Health issues and reports

Am I Obese? - calculate your BMI

Reports and news on Food and Health

Health and weight - here we bring you the latest news and how it may effect you

We all know that being overweight can harm our health. We hope to keep you up to date on the latest findings and also welcome contributions from those in the medical profession on any health related issues - Heart disease - Diabetes - High blood pressure – Osteoarthritis - Stroke – Higher risks from breast, cervical, prostrate and ovarian cancers..

Over the coming months we shall be looking at these issues as well as reports relating obesity to problems with pregnancy, fertility and IVF. We want to hear from professionals and individuals.

We also want to hear from those of you living with health problems as a result of your weight.

Am I obese ?
Obesity is currently measured by body mass index (BMI), this can be calculated by dividing weight (kgs) by size (m²). A BMI of over 30 is considered obese

The Body Mass Index provides a number calculated from height and weight. It is often used to help determine the risk of weight-related health problems.

Obesity is defined as a BMI (Body Mass Index) greater then 24.9. To make it understandable we need some calculations:

• Take your height in meters, e.g. 1.70 equal to approximately 5ft 7”, i.e. 2.54cm = 1 inch; 0.3048 = 1 foot.

• Then convert your weight into kg, e.g. 63kg equal to approximately 10 stones, i.e. 450gr (0.450 kg) to 1 pound; 6.35 kg to 1 stone.

• Take your height in meters, e.g. 1.70, and square it, i.e. 1.70 X 1.70 = 2.89

• Now finally take your weight and divide it by the square of your height, i.e. 63kg/2.89 = 21.8. This is your BMI.

If you are in the process of losing weight you can get BMI calculators ( like on our product page) which will help you calculate your changing BMI more easily.

• Now compare it with the classes of weight:

Underweight = less then 18.5
Normal = 18.5-24.9
Pre-obese = 25-29.9
Obese class 1 (moderate) = 30-34.9
Obese class 2 (severe) = 35-39.9

If you scored above 25, do not despair, a healthy and balanced diet could do miracles, even for the big sizes. Do not say to yourself “I cannot do it!”, you can, anyone can, you just need the will to do it. And another thing, don’t do it for the others, do it for yourself!

Reports and news on Food and Health

Fruity food flavourings fleece shoppers Much of the flavour in modern food and drink can come from an unexpected source, a survey by The Food Commission has revealed. There are currently around 2,700 flavourings which can be added to the food we eat, but none of these need to be declared as ingredients, leaving consumers unaware of what they are really eating. The survey points out that flavourings have no nutritional value of their own. When used instead of real ingredients, flavourings can reduce the nutritional value of our food. For instance, a 'fruit flavour' product can be completely free of real fruit.

Using strawberry flavour products as an example, The Food Commission revealed that many products contain no strawberries at all, or use just tiny amounts of the fruit. For instance:

Jordans Frusli All Fruit Strawberry Bars contain only 0.5% strawberry juice concentrate. The bars are actually made from apples.

Hartley's Strawberry Jelly with a 'New Fruitier Taste' contains no strawberries at all.

Nesquik Strawberry Milkshake Mix is almost 100% pure sugar, but contains no strawberries. Nesquik suggest that children add up to four teaspoons of this sugary mix to every glass of milk they drink.

ASDA Great Stuff Strawberry Milkshake has been 'endorsed by ASDA nutritionists' - but the cartons contain no strawberry at all. Flavourings provide the taste and the colour comes from beetroot.

Yoplait Yop Strawberry Yogurt contains no strawberries and uses an artificial colouring, E124 (ponceau 4R).

Fruit Bowl School Bars (apple, strawberry and pear) look very fruity, but contain more vegetable oil than strawberry juice (1.5%)

In all of these instances, flavourings provide the taste and the actual strawberry content is either minimal or non-existent.

Ian Tokelove, a spokesperson for The Food Commission, said, "Flavourings allow companies to cut costs at the public's expense. With thousands of cheap flavourings to choose from, many food manufacturers can now flavour their products using these specialist additives instead of real ingredients." "Describing a product as strawberry flavour and plastering the packet with pictures of strawberries, when that product contains just a tiny percentage of strawberry or even no real fruit at all, is misleading and deceptive. Unfortunately it is also legal and the practice is widespread." Tokelove said. The Food Commission is calling for all flavourings to be individually identified on food labels. In the meantime, The Food Commission advises shoppers to always check ingredients lists to see what is really in, or missing from, their food. The Food Commission is an independent watchdog which campaigns for healthier, safer, sustainable food in the UK.

Further information:See www.foodcomm.org.uk

Warning over severe weight loss caused by chewing gum

In this week's BMJ, doctors warn of excess sorbitol intake, a widely used sweetener in "sugar-free" products such as chewing gum and sweets.

Sorbitol has laxative properties and is poorly absorbed by the small intestine. Their advice follows the cases of two patients with chronic diarrhoea, abdominal pain and severe weight loss. Although extensive investigations were carried out, final diagnosis was only established after detailed analysis of eating habits.

On questioning, both patients admitted consuming substantial amounts of sugar-free gum and sweets. The first patient (a 21 year old woman) chewed large amounts of sugar-free gum, accounting for a total daily dose of 18-20g sorbitol (one stick of chewing gum contains about 1.25g sorbitol). The second patient (a 46 year old man) reported chewing 20 sticks of sugar-free gum and eating up to 200g of sweets each day, which together contained around 30g sorbitol.

After both patients started a sorbitol free diet, diarrhoea subsided, normal bowel movements resumed and weight gain was achieved. As possible side effects are usually found only within the small print on foods containing sorbitol, consumers may be unaware of its laxative effects and fail to recognise a link with their gastrointestinal problems, write the authors.

In conclusion, they say, our cases demonstrate that sorbitol consumption can cause not only chronic diarrhoea and functional bowel complaints but also considerable unintended weight loss (about 20% of usual body weight). Thus, the investigation of unexplained weight loss should include detailed dietary history with regard to foods containing sorbitol.

source bmj