(NaturalNews) A recent study conducted by scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found that simple weight loss is an effective treatment for sleep apnea in obese men. Published in the British Medical Journal, the study revealed a 50-percent reduction in sleep apnea cases following a rigorous weight-loss regimen where each participant lost an average of nearly 42 pounds throughout the course of the study.
A common disease in overweight people, particularly in men, sleep apnea is a disorder where
breathing is interrupted during one's
sleep due to a blocked or collapsed airway. Most people with
sleep apnea must sleep with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine in order to insure
healthy breathing and to alleviate associated symptoms.
Rather than have to use a machine, however,
scientists have found that the best way to eliminate sleep apnea is by
losing weight. Nearly 20 percent of study participants who lost significant amounts of
weight were declared to be completely cured from sleep apnea. Participants with the most severe cases of sleep apnea benefitted the most from the
weight loss program and they experienced the greatest results.
Significant weight loss was achieved by placing participants on a very low calorie diet (VLCD) which was composed of a low-calorie
food powder. When mixed with water, the powder was used as a meal replacement for every meal of the day, resulting in rapid weight loss. Following the study, participants were invited to participate in a behavioral change program designed to help them maintain a healthy weight.
Comments by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
It's no surprise that being extremely
overweight might interview with the physical movement of air through the trachea and into the lungs. That so many people suffer from this problem is a statement about the very large problem of obesity in the western world. Sleep apnea is virtually unheard of in developing nations where far fewer people are
obese.
The good news is that resolving obesity to
cure sleep apnea also provides a wealth of other
health benefits: Reduced risks of cancer, diabetes, heart
disease, asthma and even the
risk of catching influenza. Maintaining a healthy
body weight is probably the single most important thing a person can do to improve their health.
And yet the lifestyles we pursue today in modern society make it virtually impossible to lose weight and keep it off. When people work 12 hours a day, commute 2 hours a day, eat processed food on the run and spend most of their lives indoors under artificial light, staying fit and trim is all but impossible. The only real solution to maintaining a healthy
body weight is to
change our lifestyles by giving up the long work days, the processed fast food and the city
life.
To be healthy, you've got to live closer to nature. Live a simpler life with more sunlight and less stress. More time outdoors and less time in a cubicle. These are the things that can make a real difference. The curing of sleep apnea is just a side effect of choosing to pursue a healthier
lifestyle.
Sources for this story include:http://ki.se/ki/jsp/polopoly.jsp?l=en&d=130&a=88933&newsdep=130
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In mid 2010, Adams produced NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also a noted pioneer in the email marketing software industry, having been the first to launch an HTML email newsletter technology that has grown to become a standard in the industry. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org
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Sunday, January 03, 2010
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