Dr. John's Health Matters
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The articles posted here are from various sources who are duly acknowledged. I would appreciate being immediately notified, if any copywritten material needs to be removed. This blog is not intended to replace the qualified advice of a licensed health practitioner. Readers should exercise their own judgment. Enjoy, subscribe, participate and tell others :)
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Posts tagged "BMI"
Wednesday, Sep 2nd, 2009 ↓Waist-hip Ratio Better Than BMI For Gauging Obesity In Elderly, Study Finds →
Sept 2, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Body mass index (BMI) readings may not be the best gauge of obesity in older adults, according to new research from UCLA endocrinologists and geriatricians. Instead, they say, the ratio of waist size to hip size may be a better indicator when it comes to those over 70.
In a new study published online in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Epidemiology, researchers from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA found that the waist-to-hip circumference ratio was a better yardstick for assessing obesity in high-functioning adults between the ages of 70 and 80, presumably because the physical changes that are part of the aging process alter the body proportions on which BMI is based.
“Basically, it isn’t BMI that matters in older adults — it’s waist size,” said Dr. Preethi Srikanthan, UCLA assistant professor of endocrinology and the study’s lead investigator. “Other studies have suggested that both waist size and BMI matter in young and middle-aged adults and that BMI may not be useful in older adults; this is one of the first studies to show that relative waist size does matter in older adults, even if BMI does not matter.”
For full article, see link above.
Weight Gain In Adulthood Associated With Prostate Cancer Risk; Patterns Differ By Ethnicity →
Sept 2, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Body mass in younger and older adulthood, and weight gain between these periods of life, may influence a man’s risk for prostate cancer. This risk varies among different ethnic populations, according to results of a study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
“The relationship of certain characteristics, such as body size, with cancer risk may vary across ethnic groups due to the combined influence of both genes and lifestyle,” said lead researcher Brenda Y. Hernandez, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, University of Hawaii.
Obesity is a risk factor for common cancers like colorectal cancer and breast cancer in post-menopausal women. However, the influence of body size on prostate cancer risk is not entirely understood. Hernandez and colleagues examined this relationship in a multiethnic population consisting of blacks, Japanese, Hispanics, Native Hawaiians and whites, and compared differences among age groups. They used the Multiethnic Cohort, a longitudinal study of men aged 45 to 75 years old established in Hawaii and California from 1993 to 1996.
For full article, see link above.
Tags: weight gain prostate cancer risk BMI body size ethnic group genes lifestyle obesity factor
Larger waists increase asthma risk →
Aug 30, 2009 (Presstv.com)—Apple-shaped women with large waists are reported to be at an increased risk of developing asthma, even if their body weight is normal.
While being overweight is a well-known risk factor for asthma, a new study links bigger waist size (abdominal obesity) with the severity of the respiratory condition.
According to the study published in Thorax, women with a waist larger than 88cm are at a one-third higher risk of developing asthma.
Scientists concluded that waist circumference is a more useful measure compared to body mass index as it reflects the levels of visceral fat deposits found around the body’s organs.
“Visceral fat is metabolically more active - it can produce compounds that may cause inflammation. Inflammation may then be related to asthma,” added lead researcher Julie Von Behren.
PKH/HGH
Tags: asthma risk overweight weight visceral fat inflammation waist apple-shaped abdominal respiratory lung BMI
Obesity Is A Poor Gauge For Detecting High Cholesterol Levels In Children →
Aug 29, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—With the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States, there is concern that overweight and obese children need to be screened for chronic medical conditions, including high cholesterol levels.
However, body fat is not an effective indicator of high cholesterol in children, according to new University of Michigan research.
Those are the findings of a U-M study led by U-M pediatricians Joyce Lee, M.D., MPH, and Matthew Davis, M.D., MAPP, which will appear in the August 3 edition of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
“We found, actually, that using body mass index to find kids with high cholesterol does not work well. There were many overweight and obese kids who had normal cholesterol, and there were a fair number of healthy-weight kids who had high cholesterol,” says Lee, a member of the Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit in the U-M Division of General Pediatrics, and assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases at the U-M Medical School.
For full article see link above.
Tags: obesity weight cholesterol heart cardiovascular disease body fat BMI children child overweight prevention screening risk
Links Between Video-game Playing And Health Risks In Adults Found →
Aug 18, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—While video gaming is generally perceived as a pastime for children and young adults, research shows that the average age of players in the United States is 35. Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Emory University and Andrews University analyzed survey data from over 500 adults ranging in age from 19 to 90 in the Seattle-Tacoma area on health risks; media use behaviors and perceptions, including those related to video-game playing; and demographic factors. In an article published in the October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, they found measurable correlations between video-game playing and health risks.
