Those With Normal BMIs May Still Carry Too Much Fat
The Mayo Clinic warns that people with a normal body mass index (BMI) may still need to be concerned about obesity.
BMI is the ratio of height to weight, and it is often used to determine whether or not someone is overweight. Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic recently reported that people with normal BMIs that still have excess body fat were more likely to have high cholesterol and extra body fat, which are both characteristics of metabolic syndrome.
Lopez-Jimenez calls the condition “normal-weight obesity”, and it was found in 61% of a sample of 2,127 men and women with normal BMIs. Francisco says that “it normally comes down to exercise.” He recommends that people should perform both strength training and aerobic workouts.
I recently posted about the growing levels of obesity in the US. However, it seems like being normal weight may not be enough. However, I have never put much stock in the BMI. It does not account for muscle mass, which weighs more than body fat. Therefore, muscular people may have high BMIs, while people with “normal-weight obesity” will have acceptable BMIs.
Reference: MedLine Plus
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Trans Fats May Increase Colon Cancer Risk
New research by the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill has suggested that a high intake of trans fats could increase colon cancer risk.
Trans fats are formed by processing vegetable oils to increase their shelf-life, and are found in several snacks, baked goods, and other packaged foods. It has been shown previously that consuming trans fats increases levels of LDL-cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol), which has been linked with increased heart disease. Most health authorities recommend that people avoid eating then completely.
To investigate the effects of trans fats on colon cancer, the researchers looked at 622 people who had colonoscopies at University of North Carolina Hospitals in 2001 and 2002. The participants were interviewed about their diet, exercise, and other health issues within 12 weeks of having the screening test.
People who consumed higher amounts of trans fats (typically 2.54 grams daily), were 86% more likely to have colon polyps than those who consumed much lower amounts of trans fats (3.63 grams daily).
Among the 38.5% of study participants found to have colon polyps, average trans fatty acid intake was 4.97 grams. The average intake for those who did not have colon growths was 4.42 grams.
Dr. Lisa C Vinikoor of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill states, “these results provide further support for recommendations to limit consumption of trans-fatty acids.”
I have read several nutritional experts recommend eating foods in their most natural state, and this study provides further proof that processed foods are very detrimental to health. One common piece of advice is if you cannot imagine your food as something that grows in the earth or gets its food from something that grows in the earth, then you probably should not eat it. For example, I’ve never heard of a Twinkie tree.
Reference: MedLine Plus
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Strength Training Lizard
It has been discovered that male Jamaican anole lizards begin and end each day with strength exercises.
The lizards perform push-ups, head bobs, and extensions of a colorful neck flap, or dewlap, to defend their territory. “Anoles are highly visual species, so in that sense it is not surprising that they would use visual displays to mark territory,” said Terry J. Ord, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California Davis and at Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Ord studied four species of Jamaican forest lizard. They found that females establish territories allowing access to food and other resources, while males stake out larger territories permitting access to females. The males spend most of the day on tree trunks displaying head motions, push-ups, and dewlap extensions to warn other males to stay away from their territory.
This is not exactly a health article; however, I thought it was interesting and it relates to strength.
Reference: University of California Davis
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Weekly Nutrition Tip #27
Tip #27
Eat Fat, Lose Fat
by Dr. John Berardi
To lose fat, sometimes you have to eat fat. Monounsaturated fats and certain polyunsaturates actually speed up the metabolic rate. The best of the fat burning bunch are the highly unsaturated omega 3s called EPA and DHA. These omega 3 fatty acids can potentially help burn blubber through a variety of different mechanisms. A diet supplemented with omega 3-rich fish oil promotes losses of body fat with simultaneous gains in lean mass. That’s right, more muscle and less fat, baby!
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