The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not ~ Mark Twain
In 1998, Dr. Jean-Pierre Després, Director of Research in Cardiology at the Hôpital Laval Research Centre, spoke at an International Congress on vascular disease prevention. At that time he stated: “Abdominal obesity should be considered a significant health hazard, and when looking at cardiovascular risk, the greatest danger comes from visceral adipose tissue or visceral fat (located deep in the abdomen), not overall excess weight.”
Dr. Després also spoke of research at Laval University suggesting that a waist measurement of 39 inches in men and women under age 40 indicated significant visceral fat accumulation. He went on to point out that only monitoring body weight and total body fat might be risky because, “Even in the absence of any change in body weight and total body fat, there could be, over time, a significant accumulation of visceral adipose tissue that may not be properly detected unless a waist circumference measurement is done.”
Six years later, at a National Forum on Obesity in England, University of Birmingham scientists reported that carrying fat around the middle can quadruple the risk of heart disease and diabetes. They assessed a high risk factor for both diseases in “women with waists over 35 inches (and 40 inches on men), but even a lower waist of 37 inches in men and 32 inches in women may significantly raise the risk.” Like Dr. Després, this group suggested that it is the width of the waist, not overall weight, which is a better predictor of heart health.
A 2007 study at the UT Southwestern Medical Center confirmed earlier research on the connection between heart health and waist circumference. Dr. James de Lemos, an associate professor of internal medicine said: “Their study showed that people who develop fat around the middle have more atherosclerotic plaque than those who have smaller waist-to-hip ratios.”
The study, which included over 3000 men and women, revealed that plaque (a build-up of fat and other substances including calcium – a marker for coronary artery disease), was strongly associated with waist circumference and waist to hip ratio. “Fat that accumulates around your waist seems to be more biologically active as it secretes inflammatory proteins that contribute to atherosclerotic plaque buildup, whereas fat around your hips doesn’t appear to increase risk for cardiovascular disease at all,” Dr. de Lemos said. “We think the key message for people is to prevent accumulation of central fat early on in their lives.”
All three studies pointed to the need to adopt better and more consistent dietary and exercise habits to prevent the development of the ‘pot belly’. Unfortunately things seem to be getting worse instead of better. In 2004 the Geneva World Health Organization reported that worldwide, coronary heart disease kills more than 7 million people each year. And while simple solutions are available, it would appear few are paying attention.
MEASURING YOUR RISK FACTOR
If waist size is an indication of susceptibility to heart disease, as the last decade of research implies, it might be wise to keep tabs on your own waist circumference. Measuring it is simple and easy to understand and keep track of. Remember that even a waist circumference of 32 inches for a woman, and 37 inches for a man, represents significant risk for cardiovascular incidents.
Here is how to measure your waist easily and accurately:
• Place a tape measure around your bare abdomen, just below your rib cage and above your hip bone
• The tape measure should be snug, but not so tight that it pushes into your skin
• Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around.
• Breathe in and then measure your waist after you breathe out. Don’t pull your abdominals in.
FAT FIGHTING STRATEGIES
The formula to keep our waist circumference in a safe zone is not a complex one: to reduce visceral fat in the abdominal region you need to modify food choices (input) and increase physical activity (output). Your food choices need to be ones that help keep your organs and systems functioning normally. The focus should be on the right portions, ingredients, and nutrients that will support the body’s chemical and hormonal makeup to achieve and maintain a leaner waist. The following are just a few foods that support this end.
Belly Busting Foods
Fibre – Experts agree that a heart healthy diet includes foods high in fibre. The best sources of fiber can be found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables (complex carbohydrates).
There are two types of fibre, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is soft and has demonstrated that it can help lower cholesterol and control blood sugar. Some sources of soluble fiber are oatmeal, oat bran, and legumes such as dried beans, peas and lentils. Other sources are in pectin-rich foods like apples, strawberries and citrus fruit. Insoluble fiber, or roughage, is bulky, helping you feel fuller while promoting regularity. It can be found in wheat bran, whole grain foods, and the skins, leaves and seeds of vegetables and fruits.
Besides making you feel fuller, fruits and vegetables are chock full of antioxidants such as vitamin C and beta-carotene. Researchers believe it is these antioxidants that help keep abdominal fat at bay. Carrots, cantaloupe, squash, and peaches are great sources of beta-carotene, while oranges, berries, and kiwi are high in vitamin C. Onions, garlic and tomatoes are excellent fat fighters as well
Good Fats– Although too much fat can be dangerous, we need some for insulation and to help our cells function normally. And good fats like mono and poly unsaturated help to lower bad cholesterol levels (LDL), prevent clotting and lower triglycerides (a blood fat closely linked to heart disease). Monounsaturated fats can be found in olive oil, peanut oil, avocados, and nuts like almonds. Omega-3 fats are a type of polyunsaturated fat found in cold-water fish such as sardines and salmon as well as in flaxseed, walnuts, and pine nuts.