Participants reported whether they were players or nonplayers, and weekly usage was collected. Internet usage was assessed, as was the relative importance of the Internet as a social support. The personal determinants examined in this study included self-assessments of depression, personality, health status, physical and mental health, body mass index (BMI), and poor quality of life. Immersion in media environments was evaluated using the participants’ estimates of the time they spent during a typical week surfing the Internet and watching TV, including videos and DVDs. The Seattle–Tacoma area was selected because of its size (13th largest US media market) and its Internet usage level is the highest in the nation.
A total of 45.1% of respondents reported playing video games. Female video-game players reported greater depression and lower health status than female nonplayers. Male video-game players reported higher BMI and more Internet use time than male nonplayers. The only determinant common to both female and male video-game players was greater reliance on the Internet for social support.
Writing in the article, Dr. James B Weaver III, PhD, MPH, National Center for Health Marketing, CDC, Atlanta, states, “As hypothesized, health-risk factors – specifically, a higher BMI and a greater number of poor mental-health days – differentiated adult video-game players from nonplayers. Video-game players also reported lower extraversion, consistent with research on adolescents that linked video-game playing to a sedentary lifestyle and overweight status, and to mental-health concerns. Internet community support and time spent online distinguished adult video-game players from nonplayers, a finding consistent with prior research pointing to the willingness of adult video-game enthusiasts to sacrifice real-world social activities to play video games. The data illustrate the need for further research among adults to clarify how to use digital opportunities more effectively to promote health and prevent disease.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: video game television tv depression adult movie internet overweight obesity BMI mental health sedentary lifestyle disease
Obesity Increases Risk Of Prostate Cancer Recurrence For Both Blacks And Whites →
Aug 17, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—A new look at a large database of prostate cancer patients shows that obesity plays no favorites when it comes to increasing the risk of recurrence after surgery: Being way overweight is equally bad for blacks and whites, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center.
Studies have shown that obesity is linked to generally worse outcomes in many cancers, including prostate cancer. Because blacks are more likely than whites to develop and die from prostate cancer – and because there is a higher prevalence of obesity among black men with prostate cancer, compared to whites – some studies have suggested that obesity might be a more ominous risk factor for blacks than whites.
“Not so,” says Stephen Freedland, M.D., an associate professor of urology and pathology in the Duke Prostate Center and the senior author of the study appearing in the journal Cancer. “Obesity leads to worse cancer in both groups.”
Freedland and Jayakrishnan Jayachandran, M.D. a urologic oncology fellow at Duke and the lead author of the paper, examined the records of 1,415 men enrolled in the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH) database who had undergone a radical prostatectomy. Black men comprised almost half (47 percent) of the sample.
After adjusting for various preoperative characteristics, researchers analyzed the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the aggressiveness of the cancer, as measured by the risk of recurrence. In contrast to other studies, investigators found no association between race and obesity.
Almost a third of the men were obese, regardless of race. “We found that higher BMI was associated with significantly increased risk of cancer recurrence for both blacks and whites,” said Jayachandran. “Though prior SEARCH-based studies from our group found that obesity was associated with a higher risk of disease progression as measured by a rising PSA after surgery, it now appears that being obese just means a poorer prognosis, period, regardless of race.”
As for why that might be, Jayachandran says he’s not sure, but he says it may have something to do with altered hormone levels.
“Obesity is associated with more estrogen and less testosterone, and it may be that lower testosterone promotes more aggressive tumors as recent studies have suggested.” In addition, Jayachandran says alteration in the production of other hormones, like insulin, insulin-like growth factor or leptin, which occur in obese men, may also be involved in the development of more aggressive tumors. “This is something we simply do not understand, but we are actively studying all of these factors.”
For full article see link above.
Prehypertension, Obesity And Kidney Disease Risks →
Aug 11, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—People with prehypertension are not at increased risk of kidney disease if their body mass index (BMI) is under 30.0 kg/m2, a first-ever examination of the combined effect of blood pressure and body weight on the risk of kidney disease shows.
The study was by a team of medical researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
Prehypertension is a relatively new medical classification introduced in 2003 in the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on High Blood Pressure (JNC-7), and is defined as systolic blood pressure of 120 to 139 mm Hg or diastolic BP of 80 to 89 mm Hg. Studies from the United States and Asia have shown that prehypertension can increase the risk of serious kidney disease, but because more than 30 percent of the US and European populations can be classified as prehypertensive, treating everyone with this condition would be an enormous undertaking, the researchers observed.
