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

Here is information that will help you understand some of the use of mangosteen. It also gives examples about mangosteen working in food which are good antioxidants these will help promote circulation and immunity to common ailments. This subject will give helpful tips when picking out products using the fruit.

Mangosteen fruit grows in South East Asia. It grows only in tropical areas. The general population knows very little about this fruit. The most of the benefits are received from the outer skin or rind that is used in the processing of the many supplements derived from this product. Some of the more recognized benefits of mangosteen is the quantity of antioxidants in the fruit. These compounds produce antioxidants that slow down the aging process, giving an increase in higher energy levels. Antioxidants are considered to be a natural cure all.

A tasty and surprisingly wholesome nutritional supplement Mangoxan which is made from the entire fruit puree of the mangosteen, along with some new all-natural, high-antioxidant fruit juices. This fruit juice is distinct from any new character or kind of beverage, as it advances your health in astonishing ways. The aid of the xanthones included as well as new antioxidants. These many supplements affirm the benefits of mangosteen. It may be used in preventing the effects of some types of cancer; as this has still to be proven.

If you would be interested in becoming healthy, wealthy and wise then mangosteen products are for you. There are a lot of things that will be of real interest to you before you go and buy most anything using the word mangosteen in it.

Chances are good that you have heard of mangosteen before but never new its overall benefits. Maybe you are discovering what good a healthy diet can offer, such as consuming the mangosteen juice itself as a health supplement. The mangosteen fruit is known as garcinia mangostana.

More common knowledge for the many health benefits of the mangosteen fruit is becoming published around the world and not just found in parts of Southeastern Asia. This fruit having been around for a long time and is very widely used for many health benefits and is having great success.

As we consume this fruit we have seen the many health benefits that it offers us, as common human diseases are warded of by the antioxidant properties that help fight against them. The health benefits provided by this gifted fruit make firm believers in us for the benefits that it provides. Actually many proclaim that it is a lot better than most of the pharmaceutical products that are not natural, some being addictive, with its effectiveness toward anti-fungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. People who are diabetics benefit when if used on a constant basis, most people have shown that their need for insulin became less.

Many health conscious people appreciate the benefits that it contains, as many of antioxidants which are good protectors in one’s personal health. Antioxidants are one of the best things known to help with immunity, circulation, and in warding off the aging process.

The more antioxidants provided by these natural fruits to the consumer, the more energy they will have. To receive the full benefits from any mangosteen product, is to get organic, as well as a product that is not high in fructose corn syrup or sugar. This is essential in promoting better health.

Most research shows that mangosteen is very beneficial to everyone. For your best health, you should use a health supplement that has the best health benefits that mangosteen can offer, because it has been shown that it contains anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties that will help prevent infections.

If you are in the boat with most people, you just wait it out and simply wait for the virus to take its usual course. And you as most people will not treat the underlying virus but just treat the symptoms which can show its face later on. Regularly taking a good mangosteen product has a great benefit in that it has anti viral properties.

Mangosteen has been shown to have both anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. It also appears to get anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine properties. Mangosteens woody rind also known as the perisarp, or the darkness, contains the xanthone compounds, instead of the fruit. The fruit also likely has some useful compounds, but these compounds contained in the fruit have not been studied as extensively as the rind, but the juice has been used for ages as a people cure.

The mangosteen fruit is widely acclaimed to show the qualities of an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-histamine, anti-viral and anti-aging salve. Also is very well received to aid in control of acid dyspepsia, conservative asthma, IBS, arthritis, eczema and otitis externa. It seems to be as good and beneficial as most pharmaceutical agents. As well as diabetics who prefer it over other treatments, which decreases the demand for the use of insulin. Mangosteen 100 – 100% Pure Undiluted Juice ~ GENESIS TODAY ~ 30,000 mg Pure Fruit Pulp Per Serving!!! As we see many more uses of mangosteen products. Taken for ages in traditional medicine, it is the woody rind of the fruit that is used for medicinal purposes. Through the ages, people grind up the mangosteen fruit, woody rind and treat such things as wounds or digestion issues. Andrew Gallop: Expert article writer: You can succeed http://www.mymangosteen.com/judys12gait/biz/ with articles on weight loss. There are more articles, videos and products that can help you live longer at, http://www.judys12gait.com

03/02/2010 5:52:00 PM

THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL - Researchers have discovered that a small proportion of morbidly obese people are missing a chunk of their DNA, and that genetic deletion may be dramatically affecting their weight.

In a study published in this week’s issue of the journal Nature, the international team of scientists suggests that about seven in every 1,000 morbidly obese people are missing the 30-gene section of DNA. The genetic variation was not found in people of normal weight.

