Effect Of Smoking On Body Mass Index A Community-Based Study: Fill & Download for Free

This question poses an interesting question, which I think can be broken down more accurately into "why are people attracted to certain characteristics."While there certainly does tend to be a trend of favoring attractive people within society, studies wanted to find why exactly, we find people attractive. While some have argued that it's due to societal stereotypes and the media, others have argued that attractiveness is not a learned behavior but rather one that is pre-programmed into us. This is backed up by evidence, several times over.One study found that the men in the study deemed attractive, all had one thing in common: low oxidative stress markers. Oxidative stress is something that is prevented by antioxidants such as those found in pomegranates and coffee fruit. Oxidative stress essentially refers to the production of free radicals and the body's ability to neutralize their harmful effects through antioxidants. Oxidative stress has been linked with signs of aging as well as various forms of pathophysiology commonly attributed to aging.Oxidative stress in health and disease: The therapeutic potential of Nrf2 activationOther studies, such as ones noting that babies prefer looking at attractive faces, help back up the idea that attractiveness is not a learned trait, but one that is already biologically programmed within us, to look for a healthy mate and one of the ways that we determine "attractiveness" is by looking for people with signs of low oxidative stress.Studies have shown that people who have bilateral asymmetry, where features on both sides of the body are the same, are judged to be more attractive.In people with fluctuating asymmetry some body parts are not symmetrical, and one theory is that this imbalance results from something going wrong at key developmental stages. Fluctuating asymmetry is thought to be visible evidence that the person was exposed to some kind of stressor during early development which he or she was not robust enough to withstand. In evolutionary and survival terms, such a man or woman would be less robust and less attractive as a potential partner.A possible cause of that fluctuating asymmetry is exposure to oxidative stress in the womb which interferes with proper development.Page on independent.co.ukNow this brings me to next part of your question, which asks why men prefer smaller body types.Well, studies have noted that there is increased oxidative stress in obese individuals.Multiple risk factor syndrome or metabolic syndrome (i.e., the coexistence of several risk factors for atherosclerosis, including hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension in the same individual) is a growing medical problem in industrialized countries (1–3). Obesity is the central and causal component in this syndrome (4–7),Collectively, our results suggest that increased oxidative stress in accumulated fat is an early instigator of metabolic syndrome and that the redox state in adipose tissue is a potentially useful therapeutic target for obesity-associated metabolic syndrome.Page on nih.govIn this issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, Keaney and colleagues1 report that smoking, diabetes, and obesity are independently associated with increased oxidative stress in men and women in a large community-based cohort.Obesity and Oxidative StressObesity, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and aging are associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and all these factors are correlated with metabolic syndrome (MS) [1]. Lifestyle, environmental, genetic, and epigenetic interactions reflect complex pathological processes [2] in which the oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a pivotal role.Oxidative Stress in Cardiovascular Diseases and Obesity: Role of p66Shc and Protein Kinase CWe can also see the effects of obesity on physical fitness and in a Nigerian study, academic performancePage on www.isca.inthe degree of percentage body fat level which was possessed among participants can serve as a good indicator of physical performance achievement.Page on sciencepub.netA lot of studies have shown that high levels of fitness at school are significantly associated with high levels of cardiovascular fitness, better school attendance, fewer disciplinary incidents and high passing rates or better academic performance ( Kenneth, 2004). There was also a strong negative correlation between body fat / body mass index and academic performance in the obese group. Thus, targeting obesity reduction policies may not only improve health outcomes but also have a positive impact on improving their academic performance and human capital accumulation.Page on ukactive.comThe initial findings show that increased predicted VO2max and muscular strength as indicators of physical fitness are associated with decreased BF%. Further, there is a strong correlation between increasing BF% and CRP, indicating greater CVD risk.It appears that even now, with all our advancements, humanity still tends to define attractiveness based off of who will be a healthier mate, who will in turn, produce for us, healthier offspring.We can observe that in our closest relatives, the primates, this generally tends to hold true as well, with dominance, social structure and size playing a role in mating.Page on sciencedaily.comFemale Mate ChoiceAlthough it is still difficult to determine.Overall, however, it appears that we're more likely to find those who look healthy, attractive. And health is often tied to markers of oxidative stress. It does not appear that society sets standards for attractiveness, but rather that this is a biological trait and that men, and women both, tend to choose a mate they believe will be healthier and parent healthier offspring.new born babies prefer to look at attractive facesAnd if we look at what traits are considered universally attractive you'll see that almost all of them, relate to health in some way, shape or form.Page on healthguidance.orgBut most of the qualities that men and women list as attractive tend to be traits that are associated with good physical health, which is either consciously or unconsciously associated with good reproductive health.

