May 2014
Dr.
Rodgers delivers keynote at African American Health Program Community Day
Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers, director of the National Institute
of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), gave the keynote at the
first annual African American Health Program (AAHP) Community Day. Attended by
families and community leaders, this event was held on April 19 at Montgomery
College in Takoma Park, MD, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Dr. Rodgers talked
about how NIDDK’s research and programs strive to help people better manage and
prevent obesity, diabetes, and kidney disease. These “common, costly, and
consequential” conditions and diseases, as Dr. Rodgers described them, affect African
Americans more than other groups.
Dr. Rodgers talked about the rise in overweight and
obesity in the United States in the last 30 years. He explained how obesity raises
the chances of developing type 2 diabetes, the leading cause of kidney
disease. In the United States, two out
of three adults are overweight or obese. Half of all African American adults
are obese.
Getting more physical activity and consuming healthier foods
and beverages may help control weight and reduce chances of disease, Dr.
Rodgers noted. He encouraged attendees to look to NIDDK for information about diabetes, kidney
disease, weight control and nutrition, and digestive diseases.
Visit the NIDDK website to find out more about these
programs:
Lifestyle changes may help older adults lose weight, keep
lean body mass
Changes may also improve heart health
Combining low-calorie
eating with regular physical activity
may help older adults lose weight while maintaining lean body mass, suggest
findings from a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. These
lifestyle changes may also improve heart health in older adults.
The 18-month study included 288 adults in North Carolina,
ages 60 to 79 years. All had heart disease or were likely to develop heart
disease.
The study tested two programs. One provided counseling and
support for walking 30 minutes per day. The other did the same, but also
provided advice on healthy eating and cutting calories to lose weight. A
control group attended educational sessions on healthy aging.
Those in the program focused on both walking and cutting
calories lost almost 8 percent of their starting weight. They also had
- reduced body fat
- increased lean body mass
- improved mobility
- healthier blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol
Those who focused only on walking did not lose weight or
have the same health benefits.
For more on this study, go to http://bit.ly/1iyuuDP.
|
Watch for the next issue of the WIN Notes Update for…
…ideas for celebrating Men’s Health Month in June.
|