12 May 2015

As pursuers of physical and good health excellence, most people know that excess body fat has to be avoided at all costs, given its muscle-obscuring effect and the impact it can have on fitness.

Eating foods rich in fats increases the amount of harmful heart diseases and cholesterol in the bloodstream and reduces the amount of beneficial cholesterol. Fats commonly cause non-communicable diseases.

According to Dr Boitumelo Motswagole of National Food Technology Research Centre (NFTRC), fats create inflammation, which is linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic conditions, which are silent killer diseases common nowadays.

However, NFTRC has introduced a new machine called Body Composition which is useful and helpful in measuring and tracking exact body weight percentage, body fat percentage, lean fat and calories burn rate.

The machine is about magnitude of a fridge which permits one person to shut in the mechanism to rest for five minutes, after that the machine will display all the results. 

“A waist size of adult man is supposed to be 102cm and ladies should be 88cm,” she said. 

“Men present excess belly fat which could put them at risk for diabetes. These measurements go along with gender, height and weight.”

Dr Motswagole said in an interview that fats contribute to insulin resistance which increases the risk of developing type two diabetes. 

She said body fat calculators include a measurement of waist size, which can be very valuable when it comes to assessing overall health.

She encouraged people to come forward to test for various diseases even when they are not sick, adding that it is important they try to totally eliminate fats from their diet. 

She further said they have been advertising the machine and numbers of people who came to them were overwhelming. 

She said they charge only P200 per person.

“The worst type of dietary fat is the kind of fats we eat in our food daily. It is a by-product of a process called hydrogenation that is used to turn healthy oils into solids,’’ she said.

“In light of our review of the different types of fats and the effects they have on health, it is clear that not all fats are created equally. It is important to note that although certain fats are beneficial, fat per se will contribute to unwanted weight gain and health problems if over consumed,’’ said Dr Motswagole. ENDS