NutritionClub2u.com

The number of deaths from diabetes will soar by 25 per cent in the next decade thanks to Britain’s escalating weight problem, a World Health Organization report will reveal this week.

The extensive study says that 76 per cent of British men over the age of 30 and 69 per cent of women in the same age group, are overweight. This compares to 65 per cent of men and 55 per cent of women in 1995.

It is predicted that the number of overweight people will increase in the next 10 years, fuelling the rise in diabetes which by 2015 will be killing 8,000 people per year more than it does now. There will also be a surge in other chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

Dr JoAnne Epping-Jordan, of the WHO’s department of chronic diseases and health promotion, said the estimates were ‘conservative’. ‘The rates of overweight people are rising quite quickly. We are measuring the numbers of people overweight because that is a major risk factor for diabetes and other chronic diseases. We want to highlight that one does not have to be obese - the risks start rising at a Body Mass Index (BMI) as low as 21,’ she said.

BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared. The normal range is 18.5 to 24.9, and you are obese if it is over 30. Epping-Jordan pointed to studies from the US that show a woman who is only just overweight has eight times the risk of developing diabetes of someone at an ideal weight. For men the risk is just over double.

Charities in Britain last night urged the government to take notice. ‘These figures confirm our worst fears,’ said Simon O’Neill, director of care and policy at Diabetes UK. ‘We know that Type 2 diabetes is linked to being overweight, so people must be educated to eat a healthy diet and take up regular physical activity or the numbers will continue to rise at an alarming rate.’

The charities Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation estimate that 33,000 people die each year as a result of diabetes. The disease raises the chance of developing serious health problems, including heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, circulation problems and nerve, kidney and eye damage. If the WHO’s predictions are realized the number of deaths will rise to more than 41,000 in 2015.

Neville Rigby, director of policy and public affairs at the International Obesity Task Force, said: ‘The biggest proportion of the population affected [by chronic diseases] are in the overweight category. This is the tip of the iceberg.’

He added that BMI is not enough on its own to highlight a risk. A normal BMI but a large waist circumference could be just as dangerous, he said. The ‘apple shape’, he added ‘indicates densely packed visceral fat‘.

Source by: By Anushka Asthana, The Observer, October 2 2005

Four times in two years. That’s not a lot of sex for a couple married just a year and a half. Psychologists from Duke University presented a paper recently on this very topic. People who are overweight or obese may often find their weight gets in the way of sex, the psychologists say.

But the scientists found reason for hope. When people lose weight, their sex lives often improve. Researchers from Duke say even moderate weight loss of about 10 percent can make people feel much better about their bodies. That can lead to more sex. This is one of the few studies to examine the mental and emotional problems obesity can cause for intimacy, not just the physical troubles such as “hormone imbalances or impotence,” according to a Duke University press release.

The Study

The Duke study involved 161 women and 26 men with an average body mass index of 41 (30 or above is considered obese) and average age of 45. They were enrolled in a diet program at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and had lost 17.5 percent of their body weight after one year and 13 percent after two years. The study subjects were asked about the quality of their sex lives when the study began and every three months thereafter. The most striking improvement in attitudes was seen at three months, when they had lost about 12 percent of their initial weight.

At the beginning, 68 percent of women said they felt sexually unattractive. One year into the diet, only 26 percent did. Initially, 21 percent of women said they were not enjoying sex; only 11 percent said so after one year.

A Man’s Point of View

Ron, who’s trying to lose about 100 pounds, said he’s definitely reluctant to have sex because of his excess weight. He won’t get undressed in front of his partner and won’t have sex with the lights on. “I don’t look sexy. I certainly don’t feel sexy,” Ron said. “If I have any chance of having sex, it is best I don’t do anything to spoil the mood like show my fat butt.”

Accepting Yourself Matters Most

It all depends on how you feel about being overweight, or short, tall or skinny, says eDiets’ sex columnist Michele Hickford. If you like the way you look, however that may be, you’ll feel you can be attractive to someone else, she says.

Being overweight brings with it certain issues that may or may not affect sexual prowess, such as physical stamina or flexibility. But the most important sex organ is the brain, Hickford says. “How you view yourself, how comfortable you are with your body has an enormous impact on your sexual attitude. Until you’re comfortable with yourself and your appearance, whether you’re overweight, underweight, tall, short, black, white or pink, a truly satisfying, fulfilling and, most importantly, comfortable sexual life will be elusive.”

By Che Odom, eDiets.com, January 2005

1. Don’t smoke

Experiment from experts proves that smoking a cigarette after meal is comparable to smoking 10 cigarettes (chances of cancer is higher).

2. Don’t eat fruits immediately

Immediately eating fruits after meals will cause stomach to be bloated with air. Therefore take fruit 1-2 hr after meal or 1hr before meal.

3. Don’t drink tea

Because tea leaves contain a high content of acid. This substance will cause the Protein content in the food we consume to be hardened thus difficult to digest.

4. Don’t loosen your belt

Loosening the belt after a meal will easily cause the intestine to be twisted & blocked.

5. Don’t bathe

Bathing will cause the increase of blood flow to the hands, legs & body thus the amount of blood around the stomach will therefore decrease. This will weaken the digestive system in our stomach.

6. Don’t walk about

People always say that after a meal walk a hundred steps and you will live till 99. In actual fact this is not true. Walking will cause the digestive system to be unable to absorb the nutrition from the food we intake.

7. Don’t sleep immediately

The food we intake will not be able to digest properly. Thus will lead to gastric & infection in our intestine.