“You can never be too rich or too thin” is an old saying, often attributed to the Duchess of Windsor. Of course, it comes off as snooty – if she had coined it today, imagine her Twitter ratios. Here’s the thing, though: Body weight and net worth truly are intertwined, and research shows that the more kilograms people carry, the less money they tend to have.

This works on different levels. Say you’re an obese 20-year-old who drops to a healthy weight. According to a 2017 study from Johns Hopkins University, your estimated lifetime savings in healthcare and productivity would be R353 331. For a 50-year-old, you’re looking at R457 464.

Read more: Could you be stuck with that belly forever? This man thought so too, until he made these changes

Jay Zagorsky, PhD, an economist and researcher at Ohio State University, has been examining the weight-wealth connection for more than a decade. His 2015 study, published in the Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology, reveals this price tag:

• For every kilogram of extra weight gained, R6 283 of wealth is lost.
• For every point of body mass index gained, R23 959 of wealth is lost.

So by Zagorsky’s calculation, if you’re 20kg overweight, you’re cheating yourself out of more than R125 000.

Another factor that impacts your income: Weight discrimination. Past research has shown that employers find heavier employees less desirable as co-workers and bosses. It works both ways: A German study of nearly 18 000 workers found that underweight men earn about 8% less than those at the upper end of the “healthy BMI” bracket. The effect was especially strong in blue-collar jobs.

Read more: Do this 25-minute fat-burning workout anywhere, anytime

Of course, no-one’s waiting to write you a cheque when you hit your goal weight. (Or are they? See “Hit the Fat-Loss Jackpot!” below.) But if you want to drop kilos and keep them off, bringing money into the equation looks like a smart play. Research shows that money can motivate people towards healthier behaviour.

The amount at stake doesn’t even have to be sizable or guaranteed. A study in the journal Obesity found that participants in a weight-loss programme who were promised varying financial incentives (R10 to R125 per week) for logging their progress on the programme’s website dropped 49% more weight than those who weren’t offered cash.

Looking at obesity through lenses like these can be a powerful new way to change your thinking and finally get yourself the body you want, some researchers contend. “Sometimes people need a different and interesting way to think through a problem,” says economist Christopher Payne, PhD, co-author of The Economists’ Diet: The Surprising Formula for Losing Weight and Keeping It Off. He and his colleague Rob Barnett lost a combined 54kg using basic monetary principles.

So whether you want to lose five, 10 or 20-plus kilograms, applying some behavioural economics could help you cash in. Payne and Barnett are living proof that the strategy works. Here’s how to do it.

Ignore supply, cut demand

“Economics was helpful for us because it provides the best explanation for being overweight,” explains Payne. “There is a glut of kilojoule-heavy food sold at cheap prices. Supply creates its own demand, which means many of us overeat.”

Read more: 3 supplements that you really need in your diet, and 3 that are just wasting your money

A prime example are buy-aid schemes such as Cape Consumers (now Bsmart). A recent Dartmouth study found that members shop more often and buy at least 12 500 more kilojoules a month than traditional supermarket shoppers do. In the face of overwhelming supply, we increase our demand. To break this cycle, realise that scarcity and plenty are perception, not reality, says Barnett.

“We discovered that we really didn’t need all the food we perceived as necessary. Three square meals a day – what most people consider normal – was way too much. Once we realised that our perceptions were wrong, eating smaller meals every day was easier.”

Invest for the long term

It may seem like a good idea to opt for bigger “value” meals and cheap, kilojoule-heavy food; that way, you feel like you’re maximising your kilojoule intake per rand spent, and quite possibly saving money too. But long term, it’ll cost you more.

Obesity and persistent excess weight is a leading cause of cancer, heart disease and diabetes; treatments for these and other obesity-related diseases will ultimately be very expensive. Resist the upselling and cheap deals; it’s false economy.

