By Allison Cross, Canwest News Service

Obesity is now a bigger overall threat to people’s health than smoking, according to results of the longest ongoing health study of adults in the United States. Photograph by: Tony Melville, ReutersBy Allison Cross, Canwest News Service

Obesity is now a bigger overall threat to people’s health than smoking, according to results of the longest ongoing health study of adults in the United States.

Obesity causes as much or more disease than tobacco, says the study, conducted by researchers from Columbia University and the City College of New York. It adds that while smoking rates are starting to decline, obesity now shortens as many or even more healthy lifespans than tobacco use.

“Health impacts of obesity are, in many ways, much larger, than the health impacts of smoking,” said Dr. Arya Sharma, chairman for obesity research and management at the University of Alberta. “(Smoking) in the end, is limited to heart disease and cancer.”

The study, conducted over 15 years, was based on interviews with more than 3.5 million people and calculations of the number of “quality-adjusted life years” (QALYs) lost to obesity and smoking.

Quality-adjusted life years are a measurement of the quality and quantity of a life lived, and assign higher scores to perfect or good health, and lower scores to illness, injury and death.

Between 1993 and 2008, smoking in American adults declined by 18.5 per cent, while the proportion of obese people increased by 85 per cent, the study says.

Overall, smoking caused more deaths but obesity has a greater impact on illness, said the researchers.

The results of the study support what doctors and researchers have been saying for many years in the U.S. and in Canada, said Sharma.

There’s nothing to indicate the results of the study aren’t mirrored in the Canadian population, he said.

Obesity is a complex disease that can lead to diabetes, liver disease, heart disease, sleep apnea, joint replacement and other problems, said Sharma, who added that the effects of obesity are often treated, but not the obesity itself.

"It hits people at young ages now. We’re looking at an epidemic of childhood obesity,” Sharma said. “None of the prevention methods that are being implemented are showing any signs of working. To be effective, they would have to be pretty drastic.”

A study presented in October at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Edmonton said obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are affecting Canadian teens at alarmingly high rates and are increasing over time.

Sharma said the study demonstrates that anti-smoking campaigns have been effective, but the same approach can’t necessarily be taken to combating obesity.

“The factors causing obesity are so entrenched in our Western lifestyle, from everything starting from how we build our cities and our food policies,” he said. “It’s not just about going out and eating healthy or exercising more. It is, in fact, very difficult for people to eat healthy and exercise more given the lifestyle that most of us currently have.”

Social stigma is no longer an excuse not to speak openly about the dangers of obesity, said Dr. David Lau, president of Obesity Canada and a medical professor at the University of Calgary.

“In 2004, the U.S. surgeon general already announced that obesity has overtaken tobacco as the No. 1 public health enemy, but now we have data to support it,” Lau said. “I think it’s very timely after the Christmas holiday, when we’ve all put on a few pounds, to be more alerted to the fact that obesity is not something to be dismissed.”

The diabetes epidemic in Canada has been fuelled by an obesity epidemic and children and young adults have become susceptible to diseases that normally afflict people in their 40s and 50s, Lau said.

“Of course, we have to talk about genetic predisposition but, be that as it may, the major driver for Type 2 diabetes is not genetic. It has to do with our eating habits,” he said.

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

I’ll bet you didn’t really know what the tape measure in the back of the junk drawer in the kitchen was really for! Dr. Oz answers; click on the video and you will find out the exact purpose of that tape measure. Enjoy!

Dr. Oz answers: What’s the Difference Between Pant Size and Waist Size?

Tai Chi for Diabetes [VHS]

Choosing a weight-loss program may be a difficult task. You may not know what to look for in a weight-loss program or what questions to ask. If your health care provider tells you that you should lose weight and you want to find a weight-loss program to help you, look for one that is based on regular physical activity and an eating plan that is balanced, healthy, and easy to follow. A doctor directed program might be best for you.

Learn what may be preventing you from losing weight, and get helpful weight loss tips. Five (6) weight loss TIPS you need to know!