Image source: what’s new about testosteroneDr. Gary Huber gave a lecture at the 24th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine (Dec. 9-11, 2016) in Las Vegas that I attended. It was entitled “Evolution of Testosterone – Dispelling Myths & Charting a Future”.History of testosteroneThere are some notable historic landmarks with respect to the discovery of testosterone.1869: Dr. Charles Brown-Sequard suggested that the “feebleness of older men” was due to a lack of testosterone. He injected himself with testicular extracts from dogs and guinea pigs.1912: The Danish physician Dr. Thorkild Rovsing transplanted the testicles of a young soldier killed in battle into an old man with gangrene. The gangrenous wound healed completely.1918: Dr. Leo Stanley sampled fresh testicles from executed prisoners at the San Quentin Prison and transplanted them to prison inmates. Some regained their sexual potency.1930’s: Professor Adolf Butenandt collected 25,000 liters of urine from willing policemen. He was able to isolate a breakdown product of testosterone, androsterone. Eventually he isolated both progesterone and testosterone. He received the Nobel prize for his work with sex hormones in 1939.Historical detours and misguided opinions about testosterone1935: Because natural hormones cannot be patented, Big Pharma came up with the idea of modifying testosterone by adding a methyl group at the 17-alpha position of testosterone. This new substance, 17 alpha-methyltestosterone, was a new compound. The FDA could patent it. Men liked it, because they could swallow this testosterone derivative as a pill. However, the liver changed 17 alpha-methyl-testosterone into 17 alpha-methyl-estradiol, a strong estrogenic compound. The body could not metabolize this testosterone compound too well. Shortly after introduction into patients it became evident that 17 alpha-methyl-testosterone caused liver cancers. This “testosterone equivalent” was on the market for 50 years before the FDA outlawed it because it caused liver cancer. It also caused suspicion among physicians about any testosterone replacement, even the bioidentical hormones that are safe.Prostate cancer mythsConventional medicine teaches (and I have believed this for many years) that testosterone would be the cause for prostate cancer. This was based on old observations by Dr. Huggins, a Canadian born surgeon who practiced in Chicago, that orchiectomy improved the survival of advanced prostate cancer patients a bit. Dr. Lee pointed out that Dr. Huggins neglected to realize that testicles make both testosterone and small amounts of estrogen. The belief that testosterone production was the culprit of prostate cancer led to the practice of physicians to do orchiectomies. This inadvertently removed the real cause of prostate cancer, an estrogen surplus. This improved the survival of these patients somewhat. Nowadays we have more sophisticated testing methods.Estrogen causes prostate cancer, testosterone does notDr. Abraham Morgentaler (Ref. 1) has compiled a lot of evidence about the importance of testosterone in men. He proved, based on a lot of more modern references, that it is not testosterone that is the cause of prostate cancer. We know now that estrogen dominance is responsible for prostate cancer and that this develops as stated above because of the low testosterone and low progesterone during the male menopause (also called “andropause”).It is important, when testosterone deficiency is present in an aging man, to replace the missing testosterone with bioidentical testosterone.Some physicians still practice the old method of hormone depletion therapy in advanced prostate cancer cases. But Dr. Morgentaler and other researchers have shown that it is wrong to do hormone depletion therapy or orchiectomies.10% absorption rule mythFor years there has been a persistent myth that the skin would only absorb 10% of testosterone. There was never any proof of this and newer studies showed that indeed the skin absorbs about 90% of testosterone.Misleading science created mythsUnfortunately three key medical journals, JAMA, NEJM and PLOS ONE have published misleading studies. The content did not discuss physiology, mechanism of actions, appropriate dosing or true science. But they concluded that testosterone therapy was causing heart attacks and strokes. There was an outcry about this particular study in the medical community reflected in the demand to retract this misleading article.Unfortunately there were more similar false “studies”. The problem with these was that the controls were wrong or they compared unequal groups that were not comparable. It is reminiscent of previous effort of the tobacco industry wanting to cover up that cigarette smoke causes lung cancer.Testosterone replacement treats the cause of the deficiencyHere we have the problem that testosterone cures so many conditions for which the Pharma industry has many patented