Epidemic obesity hurting US health, economy -- report

It appears the US is facing a... heavyweight crisis.

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WASHINGTON -- Two-thirds of US adults and some 25 million children are obese or overweight, and the fatness of the land is harming Americans' health and threatening US competitiveness, a report published Monday showed.

"In the past year, obesity rates have continued to rise in 31 states. Eighty-five percent of Americans believe that obesity is an epidemic," the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) said in its fourth annual "F as in Fat" report.

The rate of adult obesity more than doubled in percentage terms in the past 25 years across the United States, growing from 15 percent in 1978-80 to 32 percent in 2003-04, the report said.

In the same period, childhood obesity increased more than three-fold.

Poor nutrition and physical inactivity were putting Americans at greater risk for developing diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and even some forms of cancer.

How to Determine Your Cardiovascular Health

In a previous post, I have provided a link to what triggers heart attacks. Now you may want to find out how to prevent heart attacks from happening.

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You may have gotten to a point in your life where you're asking, "Where is my health going and why am I in this handbasket?" Or you may be saying, "I feel fine and want to make sure I stay that way."

The fact is, the majority of Americans older than 40 years already have a major health problem. Another disconcerting fact is that the majority of illnesses are subclinical, meaning they smolder under the surface for many years before they are recognized. Whatever your condition, sickness or apparent health, accurately assessing your current health is the proper place to start on your journey to vibrant health.

Since cardiovascular health is key to health in general -- and the lack of it is so common -- it is where I'd like to begin a health review. Heart disease is the #1 killer of Americans, followed, in order of prevalence, by cancer, stroke, emphysema, and accidents.

But every 34 seconds an American dies of heart disease!

Consequently, we all know someone with heart disease, or we have it ourselves. If you're interested in avoiding or ending personal experience with this disease, I have good news for you: the majority of the causes of cardiovascular disease are in our control.

The first and foundational step in gaining or maintaining cardiovascular health is accurately measuring your current condition. Once that is clearly understood, an effective treatment or preventative plan can be made. In this article, we'll review the most important factors indicating cardiovascular health or disease. Collect the information and grade yourself.

What Causes Heat Attacks?

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Anger really can trigger a heart attack. But then, so can getting sick, being too hot, being too cold, air pollution, lack of sleep, grief, overeating, natural disasters, exercise and sex.

In fact, simply waking up is the worst thing you can do if you're trying to avoid a heart attack.

Heart attacks, strokes and cardiac arrests seem to come out of the blue, but actually most occur upon rising in the morning, according to the July 2007 issue of the Harvard Heart Letter.

Well, I sure don't want not waking up due to those conditions! Better do something before such a fate befalls you, for there is not likely second chance!