Posts Tagged ‘overweight’

Being called fatty is not the problem. It isn’t even being charged for two airline seats, or being asked to get off the flight. It is that by being a fatty, you’re on fire literally and figuratively.

Those extra pounds cause inflammation, which is akin to a fire within. The consequence of this is chronic health conditions, and accelerated aging. Your shape is the precursor of things to come.

Appearance

The outward appearance is the least of the problem. What is of concern is the increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cancer risk. Your weight is a precise and accurate measurement of your loss in function, not gain.

There is a debate going on that says you can be overweight and healthy. That is true, but you can’t rely on this fact to be consistent. The reason is that most people who are overweight rely on inflammatory foods for nutrition.

Health

Health is not related in a positive way to obesity. It is a sub-group that has outstanding health and is grossly overweight. In a study published in the May 2009 “Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology” it suggested an increased occurrence of food allergies may be liked to the rising rate of childhood obesity. It is known that obesity is associated with a greater development of atopic diseases such as eczema and psoriasis. Also a 59 percent increase in food sensitization was noted. “The analysis of continuous Body Mass Index (BMI) with total igE levels supports the concept that increased weight is associated with increased allergic predisposition.” IgE is a class of antibodies produced in the lungs, skin, and mucous membranes and responsible for allergic reactions.

Medical research suggests that obesity (BMI), allergy (igE) and inflammation (C – reactive protein) are related. Inflammation is the foundation for the development of allergies, and degenerative diseases.

Fat Cells

Fat cells produce inflammatory hormones. The question scientists ask is whether inflammation precedes obesity or obesity leads to inflammation and allergy. This is like asking which came first the chicken or egg. Of course inflammation is a cause of obesity, and obesity sets you up for more inflammation. An anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle is the answer to both possible scenarios.

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2005-2006, were analyzed and the key findings were:

• Allergies are more prevalent among obese and overweight children.
• Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation.
• Allergy is also associated with inflammation.

Aging

There are a lot of people who are aging and manage to remain healthy. These people can gain weight with less repercussions. It is even thought to be protective to put on a few pounds.

The aging population is the first generation of pill poppers, which say that they have serious afflictions. So their extra weight is not necessarily good if it is coming from nutrient deficient foods. Seniors are also suffering from inflammatory conditions, which are being treated with pharmaceuticals.

Conclusion

Being overweight is less about appearance and more about substance. The effect of the extra fat is where the problem resides. Obesity is associated with chronic, low-level inflammation in fatty tissue. Double jeopardy is when you see it and then do nothing about it. Seeing the weight as a cosmetic issue doesn’t make sense, when everything points to a lifetime of nagging health problems. That is the real shape of things to come.

When a house is on fire you get out, when your body is on fire you stay and put it out.

Weight gain affects all aspects of health. Researchers are beginning to learn more about how being overweight or obese can affect several health conditions, including pain. We reviewed recent research examining the relationship between pain, and being overweight to promote understanding of when, why, and how these conditions occur together.

FAT

It’s painful to be fat for a number of reasons. Being overweight contributes to all symptoms associated with osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and spinal problems. The spine carries the body’s weight and distributes it when you are relaxing or in the mist of activity. With excess weight, the spine is burdened, and this can lead to structural problems and can cause damage.

LOWER BACK

The lower back, the lumbar region, is vulnerable and a weight problem combined with lack of exercise makes the condition of this region problem prone. It can show up in poor flexibility, muscle weakness that extends to the back, pelvis, and thighs. This is how you get a curve by having the pelvis tilt too far. Poor posture is often the results of all these factors. Pain can occur in places as far away as the neck, because everything is out of alignment.

AGING

Normal aging can make these problems more pronounced. As one ages the cells and tissues do change, and weight gain becomes more burdensome. Osteoporosis is a condition that is affected by diet and exercise. Weigh gain is usually accompanied by nutritional deficiencies, and less activity. With Osteoarthritis excess weight places more pressure on the joints. Now the real surprise to most people is that arthritis is a disease of inflammation, and that is a direct result of diet.

Weight gain is a result of inflammation. What is also true, gaining weight is one of the causes of inflammation. It is painful to be fat from both a health and financial standpoint.

Weight gain is what most people expect to happen as they age. Since we will be talking about obesity’s role in premature aging, we will talk about fat-storage, cellulite, accelerated aging, and premature mortality that are associated with expanding waist lines.

Obesity rates are climbing to all time highs. The report comes from self-reported telephone interviews conducted in 2006 by the CDC. They noticed that people tend to say they weight less than they actually do, I wondered what the cost of this comprehensive study was, what person is going to tell you how many cookies they ate while answering the survey, much less their actual weight.

The statement that James S. Marks, MD, MPH reported giving is along the lines that “it required a lot of changes to our society to allow people to get this fat so easily.” The answer to that is it requires massive changes in the way we manufacture, produce, and grow our food. If you want a comprehensive national strategy for weight loss, you have to stop producing poor nutritional quality food.

Jeff Levi, PHD, is the executive director of the Trust for America’s Health, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. The statement from Levi is “The nation still lacks a comprehensive, effective strategy to combat obesity.” Then he went on to say “The country needs to develop a plan to combat obesity in proportion to the enormous scale and depth of the problem.”

Topping this off are the complications from obesity, which bring a host of debilitating conditions that cause premature aging, such as diabetes, which alone is  associated with  a destructive process, causing multiple complication ranging, but not limited to neuropathy, retinopathy, kidney failure, and slow wound healing. High blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, joint problems, and lost of vigor are just some of the cost of obesity.

Well, where we start is to acknowledge that obesity, and the ensuing expanding waist lines are not age related. Anti-obesity programs have to start at the top of the food chain, which is the end user.  The American public can choose healthier foods and become more physically active, instead of relying on pharmaceuticals, surgical interventions, and our health care system.

There are not many healthy foods available, thanks to our way of raising animals, and our new way of raising and storing crops. That is not even counting the fillers and by products that enter our food supply via manufacturing. Does changing the diet mean zero calorie diet drinks?  Certainly, this is what characterizes many peoples idea of how to loss weight, but just one diet soda can kill brain neurons within hours, and regular use can cause many problems, and one is thought to be weight gain.

Improving health and weight management is the key to anti aging, which is the foundation of longevity. Of course it was easy to get fat, and it is only going to get easier. The food supply is set up to cause hunger. The amount of sugar and non- nutrient sweeteners cause enormous cravings. Most of the flavorings of processed food tinkers with the appetite. These are the barriers to remaining healthy and well enough to wake up each day with enough energy, for a happy and productive life.

There are easy to follow steps to having a healthy body all the way through life, but it is required that to get the results you must be motivated. Healthy people are usually the ones who take responsibility, and follow a diet high in nutrients, activity, stress management, and wind up looking younger than many of their contemporaries. Obesity role in premature aging, and declining health is well known, reversing this trend is what is required appear youthful and be vibrant.