Obesity

Low Fat vs Low Carb

At a time when Americans are getting fatter and struggle to find a strategy to combat the obesity epidemic, the rift between proponents of low fat vs low carb eating remains intact.  Both philosophies have fans and detractors, but the mixed messages in the media create confusion about what truly is healthy for average individuals to consume.  Obesity has been associated with an increased risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several different cancers and premature death.  So, finding the right remedy is more than just a matter of vanity and looking good in a swim suit, it is a matter of length and quality of life. Read the rest of this entry »

Are You Playing With A Loaded Gun?

One of the most shocking surprises to emerge from the Human Genome Project in 2003 is the discovery that we are the proud owners of a paltry 30,000 genes — barely twice the number of a fruit fly.

After a decade of hype surrounding the project that gave us the full sequence of our human genome, and the regular discovery of genes for killer diseases and complex traits, this unexpected result led many scientists to a stunning conclusion. The seesaw struggle between our genes (nature) and the environment (nurture) had swung sharply in favor of nurture. “We simply do not have enough genes for this idea of biological determinism to be right,” asserted Craig Venter, president of Celera Genomics, one of the two teams that cracked the human genome. Read the rest of this entry »

Why Do We Age?

Incredible scientific discoveries that will change the way we look at aging and disease have been unfolding during the early 21^st century.  The secrets for healthy, youthful aging, while clearly influenced by our behavior, appear to be rooted in mechanisms at the molecular level of our cells.  In 1990, the journal Nature published a ground­breaking article based on something called the telomere. It changed forever our under­standing of the aging process.  Last year, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to scientists for their discoveries of the role of telomeres, and the enzyme telomerase, in aging, cancer and chronic diseases.  But are telomeres the whole story? Read the rest of this entry »

Andropause: the “Male Menopause”

In 1980, an 18-year veteran police detective in Ontario with a previously spotless record stole approximately $1000.00 worth of items from the evidence room of his department.  He persuaded the judge in his case to spare him a prison sentence, claiming that “male menopause” had clouded his judgment.

 Ever since the term “male menopause” was first coined in 1949, there have been debates about whether men go though a psychological and physiological change that is similar to menopause in women.  Read the rest of this entry »

Diabetes Can Be Prevented

Over the last 20 years, there has been a frightening increase in the number of Americans that are obese or overweight.  Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), has tracked the rise in obese and overweight adults since 1999.   Using BMI, or Body mass Index, the survey found that 32% of men and 35% of women were classified as obese; having BMI’s exceeding 30.  Read the rest of this entry »

Lifestyle Changes for Fat Loss – Exercise

Starting an exercise program is a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle change.  Granted, this is no major revelation.  Burning more calories than you eat is a fairly obvious recipe for weight loss.  The question then becomes: How should you exercise for maximal fat loss and optimal long term changes in body composition? Read the rest of this entry »

Lifestyle Changes for Fat Loss – Nutrition

When New Year’s Day rolled around, many people resolved to lose weight in 2010.  How many of them are on track to be successful?  Every year, the majority of people making weight loss resolutions fail to achieve them.  The result of these failures is highlighted in a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control that estimated the body fat percentage of a typical American woman to be 40% and the typical American man at 28% based on a six year analysis of data.[i]  Although it varies somewhat by age, the optimal body fat for women is 18-22% and for men 15-18%.  Nearly double?  This is not good news. Read the rest of this entry »

Nutrition Myths Busted by Cassandra Forsythe, PhD, RD

Despite years of research and top-quality science, the world of nutrition is still riddled with flawed thinking. Most people feel that because they eat, they must be experts in nutrition. However, it’s not really their fault if their reasoning is wrong. Most people get their nutrition beliefs from the news and it seems that reporters change their minds almost as often as people change their socks, which is mostly true. One day you read that eggs give you heart disease, the next day you hear that this was wrong and they’re actually good for you. What’s a person to believe? Well, the best thing to do is to think like your grandparents when it comes to food. What do I mean by that? Well, if your grandparents wouldn’t recognize the food or nutrition advice, then it’s probably not good for you. Read the rest of this entry »

Women and Heart Disease

While many women, and far too many doctors, apparently still do not know it, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of women; and has been since 1984. Out of the one million individuals that die from heart disease each year in the U.S., more than half are women. Women disproportionately fear dying from breast cancer compared to heart disease, but cardiovascular disease kills nearly ten times as many women each year as breast cancer.   Read the rest of this entry »

Making Successful New Year’s Resolutions

As we start 2010, and the battle for weight loss rages on, many will make the all too familiar New Year’s resolution to lose weight, exercise and get into better shape.  It is, after all, fairly common knowledge that obesity (particularly abdominal obesity), physical inactivity and smoking all increase the risks of developing chronic diseases and dying prematurely.  A recent study has even estimated the “combined health benefits” of eliminating those three risk factors; showing a 59% lower risk of cardiovascular event and a 77% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Read the rest of this entry »