Can You Be Fat and Fit?
A study conducted in the Netherlands found some obese individuals to not be at increased risk for heart disease due to their weight. I’m going to share what they learned because I don’t want you to start seeing headlines saying you can be fat and still be fit and start thinking it’s okay to remain a couch potato.
The Study
Dutch researchers identified a subset of 1,325 obese individuals, between the ages of 28 to 75 years-old, from the 8,356 participants in the Dutch Prevention of Renal and Vascular Endstage Disease study. Out of the 1,325 obese individuals only 90 were determined to be “metabolically healthy”.
Metabolically healthy means the participants did not have risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, or the use of cholesterol lowering medication. The Dutch study found only 6.8 percent of obese individuals in a larger population are metabolically healthy.
The Results
Conversations with the Masters of Healing – FREE Teleseminar Intensive
I’m thrilled to announce the kick off of the inaugural teleseminar intensive – Conversations with the Masters of Healing – starting next month!
Conversations with the Masters of Healing is a rare opportunity for you to listen, learn, change your life, and speak to the most incredible practitioners of healthcare and healing. To register click here.
This complimentary Program will run from July 13 to August 3rd, 2010 and includes an absolutely INCREDIBLE line-up of the top names in prevention and wellness . . .
Top 5 Tips to Burn More Fat from Celebrity Nutrition & Fitness Expert JJ Virgin
Having you been during endless cardio workouts and still struggling to lose weight?
Next week JJ Virgin will be going into detail on 5 simple steps you can put into action NOW to have the body, energy, and confidence for this summer and beyond!
Here’s a little of what she’ll be covering . . .
- Burst to Blast Fat
- Eating by the Plate
- How to create your metabolic SPANX
- What to look for in meal replacement shakes
- How sleep impacts weight loss
Heart Health – How hard do you need to workout?
To achieve health benefits, it is recommended that we include 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity 5 days each week. Well, what exactly is considered moderate intensity?
San Diego State University recently studied the effect of different exercise intensity levels to determine how fast someone needs to walk to be exercising at a moderate intensity level. Researchers monitored cardiac exertion of walking at different rates in 97 healthy adults on a treadmill. It was determined that a moderate intensity level is equal to 3 METs, which is a measurement of the bodies oxygen needs. This converted to 92-102 steps per minute for men and 91-115 steps per minute for women.
By grabbing a pedometer and watch on your next walk, you can check to see if you are hitting the goal of ~100 steps per minute to reap the health benefits. And if not, you’ll know you need to increase your speed!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Be Heart Healthy and Lose Weight
Worksite Wellness Programs – Does your employer influence your choices?
Right now there are a number of federal rules that limit what employers and insurers can do to encourage and reward healthy behavior, such as being physically active, losing weight, and smoking cessation.
President Obama has outlined 8 principles for health legislation that will make it easier for employers to provide worksite wellness and prevention programs, such as tax credits and other subsidies. The goals of worksite wellness programs would be to promote heart health, decrease obesity, manage diabetes, and other chronic health conditions.
Some proposals provide periodic screenings for health problems and others include counseling focused on healthier lifestyles. By becoming healthier, employees will reduce health care costs and productivity increases. Rewards for achieving a healthier lifestyle may include financial incentives, such as gift certificates and cash rewards. Some insurers already reward employees with lower health insurance premiums.
Of course, there’s always going to be the “other side of the coin” as some criticize the plan, saying employers will be prying too much into employee’s personal lives.
What do you think? Would a good worksite wellness program influence you to take action to live a healthier life?
One option to achieve a healthy worksite is by incorporating the Worksite Wellness Programs available to you.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Health and Weight Loss – Do you need to eat fat to lose belly fat?
I enjoy the show The Biggest Loser. On one of the episodes this season they had an individual from Prevention magazine share some tips based on the “Flat Belly” diet. I was very excited because it sounded like a link had been found between the Mediterranean diet and reduced abdominal obesity. Hence, the reason for this article!
The Mediterranean diet contains an increased level of monounsaturated fat compared to the typical American diet. Monounsaturated fat is a type of heart healthy unsaturated fat. One of the best monounsaturated fat sources is olive oil. I went to work researching to find scientific evidence to support a link between a diet high in monounsaturated fat and reduced belly fat.
Here’s the main study supporting the connection between decreased abdominal obesity and monounsaturated fats.
Study: Published in the Diabetes Care back in 2007 by J.A. Paniagua, MD, PHD, A. Gallego de la Sacristana, MD, I. Romero, PHD, A. Vidal-Puig, MD, PHD, J.M. Latre, MD, PHD, E. Sanchez, MD, P. Perez-Martinez, MD, PHD, J. Lopez-Miranda, MD, PHD and F. Perez-Jimenez, MD, PHD
Monounsaturated Fat-Rich Diet Prevents Central Body Fat Distribution and Decreases Postprandial Adiponectin Expression Induced by a Carbohydrate-Rich Diet in Insulin-Resistant Subjects
The purpose of this study was to show that central obesity is linked with insulin resistance (when the body does not respond normally to insulin) and studied the effect of three different diets with the same level of calories on fat distribution, insulin sensitivity, and peripheral adiponectin (fat hormone) gene expression. The study included 11 individuals that were considered insulin resistant. Everyone in the study spent 28 days on each of the following diets: 1. diet enriched in saturated fat, 2. diet rich in monounsaturated fat, 3. diet rich in carbohydrates.
The study found weight, body composition, and metabolism unchanged during all three diets. On a high carbohydrate diet, fat tended to be redistributed to the abdominal area versus the high fat diets.
There have been many studies conducted on this theory, but the results are all conflicting.
Expert Opinion
1. Not enough evidence to support a connection.
This was a fairly small study of only eleven individuals. A study on 62 women published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2004 did not find a link between a diet high in monounsaturated fat and changed body fat distribution. There needs to be more large scale studies that conclusively establish a link before we can jump on the bandwagon.
2. Follow a Mediterranean Diet anyway!
Whether or not a Mediterranean Diet targets belly fat or not, the benefits of this type of diet are well known when it comes to heart health and weight loss.
Those that follow a Mediterranean Diet have a reduced risk of developing heart disease and dying from a heart attack. Even those that have survived a heart attack and lived to adopt the Mediterranean Diet significantly reduce their risk of a second heart attack and other complications.
Also, those that follow the Mediterranean diet have increased satiety (feelings of fullness) due to the adequate fat and fiber content. This means a decreased urge to overeat which promotes weight loss.
Characteristics common to a Mediterranean Diet include:
Consume high intake of fruits and vegetables
Select whole grains
Consume healthy fats (canola and olive oil)
Eat nuts in moderation
Low red wine consumption
Limit eggs to less than 4 times per week
Consume little red meat
Eat fish regularly
If you adopt this style of eating now and some conclusive evidence comes out in the future supporting a link with decreased belly fat, it won’t matter. You’ll already be lean with a healthy heart!
Receive heart health and weight loss tips from dietitian Lisa Nelson when you subscribe to The Heart of Health ezine at https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/hearthealth.html. You can select from the free e-courses How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps or 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure when you subscribe.
