EDNESDAY, April 6, 2011 (Health.com) — Teenage boys who are even slightly overweight face an increased risk of heart disease later in life, even if they slim down as adults, according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Regardless of their adult weight, men who were obese as teenagers were nearly seven times more likely than their slimmest peers to be diagnosed with heart disease in their mid-30s, the study found. Heavier-than-average teens whose body mass index was in the normal range were at increased risk as well. (Body mass index, or BMI, is a ratio of height to weight that provides a rough estimate of body fat.)

The good news is that the same was not true of diabetes. A man’s BMI as an adult, but not as a teen, was linked to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, so slimming down by eating right and exercising appears to go a long way toward preventing the onset of the disease, the researchers say.

“For those who don’t become obese as adults, the risk of diabetes goes down, but for heart disease this is not the case,” says the lead author of the study, Amir Tirosh, MD, an endocrinologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston. “You don’t get rid of the risk just by reducing the weight. The body remembers when we were running around with a higher BMI.”

Related links:

• Could You Have Type 2? 10 Diabetes Symptoms
• 10 Heart-Healthy Rules to Live By
• 10 Best Foods for Your Heart

Current weight and recent weight changes strongly influence the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. By contrast, the findings suggest, the narrowing and hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) that characterizes heart disease and often goes hand in hand with obesity—both are aggravated by a poor diet and sedentary lifestyle—is gradual and difficult to reverse, even with weight loss.

It’s important to keep in mind that being overweight is not solely responsible for heart disease or diabetes, says Daniel Marks, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist at Oregon Health and Sciences University, in Portland. Nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle choices, he says, have a “much greater impact” on risk than body size alone.

Two people with the same BMI can have very different risks for diabetes and heart disease if one of them exercises regularly and the other does not, says Dr. Marks, who was not involved in the new study. “BMI is a proxy marker for poor lifestyle choices,” he explains. “But it’s the lifestyle choices that will get you in the end. We all need to have healthier lifestyles.”

Indeed, even some boys in the study whose BMIs were considered “normal” were at increased risk of heart disease as adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines kids and teens with a BMI between the 5th and 85th percentile for their age as normal, but Tirosh and his colleagues found that boys with BMIs as low as the 50th percentile—which equates to a BMI of about 20—were at increased risk.

“For patients at the higher end of the normal range, doctors should be addressing risk factors such as family history of heart disease and smoking,” Dr. Tirosh says.

Caffeine and diabetes - helpful or harmful?

Last updated: Friday, April 08, 2011Print

 

A growing body of research suggests that caffeine disrupts glucose metabolism and may contribute to the development and poor control of type 2 diabetes, a major public health problem.

A review article in the inaugural issue of Journal of Caffeine Research: The International Multidisciplinary Journal of Caffeine Science, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers, examines the latest evidence, contradicting earlier studies suggesting a protective effect of caffeine. The entire issue is available free online.

James Lane, PhD, Duke University, describes numerous studies that have demonstrated caffeine's potential for increasing insulin resistance (impaired glucose tolerance) in adults that do not have diabetes, an effect that could make susceptible individuals more likely to develop the disease.

In adults with type 2 diabetes, studies have shown that the increase in blood glucose levels that occurs after they eat carbohydrates is exaggerated if they also consume a caffeinated beverage such as coffee. This effect could contribute to higher glucose levels in people with diabetes and could compromise treatment aimed at controlling their blood glucose.

Links revealed

"More than 220 million people worldwide have diabetes, says Editor-in-Chief Jack E. James, PhD, School of Psychology, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.

”The links that have been revealed between diabetes and the consumption of caffeine beverages (especially coffee) are of monumental importance when it is acknowledged that more than 80% of the world's population consumes caffeine daily. Dr Lane's review of the topic gives the clearest account to date of what we know, what we don't know, and what needs to be done – urgently!"

Journal of Caffeine Research provides a much-needed authoritative source and central forum to advance knowledge of caffeine science and caffeine's effects on human health. It strives to be inclusive with respect to the diversity of research methodologies used to investigate caffeine, and the diversity of views and opinions regarding its mechanisms and effects, and will combine scientific research and clinical studies on caffeine, with an impact across many fields.

