Obesity Vs Swine Flu Deaths

Obesity has emerged as a possible contributing factor in fatal swine flu cases, according to ground-breaking research looking at deaths caused by the pandemic in countries around the world.

The claim is made by a team from the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance, which has studied the characteristics of 574 deaths associated with the pandemic H1N1 influenza up until the middle of July. According to the team's findings, published in medical journal Eurosurveillance, underlying disease was found in at least half of all fatal cases.

Mortality patterns were in many cases similar to those associated with normal, seasonal flu. But the team observed: "Nevertheless two risk factors are noticeable: pregnancy and obesity."

Pregnancy is already a well-documented risk factor in seasonal influenza and in previous pandemics. The study found that 16 women – representing 10% of all female deaths that were studied – were pregnant or had recently delivered at the time of their death. Half of these also had other health issues. But the conclusion that obesity may be a factor in some swine flu deaths opens up a new line of investigation for epidemiologists. Where an underlying disease was found to be present after someone had died of swine flu, in more than one in four cases the deceased had a metabolic condition – diabetes and/or obesity.

The team, which concluded further research needed to be done to establish the link between obesity, severe influenza and mortality, also found significant demographic variations among those affected by the pandemic.

"Compared to younger age groups, the elderly seem to be protected from infection to some extent, perhaps due to previous exposure to strains akin to influenza A(H1N1)v virus," the team claim.

There has been a view that fatal cases involving the pandemic have tended to occur among the young, according to the team. And they found the average age of those who have died was 37. More than half of all deaths occurred among the 20- to 49-year-old age group. Overall, 12% of deaths occurred in cases aged 60 years or more.

According to the latest update from the Health Protection Agency (HPA): "In the last seven days, cases reported globally have increased by 8% and the number of deaths by 21%." However, the HPA suggested flu rates in England were now coming down.

Concerns remain, however, that infection rates will start to increase again come the autumn.

The French team warns: "The pandemic… is far from over, and deaths will unfortunately continue to occur. As in previous pandemics, available data show that age groups are not equally affected."

Obesity - Health Issue

Obesity - a growing health issue and is characterized by the accumulation of excess fat in the body. It is usually assessed with the help of BMI(Body Mass Index), which is measured by comparing the height and weight of an individual. If the body mass index of an individual is 30.0 or above, then he or she can be declared as obese. On the other hand, if it exceeds 40.0, it is termed as morbid obesity.

The risk factors of Obesity

Obesity is a growing concern for a vast majority of people, especially in developed countries. There are many factors that lead obesity, e.g. from genetic to environmental. Obesity is often observed in individuals whose parents or other family members are obese. Genetics is a one of the risk factor of obesity, as genes are responsible for determining the appetite and metabolism or the conversion of food into energy. Besides, they also determine the storage and distribution of fat. Other than genetics, eating habits and lifestyle also play a important role, as often the members of the same family tend to develop the same kind of habits.

Activities and physical exercise help us remain fit and sound, it help to burn down the excess calories. Lacked of physical activity coupled with over-consumption of high calorie foods, can lead to excessive weight gain. Age is another risk factor of obesity. Though, obesity can occur in any age group, the risk of developing it, increases with growing age, as many hormonal changes take place within our body. This, along with a reduction in physical activity, can lead to weight gain. Besides, calorie requirements reduce with advancing age and so it is essential to reduce to calorie intake to prevent the accumulation of excess fat.

Certain medications like antidepressants, diabetes medications, anti-seizure medications and beta blockers, can be responsible for obesity. For women, sometimes the weight gain during pregnancy can lead to obesity, as many women fail to lose weight even after delivery. Another association has been witnessed between quitting smoking and weight gain, which can also occasionally lead to obesity. Moreover, it has been observed that people who are obese, usually have obese friends and relatives, as they tend to have the same kind of habits like eating fried foods.

Obesity can be an important risk factor for a number of health related complications including coronary heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart stroke, liver diseases, certain forms of cancer like cancer of the uterus, ovaries, colon, rectum and prostate. The genetic factors responsible for causing obesity can't be controlled properly, the environmental factors, on the other hand can be effectively controlled with a change in eating habits and lifestyle. Substituting high calorie and fast foods with fresh vegetables and fruits, can prove beneficial in preventing weight gain. This should be complemented by exercise and physical activities, which can help in losing excess weight and control obesity.

Tips For Begin a Running Program for Obese People?

The best part of the running program is that it can be done anywhere. You can chose a running track or a sidewalk or a treadmill in a gym. If you have never run before and you have just started off, you should take it rather easily. At this stage, the duration of each running program should not be more than half an hour and for only three days in a week. For beginners, who are not runners I would like to advise them to combine running and walking.

