Issue 1
November 9, 2008

In This Issue:

• Can You Be Fit and Fat?

• The Top 15 Foods to Reduce Cancer Risk

• Fit Tips

Can You Be Fit and Fat?

A study from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York found that overweight people who exercised were metabolically healthier than thinner people who didn't exercise. Measures of poor metabolic health included high blood pressure, elevated levels of trigycerides and blood sugar, insulin resistance, and low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.

The three most important risk factors for poor metabolic health are age, physical inactivity, and waist circumference. The study found that physically active people had smaller waist circumferences, regardless of overall body fat. The study also found that people of normal weight with large waist circumferences were particularly at risk for poor metabolic health.

The study concluded that many people of normal weight are metabolically unhealthy because they don't exercise. Conversely, many overweight people who are physically active are relatively metabolically healthy.

The Top 15 Foods to Reduce Cancer Risk

Here are the top 15 foods that studies have shown reduce the risk of various types of cancer.

1. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and kale
2. Garlic, onions, shallots, and leeks
3. Brightly colored sweet bell peppers and chili peppers
4. Sweet potatoes
5. Carrots
6. Berries such as blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, strawberries, and blackberries
7. Grapes
8. Apples
9. Citrus fruits
10. Tomatoes
11. Extra virgin olive oil
12. Beans such as black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, and lentils
13. Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and cashews
14. Whole grain breads and cereals
15. Soy products such as tofu and soy milk

Fit Tips

• If weight lifting is not part of your weight loss program, it should be. Building more lean muscle mass will increase your metabolism, which will cause your body to burn more calories throughout the day, even when you're at rest. One pound of muscle burns between 35-75 calories per day simply to exist, and that doesn't include the calories muscles burn during physical activity.

• One way to lose weight is to use the stairs instead of the elevator. Walking up stairs burns more calories than playing tennis or jogging. Just adding two flights of stairs to your normal physical activity each day could lead to a weight loss of several pounds in one year. Take the stairs whenever you have the option of using them.

• Tea has several health benefits that you might not be aware of. Tea contains plenty of antioxidants (it has more free radical inhibiting properties than vitamin E), helps prevent and treat atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and helps prevent diabetes and some types of cancer. Brew your tea from tea bags or loose leaves rather than drinking instant or bottled tea as they contain fewer active compounds. Don't add milk, which interferes with the health effects of the antioxidants.