Health hazards of pot belly fat
Even a small pot belly is linked to increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. A waist mesurement above 32 inches in women and and above 37 inches in men indicates a significantly
raised risk of heart disease and diabetes.
A recent report (Visceral Fat and the Weight Debate) from GlaxoSmithKline , which makes the weight loss drug Alli, says a large waist is indicative of dangerous visceral fat around internal organs.
Visceral fat plays an important part in the release of proteins and hormones that cause inflammation and are responsible for thickening and hardening of arteries. They also enter the liver and affect how the body breaks down sugars and fats.
The report, which surveyed 12,000 Europeans, pointed out that when weight is lost, visceral fat is more easily broken down for energy than the fat immediately under the skin.
World record-breaking sprinter Usain Bolt of Jamaica. Body Mass Index can wrongly suggest that muscled athletes such as Usain Bolt are overweight. Waist-to-hip ratio is a more helpful indicator or weight-associated health problems.
Waist circumference is a good indicator of visceral fat and therefore of a person's risk of diseases associated with overweight.
Research from the University of Texas, based on a study of 2,744 people and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, says that a waist size of 32ins (81cm) for a woman and 37ins (94cm) for a man represents a significant
raised risk of heart disease.
Diabetes UK uses similar figures, advising that waist measurements above 31.5 inches in women (80 cm), above 37 inches (94 cm) in white men and black men, and above 35 inches (90 cm) in South Asian men significantly increases the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
The risks are even higher with waist measurements over 35 inches in women and above 40 inches in men.
Waist-to-hip ratio is a reliable indicator of health risks associated with overweight, and is today favored over Body Mass Index (BMI).
American middle-distance runner Anna Willard. Elite marathon runners, who are exceptionally strong and fit, can appear underweight using BMI to assess their weight.
To find your waist-to-hip ratio, first measure your waist, then your hips and divide the first number by the second.
For men, a healthy ratio is under 0.95 (In other words, your stomach measurement should be less than your hips). For women the healthy ratio is under 0.85.
To get an accurate measurement, you measure the mid-point of your waist, around your navel. Then measure the widest point of your hips around your backside.
A beer belly is nothing to be proud of. A gut like this hugely increases the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
BMI, which is is calculated by dividing your weight in kilos (kg) by your height in meters squared can give misleading results. Athletic and muscular people can appear overweight using BMI.
A BMI under 18.5 indicates underweight; 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal weight; 25 to 29.9 is overweight; and above 30 is obese.
For example, using height in feet and weight in pounds, a man of 5 ft 10 inches who weights 165 lbs has a BMI of 23.7 and is within the normal range. A man who is 6 ft 2 inches and weighs 245 lbs is within the obese range. (Go here for an online Body Mass Index calculator.)
BMI overestimates body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build, and it can underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle mass.
waist-to-hip ratio tells us that body shape is as important, if not more important, than total weight as an indicator of weight-related health risks than total body weight.
Parenthood and other important life tasks should not prevent us keeping in shape.
The GlaxoSmithKline report says most overweight people see themselves as having a body image issue not a health problem: They need to understand the health benefits of weight loss as well as its cosmetic, or body image, results.
The report's co-author Professor David Haslam, chair of the UK National Obesity Forum, advises that steady sustainable weight loss is important and that crash diets are unlikely to be successful.
Crash diets can do more harm than good,
he says.
Invariably weight is put back on, with some of the weight regained accumulating as visceral fat.
Professor Steve Field, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said most of the media focus in recent years had been on total weight.
But it is the weight around your belly which really does the harm.
A lot of these things take a while to get into people's heads especially as there has been so much focus on weight and body mass index.
Professor James de Lemos, who led the University of Texas research, says: We think the key message for people is to prevent accumulation of central fat early on in their lives. Even a small pot belly puts us at higher risk when compared to a flat tummy.
By Ben Foster
Readers respond
Linni, Chicago Thanks for the write-up on getting in shape for older people. I am a 47 year old female. I used to run and bike alot, up to 12km running a day and 50km a week biking. I gave it up over the years, I felt so tired and just gave up.
Four years later and I am now 30 pounds overweight, flabby tummy, bulky arms, huge saggy breasts. I am about 160 pounds and 5' 3". My average weight has always been between 118 and 128 pounds. I have also been single (not even a date) for nearly 6 years now because of the way I feel about my body. I am inspired by what you write and think there might still be hope for me! Thanks.
How fast can you run a mile at 50?
If you're 50, normal weight, and untrained, you should be able to run a mile in 9 minutes. After three months of training, you should be down to 8 minutes. After six months, you should be capable of 7 mins 15 sex. After two years of serious training without injury, you should be close to six minutes.
John, Petoskey, Michigan I'm looking down both barrels of the big five-oh and having trouble seeing my feet. This coming from a guy who finished the L.A. Marathon three times in his thirties, not to mention many half-marathons and countless 10k's. After knee surgery I started making excuses and now I'm faced with battling my weight ... again. I lost 100 lbs. between the ages of 28 and 30. I'm sure I'll be challenged now more than ever, knowing I won't see the results from years ago, but I still desire them.
Tammi, Knoxville My husband has gotten fat and stayed that way. Knowing that all sex can be is having someone who flabby who weighs 120 lbs more than I do during sex makes me feel depressed about the rest of my life. I will print out this article and hope he reads it.
Malin, Tampa I am so sick of my husband. He is so boring in bed. I think he doesn't love me anymore, or he's just like that ..so tired and out of shape for six long years. I don't know what to do.
Don, Boulder Thanks for the great article. Great encouragement for me to get running again after a few years off after an injury. At 51 I hope to someday feel comfortable running 5 and 10k's, maybe even a marathon if I can be so lucky.