Does your waist size pose any direct danger to your health?

A fact-based revelation…

Introduction

Waist size has been linked in the past with heart disease and diabetes. But few studies have looked at the link between waist circumference and risk of death from any cause across different categories of BMI or for the huge waistlines that are becoming increasingly common. It appears a big waist nearly doubles a person's risk of an early death from many causes, such as cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illness and the risk is increased even among people who aren't overweight. In other words, by packing on only a few extra pounds, you could significantly increase your risk of premature death.

In fact, for women, the association between a plus-size waist and greater risk of early death was strongest in those with a normal body mass index, or BMI, according to a study involving more than 100,000 people.

It should be noted that waist circumference is strongly related to the amount of fat tissue deep in the abdomen which is a particularly bad place to have fat. This deep layer of fat, called visceral fat, wraps around internal organs in the abdomen. It's considered far more "pathogenic," or more likely to cause disease than subcutaneous fat (fat just beneath the skin that a person can pinch). Some researchers say visceral fat is so metabolically active, it should be considered an organ unto itself. Visceral fat is linked with higher circulating levels of cholesterol, insulin and substances that cause inflammation.

This pattern of increasing risk with increasing waist size seems to be true in every category of weight, including normal weight, overweight and obese. Even if your weight is considered normal for your height, and you haven't noticed a big weight gain, if your waist size is starting to increase; if you're having to move into a bigger pant size;  that's an important sign that it's time to start eating better and exercising more.

The waist-to-hip measurement

According to researchers, the best way to predict heart attack risk and other obesity-related diseases is a measurement that divides the circumference of your waist by your hips. If you’re a woman, the waist-to-hip ratio should come out as no more than 0.8. Men have a little more wiggle room: a healthy waist-to-hip ratio for them is 0.95.

This means, if your belly has bulged out enough to catch up to the size of your hips, you should start worrying about your heart, experts say. In other words, fat on a woman’s hips doesn’t seem to increase risk, whereas a beer belly does. This fat stored in the belly is the most dangerous type of fat in our bodies.

The waist-to-hip measurement is likely to catch people at risk for fat-related diseases who might otherwise think they were at a healthy weight, based on their BMI scores. It’s quite possible to have an acceptable BMI and still have some belly paunch.

Therefore, you can be thin and still have too much fat!

Act now before it’s too late!

The Diverticulitis Diet Defined

How to lose weight quickly

Diverticulitis develops from a condition called diverticulosis. If you're older than 40, it's common for you to have diverticulosis - small, bulging pouches (diverticula) in your digestive tract. In the United States, more than 50 percent of people older than 60 have diverticula. Although diverticula can form anywhere, including in your esophagus, stomach and small intestine, most occur in your large intestine. Because these pouches seldom cause any problems, you may never know you have them.
A low-fiber diet is considered to be the main cause of diverticular problems. First diagnosed in the United States in the early 1900s, and now common throughout developed countries, the emergence of diverticular disease coincided with the introduction of low-fiber processed foods (eg. branless refined flour). Even now, the disease is rare in Asia and Africa, where people eat high-fiber vegetable diets.
In the past, many doctors recommended that people with diverticulosis avoid seeds and nuts, including foods with small seeds, such as tomatoes and strawberries. It was thought that these tiny particles could lodge in the diverticula and cause inflammation (diverticulitis). But there is no scientific evidence that seeds and nuts cause diverticulitis. In fact, eating a high-fiber diet - which may include nuts and seeds - reduces the risk of diverticulitis. It is now believed that only foods that may irritate or get caught in the diverticula cause problems.
A low-residue Diverticulitis Diet is recommended during the flare-up periods of diverticulitis to decrease bowel volume so that the infection can heal. An intake of less than 10 grams of fiber per day is generally considered a low residue Diverticulitis Diet. If you have been on a low-residue diet for an extended period of time, your doctor may recommend a daily multi-vitamin/mineral supplement.
Once your symptoms improve, start to add about 5 to 15 grams of fiber a day to allow your digestive system to adjust to the higher fiber intake.
Although there is much conflicting information, even in the medical world, about what constitutes a good Diverticulitis Diet, the basic principle of healthy eating remains the same. Most people have no symptoms and only find out that they have Diverticulosis when they've had a colonoscopy done. If you fall into this category, the guidelines suggest that you start on a high fiber and high fluids diet as soon as possible. You should also avoid constipation at all costs.
In general, treatment depends on the severity of your signs and symptoms and whether this is your first attack of diverticulitis. If your symptoms are mild, a liquid or low-fiber diet and antibiotics may be all you need. But if you're at risk of complications or have recurrent attacks of diverticulitis, you may need more advanced care. A high-fiber diet is very important in preventing future diverticulitis attacks. As you increase your fiber intake, increase your fluid intake as well.
Many people don't realize the harm that a low fiber diet can do to you, and the Diverticulitis Diet is really a necessity to everyone, not just those with the disease. We must remember to keep high-fiber healthy diets to allow ourselves the nutrition we need to support our bodies and allow for proper nutrition. Even if you do have diverticulitis, the Diverticulitis Diet will help you get your bodies nutrients on track and allow you to be healthy again.

