Ten ways to prevent cancer             OASIS Escondido     Senior Center      Wednesday April 4, 1:00 p.m.

A series of four presentations at the Dove Library, Carlsbad,

Tuesdays at 12:30 p.m.

April 10          Sleep, light and health

April 17          The true Mediterranean diet

April 24          How the computer affects your health and your brain

May 1             Ten ways to prevent cancer

Keeping your wits: how to avoid Alzheimer’s disease and  dementia   

Allied Gardens Library/OASIS     Friday April 20, 2:00 p.m.

            Visit http://www.oasisnet.org/sandiego for registration information

Shingrix: The new shingles vaccine       San Marcos Library

 Wednesday May 9 1:00 p.m.

In the news

The obesity paradox isn’t. From time to time journalists describe a study that shows that persons who are slightly overweight – perhaps even more than “slightly” – live longer than those whose weight is normal. Critical analysis usually shows that the lower-weight persons have lost weight due to illness, thus shortening their lives, or there is a sampling error. The correction rarely makes the news.

Perhaps the most recent study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Cardiology in February 2018 will put the myth to rest. This was a large study involving more than 190,000 people and lasted from 1964 to 2015 – rather meaningful numbers. Overweight and obese persons had fewer years of disease-free life, being diagnosed with heart disease earlier than those of normal weight. Among the morbidly obese, being about 100 pounds or more over standard weight, sixty-five percent experienced a heart attack, stroke or heart failure during the study.

Overweight or obese persons live longer after being diagnosed with heart disease because they are diagnosed earlier in life. This study showed that normal weight was associated with a longer life overall. Which is a great lead-in to the item that follows.

Lifestyle

Beware of any diet program that claims that you will lose 5 or 10 pounds per week. That’s possible but it isn’t safe or wise. Your target should be about two pounds per week. After all, that’s about 50 pounds in six months, 100 pounds in a year, and there is no reason to lose it faster. You will still amaze your friends!

If you push your body into starvation mode you will lose a great deal of lean body mass, which includes muscle as well as tissue from other organs. There is also a much greater risk of gallbladder disease when weight loss exceeds 2 pounds per week.

Fatigue and irritability also accompany marked weight loss. The former will jeopardize your job and the latter your relationships. It just isn’t worth it.