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

A study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has determined that if the trends of the past three decades continue, it’s possible that all American adults could be overweight in 40 years.

Dr. Lan Liang of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and her colleagues note that some groups of U.S. adults already have alarmingly high rates of overweight and obesity.  For example, 78% of African-American women are currently overweight or obese.

These findings are based on government survey data collected between the 1970s and 2004.  The researchers estimate that 86% of American adults will be overweight by 2030, with an obesity rate of 51%.  By 2048, all U.S. adults could be at lease mildly overweight.

The researchers do note that these findings are based on the assumption that the trends of the past few decades will continue without any hindrance.

They also estimate that healthcare costs directly related to excess pounds will double each decade, reaching $957 billion in 2030, which would account for one of every six healthcare dollars spent in the U.S.

Wow!  This is quite alarming.  The article also recommends that social changes, such as more pedestrian-friendly communities, are necessary.  I would agree with them, but it seems like more is necessary. Unfortunately, it appears that America has dug itself into a very large hole.  It will be difficult to climb out of it, but I think that most people want to be healthy and as things get out of hand there will be increased efforts to reverse these trends.

Reference:  MedLine Plus

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

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

Tip #12
Skip the Cheat Meal, Fatty
by Dr. John Berardi

Cheat meal frequency should be minimized when you’re over 15-20% body fat. Basically, the fatter you are, the more likely that any excess food will be shuttled toward body-fat storage rather than muscle mass. So skip the cheat meal unless you’re lean. And even then, think of it as an alternative food meal – not a cheat. Cheat meals are usually glorified forms of dietary debauchery. Alternative food meals allow for something a little different from the norm without the trough.

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Research at Yale University has shown that perceived discrimination against overweight people is increasing.

The researchers examined two phases of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) conducted in 1995-1996 and 2004-2006. Almost 3,500 adults aged 35 to 74 years were surveyed. The results show that weight discrimination has increased from 7 to 12 percent.

Participants were surveyed on whether they had experienced bias, and if so, for what reason. The examples of discrimination included being denied a scholarship, job, or promotion; losing a job; being denied a bank loan; receiving inferior medical care; being hassled by police; receiving poorer service in a restaurant or store; name calling; threatening, or harassment.

During the same 10-year period, reports of discrimination based on race were stable, but reports of discrimination based on gender and aged did increase. The increase in weight discrimination was found in all groups except the elderly.

This study is believed to be the first to document patterns of weight discrimination in the United States.

The Yale news release does not mention it, but I wonder if the researchers accounted for the increase in obesity during that 10 year period. It is easy to judge someone by their appearance, but discrimination and negative actions toward people rarely help them overcome their struggles. Positive energy builds positive results.

Reference: Yale University

Research performed at France’s INSERM, which is a public organization dedicated to biological, medical, and public health research, has shown that more sleep may be crucial to losing excess weight and beating obesity.

About 30 surveys were completed in seven countries on both children and adults. The researchers noted that the increase in obesity in the United States in the second half of the 20th century corresponded with a decrease in sleep.

The researchers noted that two hormones, grehlin and leptin, produced at night are thought to be important. Grehlin makes people hungry, slows metabolism, and decreases the body’s ability to burn fat. Leptin, which is a protein hormone produced by fatty tissue, regulates fat storage and decreases appetite.

The researchers found that a lack of sleep (two four-hour nights) caused an 18% loss of leptin and a 28% increase in grehlin. They also found that these hormonal changes made people hungry for foods heavy in fats and sugars such as chips, biscuits, cakes, and peanuts.

A study that was released in February in Washington found that children who lacked sleep had a greater risk of becoming obese than children who got a good night’s sleep. A study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health also found that each extra hour of sleep reduces a child’s risk of becoming obese by 9%. Alternately, children who got the least amount of sleep had a 92% higher chance of being obese than children who slept enough.

Other research has recommended that children under five years old need 11 hours or more of sleep each night, children 5 to 10 years old should get at least 10 hours of sleep, and children older than 10 should get at least nine hours of sleep.

It seems that it is becoming increasing evident that getting a good night’s sleep is important to health and preventing obesity. This study is similar to a study performed in Japan that showed very similar results.

Reference: PhysOrg

Research at the Centre for Health and Society in Copenhagen has shown that low birth weight indicates an increased risk of dying early as an adult. An extra-heavy birth rate also indicates a greater risk.

Previous studies have revealed a connection between small birth weight and heart disease and diabetes risk. It has also has been found that those who were very large babies have a greater risk of obesity and cancer.

Dr. Jennifer Baker of the Centre for Health and Society in Copenhagen examined 216,464 men and women born from 1936 to 1979, and compared birth weight with risk of death from any cause between the ages of 25 and 68.

The results were that men and women who weighed between 4.4 and 6.0 pounds at birth had a 17% greater risk of death during the follow-up time than those who weighed between 7.1 and 8.3 pounds. Men and women who weighed between 9.4 and 12.1 pounds at birth had a 7% greater risk of death.

The researchers also found that death from cardiovascular disease showed a similar pattern. However, risk of dying from cancer was lowest for those who weighed the least and rose steadily as birth weight increased.

This is a very interesting study and may help prevent diseases such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Reference: MedLine Plus

Researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health have discovered that over 20% of teenagers consume fast food more than 3 times per week.

The researchers used data from Project EAT (Eating Among Teens). They received data from 1,686 young adults (45% male). At the start of the project the average age of the participants was 15.9 years and the average age at follow-up was 20.5 years. The data they received included results from a survey that had questions about fast food intake.

The researchers found that once these teenagers became young adults, males who frequently ate fast food increased to 33% but the percentage of females who frequently ate fast food did not increase.

Young men and women from lower-income families were most likely to report consuming fast food at least three times per week. Fast food intake among women was found to be linked to working hours, student status, and living situation. The researchers found that regular fast food consumption was most common with women who work 40 or more hours per week. Alternately, they found that regular fast food consumption was the least common with women attending a four-year college and those living on a college campus.

That’s a large percentage of teenagers and young adults eating fast food frequently. This will certainly have an impact on the percentage of obese adults. Unfortunately, with the percentage of obese children increasing, it seems like these trends will continue. It looks like McDonald’s will do well in the years to come.

Reference: University of Minnesota

A study by Nihon University in Japan has revealed that men who sleep less than five hours each night have a greater risk of becoming obese and having high levels of blood sugar. The research found that a lack of sleep causes a hormone to be released that stimulates the appetite.

The study examined 21,693 men in 1999 and again in 2006. The results were that men who normal weight in 1999 were 1.36 times more likely to be become obese if they got less than an average of five hours of sleep each night over the next seven years when compared to men who slept more. The study also showed that those who got little sleep were 1.27 times more likely to develop high blood sugar levels.

This study gives evidence that a good night’s sleep is good for your health. However, only five hours per night is quite low. I wonder what the effect would be for those that get 7 hours of sleep per night. Also, I would like to see a study that includes women. I typically get less than 8 hours of sleep each night but not as little as 5.

Reference: PhysOrg