The inaugural issue of the Journal captures the broad scope of debate and research in this emerging clinical and scientific arena. Included are an interview on "Caffeine Consumption and Combat Stress amongst Military Personnel," a provocative roundtable discussion on "Caffeine, Alcohol, and Youth: A Toxic Mix," and articles on "Effects of Caffeine Consumption by Women and Men on the Outcome of In Vitro Fertilisation," "The 'Buzz' on Caffeine: Patterns of Caffeine Use in a Convenience Sample of College Students," "Gender Differences in Subjective and Physiological Responses to Caffeine and the Role of Steroid Hormones," "Loss of Coronary Dilation to N6-2-(4-Aminophenyl) Ethyladenosine in Isolated Hearts from Chronic Caffeine- and Nifedipine-Treated Rats," "Energy Drink Use and Substance Use among Musicians," and more. (EurekAlert/ March 2011)

Read more: 
Diabetes

Health and Wellness: Access to Wellbeing

Overview

The World Health Organization defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Eating right, exercising, and sleeping well play an equal role in the prevention of infections and diseases. However, a good sense of self, a loving support network, and the potential for continued personal growth is also important to our overall wellbeing. 

Many of us are not in control of the factors that cause us to become ill whether they be genetic, environmental, or something else entirely. There are many avenues we can take to improving our health, which include the use of traditional and modern medicines when we are ill.

However, most people cannot access or afford proper health care such as healthy sanitation and hygiene, which is necessary to prevent the spread of disease. 

Moreover, a large proportion of the global population are disenfranchised because of poverty, geographic location, disability, or social stigma against those who are ill. In addition, sexual health continues to be a highly contentious issue around the world particularly with concern to the method of transmission of some of the world's deadliest diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, one of the most pressing issues in terms of health and wellness is the education, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. The Millennium Development Goals seek to address this issue specifically in Goal 5: Improve maternal health and Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases.

While people of all ages should maintain good health, young people face special challenges as they transition from childhood to adulthood. With the onset of puberty, the body changes to accommodate physical and emotional growth, but it also marks one of the most vulnerable stages in a young person's life. During this time, females tend to struggle more than males with body image and self-esteem issues which can lead to dangerous eating disorders and even death. On the other hand substance abuse, depression, self-mutilation and suicide have higher incident rates in males than females and if left untreated these health concerns may lead to permanent mental and physical damage. 

Given that everyone’s body and medical history is different, it is important to be aware of what makes you sick and even what makes you feel better on a personal level. 

There is extensive international research documenting the ways in which the health status of individuals or groups is significantly determined by social and economic conditions as well as by therapeutic care or personal health behaviours. Social determinants of health (SDOH) are social and economic conditions that influence the health of individuals and communities. A wealth
of research on SDOH provides evidence that: health follows a social gradient; stress damages health; the health impacts of early development and education lasts a lifetime; poverty and social exclusion cost lives; stress in the workplace increases the risk of disease; job security improves health;
unemployment causes illness and premature death; social supports and supportive networks improve health; alcohol, drug and tobacco use are influenced by the social setting; healthy food is a political issue; and healthy transport means walking and cycling and good public transport. Other basic determinants of health, such as genetics, interact with SDOH to present a broad overview of why
some individuals and communities are healthy while others are not.

In 2002, Canadian researchers, policy-makers and community representatives gathered together at a conference entitled “The Social Determinants of Health Across the Life-Span” to comment upon and discuss the current state and health
implications of key SDOH in Canada. The conference produced “The Toronto
Charter for a Healthy Canada” which identified ten key SDOH for Canadians as recognized in Health Canada and World Health Organization (WHO) documents. The ten determinants, in alphabetical order, include: early life; education; employment and working conditions; food security; health services; housing; income and income distribution; social in/exclusion; the social safety net (including contributions from the voluntary and community sector); and unemployment and job security. SDOH are directly related to the ways in which resources are organized and distributed among the members of a society.


Sustainable health and wellness is not only part of our survival but it is also a continuously rewarding way to live out our entire lives.

Additional References:

Marmot, M. G. (2004). The Status Syndrome: How Social Standing affects our health and Longevity. New York, NY: Times Books.

Raphael, D. (2004). Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectives. Toronto, ON: Canadian Scholars’ Press.

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