The Fat Problem

Commonsense seems to convey that the tastier a food the more you consume it and consequently the more weight you gain. But an interesting study conducted by Alan Hirsh, MD, founder and neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, seems to have turned this concept topsy- turvy.

He found that when the health food garnished with calorie-free sweeteners and seasonings were given to obese people, they lost weight in significant amounts than those who were given the food without the taste enhancers.

The country of Japan can be categorized as one of the most fitness conscious and healthy city. Taking a step further in making it more so, Japanese officials have taken a path breaking initiative. The government has launched a campaign to slim down the increasing waistlines of its citizenry to a standard measure.

The initiative has been flagged off in the city of Amagasaki in Japan and all citizens are summoned to line up for a waistline measurement. This initiative was planned after a local law, regulating the measurement of waistlines by companies and government of people above 40 and 74, came into effect. The government has set standard sizes for both male and female waistlines the male waist size limit being 33.5 inches while that for females being 35.4 inches which are the recommended sizes prescribed by the International Diabetes Federation. These sizes will help assess the health risk and will help the government counsel those above the stipulated size to reduce weight.

It can be a bit alarming for the normal Canadian to know that it has been established by research that obesity and inactivity stand almost on the same scale between cancer survivors of Canada and the rest of Canadians. According to the research findings of Dr. Kerry Courneya, Professor and Canada Research Chairperson at University of Alberta in Edmonton, and affiliated scientist of the Centre for Behavioral Research and Program Evaluation, based on studies of 114,000 adults in a 2005 Community Health Survey, the following facts were established.

It was seen that, 21% of cancer survivors and 25% of general population of Canada were physically active, 18% of the cancer-recovered were obese while 15% of the general population was obese, an extra 34% of the cancer survivors were overweight, while the number of overweight general population was a 37%, almost half of the cancer survivors (about 53%) were overweight while again half (about 52%) of the Canadian population was overweight.

To be an owner of an attractive figure not only adds confidence in one’s personality but also gives him every reason to cheer in life. There are many ways of obtaining a great physique. One such process is to have a full proof surgery. This is of course the absolute solution to all sorts of obesity. However there needs to be some kind of preparation before anybody opts for it. Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in Rockville, Maryland gives some effective tips for the same. There are risks too in the process, and to get that mental preparation is the foremost thing for all those who really want to have a changed lifestyle. Sometimes these risks turn up to be nothing in front of the daily hurdles that an obese personality faces. There are both physical and psychological stresses in them. In a way an option to surgery is a better choice to get rid of all the daily traumas.

So you have been dieting like crazy but the scales refuse to budge? Or you think you have exercised enough to afford a sinful chocolate pastry? Most of us substitute olive oil for butter, nut for candies and honey for sugar thinking that the healthy alteration will save us the extra calories. Though olive oil and nuts contain ‘good fats’ but there is one thing we fail to remember- these are still fats! Any kind of fat delivers the same amount of calories though there may be some that do not block arteries. Similarly, sweetening agents like honey and jaggery may be a preferred option over white processed sugar, the amount of calories remains the same. It is important to reduce the quantity of fats and sugars if desired weight loss effects are to be seen.

As more studies are focusing on childhood health, obesity in kids can be a risk factor to consider especially in cases of heart attacks and strokes at an early age. Earlier notion that heart problems begin in early 20’s, think gain. Two studies have been made available pointing fingers to the potential risks of childhood obesity worldwide.

One study examined the fate of 250,000 obese children since 1930 until they reached adult life. The other research looked into the trend using the digital crystal ball of computer modeling to determine the number of deaths caused by heart diseases. It said its increase rate is alarming with 19 percent of obese individuals who are 35 years old up are dying early.

Are you among those overweight people who resorts to dieting to shed the excess fat? This article may be of interest to you, especially if you are among those who go on binge eating when you feel sad or lonely or depressed. You maybe under risk of not being able to keep the lost weight lost.

The next time you feel depressed you should try to engage in some activities rather than eating. Try constructive stuff like taking courses or learning languages. It has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that people who ate because of emotional reasons tend to lose less weight than others.

