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Women Urged to Know Their Numbers

Posted on: Wednesday, 5 October 2005, 18:00 CDT

By LAURIE SMITH ANDERSON

Woman - know thy numbers.

One of the keys to maintaining good health is to know what your numbers are for blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index and diabetes, Dr. Jim Yegee told women attending a recent session of "Women! A Week-Long Celebration," sponsored by the Women's Council of Greater Baton Rouge.

"Obviously, a critical problem in our society today is that we take in too many calories and don't burn enough," said Yegee, a kidney specialist with Renal Associates of Baton Rouge. The best way to prevent or control many of the chronic diseases that plague us today again goes back to two words, he said, "diet and exercise.

Know your family history. Know your risk factors, and know your numbers, he said.

For example, high cholesterol can lead to hardening of the arteries, a precursor for heart disease and stroke. Women at particular risk include those with a family history of heart disease, smokers and those who have diabetes, high blood pressure and live a sedentary lifestyle.

A desirable total cholesterol is anything under 200 mg/dL, he said. Borderline high is 200 to 239, and high is over 240. Close attention is also paid to LDL (bad) cholesterol which, optimally, should be under 100 and HDL (good) cholesterol which, optimally, should be over 60.

Blood pressure is another important measure with normal defined as less than 130/85 mmHg, Yegee said. A little over that is "high normal," and anything over 140/90 is considered hypertensive. To get an accurate measure, three different readings should be taken at different times.

For those who find themselves as "high normal," the physician again recommended lifestyle changes. "Try diet and exercise first. Less medicine is better." About 50 percent of people with high blood pressure are salt sensitive and should restrict sodium in their diets, he said.

As we have moved from an agrarian to an industrial to an information society, we have become less and less active without restricting food intake, he said. As a result, obesity is a major problem today as defined by "body mass index," a ratio measurement of weight to height that can be calculated online. A normal BMI is between 19 and 25. Overweight is 26 to 30, and obese is anything over 30.

Body shape is also important with an apple shape considered a higher health risk than a pear shape. Women should have a waist circumference of less than 35 inches, and men should be less than 40 inches.

That measurement correlates to a growing concern about "metabolic syndrome," or a cluster of conditions that can lead to heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is closely connected to the increase in obesity in our society as it can be prevented largely through diet and exercise, he said. After fasting for eight hours, an individual's glucose (blood sugar) level should be under 100 mgdL. A measurement between 100 and 125 is considered prediabetes, and anything over 126 is considered diabetes.

Osteoporosis is another women's health concern, Yegee said. At particular risk are post-menopausal white women with small bone frames. Family history, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle and a diet that doesn't include enough calcium constitute other risk factors.

Women at risk should undergo a bone scan, as should post- menopausal women. Older women should be getting at least 1,500 milligrams of calcium each day and should engage in regular weight- bearing exercise, such as walking. It is also important that girls get lots of calcium in their diet in their early, bone-building years.

Getting back to the lifestyle factors he mentioned earlier, Yegee said a prudent diet for most people would be to consume less than 30 percent of total calories in fat and to eat low-fat protein, fruits and vegetables, and a balance of carbohydrates.

As for exercise, he said, more is better. Experts are now recommending that people exercise 30 to 60 minutes a day most days of the week. "Just move," he said. "Do something. Do anything. Walking is the cheapest, easiest and one of the best things you can do."

Source: Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.

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