First of all, walk a distance of one-fourth of a mile. While walking, you should be careful to hit the ground with your heels first. As your body muscles are not used to running, walking should be followed by some simple stretching exercises to stretch your muscles. This will add flexibility to your muscles and prevent any injury. This will also enable you to run more efficiently. Once you are done with warm up, start running. While running, keep your strides open and long. You should bend your knees every time your feet is landing. Your elbows should be positioned at right angle. If you maintain this body posture during running, then it will be a balanced run and your body will yield maximum benefits. At the end of the run, walk again for about 10 minutes. This walking exercise is essential to cool down your body and the heart, lungs as well as the muscles will get a scope to recover.

When you are comfortable in running three days a week, you can change the schedule to four times in a week. Later, it can be increased to 5 days, as well. Once you are comfortable in running 5 days for half an hour, you should focus on increasing both time and distance of running in the scheduled half an hour. Adding some extra miles to your regime should be done carefully or else your muscles may get hurt. You can run longer distance but you need to slow down the speed of running. Slow running for a longer duration is helpful in burning more fat

Running And Burn Fat Tips

We would like to advice you that when you are beginning running program for obese, it is compulsory that you seek the advice of your physician, to check out that your body is capable of taking up such an exercise program or not.

When you plan to take up running to burn fat, it is necessary that you get yourself a good pair of running shoes. They will ensure that you do not get sore leg muscles after running.

The clothes you are wearing should make you feel comfortable. A tee shirt and a pair of shorts are the most preferred clothes used for running. It is also very important that the clothes keep you dry and maintain normal perspiration.

During an obese running program, you should strictly stay away from chocolates, ice creams, crisps and other such food items. You may feel tempted to reward yourself with these types of foods. However, such foods have more calories than you can burn during the run.

Avoid any meal before the running program. Rather drink some water but not too much of it. After you have finished running, drinking water is a must in order to rehydrate yourself.

Most importantly, do not overdo your running exercise. This is because, too much of exercise will leave you exhausted and you will lose the enthusiasm to stay with the schedule.

Beginning running program for obese is not a big deal but you should stay motivated throughout the program. Those who have taken up running program for losing weight, have surprisingly found that they have steadily lost almost 2-3 kg of weight every week. The best part is that this weight loss can be sustained for a long time.

Losing Weight With Tea!

What if you could drink something you love and it helps you keep weight off permanently? Is that something you might be interested in?

Finding new and different ways to lose weight has become the new fad these days. The easier we can burn fat, the better we like it. The problem is that most of these solutions are either dangerous or they do absolutely nothing for you in the long run.

Dangerous diet pills and fat burners are the new diet of the 2000s. If you can simply pop a pill and sit around and eat as much as you want, but still lose weight..would you? If it sounds way to good to be true, it's because it probably is. Most of these diet pills are loaded with dangerous chemicals that can do massive damage to your heart, liver, and kidneys in just a short period of time. On top of that, these substances have not been around long enough to know the long term side effects.

Let's phrase our question another way then. What if we could find a SAFE method of supplementation to help us lose weight? Green tea has surfaced as a new way to lose weight. Certain substances in the tea are able to burn fat, along with boost metabolism that will keep the weight off. Green tea can also do great things for your heart, liver, and kidneys.

Well then, let's compare the two choices. One is dangerous to your organs, will not keep the weight off, and could possibly be life threatening in the long run. The other one is the complete opposite and is just as effective. Seems like an easy answer.

Herbal Concentrate Tea has become the most famous of all the green tea supplements. It is solely responsible for burning more fat than any other green tea supplement can. You can email me if you want to know more about the Herbal Concentrate Tea.

As you can see, dieting has gone to new, more advanced levels. However, it is still possible to supplement safely, and not lose any of the strong effects!

Weight Loss Vs Health Supplements

Health supplements are important to optimize your bodies performances. There is far more benefits in consuming supplements than there are side effects. Your body and mind will thank you for it. You will notice increased performance almost from the first day you take them. Many western diets lack the right nutrients due to time constraints.

Weight loss affects many peoples including myself. Like many I struggle to maintain a good weight every day and have tried lots of weight loss programs. Many of us lead very busy lives which leads us to choosing poor diets. It’s a known fact that eating healthy food makes you feel good, gives you lots more energy and helps you lose weight. But sometimes just getting started takes a lot of effort when you are already overweight.

The trouble is you do need to do something if you want to live longer and live with a quality life. As being overweight makes you at greater risks to many illnesses than those who are not overweight. Obesity has reached all time highs and it is estimated that there are over 1 billion adults overweight all over the world.

That’s why I recommend starting with appetite away first .It is the strongest, healthiest natural weight loss supplement available without a prescription and it’s all in one pill. It will give you increased energy right from day one. As a weight loss supplement it will reduce your appetite without you even realizing it. As you start to lose weight you will find you will want to go for that walk or play in the park with the kids, all types of exercise. As you keep taking this weight loss supplement you will then progress into increased exercising.

