Assessing the Perils of Holiday Gorging

It’s enough to scare anyone.

One of the stories making its rounds in daily newspapers around the country and on the Internet is that an unusually heavy holiday meal may increase the risk of heart attack by as much as four times within two hours after consumption.

The finding is based on a study presented shortly before Thanksgiving at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2000.

The study found that overeating causes some bad things to happen. For example, your blood clots more easily and quickly after consuming a big meal. Likewise, the fat levels in your blood increase along with your blood pressure.

“All of this has been well documented and there is nothing new about these findings,” says Dr. Robert Keith, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System nutrition and health specialist and Auburn University professor of nutrition and food science.

Even so, he says these factors probably don’t pose any significant threat to healthy people even as old as age 50 who have no significant risk of heart problems.

“Healthy overeaters probably won’t suffer any effects other than just feeling bad the rest of the day,” Keith says.

Simply put, the effects occur but not to a degree that likely will harm healthy people, Keith says.

Even so, Keith offers somewhat different advice for people who are sedentary and obese or who already are dealing with heart problems or face a higher risk of heart disease.

“If they go and do this — eat this huge meal — things like blood clotting and elevated blood pressure could turn out to be the factor that pushes things over the edge,” Keith says.

Keith says it’s especially important for these at-risk people to take stock of these risks, especially at this time of year when the allure of big meals typically is stronger than at any other time.

“Obviously, if you have a history of heart problems, diabetes and similar types of obesity-related conditions, you do need to be more careful about how you eat,” he says.

Yes, you still can enjoy the traditional Christmas Day feasting, for example, but just make sure you go easy on the calories.

“Instead of pigging out and consuming thousands of calories, you should pace your eating and limit this intake to only a more reasonable, normal amount,” he says.

With that in mind, Keith offers a few overeating safeguards.

First, eat slowly. Granted, it’s no sure guarantee against overeating, but it can help slow down the number of calories you consume, Keith says.

And when you’re beginning to feel full, make a conscious effort to back away from the table.

“Go off and do something else,” Keith advises. “And if you can’t get a certain food out of your mind, come back and eat only a smaller portion.”

Second, be sure to exercise. Keith considers walking one of the single most effective safeguards against holiday weight gain, simply because many people, even physically active gym rats, often find strenuous exercise unappealing at this time of year.

“You don’t feel like going to the gym or running 4 miles and you often make some excuse not to do that, but it’s still easy to go out and walk around the block,” Keith says.

“I think that during the holidays, walking is one of the best things you can do to aid digestion, burn some calories and get out of those typical holiday doldrums.”

Walking is helpful in getting you out of the house and away from food, and as an aerobic form of exercise, it also can counteract some of the physiological effects associated with overeating, such as quicker blood clotting.

Adequate intakes of vitamin E and omega 3 fatty acids readily available in fish also can safeguard against the quicker blood clogging associated with overindulgence. So can a daily dose of baby aspirin.

But Keith also stresses the importance of understanding the big picture: assessing your overall risks.

“You should look over your whole lifestyle and your risks and act accordingly,” he says.

“The important thing to bear in mind is that if your profile is not good and you eat this heavy meal, it may be enough to push you over the edge,” Keith says.

Posted by Jim Langcuster at November 30, 2007 01:28 PM