At the same time, obesity is also known to lead to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and death from chronic kidney disease (CKD) as a result of diabetes and hypertension. These increased risks have led medical researchers to consider whether people with prehypertension should be considered for treatment if they have other cardiovascular risks, such as obesity.
For full article see link above.
Tags: kidney risk prevention weight obesity overweight bmi hypertension cardiovascular blood pressure heart disease diabetes prehypertension body
Two Dietary Oils, Two Sets of Benefits →
July 9, 2009 (Mercola.com)—A study comparing how two common dietary oil supplements affect body composition suggests that both oils can lower body fat in obese postmenopausal women with Type 2 diabetes.
In the study, 16 weeks of supplementation with safflower oil reduced fat in the trunk area, lowered blood sugar and increased muscle tissue in the participants.
Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for the same length of time, on the other hand, reduced total body fat and lowered the women’s body mass index (BMI), a common health measure of weight relative to height.
All of the women in the study took one oil for 16 weeks, followed by the other oil for an equal amount of time.
Sources: 
Eurekalert July 7, 2009
Tags: oil diet supplement fat body composition blood sugar muscle tissue safflower conjugated linoleic acid BMI weight
Waist Size And Body Mass Index Are Risk Factors For Sleep Disordered Breathing In Children →
June 6, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com) —A study in the June 1 issue of the journal SLEEP found that waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) are consistent, independent risk factors for all severity levels of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children, suggesting that as with adult SDB, metabolic factors are important risk factors for childhood SDB.
Sleep deprivation Results indicate that BMI and waist circumference, but not neck circumference, were significant and strong predictors of SDB at all severity levels – primary snoring, mild SDB and moderate SDB. Nasal anatomic factors such as chronic sinusitis, rhinitis and nasal drain were significant predictors of mild SDB; minority status was associated with primary snoring and mild SDB. Tonsil size, assessed by visual inspection, was not a significant risk factor for any level of SDB. Overall, 1.2 percent of children had moderate SDB (an apnea/hypopnea index of five or more breathing pauses per hour of sleep), 25 percent had mild SDB (AHI of at least one but less than five) and 15.5 percent had primary snoring. According to principal investigator Edward O. Bixler, PhD, of Penn State University College of Medicine in Hershey, Penn., it is often assumed that the primary mechanism of SDB in children is the presence of large tonsils or adenoids. The study suggests, however, that the causes of SDB in children are more complex, that there may be a systemic influence of obesity, and that adenotonsillectomy may not always be the most effective, first-line treatment.
“Risk factors for SDB in children are complex and include metabolic, inflammatory and anatomic factors,” said Bixler. “Because SDB in children is not just the outcome of anatomical abnormalities, treatment strategies should consider alternative options, such as weight loss and correction of nasal problems.”
For full article see link above.
Smoking, Alcohol, Diet, BMI, Activity Linked With Risk for Pancreatic Cancer →
May 5, 2009 (Medscape) — Having a high score vs a low score on an index combining 5 modifiable lifestyle factors predicted a substantially lower risk for the development of pancreatic cancer, according to the results of a large, prospective study reported in the April 27 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. “Smoking, alcohol use, diet, body mass index ([BMI] calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared), and physical activity have been studied independently in relation to pancreatic cancer,” write Li Jiao, MD, from National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues. “We generated a healthy lifestyle score to investigate their joint effect on risk of pancreatic cancer.” The study cohort consisted of 450,416 participants enrolled in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study, who were aged 50 to 71 years, who completed the baseline food frequency questionnaire from 1995 to 1996 regarding diet and lifestyle information, and who were followed up through December 31, 2003. During follow-up, 1057 eligible incident pancreatic cancer cases were identified.
For full medical article, see link above.
Oral Contraceptive Use Linked to Asthma →
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Mar 27 09 - Normal-weight and overweight women who use oral contraceptives (OCs) have an increased risk for asthma, according to results of a cross-sectional Nordic-Baltic population study.
The findings are dependent on body mass index (BMI), with the prevalence of asthma increasing with BMI, lead investigator Dr. Ferenc Macsali of Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway, and colleagues report.
From 1999 to 2001, the researchers mailed questionnaires to women ranging in age from 25-44 years in Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Respondents included 4,728 nonusers of OCs and 961 OC users, or 17% of the study group.
The results were adjusted for smoking, irregular menstruation, BMI, age, type of dwelling, and medical center.
Oral contraceptive use was associated with an odds ratio (OR) for asthma of 1.42. The OR for asthma with hay fever was 1.48; for wheeze with shortness of breath, 1.27; for hay fever, 1.25; and for three or more asthma symptoms, 1.29. The findings were consistent between centers.
