Welcome to “FitnessMantra Weekend”, your once-a-week health news update. As always you can also stay updated with the latest in fitness news by subscribing separately to the Fitness Mantra del.icio.us feed.

While not a very busy week health-news wise there were four obesity-related news items. Normally that would not be surprising because each week, researchers come up with newly discovered direct consequences of being overweight (like this week’s story about how Asthma Takes Tougher Toll on the Obese). But there are also two items that, while they are related to obesity, do not describe a direct consequence of the excess weight itself but rather of, what I can only describe as, its “side-effects”.

First Overweight people get less out of exercise describes how among 687 adults who embarked on a 12-week regimen of strength training, although all participants gained strength and muscle, the overweight/obese volunteers gained 4-17% less than their normal-weight co-participants. In a strong co-relation with the earlier post that taled about how obesity could be a function of genetics, researhers claimed that the differences in the results could also be genetic:

“People with overweight and obesity have alterations in skeletal muscle structure and function compared to those who are normal weight that could also contribute to variability in the exercise response,” they wrote.

The story above could still be be forgiven for being somewhat partially due to the actual excess weight itself (although it’s not an illness/ disability or disease that resulted). But, the second story I want to highlight has more to do with self-perception and acceptance (a more mental demand) than the excess weight. Severely Obese Women More Likely to Skip Cancer Scans says the Forbes article, even though obese women are more likely to be diagnosed with this deadly disease. Almost a year ago, news surfaced that Americans are too fat for X-Rays, and while one could be forgiven for assuming that there could be a similar reason preventing obese women from getting scans, it turns out that may not be the whole story:

Jeanne Ferrante, from New Jersey Medical School, plans to survey doctors to find out whether there are barriers that prevent severely obese women from being screened for cancer, such as a lack of proper equipment to examine severely obese patients.

She is also gathering information from patient focus groups, and has found that severely obese women feel embarrassed because of their weight.

“They don’t like to be examined. They don’t like to wear two gowns or have a scale inadequate to weigh them,” Ferrante said in a prepared statement.

Surely the second reason is far more serious.

People embarrassed to take their t-shirts off at the beach is one thing. Avoiding potentially life-saving scans because of a poor body-image and being conscious of one’s excess weight is simply way too dangerous. It could turn out that the mental effects of obesity might be as equally devastating as the physical!
Read on for more health and fitness stories from this week:

1. Snacking can be good for the elderly: Researchers say such snacking is OK - in fact, regular nibbling can be good for older people.
2. Coffee may cut risk of gout, study finds: If men ever needed a reason to justify that extra cup of coffee, here it is: four or more cups of coffee a day appear to reduce the risk of gout, Canadian researchers said on Friday.
3. Overweight people get less out of exercise: Overweight and obese people get less out of resistance training than leaner people do, researchers said on Friday in a study that suggests the overweight may have to try harder to get results.
4. How to feed and fuel young athletes: Parents typically love the attention to fitness that stems from their children playing sports, but they’re often uncertain about the best way to provide fuel and fluid for their young athletes.
5. Lift weights, stay young: Resistance training turns back the clock - literally making muscles younger through regular workouts, new research by an Australian scientist shows.
6. High-salt diet link to ulcer risk: The bug that causes stomach ulcers may be more likely to cause disease when exposed to high concentrations of salt, a US team of researchers has said.
7. For This Week, a Simple Challenge: Step It Up, and Add Some Calcium: Staying active can sometimes take creativity.
8. Asthma Takes Tougher Toll on the Obese: Severe, persistent asthma is more likely to strike obese individuals than people who are not overweight, U.S. researchers report.
9. Severely Obese Women More Likely to Skip Cancer Scans: Severely obese woman are more likely than other women to skip cancer screenings, even though being severely obese increases their risk of developing and dying of cancer.
10. Big trouble in little Puerto Rico: Obese kids: Studies show 26 percent of youngsters in Puerto Rico are obese, worse than on the U.S. mainland where the figure is estimated to be 18 percent.
11. Pre-birth apples ‘benefit babies’: Children of mothers who eat plenty of apples during pregnancy are less likely to develop asthma, research suggests.

