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How Are Obesity and High Blood Pressure Connected?

by: Stefan Simonovic

Obesity and excess weight have long been linked to an array of health problems. Being overweight is not just a matter of physical appearance that increases or decreases someone's chances to meet people online or in real life and expand their social and romantic circles, but it's first and foremost a health issue that needs to be addressed from a medical perspective.

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High blood pressure or hypertension is the increased pressure that blood applies to the interior walls of the arteries. The risk factors for high blood pressure include excess weight, excess abdominal weight, and sudden weight gain. Excess weight is easily measured using the body mass index (BMI) in most populations. Normal BMI is 20-25, a person who's overweight has a BMI of 25-29.9, and an obese person has a BMI of 30 or greater.

BMI vs. Abdominal Obesity

BMI is not only important for determining the overall health status of a person, but it's a great indicator of fat distribution as well. Too much fat distribution in the abdominal area is called abdominal obesity. Abdominal obesity is one of the strongest indicators whether someone will develop hypertension, and it’s also among the risk factors for a host of other health problems. Abdominal obesity is defined by a simple waist-to-hip circumference ratio. All you need to do is measure your hips where they are the widest and measure your relaxed abdomen at the navel. Divide the waist value by the hip value and you'll get the waist-to-hip ratio. For men, the risks for obesity, stroke, and heart attack rise as their ratio increases above 0.95, while for women this number is 0.85.

Clearly, measuring abdominal obesity is easy, but doing something about it is a whole different story. Abdominal fat means excess visceral fat, and the only way to lose excess visceral fat is to lose weight. It’s that simple. Going back to basics, the only way to lose weight is to use up more calories than you take in from food. That means smaller meals and much more physical activities.

The BMI is certainly more complex than waist circumference, and measuring the latter is more prone to error. In other words, using both methods to check your body fatness is in order, especially if you’re not planning on getting an MRI, which is the best method to measure visceral fat.

Obesity and High Blood Pressure

Many studies have confirmed the link between the rise in high blood pressure and a considerable increase in obesity among the general population. Around the world, there are at least 1.1 billion adults who are overweight, and 313 million who are obese. The US doesn’t have the stats to be proud of, but neither does the UK, where 66% of men and 55% of women are either overweight or obese. The Framingham Heart study found that approximately 78 percent of hypertension cases in men, and 65 percent in women can be directly correlated with obesity. Although high blood pressure is treated with medication, the single best way to fight the condition is losing weight, which is too often associated with this medical problem.


About the author:

Stefan is a writer and a blogger in his spare time. He also works for First Beat Media, a company that mainly focuses on the online dating niche and similar services.


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Top 7 Habits For Healthy Heart

by: Stefan Simonovic

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Today, we can do almost anything online. We can meet our soul mates, learn new scientific facts, even check our own health. This last perk is actually pretty useful in today's fast-paced world. Nowadays, most people are simply not that interested in regular check-ups and that can be very dangerous, especially when it comes to cardiovascular diseases. People tend to see the doctor only after the illness strikes. This irresponsible approach may even cost you your life and that's why it's always better to be safe than sorry. So, when you finally take a break from browsing free singles dating sites and online gaming, make sure to check out some of these useful tips. Apply these 7 healthy habits and your heart will "work" like a fine Swiss watch.

Don't Eat Late At Night

This is definitely one of the healthiest habits you need to implement into your lifestyle. Why is this so important? Well, it's pretty simple actually. Your digestive system isn't designed to work late at night. It goes to a so-called sleep mode which means fat and other harmful substances are not being processed. Instead, they tend to stay and clutter your blood vessels. In order to prevent that from happening, you should not eat after 7 pm.

Engage In Regular Exercise

A neatly organized diet is good, of course, but you still need to exercise in order to keep your heart healthy and strong. Running is probably the best possible choice. Of course, you should pick a place where there's no air pollution. Forrest is a perfect spot for jogging. Naturally, if this type of exercise is too intense for you, a nice long walk will also do the trick.

Avoid Greasy Food

Grease and fat will only increase the level of cholesterol in your blood. High cholesterol may cause serious cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure and heart attacks. Therefore, you need to avoid greasy food as much as possible.

