A number of weeks ago I wrote an article on Basil Metabolic Index (BMI) and the importance of this calculation in gauging your overall health and wellness, relative to your height and weight, as well as your age, in relationship to others in the same categories. An article published in December of 2006 in the American Journal of Epidemiology indicates there may be a better way to measure your overall health and well being relative to your body fat. They indicate that belly fat is a better measurement of your risks than BMI. When I say risks, I mean your risk of heart disease as well as other chronic illnesses such as cancer and diabetes.
In previous articles I have discussed Metabolic Syndrome which is a condition in which you begin depositing fat from your knees to your ribs. This centripetal obesity is “an indication of metabolic syndrome.” Metabolic Syndrome is a term used today to describe individuals who are developing the pre-disposition to diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and increased incidence of heart disease.
According to this study, 100,000 men and women were tested using their sagittal abdominal diameter or SAD as an indicator of heart risk. The SAD is the distance measured from the back of the upper abdomen, midway between the top of the hips and the bottom of the ribs. The researchers found that men with the largest SAD were 42% more likely to develop heart disease. Similarly, a large SAD increased risk of heart disease by 44% in women.
The interesting thing about this and the reason that this measurement may take the place of BMI as an indicator of heart risk is that an individual can have a relatively decent BMI and still have the proverbial beer belly and have an increased risk of heart disease. On the other hand, an individual who has a high SAD because of a beer belly will definitely have an increased risk of heart disease. So, the BMI may be not quite as accurate as initially thought relative to risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases. You may see SAD measurements taking the place of BMI in the future. I certainly am considering this in my practice to assess a patient’s likelihood of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
A recent study published by the United Kingdom’s Institute for Public Policy Research in December of 2006 indicates that the worst day of the week to be admitted to the hospital other than for emergency treatments or long stays is a Thursday. Individuals admitted to hospitals on Thursdays had an average stay of 6.3 days. This is a full day longer than those admitted on Sundays. Those admitted on Sundays spent only 5.3 days in the hospital. Interestingly, deaths attributed to medications rise by as much as 25% above normal on the first few days of every month. This is thought to be due to the fact that hospital staffs have to handle beginning of the month prescriptions which spike in number at that time. So, if at all possible, try to calculate the day in which you are admitted to the hospital to see if you can limit your visit, thereby decreasing your incidence of contracting hospital born infections such as staph, as a result of being there for a longer period of time.
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