You are what you eat, right? Oh so true.
In searching out statistics on baby boomers, just as one example, I found that 58 percent of men and 47 percent of women ages 38 to 46 are overweight (body mass index 25 and higher), according to the American Heart Association. An estimated 17 percent of men in that age group are obese (BMI of 30 or higher), while a quarter of the women are considered obese. In 47 to 57 year olds, 65.5 percent of men are overweight, and 52.7 percent of women. Obesity affects 23 percent of men and 27 percent of women in that group.
So what’s the link? Cardiovascular disease. While February has been proclaimed National Heart Month by the president since 1963, I think of things cardiac notably in March when the American College of Cardiology meets annually — and when Medical Imaging focuses our special section on cardiology.
It’s no secret that weight and cardiovascular health are closely tied. Poor nutrition, physical inactivity, elevated cholesterol and obesity (as well as tobacco use) dramatically increase the risk of heart disease and stroke in every age group. Truth is, pathological data have shown that atherosclerosis begins in childhood. Yet, baby boomers are young enough and often motivated to change their course. Springtime, too, brings a great excuse to get in shape and start eating right.
What should we be eating? Topping the list are grains, including whole grains, with six or more servings daily, AHA recommends. Five or more servings of fruits and vegetables should also fill our plates. Fish should be on the menu twice a week. Fat-free and low-fat milk products, beans, skinless poultry and lean meats are essential staples.
The fats and oils we add to our meals should have 2 or fewer grams of saturated fat per tablespoon. Calories should be balanced with the number we expend each day, often easier said than done. (To calculate daily caloric intake, multiply your weight by 15 if you’re active, or by 13 if you’re more sedentary.) Exercise is key to good health and recommendations are for at least 30 minutes, 4 to 5 days a week.
We know we should limit saturated fats, trans-fat and cholesterol in our diets (full-fat milk products, fatty meats, tropical oils, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and egg yolks). Cholesterol intake should be less than 300 mg per day (less if your cholesterol is already high). Our total fat should be 30 percent of total calories or less. When we get shaking, we should limit our salt to 6 grams (a teaspoon) a day. And alcohol should be limited to one drink a day, if you female, and two if you’re male.
If you already have heart disease or at high risk, check out the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/chd/lifestyles.htm.
Cardiovascular disease cost the U.S. an estimated $330 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity in 2002, the American Heart Association claims. And with the more than half a million deaths from heart disease annually, the human cost is high as well.
Fact: Among adults dying of coronary artery disease, more than one third have a total cholesterol level of more than 240 mg/dL, a level at which the rate of CAD is twice that when total cholesterol is less than 200 mg/dL, according to Circulation. So if nothing else, maybe we’ll think next time we raise the fork.
