As June is Men’s Health awareness month, in this blog we are highlighting some of the common health conditions that affect men (although women may also be at risk of the following health conditions).

Healthy bodyweight

In 2018 The Health Survey for England found that around 70% of men (aged 16 years and over) were reported to be overweight or obese. Weight is often measured in terms of BMI – 25-29.9 is considered overweight and over 30 is considered obese (in those adults with high muscle mass, these stats are less accurate).

Health risks of adult obesity

Evidence shows that adult obesity is associated with a wide range of health conditions including:

  • increased risk of hypertension (high blood pressure), coronary heart disease and stroke
  • increased risk of type 2 diabetes (90% of adults with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese)
  • increased risk of several cancers
  • increased risk of erectile dysfunction
  • increased risk of sleep apnoea (interruptions to breathing while asleep)
  • increased risk of gastro-oesophageal reflux GORD/GERD (symptoms include heartburn and acid reflux)

A heavier bodyweight puts strain on the body’s joints, especially the knees, increasing the risk of osteoarthritis – an inflammatory condition that affects your joints causing pain and stiffness and thus limiting mobility and opportunity to exercise; back pain may also be increased; obesity is also associated with low self-esteem, depression and reduced libido.

Men will typically accumulate excess body fat in their abdomen (belly fat/abdominal obesity/ increased weight around the stomach area) increases the risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers including kidney, prostate and bowel cancers.

As simple way of measuring your body shame is by measuring your waist. Find the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hips, breathe out naturally before taking the measurement and then place a tape measure around your waist midway between these points.

  • Your health is at increased risk if you have a waist size of over 94cm (about 37in).
  • Your health is at high risk if you have a waist size of over 102cm (about 40in).

In 2018, 34% men had a very high waist circumference greater than 102cm.

Some ethnicities are at greater risk of developing diabetes:  the risk for South Asian groups is six times higher than in white groups and unfortunately, those of South Asian origin have higher mortality from diabetes. So for these men the healthy waist circumference threshold should be reduced from 94cm to 90cm, to indicate increased risk.

photo: Karolina Grabow pexels.com