My neighbor was so proud to tell me all about his regular aerobic training on the elliptical trainer the other day. It’s an interesting phenomenon but I’ve noticed that when people know you as a fitness professional, they almost feel obligated to inform you about their pursuit of peak fitness.
This particular gentlemen admitted that though his elliptical training was regular, it was not nearly enough to counteract his beer drinking. Apparently, he loves beer, especially dark beer. As a result, his waist size is more than adequate, and as a professional I can tell you with 100% certainty that eventually, if this trend does not change, the health problems will begin and continue for the rest of his life.
We are all aware of these problems…heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, etc, but there is another one I was reading about the other day that I felt you should know about.
Researchers followed 6,500 members of Kaiser Permanente for 36 years and found that the risk of dementia was triple for those who had larger mid-sections in middle age. It turns out that a big waist can boost insulin, which not only increases your risk of developing type II diabetes, but also may prevent enzymes from breaking down Alzheimer’s plaque.
You see that spare tire that men love to pride themselves around is made up of what is called visceral fat. And though that name might sound a little funny, and men might like to joke about that big old belly protruding from just above their belt (which is moving lower on their waist all the time) the truth is that what they are really doing is manufacturing a deadly organ that will ultimately kill them and that is costing our country lots and lots of money.
The visceral fat that develops in the waistline is an active organ that produces it’s own hormones that ultimately cause those higher levels of insulin. And as I noted before, as you are likely already aware, higher levels of insulin leads to more weight gain, and eventually type II diabetes.
If the process continues, heart disease also develops and ultimately, it appears, you are that much more likely to lose your mind – literally!
So, if you’re lucky enough to live through the problems noted above, here is what you have to look forward to if you continue to swim in a sea of beer (or any alcoholic beverage for that matter) and denial…
An estimated one out of four people in their 80s (and 1 out of 3 over 90) has dementia. Many more have cognitive impairment, which means that dementia is on the way. And most are simply losing their edge.
The good news is that just as with so many other diseases, exercise is your best bet. Aerobic exercise in particular is the best medicine for brain function. It reverses the shrinkage of the memory regions of the brain. And of course, helps prevent type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease from ever taking hold. Even people who already have dementia and Alzheimer’s will benefit.
You see, you simply can’t ignore the beneficial effects of exercise. It really is like a miracle drug. All of which continually leaves me wondering how much better the country, and the world, would really be if we all just went for a walk for an hour a day…
Yours in health,
Clint Barr
Raising The Barr, Inc.
www.bestjacksonpersonaltrainer.com
Dang, now you’re starting to make me worry.
Good article. I never realized the connection between visceral fat and dementia.