Men’s Health is changing

Previously men have typically displayed a lack of interest in their physical and mental health especially when you compare their behaviour to women. This is not a beneficial behaviour when it comes to the survival of the male species!
Thankfully things are changing –we now have magazines dedicated to men’s health and not just playboy! Still often it’s only the younger generation that seem to look after themselves and that’s if they are lucky enough to avoid the wrong company and the very toxic party drugs like “ice”.
Compared to women, men avoid doctors, naturopaths, medical checkups and psychologists; they also avoid sharing their physical, emotional and sexual concerns with their mates.

They think it’s not “man-like” to complain
They are educated to be tough
They are terrified of something being seriously wrong “down there”
They are highly embarrassed to have problems
They think that health problems are inevitable and can’t be helped
They have a closed mind to natural healing
They are driven to succeed and admitting a fault could slow them down

Males most commonly gain weight in the upper torso, around the face, neck, chest and abdomen, leading to a condition known as abdominal weight gain or central obesity, so the beer belly is common and widespread!. This pattern of weight gain is typical of the android body shaped or apple shaped person and it is estimated that over 99% of males are android body shape. Rarely do males put on weight around the hips and thighs only, which is characteristic of the Gynaeoid body shape in women. So it is accurate to say that most males are android body shape.

Abdominal weight gain leads to many serious health conditions including insulin resistance, obstructive sleep apnea, high cholesterol and high triglycerides (hyperlipidemia), hypertension, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver and also lowered testosterone levels. This condition is known as Syndrome X.

Syndrome X and sleep apnea lead to a dysfunctional pituitary-gonadal axis characterized by lowered secretions of luteinising hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland in the brain. This leads to abnormally low secretion of testosterone from the testicles (gonads); so it is little wonder that many overweight males have a low sex drive.

With increased weight gain in the upper torso, usually the neck circumference and the waist circumference increase in size, and this is strongly associated with sleep apnoea, where a person may snore and stop breathing hundreds of times a night. Sleep apnoea contributes to insulin resistance, so the person’s insulin level may become very elevated. Insulin is a fat storing hormone and commonly leads to weight gain. What a vicious cycle!

• neck circumference is larger than 41cms
• waist circumference is larger than 102cms
• body mass index (BMI) is greater than 28

the risk of sleep apnea is increased greatly, and so is the risk of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver and lowered testosterone levels.

Overweight males benefit from supplements that can –

• Improve liver function so that the ability of the liver to burn fat increases. This is best achieved with daily vegetable salads and vegetable juices, LivaTone Plus and N-Acetyl-Cysteine.
• Reduce insulin resistance, such as Glicemic Balance so weight loss is easier.
• Promote cardiovascular health and lower high blood pressure, such as Magnesium Complete

Dr Sandra Cabot has been a medical doctor for over 40 years and has always believed in the power of nutritional medicine. Dr Cabot is very aware of all the reasons that make it difficult for men to control their weight in modern society such as:

• The abundance of fast foods high in unhealthy fats and sugar that tempt us
• The lack of time to prepare healthy meals
• The lack of motivation many men feel when weight loss is too slow
• The high levels of stress caused by lack of time to take care of ourselves due to the demands of family and work

It is vital to address ALL the causes of weight excess such as:

• Fatty liver – a healthy liver burns fat whereas a fatty liver stores fat
• Syndrome X – this is a chemical imbalance that makes your body store fat. Syndrome X is due to insulin resistance, which leads to high insulin levels and this makes it impossible to lose weight. Why you may ask? This is because insulin is a fat storing hormone and high insulin levels also make us hungry and give us cravings for sugar and carbohydrates. It is impossible to lose weight if your insulin levels are too high. Syndrome X often leads to diabetes type 2, that’s why it’s vital to get this problem under control. Thankfully it’s not as hard as you may think it is!
• Unstable levels of blood sugar which cause cravings for carbohydrates (especially sugary foods)
• Sleep disorders such as snoring and sleep apnea can lead to a deficiency of testosterone, which leads to fatigue and weight gain
• Fatigue which depletes our body of the energy to exercise
• Deficiencies of minerals such as selenium and iodine, which cause a sluggish thyroid gland – the thyroid gland controls the metabolic rate
• Lack of exercise
• Stress and depression