o
http://www.thecharlottepost.com
Clje Cljarlotte
THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2004
1B
Losing
may have
outsized
advantages
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
For the obese, a small loss
may be a big victory.
Evidence is building that
really heavy people may be
able to greatly improve their
odds of dodging weight-relat
ed illnesses while remaining
very heavy.
The secret: Lose just a few
pounds. Weight reduction, it •
appears, is powerful medi
cine for the large, no matter
how seemingly insignificant
the dose.
Many obesity experts agree
that getting down to a nor
mal size may not be neces
sary to avoid much of the bad
effects of being big. Dropping
just 10 or 15 pounds-too Uttle
to even miss on many people-
can have a surprising and
substantial effect on the body
processes that obesity dis
rupts.
If true-and the idea stiU has
some skeptics-this means
that at least a partial anti
dote to the apocalyptic pre
dictions about the obesity epi
demic may be within reach,
even if people remain vastly
overweight by every mea
sure.
“The bad news, is people are
getting more and more
obese,” says Dr. Christie
Ballantyne, a cardiologist at
Methodist Hospital in
Houston. “The good news is
losing a modest amount of
weight can have really pro
found health benefits.”
Of course, many big people
want to slim down so they
will look better. But doctors
say the best reason for get
ting control of weight is to be
healthier.
“That is one of the most
important public health mes
sages to get out to people,”
says Dr. Judith Fradkin, dia
betes endocrinology head at
the National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases. “The goal
should be to become healthy,
not become a fashion model.
If you move in the right direc
tion even a little bit, that can
make a big difference in
health.”
That’s good news for people
who throw up their hands in
defeat because they cannot
get down to their ideal
weight. Just a loss of 15
pounds for someone 90
pounds too heavy can make a
big difference, Fradkin says.-
There is little doubt among
mainstream experts that obe
sity is a potentially deadly
condition, blamed for about
300,000 deaths annually in
the United States alone. For
a middle-aged person, it is
considered to be about as bad
for health as smoking is.
Many experts believe that
the real hazard of being over
weight is the torrent of hor
mones and other chemicals
pumped out by fat storage
cells, which become hyperac
tive when filled to capacity
with fat.
The damaging effects of
obesity are obvious on a phys
ical exam. Not every nondia
betic, overweight person has
all these abnormalities-
which can raise the risk of
heart attacks, diabetes and
strokes-but many do. The
most common:
•HDL cholesterol, the good
variety, is unusually low-
See LOSING/2B
LIFE
MAY 2 S 'fli
JAMES B. DUKE MEMORhll
JOPK'GON c. SMITH u;,-r
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAuowiK,, zo2l6
Building up
a friendly
exchange
With maturity, men and women go about
making new pals in totally different ways
By Cheris F. Hodges
cheris.hodges@thecharlottepost.com
Some things get easier as you
get older. Making friends,
though, is not one of those things.
Especially if you’re a woman.
Shawn Haskins, a hair stylist
at Honey Salon & Spa on Central
Avenue, says the women she has
met in Charlotte are “extremely
nice or extremely nasty.”
“For the most part, people here
are accepting,” Haskins said, not
ing that women sometimes look
at each other as competition and
it takes a while for them to warm
up to someone new.
“We put up a wall,” she said.
Professional counselor Laura
Barrett said when women look
for girlfriends they are looking for
a deeply emotional relationship.
“It takes a long time to get to
know someone on an intimate
level,” she said.
Haskins, who is new to
Charlotte, said she has made
friends with women at her job.
and if she didn’t work with
females, doubts she would have
the friends she has.
“By the time we get this age, it
is mostly fear (that stops you
from making new friends),” said
Haskins, 29.
Barrett offers another reason.
“Everybody is going in differ
ent directions,” she said. “When
you look at high school and col
lege years, you usually room
together and go to class together.
A lot of time, adults don’t have
that.”
Men, however, say making
new friends is easy. Samuel
Hosey, 55, said that he is a peo
ple person and when he moved
to Charlotte made friends
through bowling and church.
“I love meeting people,” he
said.
Barrett said men make friend
ships easier than women
because they talk about sports
and avoid emotional topics.
“Men don’t have the same sup
port system that women have,”
Barrett said. “Men don’t go there
(on emotional issues).”
So, what to do in order to make
friends? Barrett suggests getting
involved in the community. “It’s
harder to meet new people
unless you reach out,” she said.
“I see a lot of single people who
are tired of the bar scene. I
encourage them the volunteer
their time.”
Summer eating fare is tasty and healthy, too
By Amanda Ward
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Fruits and vegetables add life to salads, tarts, and sor
bets. There are many summer fruits that not only taste
good but also keep you healthy.
Bananas are rich in minerals and vitamins; and they
help maintain a good body balance. They are also great for
potassium and calcium boost. “I enjoy putting bananas on
my Kellogg’s because not only are they healthy but they
add flavor,” said Christopher Clybum of Charlotte.
Like bananas, raspberries are also rich with potassium
and calcium. Strawberries, peaches, plums and kiwi add
Moving
beyond
puppy love
By Leigh Ervin
THE CHARLOTTE POST
0
PHOTO/WADE NASH
Please see SUMMER/3B
How old is old enough to
be in a mature relation
ship?
A relationship can be gen
eralized as a serious trust
ing bond between two indi
viduals. With this in mind,
is it possible for a teenager
to be in one con
sidering their ^ •
relative lack'^
of real-world
experience?
Parents often
declare their chil
dren are too young to do all
sorts of things: from under
standing to driving, dating
and intimacy. Colby
Hardien, 16, a South
Mecklenburg High School
junior, says: “To me there is
no real age that confirms
that a person is able to love
someone. If a person is
young and they think that
they’ve found that perfect
person but they’ve been
told that they’ re too young
to feel strong emotions
toward the opposite sex,
their dream relationship
might just pass them by.”
Others believe that young
adults are better able to
determine a mature rela
tionship. De’ontra Howard,
a junior at Harding
University High, says You
have to be from the ages 18
and 20 to actually be aware
of your true feelings for
someone. When you’re
older you’ve had time to
develop and experience
more of life, at a young age,
it’s just puppy love”.
Phillip Cole, a Charlotte
relationship counselor who
works with teens, adults,
and children, says an indi
vidual’s level of maturity is
most important to strong
relationships.
“It’s not an age thing,” he
said, “although adolescence
is a process of change
which means that . your
body is changing physically
and your emotions are
changing daily. It can be a
turbulent time and making
serious decisions at this
time can cause a lot of
problems.”
Cole adds, “adults can say
that they are going to be
with this person for 50
years but in actuality they
don’t know who they’re
going to be with in the next
month. Just because a per
son is 25 doesn’t mean that
they are necessarily
mature.”
Relationships can.be com
pared to working a job. If
one goes to work and does
what needs to be done, they
are rewarded with a pay-
check, in this case a lasting
relationship. Xavier King,
a sophomore at N.C. State
University, says “A mature
relationship can only be
possible if the people in
question are mature them
selves, and if they think
that they are old enough to
pursue there feelings, let
them make their own mis
takes. You learn mostly
from your mistakes.”
Mistakes are commonly
perceived as bad, but in the
long run one learns from
them. It also applies to
young relationships. When
a person experiences puppy
love gone bad, it’s a part of
the maturation process.
Yashica Seegars, 27,
believes that a lasting
mature relationship has to
have the trust and honesty
to be able to really grasp
the idea of love.
“It’s all in the eye of the
beholder,” she said.