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.
Think of the word “malnourished” and I am sure you see unfortunate images of starving Somalian children in your mind which is why when you look at an overweight person on the street, the last thing to cross your mind would be “My Goodness! He’s so malnourished!” Yet that is precisely what may be the case for many a so-called “fat person”!
Many Britons overweight, malnourished, a surprising article on MSNBC explains this apparent contradiction in terms. Dr. Alastair McKinlay, a gastroenterologist puts it bluntly: “There’s a widely held misconception that if you’re fat, you can’t be malnourished.”
Yet there is apparently no other word for the thousands of Britons who outwardly appear portly and “nourished”, but who, in reality are “medically malnourished” because their diet is largely composed of fat, salt and empty calories. The absence of fruits and vegetables in the popular diet, means there is a grave absence of the essential vitamins, minerals, proteins and fiber that together are the hallmark of true nourishment.
There’s more to this than meets the eye:
While malnourished fat people are hardly in danger of starvation, other health problems are possible along with obesity-related complications like diabetes and heart disease. Once they start losing weight, malnourished people may actually burn their own tissue, including muscle, rather than fat.
Do read Many Britons overweight - and malnourished in its entirety to understand why eating well is different from eating right.
More health and fitness stories from this week follow:
- What Replaces Those Trans Fats May Be Almost as Bad for You: In response to the 2006 FDA requirement that trans fats be listed on nutrition labels, makers of packaged goods from potato chips to Oreos have brought their totals down to zero. Does this mean that junk food is now the new health food? “No!”
- Yoga tested as back pain therapy: The potential for yoga to be used to treat low back pain is being investigated by researchers.
- UN health agency calls for ‘trans fat-free Americas’: The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a regional arm of the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), called today for the elimination of industrial trans fats from food supplies throughout the Americas in order to prevent heart attacks.
- Many Britons overweight - and malnourished: It may be obvious that most Britons are overweight. What isn’t so obvious is that at least 2 million of them are likely malnourished - and that includes some of the people who are too fat.
- French lessons: Eat petite, be petite: Obesity is far less common in France than in the United States, and some researchers contend that smaller French portions are a key reason.
- Drinking coffee may cut liver cancer risk: Drinking coffee appears to lower the risk of developing liver cancer, according to findings published in the medical journal Gastroenterology.
- Many Americans do maintain weight loss: Though dieters often see their weight “yo-yo,” a new national survey suggests that many Americans do fairly well at keeping the pounds off.
- Pupils ‘unaware of green beans’: Some primary school children have never heard of green beans, according to a new study.
- ‘Exercise after eating’ diet tip: Exercising after meals can help promote weight loss by boosting hormones that suppress appetite, say UK scientists.
- Losers Are Just Plain Lucky: Why some people struggle more than others to shed pounds is a mystery … but a new report shows that eating according to the glycemic index may be a way for some people to overcome this disadvantage.
- Omega-3 fatty acids can lower blood pressure: A diet with liberal servings of fish, nuts and seeds rich in nutrients called omega-3 fatty acids can help lower a person’s blood pressure, according to a study.
- Entertaining TV shows make you eat more: People eat more when they are glued to the television, and the more entertaining the program, the more they eat, according to new research.
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Have a great weekend!
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