×
Ageless Forever Anti-Aging News Blog

Waist - Abdominal Obesity (4)

Young Men, Waist, Testosterone and Erectile Function: Low-T is not only an old man's issue

Most people, including traditional doctors, think that testosterone deficiency is an old man’s issue. This is very wrong! Actually, an excess amount of body fat can cause a man’s testosterone levels drop to as much as 10 years of aging.[1]
 
Several studies have demonstrated that too much body fat is associated with reduced testosterone levels independent of aging.[2-4]
 
Low levels of testosterone (both total and free testosterone) are a consistent feature among young men below 40 years of age with metabolic syndrome, the hallmark of which is an enlarged belly.[5]
 
Young men (20–39 years) with the lowest baseline total testosterone levels have the highest risk of developing cholesterol and blood fat abnormalities (dyslipidemia). [6] Compared to age-matched men with the highest baseline total testosterone levels of 663 ng/dL or higher, those with the lowest baseline total testosterone levels of 418 ng/dL or below had up to a twofold greater risk of developing an adverse lipid profile 5 years later, which in turn could contribute to future risk of cardiovascular disease.[6]
 
Thus, testosterone deficiency clearly has health implications also for younger men. But how much does your belly actually impact your testosterone levels… and erectile function?
 
Read more...

Keep your waist to less than half your height - for health and physical attractiveness

 

In a previous article “Watch Your Belly – not just to look good!” I summarized research showing that an expanded belly is a ticking health bomb and manifestation of deteriorating vitality, as well as reduced physical attractiveness. 
 
Measuring your waist circumference is a good starting point to see where you stand (i.e. to get your baseline) and monitor your progress with exercise and healthier eating. And esthetically, your waist measure tells a lot.
 
Nevertheless, accumulating research shows that health outcomes are more strongly associated with the ratio of your waist to your height, i.e. the waist-to-height ratio. The waist-to-height ratio is simply the ratio of your waist circumference to your height (abbreviated WHtR). To stay (or become) healthy, as well as physically attractive, make sure your waist circumference is less than half your height.
 
Read more...

Watch Your Belly – not just to look good!

Over the past two decades it has been established beyond any doubt that the amount of fat around the waist (aka abdominal fat and visceral fat) is at least as important, if not more important, than the total amount of body fat in predicting and /or causing complications that have been traditionally associated with overweight/obesity.[1]
 
Abdominal obesity is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease independent of BMI (a proxy for obesity) [2, 3] and is thought to affect disease risk through increased insulin resistance.[4, 5]  Actually, the common development of insulin resistance with aging is caused by growing bellies, rather than aging per se.[6] Notably, normal-weight abdominal obesity is associated with higher mortality than generalized obesity (as defined by BMI).[7]
 
An enlarged belly is an especially strong indicator of metabolic risk in men.[8, 9] People with large a waist circumference – i.e. those having a belly - have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, compared to those with smaller waist circumferences, regardless of BMI. [10-14] Your waist also impacts your longevity, which I covered in a previous article "Watch Your Waist - it may shorten your life!"
 
And your belly can interfere with your sex life...
 
Read more...

Watch Your Waist - it may shorten your life!

Your waistline not only makes or breaks your esthetic appearance; if you belly gets too large, it may greatly jeopardize your health and even longevity.

Waist circumference strongly correlates with abdominal obesity and is the most commonly used measure of body fat distribution.[1, 2] Many studies have found enlarged waist circumferences to be associated with all-cause mortality, in most cases independently of general obesity.[3-11]

Abdominal obesity (aka visceral obesity) appears to be more strongly associated with multiple chronic diseases than is gluteo-femoral obesity (fat deposition around the butt and thighs).[1] Increased waist circumference confers a health risk even in normal weight people.[12]

A notable large study investigated the association of waist circumference with mortality using intuitive 2 in (5 cm) increments for men and women, and also evaluated risk within narrow categories of body fatness (BMI). In addition, the study estimated years of life lost due to a large waist circumference.[13]


Read more...
Subscribe to this RSS feed