OBESITY OPENS DEATH'S DOOR

Obesity opens death’s door



Watch your diet and learn how to eat right as obesity can lead to cancer.

DR ALBERT LIM KOK HOOI writes.


OBESITY causes cancer’ reads the plaque that greets us as we enter the restaurant. The same plaque is displayed at all school canteens and office cafeterias. Mamak shops are obliged to display this sign before their licences can be renewed.Far-fetched? For the moment.How soon? Not soon enough.

The report prepared jointly by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) last year details the findings of the most authoritative investigation ever undertaken into the link between lifestyle, diet and cancer. The message is overwhelmingly clear.

‘Obesity causes cancer’.Smoking is the most important lifestyle cause of cancer. Obesity ranks a close second. In other words, after smoking, obesity is the highest preventable cancer risk. We used to say that one-third of all cancers can be prevented if smoking were to completely cease.


We can now say that two-thirds of cancers — for instance eight out of 12 million new cancer cases which are diagnosed each year in the world — would not occur if we are all miraculously transformed to slim, fit non-smokers.What did the report say about the kinds of food we should not eat to avoid cancer? For starters, we should avoid all processed meats including bacon (bak kua in our local context) and most sausages. It also advises against eating more than six grammes of salt per day.


I can’t imagine what six grammes of salt is like but I do not add any salt at the table and I would reject all foods that taste perceptibly salty.In any case, why would you foodies and food aficionados want to adulterate the pristine flavour of food by sprinkling salt on your food. In the same vein, salted or cured meats are out. There is no clear safe dose for salted and cured meats, says Martin Wiseman, project director of the report.One reason for avoiding processed meats is that they often contain nitrates — preservatives that may contribute to the production of suspected carcinogens called N-nitroso compounds. Processed meats also contain high levels of salt, which is linked to stomach cancer.


The fat and thin of it all is this. If you wish to avoid cancer — lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, cancers of the oesophagus, kidney, pancreas, the list goes on — stop smoking and maintain a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 to 23 (as per international ‘European’ recommendations) - i.e. the healthy range.A word or two about BMI. This figure is obtained by dividing your weight in kilogrammes by the square of your height in metres (metre2).


In Asian societies, a woman who is 1.5 metre, looks suspiciously overweight when her BMI is 23. Endocrinologists and dietitians have come up with our own Asian BMI which is lower than the accepted BMI. So, for all you women out there from 15 to 85, please try to achieve a BMI of 18.5 to 21.The nearer the lower figure, the better. Lots of exercise and a strict low-calorie diet will enable you to achieve many goals — beauty, attractiveness, good mates and a much lower chance of getting cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke and heart disease.


What then should we eat? Eat five portions of fruit and non-starchy vegetables (brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms to name a few) each day and limit refined starchy food. White meat — chicken, turkey, rabbit — is much more preferable to red meat. Most of all, count your calories.Aim for 30 to 60 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. Brisk walking is the easiest and most accessible activity.






Diet and exercise go together. One or the other will not achieve your goal.The science is there but the interventional methods to achieve a healthy lifestyle are something else. I don’t have the answers. How do you overcome the virtue of white rice (and lots of it) in Malaysia and Asian societies? They tell me there is semangat (spirit or life force) in rice.White rice is an energy-dense food that is diabetogenic, has a high glycaemic index and is a major culprit of obesity and getting cancer? How do you tell the common folk that their 10 favourite foods are a no no from the scientific health-wise point of view?


Nasi lemak, roti canai, curry mee, wanton mee, burger, doughnuts, fries, char kuay teow, chicken rice and mee goreng are out.How do you politely reject your mother-in-law’s incessant heaping of seconds on your plate? How do you decouple the Asian-African notion of prosperity and a protuberant abdomen?We spend billions of US dollars a year on research to treat cancer and rightly so.


We also spend millions of US dollars on how best to get people to quit smoking and eat wisely and equally rightly so. I only wish we were more successful in our second endeavour.



articles sorce: http://www.nst.com.my

OBESITY

How to avoid obesity

Not all overweight toddlers grow up to become obese adults. There are many things that can keep you a healthy, fit young person.

1. Food. Eat the right amount of the right stuff, and don't snack when sitting around. There are many topics in the 'Your food' section of this web site which can help you - but you can't do it alone. Get mum, dad or whoever cares for you to help you. Maybe you could plan a week's menu and then go food shopping together.
   
2. Exercise. Look for ways to do more exercise. Our topics on exercise and fitness have lots of good ideas.
3. Get a good night's sleep. Don't stay up late playing video games or watching TV. Get up early and keep busy all day so that you are ready to sleep at night.
4. Get involved. Join in things at school or after school, so that you have an interest and can spend more time with other kids having fun.
5. Be determined to change and make the most of yourself. You only get one body so try to look after it and feel good about it. Our topics on Self-esteem and Body image may be helpful.
6. Being happy. Everybody has bad days, and often this means going for the comfort food (mine is dark chocolate!) However, if you are having one of those days, it is much healthier, and you feel much better afterwards, if you do some exercise. Run, walk, dance, skip, hit a ball or do anything else you can think of for a while, and those feel-good chemicals will start coming into your brain, making you feel that life's OK after all!