As this supplement gives your body the correct vitamins, minerals giving you back your energy; while at the same time cleaning your body of all unwanted toxins and waste from all that overeating in the past. This will reduce your risk to health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and different forms of cancer.As with any weight loss program it will be of more benefit to you if you have support from family and friends. Your chances of success will be greater. Maybe there is a family member or friend who could also benefit from some weight loss.

Once you have begun on the weight loss program it is recommended that you write down for one week everything that you eat. Take a look at it and see if you can improve your diet by planning the next week’s meals in advance. Plan to include more fruit and vegetables as well as some nuts and whole. Try replacing the saturated animal-based fats with unsaturated vegetable-oil based fats. Then start to think about how you can fit in some extra exercise, this could be in the form of a walk before or after work for just 30 minutes; starting with maybe three times a week and as you get fitter increasing it to five times a week.

Are you serious and determined to make a difference to your health? Make up your mind NOW!

6 Meals a Day for Maximum Weight Lose

There are so many people who think losing weight is about slashing your calories to ungodly amounts. However, I'm here to tell you that this is all wrong. You've been lied to. How many people do you see on the roller coaster diet? Probably too many to count. Why is this? Simply because diets don't work. Most diets restrict your calories and slow down your metabolism. This causes your body to go into starvation mode. In starvation mode, your body burns very few calories and experiences extreme hunger pangs. Fortunately, there is a solution. Eat 5 - 6 healthy, small meals per day. Men should shoot for 6 meals a day while women should try to get in 5 meals per day. Yes, you heard me right and you may have heard it before, but please take notice this time. Frequent, small, healhy meals provide a number of benefits that will help you reach the highest fitness level possible.

Increase Your Metabolism
Eating 6 meals a day will boost your metabolism, helping you to burn more calories all day long. In fact, by eating super-clean, high protein foods at each of your six meals, you will find that your metabolism goes into overdrive, becoming extremely efficient at burning off calories.

Burn Calories with the Thermic Effect of Food
Frequent eating revs up your metabolism due to the thermic effect of food. This is because the breakdown and absorption of food itself requires a substantial number of calories. This is known as the thermic effect of food. Foods have a thermic effect ranging from 3% to 30%. Protein foods create a thermic effect of up to 30%. This means that 30% of the calories from foods like turkey, tuna, and salmon are burned simply by digesting them. Complex and fibrous carbohydrates burn about 20% of their calories through digestion. This includes broccoli, spinach, corn, green beans, etc. On the other end of the spectrum are fats and refined carbohydrates. They have an extremeley low thermic effect of about 3%. This is one of the reasons that dietary fat is stored so easily as body fat. As you can see, what you eat matters even more than how much you eat.

Maintain Peak Energy Levels
You will feel 10x better by eating smaller, more frequent meals. Your energy level will soar and your hunger cravings will be destroyed. This is because eating 5 to 6 meals per day helps maintain a balanced blood sugar level, preventing hunger attacks. This is in direct contrast to the calorie depriving diets that send your blood sugar levels into havoc, with too many peaks and valleys.

Build Muscle
You will also find it easier to build and maintain muscle. The more muscle you develop, the faster your metabolism becomes. Frequent meals help promote muscle growth by regulating insulin levels and providing a steady flow of amino acids into the muscle cells. By eating approximately every three hours you are constantly delivering a steady output of insulin, which is necessary for muscle growth and glycogen storage. Insulin plays a major role in transporting glucose and amino acids into the muscle cells where they can then be used for recovery and muscle growth. Are you starting to see the many benefits of eating 6 meals a day?

Frequent meals also allow for more efficient use of vitamins and minerals. Your body simply becomes much more effective at processing these vital nutrients. To reap the full benefit of this lifestyle, be sure that you eat on a consistent schedule. This requires a bit of meal planning, but it is certainly worth it. It is very important to get your body into the habit of knowing when it will be supplied with nutrients. This way, your body won't fall into dreaded hunger attacks and cravings. Instead, it will always know that a steady flow of nutrients will soon to be supplied. The key is to center your diet around lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats.

By eating 5 to 6 small meals per day, you will increase your energy levels, accelerate muscle growth, and speed up your metabolism without storing fat. In fact, frequent eating will actually allow you to eat up to 50% more calories without storing an ounce of it as fat. To really burn the fat, you will need to combine this healthy eating plan with cardio work and strength training.

Are All Diets Unhealthy?