medicines that control the symptoms. But testosterone can actually treat the cause of the illness, testosterone deficiency, which leads to a cure of many other symptoms.For a long time confusion plagued the older physician generation. But younger physicians are replacing the older generation and they treat testosterone deficiency with bioidentical testosterone in the proper dose.Clinical observations about a lack of testosteroneThere is evidence that men have lower testosterone as they age and this has worsened when we compare data from early 2000 to the 1980’s and 1990’s.As this paper shows, men investigated in the 1980’s were still having higher testosterone levels in older age. But in the 1990’s and more so in 2004 these values have declined even more. This fact coincides also with other studies, showing decreased sperm health and increased infertility. The reason for this is also a lack of testosterone!Causation of low testosteroneDr. Huber pointed out that many studies have pointed to a variety of causes for low testosterone levels in men.BPA, toxins and pesticidesBPA, toxins and pesticides that occupy testosterone receptors and interfere with the hypothalamus/pituitary hormone function that stimulates the Leydig cells to produce testosterone.The more stress, the less testosteroneThe more stress men are under, the less testosterone production there is. Sleep deprivation below 5 hours per night leads to a significant lower testosterone production. Most testosterone production occurs during the sleep in the early morning hours.Less testosterone from weight gain and sugar overconsumptionWeight gain and sugar overconsumption poison the testosterone producing Leydig cells.Poly-pharmacy can lower testosteronePolypharmacy. Many drugs lower testosterone production: statins, diuretics, metformin, spironolactone, opiates, antidepressants, verapamil, alcohol, chemotherapy for cancer, antihistamines, ketoconazole, beta blockers, H2 blockers, finasteride, estrogens and alpha methyldopa.Many references were provided that support these data. One paper reported that the risk of a heart attack climbs to 4 times the risk of normal, when the man sleeps less than 6 hours per night. As sleep hours lower, the risk for metabolic syndrome increases by 42% and this leads to heart attacks. Testosterone replacement can reverse this risk as it is a lack of testosterone production that caused the risk.Link of low testosterone to cardiovascular diseaseThe literature is overwhelming that low testosterone has adverse effects on the cardiovascular system. To be more specific, the metabolic syndrome, heart disease (and strokes), diabetes and high blood pressure have their root in low testosterone.Metabolic syndromeInflammation is mediated by cytokines such as IL-6. Dr. Huber mentioned one study where healthy men received IL-6. This promptly suppressed testosterone levels. He said that there are many cytokines that work in concert to suppress testosterone. One useful clinical test for inflammation is the C-reactive protein, which indicates whether or not inflammation is present in a person. Metabolic syndrome is common in obese patients. In a study CRP was found to be significantly associated with obesity. When CRP is high, testosterone levels are low. When the CRP level is high, there is a risk of getting the first heart attack.Testosterone treatment and inflammationOn the other hand, when men with high inflammatory markers from low testosterone levels were replaced with testosterone, the tumor necrosis factor was reduced by 50%, IL1b by 37%, triglycerides by 11% and total cholesterol by 6%.In the Moscow study a group of obese men with low testosterone levels were treated with testosterone injections. There was an impressive reduction of insulin (17%), CRP (35%) weight reduction of 4% and TNF-a reduction of 31% within 16 weeks.Heart disease (and strokes)Hardening of the arteries (medically called atherosclerosis) is due to chronic inflammation. Researchers developed a new heart attack/stroke specific biomarker. It is a ratio of oxidized LDL, divided by HDL. This has an odds ratio of 13.92 compared to a control without a risk for a heart attack or stroke.Administration of testosterone hormone led to dilatation of coronary arteries. The Rotterdam study showed that low testosterone levels were associated with high risk for heart attacks and strokes, but that treatment with testosterone removed this risk. Testosterone increases AMP kinase for energy production in heart muscle cells, but also dilates coronary arteries for more blood supply to the heart.DiabetesAmong men with diabetes 20-64% have low testosterone levels. In another study men with higher testosterone levels had a 42% lower diabetes risk. Testosterone levels are inversely related to body mass index and insulin resistance. Men with diabetes have lower testosterone levels than men who were not diabetic and were weight-matched. Most diabetics have