Extra Baggage

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" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

HSI e-Alert - Extra Baggage

Wed, 18 May 2005 07:30:00 -0400

 

HSI e-Alert - Extra Baggage

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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May 18, 2005

 

Dear Reader,

 

Abdominal fat is such a typical characteristic of middle age that many

people simply regard it as part of the middle age package.

 

But a new study shows that those who are diligent in finding a way to

reduce abdominal fat may also help reduce the risk of one of the most

serious health problems facing middle-aged and elderly people.

Coincidentally, another study published this month demonstrates how a

simple dietary change may help get rid of abdominal fat.

 

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Revealing ratio

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Study number one, from Tel-Aviv University in Israel, examines a

potential link between the distribution of body fat and stroke risk.

 

During the 1960s, Tel-Aviv researchers recruited more than 9,000 male

subjects over the age of 40 who were free of cardiovascular disease.

Distribution of body fat was determined by comparing two measurements

for each subject: skinfold thickness in the abdomen and skinfold

thickness of the triceps. These measurements provided a ratio for

trunk versus peripheral distribution of fat.

 

Over a 23-year follow up period, 316 subjects died of stroke.

Researchers found that subjects with the highest ratio of trunk versus

peripheral fat (in other words; those with excessive abdominal fat)

were found to be one and a half times more likely to have a stroke

compared to subjects with the lowest ratio.

 

In an interview with Reuters Health, lead author of the study, David

Tanne, M.D., noted that excessive abdominal fat also raises the risk

of other factors associated with metabolic syndrome, such as type 2

diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. (For more on

metabolic syndrome see the e-Alert " X Marks the Spot " (4/15/04) on our

web site at hsibaltimore.com.)

 

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Baggage claim

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When it comes to reducing abdominal fat, regular exercise is a must.

There's no way to duck this one: To get rid of that extra baggage

around the middle, you're going to have to get up and get moving.

 

But once you do get moving, there are other ways to help the cause.

 

In the e-Alert " Beef 'n' Butter " (4/20/04), I told you how an intake

of a fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) may provide a

boost when it comes to getting rid of excess body fat, especially in

the abdominal area. CLA is available in supplement form and from

protein-rich dietary sources such as meat and dairy products.

 

This association between protein intake and a trimmer waist is

confirmed in a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition.

Researchers from Canada's Population Health Research Institute

recruited more than 600 male and female subjects with a variety of

ethnic backgrounds. After subjects completed food frequency

questionnaires they were measured to determine waist-hip ratio (WHR).

Energy intake from protein averaged less than 16 percent in subjects

with the highest WHR (indicating excessive abdominal fat). Those with

the lowest WHR averaged 17.4 percent energy intake from protein.

 

In their conclusion the authors wrote: " Substituting a modest amount

of protein for carbohydrate may reduce abdominal obesity. "

 

The key word here is " modest. " For many people, a slight dietary

adjustment away from carbohydrates (especially simple carbs from

refined food products) may help tuck in that middle-aged spread.

 

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....and another thing

 

Here's a new way to sell drugs.

 

" Interview " the quintessential Mom and Pop. They're a little past

retirement age. They've been married forever. They complete each

other's sentences. She's sassy. He's deferential. It's like a scene

out of " When Harry Met Sally. "

 

When they appear on your television screen they seem to be responding

to an interviewer, but at the same time they seem to be speaking

directly to you, as if you'd just stopped by for a friendly visit and

asked how they were doing.

 

Glad you asked! It seems Mom has been taking over-the-counter,

non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to control pain. But

her doctor (who Pop describes as " a very smart man " ) is concerned that

she might develop an ulcer from the NSAID use, so he prescribed Nexium

to help prevent an ulcer.

 

In a typical drug commercial, this is where a voiceover would hurry us

through a scary list of possible side effects. But that's not

necessary for Mom and Pop; they casually run down the inventory of

Nexium's side effects as part of their conversation. ( " Oh, remember,

your doctor also said it could cause stomach upset. " )

 

But the casting and script aren't the only things that set this ad

apart from other drug ads.

 

Drug commercials pitch products that treat health problems. What's

most unusual about this pitch is that it's selling Nexium to prevent

the possible side effects of another drug. I'm not certain but I think

this may be a first in drug advertising.

 

Furthermore, this ad is also selling the IDEA that if you're taking a

drug that poses unhealthy side effects (and what drug doesn't?) the

healthy thing to do is to take an additional drug. Remember, Mom's

doctor is " a very smart man. "

 

If drug companies can convince enough people that treating drug side

effects with drugs is a logical and reasonable thing to do, there will

be no end to the medicating. Or the profits.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

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Sources:

 

" Body Fat Distribution and Long-Term Risk of Stroke Mortality " Stroke,

Vol. 35, No. 5, May 2005, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

" Abdominal Fat Tied to Higher Stroke Risk " Amy Norton, Reuters Health,

5/10/05, reutershealth.com

" Protein Intake is Inversely Associated with Abdominal Obesity in a

Multi-Ethnic Population " Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 135, No. 5, May

2005, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

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