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WEIGHT & OBESITY

Contents:

1. Obesity

2. Health risks of obesity

3. Losing weight

4. Pressure to be perfect

5. Santa Claus in first virtual medical check-up

1. Obesity

New guidelines defining the level at which being overweight becomes a health concern were issued in early June by the US National Institutes of Health.

The new guidelines define a body-mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater as obese and one of 25-30 as worthy of concern.

Body-mass index is a number reached by plotting the square of height against weight. If you would like to calculate your BMI, Click here. 25 is the World Health Organization's healthy-weight cutoff point. In the past, different agencies have used different cutoff points as thresholds for overweight and obesity.

The report Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults provides evidence of treatment on overweight and obesity. It is based on the systematic review of the published scientific literature to address 35 key clinical questions on how different treatment strategies affect weight loss and how weight control affects the major risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic: A report released recently states that there are more than 350 million obese individuals worldwide.

Genetics may be the most important determinant of where you end up with your BMI. The genetics of obesity is complex, but currently under intensive research, so we can look forward to having further information in not-too-distant future.

For some further obesity-related information, click the links below:

Obesity: A risk factor for heart disease and stroke

Obesity: Roche in obesity - a wealth of information

Obesity: Home page of Meridia

2. Health risks of obesity

Obesity is associated with such health problems as diabetes, gallstones, hypertension, and heart disease. Obesity is also linked to colorectal cancer and to breast, uterine and ovarian cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.

Adipose tissue (fat cells) stores energy in the form of fat to meet the body's energy needs when other sources, such as glucose, are unavailable or depleted. The body has an almost limitless capacity to store fat.

Numerous studies show that fat in the hips and thighs is less health-threatening than abdominal fat.

3. Losing weight

It is becoming increasingly apparent that obesity has a variety of causes - heredity, environment, metabolism, and level of physical activity - and, therefore, no single "cure".

Research indicates that obesity is linked to the proportion of fat in the diet rather than, e.g., to the amount of calories consumed.

Some practical guides for losing weight might be worth of attention:

Lose weight with good nutrition in mind. Click here:Nutrition

DON'T go on a crash or fad diet. Your weight loss can be fast, but it is only temporary, and can be even dangerous with the "yo-yo" syndrome as a result.

Visit your doctor and nutritionist for medical check-up and advice. Set your personal goals sensibly, no more than 10 to 15 % down your initial weight. Your personal doctor is the best person to advice you whether you might need a medication to assist you with reaching your goal. In the near-term future, you will find consultation and assistance in the APIDOCS, please click HOME

Find a weight losing buddy or a group. Your supporting health care professional can help you in identifying these. In the near-term future, we will provide you with the opportunity to join with the FREE APICENTER Club!

Increase your daily dose of exercise - moderately.

WE WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK!

4. Pressure to be perfect

A fifth of women say they are on a diet all or most of the time and blame an intolerable pressure to have perfect bodies, according to a new survey.

The research findings show that many young women are so concerned about their appearance that they will not go naked in front of their partners, refuse to leave the house, and indulge in damaging eating binges.

The study suggests social and peer group pressure has given women a distorted perception of what is a healthy weight, and the belief that unless they have a waif-like figure they will be rejected by men and get turned down for jobs.

Research findings

The survey was conducted for the Bread for Life campaign which is funded by the Flour Advisory Bureau to encourage young women to eat a more healthy diet, including more bread.

Its main findings are:

Only a quarter of women are happy with their weight.
Half of the women who are classed as being a normal weight using the internationally accepted body mass index say they would prefer to be thinner.
Six out of 10 women have felt guilty about eating. Ten per cent of women reacted to this feeling by starving themselves.
More than 40% of women are uncomfortable going nude in front of their partners.
Only 26% believe they eat a healthy diet.
Only 1% of women think men want them for their intelligence; 77% say men want them for their looks.
One in four women think their shape will affect their future happiness.
More than half say the way they look affects their job prospects.
A quarter believe their looks have already cost them jobs.

