Men and Toxic Waist

What is it about men that makes them so reluctant to take their health seriously? When it comes to obesity, despite the fact that as many men are overweight as women, only 1% of those attending weight loss clubs, and only one in five attending medical clinics, are male. Unlike women who are ready at an early age to openly talk about their weight, men are more likely to bottle it up until after they’ve suffered one of the health consequences, like angina or diabetes. And yet all men are vulnerable to becoming overweight. Even the thinnest, most active among us can experience rapid weight gain after a major life event, job change, or sports injury. But for most of us, a sustained but mere 100 calories a day excess is enough to invite the creeping shadow of weight gain, with one or two pounds of gain in a year that eventually shows itself as an ever increasing circle of fat around our waist.

No surprise then that two thirds of men should consider themselves to be overweight and at risk of disease. Some might even view being fat as an occupational hazard of a sedentary lifestyle and working life. Spending one’s working week sitting at an automated machine, a desk, or at meetings, grabbing a meal when you can, and working long hours with little scope for exercise would create a considerable health challenge for any bloke. It should also create a better understanding among us of how obesity is in the majority of cases not simply due to greed or laziness, but due in large part to modern life.

Men tend to carry our excess fat very conspicuously around our waist. Unfortunately this beer-gut or “apple-shaped” obesity is also the most dangerous, being responsible for the development of raised cholesterol, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. The good news is that although a man’s waist circumference is a better indicator of heart disease risk, it is also a greater motivator towards weight reduction. Men are more likely to get excited about decreasing their belt size than shedding the odd pound or two. One centimetre of waist loss usually means 1 kg, or 2 pounds, of fat loss, and brings with it the same health benefits.

If we are to make any headway into tackling this modern epidemic it’s time we stopped blaming ourselves. Of course responsibility for health always begins with ourselves, but a recognition of the part our lifestyle plays in making us more prone to being overweight is important if we are going to be able to do anything long term about it. Overweight affects two thirds of all men. Let’s stop looking at them, and start looking at ourselves. After all, how can we take a speck of dust from a friend’s eye, when we still have a plank in our own!

Dr Ian W Campbell