A study published in the journal Radiology has found that obesity contributes to rapid cartilage loss.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It causes loss of cartilage, inflammation, pain and stiffness in the joints. The most commonly affected joints are the knees, hips and joints of the lower back and neck. Glucosamine, MSM and fish oil supplements are commonly used for osteoarthritis and they are usually very effective.
In many cases osteoarthritis progresses slowly; it can take several decades for substantial cartilage loss to occur, and symptoms of pain and stiffness usually occur gradually and may come and go. However, researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine have found that in overweight people, cartilage loss and osteoarthritis progress rapidly.
A high Body Mass Index (BMI) was the greatest predictor of who would lose cartilage the fastest in a study involving 3,026 people aged 50 to 79 years. Other predictors of rapid cartilage loss were tears and previous injuries to joints, and synovitis (inflammation of the synovial membrane of a joint). Age, gender and ethnicity were not associated with rapid cartilage loss.
For every 1 unit increase in BMI above 26, the risk of cartilage loss increased by 11 percent. An ideal BMI is considered to be between 18.5 and 24.9. You can work out your BMI using the calculator on this website: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
The researchers of this study concluded that “weight loss is probably the most important factor to slow disease progression”.
If you are overweight and have osteoarthritis, this is what you can do:
- Follow the lower carbohydrate, higher protein eating plan in our book called Can’t Lose Weight? Unlock the Secrets that Keep you Fat. Basically you can lose weight if you avoid eating sugar and flour. Our book contains an eating plan and recipes to help you achieve a healthy weight.
- Avoid or minimise foods that promote inflammation; these include dairy products, wheat, excess alcohol, artificial colours and preservatives and any food to which you are allergic.
- Consume lots of antioxidants in the form of vegetables, fruit, herbs, spices, green tea, nuts and seeds. Making your own raw vegetable juices is an excellent way to get more antioxidants into your body.
- Fish oil is a brilliant and powerful natural anti-inflammatory agent; it can be taken in capsule or liquid form.
- Glucosamine helps to rebuild lost cartilage and offers pain relief. If you do have any form of arthritis you should find it very beneficial. MSM is a natural form of sulfur which is a building block for connective tissue in the body. It is very helpful for all kinds of joint pain.
Why does being overweight cause cartilage loss?
Probably because our joints were never designed to withstand the extra load placed on them by carrying around all those extra pounds. Another possible explanation is the inflammation that occurs in overweight people's bodies. Fat cells are capable of producing a host of inflammatory chemicals that cause free radical damage and wear and tear to the body. The more fat cells you have and the bigger they are, the more of these chemicals get produced.
Source: Radiological Society of North America
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When it comes to feeling mentally and emotionally switched on, we have to have the correct chemistry – in other words, is your brain chemistry right?
If your brain chemistry is wrong, you will never achieve the feeling of wellbeing that you crave.
Here are a few tips to balance your brains’ messenger chemicals (known as neurotransmitters)
1. Eat protein regularly as it gets broken down into amino acids which the brain needs to make neurotransmitters. Good sources of protein include beans, nuts, seeds, sprouts, cheese, plain yogurt, lean red meat, poultry and eggs.
2. Eat more eggs as they contain lots of protein and all the healthy fats the brain needs to be smart
3. Ensure you are not low in magnesium, as it stabilises the electrical activity of the nervous system
4. If you lack focus and satisfaction, you may be low in dopamine. Tyrosine supplements can boost dopamine levels. Dopamine deficiency can cause depression, mental fatigue and over eating – so obviously it’s vital to get enough tyrosine.
5. For mild to moderate depression, the herb St John’s Wort can help by raising the brain’s serotonin levels. St John’s Wort works more effectively if taken with B group vitamins
6. Eat plenty of healthy fats to keep your brain fat. A fat brain is a smart and happy brain! Foods such as oily fish, cold pressed flaxseed oil or capsules, lecithin, avocado, cheese, yogurt and lamb provide healthy fats for your brain.
7. Avoid eating too much sugar as high and/or unstable levels of sugar in the blood will play havoc with the brain’s chemistry. Eat fruit instead!
For more information see the book:
HELP FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY – How to have a happy and healthy nervous system
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Being overweight is bad for our health, we all know that. Being overweight increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, cancer and arthritis. You may not be aware that the location you store excess body fat is the main determining factor in whether you will develop one of these conditions.
Excess fat stored on your thighs, buttocks and triceps may not be pleasing to your eyes, but it does not impact your health a great deal. Fat stored on your abdomen, waist, chest and neck poses more of a problem because we have important organs and blood vessels in those parts of the body, and fat can infiltrate them.
There are two main types of fat that can accumulate on your body:
- Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SCAT) and
- Visceral adipose tissue (VAT)
Subcutaneous adipose tissue is the kind of fat that is stored just under your skin and it is more prevalent on the legs, buttocks and arms. People with an excess amount of this type of fat can be fat but fit. They can be overweight yet still very healthy, and not at risk of chronic diseases. A classic example of this is sumo wrestlers. They are clearly very obese, yet they are also very strong and flexible, due to their intense exercise regime, therefore they do not develop health problems. The story changes after they retire from their training schedule; at that stage they do go on to develop insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Visceral adipose tissue is strongly associated with several diseases and a shortened life span. If you carry excess weight on your abdomen, chest, back and neck, the fat there doesn’t just sit on the outside of your body. It actually gets inside and around your internal organs. People with a high level of visceral adipose tissue can develop a fatty liver, fatty pancreas and spleen; their heart can be surrounded by fat and their arteries can be clogged with fat. Fat can also grow into the throat and obstruct breathing during sleep, causing snoring and sleep apnea.
The interesting thing is not everyone with a lot of visceral fat appears overweight. These are the types of people who have a poor diet but never gain much weight. John is a patient of mine who fits into this category. John loves food and he loves sweets. As soon as he finishes a meal or snack, he eagerly anticipates the next one. John has never been overweight; in fact he is tall and slim and that has enabled him to get away with a lifetime of bad eating habits. He loves chocolate, whole blocks of chocolate eaten in one go. He also loves biscuits, and the only way he eats them is a packet at a time.
Unfortunately John had a major heart attack last year and discovered that most of the arteries running to his heart and brain are blocked between 50 and 90 percent. He is 63 years old and has realised that it’s time to change his diet. He is very lucky he was given a second chance.
The best way to burn body fat
The best way to lose weight from any part of your body, whether it’s your thighs or your liver is to follow a low carbohydrate eating plan. Sugar, flour, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and breakfast cereals all get converted into fat inside your liver if you eat too much of them.
Our books Can’t lose weight? Unlock the secrets that keep you fat and Diabetes type 2: You can reverse it naturally both contain lower carbohydrate, higher protein eating plans to help you lose weight, reverse a fatty liver and bring your blood sugar down if it is elevated.
Regular exercise that makes you huff, puff and sweat is excellent for burning fat within organs and blood vessels too. A liver tonic containing the herb St Mary’s thistle, vitamins, minerals and amino acids can help to reverse a fatty liver if combined with a low carbohydrate eating plan. The herbs Gymnema and bitter melon, as well as the mineral chromium help to lower insulin resistance, which causes the accumulation of visceral adipose tissue.
Fish oil helps to clear blocked arteries and lower triglycerides.
Do all these things consistently and you’ll not only look good on the outside; you’ll be healthy on the inside too.
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