How Your Body Shape May Influence Your Disease Risk

You might want to ask yourself, can the shape of my body influence the rate of disease penetration? Yes it can. Many doctors and medical practitioners strongly hold this belief as a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that those with a genetic predisposition toward one particular body type actually had a higher risk of conditions like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

That sort of body size is what most is what most physicians call “apple-shaped” and this depicts exactly when the circumference of your belly is larger than the circumference of your hips. In other words, those who are apple-shaped tend to carry most of their weight in the middle, below the waist.

Some of the popular body shapes in the human race includes the pear (where most weight is carried in the hips and thighs, but not the middle like the apple), hourglass (where the weight of the body is carried both up top and in the hips and thighs, with a smaller waist), and tube (where little a excess weight is carried, and a person is long and lean).

And of all these body shapes rocking the flesh and bodies of the human race, the apple remains the most dangerous. According to doctors, specialist and nutritionists, one of which is Dr. Christine Jellis whom is a cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic, and Lauren Blake, a registered dietician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and he said that apple-shaped people carry more visceral fat which surrounds the organs as opposed to subcutaneous fat —which lies beneath the skin.

 Blake further said that “Excess visceral fat causes excess fatty acids to drain into the liver and into the muscles, which then triggers changes in the body”. Those changes include an increased risk of diabetes, heart attack, stroke and other ailments, she added.

However, there is a wellness and fitness tips for those that fall into the apple-shaped body. There are immediate health tips that can help you subsidize that stubborn fat residing at the very top of your waist. Some of the steps includes…

1. Focus on eating whole foods
“One of the message I emphasize on is always go back to the simple things,” Dr. Jellis said, noting that people should maintain a healthy diet and focus on consuming lean meat, and plenty of fruits and vegetables.

2. Stay active for all it worth
Exercise is another key component in a healthy lifestyle. “Part of the reason why people accumulate abdominal fat, especially as they get older, is related to the fact that they aren’t as active as they once were,” Blake said. She recommended choosing an exercise that you enjoy, something fun and relaxing. This might come in form of swimming, biking, or even walking, to ensure that you stick with the plan.

3. Don’t try to spot-treat
Focus on overall health, and don’t just try to lose weight in one part of the body, Blake further said, as that is often a futile task. Instead, focus on shedding excess pounds on the overall basis.

4. Know your risk

“Unfortunately, we can’t change our genetics, so we have to work with what we’ve got,” Dr. Jellis said. Those who are overweight and carrying weight around their middle should be vigilant about diet and exercise, especially if they have a family history of these disease risks.