Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

The King of All Media, Howard Stern, is a health nut. He’s runs like crazy, meditates and watches what he eats. And in the past, he’s railed against trans-fat and his sidekick, Robin Quivers, is a vegan.

But Howard’s got a problem. He’s got stubborn belly fat he can’t get rid of. And it’s making him mental! He wants six-pack abs. Yesterday he vented his frustration on air. Here’s the transcript:

Howard: I thought I lost weight yesterday. But I gained weight.

Robin: How did you—what?

Howard: I’m very neurotic my weight, as you know.

Robin: So, you really thought you had been eating well, is what you’re saying?

Howard: Yeah. But then I get on the scale this morning and I was up to 198, which means I got to go into stealth-mode. No snacks.

Robin: Really pull it back? No desserts.

Howard: Nothing. That’s it.

Robin: Isn’t it horrible when you’re so good, and you still gain weight?

Howard: Yeah, I’m so good and I always still have that lip around my waist. I still always have that belly. I don’t understand how that’s possible. I’m thin. I work out.

Robin: You run!

Howard: I worked out yesterday like a madman, everything aches. And there’s no noticeable improvement.

Robin: This is just to stay where you are!

Howard: Yeah, it’s so frustrating. I want to be a hot guy! I take off my shirt and I got a six-pack.

Fred: But what you got to do is imagine if you DIDN’T work out. You’d be a mess.

Howard: Well, I have this new theory that guys who are in really good shape don’t run. They just work out with heavy-heavy weights and watch what they eat.

Robin: Yeah, we’ve seen those, the bulky guys.

Howard: I need that. I want to be bulky! I have such a pencil neck.

I know what Howard’s talking about. That belly lip is the hardest to keep off. So, to help Howard out, and anyone else who wants ripped abs, I asked Dr. Fuhrman for some advice:

We all come in various size and shapes and genetics play a significant role here, but keep in mind our metabolic rate slows as we age and it takes more exercise and no snacking to keep off belly fat.

But Howard is certainly on the right track. What also works very effectively is to eat carefully every other day; just eat vegetables beans and fruit, with no grains, oils or animal products. That means, no bread, olive oil and no egg whites on those days; just salad, vegetable-bean soup, steamed veggies and fresh fruit with just a few ounces of sunflower seeds and walnuts. On the other days, just a touch of the other stuff, either some whole grains or animal products, but not both.

A good way to get rid of this belly fat is with four days a week of heavy exercise. You do two days of pulling exercises and two days of pushing exercises. That means no exercise is repeated more than twice a week. Try working out on the weekend, plus Tuesday and Thursday.

Besides the upper body, core, back and abdominal work, walk on a high incline on the pulling days and do leg curls too. On pushing days use an elliptical, stair master or both, plus leg extensions and leg presses or jumps. The upper body on the pushing days would include the bench press, incline press, decline press, dips, triceps extensions and straight arm extensions. On the pulling days do chin ups, cable pulls, rowing, curls, upright rowing and abdominal leg lifts and crunches.

For Howard’s sake, I hope he gets ripped. He needs too! His head of security, a.k.a. Mambo Man, a.k.a. Ricky Man, a.k.a. Scores Man, a.k.a. Ronnie Dice Clay, is really short and really old and regularly falls asleep on the job. “Hey, what’s your problem man!”

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Change the way kids think about health and lifestyle. According to new research, published by The Cochrane Library, family-based interventions, such as improving diet and more physical activity, help overweight children lose weight more than conventional self-help approaches. Scientists insist it’s important for parents to get involved and influence their children’s behavior; Reuters investigates.

Instilling healthy habits early is a great idea, especially when it comes to fitness. It’s been reported that a person’s activity level in youth, influences their over health as an adult. Maybe that’s why South Korea is giving away free gym memberships to children. Darn it! I want a free membership.

And don’t forget. Studies have shown kids eat like their parents. So dad, put down deep-fried hotdog!

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Next time you’re freaked out, calm down. A new study in Neurology claims people who cope with stress are less likely to develop dementia. In outgoing, social people the findings were particularly high. A decreased risk was also observed in less social people that could still handle stress well. Researchers tracked 506 older people for 6 years, during this time 106 became demented. In the beginning, participants filled out questionnaires to determine their personality type and stress level; CNN reports.

