May 27, 2006, 11:32 PM CT

Importance Of Body Mass Index

BMI (Body Mass Index) is a useful tool used for evaluation of overweight and obesity. This index is also an excellent tool for estimating changes in the body weight over a period of time. The idea of BMI came from the weight-for-height tables, which was used by health care providers for decades. Just like the weight tables based on height, body mass index has its limitations because it does not measure body fat or muscle by direct measurement. BMI is calculated by dividing weight expressed in pounds by height in inches squared and multiplied by 703.

Because BMI is not a good measure of body fat, two people with same body mass index might not have the same body fat. As an example an athlete with a large bulk of muscle and low percentage of body fat may have the same BMI compared to someone who has much more body fat content. Nevertheless, even with the disadvantage mentioned above, a BMI of 30 or higher usually indicates excess body fat content.........

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May 27, 2006, 11:26 PM CT

Importance Of Body Mass Index

BMI (Body Mass Index) is a useful tool used for evaluation of overweight and obesity. This index is also an excellent tool for estimating changes in the body weight over a period of time. The idea of BMI came from the weight-for-height tables, which was used by health care providers for decades. Just like the weight tables based on height, body mass index has its limitations because it does not measure body fat or muscle by direct measurement. BMI is calculated by dividing weight expressed in pounds by height in inches squared and multiplied by 703.

Because BMI is not a good measure of body fat, two people with same body mass index might not have the same body fat. As an example an athlete with a large bulk of muscle and low percentage of body fat may have the same BMI compared to someone who has much more body fat content. Nevertheless, even with the disadvantage mentioned above, a BMI of 30 or higher usually indicates excess body fat content.........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink

May 27, 2006, 1:41 PM CT

Obesity A Major Health Concern For Americans

Obesity is a major health issue in North America and several European countries. Currently more than 50 percent of the total population living in the United States is thought to be having either overweight or obesity. Incidence of obesity is showing an upward trend in both males and females. Of all U.S. women who are 20 years and older, about 64 million can be considered as overweight and more than 34 million could be considered as obese

Obesity is linked to significant health hazards and increase death rates. Obese persons are more susceptible to suffer from coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension, stroke and a variety of other medical conditions. It is very important that we all eat a healthy diet and routinely maintain a program of physical activity throughout our life. To lose weight and keep your weight over time, try making long-term modifications in your dietary and physical activity habits.

Measuring the exact quantity of a person's body fat level is not easy. The most accurate measures of body fat are weighing the person in question underwater or inside a chamber that uses the principle of air displacement to estimate body volume, or to use an X-ray technique called DEXA. Body fat measurements don't have to be so complex. There are many simpler methods to evaluate fat content of the body. One is to estimate the thickness of the fat layer just under the skin in various parts of the body. Another consists of passing a small amount of electricity through a person's body to measure conductivity. Results from these tests, can however be, less than accurate especially if done by an inexperienced person or on someone with extreme obesity.........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink

May 25, 2006, 10:15 PM CT

Sleep More To Keep Weight

You may be spending very few hours for sleep, you try to relax sleep well and avoid weight gain, that's the message researchers have for you as per the findings from a recently published study. This interesting study has found that women who tend to sleep less, 5 hours or less, weigh more compared to those women who sleep 7 hours. Researchers presented this study in the American Thoracic Society International conference during the later part of May 2006.

The study was interesting because it showed that women who sleep 5 hours or less per day had 32% higher chance of having significant weight gain compared to women who sleep for 7 hours per day. The criteria for significant weight gain mentioned above was a gain in weight of 33 pounds or more. The results of this study also indicated that women who sleep 5 hours or less have fifteen percent increased risk of becoming obese during the 16 year study period, compared to women who sleep more. The group in between, who had only 6 hours of sleep per day, had twelve percent higher chance of developing major weight gain and 6% higher risk of developing obesity when compared to women who regularly get 7 hours of sleep.

These conclusions are from a large study, which had 68,183 middle-aged women, who were part of the Nurses health study. Women who participated in the study were required to state their sleeping habits and were asked to report their weights every couple of years of the span 16 years covered by the study. Even at the beginning of the study women who slept 5 hours or less per day weighed on an average 5.4 pounds more on the scale in comparison to women who had 7 hours of sleep. The principle investigator of this study, Sanjay Patel MD, who an Associate Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University located in Cleveland, Ohio, claims that this is the biggest study of its kind. Dr. Patel says that, this is the first study to show that lack of sleep is associated with increased risk of weight gain over time.........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink

May 22, 2006, 10:19 AM CT

Stroll off the Pounds

Mothers are always trying to lose the pregnancy weight, but it is just so hard to get out when the kids are always there. Why not take the kids for a walk in the stroller? The Strollometer is here to help you keep track of everything while you are one a walk. No need to keep a stopwatch or a pedometer with you while you walk.

Just put this on your stroller and it will tell you things like current speed, maximum speed, average speed, trip distance, trip time, daily mileage, ambient temperature and the current time. Seems like it would be pretty handy on a walk to the park, and it will help you try to take those extra pounds off. This item is going to be available in September for around $50.........

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May 18, 2006, 9:49 PM CT

Aspartame Under Fire

When Dr. Morando Soffritti, a cancer researcher in Bologna, saw the results of his team's seven-year study on aspartame, he knew he was about to be injected into a bitter controversy over the sweetener, one of the most contentiously debated substances ever added to foods and beverages.