How to lose weight quickly

The Mayo Clinic Diet

How to lose weight fast

Welcome to the Mayo Clinic Diet that doesn’t come from the Mayo Clinic. This diet is a strange idea that has been floating around for a long time, despite the fact that it is not endorsed by the Mayo Clinic. Once again dieters are face to face with the misleading idea that somehow grapefruit burns fat, which leaves the dieter free to indulge in high fat food like ham and eggs for breakfast and meat, vegetables and salad dressing for lunch and dinner. This is not a diet, but a dream come true! Or, at least, it would be a dream if it actually worked.

Right from the start this diet sounds too good to be true. Any kind of meat and any amount of it at every lunch and dinner? With any amount of vegetables? And salad dressing on top? So where does the weight loss part come in? This must be every fast food lover’s dream. Unfortunately, half of grapefruit and half a glass of grapefruit juice cannot burn away fat in any circumstances, much less when the dieter is busy feasting on meat and vegetables. While it’s true that this diet bans complex carbohydrates in order to help weight loss it is worth remembering that these complex carbs are the main energy source for the body.

Even if the idea that grapefruit burns fat just like that was proved correct, this diet is still too unbalanced to be a sound long-term eating plan. Fried foods and fat foods are associated with increased risks of heart diseases and cancer, which is not a good trade off for lower body weight. Eating large portions of food on a regular basis is also not a very good idea and it certainly does not square with a strict diet.

Basically, this seems to be one of those diets that count on using the names of famous institutions or famous people in order to push silly ideas. What’s worse is that some people are desperate enough to actually believe in this type of eating plan, especially since they are attracted to the idea of a diet rich in meat. This diet is unbalanced from the nutritional point of view and encourages overeating. Avoid it and choose a better eating plan instead; one that doesn’t sound as good, but which will help you lose weight.

How to lose weight fast

Cinnamon – A weight loss wonder

Fast way to lose weight

Cinnamon figures among the most ancient spices in world. This small evergreen tree is cultivated in Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Egypt, Brazil, Indonesia and India. It is prepared in two ways. It is prepared either by drying the cinnamon bark and rolling it into sticks (quills), or by crushing it into powder. Cinnamon's peculiar taste and smell stems from cinnamaldehyde, a substance contained in the bark's oil.
Cinnamon has one of the highest antioxidant levels of any spice, and many foods, too. You'll get as many antioxidants in one teaspoon of cinnamon as a full cup of pomegranate juice or a half-cup of blueberries, two foods known for their antioxidant content.

Millions of people are searching for ways to help lose weight, and drinking cinnamon tea or eating cinnamon in other forms for weight loss can definitely help many shed pounds.

How does cinnamon cause weight loss
Cinnamon is a spice commonly used during festive winter times as it "warms" the body. This thermogenic response possibly speeds the body's metabolism resulting in weight loss. Cinnamon actually creates heat within the body due to a chemical reaction. The body's metabolism speeds up to counteract the excess heat and balance body temperature. Excess calories are burned throughout the process.
According to another theory, cinnamon decreases blood sugar levels, which increases the level of insulin. The higher amount of insulin is believed to shrink fat cells. Some experts believe cinnamon tea weight loss is especially effective for people with diabetes as they need more insulin. The fat cells in the abdomen are particularly sensitive to high insulin levels, and are very effective at storing energy – far more so that fat cells you’d find in other areas such as the lower body (i.e. hips, rear end, thighs). Because abdominal fat cells are so close to our digestive organs, and there is an extensive network of blood vessels circulating in the abdominal area, it’s even easier for fat cells to store excess glucose there.

Recommended quantity
Typical recommended dosages of ground cinnamon bark are 1 to 4 g daily. The German Commission E monograph suggests ½ to 3/4 teaspoon (2–4 grams) of the powder per day. A tea can be prepared from the powdered herb by boiling 1/2 teaspoon (2–3 grams) of the powder for ten to fifteen minutes, cooling, and then drinking. Cinnamon oil is generally used at a dose of 0.05 to 0.2 g daily.
Cinnamon tea is also touted as a weight loss remedy when made with other ingredients. You may get better results with this recipe for Cinnamon and Honey Tea. Create a regular cinnamon tea and add 1 tablespoon of pure honey after the tea sits for half an hour so the boiling water does not destroy honey's beneficial properties. It is recommended to drink all cinnamon teas both before bed and first thing in the morning.

Fast way to lose weight