Lose fat, be healthier!
Written by Dr Arien van der Merwe, medical doctor, natural and ethno-medicine practitioner and author of the soon to be released book (NB Publishers) on diabetes and metabolic syndrome
Losing weight, especially fat weight, is not only about a better looking body, but more importantly, about managing the health risks that can pose a serious threat to your health and wellbeing!
Lifestyle changes that include healthier eating habits, regular physical activity, and losing as little as 5%-10% body fat, have shown phenomenal health benefits much more effective than any medication can ever be. Losing fat weight can prevent and even reverse existing diabetes; lower blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels; and improve sleep apnea and other sleep problems — along with helping you feel better about yourself. 90% of diabetes, 80% heart disease and 60% of cancers are preventable with healthier lifestyles and maintaining normal body weight.
‘We have seen a consistent pattern in our weight loss studies: when patients lose 5%-10% of their body weight, they lower blood pressure, reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol, improve glucose tolerance (insulin resistance), and in general, lower the risk for cardiovascular disease’, says Catherine Champagne, a researcher with Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
Doctors consistently report that they successfully take patients off blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol lowering medications after the patients lost as little as 5kg’s of fat.
Losing even a little weight can be especially beneficial for people who store their excess weight around their abdomen (apple shape), rather than their hips (pear shape). Fat stored around the waist and in the liver, is more metabolically active, which makes it a high risk trigger for heart disease, but also easier to lose.
Read more about metabolic syndrome, leptin, insulin and glucose
Important medical screening tests for men and women with 8-10kg or more excess fat weight and/or fat accumulation around the waist area (men >102cm, women >88cm):
- fasting blood glucose
- fasting insulin
- waist circumference (WHR)
- body fat percentage
- body mass index (BMI)
- blood pressure
- lipid profile incl. total, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides
- HbA1C when glucose has been elevated for a longer period.
You might have metabolic syndrome! In 2010, there were 150 million diagnosed cases of metabolic syndrome globally. This figure is expected to rise to 300 million by 2030.