MEN ' S HEALTH
Game Plan for Good Health
Guys : Here are your biggest health threats — and what you can do about them .
Courtesy Baylor Scott & White Health
When it comes to staying well , women usually fare better than men . But is the fairer sex simply healthier by nature , or are there other factors involved ?
“ I don ’ t know that gender really plays a role , other than in the way health care is utilized . Men tend to wait until things get bad , where with women , we tend to find problems earlier because they come and get them checked out ” as part of their annual exams , says Raymond J . Harrison , MD , MBA , an internal medicine physician at Baylor Scott & White Clinic – Copperas Cove .
Guys , you don ’ t have to wait until things get bad . Do yourself and your family a favor and set aside two hours every year to see a doctor and make sure everything is A-OK — and if it ’ s not OK , to get professional advice on how to be healthy . In the meantime , before your next checkup ( you have made that appointment , right ?), here is a heads-up about some of the biggest health threats facing men — diabetes , heart disease and cancer — and how you can reduce your risk .
DIABETES KNOW YOUR RISKS : Being overweight or obese ; having high blood sugar , high blood pressure and high cholesterol ; and aging are among the biggest risk factors . Bigger still are genetic predisposition and race , Dr . Harrison says . “ For example , people of Hispanic descent and Pacific Islanders are more likely to develop diabetes than people of European descent .” African-Americans , Asian-Americans and American Indians are also at greater risk , according to the American Diabetes Association .
TAKE ACTION : Controlling your blood sugar , blood pressure and cholesterol and eating a healthy diet are key , as are exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight . In fact , losing just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight ( that ’ s 10 to 20 pounds for a 200-pound man ) can significantly reduce your risk . “ For anybody who has the genetic predisposition to diabetes , as soon as they lose the weight , most of the time their diabetes goes into remission ,” Dr . Harrison says . “ And one of the interesting things we see in patients with diabetes who have gastric bypass surgery is that within a week or two it ’ s in remission .”
HEART DISEASE KNOW YOUR RISKS : Men are more likely than women to develop heart disease and to have a heart attack . Besides gender , other risk factors include smoking and having diabetes .
Losing just 5-10 % of your body weight can significantly reduce your risk for diabetes .
54 DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MAY / JUNE 2017