Hips Don't Lie

Hips Don’t Lie

By:Dr Madan M Vasandani

In this famous song, sung by Shakira “… my hips don’t lie and I’m starting to feel it's right.” These lyrics ignited the curiosity in me to find out more about the hips and how it is related to many health conditions. The hip is known to be an area of various disputes. The infamous apple and pear shaped body is all about the hips. Beauty, Diseases and believe it or not, Intelligence are all related to the shape and size of the hips. Here are some interesting facts regarding the hips that I managed to gather:

1. Waist to hip ratio - This is the ratio of the circumference of the waist to that of the hips. The ratio applies to both men and women. A ratio of 0.9 and 0.7 is considered to be ideal for male and female respectively. It is found that females with a WHR of 0.7 have better health and fertility. Women with the 0.7 range have optimal levels of estrogen and are less susceptible to major disease such as diabetes, cardiovascular disorders and ovarian cancers. Men with WHRs around 0.9, similarly have been shown to be more healthy and fertile with less prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
2. Intelligence - A recent study done by two researchers, Steven Gaulin and William Lassek found that an hourglass figure may have evolutionary significance. They found that a women’s waist to hip ratio had an impact on a child’s intelligence; curvy women birthed children with superior cognitive abilities. Lassek believes Omega-3 fatty acids, are believed to be the source of the benefits. They are selectively stored in the hips and thighs beginning in adolescence. Notably, women do not begin to metabolize these deposits except during the 3^rd trimester of pregnancy and during lactation – peak times for a child’s brain growth.
3. Memory - Scientists from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Illinois have just released findings from their recent study regarding the correlation between memory and weight in older women. According to the study, the more an older woman weighs, the worse her memory was found to be. Additionally the scientists concluded that the effect is greater in those women who carry extra weight around their hips, and have a pear shaped body, as compared to those women who carry excess weight around their waists and have an apple shaped body
4.   Bone Health - According to a report from the International Osteoporosis Foundation, women who sit for more than nine hours a day are fifty percent more likely to break a hip than women who sit less than six hours a day. Muscles in your butt, groin, and spine help hold your hip joint together.
5. Bigger Hips for Preventing Heart Disease - British scientists at Oxford University have claimed that having a big bottom is good for health, it protects against heart diseases and metabolic disorders. Hip fat cleans up fatty acids that are harmful to us and contains an agent that prevents the blockage of arteries. The experts have also stated that big hips are better than big waistlines. A big girth doesn’t offer any such protection, in fact, it has the reverse effect. Lead researcher, Konstantinos Monolopoulos, states, that the fat around the hips and the thigs are good for you, whereas, fat accumulated around the waist is bad.

I believe that when it comes to health, all fat isn’t created equal. Just like real estate, it’s all about location. Two people who are equally overweight, with the same percentage of body fat, can have different risks of disease and early death if their body fat distribution patterns are different. Hence, it’s time that you not only pay attention to your weight but also your shape. For a full Cardiovascular and Cancer assessment contact Centrepoint Healthcare at 021 570 6208.

Rome was not built in a day

Rome was not built in a day

By: Dr Madan M Vasandani

          A recent conversation with a friend of mine is the inspiration for me to write this article. His father recently recovered from a heart attack. As he was explaining to me the details of what happened that one particular night, he mentioned the word “suddenly his chest started aching like never before”. The word suddenly leads me to ask him questions regarding his fathers’ lifestyle. To start off, he is obese, he ate and he drank whatever he wanted and he rarely moved a muscle. The heart attack he experienced is the result of many ‘small’ mistakes he made in the past.

          In my practice I am always faced with people who leave a trail of shock when they hear they have a chronic disease like Diabetes, Hypertension or even cancer. Yes, there is a genetic aspect to these diseases but remember, these aspects only comes into play when you allow them to. Cancer is a condition which is quite horrifying. The pain of the cancer itself, the side effects of therapy and also the cost of it can lead a person into severe depression. Did you know that most type of cancer are caused by multiple factors? For example Obesity, excessive consumption of trans fat, inactivity, no breast feeding contributes more to breast cancer then genetic factors. As the old saying “Rome was not built in a day” is also valid for medical conditions. Remember chronic conditions does not just happen suddenly, it is almost always due to the decisions that we make to damage our body.

          It is time that all of us, including me, to make the right decisions when it concerns our health. Let’s not blame our forefathers, fathers or mothers for the ailments that we have. It is time that we look inwards and realize the wrong choices that we have made which has led to our current condition. For those of you who are reading this article and not sure what condition you have, it is time you get a medical check up. Use the internet wisely. There is a wealth of health articles for you to read so that your health improves.

          The sad part about my friends’ father is that, he has returned to his old ways. He has not done anything to improve his diet, he is not exercising and he is not very compliant on his medications. This is the character for many people and not only him. The only way to change ourselves is by looking at the mistakes that we have done and currently doing, and change it one mistake at a time. If you are eating too much fat, cut back on it. If you are smoking, start quitting, if you are not exercising, start with a slow walk to your favorite restaurant. Do not overwhelm yourself with too many changes at one time. Make a list of the things that you think you are doing wrong and change it one by one. Remember it took you years to become what you are now; it will take sometime before you can right all the wrongs. Stay healthy by making the right choices starting from today.