Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
A new study published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge reveals that middle-aged adults who were overweight had reduced white matter volume in the brain, which, researchers say, represents around a decade of brain aging. …
A majority of individuals are always looking for the next big weight loss fad. But what would you say to a new obesity treatment device that uses a surgically-placed tube to drain some of what you consumed after every meal? Well, the FDA says it’s …
It is no secret that the United States is facing an obesity crisis. A recent study reported the prevalence of obesity has increased significantly; specifically among women.
Published in The Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), two new studies from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that obesity rates for U.S. women and teens are on the rise. In one of the studies mentioned in the journal, about 41% of women and 35% of men are obese. However, a decade earlier, numbers were not as high – 38% of women and 34% of men were obese. Over the same amount of time, obesity rates rose from about 17% to 21%.
CDC researcher, Cynthia Ogden, reports, “The most recent data before this point showed no increase overall in youth, men or women over the previous decade. These trends are not explained by changes in age or educational levels in the population or by changes in the distribution of race-ethnic groups in the population or changes in smoking status.”
Both studies used data from a national survey of the U.S. population and researchers focused on participants’ body mass index, and weight relative to height to assess trends in obesity over time.
The CDC reports that a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy, 25 to 29.9 is overweight, 30 or above is obese and 40 or higher is morbidly obese. Almost 6 percent of men and 10 percent of women have class 3 obesity – a BMI of at least 40, with an extremely high risk of health complications due to their weight.
Some good news – obesity rates for children ages 2 to 5 dipped slightly from 6 to 11 percent.
Dr. Lili Lustig, a family medicine researcher at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, reported to the Huffington Post, “Lack of exercise is part of the problem, and so is what people eat. We have done a deplorable job of helping parents understand food as a prescription for health. If a parent does not understand the value of food choices, how can you expect their children and the next generation to have any better understanding?”
Source: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/journal.aspx
According to the CDC, 39.4% or 78.6 million U.S. adults are obese. This may be due to numerous reasons including sedentary lifestyles and accessibility to fast food. Obtaining calories is effortless; many beverages and foods average the amount of calories the body should consume in …
There have been many small studies in the past that have associated sitting, or being sedentary, with metabolic health outcomes. Recently, a large-scale study measured sedentary behavior among people with type 2 diabetes. Researchers used data from an extensive, population-based study, the Maastricht study, that …
In a report published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), officials estimate that 3 out of 4 adults in the United States have a predicted “heart age” older than their chronological age, which increases their risk of heart attack and stroke.
Your heart’s age is calculated based on risk factors like high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, body mass index and diabetes, among others. The Framingham Heart Study, A Project of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and Boston University, has created a Heart Age Predictor, using many of those same factors.
In the Framingham Heart Study, data was collected from all 50 states that determined nearly 69 million adults in the United States between the ages of 30 and 74 years old have a heart age older than their actual age. The results also show that half of men and 2 in 5 women have a heart age that’s five or more years older than their chronological age. The average heart age for adult men was eight years older than their actual age, while it was five years older for women. CDC Director, Dr. Tom Frieden, stated, “Too many U.S. adults have a heart age years older than their real age, increasing their risk of heart disease and stroke. Everybody deserves to be young – or at least not old – at heart.”
According to the CDC and the research study, geographic differences can be seen below; the highest heart ages were found in the South. Mississippi, West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisiana and Alabama had the highest percentage of adults with a cardiovascular age of 5 years or more above their actual ages. The states with the lowest percentages were Utah, Colorado, California, Hawaii and Massachusetts.
To start managing the age of your heart, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services advises you to quit smoking, eat a healthier diet, exercise regularly, and control your blood pressure and cholesterol.*
The University of Maryland Medical Center states that omega-3 fatty acids, essential fatty acids necessary for human health and crucial for overall growth and development, are very important. “Research shows that omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and may help lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and arthritis.” The organization goes on to say that those who get high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, also tend to have decreased triglyceride levels (fats in the blood). Omega-3’s may also help with high blood pressure – “An analysis of 17 clinical studies using fish oil supplements found that taking 3 or more grams of fish oil daily, may reduce blood pressure in people with untreated hypertension.” And, overall, The University states that there is also evidence that suggests that EPA and DHA (two omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil) help to “…reduce the risk of heart disease, including high cholesterol and high blood pressure.”
For more information on your heart’s health and age, visit the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’s website by clicking here or visit The University of Maryland Medical Center’s Website by clicking here.
*Speak to your doctor about your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, including the best regulation and treatment methods for you.
Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/most-americans-have-a-heart-older-than-they-are/