Underweight Women: Extreme Desire To Be Thin Damages Health
There is an increasing number of women who are too thin, damaging their health as a result. If a person is naturally slim and healthy, there is no problem. But many are engaging in excessive dieting and becoming malnourished.
A trend of prioritizing one's appearance is spreading throughout society, and consequently, women appear to have become more susceptible to the desire to be thin. This mindset must be corrected.
Japanese women reportedly have the highest proportion of underweight individuals among developed nations. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the percentage of Japanese women classified as underweight based on body mass index was about five times higher than in the United States and Germany.
Additionally, a survey by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry found that women classified as underweight were particularly prevalent among younger generations, with one in four women in their 20s falling into this category.
Moreover, a survey indicated that half of young women who are underweight want to lose even more weight, which is concerning.
Amid this situation, experts have begun to sound the alarm.
Last month, the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity classified health problems caused by low body weight and malnutrition in women as a 'disease,' and it launched efforts to establish treatment and prevention methods.
Low body weight and malnutrition can lead to anemia, abnormal menstrual cycles, and reduced muscle strength and bone density. In severe cases, it can result in infertility or osteoporosis.
Those who are severely thin are also more prone to diabetes, just like people who are obese. It is important to be aware of the risks of low body weight and pay attention to one's diet, exercise and sleep on a daily basis.
If malnutrition continues with low body weight, such women may also give birth to underweight babies in the future, potentially leading to disabilities or developmental delays. Recent studies suggest that such children have a higher risk of developing diabetes or hypertension in adulthood.
Some people develop eating disorders, such as anorexia or overeating, after becoming mentally ill as the result of prolonged extreme dieting.
The rise in people unable to suppress their desire to lose weight partly stems from the influence of social media. There are endless cases of women who are influenced by videos about people's dieting experiences and resort to extreme eating restrictions.
It is especially important to protect adolescents in their growth and development period. The government may urge social media companies to impose certain restrictions on content, such as extreme diet videos, that could cause children to have an inferiority complex about their physical appearance.
Casual remarks like 'You're a bit chubby' or 'You've gained weight' made by family members or others around them can be taken seriously by young women and lead to eating disorders and other conditions. It is important to be mindful of whether the idea that 'being thin equals beauty' is being forced on a person.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 25, 2025)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
4 hours ago
- Japan Times
Half the world has faced an extra month of extreme heat, study finds
Half the global population endured an additional month of extreme heat over the past year because of human-caused climate change, a new study found Friday. The findings underscore how the continued burning of fossil fuels is harming health and well-being on every continent, with the effects especially under-recognized in developing countries, the authors said. "With every barrel of oil burned, every ton of carbon dioxide released, and every fraction of a degree of warming, heat waves will affect more people," said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London and co-author of the report. The analysis — conducted by scientists at World Weather Attribution, Climate Central, and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre — was released ahead of global Heat Action Day on June 2, which this year spotlights the dangers of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. To assess the influence of global warming, researchers analyzed the period from May 1, 2024 to May 1, 2025. They defined "extreme heat days" as those hotter than 90% of temperatures recorded at a given location between 1991 and 2020. Using a peer-reviewed modeling approach, they then compared the number of such days to a simulated world without human-caused warming. The results were stark: Roughly 4 billion people — 49% of the global population — experienced at least 30 more days of extreme heat than they would have otherwise. The team identified 67 extreme heat events during the year and found the fingerprint of climate change on all of them. The Caribbean island of Aruba was the worst affected, recording 187 extreme heat days — 45 more than expected in a world without climate change. The study follows a year of unprecedented global temperatures. 2024 was the hottest year on record, surpassing 2023, while January 2025 marked the hottest January ever. On a five-year average, global temperatures are now 1.3 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels — and in 2024 alone, they exceeded 1.5 C, the symbolic ceiling set by the Paris climate accord. The report also highlights a critical lack of data on heat-related health impacts in lower-income regions. While Europe recorded more than 61,000 heat-related deaths in the summer of 2022, comparable figures are sparse elsewhere, with many heat-related fatalities misattributed to underlying conditions such as heart or lung disease. The authors emphasized the need for early warning systems, public education, and heat action plans tailored to cities. Better building design — including shading and ventilation — and behavioral adjustments like avoiding strenuous activity during peak heat are also essential. Still, adaptation alone will not be enough. The only way to halt the rising severity and frequency of extreme heat, the authors warned, is to rapidly phase out fossil fuels.
