New Study Finds That Obesity Will Be Taking Years Off Our Lives

A study released today by the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that, "If past obesity trends continue unchecked, the negative effects on the health of the U.S. population will increasingly outweigh the positive effects gained from declining smoking rates. Failure to address continued increases in obesity could result in an erosion of the pattern of steady gains in health observed since early in the 20th century."

The study looked at previous health trends culled from national health surveys to forecast life expectancy and quality of life for a typical 18-year-old from 2005 through 2020.

Past declines in smoking over the last 15 years would give that 18-year-old an increased life expectancy of 0.31 years. However, growing body mass index [BMI] rates would also mean that the teenager would have a reduced life expectancy of 1.02 years, giving a net life expectancy reduction of 0.71 years.

Researchers from Harvard University, the University of Michigan and the National Bureau of Economic Research point out that, though life expectancy will increase in the future due to factors such as overall health care improvements, better nutrition and education, rising obesity rates may eventually slow that progression.

Tools You Can Use
* The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] now offers free online tools for adults, teens and kids to calculate their BMI: http://bit.ly/BodyMassIndex.

* Maintaining a healthy weight may reduce the risk of chronic diseases associated with overweight; e.g., coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis. For more information, visit CDC's Healthy Weight website: http://bit.ly/CDCHealthyWeight.

* For a limited time, you'll also find CDC's Body Mass Index [BMI] Calculator for Adults posted on ProsperNOW. It's located on the right, near the top -- just under our Blog Archive. Check your BMI today!

SOURCES: CDC [photo], New England Journal of Medicine
____________________

Learn How to Lose Fat Fast & Get Lean, Strong and Healthy for Life!

Dr. Sanjay Gupta's 'Cheating Death' Special Debuts Oct. 17; CDC Reports Continued Rise in Obesity

This weekend, neurosurgeon and CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, M.D., explores the world of physicians whose work promises to stretch survival time -- and, possibly even, to reverse the process of dying. They, and their patients, are cheating death.

The program, titled "Another Day: Cheating Death," follows just days after the release of Dr. Gupta's latest book, "Cheating Death: The Doctors and Medical Miracles That Are Saving Lives Against All Odds," which is already a bestseller on Amazon. The show debuts at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, and again at 11 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 18, "Cheating Death" airs at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. [NOTE: All times Eastern.]

CDC: Obesity Among U.S. Adults Continues to Rise
One way to "cheat death" is to control obesity, which is related to about 20 major diseases; e.g., heart disease, diabetes, cancer.

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] reported that the prevalence of obesity is 25 percent or higher in 32 U.S. states. In fact, the proportion of U.S. adults who are obese increased to 26.1 percent in 2008, compared to 25.6 percent in 2007. The data come from CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System [BRFSS], a state-based phone survey that collects health information from adults aged 18 and over.

In six states -- Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia -- adult obesity prevalence was 30 percent or more. Thirty-two states, including those six, had obesity prevalence of 25 percent or more. Only one state, Colorado, had a prevalence of obesity less than 20 percent. But no state showed a significant decrease in obesity prevalence from 2007 to 2008.

More than 400,000 U.S. adults were surveyed in the 2008 BRFSS, which is the world’s largest telephone health survey. To assess obesity prevalence, survey respondents are asked to provide their height and weight, which is used to calculate their body mass index [BMI]. A person is considered obese if they have a BMI of 30 or above.

"Obesity is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes," said Dr. William Dietz, director, CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. "As obesity increases among all age groups, we are seeing chronic diseases in much younger adults, compared to a few decades ago. For example, we now see young adults who suffer from heart disease risk factors and other conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, that were unheard of in the past."

For more information on obesity trends, including an animated map, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html.

SOURCES: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CNN [photo], U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
____________________

Click This Link to Learn How You Can Lose Weight Fast & Get Lean, Strong and Healthy for Life!

Obesity Among U.S. Adults Continues to Rise; Obesity Prevalence 25 Percent or Higher in 32 States

The proportion of U.S. adults who are obese increased to 26.1 percent in 2008, compared to 25.6 percent in 2007. The data come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System [BRFSS], a state-based phone survey that collects health information from adults aged 18 and over.

In six states -- Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia -- adult obesity prevalence was 30 percent or more. Thirty-two states, including those six, had obesity prevalence of 25 percent or more. Only one state, Colorado, had a prevalence of obesity less than 20 percent. But no state showed a significant decrease in obesity prevalence from 2007 to 2008.