View weight like debt

Imagine if your doctor emailed you a statement every month, just like your credit card company does. It would show everything you bought (kilojoules in) and what you owe in order to zero out your energy balance. You could make a minimum payment, but that would leave the remaining kilojoules to compound, and we’ve all been down that sorry road.

So after your next weekend of indulgence or annual holiday, gauge the damage and immediately resume exercising and eating healthily to pay off your debt. Make that your goal every month. Think of it as balancing your belly.

Read more: How exercise saved this man from addiction

Check the market daily

Economists are all about data. That’s why Payne and Barnett weigh themselves every morning. “We discovered that our bodies are incredibly reactive to what we eat each day,” says Payne. “We can see one day’s eating behaviour on the scale the following morning. Without being able to calibrate our eating behaviour against our weight, we would never have understood how little we need to eat.”

Example: Barnett realised that eating pizza, more than any other food, affected his morning weigh-ins. Now, he monitors how frequently he eats pizza and maintains his weight loss. “We stuck to good eating behaviour because the number from the scale that morning was firmly implanted in our minds, front and centre,” says Payne. Get to know your weight-gain instigators (e.g. drinking beer, or Sunday dinner at mom’s), and then manage them.

Announce your earnings

Letting the world know your weight-loss goals may help you achieve them. One study found that using a social media platform to announce your progress may help you drop more kilos. It keeps the pressure on you to continue the programme, and all the virtual back-pats provide added incentive.

Pretend you’re losing money

For some, it may be better to turn the financial weight-loss equation around. Instead of focusing on how much your net worth will rise if you drop a few pants sizes, try focusing on the cash you’re losing, or will be losing, due to obesity-related problems. A 2016 study found that among overweight or obese adults, financial incentives for physical activity were most effective when framed as a monetary loss.

Read more: This guy lost the fat he’d been carrying since childhood using these 5 steps

Hit the fat-loss jackpot!

Friendly wagers are fair game and effective when it comes to weight loss. Of course, there’s an app for that! Here are two strategies to try.

DietBet: Go hi-tech with the DietBet app: Join a game (currently more than 600 000 players), put your money into a pot, and start losing weight. Winners split the pot. Choose from short four-week Kickstarter games or six-month Transformers. Go to dietbet. com, and get the free app at the Apple Store and Google Play.

Do-It-Yourself: Old-school never goes out of style. Challenge friends, family members, or co-workers. In a Mayo Clinic study, overweight adults on a year-long incentive programme that included a shot at winning a “bonus pool” lost more than triple the weight that people with no financial carrot lost.

^{This article was originally published onwww.mh.co.za}

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Mike Zimmerman

There are many different forms of birth control – the Pill, condoms, IUDs, implants. It’s important to find the one that works for you so that you are able to prevent an unplanned pregnancy. One of the simplest forms of contraceptive to take is the Pill.

How does the Pill work?

In combined oral contraceptive (COC) pills, oestrogen and progesterone prevent your body from ovulating. That means if an egg is not released, you cannot fall pregnant. The Pill has an added back-up – it makes the cervical mucus thicker, which makes it more difficult for sperm to get through. In addition, the Pill also thins the lining of the uterus so on the off chance that an egg is fertilised, it will have a harder time implanting. 

Here are four myths to stop believing about the Pill.

1. ‘I’ve just started taking the Pill, so I’m immediately protected against pregnancy’

Doctors will advise that you take extra precautions, such as using a condom, when you first start taking the Pill. According the Cleveland Clinic most women should complete a menstrual cycle so that the hormones in the Pill can work with their hormones to stop ovulation. Always take the Pill exactly as directed by your doctor. 

2. ‘The Pill will affect my fertility, so if I want to fall pregnant it will take longer’

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) says that the COC does not cause infertility, no matter how long you have taken it for. They add that there is no evidence that COCs will delay your return to fertility after you stop taking them. 

