Club Blog

by: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

Been to your doctor lately?  If so, you may have noticed that in addition to taking your blood pressure, listening to your heart and weighing you, he/she may also have asked you a question that surprised you.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a new report this week that showed that only one-third of adults who have seen a doctor in the past year have been asked this surprisingly important question—one that can improve your health more than medicines.

In fact, if you have diabetes, it’s more likely that you’ve been asked this question than if you have cardiovascular disease, arthritis, cancer or hypertension.  And if you are obese or overweight, you’re twice as likely to have this question popped on you than if you are healthy.

What’s the question? What is it that your doctor is now getting on board with and discussing with you that he/she has not done in the past?
It’s simple—“Are you getting enough exercise?”  That’s right, more and more physicians are discussing exercise during examinations.

Over the past 10 years, physicians have been increasingly more aware of the value of exercise for many illnesses and as a preventative.  “Medical fitness” has become a thriving and growing area of medical practices, with some physicians having financial ties to fitness centers and gyms attached to their practices or hospitals.  Still, far less than half of US adults do not receive any advice on exercise from their doctors.

The “exercise is medicine” campaign has helped bring exercise to the patient – doctor discussion.  Only problem is that exercise is NOT medicine.  It can help reduce dependence on medicine, can replace the need for medicine, and can push off the need for medicine.  But exercise is exercise and while regular exercise and physical activity can lower the risk of chronic illness conditions, it trumps the need for medicine in many.

The value of physicians bringing up any discussion of exercise lies in the fact that people pay attention to what their doctors advise, as they should.  But additional research also demonstrates that overweight doctors are more likely to prescribe medicine than discuss exercise or weight loss choices.  With 67% of adults obese or overweight, that’s simply unacceptable.

Patients require a very personalize exercise program, so simply making a recommendation for exercise is not enough. And many physicians are not truly expert in exercise program planning. And more may not really know how to bring up a discussion of the value of exercise, especially if they, themselves, don’t exercise.  But with 250,000 deaths attributed to a sedentary lifestyle just last year, and likely many more, physicians, more and more, will be including a discussion of the value of getting regular physical activity in patient visits.  The World Health Organization estimates that physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death globally, leading to 3.3 million deaths annually.

My advice is that when your physician recommends that you exercise, ask your fitness professional which exercise is right for you.
Side effects may vary, but will include reduced blood pressure, increased energy, decrease in weight, improvement in sleep and concentration, and reduction in depression and anxiety.  Other side effects may include improved grades for children, reduced symptoms of ADHD, and enhanced feelings of happiness.

(ARA) – The baby boomer generation makes up an estimated 76 million people – roughly one-fourth of the U.S. population. This means that either you or someone you love is part of this aging group. According to Eye on the Boomer, a recent survey by the Ocular Nutrition Society, almost as many baby boomers say they worry about losing their vision as those that say they worry about having heart disease or cancer. What’s more, 78 percent of those surveyed ranked vision as the most important of the five senses. Yet, more than half of the survey respondents ages 45-65 said they don’t typically have a recommended annual eye exam, and even fewer are aware of important nutrients that can play a key role in eye health.

Experts recommend that disease prevention, including lifestyle modification, attention to dietary intake and vitamin supplementation must become a greater focus of primary vision care. Studies indicate that proper nutrition promotes healthy eyes, however many American diets are found to be deficient of the critical nutrients that help protect eye health.

“If people are at risk for heart disease they typically make lifestyle modifications,” says Dr. Jeffrey Anshel, president of the Ocular Nutrition Society. “This survey found that people are as concerned about their eyes but do not know the simple steps they can incorporate into their daily lives to take care of them.”

* Vitamin supplements can be used for your eyes, too
While people take a variety of different supplements to support their health, vitamins specifically formulated to help protect the eyes are often not in the mix – and for many people, they should be. While more than half of those surveyed are taking supplements to protect their joints, bones or heart health only 18 percent say they take supplements to support their eye health.

“As we grow older, the need for certain vitamins and nutrients to support the eye increases – the survey revealed low awareness of these essential nutrients,” says Anshel of nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, lutein and zeaxanthin. He adds that there is a “need for greater education on the lifestyle modifications that baby boomers can incorporate into their daily lives, including proper nutrition, to help safeguard eye health as they age.”

To help protect eye health as they age, Anshel recommends people aged 45-65 take the following steps:

* Stop smoking, exercise regularly and wear sunglasses with UV protection
* Make an annual appointment with an eye doctor
* Eat foods rich in eye healthy nutrients, such as tuna or salmon for omega-3s and spinach, kale and broccoli containing lutein and zeaxanthin
* To help overcome shortfalls in the diet consider a vitamin supplement specifically-formulated for eye health

To learn more about the Eye on the Boomer survey as well as eye health, please visit ocularnutritionsociety.org.

by: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

Obesity is not just a problem of adulthood. Yes, nearly 70% of adults are either overweight or obese.  But, sadly, approximately one out of three children between the ages 2-19 are also overweight or obese.

When I wrote my master’s thesis on obesity at Hahnemann Medical College way back in the 70’s obesity in childhood was not nearly the epidemic it is today.  The rates of obesity and overweight in childhood continue to escalate.  It’s an easy disease to diagnose but a very difficult one to successfully treat.

What is overweight and what is obese?  A body mass index of 30 or more is considered obese.  A BMI equal to or more than 25 is considered overweight.

Obesity is caused by a combination of over nutrition, inactivity and genetic predisposition.  80% of children who were overweight at age 10-15 were obese adults at age 25, according to one recent study. Another study found that 25% of obese adults were overweight as children. The latter study also found that if overweight begins before age 8, obesity in adulthood is likely to be more severe.

If you have a child who is overweight or obese, you know the pain he or she suffers. I believe it takes a family to help a family get healthy. You know that overweight and obese children are teased, discriminated against and suffer with feelings of isolation and depression.  And you also know the medical illnesses this disease brings your children:  cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes, as well as anorexia and bulimia.  Teaching healthy living skills to your children may not be easy, but it’s just about the most important thing you can do. Before you modify your children’s lifestyle choices, you may well need to modify your own.

Here’s a game plan for you to follow:

1. Identify specific choices and behaviors in your child’s lifestyle that lead to their overweight or obesity.  Inactivity? Improper Nutrition?
2. Set “SMART” goals—specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.  For example, “My child will watch TV or be sedentary and play with digital games no more than two hours a day, seven days a week.”
3. Insure your home promotes healthier choices when it comes to diet by limiting high caloric “junk-type” foods and instead, having more fruits, veggies and greater supervision over portion control.
4. Food should never be used as a reward nor withheld punitively.
5. Verbally praise healthy choices, and avoid criticism, especially derogatory name-calling.  Encourage your child to be his/her best, not THE best.  Nagging, coercive techniques and mealtime battles never work.
6. Parents should be positive role models for physical activity that is fun and engaging.  Exercise and play WITH your children.
7. All children 2 years and older should be involved with moderately intense physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes each day, and ideally for 60 minutes each day.  PE in school does not provide enough activity and the activity it does provide does not provide for developing healthy levels of fitness in children.