In Pictures: Food of Seventh Son Restaurant in Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Traditional Cantonese Cuisine

The 2022 Michelin 1-star Restaurant

‘Spare Tire’ in Middle Age Could Mean a Frail Old Age

Dennis Thompson wrote . . . . . . . . .

Any ‘middle-age spread’ of excess weight around your tummy could raise your risk of becoming frail decades later, a new study suggests.

Obese folks who’ve packed on pounds around their waist are more likely to develop symptoms of frailty, including exhaustion, weak grip strength, slow walking speed and reduced physical activity levels, researchers say.

Those symptoms can make a person more likely to hurt themselves in a fall, suffer disability, require hospitalization, have a lower quality of life and die prematurely.

Frailty affects as many as 17% of older adults, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

The new study, published in BMJ Open, tracked more than 4,500 people in Norway for an average 21 years, starting at an average age of 51. Measurements of body mass index (an estimate of body fat based on height and weight) and waist circumference were taken at the start.

Waistlines were categorized as “normal” if they were 37 inches or less for men and 31 inches or less for women; “moderately high” as 37-40 inches for men and 32-35 inches for women, and “high” if above 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women.

People who were obese at the outset were nearly 2.5 times more likely to be frail or on the edge of frailty by the study’s end, said lead researcher Shreeshti Uchai, a research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Oslo.

Likewise, people with a large waist circumference were twice as likely to be pre-frail or frail compared to those with a normal waistline, while those with a moderately large waistline were 57% as likely.

However, the risk of frailty was not increased in people who either started off with a normal BMI but a moderately large waistline or those who were overweight but with a normal waistline.

Higher odds of frailty also were observed among folks who put on weight or grew a spare tire, compared with those who kept about the same weight and waistline throughout the study.

The findings add to mounting evidence that obesity aggravates age-related declines in muscle strength, aerobic capacity and physical function, researchers said.

They speculate that extra fat might spur increased inflammation in aging people, which is likely to boost natural age-related declines in muscle mass and strength. As people grow weaker, their risk of frailty increases.

Frailty often is looked at as someone wasting away, but this study shows that some aging adults can be seen as “fat and frail,” the researchers said in a journal news release.

The study “highlights the importance of routinely assessing and maintaining optimal BMI and [waist circumference] throughout adulthood to lower the risk of frailty in older age,” the researchers concluded.

Source: HealthDay

 

 

 

 

Chicken and Prawns in Black Bean Sauce

Ingredients

10 oz peeled prawns
8 oz chicken fillet
4 chicken livers
minced garlic and ginger slices

Marinade

1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp egg white
1/2 tsp cornstarch

Sauce

1/2 tbsp each of black beans
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
4 tbsp chicken stock

Method

1. Split open back of prawns to form butterfly shapes.
2. Cut chicken fillets into bite-size pieces.
3. Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
4. Mix chicken and prawns with marinade and blanch briefly in hot oil. Drain.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok and saute garlic and ginger. Add prawns and chicken. Stir-fry until chicken is done.
6. Mix in the sauce and cook until it thickens. Remove to the serving platter.
7. Season chicken livers with a little salt. Deep fry until crispy and place on the dish.

Source: Great Chefs in Hong Kong

---

Today’s Comic