of weight loss, and develop a personalized nutritional intervention plan.
2. Eat a balanced diet and increase energy intake. The daily diet should be diverse and reasonably matched. For people who need to gain weight, they can eat more energy-dense foods such as nuts, avocados, whole milk, etc. on the basis of ensuring food diversity. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure the intake of high-quality protein, such as fish, eggs, milk, soy products, etc.
3. Exercise moderately to promote muscle synthesis. People of all ages should adhere to daily physical activities and perform moderate-intensity physical activities at least 5 days a week, for a total of more than 150 minutes. For people who need to gain weight, they can perform appropriate strength training under professional guidance, such as lifting dumbbells, elastic band training, etc., to stimulate muscle growth and prevent and improve sarcopenia.
4. Maintain good living habits. Regular work and rest, adequate sleep, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol consumption, and maintaining a good attitude can all help improve nutritional status and strengthen physical fitness.
Health is the greatest wealth in life, and weight is an indicator of health. Being too thin not only affects appearance, but also harms health. Let us manage our weight scientifically and build a strong defense line for health.
