Unhealthful Habits Increase the Risk of Sexual Dysfunction

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…

Active Women 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…

Mediterranean-style Diet Wins Again

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.…

Which Measure Best Predicts Cardiovascular Risk?

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…

Bigger Bellies Yield Higher Death Rates

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…

Expanding Waistlines = Expanding Stroke Risk

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…

Asthma Associated with Larger Waist Measurements

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…