Women's average shoe size has gone up from a 5 to a 6 in the past five years

The Telegraph reports that women's feet are getting bigger and that in the last 5 years women's average shoe size has risen from 5 to 6. This is being attributed to the 'obesity epidemic'.

My personal experience is that my shoe size used to be a very narrow 5½ and it is now a wide 7½. This is not, of course, because my feet have grown; it is because they have become very swollen: swollen with the fluid retention that has resulted from my being inappropriately prescribed HRT years ago and negligently not warned to avoid eating salt and salty food while taking those tablets. The fluid retention is easy to see because it shows itself in the grossly distended, intensely painful and extremely delicate veins that disfigure my feet, making them blue/purple, rather than the white they were formerly.

If your feet have become swollen and your shoe size is now bigger, you can reduce the swelling and the pain/aching considerably by avoiding salt and salty food. As well as improving the state of your feet, avoiding salt will benefit your health in many other ways too, including reducing your excess weight and lowering high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

Researchers at the Institute of Food Research have developed a machine which they claim works as an accurate working model of a human stomach.

You can read about it here on the BBC News website. There is also a write-up on The Advertiser of Norwich, where it says, "A pioneering machine developed in Norwich, which eats roast dinners and curries, is set to change the face of the medicine industry across the world when it goes on sale.

Scientists at the Institute of Food Research have produced the world's first accurate model of a working stomach, which is allowing them to study the complex methods of digestion of every kind of food and drug in any combination.

They hope the model, which took 15 years to develop, will help to reduce levels of obesity in society and minimise the amount of animal testing conducted by the pharmaceuticals industry, as well as speeding up the time it takes to develop medicines and reduce their cost."

My personal opinion is that it will be of no use at all in reducing levels of obesity, because obesity is caused by weakened blood vessel walls leading to increased blood volume/sodium retention/water retention/salt sensitivity/weight gain/oedema, which I doubt the artificial stomach will have the capability of measuring because the researchers are unlikely to have realised the relevance of the strength of blood vessel walls in considering excess weight. You can read about these problems on my website, and about how to lose weight safely and easily by cutting down on salt and salty food.

Prescription drugs are a major cause of weakened blood vessel walls. See my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

amitriptyline

prescribed steroids and HRT

The more overweight you become, the thinner your skin becomes, and the more likely your inner thighs will be to chafe as you walk.

Chafing is very painful...)o: It can cause sores and bleeding.

People suffering from chafing need underwear that has little legs so that the fabric takes the friction when there is rubbing, rather than the delicate skin of the inner thighs.

There are twin enemies for heavily overweight people, especially if they are overweight/obese as the result of taking prescription drugs like tricyclic antidepressants, steroids or antipsychotics. - These enemies are friction - which harms the thin skin - and pressure - which hurts the weakened, distended blood vessels. So it's best to avoid tight clothing and belts, and to have plenty of soft cushions for comfort.

When you turn on your side in bed it may be too painful for your knees so you may find it helpful to place a soft pillow or cushion between your knees.

Here is what to do about the overweight/obesity itself:

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, stroke, osteopenia, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, and improve your health in many other ways without drugs, hunger or expense by eating less salt! - Try it! - You will feel so much better! See my website www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk
The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods and

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/story.html - my 'political' page

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/socio.html - social and economic considerations

amitriptyline

prescribed steroids and HRT

See advice for pregnant mothers

Children and Obesity

Associated health conditions

and FAT RETENTION

I can be contacted via my website if you need my further help. My help is free.