Health: What a Waist!

Do you know a bulging waistline has a host of wealth problems?  
Men with a waistline of greater than 40 inches (100cm) and women with a waistline greater than 35 inches (89cm) have a significantly increased risk of cancer, type II diabetes and heart disease.  Currently 32% of men in the UK have a waistline exceeding 40 inches.  

The correct method to measure the circumference around the waist is the midpoint between the top of the hips and the bottom of the rib cage (usually just above the belly button).

So why is this measurement relevant?  

Fat that resides in the torso surrounding internal organs is known as visceral fat.  Visceral fat is toxic, inflammatory and metabolically active.  Excessive visceral fat is one risk factor associated with heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Current research suggests that waist size is a more accurate predictor of future disease risk than body weight.  This view is endorsed by the British Heart Foundation, World Health Organisation, Cancer Research UK and Diabetes UK.

Quote from Cancer Research UK: "Being overweight or obese increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer.  The 2nd highest risk factor after smoking."

Does muscle weigh more than fat?

How many times have you heard or even used the expression.

"Muscle weighs more than fat!"

Well it's not something I've really questioned before. But however you look at it - this phrase is misleading. A kilo of muscle and a kilo of fat placed on a scale would both weigh exactly the same. A kilo.  It is something we come to terms with when comparing feathers and lead, but it seems subliminal to many with reference to body composition.

What people are really comparing is not weight, but density and volume. Muscle tissue has greater density than adipose (fat) tissue and so fat has a greater volume.  Or more strictly speaking muscle has more weight by volume.

Imagine if a kilo of muscle was the size of a grapefruit, a kilo of fat would be 3 times larger.  This could mean a significant difference to body composition, shape, size and health when the percentage of your body fat changes.

I've also been asked by clients:  

"What exercises can I do to convert my excess fat into muscle?"

For clarification it is a complete myth that you can turn fat into muscle with training.  It is also a myth that your muscle will turn into fat when a training regime subsides.  Fat and muscle are completely different tissues. They have different composition and respond to training in different ways.

I will discuss this in more detail in a future post, but in simple terms: 

• to decrease fat, make the right nutritional, activity and lifestyle choices;
• to increase muscle, overload muscles with resistance activity.  Different training programs can be used to: increase strength, increase muscle size (hypertrophy), improve tone, density and efficiency (or all of these simultaneously);
• muscle cells burn more calories;
• fat cells store calories;
• focusing on body weight alone is not enough, a woman who weighs 60 kilos (9 stones 6 or 132lbs) and has 12% body fat will look completely different to a woman who weighs 60 kilos, but has a body fat percentage of 20%

Update on Friday, February 25, 2011 at 11:42 by Darryl Edwards

Hi @Thor, this is an exact replica.

Nutrition: Coconut Milk - is it good for you?

Coconut milk and oil is often berated because its fat levels contain about 90% saturated fat. It is often dismissed as a high-fat food and thus eliminated from many diets or viewed as an occasional unhealthy 'treat'.

It is a staple of many Caribbean dishes (as well as Thai, Indian dishes) for its unique flavour.

But is it really bad food?

Well there is growing evidence that a diet containing these fats actually have numerous health benefits and are not contributors to high levels of blood cholesterol.

The benefits include:

• improved lung function;


• reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases - by unclogging arteries;


• boosting the immune system, due to it's anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties;


• aids in digestion;


• its short and medium chain fatty acids being readily converted to energy, rather than being stored as fat;


• a rich source of Vitamin A, E, potassium, iron, phosphorous, magnesium and zinc;


• excellent at providing hydration;


• lactose free, therefore a good substitute for milk;


• high in antioxidants;


• contains less sugar and more protein than bananas, apples or oranges;
• Coconut oil has the ability to act as an antimicrobial and antiviral agent 

Well worth incorporating into your diet, whether you follow a strict Paleo lifestyle or not.

If you're in the UK, you can order Organic Coconut Oil here

60 Second Interview: David Csonka

Who are you?

David Csonka. I'm an application developer at a university, and I blog about fitness, nutrition, and barefoot running.

What is fitness to you?

Being healthy, and unencumbered by physical limitations.

What are your goals?

To be as healthy as I am now, 40 years in the future.

What is one of your main concerns in relation to health?

Fitness and nutrition plans guided by misinformation and faulty "common knowledge". Specifically, the fallacious low-fat diet.

What is your favourite meal?

Something new I recently tried, a Meat-za. Burger patties with pizza sauce, bacon, cheese, and pepperoni on top. It was love at first bite.

What is your favourite exercise/activity?

Trail running, hiking. I love running out into the woods to experience nature, and take photos of flowers and animals. Being away from the noises and distractions of civilization is nice.

Blog:

http://blog.naturallyengineered.com