Body Fat and the Health Risks
Body Fat and the Health Risks
Studies repeatedly indicate, without a doubt, obesity is dangerous to our health. As we grow older our bodies accumulate fat and then deposit most of the accumulated fat around our waistlines. At the same time we are losing muscle mass. The combination of those factors are a pathway to health problems; most particularly Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, elevated cholesterol, and overall mental decline.
By D. S. Mitchell
Body Fat
Mention body fat and a lot of us start to get anxious. It’s not that the bathroom scale tells the whole story, but it does tell how much body fat we are carrying. We mostly choose not to think about it until our pants won’t zip up or when we pass a full length mirror. More and more information shows that there are serious health risks in carrying extra body fat. Experts tell us that the accumulated body fat begins to act as an endocrine organ. The endocrine system is a complicated network of organs and glands that uses hormones to control multiple body functions. Most specifically, body fat is involved in the metabolism of sex hormones, blood clotting, blood pressure, and insulin sensitivity.
Measuring the BMI
Physicians use the BMI to measure body fat, and diagnose whether the client is underweight, healthy weight, overweight, obese, or morbidly obese. A BMI of less than 18.5 is underweight, 18.5-24.9 is healthy weight, 25-29.9 is overweight, and 30 plus is obese, 40 or more is morbid (severe) obesity. Where an individual carries their extra pounds seems important. The visceral fat; that’s fat that is carried in the belly means higher risk of heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes. In fact, many doctors now suggest patients regularly monitor weight, BMI and waist measurement just as we currently monitor blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol. In a 10 year study with 190,672 participants, obesity tripled the risk for heart attack, stroke, and heart failure.
Body Fat and the Health Risks (continued)
Walk It Off
Even if an individual is not obese visceral fat has been shown to increase the risk for diabetes by 51% and more than doubled the risk for metabolic syndrome, which includes low HDL levels, elevated triglycerides, and high blood pressure. Generally speaking if you are a woman with a waist size greater than 35″ or a man with a waist measurement greater than 40″ you are at a higher risk for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease than your slimmer friends. According to the experts, the one good thing about belly fat is that it can be lost fairly quickly. A program of walking has been shown to be quite effective. In just four weeks of brisk walking waist circumference was reduced by an inch, even with no weight loss.
Cancer Concerns
Obesity has been linked to 13 types of cancer. Some are hormone related. Obesity creates inflammation, which disrupts the immune system and causes a dysregulation of the hormonal system. Mayo Clinic physician, Dr. Omar Ghanem recently described it this way, “Obesity leads to an increase in certain hormones that lead to an increase in cancer: breast, endometrial, pancreas, thyroid, and so forth. We know that losing weight can reduce the risk. Ghanem supports bariatric surgery to reduce cancer risks in the obese patient. In a controlled study of post bariatric surgery patients those who lost 18% of their body weight within three months showed dramatic improvement in their immune systems.
Alzheimer’s Disease and Obesity
Obesity, when accompanied by significant visceral fat increases brain aging and increases the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. In a 2020 study researchers found that as weight increased blood flow in the brain went down, including areas vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease. MRI’s found that people who were in the overweight category had lost 4% of their brain volume and appeared 8 years older than people of a normal weight. People in the obese category had 8% less brain volume and their brains appeared to be 16 years older than people of normal weight. Declining cognition is also associated with an elevated BMI. To protect your brain it is imperative to get your weight under control.
Some Tips To Help Lower Your BMI
Start the morning with protein; 25 to 30 grams followed by the same amount at lunch and again the same at dinner.
Choose farm foods over factory foods. That means, fruits, veggies, nuts, seafood, olive and avocado oils, lean meat. The fewer processed foods the better. The Mediterranean and DASH diets are good for health and longevity.
Move 30 minutes per day. Try for 150 minutes per week engaging in walking, swimming, biking, or gardening. For Cardio fitness and muscular strength 2 days per week of resistance training.
Cut down on simple carbs, such as sugar. Simple carbs fill you up with calories and provide minimal nutrition. Cut out the cookies, sodas, and candy bars. The higher the carb intake the higher the water retention, which makes you look and feel fatter.
Stop Eating after 7 pm. Eating later in the night increases your next-day hunger, decreases your next day calorie burn, and triggers your body to store more fat.
Get 7 hours of sleep per night. Ghrelin is a hormone created in the stomach that signals us to eat. Sleeping less than 7 hours a night has been shown to elevate Ghrelin levels causing us to consume more calories the next day.
