I am not quite sure what to think about some new research that came out on Monday about the relationship of being fit but still fat. New research challenges the notion that you can be fat and fit, finding that being active can lower but not eliminate heart risks faced by heavy women.

Heart disease risk was 54 percent higher in overweight active women than for normal-weight active women.

“It doesn’t take away the risk entirely. Weight still matters,” said Dr. Martha Gulati, a heart specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

It is not definitive if this is the only view. Some people do in fact say taht fit and fat is fine and healthy.

University of South Carolina obesity expert Steven Blair, a leading proponent of the “fit and fat” theory, said the study is limited by relying on women’s self-reporting their activity levels. That method is not as reliable as a more objective fitness evaluation including exercise treadmill tests, Blair said. These tests include heart-rate measures to see how the heart responds to and tolerates exercise.

In Blair’s research, overweight people deemed “fit” by treadmill tests did not face increased risks of dying from heart disease. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: Archives of Internal Medicine, Harvard, heart disease, heart specialist, Martha Gulati, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, obesity, South Carolina, Steven Blair, University of South Carolina

Many of us, me included have eyesite problems. I have no bad problems like glaucoma or cataracts but I have worn glasses or contacts since I was eight years old. Readers Digest has a great article of vision tips here that will allow you to imrove your vision or at least make it degrade at a much slower rate.

The good news: The most common diseases — age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), cataracts, glaucoma, and dry eye disease — are all preventable to some extent. Read on to see (pun intended) how you can get Stealth Healthy protection for your peepers. Before we go any further, we have to tell you that the first step, if you smoke, is to stop. Smoking increases your risk of cataracts, glaucoma, dry eyes, and age-related macular degeneration.

1. Mix a cup of blueberries with a cup of yogurt for breakfast this morning. Blueberries are one of the richest fruit forms of antioxidants, and a study published in The Archives of Ophthalmology found that women and men who ate the greatest amount of fruit were the least likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the leading cause of blindness in older people. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Association for Research, bilberry, blindness, car vents, cataracts, dry eye syndrome, dry eyes, Eastern Virginia Medical School, eye disease, fish-oil supplements, glaucoma, Harvard, John Sheppard, leading cause of blindness, macular degeneration, Norfolk, olive oil, Ophthalmology, potato chips, readers digest, the Readers Digest, The Archives of Ophthalmology, Virginia, vitamin a

Mom’s dieting habits can have a bad influence on the children. Some research indicates youngsters learn attitudes about dieting through observation. For some youngsters, that might mean an unhealthy fixation on body image, experts warn.

“It’s like trying on Mom’s high heels. They’re trying on their diets, too,” said Carolyn Costin, spokeswoman for the National Eating Disorder Association.

As obesity rates climb among children, health officials are warning parents about the dangers of junk food and lack of exercise. Yet few speak about parents who meticulously count every calorie that crosses their lips.

That type of obsession can be just as destructive and eventually teaches kids to weigh their self-worth on the scale, said Christine Gerbstadt, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

While fathers also play a crucial a role in shaping children’s attitudes about food, research has focused primarily on women and their daughters, since females are more likely to diet and worry about body image.

One study published this year by researchers at Harvard Medical School found that frequent dieting by mothers was associated with frequent dieting by their adolescent daughters. The study also found that girls with mothers who had weight concerns were more likely to develop anxieties about their own bodies.

A study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that 5-year-old girls whose mothers dieted were twice as likely to be aware of dieting and weight-loss strategies as girls whose mothers didn’t diet.

“If their mothers diet, it’s a marker of how important weight is in the household,” said Alison Field, lead author of the Harvard study and an assistant professor of pediatrics.

Even small cues _ such as making self-deprecating remarks about bulging thighs or squealing in delight over a few lost pounds _ can send the message that thinness is to be prized above all else, Field said.

“Parents, especially moms, need to understand kids watch and hear things at an early age and are like little sponges,” Costin said.

Walking the line between encouraging healthy habits and not making an issue of weight can be tough, especially with parents already bearing the blame for rising obesity rates among children.

The best strategy is to lead by example, Costin said: If a fad diet isn’t right for the child, what makes it right for the parent?

One Albany mom, Donna Choiniere, does just that. She threw dieting out the window long ago and has made fitness a part of family life. The 52-year-old runs marathons, and her 15-year-old daughter, Katelyn, is on the track team.

She tries not to keep heavy-duty junk food in the house, but does not make a big deal about it, and is OK with things like pretzels and popcorn.

On the Net:

American Dietetic Association, http://www.eatright.org

Tags: Alison Field, American Dietetic Association, Carolyn Costin, Christine Gerbstadt, Donna Choiniere, food, Harvard, Harvard Medical School, heavy-duty junk food, junk food, Katelyn, lead author, National Eating Disorder Association, obesity, professor of pediatrics, spokeswoman

The study results are in. If you want to reduce the risk of dying before your time, fat but fit isnt the way to go. Ditto for being slender but not fit. Fat and sedentary is the worst combination, of course. Lean and fit is the best way to live out your years. Sounds logical, especially in view of all the recent hand-wringing about rising obesity rates. Nevertheless, whether exercise can overcome the risk of being overweight has been controversial, until now.

Early in 1999, Steven Blair, director of research at the Cooper Institute of Aerobics in Dallas, opined that fit and fat appears to be good enough. In the men who are overweight or obese, but also moderately or high-fit, we dont see much increase in the risk of dying, he told Nutrition Action Health Letter.

There has been some suggestion that if you are particularly active, you dont have to worry about your bodyweight, about your diet, Dr. Frank Hu, lead author of the new study from the Harvard School of Public Health, told the Associated Press. Thats very misleading.

The Harvard study was large and impressive, encompassing approximately 2.7 million person-years. The researchers followed 116,564 female registered nurses for 24 years. The nurses were 30 to 55 and healthy when the study began in 1976. The nurses, all non-smokers, were monitored for physical activity and body mass. During the course of the study, 10, 282 died: 2370 from cardiovascular disease, 5223 from cancer, and 2689 from other causes.

The researchers found that being overweight or obese increased the risk of death regardless of the level of physical activity. Exercise helped, but did not overcome the higher risk of death associated with being fat.

Obese women who did brisk walking or other more rigorous activity three-and-one-half hours or more per week were, nevertheless, almost twice as likely (91 %) to die as those who were both active and lean. Slender but inactive women were 55% more likely to die. Those who were both sedentary and obese were almost two and one-half times more likely to die.

Women who were both lean and physically active had the lowest mortality, the researchers reported.
Being physically active did not cancel out the increased mortality of overweight, Dr. Hu stated.

Applauding the Harvard study, Dr. Timothy Church of the Cooper Institute of Aerobics Research told the AP: If youre lean but youre sedentary, dont fool yourself. Youre still at risk. You need to get physically active.

Clearly, the best way to live to a ripe old age is to watch what you eat and exercise.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Associated Press, cancer, cardiovascular disease, Cooper Institute of Aerobics, Cooper Institute of Aerobics Research, Dallas, director of research, Frank Hu, Harvard, Harvard School of Public Health, lead author, obesity, Steven Blair, Timothy Church