Prof. Dr. Karsten Köhler, Head of the Assistant Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health, gave two interviews on the topics of "overweight" and "long-term weight reduction" as part of New Year's resolutions on "17:30 Sat.1 Bayern" and for the "Welt am Sonntag" newspaper.
The Bavarian State Office for Statistics had previously announced that every second adult in Bavaria was overweight. The nutritionist therefore spoke with Sat.1 presenter Eva Grünbauer in the January 11, 2023 broadcast about, among other things, the body mass index and abdominal fat in humans.
"The body mass index is important because it is very easy to calculate," said Prof. Köhler in the TV interview. "You can measure your weight and height at home and then simply convert them. You also get relatively simple information about whether you are normal weight, overweight or even obese. The problem with the body mass index is that it is only a very rough measure, because we don't know at all how the body is composed and, above all, where the excess weight is also located, that is, for example, whether it is located in the abdomen, which is more dangerous for health, or whether it is distributed more over the legs and buttocks."
Prof. Köhler also explained why abdominal fat is so dangerous for humans: "Abdominal fat is very metabolically active, which means that it sends out a lot of messenger substances that can then also cause inflammatory processes in other organs, for example, such as in our vessels, in our kidneys or also in the heart. Many processes that are then promoted by overweight and obesity diseases are primarily promoted by this belly fat."
In a January 1st, 2023, article in "Welt am Sonntag" (WamS) on New Year's resolutions to "lose weight" and tips for long-term weight reduction, Prof. Köhler classified why people have a craving for high-energy foods even though they are actually full and their energy stores are full. "It's not a mental weakness to eat the high-calorie candy bar instead of the weight-loss apple. Rather, it is a basic physiological mechanism that used to ensure our survival," Prof. Köhler said in the "WamS" article.
To the interview with „17:30 Sat.1 Bayern“
To the "Welt am Sonntag" article in "Department in the Press"
To the homepage of the Assistant Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Karsten Köhler
Assistant Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24488
e-mail: karsten.koehler(at)tum.de
Text: Romy Schwaiger
Photo: „17:30 Sat.1 Bayern“