U.S. health officials have leveraged the star power of first lady Michelle Obama to roll out a new campaign against obesity, a preventable condition that drains billions of dollars from the economy.

Obama, who plans to take on childhood obesity as a cause, headlined the launch on Thursday of Surgeon General Regina Benjamin’s blueprint for what can be done at home, school and work to reverse the epidemic.

In her first initiative since becoming “America’s doctor,” Benjamin issued a report on the consequences of obesity to start a national dialogue on the subject.

“The number of Americans, like me, who are struggling with their weight and health conditions related to their weight remains much too high,” she said.

Source: Reuters. Read More Here

Slightly overweight adult seniors over 70 may live longer and were less likely to die in their 80s than those considered normal weight, Australian researchers have found.

Leon Flicker of the University of Western Australia, said in a release, “Our study suggests that those people who survive to age 70 in reasonable health have a different set of risks and benefits associated with the amount of body fat to younger people,”

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/01/28/overweight-longevity-seniors-australia.html#ixzz0dzlpgtDV

Almost nine in 10 people are not aware of the risks of carrying extra fat around their waistline.

A survey of 12,000 Europeans found most had no idea that a thick waist was a sign of a build-up of a dangerous type of fat around the internal organs.

The report from GlaxoSmithKline, who make weight loss drug Alli, said this “visceral fat” is strongly linked with type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Most people would lose weight once they found out the risk, the survey found.

Get Alli (60mg) Here

Report author Dr Terry Maguire, honorary senior lecturer at Queen’s University in Belfast, said people did not know that visceral fat, which you cannot see or feel and which sits around the organs in the abdomen, is there or that it poses a problem.

It is thought that the danger of visceral fat is related to the release of proteins and hormones that can cause inflammation, which in turn can damage arteries and enter the liver, and affect how the body breaks down sugars and fats.

Source: Read More At BBC

Doctors use the body mass index (BMI) as a simple way of assessing whether a patient needs to lose weight. So look at the chart above and find out if your weight is considered OK, Over Weight, Obese or even Clinically Obese.

The calculation is based on comparing a person’s weight with their body height. It applies equally to men and women.

You can quickly see the BMI assessment for your body on the chart above.

Alternatively, you can calculate your own BMI. Divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in metres, or divide your weight in pounds by the square of your height in inches, then multiply by 703.

A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight and one of 30 or above is considered obese.

People with BMIs between 19 and 22 live longest. Death rates are noticeably higher for people with indexes 25 and above.

The BMI is not infallible. For instance, it is possible for a healthy, muscular athlete with very low body fat to be classified obese using the BMI formula.

If you are a trained athlete, your weight based on your measured percent body fat would be a better indicator of what you should weigh.

Calculate Your BMI > Click Here

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