Weighing in on weight loss, longevity
Did you know that for every step you take on flat ground you’re subjecting your knees to a force equal to 1½ times your body weight? If you tip the scales at 200 pounds, that’s 300 pounds of pounding. And going up or down an incline can cause your knees to get hammered with a force equivalent to three times your body weight.
Little wonder that a new study in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology found that the higher your body mass index (BMI), the greater your risk for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout and inflammatory spondylitis.
These so-called rheumatic conditions are more likely because of the bodywide inflammation and the specific inflammation and wear and tear that being overweight causes your joints, bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments.
And that, the research says, then leads to chronic pain, limited mobility — and a shorter lifespan.
That’s confirmed by another new study. Researchers found that when folks who are overweight or obese and have arthritis of the knees or hips take weightloss medications to gradually lose weight, it extends their life expectancy. Psst! Losing weight fast didn’t offer that benefit. (The data are from the results of taking weight-loss meds such as orlistat and sibutramine, not newer ones such as Wegovy or Mounjaro.)
Diabetes tips
If you are one of the 98 million Americans with prediabetes or the more than 38 million with fullblown diabetes, it’s important to stay up on the newest developments, insights and alerts. So here are a couple of the latest tools at hand — and a warning.
Prevention: A study in Diet and Metabolism found that a nutritious plant-based diet can slash your risk of diabetes by 24 percent. Another study indicates that while walking 2-3 mph is helpful in preventing Type 2 diabetes, the faster you go, the more effective it is. Among more than 160,000 people, those who walked 3-4 mph were at a 24 percent lower risk for diabetes than folks walking more slowly.
Caution: If you have prediabetes or are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, you may be tempted to try some of the remedies and “medications” that are showing up online. Fake pharmacies and random websites tout untested remedies that have been found to contain prescription drugs that are not on the label and many are contaminated with infectious agents or toxic chemicals.