high CRP values.High blood pressureExperience with androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer has shown that blood pressure gets elevated due to testosterone deficiency. Testosterone increases LDH, the protective subunit of cholesterol, and decreases LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Testosterone also lowers inflammatory markers and reverses clotting factors making blood thinner. All of this leads to a widening of the arteries and lowering of blood pressure.Treatment options for low testosteroneIt is important to support the hypothalamic /pituitary/adrenal gland axis and remove other causes, such as stress and lack of sleep. Younger men can be stimulated in the pituitary gland through Clomiphene. Men older than 60 likely have true secondary hypogonadism and need testosterone replacement. Topical testosterone creams are available commercially or from compounding pharmacies. Injectable testosterone preparations that can be metabolized by the body are available. One such preparation is Delatestryl. A small dose (like 50 mg) is self-injected subcutaneously twice per week, which keeps the testosterone level stable. The last resort, if the creams or injections don’t work, is the use of testosterone pellets that a physician can implant under the skin.ConclusionAt a recent Anti-Aging conference in Las Vegas that I attended, Dr. Huber gave an overview of testosterone. There has been an objective reduction of testosterone levels in men since the 1980’s due to pollutants in our environment. Testosterone plays a key role for heart and brain function. It affects sex drive, fertility and potency. But it also prevents diabetes, high blood pressure and weight gain. On top of that it prevents prostate cancer and likely many other cancers. The key with low testosterone is to replace it to high normal levels. Blood levels should be measured every two months, when replacement has been instituted, in order to ensure adequate levels.References Ref.1 Abraham Morgentaler, MD “Testosterone for Life – Recharge your vitality, sex drive, muscle mass and overall health”, McGraw-Hill, 2008Previously published here: what’s new about testosteroneI shall answer your question as follows: “Does low testosterone damage your overall health?” You see from the above that a lack of testosterone is devastating for a male. It can cause heart attacks, Alzheimer’s disease, prostate cancer, make bones brittle and muscles weak. A lack of testosterone can also increase blood pressure, which leads to a higher risk of getting a stroke. In addition it contributes to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Yes, low testosterone damages your overall health!

Image source: what’s new about testosteroneDr. Gary Huber gave a lecture on what’s new about testosterone. He presented his talk at the 24th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine (Dec. 9-11, 2016) in Las Vegas that I attended. It was entitled “Evolution of Testosterone – Dispelling Myths & Charting a Future”.History of testosteroneThere are some notable historic landmarks with respect to the discovery of testosterone.1869: Dr. Charles Brown-Sequard suggested that the “feebleness of older men” was due to a lack of testosterone. He injected himself with testicular extracts from dogs and guinea pigs.1912: The Danish physician Dr. Thorkild Rovsing transplanted the testicles of a young soldier killed in battle into an old man with gangrene. The gangrenous wound healed completely.1918: Dr. Leo Stanley sampled fresh testicles from executed prisoners at the San Quentin Prison and transplanted them to prison inmates. Some regained their sexual potency.1930’s: Professor Adolf Butenandt collected 25,000 liters of urine from willing policemen. He was able to isolate a breakdown product of testosterone, androsterone. Eventually he isolated both progesterone and testosterone. He received the Nobel prize for his work with sex hormones in 1939.Historical detours and misguided opinions about testosterone1935: Because natural hormones cannot be patented, Big Pharma came up with the idea of modifying testosterone by adding a methyl group at the 17-alpha position of testosterone. This new substance, 17 alpha-methyltestosterone, was a new compound. The FDA could patent it. Men liked it, because they could swallow this testosterone derivative as a pill. However, the liver changed 17 alpha-methyl-testosterone into 17 alpha-methyl-estradiol, a strong estrogenic compound. The body could not metabolize this testosterone compound too well. Shortly after introduction into patients it became evident that 17 alpha-methyl-testosterone caused liver cancers. This “testosterone equivalent” was on the market for 50 years before the FDA outlawed it because I caused liver cancer. It also caused suspicion among physicians about any testosterone replacement, even the bioidentical hormones that are safe.Prostate cancer mythsProstate cancer