Health News
by Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom
I have to chuckle when I see the new ?spin? on abdominal fat (apple shaped people!) as in ?Banish Your Belly Fat Now!? or ?Foods That Fight Belly Fat!? As if belly fat were some kind of separate part of the body that responds to a specific type of diet plan. If only?
The bad news on belly fat is that because belly fat cushions several key metabolic body organs, it makes this fat more damaging to your health compared with the lower-body fat around your hips and thighs. So, even if your weight is not dangerously high, if your body fat settled in your middle, you are at greater risk for diabetes, and other metabolic diseases related to excess weight.
Where do you fit in? National studies show that women with a waist circumference larger than 35 inches, and men with a waist circumference larger than 40 inches, are at a greater health risk. You don?t always need a tape measure to determine your belly fat status. For example, if you cannot see your toes, it may be a sign to consider making some health improvements.
To see where you are with your body fat, enlist the help of your doctor for greatest accuracy in your waist measurements.
The good news on belly fat is that when you start any weight loss plan, it?s usually the first area of reduction. You literally feel like you are deflating. And you can monitor your progress by your belt notches or your waistband. Or, being able to button your jeans and still breathe. We all have our own ways to measure up!
So forget about those ads with supplements or foods promising to melt belly fat. Not true. No food targets the abdomen, specifically, to ?break down fat.? When fitness solutions sound too good to be true, they usually are.
What stories about belly fat have you been hearing?
- Children With Tvs In Their Bedrooms Are Twice As Likely To Have Extra Fat, Three Times Greater Risk Of Heart Disease And Diabetes
Kids who have TVs in their bedrooms are twice as likely to be fat and nearly three times as likely to be at risk for heart disease and diabetes as those who don?t, according to a new study that elevates concerns about health and screen time. The research,...
- The "sea Of Estrogen"... This Includes Men!
Are you eating more fiber, taking the right probiotics, magnesium glycinate and still not going #2 everyday? Has your doctor told you that it is fine and that is just how your body is? Well, your doctor is wrong. Everyone should go #2 everyday...it is...
- Chicken And Waffles
Are you eating more fiber, taking the right probiotics, magnesium glycinate and still not going #2 everyday? Has your doctor told you that it is fine and that is just how your body is? Well, your doctor is wrong. Everyone should go #2 everyday...it is...
- The Body?s Preparation For Labor And Delivery
Editor's note: This is the latest installment from our mother-to-be who will be delivering at The BirthPlace at Sinai. I was aware that one of the signs that the body is preparing itself for labor was having the baby drop into one?s pelvis, but I...
- Learning About Braxton Hicks Contractions
Ed. Note: We asked one of the Birthplace at Sinai's mothers-to-be to blog periodically about her experiences as a future (soon to be new) mother.My due date is still over five weeks away, but I?m now experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions ? or false...
Health News
The Skinny on Belly Fat
by Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom
I have to chuckle when I see the new ?spin? on abdominal fat (apple shaped people!) as in ?Banish Your Belly Fat Now!? or ?Foods That Fight Belly Fat!? As if belly fat were some kind of separate part of the body that responds to a specific type of diet plan. If only?
The bad news on belly fat is that because belly fat cushions several key metabolic body organs, it makes this fat more damaging to your health compared with the lower-body fat around your hips and thighs. So, even if your weight is not dangerously high, if your body fat settled in your middle, you are at greater risk for diabetes, and other metabolic diseases related to excess weight.
Where do you fit in? National studies show that women with a waist circumference larger than 35 inches, and men with a waist circumference larger than 40 inches, are at a greater health risk. You don?t always need a tape measure to determine your belly fat status. For example, if you cannot see your toes, it may be a sign to consider making some health improvements.
To see where you are with your body fat, enlist the help of your doctor for greatest accuracy in your waist measurements.
The good news on belly fat is that when you start any weight loss plan, it?s usually the first area of reduction. You literally feel like you are deflating. And you can monitor your progress by your belt notches or your waistband. Or, being able to button your jeans and still breathe. We all have our own ways to measure up!
So forget about those ads with supplements or foods promising to melt belly fat. Not true. No food targets the abdomen, specifically, to ?break down fat.? When fitness solutions sound too good to be true, they usually are.
What stories about belly fat have you been hearing?
- Children With Tvs In Their Bedrooms Are Twice As Likely To Have Extra Fat, Three Times Greater Risk Of Heart Disease And Diabetes
Kids who have TVs in their bedrooms are twice as likely to be fat and nearly three times as likely to be at risk for heart disease and diabetes as those who don?t, according to a new study that elevates concerns about health and screen time. The research,...
- The "sea Of Estrogen"... This Includes Men!
Are you eating more fiber, taking the right probiotics, magnesium glycinate and still not going #2 everyday? Has your doctor told you that it is fine and that is just how your body is? Well, your doctor is wrong. Everyone should go #2 everyday...it is...
- Chicken And Waffles
Are you eating more fiber, taking the right probiotics, magnesium glycinate and still not going #2 everyday? Has your doctor told you that it is fine and that is just how your body is? Well, your doctor is wrong. Everyone should go #2 everyday...it is...
- The Body?s Preparation For Labor And Delivery
Editor's note: This is the latest installment from our mother-to-be who will be delivering at The BirthPlace at Sinai. I was aware that one of the signs that the body is preparing itself for labor was having the baby drop into one?s pelvis, but I...
- Learning About Braxton Hicks Contractions
Ed. Note: We asked one of the Birthplace at Sinai's mothers-to-be to blog periodically about her experiences as a future (soon to be new) mother.My due date is still over five weeks away, but I?m now experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions ? or false...