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Have a great weekend!

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Welcome to “FitnessMantra Weekend”, your once-a-week health news update. As always you can also stay updated with the latest in fitness news by subscribing separately to the Fitness Mantra del.icio.us feed.

It’s spring time and that means along with the promise of the inevitable good times of summer, the season also brings with it the problems associated with a high pollen count: allergies.

If you are among the millions whose respiratory system is easily susceptible to seasonal allergies, then there’s some good news for you: Med diet ‘cuts lung disease risk’ from BBC news states that a mediteraanean diet - one high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish - is your best best against lung disorders, diseases and allergies, especially if you are male.

French researchers tracked almost 43,000 men for 12 years. The Thorax study suggests the diet - with much fruit, vegetables, grains and fish - is rich in anti-oxidants, which cut the risk of tissue inflammation.

The researchers, from the French research institute Inserm, found that a Mediterranean diet was associated with a 50% lower risk of developing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) than the Western diet - even after taking factors such as smoking and age into account.

So, pile those plant products onto your plate: they are your best guard against the pollutants of the season. And have a great summer!

More health and fitness stories of this week:

1. Experts warn of detox diet dangers - Chew On This: Experts say there’s little evidence that extreme regimens such as the Master Cleanse or Fruit Flush do anything more than lead to unpleasant, unhealthy side effects.
2. Boiling leads to loss of anticancer compounds from vegetables: Among all cooking methods, boiling is the worst to cook vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts because it causes the biggest loss of anticancer compounds in these vegetables, according to a new study.
3. ‘Functional foods’ prompt warning: Foods that claim to improve health and well-being should be the subject of tougher checks, say Dutch scientists.
4. Ban on Trans Fat Stirs Up Questions: Trans fats: 2 grams per serving. “Is that a lot?”
5. Applebee’s dumps trans fat from the menu: Restaurant-chain operator Applebee’s International Inc. said Thursday that it is no longer using trans fat frying oil at its more than 1,800 domestic restaurants.
6. Staying Active Is a Challenge for All Ages: Surfing the Internet is often cited as a cause of sedentary living. But what if the Web could be transformed into a tool to help boost physical activity?
7. Family Challenge Week Two: Add Activity: Take one balloon. Blow it up. Toss to a family member and voila! You’ve got a game of balloon ball going indoors or out.
8. Even limited exercise helps overweight women-study: Just 10 minutes of exercise a day can help even the most inactive overweight women, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
9. Insulin Levels May Dictate Success With a Diet: The key question was, “Why do some people have success with low-fat diets and others don’t?”
10. College students: Hip, fly … and fat: They are young, hip, fly … and fat. College students are not the icons of youthful energy and sex appeal, but instead could be the poster-kids for America’s ever-expanding waistline.
11. Get slim on the office treadmill: Obesity experts have developed a vertical workstation which helps employees take exercise and shed weight as they work.
12. Med diet ‘cuts lung disease risk’: Eating a Mediterranean diet halves the risk of serious lung disease like emphysema and bronchitis, a study says.
13. Omega-3, Vitamin D Levels Cut Risk of Eye Disease: Eating plenty of fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids — such as tuna and salmon — may reduce the risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration, a new study says.
14. Calcium And Vitamin D Slow Weight Gain: Calcium/vitamin D supplements slow postmenopausal weight gain in women who aren’t getting enough calcium.
15. Diet Rich in Cereal Fibers May Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes: A diet rich in fiber from cereals and in magnesium may help lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, German researchers report.

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Have a great weekend!

Technorati Tags: health, fitness, health news, fitness news, health links, fitness links, del.icio.us, mediterranean_diets, allergy

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