College Linemen at Risk for Obesity, Diabetes

Despite the high-intensity workout that college football linemen get out on the field, they are not protected from developing obesity, heart disease and related ailments later in life, a new study finds.

Ohio State University football team physician James Borchers studied 90 players from the team in 2007 for a range of health measures and looked for obesity risk factors.

The study, detailed in the December 2009 issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, found that linemen were more likely to be obese and at risk for related ailments later in life, particularly diabetes. Since it pays to be big when you're a lineman, Borchers suggests that rather than packing on fat poundage, players should focus on gaining muscle mass.

The study adds to other evidence that football can lead to poor health later in life. Previous studies have also shown that professional football players are prone to developing dementia and depression, in part because of the number of concussions they receive over their careers. Another study presented earlier this year at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session found that retired professional football players had a high prevalence of sleep apnea, which can be associated with obesity and heart disease, though another studied detailed earlier this year in the American Journal of Cardiology found that retired pro football players did not have a higher prevalence of heart disease compared to other men in the same age range

Linemen at risk

The players in the new study were grouped by size and similarity of position - offensive and defensive linemen; wide receivers and defensive backs; and tight ends, linebackers, quarterbacks, punters and kickers.

Researchers measured the athletes' blood pressure, blood sugar, insulin levels, cholesterol, triglycerides, height, weight, waist circumference and body fat percentage. The measurements were taken during a single visit after a 10-hour fast.

One in five players, all linemen, registered as obese, because they had 25 percent or more body fat. (Body mass index, a ratio of weight to height, wasn't used to determine obesity because it isn't considered a valid measure for strength-trained athletes, Borchers noted.)

Of the 19 obese linemen (out of a total of 29 linemen), 11 showed signs of insulin resistance, a condition in which the presence of insulin in the blood doesn't initiate the transfer of sugar from the blood to the tissues, where the sugar is used for energy. Insulin resistance tends to develop in people who are overweight and not active, and increases a person's chances of developing diabetes and heart disease.

Of those same 19 linemen, eight met the criteria for metabolic syndrome, which is characterized by having three or more of the following conditions: excess fat in the abdominal area, borderline or high blood pressure, cholesterol problems that foster plaque buildup in the arteries, insulin resistance or glucose intolerance, and a high level of triglycerides, a form of fat in the blood.

Among other players, only 8 percent were considered overweight, and none met the criteria for metabolic syndrome. Linemen accounted for 68 percent of the players in the study who showed signs of insulin resistance.

source: yahoo

A Weight-Loss Resolution That’s Light on the Wallet

For most people who resolve to shed pounds after the holidays, the decision means shelling out cash — on packaged foods, books, health club memberships, a scale, liposuction consultations. Problem is, the only thing many people end up losing is money.

But on a cost-per-pound basis, the newest class of weight-loss innovation could beat them all.

Free and nearly free cellphone applications for dieters and aspiring hard bodies are proliferating in the various app stores for iPhones, Android handsets, BlackBerrys and others. In some cases it feels like the Internet, circa 1999, in that companies are giving away products that seem fairly valuable.

Just as that early Internet practice screeched to a halt once everyone (well, almost everyone) came to their senses, this will too. So if you are thinking of shedding a few pounds, it might make sense to load a couple of these programs onto your phone before you devour your next pig in a blanket.

I tested a handful of the most popular applications, including Lose It! (free, for the iPhone), Calorie Counter (free, on Android and BlackBerry) and Calorie Tracker by Livestrong ($3 on iPhone, BlackBerry and Android).

Lose It!, from FitNow, is the top choice of calorie counters, with 3.5 million downloads in the 14 months since it became available. But more noteworthy is that 190,000 people have bothered to rate the app, usually with high marks, which suggests that the software has some staying power.

Based on a week or so of playing with it, the ratings are well-earned, and probably would be just as high if it cost a few dollars or more.

At its core, Lose It! is a calorie counter and weight tracker, with tools for logging and watching your food intake. Enter a few personal metrics into the program along with your weight-loss goal and deadline, and Lose It! sets a budget for your calorie intake.

source: nytimes