3. ‘The Pill will make me gain weight’

When women first started taking the Pill, there was a risk of weight gain due to the fact it contained much higher levels of hormones than today. For example, the early pills contained 100–175 micrograms of oestrogen compared to 20–50 micrograms today. Women’s Health Queensland says, in the first year of use, it is estimated:

• 20–25% of women will gain more than 2kg.
• 60% of women will experience no change or have a weight change within 2kg (either gaining or losing).
• 15–20% of women will lose more than 2kg.

Progesterone can increase your appetite, resulting in weight gain and some women may experience water retention and bloating. If you are worried about gaining weight, speak to your doctor about what will work best for you. 

4. ‘I have to take the Pill at the same time every day otherwise it won’t work’

Good news – this is just a myth. Dr Vanessa Cullins, Vice President for External Medical Affairs at Planned Parenthood, says taking it at the same time every day will not make it more effective against an unplanned pregnancy. If you are taking the mini-pill, however, then you must take it at the same time every day.

Additional myths about preventing an unplanned pregnancy:

5. ‘I can’t fall pregnant if I am breastfeeding’

Don’t take a chance. Dr Mary Jane Minkin, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Yale University School of Medicine, says this myth is probably to blame for many unplanned pregnancies. She says breastfeeding only (no supplementing with formula) can suppress the hormones from the pituitary gland that are responsible for making you ovulate. However, it’s not foolproof. “And if you breastfeed sometimes while supplementing with formula, all bets are off,” says Dr Minkin.

6. ‘I will only fall pregnant if I have sex during my fertile period’

There’s a lot happening in your body every month. Four hormones are responsible for your menstrual cycle – follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinising hormone (LH), oestrogen and progesterone. The Cleveland Clinic says “a delicate balance of these hormones regulates the release of an egg (ovulation) and – if the egg is not fertilised – menstruation.”

Although you might think your cycle is regular, this balance of hormones can be interrupted at any time due to stress, medication or exercise. Attempting to identify or predict a “safe” day is risky.  

7. ‘My partner pulled out before he ejaculated, so I won’t fall pregnant’

Don’t rely on this method to prevent a pregnancy. Some ejaculate, which contains sperm, can be released before your partner climaxes, which could lead to an unplanned pregnancy. You’re also at risk of your partner not pulling out in time.

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Gluten can be a cruel, cruel mistress – it’s part of many of the best things in life (cake, bagels, pasta), but ends up making some people feel beyond shitty (there’s an ex-boyfriend reference here, but I’ll resist).

Gluten’s a protein in wheat, rye and barley – and it can be really hard to digest for some people, says Dr Rabia De Latour, a gastroenterologist and advanced endoscopist at NYU School of Medicine.

The most well-known group is people who have celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder where eating gluten causes permanent damage to the small intestine. It affects about one in 100 people, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation.

But there’s another group, too: people with gluten “intolerance,” a.k.a. non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS).

These people – who could account for 0.5 to 13% of the population according to two recent studies, published in Gastroenterology and The Psychiatric Quarterly – have most of the same symptoms of celiac disease but don’t show any of the physiologic changes, like damage to the small intestine and malnutrition, Dr De Latour says.

But unlike celiac disease, which can be definitively diagnosed, you can’t know for sure if you have gluten intolerance, says Dr De Latour.

“Gluten intolerance is not well understood in the medical community but it shouldn’t be dismissed as psychological or just a fad,” she says. “It’s really a diagnosis of exclusion – once we’ve ruled out celiac through a blood test and an endoscopy, then NCGS is what we’re left with.”

There are some pretty major symptoms of gluten intolerance, however, that you won’t be able to ignore – here are nine signs that you might be gluten intolerant.

1. You can’t eat spaghetti without feeling sick or cramping.

Or bread. Or cupcakes. That’s because stomach pain – nausea and abdominal cramps – after eating something containing gluten is the most common symptom of NCGS, says Dr De Latour.

But it can be hard to connect the dots between what you ate and your pain. Dr De Latour suggests keeping a detailed food journal to better identify triggers.

