Obesity, Pollution Elevate Your Heart Attack Risks

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Obesity, Pollution Elevate Your Heart Attack Risks

 

 

The obese are at greater risk of heart attacks when they are exposed

to pollution from sources such as diesel exhaust or power plant

emissions.

 

Exposing Rats to Pollution

 

A study on the subject compared obese, insulin-resistant rats with

normal rats.

 

Both groups were exposed to particles collected downstream of a power

plant. On the second exposure, the obese rats' arteries contracted

directly and " very strongly. " The reaction was dramatic enough to

surprise some of the researchers.

 

Problems Making Each Other Worse

 

Exposure to small particles is often associated with disease. The

problems of obesity, for example, are increasingly affected by the

external environment. The study's evidence of a direct link between

the dangers of obesity and pollution is another indicator of the

growing health risk posed by both problems.

 

Toxicological Sciences January 11, 2006

 

EurekAlert January 30, 2006

 

 

 

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Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

 

You don't have to be a medical or scientific researcher to

understand that pollution -- even tiny amounts of it -- can be

devastating to your family's health, especially ones who haven't been

born yet. The damage pollution does to your health is even worse when

you are overweight.

 

With the epidemic of obesity getting worse by the minute, along with

the air we breathe, it's vitally important for you to take control of

your health today by making some common sense lifestyle changes, and

staying away from quick-fixes like gastric bypass and useless, toxic

drugs as a form of control for your weight loss problem.

 

If you're willing to make changes and are trying to decide where to

begin, please understand this important principle:

 

Eating the right diet based on your body's unique metabolic type and

getting the proper amount of exercise are both vitally important to

your abilty to address any current chronic health conditions you

struggle with or achieve optimal health.

 

Remember, the foods that may be healthy for others are not

necessarily healthy for you, and vice-versa. Thus, eating according

to your specific type is the proven way to ascertain which foods work

best for you.

 

Also, controlling your insulin levels is important to optimize your

health. You see, when you eat grains and sugar your insulin levels

increase. When insulin levels increase, you are telling your body to

store carbohydrates as fat and to not release any of the stored fat.

(This makes it impossible for you to use your own stored body fat for

energy.)

 

So the excess carbohydrates in your diet not only make you GAIN

WEIGHT, they make sure you keep that weight on. By cutting grains and

sugars from your diet, you will not only tame your weight but also

fight illnesses.

 

A daily exercise routine is another main factor in accomplishing

optimal wellness.

 

The key to exercising is to make sure you are using it effectively.

By doing so, you will ensure all your hard efforts are not wasted and

are having a positive effect on your body. To aid you in your

exercise efforts, there are three important variables to exercise to

keep in mind:

 

Length of time

Frequency

Intensity

I encourage my patients to gradually increase the amount of time they

are exercising to one hour a day. Initially the frequency is daily.

This is a treatment dose until they normalize their weight or insulin

levels. Once normalized, they will only need to exercise three to

four times a week.

 

You should exercise hard enough so that it is difficult to talk to

someone next to you. When you are exercising that hard your

cardiovascular system is under such a significant amount of stress

that the mere act of talking makes you unable to provide your body

with enough oxygen.

 

However, if you cannot carry on a conversation AT ALL, then you have

gone too far and need to decrease the intensity.

 

At the same time, as you improve your eating and fitness habits try

to reduce your exposure to pollution. Pollution exists not only

outside, but also inside your homes, offices, and schools.

 

Some of these pollutants can be created by indoor activities such as

smoking and cooking. In the United States, we spend about 80-90

percent of our time inside buildings, and so our exposure to harmful

indoor pollutants can be serious. It is therefore important to

consider both indoor and outdoor air pollution.

 

So please consider indoor pollution as something that you frequently

have control over and make careful choices when selecting what you

put inside your home or office.