A recent US research has discovered that people who resort to eating when they are emotionally down are the ones who find it most difficult to keep a diet and lose weight. The researchers feel that this study provides the anwer to why several people who lose weight gain it back soon.

We found that the more people report eating in response to thoughts and feelings, the less weight they lost,

said Heather Niemeier, obesity researcher at The Miriam Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, speaking on the occasion of releasing the research findings.

Amongst successful weight losers, those who report emotional eating are more likely to regain,

added Niemeier, whose study appears in the journal Obesity.

The researchers studied eating patterns of two groups. First a group of 286 overweight men and women who were participating in a behavioral weight loss program. And a second group comprising of over 3,300 adults who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for at least one year.

Niemeier and her team analyzed responses to an eating inventory questionnaire. The focus of the questinonaire was on those who ate as a result of external influences, such as at parties, restaurants, social occasions etc and internal influences, such as feeling lonely or as a reward.

The researchers discovered that the more a person ate for internal reasons, the less weight they lost over time.

Our results suggest that we need to pay more attention to eating triggered by emotions or thoughts as they clearly play a significant role in weight loss,

said Niemeier.

The study was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Source: Yahoo

While on one hand, scientists are zooming in to the consequences of obesity and their rising epidemic across the globe, on the other researchers are up with arms in search for a solution to it. And eventually, here is a great breakthrough against the epidemic. Now, controlling hunger is literally in your hands!

The Australian scientists have discovered a brain-targeting molecule — MIC-1 — that eventually can switch hunger on and off! Produced by common cancers and targets receptors in the brain, the molecule is responsible for switching off appetite. But, by using antibodies against it, the appetite can be switched back on.

Not just endless munching but also the evasive attitude of your kid not to hold off television-remote control could be one of the factors responsible for his plumpy looks. Obviously not because it (television) contains some obesity viruses, still it won’t be wrong to say that, certainly, television has something to do with your kids plumpy looks.

Are you worried about over eating and associated weight gain? It will not be long when you will be able to control your diet with ease and lose weight rapidly as soon as the Mandometer is available in the market.

What is a mandometer? It is a computer connected to a set of scales with a food plate, which the dieter fills with food. The computer then records and stores the weight loss from the plate as the eater devours and warns the dieter when he is having more than he should and when the eater is gulping down too fast.

120 volunteers testing the mandometer in the first trial of its kind by the Childhood Obesity Clinic at the Bristol Royal Hospital had lost weight rapidly. Mandometer is expected to bring new hope to people suffering from obesity by effectively monitoring their diet.

Source: Daily Mail

Picture: knbc

It is common knowledge that in North Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi etc have a highly negative trend of gender ratio. Though this clearly indicates the preference of male children it doesn’t say that female children who are born are ill treated. In a recent research study it was found that in these very states where female foeticide is common, obesity among women is on the rise and there are very few malnourished women. An alarming trend which might increase the risk of heart attack among women in this regions.

The National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) recently released a report, Women in India, 2007, based on the research findings of International Institute of Population Studies, Mumbai. According to the Women in India report Delhi and Punjab host the largest population of obese women in the country. While 34 percent of Delhi women were found overweight, 37.5 percent in Punjab were found to be grossly obese. These figures are based on a study on health trends of women by te International Institute of Population Studies in 2006.

The report further revealed that gender ratios in Delhi in 2001 was 865 for 1,000 boys and 820 in Punjab. But, according to the Women and Child Development Ministry, it is an indication that if the girl is born, the families normally take good care of them. This clearly indicates that girl children though unpreferred, are given good food and cared for. In the third place is the southern 100 percent literate state of Kerala where 30 percent women are obese.

Oficials of the department of women and child development feel that in states which are prosperous and education levels are higher, women are taken care of better. This report they feel is an indicator that there is a changing trend in the attitude towards women and their healthcare.

Considering the national statistics, only 14 percent women are obese. In economically backward states like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh the percentages of healthy and obese women is abysmally low at 5.3 percent, 5.6 percent, 8.6 percent and 6.7 percent respectively.
The same trend holds good when the number of malnutrished women are considered in various regions of the country. Delhi and Punjab hosts only about 11 percent malnourished women, while 43 percent of women in Bihar, 42 percent in Jharkhand and 40 percent in Orissa are malnourished.