Read more: 9 foods that are naturally gluten-free

2. You’re super bloated.

Bloating can be caused by so many things, from hormones to beans. But if you aren’t properly digesting gluten, your stomach can definitely start to feel swollen and tender – especially after particularly glutinous meals, says Dr De Latour.

3. Your skin is dry and flaky.

While there aren’t any scientific studies to back this one up, lots of people with gluten sensitivity report having skin conditions, including extra-dry skin, rashes, acne and patches of eczema.

Read more: 10 glaringly obvious signs you have a food allergy or intolerance

4. You’re losing weight without trying.

Involuntary weight loss is one of the primary symptoms of celiac disease because when your intestines are damaged you aren’t properly absorbing the food you eat, says Dr Megan Patrick, a family medicine physician at UCHealth.

While NCGS doesn’t damage a person’s intestines, it can still lead to eating less due to associating so many foods with pain, which in turn can cause weight loss, says Dr De Latour.

5. You just can’t concentrate.

“Gluten sensitivity can be primarily, and at times exclusively, a neurological disease,” reports Dr Maios Hadjivassiliou, in a study published in The Lancet.

ADHD-type behaviours can be associated with gluten sensitivity. NCGS can decrease your ability to focus, says Dr De Latour.

6. You feel down a lot of the time.

Mood changes, or feeling an increase in depression and/or anxiety after eating gluten-containing foods is a symptom in those with NCGS, says Dr De Latour.

In fact, one 2014 study published in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, found that gluten-intolerant subjects reported increased depression after just three days of eating gluten.

Read more: Are you lactose-intolerant? Here’s how to tell if you’ve got dairy issues

7. Your poops are kind of ridiculous.

Constipated all the time? Explosive diarrhoea? Poo problems are another telltale sign of NCGS, says Dr Patrick. Any time you see a significant change in your bowel movements that lasts more than a week, you should call your doctor, she adds.

8. You just can’t remember anything.

One of the primary neurological symptoms reported by patients with gluten sensitivity is “brain fog” or just feeling like they can’t think clearly and have trouble remembering things, says Dr De Latour.

9. You’re so tired you need a nap after your nap.

Your diet is one of the biggest factors in your energy levels, says Dr De Latour.

You already know, for example, that eating junk makes you feel wasted while protein and veggies keeps you chugging all day – but that might extend to gluten, too. Many sufferers report their energy levels skyrocketing after giving up gluten, says Dr De Latour.

^{This article was originally published on www.womenshealthmag.com}

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Charlotte Hilton Andersen

A family representative confirmed the cause of death of former president Jacob Zuma’s son Vusi Nhlakanipho Zuma was related to complications from lupus. He died on 1 July 2018.

The condition, formally known as systematic lupus erythematosus, is characterised by chronic inflammation.

It causes the body’s defence system to attack its own tissue and organs, such as the skin, kidneys, lungs and the brain, potentially leading to organ failure.

While lupus can affect anyone, it is believed to affect women more than men and, according to Lupus Research Alliance, women of colour are even more likely to be diagnosed with the illness.

There isn’t a definite answer to how someone develops lupus, but researchers have looked into various factors in an attempt to answer the question of what actually causes it?

The Resource Centre on Lupus says that there is a combination of factors which may cause lupus to develop and this includes hormones, genetics and your environment.

Symptoms of lupus include:

• A high fever
• Bouts of fatigue
• Pain or swelling in the joints (fingers, hands, knees, wrists, shoulders and hips) due to arthritis
• Skin rashes, especially if it’s the “butterfly” rash, officially known as the malar rash, which develops on the bridge of the nose and the cheeks due to sun exposure. Other lesions may develop on parts of the body exposed to sunlight.

Health24 has documented an extensive list of common and less common symptoms associated with the disease.

There is no cure for lupus, but specialists will prescribe medication to combat the symptoms.

Several celebrities have been diagnosed with the disease, including Toni Braxton, Seal and Selena Gomez, who recently had a kidney transplant – her close friend, Francia Raisa, was her donor. 

