Call for your Health

Behavioral explanations of obesity can be placed into two categories: excessive caloric intake (overeating) and lack of physical activity (hypokinesis).

The basic laws of nature require that calories must be consumed before energy can be stored as excess weight. The body cannot make energy on its own. For the obese and overweight therefore, caloric intake is an important issue.

Do obese people eat more than normal-weight people? This has been a controversial question and researchers are divided in their answer. Numerous studies show that obese people eat no more and sometimes eat less than normal-weight people. These researchers would suggest that blaming obesity on a lack of willpower is inaccurate and an over simplification of the facts. They maintain that the body of the obese person is simply more efficient at converting calories to adipose cells for reasons beyond his or her control, such as genetic predisposition or higher set point for fatness. Stated another way, obese people may not eat more than normal weight people; they just consume more calories than are required by their bodies.

Other researchers claim that obese people do eat more than normal-weight people; the problem is a discrepancy in accurately reporting food intake. In one study obese subjects underestimated food intake by about 50% and overestimated physical activity by 33%. In another study obese women were found to expend and therefore eat about 400 to 500 calories more on average each day than normal-weight women.

Whereas researchers are divided on the issue of overeating, they tend to agree that the abundance of food high in fat and calories is a major factor in the prevalence of obesity in the United States. In his review of the literature on obesity-a review that included 284 citations from the scientific literature Knifeman stated: “Of all the current theories attempting to explain the epidemic of obesity in most Western societies, the high dietary fat intake hypothesis is most widely accepted by experts. Overweight people tend to eat a higher-fat diet than people of normal weight. Ounce for ounce, fat yields more than double the number of calories as protein or carbohydrates . This energy difference partially explains the relationship between dietary fat intake and weight gain. It is not a complete explanation because in studies that hold the total number of calories constant and more calories are consumed than needed, a person eating a high-fat diet tends to store more excess calories as body fat than someone eating a lower-fat diet. Your body is more sensitive to excess carbohydrates than excess fat. Studies conducted in laboratory-type settings (for example, in a respiratory chamber where oxygen is measured, burning calories requires oxygen, more to burn fat, less to burn carbohydrates) show that once the glycogen stores are filled, the body burns carbohydrates first and then stores the fat. We use fat for energy, especially between meals. The brain uses exclusively glucose for energy, but other tissues use fatty acids. Right after meals, all tissues burn glucose.

Excess carbohydrates are converted to glycogen in the liver and muscle. The body can only store a limited amount of glycogen. This is not true for fat. Fat cells are distributed throughout the body. Whereas carbohydrate storage is carefully regulated, fat storage is not, allowing a high degree of expansion. After a large meal, a bit of glucose and amino acids are left over, some of which are used to make fatty acids. This is why the American population has an increasing incidence of obesity on diets high in carbohydrates and excessive in calories. The body’s capacity to make and store fat may have served a useful purpose in earlier times when humans faced the constant threat of famines and an energy reserve meant survival. But now with the sedentary lifestyles of most Americans, glycogen stores are rarely exhausted. The reality for too many people is that they burn carbohydrates and store fat.

Dietary fat also has less of a thermogenic effect than does carbohydrate or protein and can thus be easily stored as adipose tissue. The thermogenic effect of food (TEF) represents the amount of energy required by the body to digest, absorb, metabolize, and store nutrients. The body expends only 3 calories of energy to process 100 calories from fat compared with 25 calories to process 100 calories from carbohydrates. Between 7% and 10% of total body energy goes to support the TEF. For example, after a meal containing 1000 calories, the body uses 70 to 100 calories just to process the meal. The TEF helps to explain why studies consistently show that when adults and children overeat and consume high amounts of dietary fat, they tend to gain weight. Conversely, when the intake of dietary fat is low and the intake of carbohydrate and fiber is high from nutrient-dense foods, desirable body weight is more readily achieved. Cross cultural comparisons confirm the dietary fat-obesity relationship. For example, Americans eat more than twice as much fat as the Chinese, yet the Chinese consume 20% more calories and there is little obesity in China.

