That's Fit

If there's one health maxim that has stood the test of time, it's that "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Sure, apples are healthy, that much we know quite well. But can eating them truly have an impact of this kind on our health?

They can indeed, says Men's Health, citing a study presented at this year's Experimental Biology Conference. Researchers found that people who had eaten apples and/or apple products within the past 24 hours were less likely to develop metabolic syndrome, in addition to having a 36 percent lower risk of high blood pressure.

Does this mean that the effects of apples on our health happens almost instantly? Not exactly. It has more to do with the overall habits apple eaters follow in the rest of their lives. Researchers say that apple eaters tend to pay more attention to their diet and fitness, which explains that it is less the apple itself, and more the healthy lifestyle that truly keeps the doctor away.

Not a breakfast person? Well, if you want to lose weight and decrease your risk for metabolic syndrome, you may want to force yourself to be.

An analysis of government data on 4,200 adults revealed that that people who ate breakfast regularly tended to eat fewer calories overall during the day. And, a separate study out of the University of Connecticut found that eating three eggs daily can cut your risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and obesity -- three known risk factors that, along with others, are classified as metabolic syndrome.

So, if your usual breakfast is nothing more than a quick cup of coffee, it may be worth your while to take the extra ten minutes to cook yourself up some eggs.

An eye-opening study from the University of Miami revealed that by ages 12 to 14, half of obese children have metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that predicts type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

This information is cause for concern, as the numbers of obese children has continued to rise steadily since the data for this study were collected (between 1999-2002, at which time more than 17 percent of chidldren aged eight to fourteen were obese).

As these children age, their chances of facing a lifetime with a chronic illness escalates if they're weight is not reined in. As one researcher from the University of Miami study states in a WebMD article, "If a kid is age 8 with metabolic syndrome, it will take 10 years or less for that child to become a type 2 diabetic or develop heart disease."

The study analyzed data data on some 1,700 children as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Although much of my sports attention is zeroed in on the NBA finals at the moment, I still try to keep up with what's going on in baseball. It's been a somewhat unusual year in MLB, but there are some things that are refreshingly unchanged. You can still expect to see sports fans (young and old) smiling through nine full innings of play, there are still plenty of great diving catches being made and old school hustling around the bases going on, and players and coaches are still littering dugouts with the shells of discarded sunflower seeds.

Good thing, too, since sunflower seeds are far more than just something to chomp on during tense moments in a game. Researchers from Northwestern University in Illinois found that these magnesium-rich seeds can help regulate blood sugar, thus reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome by as much as 31 percent.

Pumpkin seeds -- a sometimes alternative for sunflower seeds in some dugouts -- also offer similar protection against metabolic syndrome, as do flax and sesame seeds. Chewing tobacco, as you might expect, offers nothing in that regard, and instead offers the increased risk of mouth cancer. Stick to the seeds, kids.

Metabolic Syndrome, sometimes also referred to as Syndrome X, is a collection of risk factors that make a person more prone to developing heart disease, stroke, or diabetes.

How do you know if you're at risk? Check your stats. If you find that you're not measuring up to healthy standards, you may want to speak with your doctor about starting a regular exercise program and following an appropriate diet.

Now for what I'm sure your final question must be: What are considered unhealthy standards?

• A waistline of 40 inches or more for men and 35 inches or more for women
• Blood pressure of 130/85 mmHg or higher
• Triglyceride level above 150 mg/dl
• Fasting blood glucose level of over 100, mg/dl
• An HDL cholesterol level less than 40 mg/dl for men and 50 mg/dl for women

If some of these numbers seem familiar, you don't need to panic. However, you really shouldn't igrnore the problem, either. Again, the best move would be to talk with your doctor about how you can go about improving your health stats.

Abdominal obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, high triglycerides, low HDL (good) cholesterol levels: a cluster of traits typically referred to as Metabolic Syndrome. All are known to be indicators of diabetes and heart disease in adults. What has recently been discovered, however, is that these same traits are also on the rise in adolescents.

Based on a 2007 study conducted at Penn State's Center for Childhood Obesity Research, Metabolic Syndrome is now on the rise in people of younger age. In this study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, Metabolic Syndrome risk was assessed in 154 white, non-Hispanic 13-year-old girls and their parents. The results suggested that those individuals who demonstrated traits typically associated with Metabolic Syndrome also had a greater increase in fat mass between the ages of 5 and 13 when compared against the individuals who did not exhibit these traits.

A possible cause for the disparity was also considered -- based on further research into these individuals' eating behaviors. It turned out that the group at higher risk had consumed a great deal more sugary beverages between the ages of 5 to 13 than did the group that did not exhibit signs of risk.

A big steak with french fries and a buttery, white roll is not the ideal meal. Published in the on-line journal Circulation last month, a long-term study has shown these unhealthy foods -- red meat, fried foods and processed grains -- are associated with an 18 percent increased risk for metabolic syndrome. Abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and elevated blood glucose and blood pressure comprise metabolic syndrome, the collective risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Don't order a diet soda with that steak and side of fries, either. This same study, which examined the diets and health of 9,500 men and women between the ages of 45 to 64 over nine years, determined the risk of developing metabolic syndrome was a whopping 34 percent higher among one-can-a-day diet soda drinkers compared to diet-soda-teetotalers.

As one author of the research wondered, is there a chemical in diet soda or certain behaviors common among diet soda drinkers that explain this increased risk for metabolic syndrome? I gave up regular diet soda consumption months ago, but I do imbibe on a rare occasion. Hmm. Maybe 'everything in moderation' does not apply for metabolic syndrome in a can.

Yoga is often suggested for people who want to improve flexibility or relieve stress, but new studies are showing that taking part in regular yoga exercises can also reduce many factors that contribute to heart disease.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and excess weight tha can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. When over 100 people with the syndrome practiced yoga during the study, their reduce waist circumference, blood triglycerides, and blood pressure, among other risk factors.

The theory is that yoga induces a "relaxation response" that calms the nervous system and reduces the level of stress hormones in the body.

Three months ago, government officials in the city of Ise in Japan embarked on a Samurai diet in order to win a vicious war -- against obesity and metabolic syndrome, according to this article. Unfortunately, the program took an unexpected turn -- one government official had a heart attack while jogging and died in August. However, the 'Samurais' motored on and the program recently ended and results were promising, with the city's mayor shedding 12 lbs. Way to set a good example, Mr. Mayor!

I think this is a great idea and one that every municipal government should adopt. Encouraging healthy habits is especially effective when people in the public eye and in positions of authority get the ball rolling, don't you think?

Take a few moments to measure your waistline today. Why? Because elevated abdominal fat is one important criteria in diagnosing metabolic syndrome. In women, waists should not measure more than 35 inches. In men, no more than 40. Other criteria include insulin resistance, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. If you have a combination of three of these risk factors, you may have metabolic syndrome.

What is metabolic syndrome, exactly? Experts don't always agree on its definition or even if the syndrome truly exists. But what is known is that having this collection of physical conditions can seriously raise your risk of heart disease. In fact, researchers recently did a meta-analysis of 37 different studies and came to the conclusion that metabolic syndrome may raise heart disease risk by 78%. Not only that, but this particular group of risk factors is becoming increasingly prevalent among Americans.

If you think you may have metabolic syndrome, there are steps you can take to reverse these risks and prevent heart disease. A trip to your doctor should be first on your list, but experts also recommend:

• weight loss
• a minimum of 30 minutes exercise each day
• a healthy diet low in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol
• no smoking
• regular monitoring of weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol at your doctor's office.

Read more about metabolic syndrome -- including information on diagnosis and self-care -- here.