Obesity | Health & Wellness

BMI is Misleading

28exer600.1 300x175 BMI is Misleading The number calculated from your weight and height to create your body mass index, or BMI, is used by doctors to determine if you’re at a healthy weight. However, even though the number is accurate, exactly what it measures is up for debate.

The problem with using BMI as a measuring tool to see if you’re overweight, normal or underweight is that it doesn’t distinguish between fatty and lean tissue. Therefore, it’s misleading and can cause doctors to misdiagnose a condition such as an eating disorder or obesity.

“The B.M.I. tables are excellent for identifying obesity and body fat in large populations, but they are far less reliable for determining fatness in individuals,” explained Dr. Carl Lavie, a cardiologist at the Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute in New Orleans to The New York Times.

To calculate your BMI, simply divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters. Example: Weight = 68 kg, Height = 165 cm (1.65 m) Calculation:68 ÷ (1.65)2 = 24.98

If you fall below an 18.5 you’re said to be underweight, from 18.5 to 24.9 is normal, 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight and a BMI of 30 and above indicates obesity. When calculating your BMI keep in mind that it isn’t a perfect measurement.

Fatty Foods Can Be As Addictive As Cocaine

cheesecake 300x236 Fatty Foods Can Be As Addictive As Cocaine Have you ever heard the saying too much of a good thing is bad for you?

A study done on rats showed that foods high in calories and fat had the same affect on the brain as cocaine and heroin. When the rats ate these types of foods (think cheesecake) in large amounts, they would compulsively eat, much like a drug addiction. The “pleasure centers” of the brain become overloaded and crash, resulting in the need for more fatty foods to keep them high.

This food addiction may be a reason for obesity. Even though the study was done on rats and doesn’t directly relate to humans, it’s a glimpse inside how the brain mechanism works. One day this research may help when trying to find cures for obesity.

Thinking about it, when I do have my “off days” and indulge in junk food, I always tend to over indulge. From french fries to brownie sundaes – maybe this is my excuse. More of a reason not to start in the first place!

The 411 on OA: Overeaters Anonymous

emotional eating 727434 274x300 The 411 on OA: Overeaters Anonymous Truth be told – you can love to eat and eat a lot, but you don’t have to be over weight. That’s one of the lessons learned at Overeaters Anonymous, a support group that’s becoming increasingly popular in Britain.

Very similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, a group gathers to discuss and support each others common addiction – in this case, overeating. Founded in California in 1960, the goal of the 12-step program is to help people of all shapes and sizes over come their eating addiction. According to the Institute of Psychiatry, one in five people have an eating disorder and three out of every five of them are compulsive eaters.

According to the dailymail, a typical conversation at OA goes like this – ‘Hello, I’m Jane,’ says an attractive, slim woman in her 40s. ‘And I’m a compulsive over eater.’ The group all reply in jolly unison: ‘Hello, Jane.’ Jane, a stay-at-home mother of one, continues:

‘This week I’ll be two years abstinent and to me it is a miracle. I am not a normal eater, I never will be. Before coming here I couldn’t go 20 minutes without eating.

Of course we all over indulge from time to time, but over eaters are ashamed of their binges and often do it alone, shunning out the rest of the world. Unlike alcoholics or drug addicts, people must eat to live, so coping with an eating addiction is different. With the obesity rate steadily increasing in America, maybe the members of OA will as well.

Achieve a Healthy Weight to Feel Good

jumpforjoy Achieve a Healthy Weight to Feel Good There are a lot of reasons to lose weight — from decreasing risk of certain health conditions to looking better in your new bikini. But did you know that maintaining a healthy weight can just make you feel better day to day? A new study shows that the number of healthy days per year decreases with obesity.

We all get sick from time to time. You can’t do much if you’ve been exposed to a cold or if there was just something off about the chicken parm you ate at that restaurant last night. But obesity-related illness is something you have control over. And if it can give you more days where you’re feeling energized, healthy and ready to tackle anything that comes your way, isn’t it worth it?

