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Prevent Chronic Disease - Maintain a Healthy Weight |
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Written by Webmaster
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By Phillip Elder
 Overweight and obesity is a wide reaching issue causing debilitating and costly health problems world wide. 61% of Australian adults aged over 18 are OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE! That's about 9.1 million people! (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009)
That's more than 1 in 2 people with an increased risk of getting chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. This has increased significantly from 38% of adults were overweight or obese only 15 years ago.
Facts:
o Men are more likely to be overweight or obese than women.
o The proportion of the population who are obese is increasing at a faster rate than the proportion of the population who are overweight generally.
o Overweight or obese men and women are increasingly likely to see themselves as having an acceptable weight. People do not think they have a weight problem.
25% of our Australian children aged 5 - 17 years are OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE!
'Studies have shown that once children become obese they are more likely to stay obese into adulthood and have an increased risk of developing both
short and long-term health conditions, such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.' (ABS, 2009)
There are serious metabolic consequences of carrying excess fat in the body, particularly around the abdominal area, that cause debilitating health problems. These include hypertension, high cholesterol, high blood fats, low HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) impaired glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, sleep apnoea, fatty liver, coronary heart disease, fluid retention, infertility in women, and some cancers. Not to mention social consequences And a Poorer Quality Of Life.
Some chronic diseases are influenced by what we call 'modifiable factors' which means that there are things we can do to help prevent these diseases, one of which is maintaining a healthy weight.
You can help prevent some chronic diseases by maintaining a healthy weight!
These chronic illnesses are a reality to many many Australians. Living with these conditions can be an absolute miserable time. Take a moment to consider the life of an overweight person with osteoarthritis. We have cartilage protecting the bones in the joints and synovial fluid that acts as a lubricant to reduce friction. Excess weight can cause contact and grinding of the cartilage surfaces, wearing and tearing protective cartilage and causing permanent damage and terrible pain, stiffness and swelling. Imagine walking...
To think that many of these chronic diseases are preventable. You can take control of your health for a better quality life.
Fat Facts: Adipocytes or fat cells, have various important roles in feedback mechanisms in the body. For example, a more well know factor is leptin. Leptin is a protein that is made by fat cells in response to how much fat tissue there is in the body. Leptin has a role in the control of eating. For example, when an individual loses weight, leptin levels become reduced indicating to the body that fat stores are inadequate. This in turn will act to stimulate eating and predispose to weight regain. For some people, the leptin function may be impair resulting is increased appetite. However, this condition is uncommon.
Fat cells also serve as a energy storage. Problems arise when excess fat accumulates. This occurs when long term excess food intake creates an energy imbalance, whereby the energy you take in exceeds the energy you are expending.
Other factors produced by fat cells have negative effects and help explain the harmful effects of carrying excess fat in the body. For example, Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) which causes systemic inflammation and insulin resistance. Another factor, Resistin, also causes insulin resistance in other tissues and as a result elevated insulin levels. Insulin resistance is not only linked to diabetes but also obesity because at high levels, insulin tells the body to store fat. Other nasties include factors that cause your blood to thicken placing strain on the heart, increasing blood pressure and increasing the risk of thrombosis.
Losing weight can feel like an impossible task. Keeping it off can seem even harder. The truth is you can lose weight AND keep it off! Get the support of your health professional or Accredited Practising Dietitian, and achieve your weight goals.
Prevent chronic disease maintain a healthy weight!
Ines Astudillo is an Accredited Practsing Dietitian in West Ryde, Sydney, NSW. Ines has a special interest in helping people achieve their weight goals in a realistic, achievable and sustainable manner. She is experienced in translating the nutritional science of kilojoules and fat grams into simple but meaningful changes in eating habits to help clients lose weight and keep it off.
http://www.backdoctor.net.au
http://www.rydeweightloss.com
http://www.betternutrition.net.au
Ines also has an interest in the area of food allergies and intolerances, helping people to improve symptoms such as excessive bloating, diarrhoea, constipation and abdominal cramps.
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