Fat Free Fitness Health, Diet and Fitness Today – Tuesday 8th December 2009 - "Obesity causes 1/3 of heart attacks and strokes"
08/12/2009 at 08:10pm by Rich Leigh, founder of Fat Free Fitness
A new study suggests that a third of deaths from cardiovascular disease (such as heart attacks and strokes) and one in seven cases of non-fatal cardiovascular diseases could be if people weren’t overweight or obese.
The study was carried out on just fewer than 20,000 people over a period of 10 years in the Netherlands, and found a link between obesity and higher waist circumference and risk of both fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease. Unlike the study mentioned in yesterday’s HDF Today, the sample size is particularly impressive, and represented all manner of people (males and females aged 20-65, all different shapes and sizes).
The story has been featured in The Daily Mail, Mirror and Telegraph today, under sensitive headlines such as ‘Third of heart disease deaths blamed on being too fat’. No, there aren’t any prizes for guessing which of the three ran with this sensationalist headline.
I learnt of the story on the NHS UK website, where the fantastic editorial team look at stories in the news based on studies, and ask key questions such as ‘where did the story come from?’, ‘what kind of research was this?’, ‘how did the researchers interpret the results?’ and more. The benefit of this is that studies are looked at objectively, as all should be, in a bid to prevent gross misinformation leading from national media interest.
Whilst there are drawbacks to the study, (namely issues such as: because the study was undertaken in the Netherlands, is it representative of nations with higher/lower incidences of obesity?) the results are a bit like putting a name to a face.
In terms of my own personal thoughts, we all know that obesity is bad for us. If it was just an aesthetic issue, well, only particularly shallow people would have an issue with other people being obese. But this isn’t the case.
Obesity kills, and this study furthers our understanding of to what extent unnecessary deaths could be prevented by healthier diets and exercise.
In short, yes, obesity is responsible for heart disease and other cardiovascular disease in some cases. Arguing the point that there would be heart disease without obesity is valid and scientifically well founded, but to not actively seek to instil healthiness into this and other generations is a mystery to me.
If I could do everything in my power to prevent a member of my family going through the physically agonising ordeal of potentially terminal cancer, for instance, by encouraging small changes to their lifestyle, I would. To me, and many other fitness professionals, this is why we do what we do. Sure, you can buy into the stereotype that we’re all lycra-clad meatheads who like counting at the top of our voice whilst overusing phrases such as ‘no pain-no gain’ and ‘feel the burn’, but the reality is different. We’re all of the above but with a will to have a positive impact because it feels as if people are losing the ability to care about issues such as this!
It’s all about active change. Can you make small changes to your child’s life, such as encouraging more exercise, putting less food on their plate or learning about and teaching them the values of a balanced diet, inclusive of treats for the sake of their health? Government projections of a nation of obese children becoming obese adults and having obese children themselves don’t have to become reality. They can be just that: projections which never materialise, but it’s not going to happen without active change.
On that note, can you take responsibility and make small changes to your own life? Because if you don’t, nobody else is going to make them for you, no matter how much advice you seek nor blame you place.
The NHS took a look at the story here in more depth.
Yeah, we'd suggest keeping away from food like this if you can... :)
Fat Free Fitness Health, Diet and Fitness Today – Monday 7th December 2009 - The 'fat gene' in children
07/12/2009 at 08:03pm by Rich Leigh, founder of Fat Free Fitness
New findings today from a study by scientists at Cambridge University suggest that a genetic ‘mutation’ causes childhood obesity, as opposed to being a result of overfeeding and under-activity.
You may remember similar findings from last year, and probably the year before that too, about a gene dubbed the ‘fat gene’.
The children in the study had been on the at risk register because of fears they were being overfed. They have now been removed from the list on the basis of the findings, after scientists at Cambridge University found that certain types of genetic mutation were present in those suffering from severe obesity.
The scientists of course have been careful not to claim that this is the definitive cause of obesity, with Dr Sadaf Farooqi from Cambridge University, one of the scientists behind the study, quoted as saying "This study shows that severe obesity is a serious medical issue that deserves scientific investigation”, although mainstream media outlets have certainly grabbed onto it with more vigour.
So, looking at the story from an at first unbiased viewpoint: a number of children, all obese, were part of a study. A genetic variation was found in a number of them, which allows the scientists to hypothesise (and report) that this gene, found in a number of obese children, could be the cause of obesity.
Now, looking at it from a biased point of view, I have a real problem with the study. Of course the scientists haven’t conclusively stated that the gene causes obesity, because they don’t know, or maybe even think, that it does. What they know is that this gene is within a certain number of children.
Did they test a similar sample number of ‘normal’ weight children?
If they did, this has not been reported, despite being a story picked up by pretty much every national media outlet online, something which is sure to grace the pages of many in print tomorrow.
