Being slightly overweight is good for health, according to a United States federal research. According to the research results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, overweight protect us from some causes of death. Researchers analysed death data of 2.3 American adults. Overweight people are at low risk for deaths from tuberculosis, emphysema, pneumonia, emphysema and Alzheimer’s disease. According to the researchers, the extra fat in these people may provide additional vital energy to fight against these diseases. 5 to 8 kilogram extra weight is not as harmful as many thinks off. Overweight: Body Mass Index (BMI) -25 to 30. 65% of Americans are obese. According to World Health Organisation, more than 400 million people are overweight around the world. Obesity: Body Mass Index – above 30. 30% of American adults are obese. Obesity increases mortality from diabetes, cancer, heart disease and kidney diseases. But overweight is not associated with excess deaths from cancer and heart diseases. Overweight increases death risk from diabetes and kidney disease. Obesity especially increases risk for some cancers like Colon cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and kidney cancer. People with BMI of more than 30 are at high risk for obesity related disorders. More research is needed on this controversial subject. … [Read more...]
Obesity Research: Cold virus may cause Obesity
A common virus, causing cold can be a factor causing obesity, according to a study conducted at the Pennington Biomedical Research centre at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. The researcher further says that “virus is not the only cause of obesity but this study provides stronger evidence that some obesity cases may involve viral infections.’’ The adenovirus-36 (AD36) has already been implicated at the cause of weighting gain in animals, and with this study also, researchers showed for the first time that it can also cause humans to pile on the pounds (kilograms). These findings could accelerate the development of a vaccine or an anti viral medication to help fight the battle of the bulge, alongside the diet and exercise which the other factors are causing obesity. A previous study showed that 33.3% of the obese people are infected with the virus, compared to their linear counter parts who are 10% affected. In laboratory experiments, it is found that the bug appeared to promote the formation of fat cells from stem cells. The team took adult stem cells from fatty tissue left over from patients who had undergone liposuction (a procedure to remove fat from the body), and exposed some of it to AD-36, leaving the remaining cells untreated. They are allowed to grow in a tissue culture for a week of time, most of the virus-infected adult stem cells developed into fat cells, (where as the untreated cells did not develop in fatty cells). The researchers further says , “it is not clear what drives the transformation, how long the virus lingers in the human system or whether its fat-enhancing effect continues after the body has cleared the virus.” As the research is going on, the real mechanism will be revealed in the near future. As usual we should always keep in mind the other factors that cause obesity like, Lack of exercise, Excess food intake, Depression (sometimes the patient takes extra food to combat depression), etc. If it is true, it may be difficult to control Obesity. Obesity is a major factor in causing Type2 Diabetes, Coronary Heart disease and other lifestyle related chronic diseases. … [Read more...]
New indicator to evaluate Obesity related diseases
Body-Mass index (BMI) is replaced by Waist-to-Hip ratio (WHR) as a better indicator to evaluate a person’s health status. WHR is ratio between waist and hip circumferences. For women, waist to hip ratio should not be more than o.8. For men, waist to hip ratio should not be more than o.95. Older people with high waist to hip ratios have a higher mortality risk than those with high body mass index. WHR is the best obesity indicator for assessing heart attack and other obesity related disorders like stroke and diabetes. As per WHR, fat is more important than person’s weight to decide health status. WHR indicates the proportion of fat stored on your body around your waist and the hip. Fat is stored in the body in two ways. Around the abdomen –Apple shape. Around the hip – Pear shape. Your health is affected not only by amount of fat, but also where that fat is stored. Abdominal fat is more important in assessing your health status. It changes the hormonal levels to cause inflammation which in turn leads to clogged arteries. Clogged arteries may gradually cause heart attack. Please comment on this article. … [Read more...]
Surprise: Bacteria in the Gut May contribute to Obesity!
As per new research report, Intestinal bacteria may contribute to your Obesity. Along with high calorie food intake (fast food) and decreased physical activity, microbes play a crucial role in your over weight. These bacteria by their extra activity in the intestine, release more calories in obese people than in lean ones.Obese people have more of these bacteria as per research. This research is going to change many perceptions on Obesity. Why some people are obese even though they take diet in normal quantities? Why one sibling is lean while other one is obese? Obesity Statistics: Obesity is gradually becoming an epidemic. 65% of American adults are overweight and more than 30% are obese. The proportion of children who are overweight has gone from 7% to 15% over the last 20 years, and the proportion of overweight adolescents has risen from 5% to almost 16%. Human intestines contain trillions of bacteria, perhaps 10 of them for every cell in the body. Almost 90% of the bacteria fall into two major divisions: the Firmicutes and the Bacteroidetes. Obese people contain more Firmicutes than bacteroidetes, which are responsible for their obesity (To some extent). This is another surprise identification after stomach bacteria's role in peptic ulcer. Even though most of bacteria in the in the gut are useful in digestion, this research finding is going to change the perception about these microbes. Obesity is responsible for many diseases like Diabetes, Hypertension, stroke and Heart attack. Prevention is better than cure. Please comment. … [Read more...]
Obesify effects on Economy
Obesity is shaving 3% off production in poor countries while Malnutrition 25 off production. As per World Health Organization (WHO) report, Obesity has tripled in the past two decades. One in every 10 children and 1 in every five adults are now obese in the World. Obesity reduces life expectancy which causes direct effect on economy. With booming economies in third world countries, Obesity is now showing increasing trends in Latin American and other third world countries. … [Read more...]
