Relation Between Obesity and Physical Disability

The research carried out at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues pointed out that the inception of physical disability in the aged persons can be disallowed by maintaing a healthy body weight.

The older adults having excess weight during their midlife were found to have not as good as physical performance in late adulthood as compared to those who had normal weight in their adulthood.

Denise K. Houston, Ph.D., R.D., lead author and an instructor in internal medicine-gerontology said,"The data suggest that interventions to prevent overweight and obesity in young and middle-age adults may be useful in preventing or delaying the onset of physical disability later in life."

The relation between obesity and physical disability is well known. The research was done over 2,803 participants. It is found that Obesity may lead to joint wear and tear, reduced exercise capacity, and a higher rate of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and arthritis that can result in physical disability.

Little Physical Activity Improve Fitness Level

Even a little physical activity approximately 75 minutes a week can be beneficial to improve the fitness state for postmenopausal women who are sedentary and overweight or obese.

Low level fitness of cardiorespiratory fitness can cause in the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death. This risk reduces with the improvements in fitness. The physical activity is directly proportional to fitness in the adults.

Timothy S. Church, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D and colleagues has examined the effect of 50 percent, 100 percent, and 150 percent of the NIH Consensus Panel physical activity recommendations on cardiorespiratory fitness in sedentary, overweight or obese postmenopausal women with elevated blood pressure. They suggested at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week. The panel studied 464 sedentary, postmenopausal overweight or obese women whose body mass index ranged from 25.0 to 43.0 and whose systolic blood pressure ranged from 120.0 to 159.9 mm Hg. Enrollment took place between April 2001 and June 2005.

Weight Loss Mantra: Cutting Calories, Not Exercise

The Weight Loss mantra ‘reduce calories and increase exercise’ gives the better resuts if it is followed . If you don’t have sufficient time for exercise daily then reducing calories is an effective way to keep weight off.

Jamy Ard, M.D., assistant professor of nutrition sciences and medical director of EatRight Weight Management Services said ,"Our results show that individuals who successfully maintain body weight after completing EatRight consume fewer calories and have a lower energy density dietary pattern than those who do not maintain body weight.This calorie control led to successful weight maintenance despite the fact that these individuals did not meet recommended exercise levels."


He added,"It's clear that exercise combined with a low energy density diet is the best approach for weight loss and overall good health.But many people report finding time to exercise is a major obstacle. It's encouraging to report that weight loss can be maintained primarily through a low calorie diet."

Four keys to prevent adolescents obesity

• fruits and vegetables:To include fruits and vegetables in your daily diet is very useful .five fruits and vegetables in your meal is very beneficial for the obese adolescents.Fruits and vegetables prevents the obesity in the adolescents .
• TV or computer :It is recommended that the teenagers should not spend more than two hours in front of TV or computer.Excess spending of time is also increases obesity in the adolescents.Now adays teenagers are spending a lot of time with tv or computer which is not good in terms of obesity.
• Exercise :Exercise keeps you fit and fine .It reduces excess fat of your body .it is healthy way to fight aginst obesity without any side effect.
• sugar-sweetened drinks:Most of the teenagers are very fond of sugar sweetened drinks which is not good for their health .it also a factor to increase the obesity in the adolescents.

Jennifer Foltz, M.D., a pediatric fellow and an attending physician at the University of Rochester Medical Center said, “Clinicians and community leaders need to focus on these four, simple goals to get the message across to adolescents and families that small changes can reap lifelong benefits.Doctors should be talking to their patients about nutrition, physical activity and screen time, and the public health community should be promoting and increasing the availability of fruits and vegetables while decreasing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages."