SORRY to get personal. But is your mid-section maybe a little larger than it should be?

If the answer is "yes", it is time to do something about it.

There is a new study which says that too much fat around the middle can increase the risk of you losing your mind.

Yes, keeping your abdomen in shape actually keeps your mind in shape!

About half of all American adults carry excess abdominal fat.
When I walk around our shopping malls, I can tell you that we in Malaysia are well on our way there.

In fact, there was a study that showed that Malaysians lead the pack in Asean when it comes to obesity.

Earlier, I had written about how abdominal fat has been linked to the high risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke. Now we can add dementia to that list.

Dementia (from the Latin "de" which means "away" and "mentis" which means "mind") is the progressive decline of brain function.

Dementia is caused by physical changes in the brain. The most famous sufferer was President Ronald Reagan.

As reported earlier this year in the journal, Neurology, researchers measured the abdomens of more than 6,500 Northern California subjects in their early 40s.

When the subjects were measured again more than 30 years later, researchers found that those who had developed the greatest abdominal fat were almost three times more likely to suffer from dementia compared to subjects with the lowest amount of abdominal fat.

Subjects with oversized abdomens who were otherwise healthy non-smokers within normal weight limits still had a very high risk of dementia.

It is your pot belly that is worse than your overall weight. In other words, you do not need to be fat. Just having that offending pot belly puts you at risk.

The solution is really a four-word mantra: eat less and exercise more. Put even simpler: diet and exercise. It is the basic energy equation of the body.

You might want to emulate President-elect Barack Obama who still goes to the gym and takes the basket ball court despite his very busy schedule. Although he may soon be living in the White House, he has 24 hours just like you.

Calorie restriction is a must too. In Malaysia, we eat too much and too often. We do not need to eat that much given our increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

Yet we do -- and at an increasing pace. Everyone hates the term "diet" but it is derived from the Latin term diata which means "a way of life" which is what being fit and healthy is all about.

Here is an important tip: Make the calorie cutback gradual because a drastic reduction in calorie intake triggers a starvation response, prompting your body to slow down metabolism and store fat -- exactly what you don't want to do.

Cutting back sharply causes your body to slam the brakes of your metabolism. You need to cut back on those highly processed refined carbohydrates as well. Cut back on the rice, white bread, noodles and cakes as well as other processed sweets.

Instead, eat wholesome food -- fruits, vegetables, nuts, egg, fish and meat -- which are more lower in calories but rich in nutrients and fibre. These foods fill you up faster and keep you full longer.

Your body craves for the "ancient foods" and handles the "modern foods" badly.

The Havard Women's Health Watch makes the point that abdominal fat cells are biologically active:

"It is more accurate to think of fat as an endocrine organ or gland, producing hormones and other substances that can profoundly affect our health.

"One such hormone is leptin, which is normally released after a meal and dampens the appetite."

Leptin (from the Greek leptos, means thin) is a protein hormone with important effects in regulating body weight, metabolism and reproductive function.

Recent studies with obese and non-obese humans demonstrated a strong positive correlation of serum leptin concentrations with percentage of body fat.

Indeed, leptin may be the hormone that makes you fat.

Unless you are being "tube fed" or in a concentration camp, you are fully in control of what and how much goes into your mouth.

You are in control of your body. You can make that work out happen in front of the television, as you get up or are about to go to bed. You could go to the gym too.

If you think you might not have the discipline and need guidance, get a personal trainer. The way you look, feel and even think is truly in your hands.

Datuk Dr Rajen M. is a pharmacist with a doctorate in holistic medicine. Email him at health@po.jaring.my