mythConventional medicine teaches (and I have believed this for many years) that testosterone would be the cause for prostate cancer. This was based on old observations by Dr. Huggins, a Canadian born surgeon who practiced in Chicago, that orchiectomy improved the survival of advanced prostate cancer patients a bit. Dr. Lee pointed out that Dr. Huggins neglected to realize that testicles make both testosterone and small amounts of estrogen. The belief that testosterone production was the culprit of prostate cancer led to the practice of physicians to do orchiectomies. This inadvertently removed the real cause of prostate cancer, an estrogen surplus. This improved the survival of these patients somewhat. Nowadays we have more sophisticated testing methods.Estrogen causes prostate cancer, testosterone does notDr. Abraham Morgentaler (Ref. 1) has compiled a lot of evidence about the importance of testosterone in men. He proved, based on a lot of more modern references, that it is not testosterone that is the cause of prostate cancer. We know now that estrogen dominance is responsible for prostate cancer and that this develops as stated above because of the low testosterone and low progesterone during the male menopause (also called “andropause”).It is important, when testosterone deficiency is present in an aging man, to replace the missing testosterone with bioidentical testosterone.Some physicians still practice the old method of hormone depletion therapy in advanced prostate cancer cases. But Dr. Morgentaler and other researchers have shown that it is wrong to do hormone depletion therapy or orchiectomies.10% absorption rule mythFor years there has been a persistent myth that the skin would only absorb 10% of testosterone. There was never any proof of this and newer studies showed that indeed the skin absorbs about 90% of testosterone.Misleading science created mythsUnfortunately three key medical journals, JAMA, NEJM and PLOS ONE have published misleading studies. The content did not discuss physiology, mechanism of actions, appropriate dosing or true science. But they concluded that testosterone therapy was causing heart attacks and strokes. There was an outcry about this particular study in the medical community reflected in the demand to retract this misleading article.Unfortunately there were more similar false “studies”. The problem with these was that the controls were wrong or they compared unequal groups that were not comparable. It is reminiscent of previous effort of the tobacco industry wanting to cover up that cigarette smoke causes lung cancer.Testosterone replacement treats the cause of the deficiencyHere we have the problem that testosterone cures so many conditions for which the Pharma industry has many patented medicines that control the symptoms. But testosterone can actually treat the cause of the illness, testosterone deficiency, which leads to a cure of many other symptoms.For a long time confusion plagued the older physician generation. But younger physicians are replacing the older generation and they treat testosterone deficiency with bioidentical testosterone in the proper dose.Clinical observations about a lack of testosteroneThere is evidence that men have lower testosterone as they age and this has worsened when we compare data from early 2000 to the 1980’s and 1990’s.As this paper shows, men investigated in the 1980’s were still having higher testosterone levels in older age. But in the 1990’s and more so in 2004 these values have declined even more. This fact coincides also with other studies, showing decreased sperm health and increased infertility. The reason for this is also a lack of testosterone!Causation of low testosteroneDr. Huber pointed out that many studies have pointed to a variety of causes for low testosterone levels in men.BPA, toxins and pesticidesBPA, toxins and pesticides that occupy testosterone receptors and interfere with the hypothalamus/pituitary hormone function that stimulates the Leydig cells to produce testosterone.The more stress, the less testosteroneThe more stress men are under, the less testosterone production there is. Sleep deprivation below 5 hours per night leads to a significant lower testosterone production. Most testosterone production occurs during the sleep in the early morning hours.Less testosterone from weight gain and sugar overconsumptionWeight gain and sugar overconsumption poison the testosterone producing Leydig cells.Poly-pharmacy can lower testosteronePoly-pharmacy. Many drugs lower testosterone production: statins, diuretics, metformin, spironolactone, opiates, antidepressants, verapamil, alcohol, chemotherapy for cancer, antihistamines, ketoconazole, beta blockers, H2 blockers, finasteride, estrogens and alpha methyldopa.Many references were provided that support these data. One paper reported that the risk of a heart attack climbs to 4 times the risk of normal, when the man sleeps less than 