About two per cent of North Americans are morbidly obese, with a Body Mass Index over 40. (A healthy BMI, a mathematical ratio of weight and height, is between 18.5 and 24.9.) In about five per cent of cases, excessive weight gain is believed to be linked to genetic causes, including mutations and missing DNA.

“In the past three years, we have made fantastic progress in learning how common genetic changes can lead to chronic diseases like diabetes, as well as to small differences in people’s weight and height,” — said co-author Dr. Robert Sladek of McGill University in Montreal.

“The genetic change identified in this study is much less common, but leads to much more substantial changes in the body weight of the individuals that it affects,” — Sladek said Wednesday in a release.

Previous research has identified several genetic variations that appear to contribute to obesity, most of them single mutations that change the function of a gene.

While the Nature study authors do not know all the functions of the 30 missing genes, mutations in some of them have been linked to delayed development, autism and schizophrenia.

They suggest there may be other genetic deletions, besides the ones they identified, that increase a person’s risk of becoming obese.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that for some morbidly obese people, their weight gain has an underlying genetic cause,” said lead author Philippe Froguel, a professor in the School of Public Health at Imperial College London.

“If we can identify these individuals through genetic testing, we can then offer them appropriate support and medical interventions, such as the option of weight-loss surgery, to improve their long-term health.”

Blood Sugar

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Sugar is the major source of energy for all the cells in your body. But an excess amount of it in your bloodstream over time just may destroy your health. The sad fact is that today in America, an estimated 50 million American’s have unhealthy blood sugar numbers. Are you one of them?

Today a diet of processed foods is overloading Americans with sugar. Add to that weight gain, and a lack of exercise, and many Americans are ticking time bombs for severe health problems. Fortunately there are many proactive ways a lot of Americans are turning to promote a healthy balance of blood sugar.

By just watching your weight, eating a low fat, high fiber, raw food diet, exercising and taking herbal supplements for diabetics, you really can help make a healthful difference in your life now, and in the future. Medical bills will be less, consequently making insurance more affordable.

Source: Naturally Direct Do you want to learn how to lose that unwanted belly fat?

Imagine how you would feel if you could loose those 10 pounds in just 14 days! The Doctor Directed Weight Loss Program can help. There is no need to feel sluggish and tired all the time! You are simply making excuses why you cannot loose weight. We often make excuses when it comes to losing weight and because we make excuses, we stop ourselves from following our diet, put off the exercise we know we need and actually gain more weight and get more disappointed in the end. Therefore we have convinced ourselves that we cannot loose even 10 pounds. Have you ever stopped to consider this what a couple of pounds overweight plus time wasted plus bad advice; equals more fat gain (weight). Think of this formula!

A couple pounds overweight + Time + Bad Advice = More FAT

If you do not want this formula to be the general rule in your life; follow these simple tips.

1. Stop making excuses.
2. Choose the right diet.
3. Exercise.

How do you stop making those weight loss excuses?

You automatically make excuses without realizing it because as most of you know, losing weight is not that easy – you have to discipline yourself. Some of the most common excuses are:

• No time. I’m too busy.
• Too old.
• Not enough support.
• Not feeling well.
• No one cares anyway.

Sound familiar; well ask yourself why you make excuses every time. Most of these excuses you have to admit are pretty lame; so, how do you stop making those weight loss excuses?

Find out why you are making excuses. Are the reasons acceptable? Why are you not taking action? There are some of you who don’t like being overweight yet you are doing nothing about it because you are afraid that you might fail and end up still overweight. Don’t be afraid of change!

The way you think will affect how you succeed with your weight loss routine. The more negative you think, the more excuses you’ll come up with and ultimately fail! If you really want to know what is the fastest way to lose 10 pounds don’t let your low self-esteem win you over. It is well known that we do what we want to do. You are no different, make losing weight your priority. Discipline yourself; strive for a happy and healthy you. Write your answer for the excuse on paper, make it count.

Stop Making Excuses and Start Living With Energy

How do you choose the right diet for you?

Choosing the right diet can be somewhat of a challenge since we are all different with different likes and dislikes in food. Allergies also play a roll here and the selection of food while it can sound daunting can also be easy if you let it be. Get used to reading the labels on everything and try to prepare your own meals – stay away from those prepared frozen meals with a lot of sodium (salt) and other additives which actually make us crave more of the same type of food. Junk food (chips, candy, chocolate etc.) are also a big no, no!

The best thing I could suggest is to go shopping with a trusted friend that will help you select foods and prepare easy healthy meals and snacks. If that doesn’t work try seeing a dietician; but they sometimes get carried away with counting calories and that can be nerve racking in itself. So, the rule of thumb here is to:

• Shop for healthy ingredients.
• Prepare simple healthy meals – stay away from heavy sauces (gravies).
• Limit your portion size.
• Cut out desert entirely or at the very least eat half the usual amount.