Add Fish To Your Diet

Instead of eating French fries, bacon, and Buffalo wings, you should definitely consider adding fish to your everyday diet. Fish meat is full of magnesium which is extremely good for your blood and the muscles in your body, including the most important muscle of them all - your heart.

Avoid Sugar

This is probably the hardest sacrifice you'll have to make, but trust us, it's definitely worth it. Eating too much sugar can cause diabetes, which can later induce some serious heart diseases. Sugar stimulates the liver to produce harmful fats and that can be fatal. The healthiest way to consume sugar is by eating various fruits.

Resist The Urge To Smoke And Drink

You should definitely avoid these two vices at all costs. Smoking will pollute your lungs and your arteries. It increases the risk of cardiovascular illnesses, such as stroke and coronary heart diseases. Heavy drinking can raise your blood pressure and cause cardiomyopathy.

Eat A Lot of Fruit

This is, by far, the easiest and healthiest way to take care of your heart. Fruits like plums, bog-berries, and cranberries are natural antioxidants. They are full of vitamins, minerals, and fibers. Eating them on a daily basis will lower the risk of many chronic illnesses including heart diseases.


About the author:

Stefan is a writer and a blogger in his spare time. He also works for First Beat Media, a company that mainly focuses on the online dating niche and similar services.



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How to Turn Your Smartphone Into a Portable Fitness Tool

by: Jeric Danao


Smartphones are wonderful devices that allow you to do numerous functions that can help with your daily life. Phones like the Samsung Galaxy On5, along with other products from Samsung, have provided various apps and features that make simple tasks feel like a breeze. From gaming, social media, and streaming apps, smartphones are handy devices that you can count on.

Recently, more people have taken a healthy approach to their lifestyle, which means that more people are looking into taking healthy diets, along with regular exercise. With more people living healthy, it is best to make sure that you are able to track it. Luckily, your smartphone can be that handy health and fitness device that you are looking for. Here are steps on how to do it.

Get the right accessories


When it comes to turning your phone into a fitness tool, make sure that you are using the right accessories that match. If you are planning to run and exercise, you can get a strap so you can hold your device into place as you go. Make sure that your phone is protected as well, as there are many durable phone cases, like the Samsung Galaxy On5’s accessory. Buying the right accessories would make sure that you would be able to use your phone during some of your fitness routines.

Get Tracking apps


One of the main reasons you are using your phone as a fitness device, like your Samsung Galaxy On5, is to get the right tracking apps to monitor your progress during the day.

Examples of fitness tracking apps include MyFitnessPal for your calorie intake, MapMyRun for your running activities, miCoach for your workout schedules and routines, and Spotify for your background music. Phones like the Samsung Galaxy On5 would be able to handle these apps thanks to their sizeable memory. Having the right tracking apps would make sure that you would be able to see your daily progress, which can help you maintain your healthy lifestyle.


Get a shopping app


Living healthy also means that you would have to shop healthy as well. Buying healthy food and drinks, and even exercise gear, can be a task that may be challenging to put into your busy schedule, which is why getting a shopping app for your Samsung Galaxy On5 would be really ideal.

Apps for your phone like Amazon and Redmart are some of the most ideal choices. These apps would have your products handily delivered to your home, making sure that you have a consistent and steady supply of healthy consumables, along with some fresh exercise clothes.

Get fitness gaming apps


Another way to make your exercise routine more fun is by getting some gaming fitness apps. These games would help add some more variety and excitement by adding some tasks and objectives that would really get you fit. Examples of these gaming apps include Zombies Run! and Fitocracy.

Key Takeaway


Living healthy would do wonders for your body, and having a phone like the Samsung Galaxy On5 would really help make sure you maintain it. With the abundance of health-related applications and accessories available, you would be able to turn your phone into the ideal fitness tool that you can bring around during the day.

About the author:

Jeric is a freelance writer that features food, lifestyle, travel, DIY subjects, and nature. He is an adventurer, taking on the world and everything it has to offer, be it with the good and the bad. He also has a weird love for reggae and sharks. See: Reggae Shark


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Should Microvascular Heart Disease Prevent You From Running

by: Stefan Simonovic

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The Internet is a vast kingdom which allows us to inform ourselves about literally anything or anyone. Yes, following famous people Snapchat accounts is fun, but you should also use the relentless power of World Wide Web to learn something new and useful. Today, we're going to talk about a common medical condition called Microvascular Heart Disease. Is it as serious as it sounds and should this illness prevent you from running and engaging in regular workout routines? Stick around and find out how to live with this heart condition.

What Is Microvascular Heart Disease?

This particular condition is basically a coronary heart disease but on a micro level. Microvascular disease is also caused by buildups of plaque (cholesterol, fat, sugar), but instead of affecting large arteries, it affects the small (micro) branches that are located in these large vessels. These plaque buildups can cause blockages which can later cause chest pains, unexpected spasms, lower blood flow to the heart, and many other serious and potentially fatal problems. Dr. Stacey Rosen, a renowned cardiologist, says that this condition shouldn't be ignored. She also states that women are more prone to Microvascular Heart Disease, but men can be affected as well.

How To Keep It At Bay?

Even though Microvascular Heart Disease is considered to be a very serious and dangerous condition, it doesn't necessarily have to be fatal, especially if you treat it right. Living with this particular problem is, of course, possible. Actually, you can have a completely normal life, as long as you know how to keep this disease at bay. This means you need to eat healthy, in order to keep your cholesterol and blood sugar levels under control. If by any chance you have problems with high blood pressure, you have to consult your doctor about the medicine you need to acquire.

When it comes to symptoms, it's extremely important to know how to identify them. Listen to your body and you'll be able to prevent unpleasant and dangerous scenarios. Also, stress can cause you a lot of problems if you're suffering from Microvascular Heart Disease. Constant stress can make your condition much worse, so you need to find a way to avoid it. If you can't isolate yourself from stressful situations, you absolutely need to find an adequate way to cope with them. Meditation and yoga might do the trick. These techniques will calm your body and mind, thus preventing stress-induced complications.

Should This Condition Stop You From Exercising?

The answer is - absolutely not! Regular exercise, especially cardio workouts like running will actually help you fight this disease. However, you need to be careful not to push yourself too far. You need to listen to your own body while running and not go over your personal limit. Forcing your body, in this case, can be extremely dangerous, so it's very important to determine the limits of your physical performance. Once you do that, you'll be able to carelessly enjoy running and other physical activities.


About the author:

Stefan is a writer and a blogger in his spare time. He also works for First Beat Media, a company that mainly focuses on the online dating niche and similar services.



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Spartan Race Male Athletes Who Made Us Take a Second Look

Spartan Race has gained the title as one of the most popular obstacle race course events in the world. The exciting American competition Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge was inspired by the same race. This grueling obstacle course has produced athletes of all shapes and sizes towards the same goal of reaching the finish line. But apart from conquering the obstacle course, there are athletes in the course who catch our attention for different reasons.

Following both the American competition and the recently held inaugural Philippine race, there were athletes who can make your heads turn back for a second look and here are some of them:

Michael Reyes

Mike is the Race Director of Spartan Race Philippines. Thanks to him and the rest of his team, the highly anticipated obstacle race course finally landed on Philippine soil. His first Spartan Race experience was in 2011 and had joined two more races this year before the inaugural Philippine race. He may intimidate you with his height and built, but the minute this guy smiles at you, the bad boy image instantly fades. Mike also makes sure to cheer up and motivate the race participants he sees in the course. Don’t forget to say hi to him as you’re sure to see him again in the next races happening in 2018.

Isaiah Vidal
©Isaiah Vidal Instagram account
American Dream Team with team captain Isaiah Vidal (middle)

One of the youngest team captains in the competition Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge, this fearless leader makes sure he picks up his team members and no one gets left behind. Isaiah is also an accomplished athlete in the US. His beautifully sculpted face is hard to miss on Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge Season 2 which airs every Saturday, 9:35 PM, first and exclusive on RTL CBS Extreme.

Eric Seegers

You can easily spot him at different Fitness First clubs and have likely seen him at the outdoor SGX Workouts held a few weekends before the Philippine Spartan race. Eric is Fitness First’s National Fitness manager and is one of the coaches who can help aspiring Spartans to conquer the race thru their exclusively offered SGX Workouts. You can also see videos of him giving tips and exercise routine you can do at home on RTL CBS Extreme’s Facebook page. His tips may come in handy so make sure to bookmark those videos for future reference.

Michael Jiang

This Japanese- American lad found his way to the Philippines after quitting his job from one of the biggest global companies – Google. You have probably seen him a lot of times leading the Spartan Race community workouts, and have looked for him at the course in Timberland Heights. He will surely be at the next Spartan Races with the rest of his enthusiastic team, Suns Out Guns Out.

Rholand Adaya

Coach Rholand led most of the Spartan SGX workouts during different Fitness First events. He is a familiar face because he played a big part in some of the aspiring Spartans’ journey to the highly anticipated event. He seemed easy to work with, but he sure can push you to work harder to prepare you for the race. He joined at the elite category of the Spartan Race Philippines inaugural race, went all muddy, but sure made it look easy as soon as he reached the finish line, not fair but we’re cheering for you, Coach!

Wooch Graff
©Wooch Graff Instagram account
Mathletes with team captain Wooch Graff (rightmost)

Wooch is a father of two boys and a Spartan Race Elite Athlete. He is the captain of the team Mathletes in the second season of Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge. You will definitely look more than twice because he takes off his pants mid-race. According to him “pants get in the way.” He wears an iconic thong for the rest of the course, but beyond the image, he is a true team captain by making sure his team works together to conquer all the obstacles. Catch Wooch and his team at the finale of Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge Season 2 on Saturday, 9:35 PM, first and exclusive on RTL CBS Extreme.

Leonidas "Leo" Menge
©Leo Menge Facebook Account

Carrying a true Spartan name, Leo is a US Marine and a member of the Spartan Race US Team. He is also a professional Jiu Jitsu athlete. One of the marshals in the recently concluded Spartan Race Philippines Sprint, Leo was assigned to man the spear throw obstacle. Sure there were too many marshals on site who could make one’s head turn, but that Spartan tattoo on his chest is worth staring at. It was a good focal point while doing 30 burpees as penalty for missing the target.

While waiting for the upcoming races to take place, you can catch more Spartan Race athletes in the finale of Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge Season 2 on Saturday, 9:35PM, first and exclusive on RTL CBS Extreme. RTL CBS Extreme is available on SkyCable HD channel 209 and on Destiny Cable Digital channel 104.

RTL CBS Extreme

Your destination for extreme and action-packed content with a thrilling combination of popular series Kingdom, Hawaii Five-0 and NCIS: Los Angeles; adrenaline-pumping stunts on The XtremeCollXtion; non-stop laughter with Fail Army and World’s Funniest, mind-boggling illusions on Criss Angel: BeLIEve, Dynamo: Magician Impossible, Cosentino, and Penn and Teller; and adventure-reality series Bear Grylls: Mission Survive and Speed with Guy Martin.
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The Difference Between Good and Bad Cholesterol

by: Stefan Simonovic


When talking about cholesterol, most people actually talk about bad cholesterol, which can contribute to a wide range of cardiovascular problems. However, we'd also like to shed light on the importance of good cholesterol, which our body actually needs for proper functioning. Although excess body weight is something most often associated with high cholesterol, we're not here to discuss the benefits of lowering bad cholesterol for the sake of looking physically fit or sexy and handsome like famous people on Snapchat. No. We’d like to focus purely on the health benefits we could all reap from keeping bad cholesterol at an optimum level.

HDL vs. LDL

Although cholesterol is often associated with excess body weight, it is actually different from fat because it isn’t stored in “problem” areas, such as the mid-section, but rather it circulates through the body. Carriers made of lipids and proteins, which are called lipoproteins, carry cholesterol through the bloodstream. Depending on the type of cholesterol, this can either be a good thing or a bad thing.

There are two types of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol. We have low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, which is the bad cholesterol, and we also have high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, which is the good cholesterol. LDL is called “bad” cholesterol because it leads to fatty buildup in arteries, which narrows them and can lead to a host of health problems, such as the risk of stroke, heart attack, and peripheral artery disease. On the other hand, HDL is called “good” cholesterol in part because higher levels of HDL in the body are healthy. Also, HDL carries LDL away from the arteries, thus preventing health risks.

A high level of HDL lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke, while a low level of HDL increases that risk. It's important to note that a healthy level of HDL doesn’t eliminate LDL as only one-forth to one-third of cholesterol is carried by HDL.

Tips to Lower Bad Cholesterol

Tips for lowering bad cholesterol are pretty straightforward as they include all those things necessary to stay healthy. At the same time, lowering bad cholesterol means increasing the level of HDL so the reason to follow these tips is at least two-fold. Here’s what you can do to lower bad cholesterol:
  • Eat healthy fats
  • Eliminate refined carbs and sugar from your diet
  • Don’t smoke
  • Lower alcohol consumption to a minimum
  • Decrease body weight
  • Exercise 3-4 times a week
A healthy diet plays a huge role in keeping bad cholesterol in check, and the single most important "food" that should be a staple in your diet is olive oil. The heart-friendly fat found in olive oil and olives increases the level of HDL and lowers LDL. Also, whole grains, beans and legumes are a great source of soluble fiber, which can reduce bad cholesterol. Other foods that should regularly be on the menu include high-fiber fruits, such as apples, pears, and prunes, and fatty fish thanks to its Omega-3 fatty acids. Last but not least, nuts, such as almonds, peanuts, and pistachios are rich in heart-friendly fats and should be eaten as snacks or incorporated into meals.


About the author:

Stefan is a writer and a blogger in his spare time. He also works for First Beat Media, a company that mainly focuses on the online dating niche and similar services.



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Is Coffee Bad for the Bones?

by: Stefan Simonovic


While some of us cannot survive without at least 2-3 cups of coffee per day, others only enjoy the beverage on certain occasions, such as spending time with their friends or snuggling up with a blanket while browsing through celebrity Snapchats.

And while there are a plethora of benefits one can get from coffee, some people believe that this drink can negatively influence our health. One of the biggest myths related to coffee is that it’s actually bad for you bones – however, after doing some research, we found out that the truth has nothing to do with that statement.

Science Doesn’t Lie

Despite the fact that the titular question is mostly a myth, there have been some observational studies in the past that implied an increased intake of coffee might be linked to a higher risk of bone fracture. However, the director of the Osteoporosis Research Center at Creighton University in Omaha spoke recently and removed all doubt.

Dr. Robert R. Decker states that this isn’t something anyone should worry about as there’s no concrete evidence that can support the theory behind linking fracture increase to coffee. He’s backed up by a multitude of studies from various countries that included quite a lot of subjects.

For example, one Swedish study followed nearly 65,000 women for about 20 years. Its results, published in 2013, found that a slight reduction in bone density may appear in females who consume 4 and more cups of coffee per day. No link to an increased risk of fracture was found, however.

What’s the Catch?

This myth originates from the fact that the more coffee you consume, the more calcium you’ll lose through urine. And while this is actually true, it’s still nothing to be alarmed about.

Dr. Connie M. Weaver, professor of nutrition at Purdue University explains that people who lose calcium via urination tend to absorb more calcium from whatever sources they consume. This leads to the following conclusion: those who are losing calcium whenever they go to the bathroom shouldn’t blame coffee, but they should make sure that they intake enough of this alkaline metal in the first place.

Bad for Bones? No. Good for Something? Oh, Yes.

Now that we’ve unveiled the mystery behind the connection coffee has with our bones, let’s take a quick look into some of the more beneficial effects this globally popular beverage can have on our bodies.

As everybody knows, coffee is one of the best wake-up drinks you can possibly consume. Its high concentration of caffeine works wonders for your blood pressure and adrenaline levels when you’re feeling tired, while it also impacts your brain in a way that provides you with concentration, focus and energy.

If we look a bit deeper, we’ll see that coffee also helps protect us from liver cirrhosis, Type 2 Diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and more. As far as psychological factors go, coffee has been proven to help with depression and suicidal behavior.


About the author:

Stefan is a writer and a blogger in his spare time. He also works for First Beat Media, a company that mainly focuses on the online dating niche and similar services.



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Low-Fat vs Low-Carb Diets - Is It Worth A Hassle?

by: Stefan Simonovic

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Food image created by Nensuria - Freepik.com

Being in shape is definitely one of the most important things in our modern society. Millions of people are looking at those popular celebrity Snapchats in search of inspiration, motive or advice on how to lose weight and stay fit. Back in the 1970's, scientists and doctors connected fatty foods with heart disease and obesity and they urged people to reduce or completely eliminate fat from their everyday diet. After that, a lot of cooks and chefs replaced fat with carbohydrates. Back in the day this seemed like a healthier alternative, but new studies show that carbohydrates are also pretty harmful. This is exactly why we have so many low-fat vs low-carb debates nowadays. Which one of these two is more effective? Are they worthy of your time and effort? Stick around and find out.

The Benefits Of The Low-Fat Diet

This type of diet was established somewhere around 1977, just around the exact same time the obesity epidemic started in the United States. Doctors and nutritionists simply had to do something in order to prevent the massive spreading of this unhealthy trend.

Eliminating (or reducing) the fat from the diet is definitely decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Avoiding red meat, eggs, dairy products, and fried food is good for the overall health. This strategy will lower your odds of having a stroke or a heart attack. However, this diet plan is effective only if you don't replace fat with carbohydrates. Why are carbs so bad? We'll get to that soon.

The Benefits Of The Low-Carb Diet

Don't get us wrong, carbs are not necessarily bad, especially if consumed in reasonable amounts. However, carbohydrates can easily be stored as glucose in the human body and this may lead to serious health problems like obesity and diabetes. Both of these vicious diseases can ultimately lead to fatal heart issues.

So, it's clear that you shouldn't replace fat with carbs and vice versa. Instead, you should base your diet on proteins and vitamins. The biggest and most important benefit of the low-carb diet is the fact that it lowers the amount of sugar in a person's body. Therefore, it reduces the risk of diabetes.

What Do New Studies Prove?

It's safe to say that this particular debate is one of the most popular ones nowadays and that's completely understandable. There are a lot of different and opposite opinions and it's really hard to say which one of these two diets is more effective. We have to ask ourselves - what do new studies say about this?

New England Journal of Medicine, 2003 says that according to one study, 63 people were divided randomly into two groups - a low-fat diet group and a low-carb diet group. This experiment lasted 12 months. After the results came in, scientists said that the low-carb group lost 7.3% of total body weight, compared to the other group, which lost 4.5%. The difference was notable at 3 and 6 months after the experiment started, but not after 12 months. In the end, doctors concluded that both of these diets are actually rather effective and that the only difference is the pace of the weight loss. So yes, we can honestly say, these diets are definitely worthy of your time.

About the author:

Stefan is a writer and a blogger in his spare time. He also works for First Beat Media, a company that mainly focuses on the online dating niche and similar services.



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Obesity: Genetics or Bad Habits?

by: Stefan Simonovic

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Most people struggle with excess weight at some point in their life. However, those individuals with a BMI of 30 or over are considered obese, a condition which can have various physical, psychological, and emotional implications on a person’s life. Today, we’d like to take a look at the nature vs. nurture aspect of obesity, which is a far more serious approach than putting celebrity snapchats all over the fridge, hoping they could deter you from reaching for your favorite comfort food mid-diet, and "ruining everything".

The Genetic Aspect of Obesity

More than one-third of adults in the United States live with obesity. Various studies have linked obesity to a host of serious health problems, such as cancer, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and stroke. The medical costs for treating obesity-related illnesses range from $147 billion to $210 billion per year. Scientists believe they could lower this figure if they understood the origin and genetics behind obesity a little better.

