He Ain’t Heavy

by Tomika Anderson

After years of struggling with his weight, activist Al Sharpton leads the way to fitness

He may not have a washboard stomach or the pecs of an Adonis, but don’t be fooled—the Reverend Al Sharpton has spent many hours fine-tuning his physique. Having shed nearly 90 pounds and having maintained that weight loss over the past few years, America’s most visible civil rights leader is in fighting form for the first time ever.

Overhauling a fatty diet while breaking in his walking shoes six years ago—dropping down from about 300 pounds to a svelte 210—Sharpton has finally conquered a struggle with weight that has plagued him his entire life. “I have more endurance; my focus is sharper; and I don’t need as much sleep as I used to,” the political activist boasts cheerfully. “I can honestly say I’m a new man.”

Sharpton’s dramatic body transformation couldn’t have come at a better time. At 52 years old, the father of two was getting daily reminders that his health was beginning to slip. A Pentecostal minister, he would get winded easily during sermons. He began to suffer from aches and pains while engaged in moderate activity. And Sharpton’s family history of diabetes, not to mention his personal struggle with “sugar,” threatened to permanently derail his longtime love affair with fried chicken and chocolate chip cookies.

So when the onetime presidential candidate famously lost over 30 pounds in 2001 after giving up solid foods (while in jail for 90 days for a protest in Vieques, Puerto Rico), he vowed to do whatever it took to maintain his new figure. Not to mention his health.

“Before Vieques, my diet was out of control,” says the syndicated radio host and star of the TV show Sharp Talk with Al Sharpton on the set of his photo shoot. “I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I didn’t exercise. But when I stopped eating badly, the weight came off. And since I had 90 days of not having to do anything else, I spent much of that time walking around the pier. Eventually, exercising became a lifestyle.”

Not that he hasn’t struggled with his weight since then.

When Sharpton campaigned for president in 2004, the stress he was under—not to mention the rich food he ate at mandatory receptions and black-tie events—caused the weight to creep back.

“I went up because [when you’re running for public office] you go from a lunch to a dinner to a brunch. I think I gained about 45 pounds. But it bothered me. For the first time in my life, it bothered me. So I would constantly start exercising, and immediately when I stopped running [for president], I dropped it all down. Unlike in my younger days, I became very weight-conscious and knew how much better I felt being leaner.”

Once Sharpton strengthened his commitment, he hit his stride, and the temptation to return to his old ways fell away. Now, he says, he tests his willpower by dining out with friends who are eating his favorite foods.

“I think I’ve always had discipline. I just never applied it to eating,” he says, laughing. “When I was in Vieques, a guy told me that if you can control the way you eat, you can control your life,” he says. “I’ve never forgotten that lesson.”

And he’s encouraging others to follow his lead. In January, Sharpton launched a 60-day diet program on his talk-radio show, Keepin’ It Real, heard in more than 40 markets across the country. Assisted by resident doctor Yael Varnado, he used the lure of winning a “healthy” dinner date with him, as well as an assortment of other prizes, to encourage his listeners to drop the extra pounds so that they could live longer lives.

His health-conscious lifestyle has rubbed off on his family and friends as well. “The people in his studio, his producer, they’re watching their diets now,” says his daughter, Dominique Sharpton. “Everybody is trying to live, and he’s been a great motivator. I’m very proud of him.”

“Black people, you can’t have all this focus and determination in every other aspect of your life and then turn around and eat too much,” he warns. “It means something’s off. It means you’ve still got some work to do. God wants us to be in control.”

To be clear, Sharpton insists that you don’t have to go hardcore—like adopting the liquid diet he was on when he was jailed for the Vieques protest—in order to lose the weight.

“I just eat healthy,” he says. “I eat a chicken Caesar salad every day. It’s all about lean meats, water, fruits and vegetables. And [I eat] soups, especially chicken noodle or tomato-based soups. I’ve found things that I actually like to eat, so I don’t miss the old stuff as much.”

And when he’s on the road—which is most of the time—Sharpton chooses his hotel, in part, according to how good its fitness center is. “I work out first thing in the morning, before I even read the paper,” says the self-described news junkie. “It’s 30 minutes on the treadmill while I’m watching the news or listening to some music [and] 15 minutes on the elliptical trainer. Then, I’ll play around with some weights—I might even hit the track afterward.”

And even though Sharpton’s resolve now is primarily to maintain good health, he’s found that his trimmer waistline is a hit with the ladies. Talk about motivation.

