MEN ARE somehow more prone to develop the "apple-shaped" physique - the so-called spare tyre around the middle, pot belly or paunch. Nutritionists believe it is the combination of a diet high in fat, consuming large quantities of alcohol and inadequate exercise that goes into the making of this pot belly.
Being overweight is a health risk but more recent research indicates that the fat distribution is an even more critical determinant of ill-health. Abdominal fat deposits, for example, indicates a greater risk for the development of strokes, coronary heart disease, diabetes, insulin resistance, hypertension, decreased levels of HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) and possibly diseases of the joints.
Swedish researchers have also published in the October issue of "Obesity Research" a study indicating that stress can change the activity of the nervous system and hormones and encourage the accumulation of fat around the waist. The men with abdominal fat, the researchers say, had changes in a part of the nervous system that helps to keep in balance many of the body's function. Pot belly men also tend to have changes in the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, that links the parts of the brain that control metabolism with the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland produces important regulatory hormones.
To battle the bulge you need to understand two terms - the basal metabolic rate (BMR) and the body mass index (BMI). The BMR is the minimum energy required to carry out the body's involuntary, life-sustaining actions. It can be quickly calculated by multiplying your current weight by 10. This gives the number of calories required to sustain basic function. If you are moderately active, increase the caloric intake by about 40 per cent. The BMI is the weight/height ratio. BMI of 24 or less is a healthy ratio but 30 or more is obese and indicates increased health risks.
