MedWorm Tags: body weight

Obesity Beats Adiposity For Cardiovascular Risk

Better Health — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:00:00 +0100

Obesity contributes to cardiovascular risk no matter where a person carries the weight, concluded researchers after looking at outcomes for nearly a quarter-million people worldwide. Body mass index, (BMI) waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio do not predict cardiovascular disease risk any better when physicians recorded systolic blood pressure, history of diabetes and cholesterol levels, researchers reported in The Lancet. The research group used individual records from 58 prospective studies with at least one year of follow up. In each study, participants were not selected on the basis of having previous vascular disease. Each study provided baseline for weight, height, and waist and hip circumference. Cause-specific mortality or vascular morbidity were recorded according to well d...

Denying The Obesity Epidemic

Better Health — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:00:53 +0100

It seems that for every established science there is an ideological group who is motivated to deny it. Denialism is a thriving pseudoscience and affects any issue with the slightest political or social implications. Sometimes, even easily verifiable facts can be denied, as people seem willing to make up their own facts as needed. Denialists have an easy job — to spread doubt and confusion. It is far easier to muddy the waters with subtle distortions and logical fallacies than it is to set the record straight. Even when every bit of misinformation is countered, the general public is often left with the sense that the topic is controversial or uncertain. If denial is in line with a group’s ideology, then even the suggestion of doubt may be enough to reject solid science. We see this ...

The Holidays And The Obese

Better Health — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:00:29 +0100

‘Tis once again that time of year when we Americans gather together with our extended families and friends to celebrate the season. It is a time for catching up — renewing acquaintances and making new ones, sharing in good news and commiserating in bad, welcoming our new arrivals and mourning our losses. It is a time for giving thanks, counting our blessings, and putting our sundry individual problems into perspective. Indeed, it is perhaps most importantly a time for each of us to remind ourselves that — despite the trials and tribulations that may cause us to become relatively self-absorbed in our daily lives — we are all part of something much greater than ourselves. So, in a way, it’s a shame we must now cull out our obese relatives and friends, and disinvite them...

Lose Weight And Save Your Heart

Better Health — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 23:00:57 +0100

On location at the American Heart Association’s “Scientific Sessions“ meeting in Chicago, Andrew Schorr discusses lowering your risk of heart disease and how weight affects your risk: Lower Obesity and Save Your Heart from Patient Power® on Vimeo. *This blog post was originally published at Andrew's Blog* (Source: Better Health)

Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Jim Levine On How “NEAT” Good Health Can Be

Better Health — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 05:33:11 +0100

Obesity doesn’t stand a chance against Dr. Jim Levine, one of the prestigious presenters at Mayo Clinic’s Transform 2010 conference last week. Dr. Levine’s fascinating research focuses on helping people understand obesity, weight reduction, and Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) — the idea that expending calories through the activities of daily living is more important for calorie burning than exercise is. Dr. Levine’s ”Treadmill Desk” has won more than 50 national and international awards in science, including the Judson Daland prize from the American Philosophical Society, the Invention of the Future Award from NASA, and the Innovation Award at the World Fair. The “Walkstation” is now a product of Steelcase. Dr. Levine...

Anorexia Nervosa

Inside Surgery — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:38:05 +0100

Pathophysiology severe disturbance of caloric intake with refusal to maintain an adequate body weight Signs and Symptoms 1) self-starvation and over concern with body weight and shape 2) binge eating and purging 3) weight < 85% of normal 4) fear that weight will get out of control with even small caloric intake 5) distorted body image (patients see themselves as fat even when emaciated) 6) lack of menses 7) acrocyanosis of digits cold intolerance 9) hypothermia 10) self-induced vomiting 11) decreased cardiac output 12) cardiac failure 13) bradycardia 14) enlarged salivary glands 15) dental erosion 16) edema 17) lanugo (soft downy hair on body) 18) onset usually in mid to late adolescence Characteristic Test Findings Laboratory – 1) hypoglycemia 2) decreased estrogen 3) increased T4 ...

Some Sugars Worse than Others? The Bittersweet Fructose/Glucose Debate.

Laika's MedLibLog — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:11:40 +0100

Excessive consumption of sugar has been associated with increased incidences of type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes, obesity and tooth decay. There are many sugars around. Natural sugars and refined sugars. The refined table sugar and sugar cubes would be called “sucrose” by a chemist. Sucrose consists of two simple sugars (monosaccharides): 1 fructose and [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog)

Is obesity all (just) in the mind? Genetically…

Genetics and Health — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:53:04 +0100

There is no doubt that obesity is primarily caused by poor eating habits and inactive lifestyle. But a meta-analysis of several obesity studies found that six new obesity genes are expressed in the brain. Scientists from the international GIANT (Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Parameters) consortium analyzed data from 15 genome-wide association studies and identified six new candidate genes that were related to regulation of body weight. Several of these new genes are highly expressed or known to act in the brain, emphasizing the role of the central nervous system in predisposition to obesity. UPDATE: Endurance Geek made me rethink my title with obesity being “all in the mind”. Instead of changing the post title (or maybe I should? I DID) I thought I would add to my p...