Help to eat less and live longer

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

There were some things some of you would find interesting in

http://www.health.harvard.edu/

http://www.health.harvard.edu/section.cfm?id=16

http://www.health.harvard.edu/section.cfm?id=18

http://www.health.harvard.edu/page.cfm?name=shrWLLL.

The last, however, I paste below because of my expectation that it may

interest more of you and that it may not be accessible.

Cheers, Al.

Weigh Less, Live Longer

Not long ago, obesity was seen mainly as a

cosmetic problem. In just the last few years, however, the

medical view of excess weight has changed. Obesity is known

to be a public health problem of the same magnitude as

smoking. The rates of overweight and obesity are soaring.

More than half of all adults in the United States are

overweight, and 26% are obese — an increase of more than

50% in the last three decades. The good news is that many

people can lose weight and keep it off, as this report explains.

This report will help you determine the cause of your excess

weight and tailor a plan to your particular needs. Setting a

realistic goal is important. Even a modest reduction of

7%–10% of your starting weight can lead to significant

improvements in health.

Prepared by the editors of Harvard Health Publications in

consultation with Lee M. Kaplan, M.D., Ph.D., Director,

Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center, Assistant

Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. 48 pages, $16.

Here's an Excerpt from this Special Health

Report

Everyone knows some people who can eat ice cream, cake,

and whatever else they want and still not gain weight. At the

other extreme are people who seem to gain weight no matter

how little they eat. Why? What allows one person to remain

thin without effort but demands that another struggle to avoid

gaining weight or regaining the pounds they've lost?

The simple answer is that your weight depends on the

number of calories you consume, how many of those calories

you store, and how many you burn up. The balance of calories

stored and burned depends on your genetic make-up, your

level of physical activity, and your resting energy expenditure

(the number of calories your body burns while at rest). If you

consistently burn all of the calories that you consume in the

course of a day, you will maintain your weight. If consume

more energy (calories) than you expend, you will gain weight.

Excess calories are stored throughout your body as fat. Your

body stores this fat within specialized fat cells (adipose tissue)

— either by enlarging fat cells, which are always present in

the body, or by creating more of them. If you decrease your

food intake and consume fewer calories than you burn up, or if

you exercise more and burn up more calories, your body will

reduce some of your fat stores. When this happens, fat cells

shrink, along with your waistline.

The more complex issue is why some people store more

calories than they burn. Is it a matter of willpower? Do

overweight people simply eat too much and exercise too little?

Until recently, even weight-loss experts could not agree on

the answers.

Some experts argued that the explanation was genetic: that

some people are genetically destined to be thin, others to be

overweight. They suggested that these people have thrifty

metabolisms, which conserve energy and predispose them

toward fat storage. Other experts pointed out that many

features of modern life promote weight gain. For example, we

don't get enough physical activity because we drive to work

and spend much of our day sitting at computer terminals. We

have trouble finding the time to go to the gym, play a sport, or

exercise in other ways because we work long hours. With the

majority of mothers now in the work force, working parents

have the extra pressure of coming home and caring for

children after a long workday. Perhaps we overeat because

practically everywhere we go — shopping centers, sports

stadiums, movie theaters, and so on — fast-food restaurants

and snack bars tempt us with oversized portions of

high-calorie foods and drinks. In short, these environmental

factors lead us to eat too much and get too little physical

activity with the result that many people are overweight or

obese.

Still other experts stressed that people's eating habits and

weight are related to how they handle stress and cope with

difficult situations. Many people who are overweight also

suffer from depression and other emotional conditions that

may exacerbate their tendency to overeat.

Now, weight-loss researchers recognize that all three of these

factors, genetics, environment, and psychological issues can

contribute to weight disorders. Most overweight people are

genetically predisposed to being overweight. But many of

these people wouldn't be overweight in an environment that

promoted healthier food choices and encouraged physical

activity. Because of these genetic and environmental

influences, most people who become overweight have trouble

losing weight and keeping it off. This difficulty understandably

leads to frustration that can cause depression, anxiety, binge

eating disorder, and even bulimia. These psychological

complications may interfere with healthy eating and exercise

habits, leading to further weight gain and a vicious cycle that

only exacerbates the problem. Many people have the

experience of losing weight only to gain back even more and

then repeat this cycle many times over the years.

These three factors — genetics, environment, and psychology

- do not affect all overweight people to the same degree. For

some people, the cause is so strongly genetic that they would

be overweight regardless of other factors. For others, the

genetic predisposition to be overweight is less powerful, and

environmental factors have the dominant role. The foods

these people eat; how much, how often, and when they eat;

and the lack of time for physical activity conspire to make them

gain weight. For some people, emotions play a dominant role,

either because they tend to overeat in response to stressful

situations or because they use food to diminish the effects of

psychological trauma.

To optimize your chances for maintaining a healthy weight,

think about which of these factors contributes to your weight

problem. Understanding the role of these factors can help you

determine the best approach to achieving and maintaining a

healthy weight.

Alan Pater, Ph.D.; Faculty of Medicine; Memorial University of

Newfoundland;

St. 's, NF A1B 3V6 Canada; Tel. No.: (709) 777-6488; Fax No.:

(709)

777-7010; email: apater@...