We used to think, fat is fat is fat.  Fat on your arms is arm fat, fat on your thighs is thigh fat and never the twain shall meet. That’s not the case.  It turns out that fat migrates like Ponce De Leon looking for the Fountain of Youth.  Body fat is in a perpetual cycle of build up and breakdown, so that fat cell living on your hiney this month may be reconstituted in your love handles next month.       
    
            So now that you know your fat is as mobile as migrants in a caravan, here comes a study that targets the bad news about belly fat. We’ve known for a number of years that excess body fat raises your risks for a number of diseases such as cardiovascular problems, cancers, diabetes and many more, but now we can say that fat in particular areas actually increases certain risks.  

            A study out of Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York reports that belly fat alone is a risk factor for breast cancer. And get this, it raises your risk even if your BMI is normal.  In other words, even if you are in a healthy overall weight, if you’ve got a pooch you might pout because your risk of breast cancer increases.  This is something pretty important because it differentiates between overweight and over-fat. We’ve all seen the skinny-minnie who eats everything sugar and stays a size 0.  Her BMI is great but if you look closer (inside) you would find her insides lined with fat and making up over 45% of her weight.  Not a good internal look for Ms.Minnie.  If most of that fat is around her midsection then her risk of breast cancer is greater than the lady who is 20 pounds overweight but has it spread out.

            One of the authors of this recent study, Dr.Andrew Dannenburg, stated, “It’s estimated that each year there are 250,000 new cases of breast cancer in the United States alone,” he added. “Previously it was uncertain why a woman who did not have a genetic predisposition would develop breast cancer. We can now say that, in some, unrecognized excess belly fat is the explanation.”

            The speculation is that the excess belly fat accentuates the inflammatory changes associated with fat which in turn creates the set up for cell damage.  This damage can lead to mutations spurring on cancerous developments.

            While you can’t spot reduce belly fat, you can reduce the “visceral” fat by reducing total body fat.  The bad news is that genetically most of us will gain fat quickest in the midsection, especially as we age, but the good news is that we tend to lose it the quickest there also.

            Exercise and a low carb diet are the two best tools for losing the belly fat.  The crazy “carb blocking” pills, “keto shakes” , and cellophane wrap all are mostly hype, and show little if any scientific evidence of doing anything but making you lighter in the wallet.
Continue reading
    Share:



            Feeling run down?  Too pooped to pucker? Has your get up and go got up and went?  Well, you wouldn’t be alone.  According to the Center For Disease Control, almost 1% of women and 10% of men feel significantly tired or fatigued on a regular basis.  That’s right up there with no sex drive and hating anything Kardashian.  As you may imagine, there are multiple dresses worn by the fatigue fairy, but a few keep popping up more regularly, so here are some of the most common causes, and some solutions.

            The number one cause may be obvious, but it’s number one with a bullet, and that is poor quality sleep.  Notice I didn’t say lack of sleep hours.  You can be in the sack for 10 hours a night, but if you have poor sleep hygiene (tossing and turning, sleep apnea, restless legs) you still will wake up exhausted.  If you feel you are putting in the hours but not getting any more energy, you need to be evaluated for a sleep disorder.  Some estimate that 1 in 3 adults may experience a sleep abnormality at some time or another. Now if you just get 3 hours a night from binge-watching Netflix, you are your own worst enemy. Remember, set a routine and stick to it, avoid naps, dump the caffeine after lunch, and no before bed cocktails.

            Food is medicine, and medicine is food.  That’s a cute way of saying how you fuel your body can help or hurt your energy level. Eating a healthful and balanced diet can make the world of difference to how you feel, look, act, and read Sanskrit. For my money I subscribe to the mantra: eat balanced, low saturated fat, low sugar, high fiber, and overall less of everything.  Follow that approach and your energy level will improve, your skin will glow, your hair won’t fall out, and you will be amazingly regular.  Two other diet musts are drinking water like you’re hydrating for a 5k race and always eat breakfast, even if it is a protein bar.  Studies show that people who eat a healthy breakfast have an easier time maintaining a healthy weight and watch more Good Morning America.  I’m not sure the latter will give you energy, but it will make you glad you have cable.

            We have around 650 muscles in the body, and they are all designed to make us move. Don’t disappoint those little contracting powerhouses, get off the Couch of Doom and get moving.  Study after study reinforces the idea that movement spawns energy and with more energy, you can move more.  You may say, ”I don’t have enough energy to move!”  Guess what? If you force your little behind out for a walk, even if your energy meter is below zero, you will find that when you get back your energy for the rest of the day you will dance in the delightful zone.  A walk a day keeps the heart attack away. The Energizer Bunny is not sitting around watching Golden Girls reruns, it’s moving, and so should you!

            Some folks get really stressed about being fatigued all the time.  Surprise, stress makes the fatigue worse!  Excessive, prolonged stress can cause physical and emotional exhaustion and lead to illness and multiple Xanax prescriptions. Now if I had the solution to stress I would be walking down the aisle of the Nobel Prize awards ceremony, so let it be said that there are a few things you can do.   Identify the source of stress, journal, set boundaries, get counseling, forgive, say no, communicate, and be transparent with loved ones.

            Finally, there are a number of medical conditions that have fatigue as a significant symptom.  Here are just a few: anemia, under-active thyroid, diabetes, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, heart disease, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  

            If you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, talk to your doc.  Ignoring or complaining will only make you more tired.
Continue reading
    Share: