Nutritional Problems Associated with Drug Abuse and Tobacco Use in Adolescents

Adolescents spend a good deal of time away from home and many consume fast foods, which are convenient, but are often high in calories and fat. It is common for adolescents to skip meals and snack frequently. Nutritional problems associated with drug abuse are that adolescents may buy drugs with money rather than spend it on nutritional foods, lose interest in foods when “high” on drugs, drugs suppress appetites, when using IV administered substances adolescents of a higher chance of contracting AIDS, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases, which increase nutrient needs. Hepatitis causes taste changes and loss of appetite. The drug abuse lifestyle fails to promote good eating habits as well. Medicines used to treat drug abuse may alter nutrition status (zimbardo, 2010, p. 562).

Alcohol in an adolescent’s diet can displace good eating habits, for example alcohol alters metabolism and nutrient absorption. Alcohol displaces the nutritious food needed and it supplies energy with no nutrients (zimbardo, 2010, p. 563).

Tobacco use is linked to many health problems for adolescents and adults for that matter. Tobacco use causes cancers of lungs, mouth, throat, and many other places. Tobacco suppresses appetites as well, nicotine signals receptors in your brain that blocks other signals that get sent to brain for hunger which in short suppresses an appetite. Smokers tend to have lower intakes of dietary fiber, vitamin A, beta-carotene, folate, and vitamin C. Smokers seem to have less than adequate intake of fruits and vegetables which are proven to help prevent certain cancers including lung cancer (zimbardo, 2010).