6 hours per night. As sleep hours lower, the risk for metabolic syndrome increases by 42% and this leads to heart attacks. Testosterone replacement can reverse this risk as it is a lack of testosterone production that caused the risk.Link of low testosterone to cardiovascular diseaseThe literature is overwhelming that low testosterone has adverse effects on the cardiovascular system. To be more specific, the metabolic syndrome, heart disease (and strokes), diabetes and high blood pressure have their root in low testosterone.Metabolic syndromeInflammation is mediated by cytokines such as IL-6. Dr. Huber mentioned one study where healthy men received IL-6. This promptly suppressed testosterone levels. He said that there are many cytokines that work in concert to suppress testosterone. One useful clinical test for inflammation is the C-reactive protein, which indicates whether or not inflammation is present in a person. Metabolic syndrome is common in obese patients. In a study CRP was found to be significantly associated with obesity. When CRP is high, testosterone levels are low. When the CRP level is high, there is a risk of getting the first heart attack.Testosterone treatment and inflammationOn the other hand, when men with high inflammatory markers from low testosterone levels were replaced with testosterone, the tumor necrosis factor was reduced by 50%, IL1b by 37%, triglycerides by 11% and total cholesterol by 6%.In the Moscow study a group of obese men with low testosterone levels were treated with testosterone injections. There was an impressive reduction of insulin (17%), CRP (35%) weight reduction of 4% and TNF-a reduction of 31% within 16 weeks.Heart disease (and strokes)Hardening of the arteries (medically called atherosclerosis) is due to chronic inflammation. Researchers developed a new heart attack/stroke specific biomarker. It is a ratio of oxidized LDL, divided by HDL. This has an odds ratio of 13.92 compared to a control without a risk for a heart attack or stroke.Administration of testosterone hormone led to dilatation of coronary arteries. The Rotterdam study showed that low testosterone levels were associated with high risk for heart attacks and strokes, but that treatment with testosterone removed this risk. Testosterone increases AMP kinase for energy production in heart muscle cells, but also dilates coronary arteries for more blood supply to the heart.DiabetesAmong men with diabetes 20-64% have low testosterone levels. In another study men with higher testosterone levels had a 42% lower diabetes risk. Testosterone levels are inversely related to body mass index and insulin resistance. Men with diabetes have lower testosterone levels than men who were not diabetic and were weight-matched. Most diabetics have high CRP values.High blood pressureExperience with androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer has shown that blood pressure gets elevated due to testosterone deficiency. Testosterone increases LDH, the protective subunit of cholesterol, and decreases LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Testosterone also lowers inflammatory markers and reverses clotting factors making blood thinner. All of this leads to a widening of the arteries and lowering of blood pressure.Treatment options for low testosteroneIt is important to support the hypothalamic /pituitary/adrenal gland axis and remove other causes, such as stress and lack of sleep. Younger men can be stimulated in the pituitary gland through Clomiphene. Men older than 60 likely have true secondary hypogonadism and need testosterone replacement. Topical testosterone creams are available commercially or from compounding pharmacies. Injectable testosterone preparations that can be metabolized by the body are available. One such preparation is Delatestryl. A small dose (like 50 mg) is self-injected subcutaneously twice per week, which keeps the testosterone level stable. The last resort, if the creams or injections don’t work, is the use of testosterone pellets that a physician can implant under the skin.ConclusionAt the 2016 Anti-Aging conference in Las Vegas that I attended, Dr. Huber gave an overview of testosterone. There has been an objective reduction of testosterone levels in men since the 1980’s due to pollutants in our environment. Testosterone plays a key role for heart and brain function. It affects sex drive, fertility and potency. But it also prevents diabetes, high blood pressure and weight gain. On top of that it prevents prostate cancer and likely many other cancers. The key with low testosterone is to replace it to high normal levels. Blood levels should be measured every two months, when replacement has been instituted, in order to ensure adequate levels.ReferencesRef.1: Abraham Morgentaler, MD “Testosterone for Life – Recharge your vitality, sex drive, muscle mass and overall health”, McGraw-Hill, 2008First published here: what’s new about testosterone