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Stefni Herbert

The limits of human existence might not be as limited as we have long thought.

A person’s risk of death slows and even plateaus above age 105, a new study reports, challenging previous research saying there’s a cutoff point past which the human life span cannot extend.

According to the Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook, the average age in South Africa is 27 years, with life expectancy at 63. 

Longevity pioneers lucky enough to make it past the perilous 70s, 80s and 90s could potentially live well into their 110s, if fortune remains on their side, said senior author Kenneth Wachter, a professor of demography and statistics at the University of California, Berkeley.

The new study is published in the June 29 issue of the journal Science.

‘There is no fixed limit to the human life span yet in sight’

“Our data tell us that there is no fixed limit to the human life span yet in sight,” Wachter said. “Very few of us are going to reach those kinds of ages, but the fact that mortality rates are not getting worse forever and ever tells us there may well be more progress to be made improving survival past the ages of 80 to 90. This is a valuable, encouraging discovery.”

Specifically, the study showed that people at age 110 had the same continued chances of survival as those between the ages of 105 and 109, a 50/50 chance of dying within the year and an expected further life span of 1.5 years.

This plateau runs counter to the way death risk relentlessly rises as we age from age 40 onward, Wachter said.

“If mortality rates kept rising at the rates they rise from age 40 to age 90, then there would be a strong barrier to progress at extreme ages, great diminishing returns to behavioural change or to new medical advances,” Wachter said. “The fact these rates ultimately level out gives hope there’s more leeway for those advances.”

The oldest known human on record is Jeanne Calment of France, who died in 1997 at age 122. However, in South Africa, the oldest person, possibly in the world, turned 114 this year. 

Different findings

There’s been ongoing debate about whether there’s a maximum human life span.

Last year, researchers at McGill University in Montreal issued a report challenging earlier assertions that human life span peaks at about 115 years.

“The statistics aren’t good enough to be able to say you can’t live much longer than that, based on the data we have,” said report author Siegfried Hekimi, chairman of developmental biology at McGill. “It’s simply not good enough to make that claim.”

To investigate this further, Wachter and his colleagues tracked death trajectories of almost 4 000 residents of Italy who reached age 105 between 2009 and 2015.

The investigators found that the odds of survival inexorably decline as a person enters middle and old age. For example, Italian women who reached age 90 had a 15% of chance of dying within the year and an expected further life span of six years on average, results showed.

But if they made it to 95, their odds of dying within a year increased to 24% and their life expectancy dropped to 3.7 years.

“The risk of death is very high at 105 years, but next year it’s not higher,” Hekimi said of the new study. “Every year you have the same chance of dying, and every year you can be the one who wins the coin toss.”

This plateau likely occurs due to evolutionary selection and the influence of good genes and healthy life choices, Wachter said. “When you look at a group of older people who are all the same age, some are already quite frail and some are robust. There’s a big difference in the level of frailty,” Wachter said.

“People who go to college 50th reunions, you just look around you and some people are climbing mountains while some people are walking with canes. Now go 15 to 20 years later, the people who were already frail are the ones who are likely to have died,” he said.

Not enough study participants

So far, looking at the genetics of long-lived people has provided maddeningly few clues for extending overall human life span, Hekimi said.

There are just too few people who make it to these extreme old ages, and the genes that seem to be working in their favour vary from place to place, Hekimi said. For example, genes that seem to be supporting extended life span on Okinawa are not the same ones found in England.

But this study shows there’s a good chance of extending the survival plateau earlier into the average human life span, making it increasingly likely that more people will survive into their 100s, Wachter said.

“It gives us a good piece of hope, because there is now lots of opportunity to look at these bad variants as they are in populations today and to try to understand the interaction of those genetic variants with potential medicines and different health challenges,” Wachter said.

“This basic theory could help us inform medical progress and public health progress 10 to 15 years from now as genetic research continues,” he said.

Hekimi agreed. “Given that our life span keeps increasing, maybe the plateauing is going to start earlier and earlier,” he said.

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