I suggest that this to Cambridge University is merely an exercise in PR to demonstrate that scientists at the prestigious University are constantly experimenting and studying matters of importance. As somebody who has worked for years within both the public relations and health and fitness industries, I suggest this because this is something I’d do too if I was working on the PR account for the University which has to justify external funding, student fees and stakeholder interest whilst also maintaining its renowned status.
The story has it all – headline grabbing ‘results’ (merely a scientific proposition), high profile study progenitors and a bandwagon to jump on, namely the fact that nearly one in four children in the UK is now clinically classed as obese.
I take no issue with the above, other than the fact that it furthers the idea that obesity is something out of our control, which having worked with all manner of people with weight problems, know that it is not.
Years ago, when the ‘fat gene’ was first proposed, all of a sudden, people had something to hang their obesity on; a reason for their weight other than the obvious, which made my job of teaching people that weight loss was attainable and required their willpower all the more difficult.
I once read a quote by self-help author Dr Robert Anthony that seems apt: “When you blame others, you give up your power to change.” That’s what studies like this do. They retract the power to change from the people who need it most.
Nearly 1 in 4 children is clinically obese
Healthy snacks that won't ruin your weight loss!
06/12/2009 at 02:55pm by Rich Leigh, founder of Fat Free Fitness
We all like to snack, but if you're losing weight, out goes the daytime treats, right? Wrong!
Snacking and treating yourself to a little bit of something nice is an extremely important aspect of losing weight healthily and lastingly - if you fall down the trap of denying yourself tasty bites you could end up resenting losing weight and eating healthily, something we're keen to help prevent. But what can you eat that both scratches the itch and keeps you on track?
Well, in the last couple of days, we've had the arduous and thankless (!) task of taste-testing some of the best snacks and light-bites out there, in a bid to give you, our readers, a guide to snacks that are as good for you as they are tasty, whilst thinking about your pursestrings too. Read on to find out which snacks we recommend and why... as well as seeing which snack has won the presitigious Fat Free Fitness Healthy Choice award!
Snack 1:
Weightwatchers – Oat and Wheat Crackers - £1.39 per pack of 5 x 4 crackers. Available from Waitrose in store and online – www.waitrosedeliver.com (28p per pack)
Taste – 4 – tasted somewhat stale, poor imitation of a cracker
Price – 6 – priced as you’d expect, but still a good deal more expensive than it’s more carb-laden cracker cousins
Nutritional values – 7 – low in calories (74 calories per 4 crackers, 16g of carbohydrates), low in sodium
TOTAL – 17/30
Summary –
We can appreciate the gap in the market for healthy eating versions of much-loved products, but the inflated price and relatively poor taste when compared to established brands such as Jacob’s will have consumers reaching for Wallace and Gromit’s higher-calorie favourites sooner than Weightwatchers’ offering.
Snack 2:
Nākd bars - Nākd “nudie” bars are available at better healthfood shops across the UK, including Wholefood Market, Wild Oats and Planet Organic and online at www.eatnakd.com. RRP from £0.79 (available online as bulk buy)
Taste – 7 – although the Apple Pie (5/10) bar’s blandness lets the side down, on the whole the range of Banana Bread, (7/10), Cocoa Loco (8/10) and Berry Cheeky (7/10) tastes great
Price – 3 – on the expensive side of things for a light snack
Nutritional values – 9 – each bar is packed with 100% fruit, nuts and oats, with each weighing in at less than 100 calories per bar. The raw ingredients, which include dates, oats, raisins and almonds are clearly listed, and each bar provides you with 1 of your ‘5 fruits a day’.
TOTAL – 19/30
Summary –
If a healthy snack bar can try too hard to be your friend, this one does. In a chatty, personable style Innocent made their own, Nakd bars ask you to trust in their brand by being totally, 100% transparent about what has gone into your snack choice. Whether or not this is enough to warrant the hefty 79p (and that’s averaged through bulk buys) per 30g bar is to be seen – the aforementioned Innocent smoothie certainly captivated its target market enough to still shift units despite its overstated cost. The bars are a nice way of ensuring you take on essential fatty acids, or ‘good fats’, and pleasingly filling too.
Snack 3:
Perry Court Farm Apple Crisps – RRP 80p - sold across the South East in various farm shops and markets. More information online at www.perrycourt.com 
Taste – 8 – tastes great - if you like apples, there's nothing not to like!
Price – 4 – high price point, especially when obvious unhealthier alternatives such as Walkers crisps are 30p+ cheaper
Nutritional values – 9 – 100% apple, and ‘dried not fried’. Can’t expect more from a light snack really!
TOTAL -
Summary – 21/30
Apple Crisps are great tasting, healthy, filling, low in calories and acceptably full of 16g of carbohydrates per pack.
However, the snack is let down by a price representative of the fact that the crisps are dried using apples grown ‘at-home’ on the founder’s Kent-based farm, and its limited availability at present.
