Apple Or Pear - What Body Shape May Be Telling You
Where overweight people carry their extra weight – the waist or hips – can influence their risk of several disorders.
Research has shown that having an “apple-shaped” body, which means fat is mostly stored in the abdominal regions, increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, several types of cancer, and probably other disorders. A “pear-shaped” body, which means fat is mostly stored in the hips, butt, and thighs, is less risky, and may actually be protective in some ways, especially for women.
Several factors, particularly gender, influence where fat is distributed. Men store most of their excess fat in the midsection, but women tend to store it lower on the body. Although, women can be apple-shaped as well, particularly after menopause. Heredity and activity level also affect body shape.
Abdominal obesity increases the risk of having high LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and blood sugar. This combination of problems in known as metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of several chronic diseases.
Furthermore, the fat stored in the midsection is mostly visceral fat, which means it is stored in and around the liver and other organs. Whereas, most of the fat in the hips and thighs is stored just under the skin, which is termed subcutaneous fat. The visceral fat in the abdominal area is more “metabolically active” than subcutaneous fat. These means that it releases substances – certain fatty acids, hormones, and inflammatory compounds – which are thought to account for some of the health problems. For example, chronic inflammation may increase cardiovascular risk.
Unfortunately, spot reduction (losing fat in just one area) is not possible. Therefore, doing excessive amounts of sit-ups and crunches will not cause you to lose fat faster in your midsection. In order to lose the abdominal fat, you have to lose fat throughout your entire body. Fortunately, those areas that accumulate fat faster than others also lose it faster.
A decent measure of your risk for the mentioned diseases and disorders is the waist-to-hip ratio. To determine this, measure your waist at the navel, and your hips at the greatest circumference around the buttocks. Then divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement. A waist-to-hip ratio greater than 0.9 for men and 0.8 for women signifies an above-average risk. A ratio greater than 1.0 for men and 0.9 for women indicates a high risk. It is preferable for a man’s waist to be 10% smaller than his hips, and a women’s waist should be 20% smaller than her hips.
There has been a lot of research on this topic, and I think it is a fairly good assessment of risk. However, I think a qualified doctor should be consulted for anyone that is overweight or obese.
Reference: UC Berkeley Wellness Letter
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Heart Disease Begins At Childhood
A study by the Tulane Center for Cardiovascular Health in New Orleans suggests that the route to heart disease begins in childhood.
The researchers state that two of the biggest threats to heart health that can be traced to childhood are prehypertension and obesity. Prehypertension is blood pressure just below the official high blood pressure reading of 140/90.
Dr. Gerald Berenson, a professor of cardiology at Tulane, says that “coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, hypertension and heart disease all begin in childhood.”
The findings came from the Bogalusa Heart Study, which is the longest and most detailed study of a biracial population of children and young adults in the world. The goal of the study is to determine the early natural history of cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Berenson further goes on to state that, “obesity in childhood is the only consistent factor predicting cardiac enlargement in adults. It also predicts adult vascular stiffness,” which is a medical term for what is commonly called hardening of the arteries.
Dr. Keith Ferdinand, a clinical professor of medicine at Emory University, says the new findings are important because they show that “heart disease and hypertension start early in life, in adolescence and even in pre-teen years.” He also states that “Based on this new research, which confirms prior findings, in order to decrease the rates of hypertension and heart disease, we should target our young people.”
These are important findings and further strengthen the need to prevent childhood obesity. Lowering obesity levels in America, especially with children, should be a major concern. I just posted about how obesity levels are alarmingly high, and now it is shown that heart disease may originate in children.
Reference: MedLine Plus
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Obesity Rates Disturbingly High
New research by Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina shows frightening levels of obesity in the United States.
Dr. Gregory L. Burke, the principal investigator at Wake Forest University, says “the obesity epidemic has the potential to reduce further gains in life expectancy, largely through an effect on cardiovascular disease mortality.”
Of over 6,800 middle-age or older adults who participated in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, researchers found that more than two thirds of white, African American and Hispanic participants were overweight and one third to one half were obese. Chinese Americans had much lower obesity rates with 33% being overweight and only 5% obese.
The researchers found that obese adults, when compared to normal-weight adults, had higher rates of high blood pressure (up to over twice as high), abnormal lipids (two to three times higher), and diabetes, despite a large percentage being on medications to lower blood pressure and lipid levels and to control diabetes.
While these results are very troubling, I think that this problem will continue to increase. The lifestyle of most Americans just lends itself to obesity. As for the medications, I’m not really surprised. It seems that the drug companies have been more focused on treating symptoms and not causes for some time now. Maybe it’s better for business that way.
Reference: MedLine Plus
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Weekly Nutrition Tip #15
Tip #15
Good Fats
by Dr. John Berardi On average, most people should ensure that 25-35% of their energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (animal fat), monounsaturates (olive oil, avocados, etc), and polyunsaturates (flax oil, salmon oil, etc.). Your total fat in the diet may vary but make sure you’re getting about 1/3 of each type for the best fat balance.
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