The Mainichi
5 hours ago
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: Tokyo seniors have fun at day care cooking classes
TOKYO -- In Tokyo, some special day care centers give cooking classes to seniors. One of these places is called "Nanairo Cooking Studio." There are four centers like this in Tokyo. The center in Jiyugaoka looks like a cafe. It is clean and stylish, and it is safe for seniors to move around. In one cooking class, seniors made five different dishes such as fish hamburgers, chicken with edamame beans, rice with seafood, potato soup, and salad. Everyone enjoyed cooking together. Some seniors could even cook while sitting in wheelchairs. Midori Tai, 92, chopped vegetables quickly. She said, "My husband had a restaurant. I learned cooking from watching him." Misako Mori, 88, was happy cooking many kinds of food. She said, "At home, I make simple food. Here, there are many things to cook. It's fun." Noriko Kageyama, 85, uses a wheelchair. She said, "I can cook even when sitting. I have a good time cooking and laughing with others." Seniors feel proud because real chefs teach them cooking. Preparing food also helps seniors' bodies and minds to stay healthy. The recipes have extra steps to help seniors practice cooking skills. After class, seniors can take food home for dinner or share with their families. Nanairo Cooking Studio opened its first center in 2015. Staff member Misako Kaminaga said, "Cooking helps seniors enjoy their day. They can be active, learn new things, and feel happy making something good." (Japanese original by Reiko Noguchi, Digital News Group) Vocabulary seniors: older people stylish: looking nice wheelchair: a special chair with wheels used by people who can't walk proud: happy about something you do well
Asahi Shimbun
a day ago
- Asahi Shimbun
In-house app bridges language gap at hospital in Shizuoka
Yoshinori Asahina of Iwata City Hospital, who developed a language app to help foreign patients, on April 23 in the city's Okubo district (Hideki Aota) IWATA, Shizuoka Prefecture--An in-house hospital team here has developed a language app for foreign patients to prevent delays in medical care and avoid miscommunication that could cause potentially disastrous mistakes. Like other medical institutions around Japan, Iwata City Hospital in Shizuoka Prefecture has seen an increasing number of foreign patients who lack a sufficient command of Japanese. Since its inception in autumn 2022, the language app, called 'Furenavi,' has undergone continuous improvements and refinements. It now provides essential explanations and confirmations before medical tests or surgical procedures in nine languages at the municipal general hospital, home to more than 30 clinical departments. Hundreds of standard medical phrases are organized to align with the typical flow of hospital operations. With a simple tap on a tablet screen, the appropriate text—accompanied by illustrative visuals—appears, and it can also be read aloud using a built-in voice function. For instance, for an X-ray examination, the procedure through the app might unfold as follows: staff confirm the patient's identity by asking for name and date of birth; the patient is instructed to wear only undergarments on the upper body; the patient is asked to remove bras and accessories; and finally, staff ask the patient to take a deep breath and hold it. Furenavi displays each question and instruction in English and other supported languages, helping to ensure the process runs smoothly and without confusion. In the past, explaining procedures to foreign patients often added considerable time to already crowded X-ray schedules. Miscommunication sometimes led to retakes, increasing patients' exposure to radiation. Iwata is home to about 165,000 residents, including around 9,900 foreign nationals, or 6 percent of the population. The western region of Shizuoka Prefecture, known for its concentration of motorcycle and automobile manufacturing plants, has a notably high percentage of foreign residents, particularly from Brazil. As a result, more than one in every 20 patients at the hospital is a foreign national. However, interpreters are not always readily available, and existing translation tools were often time-consuming with questionable accuracy. Although not designed for two-way communication, Furenavi delivers precisely translated instructions, verified by native speakers. It also features phrases that allow users to confirm simple responses, such as 'yes' or 'no,' through pointing. The app was developed by 38-year-old Yoshinori Asahina of the Radiology Department. After being transferred to the department, which deals with a high number of foreign patients, he quickly recognized the communication barriers. Drawing on his university experience building image analysis systems, Asahina teamed up with like-minded supervisors and colleagues to develop the app. Working after conventional jobs, he completed the project in about three months. Initially available in English, Chinese and Portuguese, the app has since expanded to include six more languages, including Vietnamese, Tagalog and Indonesian, thanks to support from the prefectural government. A newly added AI feature can even estimate a patient's likely language based on their name. As of this spring, Furenavi was also being used in emergency outpatient care and disaster response settings. CUSTOM TAXI BOOKING SYSTEM The success of Furenavi inspired the development of another in-house tool: a booking system for taxis that can accommodate wheelchairs and stretchers. Such vehicles are in short supply and typically face peak demand during morning hours for discharges and patient transfers. Previously, arranging one could take more than an hour. The new system allows staff to check real-time availability online and complete bookings in just minutes. In most public institutions and private companies, such digital tools are either purchased as commercial software or outsourced to external developers. But with limited budgets and staffing, few hospitals have the capacity to develop systems internally. 'It makes me happy to be of help to both patients and staff,' Asahina says. 'Technology only has meaning when it's put to use.' He hopes to make the app available to health care facilities both within and beyond the prefecture. Interest in Furenavi is growing, even among major medical equipment manufacturers. As a homegrown app, it not only helps keep costs low but also holds potential as a source of revenue. Plans to digitize hospital operations are often scrapped due to budgetary constraints. Shohachi Suzuki, director of Iwata City Hospital who is responsible for overseeing the municipal government's hospital operations, notes, 'We want to create environments where talented individuals and teams can flourish.'
