http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/70/80978.htm?printing=true
"...According to the 2001 U.S. surgeon general's report on obesity, a number of studies show that weight loss as modest as 5%-15% of excess body weight reduces risk factors for a variety of serious medical concerns, particularly cardiovascular disease, at least in the short term. "And, the benefits may be even greater -- and come sooner -- if you are one of tens of thousands who suffer from "metabolic syndrome." This little known phrase describes a relatively common disorder that includes not only toting around some extra pounds, but also falling prey to related abnormalities including high blood pressure, high fasting blood-sugar levels, abnormal cholesterol with low HDL "good" cholesterol, and a large waist circumference. "Experts from the Baylor College of Medicine report that metabolic syndrome may affect up to 40% of people over 50 and nearly one-third between 40 and 50 who have three or more symptoms. "If this is the case for you, studies conducted at Baylor and published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism in 2002 revealed that even a modest weight loss -- just 7%-10% of body weight -- can return all these metabolic levels to normal in just 30 days. "In a second study, the researchers showed that walking just 130 minutes per week, combined with losing just 5%-7% of body weight, offered a 60% reduction in the risk of diabetes..." "...If you simply take some healthful steps in the direction of your weight-loss goals, you are likely to reap some healthy rewards, even if you never drop a single pound. As remarkable as that sounds, in studies published in March 2003 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, CDC researchers found that those folks who simply tried to lose weight lived longer..." [with healthy lifestyle changes, not starvation diets or stimulants] Debbi Walking Is Good Maru __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