“It’s never been my focus,” he grins sheepishly, “but it helps.”

Obesity May Trigger Earlier Puberty for Girls

MONDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- Childhood obesity may lead to earlier onset of puberty for girls, a U.S. study concludes.

The study of 354 girls from 10 different regions in the United States found that increased body fat in girls as young as age 3 and large increases in body fat between the age of 3 and the start of first grade were associated with earlier puberty, defined as the presence of breast development by age 9.

"Our finding that increased body fatness is associated with the earlier onset of puberty provides additional evidence that growing rates of obesity among children in this country may be contributing to the trend of early maturation in girls," study lead author Dr. Joyce Lee, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Michigan, said in a prepared statement.

Her team published the findings in the March issue of Pediatrics.

Lee noted that girls in the United States are entering puberty at younger ages than they were 30 years ago. Over that same time, there's been a significant increase in obesity rates among American children.

"Previous studies had found that girls who have earlier puberty tend to have higher body mass index (BMI), but it was unclear whether puberty led to the weight gain or weight gain led to the earlier onset of puberty. Our study offers evidence that it is the latter," said Lee, who is also assistant professor in the department of pediatrics and communicable diseases at the U-M Medical School.

"Beyond identifying how obesity causes early puberty, it's also important to determine whether weight control interventions at an early age have the potential to slow the progression of puberty," she noted.

Is Your Colon Making You Sick?

by Tamekia Reece

Some experts claim that routine maintenance of your large intestine can help stave off serious disease

Like most men, Ed Bradley, a forty-something Decatur, Georgia, resident, was somewhat reluctant to get a colonic, a process that cleanses the colon by irrigating it with water. Yet he had heard of a connection between poor colon health and disease, especially colon cancer. So he gave it a try. “If garbage stays in your house, it rots,” he says. “So why wouldn’t colon ‘garbage’ in your body create problems?” He believes a colonic (also called colon hydrotherapy or colon cleaning) helps the body “take out the trash.”

Although health professionals often dispute the usefulness of colonics, countless Americans are concerned about their eliminatory health. When Michael Roizen, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD, bestselling authors of You: The Owner’s Manual (HarperCollins) and You: On a Diet (Free Press), appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show, viewers frequently quiz them on the indelicate subject of feces and bowel movements, which the doctors state offer a vital window into our health. 

Some holistic practitioners take this even further, professing, “All disease begins in the colon.” These providers encourage people to cleanse their large intestine proactively. But do illnesses really begin in our bowels? And does the colon really need routine maintenance?

The process of elimination

The colon, part of the large intestine, is five to six feet long and connects the small intestine to the rectum and anus. “Its main job is to take digested foods [which are liquids], suck out the water and then package the poop” so you can move your bowels, says Patricia Raymond, MD, a Chesapeake, Virginia–based gastroenterologist. It also transports chemicals and toxins ingested through food, water, medication, air and other sources out of the body.

Eating plenty of high-fiber foods, like whole grains, fruits and vegetables; drinking lots of water; and exercising can help keep your colon healthy. Feces that form an S or C, the shape of the rectum near the anus, usually mean your colon is operating well, say Drs. Mehmet and Oz. “Gumball-size pellets” tell you that your colon is temporarily not functioning optimally, they write in You: The Owner’s Manual.

In addition to the curvy stools Drs. Mehmet and Oz describe, naturopath Roni Deluz, RN, ND, PhD, of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, considers wholesome those that are four to ten inches long and “golden brown” in color. If we see “little clumps in the toilet,” we should ask, “Where’s the rest?” Deluz suggests. Dark, rocky stools should cause us to question: “Why is it so hard? Where’s the moisture? Where’s the fiber?” she says. And “a horrible smell like it’s been hanging around forever,” should spur us to improve our eating habits.

Other signs of colon health headed downhill include any change in bowel habits—either going more or less or battling diarrhea or constipation. While the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) defines constipation as more than three days without a bowel movement, many holistic practitioners believe the bowels should empty following every meal. “Whatever is typical for you, whether it’s five times a day or once every three days, any change in that is concerning,” Dr. Raymond says. Additional warning signs include frequent indigestion and gas and bloating. 

The cause of all disease?

But health practitioners disagree on whether the colon is ground zero for a host of illnesses.

