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ANN ARBOR,
MI - The quest for a fashion model's figure leads many girls
and women to a cycle of weight loss and weight gain called yo-yo
dieting. Some women never succeed in achieving or maintaining their
desired weight, although some do. Researchers at the VA/Ann
Arbor Healthcare System and the University
of Michigan Health System are cautioning all women who yo-yo
diet. Those who gain and/or lose at least 10 pounds in a yearlong
period at least five times over a lifetime may be setting themselves
up for heart problems after menopause.
Cardiologist
Claire Duvernoy, M.D., and her team looked at women's weight, their
weight swings over a lifetime and compared these to the blood flow
to their heart and how the lining of the blood vessels were affected.
They found that post-menopausal yo-yo dieters were much more likely
to have reduced myocardial blood flow, regardless of current weight.
"So, even
if a woman in our study was now thin, getting there by yo-yo dieting
was shown to have a negative affect on the blood flow to her heart,"
says Duvernoy, who is director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory
at the VA/Ann Arbor Healthcare System and an assistant professor
of internal medicine/cardiology at the U-M
Medical School. "This is important because reduced blood
flow to the heart could be an indication of a blockage in coronary
arteries, or in the small blood vessels of the heart, which could
eventually trigger a heart attack or stroke."
How can someone
avoid this post-menopause health problem? The best way, says Duvernoy,
is to recognize early that yo-yo dieting is not a good tool for
long-term health.
"Physicians
of all kinds are saying this over and over, because it is the best
advice: eating nutritious foods in moderation and getting moderate
exercise several times a week is really the best way to stay healthy
over a lifetime. Nature doesn't intend for each and every one of
us to have a model-perfect figure; it's far more important to make
healthy choices about food and exercise," Duvernoy says.
In a second
study of post-menopausal women, Duvernoy found that women with high
cholesterol and at least one other risk factor for heart disease
also had less blood flow in their heart if they did not have the
habit of routine, moderate exercise.
Generally speaking,
these women would be described as healthy but at high risk for heart
disease. Researchers measured the blood flow to their hearts. The
women also filled out a questionnaire on their health habits, including
exercise and its frequency.
They fell into
two groups: those who exercise at least twice a week for at least
20 minutes per session, and those who exercised less.
"We found
a significant difference in blood flow between the women who exercise
regularly and those who didn't," Duvernoy says.
Women, estrogen
and cardiovascular health
More women die of heart disease in this country each year than do
men. And although women live longer than men, their terminal event
is usually cardiovascular disease of some kind. Scientists are still
not sure why this is. However, they do know that the natural estrogen
level in a woman's body is associated with healthy cholesterol.
After menopause, the natural estrogen levels go down, and its natural
protection, so women's risk for heart disease goes up.
While high
cholesterol alone is a risk factor for heart disease, the risk is
even greater when someone has one or more of these risk factors
as well:
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- High blood
pressure
- Obesity
- Family history
of heart disease
"The common
sense conclusion should be that moderate physical activity helps
to protect your heart and it may help to normalize the blood flow
in the heart. Post-menopausal women who don't exercise can still
add exercise to their weekly routine in order to promote a healthy
cardiovascular system," Duvernoy says.
For more information, visit the following web sites:
U-M Health
Topics A to Z: Cardiovascular Risk Factors
www.med.umich.edu/1libr/heart/risks06.htm
U-M Health
Topics A to Z: Preventive Cardiology Guide for Healthy Eating
www.med.umich.edu/1libr/primry/prevnt08.htm
U-M Health
Topics A to Z: Preventive Cardiology Guide - Foods to Limit
www.med.umich.edu/1libr/primry/prevnt09.htm
U-M Health
Topics A to Z: Nutrient Content Claims and Definitions
www.med.umich.edu/1libr/primry/nutri08.htm
National Institutes
of Health: Heart Disease and Women: Be Physically Active
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/hdw_act.pdf
National Institutes
of Health: Heart Disease and Women: Preventing and Controlling High
Blood Pressure
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/hdw_hbp.pdf
American Heart
Association: Women, Heart Disease and Stroke
www.americanheart.org
Written by Mary Beth Reilly
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