New Study Suggests That Belly Fat Is Worse Than Obesity For Your Heart Health Posted by Staff (08/28/2012 @ 11:43 pm) Free Image Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhoto.net
The Body Mass Index (BMI) is generally used to assess overall fitness, however, a new study has found that weight concentrated around the middle can be more harmful than obesity itself. The waist to hip ratio is proving to be a better predictor of heart disease and other illness than BMI alone. Participants were divided into six groups based on which of the three BMI groups they fell into, and whether they had a normal or high waist-to-hip ratio. Men whose waist measurement was 90 percent or more of their hip measurement were considered to have a high hip-to-waist ratio. The same was true of women; those with waists that were 85 percent of their hip size were classified as having a high hip-to-waist ratio. Participants with normal BMI but a high waist-to-hip ratio had the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease, and the highest risk of dying from any causes among the six groups. The risk of cardiovascular death was 2.75 times higher, and the risk of death from any cause was 2.08 times higher among normal-weight people with “central obesity,” compared with normal-weight people who had a normal waist-to-hip ratio. “The high risk of death may be related to a higher visceral fat accumulation in this group, which is associated with insulin resistance and other risk factors,” said study researcher Dr. Karine Sahakyan, also of Mayo Clinic.
Men can be highly susceptible to accumulating belly fat and inactivity, poor diet and stress contribute to visceral fat. Keeping your abs toned and your middle “whittled” is the best way to avoid disease and keep your heart strong. Posted in: Abs, Cholesterol, Cholesterol levels, Diabetes, Diets, General fitness, Heart disease, Medical Issues for Men, Men's Health and Wellness, Nutrition, Obesity, Testosterone, Weight Loss Tags: belly fat, BMI, body mass index, cortisol, Heart disease, reducing belly fat, reducing cortisol
In a previous Q&A I discuss food and hypothyroidism Posted by Mike Furci (09/18/2011 @ 9:29 am) Hypothyroidism can be caused by a variety of things. In this country, diet is the main culprit. Our food supply is so deficient in nutrients and loaded with anti-nutrients that it’s really no surprise we are experiencing health problems in epidemic proportions. Vegetable oils (polyunsaturated fats) are a huge contributor to hypothyroidism, obesity, cardio vascular disease and other health problems. These are man-made foods that have only been around since the early 1900s, with soy oil becoming the number one cooking oil by the 1950s. Soy products, like soy oil and protein, contain extremely high amounts of goitrogens. Goitrogens are naturally occurring substances that interfere with the normal function of the thyroid gland by blocking the synthesis of thyroid hormones and slowing ones metabolism. Before inexpensive polyunsaturated fats became common place, beef tallow, lard, olive oil and tropical oils were in use; heart disease, hypothyroidism, obesity, diabetes and other diseases were but a fraction of the incidence they are today. Read the rest HERE. Posted in: Anti-Aging, Diabetes, Diets, Food preparation, Foods products, Nutrition, Obesity, Weight Loss, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci Tags: Cardiovascular Disease, cardiovascular disease risks, causes of cardiovascular disease, common symptoms of thyroid disease, coronary heart disease, Detrimental effects of soy, facts about heart disease, Heart disease, heart disease information, heart disease risk factor, how to prevent heart disease, Hypothyroid, Hypothyroidism, side effects of soy, soy, soy and obesity, soy oil, soy protein, soy side effects, symptoms of thyroid disorders, thyroid disease, thyroid disease symptoms, thyroid symptoms, underactive thyroid, what causes heart disease
Low testosterone levels hinder your health. Posted by Mike Furci (03/26/2011 @ 9:44 am) low testosterone levels put men at risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and early death?? One study shows that testosterone treatment reduces LDL cholesterol and increases HDL cholesterol.? Another study that looked at the cause of death in almost 2000 men aged 20 to 79 years.? The men with low testosterone at the start of the study had a 2.5 times greater risk of dying during the next ten years compared with men with higher testosterone levels.? These studies, and more, will be presented at The Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, in San Francisco, suggest that testosterone therapy has several positive effects. (Vitacost.com Daily Health Tip; June, 2008)
Posted in: Anti-Aging, Cholesterol levels, Diabetes, Heart disease, Men's Health and Wellness, Testosterone boosters, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci Tags: American heart association, Cardiovascular Disease, cardiovascular disease facts, cardiovascular disease risks, cause of low testosterone, causes of cardiovascular disease, causes of heart attack, facts about heart disease, Headlines, heart attack, Heart disease, heart disease information, heart disease prevention, heart disease risk factor, how to prevent heart disease, independent risk factors for heart disease, Low testosterone, low testosterone levels, low testosterone symptoms, prevent heart disease, symptoms of low testosterone, symtoms of heart disease, Testosterone, testosterone deficiency, Testosterone levels, Testosterone levels in cardiovascular disease, testosterone replacement, testosterone replacement therapy, testosterone therapy, vitacost.com, what causes heart disease, www.vitacost.com
How to Find a Vascular Specialist Posted by Staff (03/25/2011 @ 12:20 pm)
A cardiovascular specialist specializes in issues related to the cardiovascular system, which is made up of the heart and circulatory system. Some cardiovascular specialists (also “vascular” specialists) work with patients that have existing conditions, while others focus on diagnosis and treatment. Still, some work in adult or pediatric treatment and others work with specific issues such as transplants, defibrillators or artificial hearts. Some vascular specialists work in all areas of vascular health from prevention to treatment. There are several ways to locate a vascular specialist that deals with your particular condition. You can talk to your family physician who will give you several referrals. Ask your doctor how long he’s worked with the specialists on his list and which ones he highly recommends. Other ways to locate a vascular specialist include contacting a few local hospitals for a referral list, checking with your health insurance provider and using resources provided by professional groups. These include: ·The Society of Interventional Radiology ·The Society for Vascular Surgery ·The Society for Vascular Medicine The Society of Interventional Radiology allows users to search for doctors by specialty using the sites “Doctor Finder.” The Society for Vascular Surgery of the American Vascular Association has a “Find a Vascular Specialist” feature that allows users to search by state, country and/or name. The Society for Vascular Medicine “Physician Finder” allows users to search for vascular specialists by state. For information about cardiovascular health, visit the American Heart Association at www.heart.org. Hormones and heart health Posted by Mike Furci (03/10/2011 @ 9:31 am) If you had to rank the most important factors for a healthy heart, hormones would likely show up last on your list. But the truth is that these chemical messengers have a strong influence on just about every single one of your body’s delicate systems… and your cardiovascular system is no exception. You may not realize it, but your blood vessels are lined with estrogen receptors, which play a key role in regulating healthy blood pressure, cholesterol and normal clot formation in both men and women.1 This may be one reason why pre-menopausal women enjoy more optimal heart health statistics than their male and postmenopausal counterparts—and why heart health becomes an important focus for women as they grow older. Read The full article Posted in: Anti-Aging, Cholesterol levels, Heart disease, Hormone replacement, Medical Issues for Men, Testosterone, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci Tags: American heart association, antiestrogen supplements, Cardiovascular Disease, cause of low testosterone, causes of cardiovascular disease, definition of cardiovascular disease, Diet and testosterone, estrogen, Headlines, Heart disease, heart disease risk factor, how to prevent heart disease, Low testosterone, oral hygiene and cardiovascular disease, periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease, phytoestrogens, phytoestrons and testosterone, prevent heart disease, symtoms of heart disease, Testosterone, Testosterone boosters, Testosterone levels, Testosterone levels in cardiovascular disease, Testosterone supplements, Testosterone supplements that boost muscle and sex drive, what causes heart disease
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