Diet Wise: Let Your Body Choose the Food That’s Right for You

How do you choose the right exercises?

Choosing the right exercise to fit our schedule, habits and weather can be difficult at time but you must find time to fit it in. Lack of time to do exercises is one of the most commonly used excuses because you think that you are too occupied with other things. Lack of time is not a valid excuse because you know losing weight is really important. You need to find time for it no matter how busy you are. Get as much exercise as you can each day and you’ll feel more energetic. Take the stairs not the elevator!

If you’re having difficulties in losing weight alone, join a support group or ask someone to keep you accountable. Walk daily with a friend or take a neighbors’ dog for a walk. Even consider walking to the corner store for those cigarettes or loaf of bread instead of hopping into the car. I know it is easier but it is not healthier. Yes the weather is too hot, too wet, or too cold but those are just excuses; dress properly and in no time you will actually find that you are having fun on your outing.

Beginners Weight Loss and Toning Program

Still aren’t sure you can lose those extra 10 pounds in just 14 days! Look for a doctor directed weight loss program that coaches you to lose significant weight. One such program I came across is the Doctor Weight Loss Program. They also make available clinically proven products to help you achieve your weight loss goals guaranteed. What ever you decide, remember that you are worth it and a healthier you should be your goal. You can do it!

At left, Veronica Noone,  after her son was born in June 2005; and about 15 months later. She says she maintains her weight by trying not to be “perfect” in her diet.

(CNN) — Veronica Noone had been a little overweight since her teens, and, like many people, had spent the better part of her life trying different diets, whatever was popular at the time.

Having a child changed that, she says. After she had her baby, she decided to lose the post-baby weight and the extra pounds she’d been carrying years before that. Dropping about 70 pounds in seven months, Noone’s maintained a healthy weight for almost four years now.

Name: Veronica Noone, 33, an online interactive designer at University of Maryland-Baltimore County who lives in Perry Hall, Maryland.

Background: She was a very normal child but her weight struggles began after puberty. She was probably 10 to 20 pounds over the weight she thinks fits well on her 5-foot-9 frame. It struck her hard because in her group of friends, she was one of the chubby ones. She started to yo-yo diet to try to fit in.

After college she gained more weight, topping 200 pounds. She became what she calls a “serial dieter.” When she and her husband decided they wanted to have a child, it was a decision that changed her outlook on life and her self image.

How much she lost: On June 30, 2005, she weighed 206.8 pounds. She reached her goal weight of 149 on January 19, 2006. She eventually got to 135 pounds, but finds 145 to be a more comfortable weight.

How she lost it: After her son was born in 2005, Noone started to eat in a different way. “I found that when my focus changed from trying to get thin to trying to be healthy and a good example [for my son], all of a sudden the weight started coming off,” she says. Her preoccupation with her body image disappeared and she became more concerned with what were the best food choices she could make for her son.

But just as important, she came to another realization. “I didn’t have to be perfect,” she says about her plan to lose weight. Before, she would hammer herself if she broke with the diet and had a doughnut or something else that made her feel like she had failed. “Every choice I make is an on-plan choice. If I choose to eat a doughnut, that’s fine. I’m going to eat that doughnut. It doesn’t mean I’m off my diet. I’ll account for that in a later meal. Or I’ll have a lighter dinner.”

How she’s keeping it off: She’s maintained her weight for about four years. She credits her Twitter account, where she enters what she eats like it’s a food journal. “It makes me stay conscious of what I am eating,” she says. She did keep up with her Weight Watchers points for two years, but felt a little restricted by tracking them.

She always cooks dinner for her family and the leftovers become lunch for the next day. She also says she likes to bring snacks to work like soup, yogurt, apples and pudding cups.

Advice to others: If you just had a baby, don’t put any pressure on yourself to lose the weight, Noone says. Instead, make a decision to eat healthier the moment you get home from the hospital. The goal should be to be conscious of what you eat and to not take the easy way out because you are frazzled or short on time. “A lot of women don’t think about themselves at that time; it’s all about the new baby and it needs to be,” she says. “But if Mom’s not feeling good and taking care of herself, then the child is not going to be happy either.”

Noone believes the outside motivation of having a child made it easier for her to lose weight because she was also being healthful for her son. She also incorporated her son into her activities. One of the fun things she liked to do was to dance around the house with her child, getting down to everything from kid’s music to rock ‘n’ roll to alternative music to hip-hop. “The little guy,” as she calls him, is going through a Linkin Park phase, she says.

She also blogs on a Web site called greenlitebites.com where she shares recipes she and “the little guy” like to create.

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.

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