Abdominal fat is even more dangerous than previously thought
Gut Feeling
I don’t mean to get personal, but…
How’s your mid-section these days? Maybe a little larger than it used to be?
If the unavoidable answer is “yes,” then the time to turn back abdominal fat is now, because a new study shows that too much fat around the middle sharply increases risk of one of the most dreaded age-related health problems.
Belly up
About half of all U.S. adults carry excess abdominal fat.
No way around it: That’s really bad news.
In previous e-Alerts I’ve told you how abdominal fat has been linked to higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke. Now we add dementia to that list.
As reported earlier this year in the journal Neurology, researchers measured the abdomens of more than 6,500 Northern California subjects in their early 40s. When the subjects were measured again more than 30 years later, researchers found that those who had developed the greatest abdominal fat were almost THREE TIMES more likely to suffer from dementia compared to subjects with the lowest amount of abdominal fat.
Wait – it gets worse.
Subjects with oversized abdomens who were otherwise healthy non-smokers within normal weight limits STILL had a very high risk of dementia.
You and your leptin
Okay…so you’ve got a belly. Now what?
You could start by watching The Biggest Loser on NBC. That’s what a friend of mine named Sal did. Sal told me he had a wake-up-call moment when he saw the Biggest Loser episode where a doctor explained why the morbidly obese middle-aged contestants probably wouldn’t be alive in ten years unless they shed their abdominal fat.
Sal isn’t morbidly obese, but since he hit his 50s he’s seen his abdomen grow larger with each passing year. And he knows the cold hard truth: He’s got to exercise and regulate his diet.
Daily exercise is the ticket here. Moderate exercise has its rewards, but it really will take more than a few long walks each week to work off that middle fat.
Calorie restriction is a must too – especially if you’re used to indulging in large restaurant portions. But it’s important to make the calorie cutback gradual. Harvard Women’s Health Watch (HWHW) reports that drastic reduction in calorie intake triggers a starvation response, prompting your body to slow down metabolism and store fat – exactly what you don’t want to do.
HWHW also makes the point that abdominal fat cells are biologically active: “It’s more accurate to think of fat as an endocrine organ or gland, producing hormones and other substances that can profoundly affect our health. One such hormone is leptin, which is normally released after a meal and dampens appetite.”
Coincidentally, leptin’s role in weight loss is featured in the January 2009 issue of the HSI Members Alert. Managing Editor Melissa Hickle writes, “It’s all about working with your body, not against it. About accessing your body’s own key to increased energy and weight management. That key is a protein hormone called leptin. It’s the main control when it comes to body weight and metabolism. If you can get leptin to do its job, you can unlock the secret to losing weight and increasing your energy level.”
HSI members can use their monthly password to access Melissa’s entire article on our website at hsionline.com.
The HSI Members Alert provides a convenient way to stay informed about all of the most groundbreaking advances in nutrition and alternative medicine. Find out how you can be among the very first to learn about cutting edge cures you’ll rarely hear about in the mainstream media.
Sources:
“Central Obesity and Increased Risk of Dementia More than Three Decades Later” Neurology, Published online before print 3/26/08, neurology.org
“Weight Loss Breakthrough! Unlock Your Brain’s Power to Shed those Pounds for Good” Melissa Hickle, HSI Members Alert, January 2009, hsionline.com