1. Drinking water is one of the most rapid weight loss tips that dieticians suggest to people and can lead to 100+ calories extra burned a day.
2. Reaching for less processed food (food that is not processed or raw is best).
3. Try introducing an herbal supplement in your diet to help curb your appetite and give you more energy as an alternative to overeating.
4. Eating smaller portions is recommended. Always know your portion size. Measuring and/or weighing the food is best.
5. Eating fruits and/or vegetables with every meal certainly helps.
6. Weight loss surgery is one option that many consider (as a last resort) but it is it right for you?

A Body Mass Index (BMI) (calculator) tool may help you to quickly determine your approximate body fat or BMI index. This will help you to understand how overweight you are or aren’t.

There may be another reason for being over or under weight; overeating and lack of exercise may be a symptom of an underlying problem with your thyroid gland. Ask yourself; could my extra weight be caused by a health problem such as hypothyroidism or by a medicine I am taking? Ask your doctor about this. The thyroid is one of the largest endocrine glands in the body and when your thyroid gland does not produce enough or produces too much thyroid hormone you could have an imbalance in weight.

The thyroid hormone (or thyroxine) was identified only in the 19th century. Thyroid disorders are very common in the United States with over 20 million people under treatment. This gland is found in the neck inferior (below) the thyroid cartilage (also known as the Adam’s apple in men). The thyroid participates in the body by producing thyroid hormones, principally thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3).

If, on the other hand, you are loosing weight and don’t know why these are some things you might want to think about as well as seeking advice from your doctor.

• In addition to weight loss due to a reduction in fat and lean mass, illnesses such as diabetes, certain medications, lack of fluid intake and other factors can weight loss.
• Hormonal disruptions, such as an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), may also exhibit as weight loss.
• Recent research has shown fidgeting to result in significant weight loss.

So, if you need to loose or gain weight, or know someone who could benefit from this article, bookmark this page for yourself and send the link to your friend or click on the SHARE THIS button at the bottom of the page.

Visit our site often and sign up for your copy of our NEWSLETTER!

1832 botanical illustration of C. fimbriata.

SourcesKhan B, et. al. “Hypogylcemic activity of aqueous extract of some indigenous plants.” Pak J Pharm Sci., 2005 Jan;18(1):62-4.

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Even on television exercise machines, weight loss products, and other paraphernalia to improve fitness have more or less gained control over the airwaves and made their way into the households. But exercise is not the only way to build that body beautiful. It also entails certain amount of responsibility on the foods one chooses to eat. Being healthy and fit requires one to observe diet fitness.

Diet fitness is as essential as exercise itself. Diet for fitness provides the essential nutrition one needs to restore worn-out muscles and for healthy growth. Diet fitness should never be taken for granted. With the popularity of keeping fit, many different views, methods, programs and dieting strategies have been formulated by many professionals. Among these are high crab diets and high fat diets. Which one is more effective and which one should one choose to follow?

First thing to know would be the fundamental differences between these two diet approaches. As the name implies, high crab diets concentrates on taking in carbohydrate-rich foods while high fat diets endorses fat-rich foods. High carb diets are utilized to glycogen stored in the liver and muscles. Glycogen is a glucose complex that provides large amounts of energy ready for use in anaerobic exercises.

Fat, on the other hand, is well-known for being the richest source of calories. It actually contains 2.5 times more calories than carbohydrates and proteins alike. Studies also show that it takes the body 24 calories to metabolize carbohydrates while it only takes 3 to burn down fat. So which one to follow? A person can follow a high carb and low fat fitness diet or the other way around. It is absolutely not recommended to follow both at the same time; unless of course if you want to gain body fat.

But then diet fitness is not all about losing fat, one must also consider his diet in order to keep fat away. Research shows that sustainable loss of weight can only be achieved on a diet which suits the individual food preferences, lifestyle, and medical profile.

Diet programs all over can help you shed off excess pounds, but only one diet can help you stay sexy, and it is the one that satisfies you most. Other important aspects of having a fit diet are moderation, balance and variation. One must be careful not to leave out important nutrients and other substances necessary for a healthy body functioning. Health organizations are clear about the amounts of nutrients an individual should have in their body.

Low fat/high carb, high carb/low fat; the question is not which diet program will work out but which is the one that will work for you. Striving for a sexy and healthy body does not have to be a burden. Diet fitness does not have to mean sticking to the same kind of food for life. One may even try to be adventurous and try out new foods out there. Who knows; you may even discover spinach interesting!