Belly circumference and BMI predict cardiovascular disease

Someones belly circumference and BMI can predict their chances of developing cardiovascular diseases.

This is shown by a publication in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, a magazine of the European Association for Cardiology.

The results come from a large study done at the RIVM in the Netherlands. The study comprised of 20.000 Dutch men and women between the age of 20 and 65 and who were tracked for 10 years. The Dutch Heart Association, the RIVM and the University of Wageningen all participated in this study.

The circumference of the belly and the BMI are measures that determine if people are overweight or obese. This research has shown that people who are overweight or obese, half of all the lethal cardiovascular disease and a quarter of all non-lethal cardiovascular disease can be attributed to their excess weight.

In people who are obese the chance of getting a lethal form of cardiovascular disease is four times greater and the chance of a non-lethal form two times greater than the chances of people who have a normal weight.

Obesity and its consequences are becoming a great problem worldwide. In Holland for example 52 percent of men and 41 percent of women are overweight.

The Dutch Heart Foundation think that doctors can play a key role when they suspect that someone has too much weight and in reducing obesity. By measuring someones belly circumference and BMI they can easily determine if someone is overweight. Subsequently they can refer people to dieticians and fitness experts to help them change their eating and exercise habits.

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Exercising a little more can prevent type 2 diabetes

Exercising only half an hour more per week can help to prevent that somebody gets type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is prevalent among people who are overweight and have a poor diet.

Diabetes can lead to blindness, dementia and amputation of feet and legs. Scientist Cheryl Roumen of the University of Maastricht has promoted on these findings.

She followed a group of people that got intensive guidance in improving their lifestyle. The participants received advices about nutrition and exercise and had free participation in an exercise program.

Their physical fitness improved dramatically and their blood sugar levels improves as well. After some time their risk for getting type 2 diabetes decreased with 47 percent.

It has been some years since Roumen booked these results with her research group. Because probably not everybody has maintained this lifestyle, the University of Maastricht will start a follow-up study.

This will have to shown why people stop following a more healthy lifestyle. It will also shown if previous obtained improvements of the blood sugar levels are kept after they have stopped the exercise program of the study.

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Chocolate is good against wrinkles

It almost sounds to good to be true, but British scientists claim to have discovered that eating a small amount of dark chocolate each day could prevent the aging effects of the sun.

Even the chances of getting skin cancer would be lower with a daily portion of pure chocolate. These benefits are only given by pure dark chocolate that contains large amounts of flavonols.

Flavonols are antioxidants that are found in cacao beans, which are one of the main ingredients of chocolate. Research showed that people who ate chocolate which had a high flavonol content could endure more UV light than people who ate chocolate with a low flavonol content.

For this research a special chocolate was used that contained extra high amounts of flavonols. This chocolate is not available to consumers yet. Flavonols can also be found in red wine, green tea and apples.

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