Sexual dysfunction associated with poor health habits

Danish researchers found that certain lifestyle habits were associated with sexual inactivity and sexual dysfunction. Women experienced increased risk of sexual inactivity when they were overweight and smoked tobacco; sexual dysfunction when they used hashish.  Risk for sexual dysfunction in men was associated with being underweight or obese, a large waist circumference, physical inactivity, high alcohol intake, tobacco smoking, and use of hard drugs (800% increase).

PositiveTip:  Avoid high-risk lifestyle habits to enhance every aspect of life.

Eat more -- but have less body fat!

Active women who walk the most steps per day have less body fat, lower BMI, and smaller waist circumference. They also have lower insulin levels and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity than less active women even though the more active women consume more calories, protein and carbohydrates. 

PositiveTip: Walking is a great weight control tool, and every step you take throughout the day counts.

Metabolic syndrome succumbs to healthy Mediterranean-style diet patterns.

The Mediterranean-style diet has scored another victory in a new review of 50 previous studies. This dietary pattern is characterized by high consumption of fruit and vegetables, whole grains and olive oil along with less meat. The review found that this diet brings significant protection against metabolic syndrome, a precursor of diabetes and heart disease. People eating a Mediterranean-style diet had higher HDL ("good" cholesterol levels), lower fasting glucose levels and lower systolic blood pressures.

PositiveTip: The evidence continues to accumulate: eat more fruit and vegetables, whole grains, good oils and less meat for better health.

Where you carry the fat is less important than being overweight in general.

Are "apple-shaped" bodies, or "pear-shaped" bodies at greater risk for cardiovascular disease? Turns out that simply being overweight, whatever the shape, increases risks for heart disease. Researchers looked at data from a very large study of 221,934 people and found that body-mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio and waist circumference all equally predicted the 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease when added to blood pressure, diabetes history and lipid measurements. 

PositiveTip: Losing extra weight, no matter how or where you carry it, is important for your health.

An increase in waist circumference of 4" in white women raised their death rate by 25%.

Waist circumference (WC) is a measure of central adiposity is associated with many diseases as well as a shorter lifespan. Data from a large longitudinal nutrition study of 105,000 adults over age 50 has found all-cause mortality strongly associated with WC. Mortality risk for men with WC greater than 47.5 inches was twice as high as those with waists less than 35.4 inches. Women who had WC greater than 43.3 inches had almost 2.4 times higher risk compared to those with waists 29.5 inches or less. For each 4" increase in WC in both men and women risk increased by at least 20%.

Rising obesity is associated with significantly increased risk of stroke in middle-age women.

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) reveals that stroke risk among women 45-54 years old has tripled in the past two decades. Compelling findings suggest that growing waistlines are driving much of this increase. Abdominal obesity (or a waist that is more than 34.6 inches [88 cm] around) has increased by 12% during the same two decades. 

PositiveTip: Eating less, choosing more healthy foods, and having 30-60 minutes of physical activity a day can prevent typical mid-life weight gain.

Expanding waistlines associated with increased prevalence of asthma!

With a rising prevalence of asthma in the US, who would have guessed it might be associated with expanding waistlines? A study of more than 88,000 women teachers in California found that those who were overweight had a 40% higher risk for asthma compared to normal weight women. Interestingly, after adjusting for smoking, age, and ethnicity women with waist measurements larger than 35.2 inches had significantly higher risk for asthma--even if they were normal weight. Visceral fat is associated with inflammatory processes, and asthma is an inflammatory condition of the airways.

PositiveTip: Go easy on the high-calorie foods and be physically active daily. It could help reduce your risk of asthma!