The associations were present only among normal weight women (BMI 20-25 kg/m2), who had an OR for asthma of 1.45, and overweight women (BMI >25 kg/m2), who had an OR for asthma of 1.91. Lean women (BMI <20 kg/m2) had an OR of 0.41 for asthma with OC use.
The interaction between BMI and OC use and asthma was statistically significant.
“Women using oral contraceptive pills had more asthma,” Dr. Macsali and associates write in the February issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
For full medical article, see link above.
Abdominal Obesity Predicts Poorer Lung Function →
PARIS, March 6 09 (Medical News) — That spare tire around your midsection is associated with impaired lung function, regardless of your body mass index, a cross-sectional study showed.
Women with waist measurement of 35 inches or more and men with least 40 inches of girth were about twice as likely to have below-normal spirometric results as slimmer folks, Natalie Leone, M.D., of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, and colleagues reported.
“As abdominal obesity has recently been related to a higher risk of respiratory death, regardless of BMI, our study raises potential concerns about how the possible impact of the increase in waist circumference reported in the U.S. and, to a lesser extent, in France on future adverse health outcomes should be considered when assigning resources in respiratory care,” the researchers concluded in the March 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
For full medical article, see link above.
Excess Body Fat Raises the Risk of Having Cancer →
Feb 11 09 (NaturalNews) American people, who are overweight due to body fat and or abdominal fat, may now be able to lower their risk of having cancer naturally by changing their eating habits. Cancer is the second leading disease causing death in the US. Taking steps to avoid cancer is of national interest as well as the personal interest of people. The main cause of added body fat is when the intake of food energy exceeds the amount of energy burned. The excess food energy is stored as body fat or abdominal fat. Overweight people can achieve a leaner healthier body by increasing their physical activity or reducing their caloric intake.
An estimated 61% of Americans are overweight or obese according to statistics from the Center for Disease Control. In an American Institute of Cancer research survey only about 1 in 4 individuals knew that obesity was a cancer risk.
For full article, see link above.
MidBody Fat better predictor than BMI for Heart Disease
Value of the Sagittal Abdominal Diameter in Coronary Heart Disease Risk Assessment: Cohort Study in a Large, Multiethnic Population
Carlos Iribarren1,2, Jeanne A. Darbinian1, Joan C. Lo1,3,4, Bruce H. Fireman1 and Alan S. Go1,2,4
1 Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente of Northern California, Oakland, CA
2 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
3 Endocrinology and Metabolism Section, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA
4 Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Correspondence to Dr. Carlos Iribarren, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente of Northern California, 2000 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612 (e-mail: cgi@dor.kaiser.org ).
Whether visceral obesity predicts coronary heart disease (CHD)risk above and beyond overall fatness remains unsettled. Moreover,whether the association between visceral obesity and CHD riskdiffers by sex, age, race, and overall fatness is poorly understood.The authors conducted a cohort study among 101,765 adult membersof Kaiser Permanente of Northern California who underwent multiphasichealth checkups between 1965 and 1970. After a median of 12years and adjustment for age, race, body mass index (BMI), educationallevel, smoking, alcohol consumption, and hormone replacementtherapy (in women), the upper quartile of standing sagittalabdominal diameter, relative to the lowest quartile, was associatedwith a 1.42-fold increased hazard of CHD in men (95% confidenceinterval: 1.30, 1.55) and a 1.44-fold increased hazard of CHDin women (95% confidence interval: 1.30, 1.59). Further adjustmentfor metabolic mediators attenuated the association minimally.Standing sagittal abdominal diameter was a consistent predictorof CHD across racial groups but was more strongly associatedwith CHD in the younger age group. Joint consideration of BMI/standingsagittal abdominal diameter categories better discriminatedrisk of CHD compared with use of BMI alone. In conclusion, standingsagittal abdominal diameter was a strong predictor of CHD independentlyof BMI and added incremental CHD risk prediction at each levelof BMI.
American Journal of Epidemiology ,Volume 164, Number 12 ,Pp. 1150-1159
Body Mass and Activity Level Linked to Gallbladder Disease Risk in Runners →
September 12, 2008 (Medscape) — In a study of over 40,000 runners, body mass index was positively related to the risk of gallbladder disease, while usual running distance and cardiorespiratory fitness were inversely tied to the risk.
Prior studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the impact of physical activity on the risk of gallbladder disease, study author Dr. Paul T. Williams, from the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, points out in the September issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
For full article, see link above.