Snack 4:
Weightwatchers – Caramel Mallows - £1.26 for a pack of six from Sainsburys. Also available at ASDA. Check www.mysupermarket.com to compare prices. (21p per mallow)
Taste – 8 – dry but satisfyingly sweet
Price – 7 – competitively priced, but option to buy one or two mallows would be more enticing
Nutritional values – 9 – great for a light snack, each mallow has just 55 calories, predominantly made up of the 10 grams of carbohydrates. No real nutritional benefit, but it will surely satisfy your sweet tooth
TOTAL – 24/30
Summary –
A particular Fat Free Fitness favourite, these mallows taste way better than their calorie count lets on; making it feel like this treat is a bit too naughty to be nice. A pack of six is sure to vanish quickly once colleagues catch on.
Snack 5:
Quaker Snack-a-Jacks – RRP 45-49p per bag – widely available – use www.mysupermarket.com to compare prices.
Taste – 8 – a huge range of flavours, including Barbecue, Sour cream and cheese, sweet chilli, cheese, salt and vinegar, caramel, crispy berry and prawn cocktail, all great tasting
Price – 9 – priced competitively individually, but when bought as a pack of 6 for RRP £1.99, each bag works out to just 33p, a fantastic price sure to make you stop and weigh up whether or not you’ll plump for that Mars bar from the vending machine
Nutritional values – 8 – each bag gives you approx 120 calories. Snack-a-Jacks are one of the only healthy snacks that fill a nutritional void as well as providing a snack fix, by giving you 24g of carbs per bag, which is sure to keep energy levels up.
TOTAL – 25/30
Summary –
Often on offer in major supermarkets, including Tesco where 2 packs of 6 cost just £3 (12 packs = just 25p each bag!), Snack-a-Jacks are a great healthy snack. With a range that includes sweet and savoury tastes to suit all palettes, if you’re looking for a tasty treat that’ll complement your weight loss, look no further.
Do you have a favourite that hasn't been mentioned? Think other readers would benefit from knowing about it? Then tell us in the comments section below!
Fat Free Fitness Health, Diet and Fitness Today - Friday 4th December 2009
05/12/2009 at 08:13am by Rich Leigh, founder of Fat Free Fitness
Today, in our second ever Health, Diet and Fitness Today, which will appear every week day, I'm going to be looking at a some new research.
A recent American study has compared smoking to obesity, and found that obesity is actually negating the positive effects of people giving up smoking.
By 2020, according to the American study, the typical 18-year-old will gain 0.31 years due to the drop in smoking rates (above and beyond life span increases caused by other factors). But the increase in obesity rates during the same period will reduce life expectancy by 1.02 years, the researchers say. These rates are sure to be comparatively similar for the UK, where rates of obesity are increasing.
During the next 10 years, in other words, we'll lose 0.71 years of our life span, time that we would have gained if there weren’t so many obese people, according to the estimates published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
The link is a little effusive as one doesn’t necessarily directly affect the other (but does guarantee headlines), but is still an interesting comparison.
Smoking, a major risk factor for lung disease, heart disease, and cancer, has decreased by 20 percent in the United States in the past 15 years, according to the study, which is great news.
However, over the same period, obesity has increased by 48 percent. By 2020, the report predicts, smoking will decrease by 21 percent, but 45 percent of the population will be obese.
The smoking trends used in the study were based on data from the National Health Interview Survey, and the body-mass index (BMI) trends were derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. BMI levels were classified according to the World Health Organization's guidelines for obesity.
Fat Free Fitness Health and Fitness today - Thursday 3rd December 2009
03/12/2009 at 05:47pm by Rich Leigh, founder of Fat Free Fitness
Doing the rounds today is a story about a couple from Bolsover near Chesterfield who had their son taken into foster care in the UK because (and this is the headline the tabloids are running with) they ‘refused to feed him junk food’.
Paul and Lisa Hessey’s ‘fussy eating’ child, Zak, was taken away from them for four months whilst his new foster family, with help from the hospital attempted to improve his weight, after the couple had refused to feed him crisps, chocolate and biscuits to fatten him up.
Whilst the story is a great ‘come jump on this bandwagon’ tabloid media story aimed at attacking the authorities, it really is a ‘lose-lose’ situation either way for Social Services.
If Chesterfield Hospital and social services hadn’t intervened in some way and two-year old Zak had become seriously ill as a result of his fussy-eating, the parents may have lost much more than just four months with him in that he may have died, and the authorities would have been hung out to dry in the press.
Zak gained just 9oz in foster care, so barely half a pound in four months, showing that there are obviously other factors other than being with his parents to be looked at. At 20 months old, Zak weighed 1 st 3lbs, half a stone below the average weight according to baby age-weight averages.
It is difficult to judge what you’d do in a similar position, so I will refrain from judging the parents’ effort themselves, but definitely disagree with their insistence on taking it to press.
A spokesman for Chesterfield Royal Hospital summarised the story well with the following statement: 'While we understand Mr and Mrs Hessey's distress, Zak's welfare was paramount and we believe we acted in his best interest.'
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