Men With Belly Fat at Risk for Osteoporosis
Women are not the only ones at risk for decreased bone strength.
"Visceral, or deep belly, obesity is a risk factor for bone loss and decreased bone strength in men," according to a study by Miriam Bredella, M.D., a radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
The fat that researchers are finding contributes to decreased bone strength is "visceral or intra-abdominal fat, which is located deep under the muscle tissue in the abdominal cavity." The researchers used "CTscans of the abdomen and thigh to assess fat and muscle mass, as well as very high resolution CT of the forearm and a technique called finite element analysis (FEA), in order to assess bone strength and predict fracture risk."
To reduce risk of osteoporosis, increase muscle mass by exercising, strength training regularly (at least three times per week) and eating a healthy diet (mostly fruits and vegetables).
More: 4 Fruits You Should Snack On
Your Kids Need at Least 7 Minutes of Vigorous Physical Activity
University of Alberta medical researchers found that simply taking a brisk walk or engaging in mild to moderate exercise is just not enough to benefit the health of children ages 9 to 17. Vigorous activity would be playing a competitive sport, running, gymnastics or swimming.
More: How to Make Exercise Fun for Kids
More Reasons to Exercise: You Live Longer, and Happier
Even though you may not lose weight, it's still worth getting out and exercising. According to a study by international researchers published in the journal PLOS Medicine, even when they're overweight, people who do regular physical activity, such as brisk walking, live longer than those who don't do any leisure-time exercise.
Researchers from Sweden and the United States used information on "leisure-time physical activities and BMI (Body Mass Index, body weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) from more than 650,000 people aged over 40 years in a combined analysis of six long-term studies (one from Sweden and five from the U.S.). They found that even leisure-time physical activity at a level equivalent to brisk walking for up to 75 minutes per week was associated with an average increase in life expectancy of 1.8 years compared to those who did not exercise."
The good news—if you do up to 300 minutes of brisk walking you continue to get more longevity benefits (it plateaus after 300).
Need more convincing? Not only do you get to live longer, but Penn State researchers found that people's satisfaction with life was higher on days when they exercised more than usual.
More: 5 Easy Lifestyle Changes
Put Heart Stickers and Other Caring Messages on Healthy Foods—It Works
Most people probably don't associate veggies with love and caring. However, according to research published in the Journal of Consumer Behaviour, reminders of companionate love lead to a greater likelihood of making healthy eating choices.
More: 5 Simple Rules to Maintain a Balanced Diet
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