The NIPCD report also reported that the government-run public distribution system, which is supposed to provide nutritious food at subsidised rates to the poor has failed to achieve its purpose.

The data also gives an insight in the gender preference of childrens among Indian women. About 38 percent having two girls want another child, preferably male, while only 17 percent with two boys want another child. Only 11 percent women who already have a son and a daughter, want another child.

Obese people struggling with their weight loss problems are willing to try any treatments and diets that promise to shed pounds off their body. Most of the so called quick-fixes often come with a platter of side effects. Homeopathy is gaining popularity these days for effective treatment of obesity as there are no side-effects with it.

Homeopathic remedies are made of natural products like herbs, metals, plants and flowers. The basic principle behind homeopathy is to treat the symptoms of a disease with the cause that produces it. Ex: If you are suffering from food poisoning and stomach cramps due to arsenic, the cure is by giving the patient a diluted form of arsenic itself.

The treatment focuses on making a detailed study of the symptoms of the patient and treating patients accordingly. The history of patient including eating habits, physical activity, endocrinal causes, heredity, psychological factors are taken into consideration before beginning the treatment. The three basic treatments in reducing the weight are to correct digestive disorders, to improve metabolism and to help easy elimination.

So, if a patient is having a tough time controlling appetite and is eating to soothe his nerves, the treatment given will be different from a obese individual who craves for sweets. Similarly, treatment for lethargic obese people is different from that of the individual who eats due to anxiety and fear.

While the normal treatments have a common solution for all obese individuals, homeopathy offers a ‘tailor made’ solution to suit the individuals. The sweet little pills promise to end your problems once and for all!

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The largest study ever conducted in the UK on the issue of obesity has thrown new light on what causes a person to become overweight. If you thought it was bad eating habits and lack of exercise alone, or a combination of the two and genes, this report by think tank Foresight adds ’society’ to the list. According to the ‘Foresight report on Tackling Obesities: Future Choices’, obesity is an inevitable consequence of a society flooded with energy-dense and cheap foods, labor-saving devices, motorized transport and sedentary work.

Obesity is turning out to be a weighty problem for the UK. Researchers predict that if the current obesity growth rates continue, some 60 percent of men, 50 percent of women and 25 percent of children in the country will be obese by 2050. In 2002, those who were overweight or obese cost nearly £7bn in treatment, state benefits and indirect costs such as loss of earnings and reduced productivity. This led the health department to commission the study involving some 250 experts.

For long, the international community was concerned with malnutrition and the consequent underweight population in the world, especially the underdeveloped world. However, obesity is currently emerging as a new threat to the global community. It has affected not only the affluent but also contrary to popular belief, it has become a pertinent problem in the developing nations as well.

According to WHO, globally there are 1 billion overweight adults; at least 300 million of them are clinically obese. This has been a major contributor to rapid rise in chronic diseases including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke and certain forms of cancer.

The major reason for rise in ‘Globosity’ is increased consumption of high calorie, nutrient poor foods with high levels of sugar and saturated fats. The change in the diet pattern coupled with reduced physical activity, have increased the obesity rate over three-fold since 1980 in some areas of North America, the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands, Australasia and China. The obesity epidemic has also reached the developing countries as well, where the rate of growth of the overweight population is often more than in the developed nations. What is most disturbing in the global obesity scenario is that childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions. According to WHO, an estimated 22 million children worldwide under five are overweight. According to the Surgeon General, in the USA, the number of overweight children has doubled and the number of overweight adolescents has trebled since 1980. This phenomenon has touched the developing world as well, for example, in Thailand the prevalence of obesity in children between 5 to 12 years old has rose from 12.2% to 15.6% in just two years.

Smoking is injurious to health and reduces your life expectancy by an average of ten years but the new study reports that obesity turns out to be more injurious to heath in comparison as the life expectancy of obese people is cut by 13 years.

Cheap food, lack of exercise, over-indulgence and easy lifestyle creates obese citizens, adding to the woes of the government to handle the pressures of the growing epidemic. The issue is becoming grave over the years and the National Health Service is predicted to go bankrupt with obesity related projects eating away a major chunk of its finances.