More than 400,000 U.S. adults were surveyed in the 2008 BRFSS, which is the world’s largest telephone health survey. To assess obesity prevalence, survey respondents are asked to provide their height and weight, which is used to calculate their body mass index [BMI]. A person is considered obese if they have a BMI of 30 or above.

"Obesity is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes," said Dr. William Dietz [pictured], director, CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. "As obesity increases among all age groups, we are seeing chronic diseases in much younger adults, compared to a few decades ago. For example, we now see young adults who suffer from heart disease risk factors and other conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, that were unheard of in the past."

The 2008 BRFSS obesity data indicate that none of the 50 states, nor the District of Columbia, has achieved the Healthy People 2010 goal of reducing obesity prevalence to 15 percent or less.

"The latest BRFSS survey data show that the obesity problem in this country is getting worse," said Liping Pan, CDC epidemiologist and lead author of the 2008 BRFSS obesity map analysis. "If this trend continues, we will likely see increases in health care costs for obesity-related diseases."

For more information on obesity trends, including an animated map, visit www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html.

SOURCES: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
____________________

Click HERE to Learn How to Lose Weight Fast & Get Lean, Strong and Healthy for Life!

'Top Secret Fat Loss Secret' Could Help Reduce Midlife Belly Fat -- a Key Risk Factor in Developing Dementia

Having a large gut in midlife increases the chance of dementia in old age, according to research published Wednesday [03/26/2008] that suggests that abdominal fat is a bigger risk factor than family history.

The study of 6,583 adults found that people with the highest amount of abdominal fat between the ages of 40 and 45 were about three times more likely to develop dementia than those with the lowest amount of abdominal fat.

By contrast, people who have parents or a sibling with Alzheimer's disease face twice the risk of developing the disease.

The report in the journal Neurology was the latest to show that belly fat can pose serious health risks, even for those who are not obese. Previous research has shown that people with large abdomens face a greater chance of diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

"This ought to be a wake-up call to baby boomers in terms of diet and exercise," said Dr. Sam Gandy, a spokesman for the Alzheimer's Association who was not involved in the study. "If they are not frightened enough about heart disease, maybe they will worry about losing their mental function."

Dementia is an age-related condition that involves the loss of memory and other cognitive functions. It affects 5.7 million Americans, or about one in 10 people older than 65. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases.

Being overweight has also become a significant health problem in the nation. About 50 percent of U.S. adults have an unhealthy amount of belly fat, the latest report found.

Participants in the study were members of Kaiser Permanente of northern California, who had their belly fat measured between 1964 and 1973.

Clinicians measured belly fat by placing one end of a tong-like instrument on the back of each subject, and the other end of the tong on the subject's abdomen. A person had high belly fat if the distance between the two ends -- the subject's diameter -- was more than 25 centimeters, or 9.8 inches.

An average of 36 years later, 16 percent of all subjects had been found to have dementia.

The researchers categorized subjects as overweight if they had a body mass index of 25 to 29.9. The index, also known as BMI, is a ratio of height and weight. For example, a 6-foot-tall person who weighs 184 pounds is overweight.

People who were obese -- with a BMI of greater than 30 -- and had a large belly in middle age were 3.6 times more likely to develop dementia later in life than those whose weight and belly size had been in the healthy range. Increases in thigh fat did not add to the risk of dementia, according to the report.

Lead author Rachel A. Whitmer, a Kaiser Permanente researcher, said scientists did not know how abdominal fat might contribute to the risk of dementia. One theory is that hormones and proteins released by abdominal fat spur the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain, which are associated with Alzheimer's. Abdominal fat is more biologically active than fat located in other areas of the body, she noted.

Another possibility, said Whitmer, is that dementia is not directly related to abdominal fat, but is linked to obesity-related diseases such as stroke, diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

Although losing weight can be a challenge, she said, abdominal fat is easier to lose than other kinds of fat. "The good news is, it goes away with diet and exercise," said Whitmer.

Find out how Dr. Suzanne Gudakunst discovered that calories, carbs and such have far less to do with the real reason you're fat, and can't seem to lose weight -- regardless of what you do!

It is currently available at:

==> http://tinyurl.com/2yx268

But hurry, as lobbyists want Dr. Suzanne's secret forever banned. Why? Because her fat loss secret threatens the food and drug companies' continued stronghold on the masses -- in order for them to remain rich at the cost of YOUR health!

==> http://tinyurl.com/2yx268
____________________

To stay informed about amazing breakthroughs in health, nutrition, fat loss, weight loss, fitness, alternative and complementary health care -- plus all the latest diet crazes -- subscribe to "Dr. Suzanne's Magazine Online." It's FREE!