Girl power

Commenting on the findings, psychologist Pam Spurr says: "These quite shocking results confirm my belief that today's talk of 'girl power' is just that - talk.

"One in 10 young women admits to regularly starving herself of food. It is worrying that, at a time in their lives when young women should be living life to the full, they are suffering emotional distress because of insecurities about their body image."

Denise Van Outen, the TV presenter who fronts the Bread for Life campaign, says many of the findings strike a chord with her.

"Being in the public eye has made me more aware of the way I look, and I know the pressures young women feel, but you have to try to keep it in perspective and remember that personality gets you where you want to be."

More relevant stories about this

Anorexia factfile

5. Santa Claus in first virtual medical check-up

Santa's Health in danger - Finnish APIMALL doctors ringing the alarming bell

Alerted by the news that Santa Claus is apparently dead APIMALL doctors as Santa's Fan Club members became very concerned and worried. We instantly started to investigate the issue further. Fortunately, it appeared that the mourning was done for Samichlaus ("Santa Chlaus" in Swiss-German), the world's best known Christmas lager. The end of production of APIMALL doctor's favorite Christmas beer is bad enough news, but we were happy to find the real Santa Claus alive, busy, and doing rather fine.

Anyhow, since we are a Finnish company, and since Santa after all - despite of being an international figure for every child and child-minded person of this world - is Finnish national property, we decided to conduct a thorough virtual physical examination to Santa Claus. Based on this medical check-up, we did some important findings. Since Santa is such a celebrity, we also decided to make this virtual check-up publicly available for the Internet audience, on a "right-to-know" basis. Americans (democracies in general) call this Freedom of Information.

And here we go - Santa's Health - Transcript of the medical examination

Scene I

APIMALL doctor watching out of window, waiting for Santa to arrive.

Observation 1

APIMALL doctor (muttering to himself): "Oh my God, what a supersonic speed! And without a seat belt! Oh my God!"

Scene II

Shaking hands:

APIMALL doctor: " I know you are a busy person this time of year. Based on my physics education in the Medical School, you are traveling approximately 6000 times the speed of voice and you are not using a seat belt. Santa, I know that the Finnish mobile police force radars can not catch you in Christmas night, but given the record of Finnish highway safety this is totally unacceptable! Santa, you are strongly advised to buckle the seat belt from now on, every time" .

Santa Claus: "Listen young doc, don't you ever dare start paternalizing me, I've used this sleigh for hundreds of years, and not used a seat belt once"!

Doctor (to himself): "SIGH! At least we tried!"

Observation 2:

Obviously an overweight person.

Doctor: "You seem to have gained some weight lately. How are your eating and drinking habits?"

Santa: "Well…"

Doctor: "Let's see."

Scene III

Conducting the first part of the check-up. Findings: Overweight (BMI 36.7); high cholesterol; elevated blood pressure; high blood glucose

Initial diagnosis
Heart disease, adult-onset diabetes

We give the first recommendations for therapy:

Doctor: "Less gluhwein, Lapin Kulta "Yule" lager (Santa's favorite beer) and peppercakes! Santa - you need not to put Koskenkorva (Finnish vodka) in every gluhwein glass you consume! Visit to Virtual Christmas dinner is strongly recommended! We will follow-up your blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose, and we might need to prescribe appropriate medication for your disorders. We are particularly worried for your high blood glucose. We will let APIMALL dietitian to discuss your weight-reduction goals and what it means nutritionally - your eating habits, that is. If you get your weight down 2.5 kg (about 5 pounds) in 4 weeks following Christmas we will consider a new weight-reduction drug Xenical for you".

Observation 3:

"Rudolph the Raindeer" nose

Doctor: "Santa, I guess you are working in the windy, wintery climate. Have you watched the mirror lately? Your nose…" Giving the mirror to Santa Claus.

Santa: "A-haa."

Doctor: "It looks like a wind burn. Because of your age, we recommend an annual skin cancer screening for you, however."

