The female hormone estrogen is known to offer protection for the heart, but obesity may be taking away that edge in adolescent girls. Research from the University of California at Merced finds that although obesity does not help teens of either gender, it has a greater impact on girls’ blood pressure than it does on boys’. In a study of more than 1,700 adolescents between 13 and 17 years old, obese boys were 3.5 times more likely to develop elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) than non-obese boys, but similarly obese girls were 9 times more likely to develop elevated systolic blood pressure than their non-obese peers.
Systolic blood pressure, which is represented by the top number in a blood pressure reading, is the amount of force that blood exerts on blood vessel walls when the heart beats. High systolic measurements indicate risk for heart disease and stroke. Rudy M. Ortiz, PhD, Associate Professor of Physiology and Nutrition and his team obtained their data by direct measurements during the school district’s health surveys and physicals to assess the teenagers’ systolic blood pressure (SBP) against two health indicators: body mass index (BMI), which was categorized as normal weight, overweight, or obese, and blood pressure, which was categorized as normal, pre-elevated, or elevated. The researchers found that the teenagers’ mean BMI was significantly correlated with mean SPB for both sexes when both BMI and blood pressure assessments were used. They also found a significant correlation between BMI and SBP as a function of blood pressure, suggesting that the effect of body mass on SBP is much greater when it is assessed using blood pressure categories. “We were able to categorize the students in different ways, first based on BMI within each of three blood pressure categories. Then we flipped that around and looked at each category of blood pressure for different weight categories. In each case, we are looking at SBP as the dependent variable,” said Dr. Ortiz. An odds ratio analysis revealed that obese boys were 2 and 3.5 times more likely to develop pre-elevated and elevated SBP, respectively, than boys who were normal weight. Obese girls were 4 and 9 times more likely to develop pre-elevated and elevated SBP, respectively, than girls who were normal weight.
According to Dr. Ortiz, the results do not bode well for obese teens later in life, especially for the girls. “Overall, there is a higher likelihood that those who present with both higher BMI and blood pressure will succumb to cardiovascular complications as adults. But the findings suggest that obese females may have a higher risk of developing these problems [than males].” As for why obesity has a greater impact on SBP in girls than in boys, Dr. Ortiz has a hunch. “This may be where physical activity comes into play. We know, for example, that obese adolescent females participate in 50 to 60% less physical activity than boys in the population surveyed.”
It's important to take steps to prevent obesity at its first onset--for both adolescent boys and girls. Being active and eating healthy foods are great initial steps towards healthy living!
We all know that eating sweet and starchy foods is not the best for our health: but did you know that these foods have been found to increase a woman’s risk of endometrial cancer? Endometrial cancer begins in the uterus and, if it progresses, can lead to a hysterectomy, or even death. Dr. Bandera, of Rutgers University, found that foods containing refined sugar or white flour (found in sweet and starchy foods) can increase one’s glycemic load, which can greatly increase one’s risk for endometrial cancer. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) estimated that 59% of endometrial cancer cases could be prevented in the United States if women exercise for at least 30 minutes daily and maintained a healthy body weight. Estrogen is a known cause for endometrial cancer, and as fat cells secrete estrogen, obesity has been shown as a major cause of this cancer.
A recent study published by researchers at Duke University highlighted the fact that some populations of women are more receptive to weight-management interventions than programs advertising weight loss. Weight loss is difficult across all populations and many programs aimed at reducing the pounds may end up providing only a temporary reprieve. As weight gain and obesity are ever-increasing concerns, some researchers have tried to tackle this problem from another angle. Instead of designing weight loss programs, health enthusiasts should focus on weight management initiatives for certain populations.
Women who are obese at the start of their pregnancy may be passing on insufficient levels of vitamin D to their babies, according to a new Northwestern Medicine® study. The study found that babies born to lean mothers had a third higher amount of vitamin D compared to babies born to obese moms.
Women who are obese before they become pregnant may be putting their child at a disadvantage. New research shows that reading and math scores for kids ages 5 to 7 were lower if the mother was obese before she got pregnant. Obesity can alter how a baby receives nutrients and grows inside the womb.
The FDA recently approved the first weight-loss drug, Belviq (lorcaserin hydrochloride), in 13 years. Arena Pharmaceuticals of San Diego developed the pill to help people lose 3-4% of their body weight when coupled with exercise and a healthy diet. The FDA approved the pill for obese people (BMI over 30) and some overweight people (BMI over 27) who suffer from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes.
Women who worked a rotating night shift had an increased risk of type 2 diabetes that was not completely explained by an increase in body mass index (BMI), according to results of a prospective study of women who were enrolled in the Nurses' Health Studies. Nurses who had 1 to 10 years of night shift work saw a 5% excess risk for type 2 diabetes compared to women who did minimal to no night shift work. That risk climbed to 40% after a decade of shift work, according to Frank Hu, MD, PhD, from Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard School of Medicine in Boston, and colleagues.
In 2020, the vast majority of adults in America will be overweight or obese and more than half will suffer from diabetes or pre-diabetic conditions, according to projections presented by Northwestern Medicine researchers at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions recently in Orlando.
This sounds like a headline that Jay Leno would satirize on his late night show! Low-income women with children who move from high-poverty to lower-poverty neighborhoods experience notable long-term improvements in diabetes and extreme obesity, according to a new