NOT a self portrait
Yesterday, media outlets around the world ( here, here and here) discussed a new scientific study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which reaffirmed the notion that a large waist can almost double your risk of premature death.
This shouldn’t come as news to anyone who takes an active interest in their health.
Us health nuts have known for years that visceral fat is a killer.
Because of this, I usually just skim these articles to make sure that I am not missing any new breakthroughs.
Surprisingly, in this case, I did find something interesting.
But it wasn’t the research.
It was the response to the research.
I noticed two things:
- The Main Stream Media can be pretty stupid, and
- Doctors have drastically improved their understanding of how our lifestyle (physical activity, nutrition, thoughts and feelings) impacts our health
So, why do I think that the MSM is stupid?
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To explain this, I need to tell you a little story.
Yesterday afternoon, a client of mine asked me if I had heard about this new study which claimed that having love handles doubled your risk of premature death.
Love handles?
I told him that he was be mistaken.
Belly fat or visceral fat is bad news.
But love handles?
Love handles may not look very sexy, but they aren’t a killer.
But he was pretty adamant and pointed me to this BBC headline:
Love handles’ raise death risk
Whoops, the BBC screwed up.
The study looks at waist circumference and visceral fat, not love handles.
Love handles, in colloquial or slang speech, are a layer of fat that is deposited around a person’s midsection, especially visible on the sides over the abdominal external oblique muscle. They are called “love handles” because they provide a soft place to rest one’s hand while one’s arm is around a person, or perhaps because they can serve as places to hold on while copulating.
So, before anyone else starts thinking that their love handles are out to get them:
Love Handles: Squishy / Not a Killer
Visceral Fat: Less squishy / Big Time Health Risk
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Interesting Observation # 2
Doctors have drastically improved their understanding of how our lifestyle (physical activity, nutrition, thoughts and feelings) impacts our health.
Just check out this video.
What I want you to notice is the doctor’s closing statement.
As he discusses treatment options for patients with a large waist (caused by visceral fat), he says:
“We can ask them to consider exercising more, reducing their carbohydrate intake, taking more fruit and vegetables in their diet, and by that way, we can help them reduce the risk and live longer and happier.”
He doesn’t say:
- Restrict calories, or
- Eat less fat, or
- Increase their fibre intake, or
- Eat more whole grains, or
- Any other pre-programmed, government approved nutritional nonsense.
He says:
- Exercise more
- Reduce your carb intake, and
- Eat more fruits and vegetables
And considering that fruits and vegetables are carbohydrates, I think it’s fair to assume that the good doctor is telling us to reduce our consumptions of GRAINS.
Tell me it’s not true.
Eat less bread, corn, pasta and rice…how will I ever survive?
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