Helping your friend

If your friend has a problem with obesity, then you can be a good friend by:

eating good stuff yourself and encouraging her to do the same

	playing with her in an active way
	getting her to join in sports lessons by encouragement
	helping her to practise sports skills
	doing something active together after school, like walking the dog or bike riding, rather than watching TV or playing video games
	telling the teacher if your friend is being teased or called unkind names - this is harassment and a type of bullying that no one should have to suffer
	commenting on the things that she is good at. ARTICLES SOURCE: http://www.cyh.com

HEALTHY

7 Tips To Help Keep Your Back Healthy

by Ted Perkins

As a chiropractic care and wellness practitioner in Vero Beach Florida, I know about back pain quite well. I also know that prevention and wellness is always the best medicine. Here are some tips to avoid back pain and maintain a healthy, pain-free back.

1. Maintain a healthy body weight. Obesity can create a wide variety of back problems as well as other health related issues. Lose weight if you need to.

2. Sleep on a good quality mattress. This is always important. Not only is a high quality mattress better for your back.. but you will get a better night sleep.

3. When you walk, keep your ear, shoulder, hip and ankle in line. Avoid locking your knees when standing.

4. Exercise regularly to keep your back muscles strong and flexible. This is important for total health and wellness in all areas of your life.

5. Use proper lifting techniques. Lift objects close to your body and avoid bending and twisting when you are lifing. Do not lift obects that are too heavy for you.

6. Wear proper shoes. Poor shoe quality can throw off your body alignment. Nowadays it is not hard to get a well made quality sneaker or sandal.

7. Get a back check-up, especially if you are suffering from chronic back pain. Visit a local chiropractic care physician to diagnose, treat, and find healthy solutions to your problem.

ARTICLES SOURCE: http://www.goarticles.com

RIGHT FOOD

Eating The Right Food To Lower Cholesterol

by Jan Richards

People have to eat in order to have energy to do certain things. Some are able to make three or four trips to the buffet table while others are satisfied after one round. In any case, the type of food brought to the plate could be healthy or harmful and the choice is really up to the person.

Those who love to eat red meat and other dishes that are fatty or oil are at risk of getting sick. This isn't diarrhea but something worse which could be life threatening because of the amount of bad cholesterol that is being taken into the body.

The high levels of cholesterol in the body are happening more often now than ever before. This is because of the variety of food offered now in the grocery and in restaurants. The person can still recover from this by eating foods that are not high in saturated fats.

Is there one food product that can be called the best to lower cholesterol? The answer is no because a well balanced diet must come from all the food groups.

Instead of drinking full cream milk or mixing this with cornflakes or whole grain, it is best to use non fat milk instead. The taste is almost the same is much healthier than the regular brand bought in the supermarket.

Instead of having steak when having a cookout or picnic, this should be changed with lean meats instead. These things don't have that much fat in the center or in the edges and taste just as good as the big slab served with mash potatoes.

The healthiest thing to have either for lunch and dinner is food that comes from the ocean. This can be fish or shellfish that is known to carry Omega 3, which is very effective in lowering the levels of cholesterol in people.

Eating a candy bar or a slice of cake doesn't see so bad but these things are rich in fat. Those who need to fill the stomach with something should try nuts or fruits instead. These products are rich in fiber as well as have vitamins and minerals that are healthier to consume.

In each meal, the person must not forget to add some fruits in the plate. A salad works best or having a few carrots or potatoes as a side dish. There must always be a balance whenever the individual decides to have meat or fish.

Chicken is not good if this is fried. Those who want to eat it for a change can still do as long as the skin has been removed. This can also be steamed which is a healthier way of cooking it before this is served in a plate.

There are many ways to cook the food mentioned. The individual can get a cookbook or download some recipes from the Internet to be able to come up with something delicious and at the same time lower one's cholesterol levels.

If following the instructions are hard, there are always shows on television that teach homemakers and other people the basics into cooking something fat free which is good for the diet.

It is never too late to make some lifestyle and changes in order to live a longer and healthier life.

ARTICLES SOURCE: http://www.goarticles.com/

AEROBICS

Full-Body Aerobics

by sas_chris

Full-Body Aerobics

We all know that it is important to be as healthy as we can be. Working out is something that most people take for granted, either they are the kind of people that do it, or they don't. However, doing aerobics has much more behind it than simply that. If you truly want to be healthy, and you think that you know what you should do, you should add aerobics into your work out.

Even though some people like to target different parts of their bodies when it comes to aerobics, is also very important that you have a routine that works on each of your body parts as a whole, together. This kind of routine is something that you can do to strengthen your whole body, while you are working out.

When you are working on your entire body, there are several things that you have to keep in mind. First of all, you should be sure that you are working each of your muscle groups and that you are working all of them for an extended period of time. This is something that some people fail to do and can result in uneven and unhealthy training.

The best aerobics that you can do are going to be aerobics where you work each of your muscles in turn. Remember that you have to have a session where your heart is pumping, so a good thing to do is to be constantly moving while you are doing your aerobics. Then, you can move each of your muscles as well. The best whole body workout would be to start at a brisk walk in place. Get your heart rate up and going, and then you can start to work other muscles. Use your arms and do repetitive reaches into the sky, which will target your arms.

