Belly Fat Doubles Women's Gallstone Risk

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Women who put on a lot of weight around their waist are at nearly twice the risk of developing gallstones big enough to require surgical removal, researchers report.

Most gallstones are nuggets of built-up cholesterol. In affluent countries like the United States, gallstones remain the most common abdominal illness. In fact, Americans undergo more than 800,000 gallstone operations each year.

In a study led by Dr. Chung-Jyi Tsai, of the division of digestive diseases and nutrition at the University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, researchers collected data on more than 42,000 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study.

The women in the study were 39 to 66 years of age in 1986, when the gallstone study began. At that time, none of them had had gallstones. As part of the study, the women provided waist and hip measurements and details of their normal diet.

Reporting in the Feb. 13 online issue of Gut, the researchers found that nearly 3,200 of the women needed to undergo gallstone surgery by the year 2000.

Compared to women with waistlines at or under 26 inches, women with waistlines of 36 inches or more faced double the risk of developing gallstones requiring surgical removal, the researchers found.

In addition, higher waist-to-hip ratio -- a calculation of waist size divided by hip size -- also increased the risk of gallstones. Women with a ratio of 0.86 were 40 percent more likely to have gallstones compared with women whose ratio was 0.70 or less.

How might belly fat boost gallstone risk? The researchers point out that this type of fat is more "metabolically active" than fat found elsewhere on the body. In addition, earlier research has also tied gallstones to the metabolic syndrome -- a constellation of risk factors for heart disease that includes excess abdominal fat.

And what about risks for men? According to experts at the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, women between 20 and 60 years of age are twice as likely to develop gallstones compared with men. However, that disparity fades with age, meaning that men and women are equally likely to develop stones once they pass 60.

One expert said the study shows that widening waistlines are an important risk factor for gallstones in women.

"This is a way of fine-tuning obesity-related causes of gallstones," said Dr. Joanne A. P. Wilson, a professor of gastroenterology at Duke University. A bulging midriff is also associated with a risk of heart disease, she added.

"The bottom line is that women should control their weight," Wilson said.

Another expert stressed that most gallstones won't require surgery, however.

"At the present time, ultrasound screening for gallstones is not recommended because the majority of patients with gallstones get through life without ever having problems or symptoms," said Dr. Alan F. Hofmann, a research professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego.

"Someday, we may screen and treat gallstones medically, but that has been judged not to be cost-ineffective because so many patients would be treated unnecessarily," he added.

Article source:

http://sexualhealth.e-healthsource.com/index.php?p=news1&id=530990

Women Over 40 | Diet Mistakes to Avoid

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Women over 40 diets aiming at losing belly fat are often complicated. But there are several easy to understand components a successful lose belly fat program for women over 40 needs to have. It is especially important to understand that it is not only about the diet. Exercise and relaxation are important too. After reading this article you will know the main components of a successful lose belly fat program.

Diets for women over 40 wanting to lose belly fat need to make sure that the blood sugar level is always as constant as possible. The best way to achieve this is to have small meals every 2 to 3 hours. Sugar and other simple carbohydrates will give you a spike in your blood sugar level. You need to avoid trans fats and saturated fats as much as possible. So, go low on milk and chocolate, red meat and palm oil.

For your exercise program make sure it includes three components. First, you need to do cardio with varying intensity level. It is really important that you challenge yourself with high-intensity intervals. Second, strength training will build your muscles. Muscles burn fat even when you're not exercising. Third, you need to do exercises to strengthen your core. Yoga is great for that. You might include some abs exercises as well.

Very important, yet often overlooked component to lose belly fat for women over 40 is relaxation time. Once again, yoga is very suitable for that. And, most importantly make sure you get enough sleep. You can't lose belly fat when you're stressed out all the time. Make sure you get enough time for yourself and maybe a hobby.

If you want to lose belly fat you need to look into your eating and exercise habits and getting enough relaxation time. Diets alone will not help you. You might consider a specialized program for women over 40.

Perry Permann

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Perry_Permann

Belly Fat | Men's vs. Women's Risks

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Men tend to collect more belly fat than women, and it starts early in life. "In adolescence and postadolescence, men start collecting abdominal fat," Kuller tells WebMD. "It's one of the reasons men have more coronary disease than women."

In one study, men with excess belly fat and a large waist were most at risk for what researchers call "all-cause mortality" -- early death from any cause. And because belly fat can trigger cardiovascular problems, a large belly has also been linked to erectile dysfunction in men over age 60.

Women tend to be protected before menopause, when their fat tends to collect on the buttocks and thighs. That type of fat may protect women from heart damage, research suggests. The below-the-waist fat cells are believed to produce a hormone that fights some of the heart-damaging effects of belly fat.

At menopause, however, women's fat tends to settle in the belly, most likely the effect of lower levels of estrogen, Kuller explains. That abdominal fat is much more dangerous than buttocks fat -- greatly increasing a woman's risk of death from heart disease, studies show.

• A woman is nearly five times more likely to die of heart disease if she has both a big waist and a high level of fats in her blood, according to one Danish study.

• Women are twice as likely to need gallstone surgery if they have a large waistline.

• Women may also have trouble getting pregnant if their belly is larger than their hips, a condition known as central obesity.

• Women are at one-third higher risk of breast cancer if they have excess belly fat, one study shows. In fact, several types of cancer -- breast cancer, uterine, cervix, colon, kidney, and pancreas -- have been linked with obesity.

Here's what happens: As fat cells break down, chemicals released "act as very powerful cell-proliferating agents," Kuller tells WebMD. "This may be why obesity is a risk factor for various cancers Â… because it stimulates cancer cells to proliferate more rapidly."

Kuller believes that breast cancer risk is due more to a woman's overall body fat -- not just belly fat.

"There is substantial evidence that body fat causes the body to produce more estrogen than necessary," Kuller says. "Obesity is probably the No. 1 risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer, especially estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer."

Source: http://www.ghi.com