There is much talk about the major killers in terms of disease such as: heart disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes. What you may or may not know is obesity can increase risk of these diseases. With more than two-thirds of Americans overweight or obese, obesity is being called an epidemic. Overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher; obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or higher.
According to the Center for Disease Control American society has become obesogenic, characterized by environments that promote increased food intake, nonhealthful foods, and physical inactivity. Policy and environmental change initiatives that make healthy choices in nutrition and physical activity available, affordable, and easy will likely prove most effective in combating obesity.
Creeping obesity is what's caught up with me. I'm told that regularly eating an extra 10 calories more than I burn off produces an extra pound of fat per year, and that's about right for me. I've gained about ten pounds over the last ten years while I was more sedentary and often ate to meet emotional needs as well as physical needs.
Here are some examples of ten calories:
• 1/8 Oreo cookie
• 2 Tablespoons of rice
• 1 bite of a medium banana
• 1 swallow of Pepsi
Yo-yo dieting is also an issue. Fewer than 5 percent of dieters maintain weight loss for more than 5 years unless they change their lifestyle. Marked fluctuations in weight are associated with increased risk of heart disease and gallbladder problems. If a person loses more than 2 lbs of fat per week they dramatically increase their risk of gallbladder attack. Early humans weight fluctuated but not by large amounts. Small swings are not harmful.
As obesity and overweight increases, risk for the following conditions also increases:
• Coronary heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes Cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
• Stroke
• Liver and Gallbladder disease
• Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
• Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)
• Gynecological problems (abnormal menses, infertility)
Body fat and waist circumference are more important than body weight. Fat cells don't just sit around doing nothing. When you have extra fat, you have more markers of inflammation which cause a host of problems. All fat is not the same. Abdominal fat is the most dangerous as a cardiac risk factor. Women's thigh fat isn't as much of a risk factor.
Some inexpensive tests you can do yourself which I learned from my friend Dr. Phil Goscienski:
• The mirror test: When you stop jumping does something keep moving?
• The belt test: Is your belt size bigger even if you weigh the same as you did in high school?
The underlying cause of most diseases that plague our current society is lifestyle-related. If you need more motivation to embrace a lifestyle that supports fat loss, here are more conditions linked to excess body fat: cancer, asthma, arthritis, poor immune function, influenza (increased mortality), increased risk of infection, poor wound healing (some surgeons wont operate unless their patient loses weight first), deep vein thrombosis, strain on veins and reduced pumping action of less muscle.
People who exercise regularly rarely get Type 2 diabetes. Lack of exercise, not a lack of calcium, causes osteoporosis. The U.S. has the highest rate of hip fracture in the world. People in other parts of the world get their calcium from green leafy vegetables, and they walk instead of riding around in cars. If something has to be moved a human being moves it. From age 4-24 during bone building years they get more exercise than our U.S. style of watching television and playing computer games.
Sufficient exercise virtually eliminates vascular dementia and lowers the risk of Alzheimers disease. Vascular dementia means blood vessels get blocked, clogged and distorted, you get kinky blood vessels in your brain and little parts of your brain at a time just turn off. This is why we think dementia is normal, but its not. On Okinawa centenarians can name their children and grandchildren.
The good news is that a little effort goes a long way. Losing 10-20 pounds can significantly reduce blood pressure, risk of heart disease, risk of stroke, insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.
Best wishes,
Marilyn McLeod
Marilyn@PersonalizedHealthCoach.com
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