Want the short answer? Yes. Now, you may be thinking, "If I don't stay on some kind of diet, I'll just blow up like a balloon. I need to be on a program just to keep control of myself." But consider that any kind of dieting involves a diet mentality, which ensures failure, encourages you to ignore hunger and satiety signals, and promotes a negative relationship with food, because you have to give up "forbidden" foods and, often, eat foods you don't really like. This inevitably results in giving in, which often means bingeing and feeling terrible about yourself. So, though this idea may sound radical, we firmly believe there is no good diet.

By "diet," we mean the conscious restriction of the amounts or kind of foods you're allowed to eat for the express purpose of losing weight. A diet is something that you go on when you want to change your body, and go off once you've reached a certain goal. Though we certainly do endorse consuming a wide variety of healthful foods, paying attention to portion sizes, and thinking twice before eating a lot of foods that are high in calories but low in nutrition, we don't recommend following any kind of plan that tells you what, how much, and how often you should eat, without regard for your body's hunger and satiety signals. And we definitely don't recommend any eating plan that you go on and then go off.

Although it may sound surprising, the negative effects of dieting also hold true even if you aren't following a formal diet but still think like a dieter. If you count grams of fat, opt for high-protein foods while shunning carbs, rely on "safe" foods, beat yourself up for eating "bad" foods, consciously or unconsciously undereat (which can trigger overeating later), use diet soft drinks or coffee to quell your hunger, or decide what you can eat based on what you've already eaten today, you're dieting.

How To Get Weight Balance?

Weight balance is key in keeping you healthy and off diets.

Some are looking to lose weight and others are looking to gain weight but maintaining weight is usually not talked about a lot. Staying at your target weight is always the end goal. Whether you're trying to gain weight or lose weight, eventually you'll need to stop.

Keeping your weight stable is a simple equation similar to losing or gaining. To maintain your weight, you need to eat the same amount of calories that you burn each day. If you start exercising more then you have to eat more calories or else you'll start to lose weight. If you decrease your exercise level then you also have to lower the amount of food you eat or the weight will start to come on.

Your first step is to figure out how many calories you burn each day. Use the Daily Calorie Needs Calculator for an estimate. Based on your age, sex, weight, height and activity level, the calculator will give you an approximation of the amount of calories you burn each day.

Next, find out how many calories you are eating everyday. Count your calories for three days and take the average. The three days have to be typical of your regular diet.

You now have the amount of calories you burn and the number you eat each day. The only step left is to match these two numbers. You have three options to make the equalize the numbers. You can change your activity level (increase of decrease), you can change the amount you eat (increase or decrease) or you can do a combination of the two.

Practicing weight balance is about averaging your daily intake and daily expenditure of calories so that they'll match over long periods of time (weeks, months). Don't get caught up in trying to make them equal every single day. Concentrate on doing this over a weekly and monthly basis. One day of over eating won't mess you up but a week or month will.

Children's Weight Control Tips

With weight control for kids, prevention is far better than cure. If you can begin with your child as you mean to continue in regard to food and exercise, the effort you put in will be much more quickly rewarded than if you are faced with attempting to change bad habits.

Either way, controlling weight in children is a challenge, but you have to keep in mind - you are the adult, the one calling the shots. It's not easy, but nothing worth doing is easy.

1. You have to be a role model. You can't expect your child to eat sensibly and exercise regularly if you are lolling on the couch, glued to the TV, waving them out the door with a jumbo sized packet of corn chips clutched in your fist. Eat with your child and show clear enjoyment of the good food you eat. Exercise with your child and share the natural high that physical effort gives you.

2.Speaking of the TV - turn it off. The world as we know it will not cease if we ban the mass media from our lives for a few hours a day. Eat as many of your meals as possible together at the dining table with no distractions. Talk to each other. Enjoy your food. If this will be a big wrench for you or members of your family, you need to discuss this new routine in depth before you begin; both what you intend to do and the good reasons for it. Be prepared to listen to any arguments for turning the TV on, but do not accept them. This strategy allows family members to have their concerns aired, but underlines your position as the adult responsible for good eating habits in your home.

3. Explain. Why this food is good for our bodies, why we need protein, complex carbs and good fats, why some foods are habit forming but lacking in nutrition. Why our bodies and minds benefit from daily exercise. The more you explain, the more readily a child will accept both a good diet and regular exercise.

4. Involve your child in decision making and planning. Allow your child to make some of the decisions about the food you will prepare together (what green vege are we going to have tonight?). Give him or her the chance to say where you will cycle or walk this afternoon. There choices should be guided, however. They need to know that a green vegetable of some type will be on the menu, but they can decide which one. They have to know that exercise is on the agenda for the afternoon, but they get a say in what it will be.

5. Be firm in relation to your goals. Be determined that your child will have a good diet and regular exercise. Be patient and persistent, with a degree of flexibility in your approach, but do not weaken.

The bottom line is that by controlling the weight of your child through proper diet and suitable exercise, you are giving them the gift of a healthy lifestyle. As a parent, you can't do better than that!