bodybuilding

The number of people who are considered to be severely overweight or clinically obese is steadily climbing. The number for adults stands at 34 million (Source: www.med.Stanford.edu); of those, there are nearly 20 million who are at the beginning, in the middle or quitting a diet of some kind.

One of the most important things that our body needs in order for survival is one special macronutrient: protein. Protein is essential for the growth, recovery and regeneration of muscle tissue, and without protein, we would die. This has been proven, with a number of diseases and other illnesses proving to be directly related to protein deficiencies.

In the world of weight loss, there have always been many people who are eager to find a faster and easier fix. Diet and exercise are the first steps that are recommended by doctors, with weight loss pills usually being the next step. However, for many people, these steps may not be enough and they may turn to more serious means of support, such as a weight loss surgery. There are several different types of weight loss surgery, with the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass being the most common.

The health of our kidneys is not something that should be taken lightly. There are a number of serious diseases and conditions directly related to the kidneys, and some of them are even life threatening. One way to help prevent the onset of kidney disease, or to treat a kidney condition that is already there, is by eating a healthy, well-balanced diet that is rich in protein.

Are you getting enough protein in your diet? Better yet, do you know how to tell if you are getting enough protein in your diet? If you don’t, then it’s time that you educate yourself about the need for protein and how you can get more into your daily diet, without making any drastic changes to your eating.

Pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, a virus or fungi and leads to an infection in either one or both of the lungs. In the United States, Approximately three million people will develop pneumonia each year, with about a half million having to be admitted to a hospital for treatment. Five percent of those who contract pneumonia die from it, making the illness the sixth principal cause of death in the United States (Source: Schiffman). In this article, we look at how nutrition, protein and a well-balanced diet can help in preventing pneumonia infections.

Dehydration is more than just the feeling of being thirsty, although doctors are quick to remind patients that once they have felt thirst, it is too late- they are already well on the way to dehydration. The actual condition of dehydration is an abnormal loss of body fluids which can be caused by a number of reasons. While low level dehydration can be remedied at home and typically does not cause any long term damage, moderate to severe dehydration can cause an electrolyte imbalance that can lead to a number of other more serious problems including:

In this day and age, unless we are thinking about children living in third world countries, we tend to think of malnutrition and protein deficiency as being a thing of the past, like scurvy on the pirate ships of olden days. But, protein deficiencies are a lot more common than you think, even in developed countries.

The body handles its various functions in many ways. Inflammation is one of the ways that it deals with injury or infection. Foods that do not agree with the body for any reason, for instance in the case of food allergies or sensitivities, can cause the body to react in a way that is similar to the reaction that would occur in light of a disease or after an injury of any kind. There are several reasons that this inflammatory response of the body is a problem – including the potential to make you gain weight in the effort to get the energy that you need. It also increases your risk for a number of other conditions which are all risk factors for heart disease. These conditions include:

Heart disease kills sixteen million people worldwide every year and accounts for about thirty percent of all deaths in that same time period. In the United States, cardiovascular disease accounts for forty percent of all adult deaths every year (Source: Natural News 2006). The risk factors for heart disease are the same for a number of other chronic, potentially fatal diseases and include: obesity, smoking, genetic or family history of the disease, diabetes, kidney disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Controlling weight can also improve the other risk factors making it one of the most important.