At the same time, begin to do leg stretches, which will target your lower body, and then you can do side to side movements that will work on your abdomen. Remember that the best way to get a full body workout is just to remember to include each of your muscle groups in everything that you do.

This is something that some people fail to do as they are working out, and therefore their aerobics aren't going to be as helpful to them as your aerobics are going to be to you. Remember to include all of your muscles, and you'll be losing weight and feeling healthier in no time flat.

ARTICLES SOURCE: http://www.goarticles.com/

YOUR WEIGHT LOSS GET ON DIET

Work Out Your Weight Loss Get on Diet and Be Fit

by Eric

Have you ever wondered why some people do not lose weight even if they go on a diet? Many people have the bad luck of not losing weight even if they maintain a rigorous diet regime with regular workouts in the gym. And there are some people who do not seem to gain one ounce even if they keep on hogging food. These anomalies in the results of weight loss can be explained only by studying the metabolic capacities of every human body. All the metabolic activities of our body are controlled by hormones. The fat burning and fat storing metabolic activities are also controlled by them. These hormones are triggered off by a variety of actions such as consuming different foods, exercising or other random activities.

Some important techniques to be kept in mind to lose weight include going low on the calorie foods, having lots of salads and fruits, eating les of red meat, drinking lots of water and tea and reducing the intake of alcoholic beverages. To lose weight, one needs to keep a tab on the amount of calories that one consumes. Eating fried foods is a strict no, because everyone knows fried foods to be full of fattening calories. Eating salads at the beginning of the meal and finishing it off with fruits is a good idea to reduce appetite. Fruits have minimal amount of calories and they also satisfy your hunger. Another important thing to keep in mind is to stop eating red meat. Apart from fattening you, it has a lot of side effects on the body. If it's impossible to give it up, then having a smaller amount would be helpful.

Drinking water is a good way to lose weight. By drinking copious amounts of it, the body remains hydrated and also one doesn't feel hungry too often. But one should remember not to binge on sodas because they are full of calories. Tea is a recommended beverage because it has many relaxing benefits. Lessening your consumption of alcoholic drinks will help you greatly in losing weight. They contain loads of calories with beer being one of the worst. It's alright to have a drink once in a while but one should know where to draw the line.

Apart from these food habits, one of the most beneficial things to follow while trying to lose weight is to walk as often as possible. Even a short distance would do you wonders if one does it religiously. Cycling, swimming, trekking is also helpful in losing that extra bit of weight. One needs to remember that doing all of these in small quantities would help in reducing weight every week.

articles source: http://www.goarticles.com

HEALTHY LIFE

How to Have a Long Healthy Life

by Dr. Flora Stay

In my book, A Secret Gateway to Healthy, I explain how the mouth is one organ that makes an impact on every other organ. No health guru talks about the importance of the mouth on this level, but it's true. If you neglect it, it will affect your general health one way or another.

One of my patients, Joan was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome IBS). She suffered excruciating stomach pains that sent her to the emergency room. What Joan and her doctor didn't realize was that her IBS symptoms were triggered by problems stemming from her mouth. Most of Joan's back teeth were missing.

Consequently, Joan was unable to chew her food properly; this did not cause, but exacerbated her IBS troubles.

Another patient, Mike suffered from a loss of his sense of balance for years. He also had tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Doctors were unable to find the cause of his problems. Had Mike seen a dentist, he would have learned that his symptoms were typical of temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD); a disorder that could have readily been cleared.

Randy came to see me for a routine dental visit. He had been on and off painkillers for months trying \to deal with chronic sinus headaches. His physician found no sinus infection present. Yet the pain persisted.

If Randy's doctor had sent him to a dentist, the source of the pain could have been located: a tooth needed to be pulled, which was an upper back tooth (molar) positioned very close to the sinus area. The dentist might have saved Randy’s tooth along with his pain, but he had waited too long to seek proper treatment.

John was in his early 50s and was recently diagnosed with arteriosclerosis (hardened arteries). Lucky for him, his cardiologist sent him to the dentist for a check-up. The cardiologist knew the relationship between heart disease and gum disease (periodontal disease). When I examined him, sure enough, John had advanced gum disease. He was a heart attack waiting to happen.

Now that he knows the connection and is staying on top of his mouth health, John's heart attack risk has been minimized.

Bird's Eye View into Your Body

None of the people in the cases described above considered the fact their mouths could be the cause of their maladies. What would you think if I told you every single person has the ability to look inside his or her body and get a bird's eye view towards what state of health he or she is in?

You see, your mouth is really a microcosm of your whole body. It's like getting a glimpse of the total picture of health or illness.

Risk of heart disease, stroke, lack of energy, even problem pregnancies is now linked to oral health.

Taking responsibility for your health is more crucial than ever. Start by taking better care of your mouth, which is the entrance to your body, and the secret gateway to health.

As far as concerned, it is also the most important thing you need to know for a long healthy life.

articles source: http://www.goarticles.com