Articles

Esquire Fitness

Articles

This section contains articles from a variety of publications on topics of interest from the health and fitness industry. It will be added to and updated often.

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The Chicago Tribune, January 7, 2003, Associated Press.

Middle-age fat as bad as smoking, study says

Philadelphia -- People who are overweight at 40 are likely to die at least three years sooner that those who are slim, meaning that in terms of life expectancy, being fat during middle age is just as bad as smoking, researchers say.

The study was conducted by Dutch researchers and published in Tuesday's issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Non-smokers who were overweight, but not obese, lost an average of three years off their lives. Obese people died even sooner. Obese female non-smokers lost an average 7.1 years while men lost 5.8 years.

"This study is saying that if you are overweight by your mid-30s to mid-40s, even if you lose some weight later on, you still carry a higher risk of dying," said Dr. Serge Jabbour, director of the weight-loss clinic at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. "The message is that you have to work early on your weight. If you wait a long time, the damage may have been done."

The results were culled from vital statistics collected from 3,457 volunteers in Framingham, Mass., from 1948 to 1990. The data were analyzed by researchers at Erasmus Medical Center and the University of Gronigen in the Netherlands.

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The December 2002 issue of Muscle & Fitness by Frank Claps, MEd, CSCS.

You're Never Too Old

Are you ever too old, too sick or both to benefit from strength training? Not necessarily, say researchers from the University of Vermont College of Medicine (Burlington). As reported in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers studied 30 older women (average age 70) with coronary heart disease who strength-trained, and compared their ability to perform activities of daily living with a control group that didn't train.

Resistance training led to significantly improved upper- and lower-body strength, endurance and coordination. Also, the strength-trained women improved their performance in a Continuous-Scale Physical Functional Performance test by 24%, as compared with only 3% in the control group. This test measures physical function for 15 practical activities, such as carrying groceries, climbing stairs and more -- the kinds of activities that allow a person to live an independent lifestyle.

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The October 6, 2002 issue of Parade Magazine's Intelligence Report by Lyric Wallwork Winik.

Fight Fat Now

Nothing scares former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher as much as fat. "We have an obesity epidemic," he says, that is causing diseases in people of all ages. "There are whole wards in hospitals that deal only with diabetes in children." Dr. Satcher, with First Lady Laura Bush, is leading a national summit October 7-8 to address the problem. He wants schools to offer healthy foods as well as up to 60 minutes a day of physical activity. But the fight against fat starts at home: "Develop good habits," Satcher urges. "Along with dinner and a movie, go for a walk. Plan physical activity as a family." Satcher also is asking doctors to help. "Fighting obesity is like getting vaccinated against disease," he says. "Physical activity and healthy eating protect us from the health risks of obesity."

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Excerpts from an information sheet distributed by Good Samaritan Health and Wellness Center in Downers Grove, Illinois.

Body Composition

Body fat and lean body mass (muscle, bone, blood, organs) are two components that make up individual body weight. Body fat has three important functions: 1) as an insulator to conserve body heat, 2) as an energy source for the body, and 3) as "padding" for protection. From a health standpoint, body weight is NOT as important in overall health and wellness as percent body fat. High percentages of body fat can increase the risk of coronary artery disease, cancer, and other related medical conditions.

There are two types of body fat: essential and non-essential. Essential fat is the body fat that is needed to sustain normal body function. For males this is approximately 3% and for females 12%. Non-essential fat is the body fat that we see around the midsection, legs, and buttocks. Heredity, overeating, psychological and physiological conditions, increasing age (which brings about lower metabolic rate), lack of exercise, and some medications can increase body fat in both males and females.

The "ideal range" of total body fat for males is 11%-19% and for females 18%-22%. Please keep in mind that recommended "ideal ranges" are meant to be general reference points for the average population, not absolute or medical criteria. For any individual, a broad range of body composition values could be considered "normal". In addition, any body composition figures need to be considered within the context of an individual's overall medical history.

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