Exercise is an often overlooked antidepressant. In a study at Duke University, 60 percent of clinically depressed people who took a brisk 30-miute walk or jog at least three times a week were no longer depressed after 16weeks.
3
Flatten That Belly
More than 50 years ago French scientist Jean Vague noted that people with a lot of upper-body fat (those who looked like apples rather than pears) often developed heart disease, diabetes and other ailments. But it wasn’t until the introduction of CT and MRI scans that doctors discovered that a special kind of fat, visceral fat, located within the abdomen, was strongly linked to these diseases.
According to the National Institutes of Health, there’s trouble brewing when your waist measures 35 inches or more if you’re a woman, and 40 inches or more if you’re a man. And that’s regardless of height.
4
Limit Your Bad Habits
Heavy drinking. Moderate drinkers may be the least likely to develop Metabolic Syndrome, while alcoholics are the most likely. In part that’s because, pound for pound, they carry more abdominal fat. In one Swedish study, researchers found that male alcoholics carried 48 percent of their body fat within the abdomen, compared with 38 percent for teetotalers.
Cigarette smoking. Smoking is dangerous for reasons besides lung cancer or emphysema. Some 60 minutes after smoking a cigarette, one study revealed, smokers still showed elevated levels of cortical, which promotes abdominal fat storage.
Over-caffeinating. Moderate caffeine consumption doesn’t seem to be harmful for most people. But recent studies suggest that when men who have both high blood pressure and a family history of hypertension drink a lot of caffeinated coffee while under job stress, they may experience a dangerous rise in blood pressure.
5
Rev Up Your Metabolism
A new understanding of how disease sets up shop in your body focuses on metabolism—the sum of physical and chemical reactions necessary to maintain life. This approach reveals that a healthy metabolic profile counts for more than cardiovascular fitness or weight alone.
As Glenn A. Gaesser, professor of exercise physiology at the University of Virginia, notes, “Metabolic fitness is one of the best safeguards against heart disease, stroke and diabetes.”
11. The phrase “snapping at” (Step 1: Watch Your Temper) is closest in meaning to ______.
(A) judging severely
(B) declaring publicly
(C) answering rudely
(D) understanding wrongly
12. According to the passage, which of the following people are liable to incur and suffer from heart attacks?
(A) Those whose waist measures 35 inches or less.
(B) Those who take a brisk 20-minute walk twice a week.
(C) Those who have experienced major depression.
(D) Those who have been striving for goals.
13. Stress may lead to all of the following EXCEPT _______.
(A) hostile disposition
(B) cynical behaviour
(C) over-caffeinating
(D) great ambition
14. According to the passage, what kind of people are teetotalers (Step 4: Limit Your Bad Habits)?