Everybody has a genetic predisposition to a certain body mass index. BMI, which is a measure of obesity, has been studied by scientists at great length to try to uncover the factors that contribute to obesity. What is clear so far is that both genetics and a person's environment are responsible for this condition. In fact, 50 percent of the BMI is genetic, and a recent study co-authored by Elizabeth Speliotes, a geneticist at the University of Michigan, revealed close to a 100 genetic regions of the human genome that are associated with BMI. This particular study helps to understand the link between fat formation and fat distribution. Also, it was found that many BMI-related genetic regions were associated with the nervous system, not just the metabolic system, which led the scientists to conclude that the nervous system plays a role in obesity as well, although it’s still not clear which role that is.

Figuring out how obesity works is one of the biggest medical challenges of our time. From what we know at the moment, some people are more predisposed to higher BMIs than others, but we don’t know why. At the same time, not all obese individuals respond to weight-loss methods and diets in the same way, something that may also be tied to their DNA. Until scientists get to the bottom of the problem, obesity isn’t going away just by telling people to "eat less and exercise more”.

Environmental Factors

Environmental factors come into play even before we are born. For instance, babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to become obese than babies born to mothers who didn’t smoke. The same goes for babies born to mothers who suffer from diabetes. As we move into childhood, we develop certain eating habits that follow us into adulthood. Children who consume sugary and processed foods and drinks at an early age are more likely to prefer these types of foods over fruits and veggies later in life, which puts them at a risk for weight gain. Keep in mind that children who play video games and watch television in excess are more likely to have a sedentary than an active adult life. Last but not least, stress and emotionally challenging situations often result in bad eating and exercise habits, which when combined with a genetic predisposition for obesity create more weight issues than can fit into a lifetime.

About the author:

Stefan is a writer and a blogger in his spare time. He also works for First Beat Media, a company that mainly focuses on the online dating niche and similar services.



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How Physical Exercises Protect the Heart

by: Stefan Simonovic

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Have you ever stopped to ask yourself “do I exercise enough?” Did you ever think about how important staying active is, aside from helping Snapchat celebrities keeping their good looks and providing athletes with much-needed training prior to a competition?

If you have, we’re here to answer your question: one of the biggest and most important benefits of exercising is ensuring your heart remains in good health. In that name, let’s take a look at just how physical activity helps keep your heart at check.

Training for your Ticker

Apart from the brain, it’s our heart that has the most important role in our organism. By pumping blood, it ensures all organs, tissues and cells get enough oxygen and other valuable things which they require in order to run properly.

With that being said, the heart and everything related to it is something we should all pay attention to, as any problems that may occur in this organ usually immensely impact our general well-being.

As it happens, a study by the University of São Paulo in Brazil published a paper in Autophagy in August that explains just how regular aerobic exercise helps protect the heart and prevent any and all diseases that may befall it.

Julio Cesar Batista Ferreira, a professor at the Biomedical Science Institute at USP says: “Basically, we discovered that aerobic training facilitates the removal of dysfunctional mitochondria from heart cells.” In other words, exercising will result in your cells regulating how they get energy in a better way.

Out with the Old, In with the New

Ferreira explains that once dysfunctional mitochondria are removed via exercising, there’s an increase in the supply of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), which stores energy for cells. Furthermore, this process causes the production of toxic molecules that may damage cell structure to decrease.

He also adds that the goal here isn’t to create an exercise pill – instead, Ferreira and his team wish to locate and identify intracellular components that can be regulated by drugs in order to benefit the heart via exercising.

More Benefits? Yes, please!

Although it may not seem like, this is a pretty big and surprising discovery. Despite the fact that most of us are already aware that exercising is actually good for the heart (among other things), it wasn’t until now that we had any insight into the tiniest of processes that occur in our cardiovascular system while we exercise.

However, it has been proven many times that physical activity has a positive effect on the heart. For example, research has found that working out regularly can help with reducing body weight and blood pressure, increasing good cholesterol and lower the bad one, and with increasing insulin sensitivity.

For the most part, all of these benefits are closely related with our body’s ability to intake and actually use oxygen. The more you exercise, the more oxygen you’ll be able to take in and utilize (this is where the mitochondria comes into play), and the less your heart will be at risk.

About the author:

Stefan is a writer and a blogger in his spare time. He also works for First Beat Media, a company that mainly focuses on the online dating niche and similar services.



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