“I don’t know where that statement came from, but I don’t think there’s any evidence to say ‘all diseases start in the colon,’?” says Frank Hamilton, MD, chief of the Digestive Diseases Program Branch of the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

Deluz believes a congested large intestine undermines many other bodily functions and can even cause colon cancer. “Not having a clean colon contributes to backup in the entire system. When you can’t clean out your colon, your liver suffers. If your liver suffers, then your kidneys can suffer. If your kidneys suffer, then your lymphatic system suffers,” she says of the body’s other waste-elimination systems. “There’s a connection [between organs]. That’s why diseases start in the colon.” 

 Dr. Hamilton and Deluz do agree that a healthy colon is important. “If it’s not functioning properly, it can lead to other disorders of the gastrointestinal [GI] tract,” Dr. Hamilton says. “For instance, you can subsequently have out-pouchings within the large bowel, from longstanding constipation.” Such out-pouchings, called diverticular disease, can cause bloating, mild cramping and abdominal pain. If untreated, surgery may be needed. Research has shown an association between diverticular disease and cancer on the left side of the colon.

 Is cleansing the colon the answer?

As a substitute for (or complement to) dietary changes and increased physical activity, some people turn to holistic approaches, like colonics, to improve their large intestine’s health.

 During a colon cleansing, “a small tube or speculum is inserted into the rectum and warm, filtered water is introduced into the colon to start the release of waste, gas, mucus and undigested food,” says colon therapist Dorothy Chandler, RN, of Chicago’s Chandler’s Health Emporium. Practi-tioners believe the procedure eliminates toxic buildup on the colon wall, reducing the risk of illnesses.

 “Cleansing removes toxicity from the body and allows the colon to have good muscular contraction,” says Deluz. “Your entire digestive system is helped, and removing the toxins takes a load off your liver.”

 But not all experts agree with the practice. “When the colon empties, there is still a thin layer of stool coating it; however, there is no need to ‘steam clean’ it,” says Dr. Raymond. “It’s sort of like plumbing,” she explains. “You don’t need Drano un--less there is a problem such as blockage or near blockage.”

 Others disagree or ask where the proof is. “Colonic cleanings have never been done in a rigorous, scientific manner to evaluate that approach versus just nutritional intervention,” Dr. Hamilton says. While on Oprah, Dr. Oz stated that he doesn’t believe colonics are necessary.

 Still, “It’s a good idea to keep your colon healthy because when it’s not happy, you’re not happy,” Dr. Raymond adds.

 Other colon care options include  taking fiber or herbal supplements that claim to “scrub” or irritate the colon wall to remove hardened mucus and feces. The AGA believes laxatives “should be taken as a last resort and only under a doctor’s supervision.” However, Deluz likes the natural laxative aloe vera, which she says softens impacted stools.

 Bradley is sticking with colonics. “Afterward, your whole body feels lighter, you feel more awake and aware that you’re managing your health,” he says. “If this helps even a little to prevent colon cancer and other problems, I’m all for it.” 

PREVENT COLON CANCER

With a few lifestyle changes, you can reduce your risk

 Colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon and/or rectum) is the third most common cancer and second leading cause of cancer deaths among Americans. The American Cancer Society estimates that colon cancer rates among African Americans are about 15% higher and deaths about 40% higher than among whites. No one is certain why. Yet several lifestyle habits common to black Americans overlap with colon cancer’s risk factors—being overweight, being physically inactive and eating lots of fat and red meat and few fruits and vegetables, for instance. Smoking, a family history and having an inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, also increase one’s probability. To reduce your chances of developing the disease, try implementing these lifestyle changes.

 Eat less fat. “Diets high in fat, predispose one to colon cancer,” says Edith Mitchell, MD, clinical professor of medicine and oncology at Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia. “One should increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet.”

Eat less meat, particularly if it’s processed. One American Cancer Society study found that men who ate three ounces (about the amount in a small hamburger) of red meat (beef, pork, lamb) daily and women who ate two ounces were 30% to 40% more likely to develop colon cancer. Women who ate one ounce (one slice of lunch meat or four slices of bacon) of processed meats (bacon, sausages, lunch meat) two to three times per week and men who ate one ounce five to six times per week were 50% more likely to develop colon cancer than people who ate less.

Eat more fish and chicken. Research has shown that diets high in fish and chicken actually reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Take vitamins. “There’s been some evidence that increasing vitamin D and calcium intake can reduce the chance of developing polyps in the colon,” Dr. Hamilton says.