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 it has been known that obesity and even being overweight were big risk factors for the incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease (a degenerative disease of the brain causing dementia), a new study of 6500 people, published in the journal Neurology, reveals that a large waistline during middle-age could triple the risk of Alzheimer’s during that person’s old-age.

It has not been conclusively determined as to why a large waist-size is such a good predictor of Alzheimer’s, but theories abound:

Research linking obesity to dementia does not reveal precisely why being overweight can affect your ageing brain, but many specialists believe that associated problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol levels may contribute. Thickness of fat around the waist is thought to correspond closely with its presence around the major organs of the body.

It could also very well be that the very lifestyle that led to the large waistline in the first case could be the cause the scientists are looking for.

More health and fitness stories for the week gone by:

1. Large waist ‘an Alzheimer’s risk’: A big waistline in your 40s could almost triple the threat of dementia in old age, according to US research.
2. Fat City? 10 Million Pounds Gained in 2 Years: Obesity and with it diabetes are the only widespread major health conditions that are getting worse in New York City
3. New York City Postpones Plan Mandating Fast Food Menu Calorie List: Health officials in New York City postponed the deadline for national chain restaurants to post calorie counts on city menus.
4. Older Women Have Harder Time Preserving Muscle Than Men: Keeping in good shape is more difficult for older women than men because it’s harder for women to replace muscle that’s lost naturally as they age, say U.S. and British researchers.
5. All-you-can-eat sports seats fill fans up - and out: A growing trend in all-you-can-eat seating at sports venues is making baseball’s summer chorus sound more like “Take Me Out to the Buffet.”
6. Obese Women Less Likely to Be Tested for Some Cancers: A new review of 32 studies suggests that obese women — particularly white women — are more likely than others to skip screenings for breast and cervical cancer.

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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.

Much has been said about the obesity epidemic: It’s caused by people eating more than they expend. It’s McDonald’s fault. It’s just a consequence of modern life. Probably, it’s worse than terrorism. Heck, maybe obesity is just hype and not an “epidemic” at all!

Well, turns out that if there is one thing scientists can agree on, it’s that they cannot agree on any fixed factors for obesity! Calling for a “comprehensive action” to fight global obesity, researchers at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research basically said that a slew of factors are to be considered to determine the causes and potential cures for obesity.

Genetics, micro-nutrients (or, rather, the lack of them), poor sleep and even the neighborhood environment (availability of walking paths and parks) were all mentioned as possible factors for the increased waist-lines across the globe:

For changes to make a difference in people’s behavior, and then in their health, they must be comprehensive, addressing the physical, economic, sociocultural and political environment people live in, [...] — comparable to the public health campaign against tobacco use. [Yahoo News - Reuters]

Keep all that that in mind as you read through the week’s top health and fitness stories:

1. Eggs Are Back On a Roll: After years of being marginalized, eggs are staging a slight comeback, which is either a good thing or a worrisome trend, depending on who weighs in on the topic.
2. Comprehensive action needed to fight obesity: The problem of obesity cannot be reduced simply to genetics, [...] and it also cannot be blamed solely on our environments or learned behaviors.
3. Folate ‘may keep sperm healthy’: A diet rich in the vitamin folate may protect men against producing abnormal sperm and children with genetic abnormalities, a study suggests.
4. Is Washing Veggies Enough?: What do the food safety experts do? They wash their produce in running tap water—and eat up.
5. Gender differences hit the kitchen: Men were much more likely to eat asparagus, Brussels sprouts, peas and peanuts. [...] Women are more likely than men to eat eggs, yogurt and fresh hamburgers.
6. Vegan diet ‘help’ for arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis patients may be able to reduce their high risk of heart attacks and strokes with a gluten-free, vegan diet, a study suggests.

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Have a great weekend!

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