The first step in weight loss isn’t signing up for a gym membership and clearing your grocery’s freezer aisle out of frozen diet meals. In fact, big, impulsive, I’m-going-to-change-everything weight loss plans rarely work. Instead, you have to start by being honest and realistic with yourself — honest about your current health habits and realistic about your goals. Rather than hoping for rapid weight loss, commit to a healthy lifestyle that will lead to ultimate (lasting!) weight loss. Mayo Clinic has some great weight loss basics to get you started.

Western Diet Breeds Bad Bacteria in Kids

kidpeach Western Diet Breeds Bad Bacteria in Kids As if I don’t have enough Mommy guilt already, a recent study found that the typical Western diet can cause bad bacteria to flourish in our kids’ stomachs.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, compared the diets (and fecal matter) of healthy children from Burkina Faso in West Africa to that of healthy children from Italy. The West African children consumed a diet of cereal, legumes and vegetables and a small amount of meat protein. Children in Italy consumed more meat and significantly more fat and sugar not to mention calories. The study found that the gut flora in the West African children was a more beneficial bacteria, whereas the bacteria in children who ate a Western diet is linked with obesity.

So what’s a Western society mom to do? Cut back on the processed foods. Yes, boxed cereals and mac and cheese are quick and easy, but when it comes to kids fresh is better. Include fresh fruits and vegetables in every meal and keep a bowl handy for convenient snacks. Experiment with different whole grains for dishes — you’ve probably served brown rice, but have you tried quinoa or triticale? And cut back on meat portions. Protein is important for growing kids, but we tend to over serve meat portions in our society. And remember that beans are also an excellent source of healthy protein.

Fat By Any Other Name

doctors 300x198 Fat By Any Other Name We’ve all heard the phrase ‘a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.’ Anne Milton, England’s Public Health Minister seems to think calling fat by any other name makes it lose its impact. Milton is suggesting that doctors in the UK stop using the word ‘obese’ and just tell patients they’re fat in hopes that it will increase personal responsibility.

The word ‘obesity’ does have more of a medical ring to it, while ‘fat’ sounds harsher and cruder. But can a word really be the difference between letting weight go and taking control? While the impact of word choice is up for debate, weight loss advice from doctors is important. Sadly, the 2009 National Healthcare Disparities Report (PDF) shows that many US patients never hear about weight from their doctor.

Personally — while it wouldn’t be fun to have a doctor call me fat — I don’t have any issue with calling a spade a spade. There’s something to be said for being honest and forthright. But I think we’d be better off encouraging doctors to talk to patients about healthy lifestyle habits in any way they see fit, without encouraging name-calling.

Study: Obesity is Contagious

0105 three women eating healthy foods at 287x300 Study: Obesity is Contagious Do you have the same type of frame as your friends and/or family? Have you ever lost or gained weight together? A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine states that obesity is contagious – socially contagious.

“We find that a person’s chances of becoming obese increase by 57% if they have a friend who becomes obese, 40% if they have a sibling who becomes obese, and 37% if a spouse becomes obese,” researchers Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, and James Fowler, PhD told Redbook.

Christakis and Fowler’s findings were based from studying over 32 years of obesity data on more than 12,00 people. However, it’s not all negative – researchers found that in the same way that obesity is contagious, friends and family also influence each other just as much when it comes to losing weight and eating healthy.

Worried About Your Weight? Measure Your Neck

woman on scales tape measure.inline Worried About Your Weight? Measure Your Neck For years, doctors have been using our BMI (body mass index) as the benchmark for measuring or health based on our height / weight ratio. Now questions are arising about whether or not BMI is the most effective indicator in determining obesity or weight issues.

A recent study published in Pediatrics this week suggests that measuring our neck’s circumference can better determine if a person is overweight or obese.

Using a flexible tape measure at the center part of your neck is easy, effective and inexpensive. Not only can it help diagnose weight problems, but it can also catch other health problems like sleep apnea.

BMI doesn’t take muscle into account so when an athlete is measured they may be determined as overweight, when in reality, they’re fit. Measuring neck circumferences are much more accurate and soon may become a regular routine during childrens’ physicals and in the future, adult physicals as well.