Aspartame is sold under the brand names NutraSweet and Equal and is found in popular products like Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Diet Snapple and Sugar Free Kool-Aid. About 200 million people consume it worldwide, as per the Calorie Control Council, a trade group for makers of artificial sweeteners.

Soffritti's study concluded that aspartame may cause cancer.........

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May 17, 2006, 9:44 PM CT

The Strangest, Easiest Way To Lose Weight

You have a legacy brain. We've talked about that a lot on this blog, and in my presentations. Your brain thinks you're still living in a cave. Eventhough your mind knows you're in the 21st centry, your brain never got the memo.

A big part of the learning theory we use in the Head First books is figuring out how to "trick" your brain into thinking that learning Java is as important as watching for tigers. We pay a great deal of attention to what your brain cares about, particularly when the concerns (tigers-but-not-java) are in direct conflict with what your mind cares about (java-but-not-tigers).

Besides caring about tigers-and-not-java--and the problems that creates when we're trying to pay attention, learn, and remember--our legacy brain does something else we all struggle with--it thinks you won't get much to eat all winter, so it better store it up while it can.

Your brain thinks that food is scarce for you, so it better hang on to it. In other words, for almost all adults (particularly in the US), our brain wants us to be weigh more than our conscious mind wants. The brain never got the memo about how you probably aren't going to starve this winter.

Given how interested we are here into hacking and creating workarounds for the legacy brain issues, a new diet book that claims to take this approach got my attention. The claims are outrageous, the "plan" is absurd and counter-intuitive, but when the publisher sent me a copy of the book I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it. I say "wouldn't hurt" because it is ridiculously easy to try. And since the Freakonomics guys were recommending it, I figured there had to be something interesting. Plus. I loved the name: the Shangri-La Diet.........

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May 17, 2006, 8:57 PM CT

What Causes Binge Eating Disorder?

No one knows for sure what causes binge eating disorder. As a number of as half of all people with binge eating disorder are depressed or have been depressed in the past. Whether depression causes binge eating disorder or whether binge eating disorder causes depression is not known.

It is also unclear if dieting and binge eating are related. Some people binge eat after dieting. Dieting here means skipping meals, not eating enough food each day, or avoiding certain kinds of food. These are unhealthy ways to try to change your body shape and weight.

Studies suggest that people with binge eating may have trouble handling some of their emotions. A number of people who are binge eaters say that being angry, sad, bored, worried, or stressed can cause them to binge eat.

Certain behaviors and emotional problems are more common in people with binge eating disorder. These include abusing alcohol, acting quickly without thinking (impulsive behavior), not feeling in charge of themselves, not feeling a part of their communities, and not noticing and talking about their feelings.........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink

May 16, 2006, 10:16 PM CT

Extra Pounds May Decrease Mortality Rates In Elderly

If you're more than 80 years old, carrying a few extra pounds might not be such a bad idea. In fact, it may be beneficial.

That's one of the findings from a joint UC Irvine and University of Southern California analysis of body mass index (BMI) and mortality rates from participants of a large-scale study based in a Southern California retirement community.

The analysis found that study participants in their 80s and 90s who were overweight by BMI standards (25 to 29.9 range) had lower mortality rates than those who were in the normal range (18.5 to 24.9). The findings suggest that the BMI scale, which applies to all adults, may not be appropriate for the elderly and should be age-adjusted. This supports other research offering the same conclusion. The study appears in the May 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

"We found that what's recommended for everyone else with body mass index measurements isn't necessarily the best for the elderly," says Maria Corrada, an epidemiologist in the UCI School of Medicine who led the analysis effort. "It seems that if you're in your 80s or 90s, you may live even longer if you are a bit overweight by BMI standards".

The study, which is part of the Leisure World Cohort Study at Laguna Woods, Calif., looked at survey data taken from 13,451 residents in the large retirement community in 1981-83 and 1985. The residents, whose average age was 73 at the time of the survey, provided their height and weight at age 21 and at the time of the survey.........

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May 11, 2006, 10:35 PM CT

Vegetarian Diet Help To Lose Weight

Adhering to a strict vegetarian diet is an effective way of reducing your diet, as per findings from a scientific review published in April's Nutrition Reviews. This review shows that a vegetarian diet is highly effective for weight loss. Vegetarian populations tend to be slimmer than meat-eaters, and they experience lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other life-threatening conditions linked to overweight and obesity. The new review, which is a meta-analysis, compiling data from 87 previous studies, shows the weight-loss effect does not depend on exercise or calorie-counting, and it occurs at a rate of approximately 1 pound per week.

Rates of obesity in the general population are skyrocketing, while in vegetarians, obesity prevalence ranges from 0 percent to 6 percent, note study authors Susan E. Berkow, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Neal D. Barnard, M.D., of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

The authors found that the body weight of both male and female vegetarians is, on average, 3 percent to 20 percent lower than that of meat-eaters. Vegetarian and vegan diets have also been put to the test in clinical studies, as the review notes. The best of these clinical studies isolated the effects of diet by keeping exercise constant. The researchers found that a low-fat vegan diet leads to weight loss of about 1 pound per week, even without additional exercise or limits on portion sizes, calories, or carbohydrates.........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink         Source

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