skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

WI Heart Warning: Not Only Obese at Risk

play audio
Play

Monday, July 13, 2009   

Madison, Wisc. – Sometimes, "the middle" isn't such a great place to be. For instance, much has been said about the risks of being obese, but when it comes to being overweight - that is, the middle range between normal weight and obesity - the health focus has not been so keen.

In adults, being "overweight" is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29.9. However, Dr. Susan Isensee, director of Dean Health System's Comprehensive Weight Management Program in Madison, says focusing on the relationship between total mortality and BMI misses the larger picture of what people need to do to improve their health.

"I tell many of the patients when they come in here, that I don't like the word 'diet.' That's a bad four-letter word in my language. Lifestyle changes are what it's about - getting active. Exercise is still very important. There's no question that exercise helps us be healthier in more ways than just losing the weight."

Isensee points to factors other than body mass index that indicate potential health problems - which means taking a closer look at your waistline.

"How do you carry your weight? Because if you do carry much more 'central' obesity, your risk is increased."

Isensee recommends that, in addition to studying the BMI-mortality connections, researchers focus more effort on the overall relationship between health and being overweight. Even among the young, she says, being overweight is related to the development of serious risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, obesity, elevated cholesterol levels and Type 2 diabetes.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021