Health Front
News That's Good for You
September 2008
Reprinted with permission from Taste For Life
How dangerous is a spare tire?
It’s not merely total body weight that matters to our health. Even people with normal weight may have excessive body fat, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic. And that puts this group—with what’s called “normal weight obesity”—at increased risk for diabetes and heart disease.
The biggest concern? Fat that accumulates around the middle. This is more than extra padding, says Gordon Blackburn, PhD, program director of CARDIAC Rehabilitation at Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. “It pumps out inflammatory substances that affect metabolism, increasing LDL [lousy] cholesterol and decreasing insulin sensitivity,” adds Dr. Blackburn.
Measuring the waistline is an easy way to assess whether you have an unhealthy percentage of body fat. Run a tape measure around the top of the hip bone; a measurement of more than 40 inches for men and more than 35 inches for women suggests that you’re carrying excess weight.
The best strategy to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and a healthy percentage of body fat is to control portion sizes, limit calorie intake, and walk or do other moderate-intensity aerobic activities for 30 to 60 minutes on a daily basis. Eat a diet low in fat and high in fiber: That means plenty of fruits, veggies, and whole grains.
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- “Beware of ‘Normal Weight’ Obesity,” Cleveland Clinic Heart Advisor, 8/08
- “Normal Weight Obesity: An Emerging Risk Factor for Heart and Metabolic Problems” by A. Romero-Corral, MD, et al., www.mayoclinic.org, 3/27/08
COOL in the news
Some COOL new rules for certain foods will go into effect September 30—that’s COOL, as in Country Of Origin Labeling. Enacted into law by Congress in 2002, the goal of COOL labeling is to give consumers more info about where food originates by placing a label, stamp, or other visible sign on or near the product.
But it’s taken a while for the law to go into effect because suppliers and retailers needed time to implement the new rules. By July of this year, more than 60 percent of produce sold by U.S. retailers met COOL standards, according to Robert Guenther of the United Fresh Produce Association. Look for additional origin labeling in the coming months.
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- “COOL Is Coming” by Matt Milkovich, www.freshcut.com, 7/08
Did You Know?
Combining weight training and cardio can lead to three times more abdominal fat loss than aerobic exercise alone.
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- “Effects of Kiwi Fruit Consumption . . . in Healthy Human Volunteers” by A. K. Duttaroy and A. Jorgensen, Platelets, 8/04
