What Your Body Shape Says About Your Health

What Your Body Shape Says About Your Health

There is a growing body of evidence to support the hypothesis that your body shape is a risk factor for certain diseases.  For example, people who accumulate fat in their mid-section (aka Central Adiposity) are more prone to metabolic diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis and diabetes.  It was thought that those who stored fat below the waist were protected from these diseases but researchers at UC Davis have dispelled this assumption.  Lead researcher, Ishwarlal Jialal, Ph.D, found that fat in the buttock area increases the levels of chemerin and omentin-1, proteins that can lead to inflammation and insulin resistance.

As a Healthcare practitioner I have made a similar observation.  My patients suffering from metabolic disease cover the gamut of body shapes from apple to pear to banana.  However, when it comes to my patients with seemingly healthy body weights, but trending towards a pear shape, I have made a much more provocative observation.

The Perils of a Pear-Shaped Body Type

Lately, I have noticed that my pear-shaped patients tend to suffer from auto-immune diseases or simply present with a weaker immune system than my classically obese patients.  These folks suffer from seasonal allergies that are incapacitating whenever the seasons change.  They also have terrible gut health (diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome or Inflammatory Bowel Disease) and a plethora of food intolerances.  Constipation and diarrhea are a constant companion.  Other trends that I have noticed are as follows.  These patients report having contracted mononucleosis in their teens or twenties.  As they get older they test positive for Lyme disease and also test positive for active Epstein-Barr (the virus that causes infectious mononucleosis).  These patients may also suffer from hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia and in extreme cases, have been diagnosed with Lupus or other autoimmune conditions such as Rheumatoid Arthritis or Multiple Sclerosis. 

What To Do

It is my belief that immune health is strictly tied to gut health.  The bacteria that live in the gut (i.e. large intestine) turn the immune system on and off.  They also assist with digestion and extraction of nutrients from the food we eat.  Immunity is compromised when there are not enough bacteria in the gut or when we harbor the wrong bacteria. These immune-compromised patients may benefit from a gut restoration regimen that may consist of some or all of the following steps.

Eating for a Health Gut
Step 1. The first step to take is to identify food intolerances. This means following a temporary elimination diet to remove sugar, wheat, soy, dairy, eggs, peanuts, spicy foods, and anything else that you might be sensitive to.  Some of these foods may return to the diet once they have been ruled out as a food demon.  

Step 2.  To assist the digestion process you may want to add aids such as enzymes or lipotropic factors (to assist the digestion of fats). Those with very sensitive systems may need to eat foods that are easy to digest such as cooked fruits and vegetables, bone broths and white rice.  

Step 3.  A poorly colonized gut may originate at birth, or may be due to a nutrient-poor diet or to repeated courses of antibiotics (that kill off both the bad and the good bacteria).  To re-inoculate the gut you should enrich your diet with fermented foods or you may need to take strain-specific probiotics.  Probiotic containing foods include yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh, kimchi and even pickles.  Effective probiotic supplements are those that deliver 20-50 billion live organisms per dose and contain a combination of different strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.  If you are suffering from a systemic yeast infection, often caused by diets high in sugar and low in nutrients, then you may want to take Berberine or an essential oil supplement made from thyme, oregano and mint.

Step 4.  In order for your gut to function properly it needs to be completely healed in the same way that you would heal a wound on open skin.  Highly effective, holistic remedies include aloe, licorice root and glutamine, which supports new growth of the intestinal lining.  Omega-3 fatty acids are both restorative and anti-inflammatory as are herbs including turmeric, rosemary, quercetin and ginger.

Step 5.  To maintain your healthy gut you need to feed the good bacteria food they love.  These foods are referred to as prebiotics, which are non-digestible carbohydrates that help your bacteria flourish.  Prebiotics can be found in artichokes, garlic, beans, oats, onions, asparagus or any green leafy vegetable.  To maintain optimal colon health you should consume between 20 to 30 g of fiber per day.

For those suffering from active autoimmune disease I encourage you to do your own research and to speak with a reputable Nutritionist.  There are a myriad of dietary suggestions for building a healthy immune system.  If nothing else, then be sure to remove food demons like sugar and refined carbohydrates and replace them with nutrient dense fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  For further assistance with your immune health concerns please send inquiries to egglrock@comcast.net or you may make an appointment with our staff here.