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AN ANTI-AGING APPROACH TO WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
BY: ELAINE CHIN, M.D. - MEDICAL DIRECTOR
Health care professionals have been concerned about the rapid increase in overweight people in North America. Obesity is the medical term for people whose weight is jeopardizing their health. Obesity is defined as the excess accumulation of body fat sufficient to endanger health. It occurs when energy intake exceeds energy expenditure. It is most often measured in terms of Body Mass Index or "BMI". Obesity is a major contributor to late onset diabetes (non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus), which leads to heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and amputation of limbs.
Scientists agree that there are both non-modifiable factors such as genetics and modifiable factors such as environmental issues that contribute to the development of obesity. Up to 50% of an individual's tendency to become obese may be in their genes. Some environmental factors include one's cultural and social eating habits, level of activity and emotional response to food. Environmental factors have been much discussed and many attempts have been made by health care professionals to modify them.
However, few people recognize that hormonal changes due to age and stress affect how much and what type of food or "fuel" one requires in a day. As we age, growth hormone levels start to decrease. Growth hormone is responsible for bone, muscle and tissue building. Around the age of 35, we start to change from a growth or building mode to a sustain and maintain mode.
Insulin is a hormone that is responsible of storage of "food fuel". Specifically, when we eat carbohydrates, our body breaks it down into glucose. When glucose is in excess in the blood, the insulin hormone stores the blood glucose in the form of fat.
For a long time, "healthy eating" for boomers was equated to eating high fibre and low fat. Many boomers during their thirties adopted this diet. They ate salads, high fibre breads, pastas and little meat. They exercised religiously and were able to keep their weight at a steady level. But by their mid forties and early fifties, many boomers noticed a sudden weight gain.
Hormonal changes are what cause sudden weight gain. Doctors often check a patient's thyroid hormone if a patient experiences weight gain as it is also a hormone that affects metabolism. A low thyroid level causes a lower metabolic rate. What individuals need to realize is that you need to change your eating habits to adapt to you naturally changing hormone levels. Low growth hormone levels may affect one's ability to lose weight.
The Beresford, a multi-disciplinary team located in the Toronto area takes this anti-aging approach to weight loss management. The core team consisting of a medical doctor working with a naturopath, assess the medical and dietary components of weight loss management. This includes a hormonal profile, nutritional analysis and behavioural/psychological support. The program has seen many successes with a diet that balances the hormones levels in a patient's body using dietary change, supplements and increased activity/exercise. (www.theberesford.com)
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