Dr. Deepa Sharma, Family Medicine Physician at Baptist Health Primary Care, explains doctors measure obesity with the Body Mass Index (BMI): "That uses height and weight to give an idea of how overweight an individual is". She recommends to people with obesity to have a comfortable relationship with their doctor, because there is a risk…...

CDC says a third of Americans are obese. It’s a progressive disease and it’s hampering the person from childhood all the way to adulthood. It’s an accumulation of fat usually in the mid portion of the abdomen and inside the organs. Dr. Jorge Rabaza, Chief of Surgery with South Miami Hospital, also says obesity can…...

Obese people are more than 40 % more likely to have a foot issue. Wayne Goldstein, Podiatric Physician at Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute, says obesity is a big factor, because it increases the weight and forces you to put on your feet. "With the more weight you have, the more force is going…...

Triglycerides are basically energy, food. It’s a main component of nutrition, says Dr. Jonathan Fialkow, Chief Population Health Officer with Baptist Health South Florida. He also affirms cholesterol and triglycerides have nothing to do with each other. “They’re both passengers in the particle,” he explains. Triglycerides, how does, what are they and how does…...

High blood pressure, pre-diabetes, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, being overweight, family history and age are high cholesterol risk factors. "Family history and age are non-modifiable risks that have an incredible impact, because as we get older or we have a bad family history, it becomes even more important to pay attention to the modifiable risks like…...

Lipids are the medical term for basically fats, explains Dr. Jonathan Fialkow, Deputy Chief of Cardiology with Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute. He says relevance of fats (cholesterol and triglycerides) have to do with how they travel in the body, which is not freely in the blood. The doctor explains lipid profile is a series…...

There are several risk factors for high triglycerides: being overweight or obesity, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, excess alcohol consumption, diet very high in carbohydrates and genetics. Dr. Jonathan Fialkow, Deputy Chief of Cardiology with Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, affirms the triglycerides themselves are not necessarily the problem. It’s what causes patient's triglycerides to go…...

Total cholesterol is a measure that physicians use and it includes all types of cholesterol: LDL, HDL and Triglycerides. Dr. Ian del Conde, Cardiovascular Specialist with Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, describes each type and explains why there are “good” and “bad” cholesterol. So going back to cholesterol let's talk a little bit about…...