New research shows you don't have to be waif thin to slash your risk of a heart attack. By Arthur Agatston, MD, Prevention
In my practice, I've seen a number of overweight patients virtually eliminate their heart disease risk by losing just a few pounds. This is, of course, wonderful news. I believe that most of us, by employing a few simple lifestyle changes, can avoid having a heart attack, and I intend to help you do that. But while I delight in my patients' successes, some of them are dissatisfied by minimal weight loss and tell me they "just want to be thin." In reaching for that goal, they often inadvertently sabotage the newfound cardiovascular fitness that losing just a little weight can provide.
Fitter in 10 minutes
Are you surprised to learn that you can be fit and, to put it indelicately, fat? Many doctors I know are startled to hear this, too. But the latest research, out of Louisiana State University, shows that overweight women can improve their heart health by adding just 10 minutes of activity a day.
In that study, researchers asked more than 400 sedentary women with high or borderline-high blood pressure to add a short bout of moderately intense activity, such as brisk walking, to their daily routines for 6 months. Although the women as a group neither lost weight nor lowered their blood pressure, they ended up fitter, as measured by their oxygen intake, and—this is the really important part—their waistlines got smaller. That's significant because belly, or visceral, fat is linked to insulin resistance, a contributor to heart disease. You can reach this level of fitness without losing a pound.
The Classic Yo-Yo Diet
The trouble, at least for some of my patients, is that they are more concerned about slimness than heart health. No matter what I tell them, they go on a drastic diet. As the pounds fall off, so does some muscle mass, lowering their metabolism, so that when they resume eating normally they burn off calories more slowly. It's not long before the weight—and the nasty belly fat—comes back.
Fitness Redefined
Metabolism is the key player here, dictated in large part by your genes. Canadian researchers have shown, for instance, that when they have total control of identical twins' diets and overfeed them, siblings gain nearly the same amount, while there is wide variation among the sets of twins. Given the same food, one pair might gain 10 pounds, another pair 29.
Bottom line: Everyone burns calories at a different rate, which is why some of you will have to struggle mightily to lose weight. But remember: There is more than one way to be healthy. Your ideal weight should be determined by what's going on in the inside—with your HDL, triglycerides, and blood sugar—not only by how you look in the mirror. You should be delighted to know that even if the perfect figure is outside your grasp, a fit and healthy body is still within reach.
Arthur Agatston, MD, a preventive cardiologist and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, conducted several groundbreaking studies on heart disease and wrote the international bestseller "The South Beach Diet." He maintains a cardiology practice and research foundation in Miami Beach, FL.
In my practice, I've seen a number of overweight patients virtually eliminate their heart disease risk by losing just a few pounds. This is, of course, wonderful news. I believe that most of us, by employing a few simple lifestyle changes, can avoid having a heart attack, and I intend to help you do that. But while I delight in my patients' successes, some of them are dissatisfied by minimal weight loss and tell me they "just want to be thin." In reaching for that goal, they often inadvertently sabotage the newfound cardiovascular fitness that losing just a little weight can provide.
Fitter in 10 minutes
Are you surprised to learn that you can be fit and, to put it indelicately, fat? Many doctors I know are startled to hear this, too. But the latest research, out of Louisiana State University, shows that overweight women can improve their heart health by adding just 10 minutes of activity a day.
In that study, researchers asked more than 400 sedentary women with high or borderline-high blood pressure to add a short bout of moderately intense activity, such as brisk walking, to their daily routines for 6 months. Although the women as a group neither lost weight nor lowered their blood pressure, they ended up fitter, as measured by their oxygen intake, and—this is the really important part—their waistlines got smaller. That's significant because belly, or visceral, fat is linked to insulin resistance, a contributor to heart disease. You can reach this level of fitness without losing a pound.
The Classic Yo-Yo Diet
The trouble, at least for some of my patients, is that they are more concerned about slimness than heart health. No matter what I tell them, they go on a drastic diet. As the pounds fall off, so does some muscle mass, lowering their metabolism, so that when they resume eating normally they burn off calories more slowly. It's not long before the weight—and the nasty belly fat—comes back.
Fitness Redefined
Metabolism is the key player here, dictated in large part by your genes. Canadian researchers have shown, for instance, that when they have total control of identical twins' diets and overfeed them, siblings gain nearly the same amount, while there is wide variation among the sets of twins. Given the same food, one pair might gain 10 pounds, another pair 29.
Bottom line: Everyone burns calories at a different rate, which is why some of you will have to struggle mightily to lose weight. But remember: There is more than one way to be healthy. Your ideal weight should be determined by what's going on in the inside—with your HDL, triglycerides, and blood sugar—not only by how you look in the mirror. You should be delighted to know that even if the perfect figure is outside your grasp, a fit and healthy body is still within reach.
Arthur Agatston, MD, a preventive cardiologist and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, conducted several groundbreaking studies on heart disease and wrote the international bestseller "The South Beach Diet." He maintains a cardiology practice and research foundation in Miami Beach, FL.
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