I deal with stress by bashing my head against the wall. Kidding! Actually, for me Yoga is a huge stress alleviator. And a previous study reveals mediation and prayer techniques, like those found in Yoga, might change people’s gene activity and help them better react to stress. Shanti, shanti!

And other reports show being social improves memory and reducing stress helps you live longer.

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The World Health Organization estimates 1.6 billion adults, ages 15 and up, were overweight and 400 million adults were obese, worldwide. So, where are all these fat people coming from? Definitely not Salt Lake City! A new survey found Salt Lake, Utah, Colorado Springs, Colorado and Minneapolis, Minnesota are the top 3 fittest cities in the United States. But, Miami, Florida, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and San Antonio, Texas made the list as America’s top 3 fattest cities; via Men’s Fitness.

We better watch out! There’s going to be an all brawl between U.S. cities. In November, the Centers for Disease Control said Burlington, Vermont has the healthiest people in America. Although, Las Vegas has got to be happy, they broke their 2-year streak of being the fattest city in the country. Kudos!

As a nation, we need to reel this obesity thing in. Obesity costs the U.S. more than $100 billion a year.

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You’ve probably heard it before. Exercise is really good for your bones. It makes them stronger. But a new study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise claims cyclists were 2.5 to 3 times more likely to develop osteoporosis or near-osteoporosis. However, biker riders did have less body fat and more muscle. Adding running or weight lifting to a workout can help stimulate the bones and keep them strong; via KiroTV.

In other news, the osteoporosis drug Fosamax has been linked to esophageal cancer. And, getting plenty of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is a great way to keep bones strong and healthy. So is using a weighted vest.

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A new study in Pediatrics claims a person’s level of fitness as a child influences their health as an adult. Of the participants, Norwegian students, those who were more physically active at age 13 were less likely to become obese and develop high blood pressure in their 20s and mid-30s, but this effect dissipated by age 40. Leaving researchers to recommend staying fit as you grow up; Reuters reports.

With so many schools cutting gym programs and obesity soaring worldwide, a lot of attention is being paid to keeping kids active. The National Football League has its Play 60 campaign and recently, India’s health minister suggested making Yoga mandatory for all school children.

Oh! And remember, the television is the enemy. Children that watch too much TV are unfit.

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Presenting at the UK Society for Behavioral Medicine’s annual conference, researchers claim both young girls and women over 70, aren’t as active as their male counterparts. In children, boys tended to play very physicals games and run around like mad men, but girls spent more time in smaller groups, engaging in conversation, verbal games and socializing. In older folks, exercise levels were down among both genders. However, men did more intensive activities, but rested more. While women engaged in lower intensity activities, like housework, for longer intervals; The BBC News investigates.

Staying active and exercising is important for everyone, especially women. Exercise can help build stronger bones, staving off osteoporosis.

Via That’s Fit.

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SpongeBob and MySpace might be super cool. But new research in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests teenagers who spend more than 2 hours in front of a television or computer each day, had less endurance during a standard running test than their peers. However, the findings do not support the theory that watching television or playing on the computer makes kids out-of-shape, but still, researchers recommend parents set clear rules for computer usage and TV time; Reuters reports.

Television has a nasty reputation. A previous report claims sitting around and watching good TV makes people more likely to overeat, the brain becomes distracted and doesn’t realize it’s over-consuming. And commercials make it worse! On average, children ages 8 to 12 are exposed to 7,600 ads a year, teenagers about 6,000 and little kids, ages 2 to 7, 4,400 commercials a year. Eek!

Go outside kids! You haven’t lived until you’ve spent hours throwing a tennis ball against a wall.
 

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Walking just a half an hour each day might help keep you from packing on the pounds as you get older. The research, appearing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined 5,000 men and women, ages 18 to 30, for 15 years, revealing those who walked 30 minutes a day reduced weight gain by 1 pound. The results also found those who exercised more during their middle adult years were more likely to maintain their weight as they got older; WebMD reports.

It can’t get much easier than walking. Heck, it’s what we evolved to do! But a lot of us are too busy with work and don’t have the time to walk around for a half an hour. So try taking the stairs instead, it’s been proven to improve heart health. And simple stretches at your desk can keep the blood following too.

Now, if you can, get running! A previous study showed runners actually live longer.

Via CalorieLab.
 

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A new study in Health Affairs claims more Americans have multiple chronic illnesses than ever before. The percentage of people with 3 or more chronic illnesses rose from 13% in 1996 to 22% in 2005 for ages 45 to 64. It increased 45% for ages 65 to 79, jumped 54% for individuals older than 80 and among all ages, figures went up 6% from 1996. And data reveals the number of Americans with 1 chronic condition, like cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol and heart failure, was 41% in 1996 but rose to 44% in 2005. Obesity and inactivity are being blamed; Reuters reports.

And these maladies are hitting us in the wallet too. On average, obesity and it’s sequelae cost the United States more than $100 billion a year and physicians and hospitals usually fail to make a long term impact on the health of their patients, which is evident when you consider a recent report revealing 24 million Americans have type-2 diabetes, a risk factor for many chronic diseases, up 3 million since 2005.

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FitSugar is kicking around a great question. When picking a partner, or as some would say, following in love, do you consider your potential mate’s health and fitness habits? Does it even matter?

As for me, I’ll be blunt. I won’t even date a girl that doesn’t exercise regularly. And I prefer if they eat healthfully too, not necessarily like I do, but let’s just say, I’ve dated more than a few vegans and vegetarians. And since we’re being frank, I’ll admit it. I've actually ended a relationship because the girl stopped exercising and brought snack cakes into my apartment. Oh hell no!

Sorry, but for me, a healthy lifestyle is one of those make-or-break issues, among other things, but what about you, are the diet and exercise habits of your significant other important? Do tell.

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A new report in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests a connection between the osteoporosis drug Fosamax and esophageal cancer. Since the drug debuted in October 2005 and up to May 2008, the FDA has received 23 claims of patients in the U.S. being diagnosed with esophagus cancer. Fosamax is the suspect drug in 21 cases and the concomitant drug in 2. Experts urge not prescribing Fosamax to patients with Barrett's esophagus, a condition caused by chronic acid reflux and is a precursor to esophageal cancer; ABC News reports.

And in April, a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine linked Fosamax and its generic alendronate with irregular heartbeat. Researchers compared the heartbeats of individuals taking and not taking the drug, revealing 6.5% of those taking medication had irregular heart rhythm and only 4.1% of individuals not taking medication had irregular heartbeat; via BayNews9.com.

Preventing osteoporosis is key. According to Dr. Fuhrman things like checking your vitamin D levels, exercising regularly and avoiding salt—which can leach calcium from bones—helps women avoid osteoporosis. Also, wearing a weighted vest can help strengthen bones.

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As a kid, I logged all my exercising, religiously! Every rep, mile, pushup, pull-up and minute spent hitting a punching bag was accounted for. Nowadays I don’t write it down, but I keep a sharp mental tally.

And the American Academy of Family Physicians recommends keeping an exercise journal. Here are some suggestions to keep your fitness on track:

• Write down every physical activity that you do each day, including what you do and how long you spend doing it.

• Don't just log going for a run or lifting weights. Everyday chores that burn calories count, too. Track activities such as cleaning and vacuuming, or even walking the dog.

• Keep the journal with you, so you can write things down before you forget.

• Commit to entering information in the journal every day.

You know this already, but it pays to exercise. Recent research shows exercise curbs appetite and reduces anger and aggressiveness in obese children. Heck, even our president-elect is a fitness junky.

Actually, last year I blogged about my diet and exercise routine for a week.

Via HealthDay New.
 

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Short films by the creator of the stop-motion duo Wallace and Gromit are part of a new government program in the United Kingdom to help fight childhood obesity. The first animated advertisement featured primitive man evolving into a sedentary lifestyle and then shocked into exercising by pictures of fat pumping around his body. Estimates claim by 2050, 90% of children in the U.K. will be overweight or obese; Reuters reports.

In the United States farmers previously teamed up with Disney to put stickers of popular characters, like Mickey Mouse, on fruits and vegetables to help encourage young children to eat their veggies. Not sure how that worked out. But it’s certainly better than Scooby Doo on fruit snacks!

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