Because the energy in carbohydrate stores (glycogen) is very small in relation to that in fat stores, the glycogen can be depleted quickly and frequently. The glucose requirement of the brain, other cells of the nervous system, and a few other tissues provides a stimulus for carbohydrate ingestion. The higher the proportion of fat in the diet, the more total food must be consumed to obtain enough carbohydrates to fill glycogen stores in the muscle and liver.

The high-fat theory of obesity leads to an important question: can a person lose weight by simply focusing on fat calories? In highly controlled studies in which food intake is carefully monitored, researchers found that subjects whose diets contained no more than 20% fat calories lost weight even when there were no restrictions on how much food was eaten. But was the weight loss the result of eating less fat or less calories? The answer seems to be that both fat and calories matter. In controlled studies, when people concentrate on eating less fat they also

Dietary fat promotes fat storage in the body. The body expends only 3 calories to convert an extra 100 calories of dietary fat to storage fat. Fat storage is accelerated if dietary fat is combined with simple sugar in the same meal, such as a ham­burger with a sugared cola drink. Sugar triggers the release of extra insulin. Insulin activates fat cell enzymes that promote movement of fat from the blood to the fat cells. On the other hand, the ingestion of an extra 100 calories of complex carbohydrates requires that the body expend 25 calories to convert it to fat for storage. The conversion process for carbohydrates is more costly than that for fats and provides another reason for reducing fat consumption and increasing carbohydrate consumption.

consume fewer calories and lose weight. This is due to the consumption of mainly nutrient dense foods. Does the same thing happen in real life? Apparently not. Studies of the eating habits of both men and women who consume low-fat products reveal that they often compensate by eating more snack and dessert foods high in sugar but low-fat so the use of low­fat foods becomes an excuse to eat more. The idea that people can eat as much as they want as long as it’s fat free appears to be more fantasy than fact. Although some researchers believe that fat is the main culprit associated with obesity; other experts emphasize that calories count. This helps to explain why Americans are getting heavier with each passing year, even though they are consuming a lower proportion of fat. Increased consumption of low-fat foods by itself does not result in weight loss. Whereas eating low-fat foods is good for health and weight control, eating them in buffet-sized portions isn’t.

In 1995, many women were crest­fallen when a popular over-the­counter contraceptive choice and an FDA-approved product, Today’s sponge, was taken off the market. After an FDA inspection raised concern over the air and water quality in the plant that manufactured the sponge, there were some questions over the potential for an abundance of bacteria, an exposure the FDA felt could have compromised the safety of the product and women who used it. As a result, despite the fact that the product itself still met all FDA standards, the manufacturer halted production due to the prohibitive cost of upgrading the plant in order to pass inspection.

Now under different ownership, Allendale pharmaceutical company has addressed the environmental issues of the plant and plans once again to stock the shelves with, today’s sponge. The product will be no different than its last configuration. It has retained its donut­shape and continues to be coated in nonoxynol-9 spermicide. Its ease of use requires simply inserting it into the vagina and pushing it up to cover the cervix. Removal is equally simple; just pull on the loop, This device can be inserted up to 24 hours before intercourse and does not require repeat applications for repeated intercourse.

The demise of the sponge in 1995 became part of contemporary folklore when it was parodied on the popular television comedy, Seinfeld. When one of the characters, “Elaine,” found herself hoarding the limited supply of sponges still on the shelves, she also began to use it as a basis for rating the romantic potential of men she met. A relationship that had potential was considered to be spongeworthy, which meant Elaine might be willing to dip into her precious supply of sponges at some point. As in many cases, pop culture served as a fair barometer of contemporary society as the show reflected the feelings of many women around the country who felt a real loss when the sponge was no longer produced, Soon there will be no need for anymore hoarding.

Arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is a condition which accounts for onset of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease along with their attendant symptoms. As a first step effort should be of both preventive and curative measures. If the basic cause is not ruled out and eliminated, the resultant diseases may seem to have abated, for the time being, but may surface again in the absence of corrective measures. The damage and the ravages, caused by arteriosclerosis, may not be fully brought under control, but their further and the damages, that are likely to surface, can be easily minimized, if not fully eliminated. High blood pressure exerts adverse effects on sensorium brain, heart, kidneys and some other vital organs. If blood pressure is controlled then further damage to vital organs can, at least, be suspended. It may again be mentioned that high blood pressure, like diabetes, can only be controlled and treated but not cured once forever. Do not feel elated if blood pressure is found to be normal for some days and this progress should not be construed to mean that, since blood pressure is under control, there is no. need to take any anti­hypertensive drugs. In fact, such treatment and the medicines, suggested therefore, should never be delayed or discontinued, except under medical advice. This is more true in cases of essential hypertension, when the real cause has not been deduced. If the real and basic cause has been discerned, then treatment of the affected organs will in itself, let the blood pressure remain under normal limits. The latter condition is known as primary hypertension, which is far cashier to cure than the former condition. Let all the hypertensive patients never forget that they will be simply exposing themselves to far horrible risks and, at times, even with irreversible symptoms, leading even to fatal end. Imagine what would the condition of a person if he loses his vision or he gets paralyses, due to sheer negligence.

Coronary heart disease and high blood pressure are merely extended forms of the accumulation, in higher concentration, of cholesterol which, in turn, owes its origin to wrong habits and, more so, of wrong food habits and faulty living life style. The chief cause is wrong food and rise in cholesterol is merely a result thereof. Had there been no food fads and wrong eating, there would have been no rise in cholesterol. Some of the prominent symptoms of blood pressure may be summed up as : Tension, worries and cares of modern life style and self-imposed indiscretions and relaxations, blurred vision, severe headache, throbbing of blood vessels and temples, reddened face, insomnia, bleeding (in extreme case) from any orifice (opening) of the body, palpitation, pain in chest, swelling in the face and ankles, excessive sweating, dizziness, nausea or vomiting.

All the above conditions surface when, due to accumulation of cholesterol in the arteries, the passage becomes narrower and the blood exerts pressure on the walls of the arteries which, due to lack of flexibility and narrow passage, are not in a position to cope with pressure of blood. As result of blockade and hardening of the arteries, the blood supply to the heart is retard, resulting in palpitation and, sometimes, pain in heart region. It can now be deduced that cholesterol is the main cause for all the heart diseases, kidney problems and for that matter, all of the symptoms mentioned above. Following steps may help in reducing blood pressure and keeping the same within normal confines.

As a rule all saturated fats, tobacco, tea, coffee, strong drinks, meats should be avoided but should be substituted by unsaturated fats, bland diet, rich in green leafy vegetables, fruits. Avoid all types of irritant and precipitating factors. Foods, rich in cholesterol, as mentioned earlier also, bears repetition. Beef, mutton chicken, oyster, chicken, crab, shrimp, lobster and eggs increase cholesterol in blood, as far as meat products are concerned. Saturated fats like cream, ghee, butter, dalda (vegetable ghee), margarine, coconut oil should be ruled out from diet, or at least tapered to minimum level of consumption. Vegetable fats should be substituted by soyabean oil, maize oil, sunflower oil, generally. Adopt the habit of low salt, low calorie, low fat diet.

It is also important to detoxify body, by means of juices of fresh fruits and vegetables. The obese must try to shed extra weight by means of regular physical activity, dietary regimen. Avoid sleeping during early hours in the morning. Cultivate an active habit of ‘Early to bed and early to rise.’ Keep your bowels in good humour. Avoid constipation at any cost and, if there is any problem on that count, try to meet the situation by aid of natural means, but not by laxatives or purgatives. Do not ever agitate your mind or disturb your digestive system. Never hurry, worry or scurry. Feel normal and act and behave like a normal person.

As soon as you notice symptoms of high blood pressure, never delay seeking medical guidance and advice. Any delay can prove suicidal and damaging, at times with dangerous/fatal consequences. Before concluding on this topic, it would be in order to resort to natural means but, if the situation demands medicinal use, it should never be delayed. There is no reason or cause for any alarm, under any circumstance, but a dilatory and complacent approach is also suicidal. An old adage will go a long way in pressing home our view point (viz, a stitch in time saves nine). Always avoid an acute angle approach. Sedentary and inactive life style, so called compulsions and constraints of modern life, unnatural living pattern, which seeks divorce from nature, is never a favourable option. If it is a matter of option, then why not opt for a better and healthier way in life instead of falling a prey into the hands and clutches of mad race for ‘modernity.’