Spices – Not only do spices add flavour to foods, but some are especially helpful with fat burning. Cinnamon is believed to have an insulin-like effect, enhancing the satiety centre in your brain while also reducing blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Cayenne is a very hot red pepper made from the dried pods of chili peppers. The main medicinal properties of cayenne are derived from a chemical called capsaicin, which recent research suggests can reduce the growth of fat cells. Turmeric has curcumin as its active ingredient and seems to activate more PPARs (peroxisome proliferators-activated receptors) which help to decrease glucose and insulin levels as well as cholesterol and inflammation.
OUTPUT - MOVEMENT MINUSES THE MIDDLE
Working hand in glove with eating right to reduce abdominal fat is regular exercise. As challenging a task as this is, it can be done. Most experts in the field advise that you begin slowly, and on a small scale. Walking for at least a half hour a day is a perfect way to start. And even this can be broken down into smaller more manageable 10 minute increments. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz, medical doctors and authors of You on a Diet, The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management, even suggest that “Walking 30 minutes a day is as necessary and important as daily sleep. From an aging perspective, it’s as bad to skip a daily walk as it is to skip a night of sleep.”
And you would be mistaken if you think doing hundreds of sit-ups will get rid of that spare tire. Your abdominal muscles may get stronger, but sit-ups alone will not break down the dangerous midsection fat stored deeper inside, in and around the liver and other organs. Evidence is mounting that the best way to reduce abdominal fat is with an exercise program which includes strength training to add lean muscle, aerobic exercise like walking, running, or cycling to work the heart and lungs, and stretching to elongate the muscles and prevent injury. It is this type of triple-pronged physical training, along with a healthy diet, that will burn fat, and decrease your waist size.
REBOOT YOUR REFRIGERATOR’S CONTENTS
In order to make room for kinder-to-your-heart-and-waistline foods, you will have to throw away the unhealthy stuff. The You on a Diet doctors, Roizen and Oz, recommend you read the labels on all the foods in your refrigerator, kitchen cupboards, and any secret hiding places, and if something has any of the following in one of the first five ingredients, throw it out:
• Trans fat (hydrogenated fats, vegetable oil blends that are hydrogenated, and many margarines and cooking blends)
• Saturated fat (milk fat, butter or lard, coconut and palm oil)
• Simple sugar (brown sugar, dextrose, corn sweetener, fructose, glucose, corn syrup, honey, molasses, and sucrose)
• Enriched flour (white, semolina, durum wheat)
STRESS-DRIVEN WEIGHT GAIN
One of the main reasons people gain weight is that there is an imbalance between calorie input and energy output. But more researchers are finding a link between increased fat storage and excess production of the stress hormone cortisol.
In their book, Cracking the Metabolic Code, authors James Lavalle and Stacy Lundin explain the elevated cortisol/weight gain connection: “The increase in cortisol release from the adrenal glands causes food cravings, especially for high-fat, high-sugar, and high-carbohydrate foods such as cookies, candy, chips, and ice cream. Even though these foods act as a temporary mood “boost,” they in turn feed a vicious cycle, causing additional blood sugar problems, leading to swings in energy and blood sugar, which fuels the stress-cortisol release cycle. By stimulating excess insulin release, the body is driven to become more insulin resistant, and with more insulin resistance, more fat is stored than the body needs. Sixty to seventy percent of American adults are overweight or obese, and stress-driven food cravings play an ever-increasing role in this weight gain.”
Adopting stress reduction techniques like deep breathing, meditation, guided visualization, hypnotherapy, yoga and other types of exercise may help to combat the “vicious cycle for stress-driven food cravings,” thereby maximizing other waist reduction strategies.
TRUST YOUR INTELLECT, NOT YOUR INSTINCTS
According to psychologist and Harvard Medical School Professor, Deidre Barrett, when it comes to the food we eat, listening to our bodies can lead us down a slippery slope to weight gain and disease. In her latest book, Waistland: The R(e)volutionary Science Behind Our Weight and Fitness Crisis, Barrett claims it is a myth that we are wired with instincts to tell us what’s good for us. She says, “The problem is we’re wired for a much different environment — for a hunter-gatherer society. Before agriculture, essential nutrients like fat, salt, and sugar were rare. So we’re wired to crave them. We’ve got too much access to simple, refined carbohydrates. Our instincts aren’t going to guide us properly unless we’re on the savanna, away from fast food. So we really need to listen to our intellects. That’s what giant brains are there for — overriding instincts when they are leading us astray.”
Eating right and getting active is a sound approach to control our waist size and reduce the risk of disease. However, polls show that while 95% of us know this, only 5% follow it. Benjamin Franklin wrote, “While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us.” If we embrace this philosophy and act accordingly, then I truly believe we will win the battle with our expanding waistlines.
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