Belly fat has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. Now an important new study links belly fat to early death. Excess accumulation of belly fat is more dangerous than excess fat around your hips and thighs. Belly fat is associated with serious health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Researchers followed about 360,000 Europeans enrolled in one of the largest, longest health studies in the world.

They found that people with the most belly fat had about double the risk of dying prematurely as people with the least amount of belly fat.

Your genes can contribute to your being overweight and help determine where you carry this extra fat, but poor lifestyle choices are likely to worsen the issue. excess calories of any kind can increase your waistline and contribute to belly fat. Still, there is no single cause of belly fat.

Watch out for the brew because excess calories -- whether from alcohol, sweetened beverages, or oversized portions of food -- can increase belly fat. Our bodies need calories, yet gram for gram, alcohol has almost as many calories as fat. To trim your waistline, add whole grains to your diet. For example, choose brown or wild rice instead of white rice. Refined and other highly processed foods can contribute to weight gain and interfere with weight loss. 

Sources: WebMD, New England Journal of Medicine

Overweight middle-aged men may have a higher risk of heart problems and strokes and die earlier than their thinner peers—even in the absence of some traditional risk factors, a new study suggests.

Overweight and obese individual are at greater risk for developing what is known as Metabolic Syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome refers to a collection of risk factors for diabetes and heart problems—including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol, and high triglycerides (another type of blood fat). It is typically diagnosed when a person has three or more of those conditions.

Among all men without metabolic syndrome, those who were overweight were 52 percent more likely to have heart attacks, strokes, and other complications than normal-weight men were, while obese men had nearly double the risk.

The findings are published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. "Our study shows that overweight (and) obese men without the metabolic syndrome are at higher risk" for heart disease, stroke, and other related conditions, study leader Dr. Johan Arnlov, of Uppsala University in Sweden, told Reuters Health by email. "This is in contrast to some previous studies that have suggested that obesity in the absence of the metabolic syndrome is a 'healthy' condition."

The study does, however, point up the added threat of having metabolic syndrome. For more information on this topic go to: www.webmd.com

                                                                  www.stjosephshealth.org 

                                                                  www.360-5.com/Stroke 

First, you notice shopping for clothes isn't as fun or simple as it used to be. Next comes the "muffin top" spilling over the jeans. Then the scale delivers dire news: You're 10, 15, maybe 20 pounds beyond your "normal" weight. Midlife weight gain is common. Many Americans gain a pound or so every year as they make their way through young adulthood, ending up fat and flabby at age 40 and beyond.

Why do so many people gain weight in midlife?

Blame it on hormones in convergence with poor lifestyle choices, overeating, not exercising enough, and stress. But hormones only account for about 2 to 5 pounds. The rest is the result of overeating, poor lifestyle choices -- such as not exercising enough -- and stress.

Look at your nutrition -- in terms of quality, quantity, and frequency of eating. You should eat often. Quality is all about eating whole foods, fruits, and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein. Processed foods are bad. One of the major reasons for the obesity epidemic is the fact that we eat too much processed food that is loaded with sugar and sodium.

Eat a balance of lean protein, fats, and carbs. Make the fat good fat, not palm oil or hydrogenated oil, but high-quality good fats [such as those in nuts]. The protein should be lean -- a turkey burger, fish, skinless chicken or a veggie burger.

If you exercise, mix up the exercise routine. Exercise at least five times a week. If you do resistance training, be sure to include cardio.

1. Not Knowing Your Disease: "Expecting too much too soon. Understanding how diabetes works will help you make better decisions about how to monitor and manage it."
2. Expecting Too Much Too Soon: "Expecting too much change right away is a mistake."
3. Going it Alone: “One error that people make when it comes to exercise is that they try to do it on their own without help from other people,”
4. Neglecting Other Problems:"Depression and stress are common among people with the disease, and both can have a negative impact on blood sugar levels."
5. Misunderstanding and Misusing Medications: "Many diabetics mistakingly believe that medications are more powerful than diet and exercise."
6. Making Poor Food Choices:"“Try to be aware of what’s going into your mouth,”