Santa: "Uhmm."

Observation 4:

Whilst shaking hands:

Santa (first time really speaking up): "Ouch, carefully, my elbow is aching me!"

Doctor (performing a check-up): Finding: Tendinitis (tennis elbow).
"I guess you are writing long Christmas gift lists, and checking them up again and again and again."

Santa: "A-ha".

Doctor: "You seem to have a tennis elbow. You should start using voice-activated word-processing software. After all, we are living through a computer era."

Observation 5:

Santa constantly coughing.

Doctor: "So what about your smoking history?"

Santa: "I have been smoking pipe for decades now."

Doctor (conducting an auscultation and having a look to Santa's mouth): Finding: A suspected chronic bronchitis. Pre-cancerous lesions (?) in the lips and mouth.
"You are advised to stop smoking immediately".

Santa: "But it is only a pipe".

Doctor: "Santa - now it is you who makes the listening! You've already got lesions which - we are afraid - can be interpreted to be precancerous; you cough constantly; without a thorough X-ray examination we cannot be too sure what is your lung condition! Continuing your smoking habit now can only make this situation worse!"

Surprise, surprise! This time Santa is listening.

Observation 6:

Nose running, eyes itching.

Doctor (after conducting skin prick tests): "Santa, we are sorry to tell you, you seem to be allergic to Rudolph. Based on the current knowledge in allergology (science of allergies, that is), the allergen should be eliminated. Santa Claus, we are asking you, how would you like to face this problem?"

Santa (looking sad): "But Rudolph has been my faithful companion for decades now; I simply cannot imagine eliminating him."

Doctor: "Fair enough. OK. Let's do it like this. Rudolph stays with the family, but we strongly advise you not to sleep in the same room with him. And finally, after your Christmas night tour, please change your clothes immediately after your return."

Observation 7:

Santa (starting to open up, relieved that Rudolph can stay): "Listen young doc, this morning, I couldn't get up from my bed without my wife pulling me up. I've also had some pain in my knees for a few months now."

Doctor: "You have been hefting heavy sacks of toys lately, aren't you? We will take X-rays from your knees, but I reckon it's your overweight that puts too much pressure on your back and knees. You should really watch your eating habits, and please, make sure that your little engineering helpers plan new ergonomical (working friendly, that is) carts and dollies."

Observation 8:

Santa (opening up even more): "I've got these unexplainable mood swings. Sometimes I feel very depressed, the other times I'm very moody."

Doctor (after consulting his/her psychiatrist colleague): Findings: Seasonal affective disorder; "Ho-ho-ho syndrome" (irrational jollyness).
"How should I phrase this? Immediately after Christmas, you take a full 6-week vacation. Otherwise, you are exposed to a total burn-out. During your holiday, we will make sure that you get some light therapy; it's supposed to help in your depression."

Final scene:

APIMALL doctor: "We are now ready to draw our conclusions: Despite your obvious health problems, Santa, you seem to enjoy your job which you have done for centuries now, and done it extremely well. You are also a happy person, easy to deal with (well, we had our verbal clashes!), which - we are sure - affects your general condition. In summary, APIMALL doctor would say that Santa Claus is in better shape than men generally in your age (but you need your vacation though)."

Santa (confiding totally now): "Listen young doc! I read the medical literature. Since you suspect an adult-onset diabetes, I've read that my potence could be in danger. Could you prescribe me this new impotence drug, V.. V..?"

Doctor: "Viagra. Santa, with all due respect - given the amount of Santa's Little Helpers around, we really think that the last medication you need is the Drug of the Year, Viagra.

Santa (leaving the scene, unbuckled): "Ho-ho-ho! Merry Christmas!"

APIMALL doctor: "Merry Christmas, Santa!"

WE WISH OUR GOOD FRIEND SANTA CLAUS AND HIS SUPPORTERS, OUR READERS, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

APIMALL - The Health Mall

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Copyright: APIMED International Oy 1998-99

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