Weight Gain = Poor Quality of Life

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in
print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A
courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

Original URL ————

http://www.ageforce.com/weight_gain.html

Title —– Weight Gain = Poor Quality of Life

Weight Gain = Poor Quality of Life
—————————————— Gaining up to 20
pounds over four years can significantly decrease quality of
life, according to a study in the Dec. 8 issue of the Journal of
the American Medical Association.

The study asked over 40,000 women to rate their ability to
perform simple tasks, their experience with bodily pain, and
their overall vitality during the study period to determine how
weight gain or loss affects quality of life.

Weight Gain Increased Feelings Of Bodily Pain
———————————————- The study found
that a weight gain of 5-20 pounds resulted in decreased physical
functioning and lower overall feelings of vitality. Weight gain
also increased feelings of bodily pain.

“We asked simple questions about lifting and carrying groceries,
climbing flights of stairs, and their experience with a range of
basic functions of daily life,” Harvard University assistant
professor of medicine Ichiro Kawachi, MD, tells WebMD. The women
were asked 36 questions that rated their abilities on a scale
from 0 to 100.

“We found that weight gain was among the strongest predictors of
declining physical function, stronger than current smoking,”
says Kawachi, who co-authored the study along with a team of
Harvard researchers. “We also found that even with women who
started out at a normal range of weight, a moderate gain of 5-19
pounds was still associated with a decline in functioning and
energy level.”

The study also found that while weight gain and loss were
associated with the worst and best quality of life scores, it
found that among women who maintained their weight, quality of
life remained high.

“The message of even maintaining weight is a very important
preventive goal,” says awachi. “If you can prevent adding a
couple of pounds a year, it would translate into a health gain
in terms of function, as well as the known risk factors for
cardiovascular and related health.”

Being Overweight Increases Risks Of Health Disorders
——————————————————
Physicians know that being overweight increases the risks of
heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes among
other disorders.

The study cites national statistics showing that over the past
15 years, the average weight of Americans has increased by
nearly eight pounds.

Of the patients involved in the study, close to 40% of the women
gained between 5 and 20 pounds, approximately 40% maintained
their weight, and just over 15% lost between 5 and 20 pounds.
The women ranged in age from 47 to 71, with an average age of
58, and were followed for four years.

Franca Alphin, director of the Duke University Diet & Fitness
Center, says learning to maintain weight is as important as
taking it off.

“The majority of people know how to lose weight but not maintain
weight loss,” says Alphin. “The challenge to someone losing
weight is to maintain weight, and the challenge for people with
normal weight is to maintain it.” She says part of the center’s
weight-loss program is defined periods of weigh maintenance.
“When someone reaches their goal weight, typically other issues
in their lives that have been on hold come back, and food can be
reinstated as a crutch, so maintaining weight becomes more
important.”

The Bottom Line In Dieting Is Calories
——————————————————— Alphin
advises a daily diet of 1,200-1,500 calories and an ultimate
exercise goal of 30 minutes three or four days per week. “The
bottom line in dieting is calories. You have to be aware of
portions and over consumption regardless of what foods you
choose to eat.”

Source: WebMD

1. Prev:Rating The Diets, A Mindless Exercise
2. Next:Weight Loss With Small Changes