What’s happening with Mikibo

Oops … we have not posted to this “official Mikibo blog” in 2 years (we have been using the Mikibo groups to keep members updated) so I thought we better put an update on here.  Mikibo has been growing well and we have been making small updates to improve the site.

Over the last year or so we have been working on a major update to Mikibo that will make it easier and more efficient to use as well as looking more modern.

We can’t wait to launch the new and improved Mikibo in the next few months. When we do we will be sure to put a post on here.

Til next time … The Mikibo Team

Too many fat bellied children

A study from the University of Rochester Medical Center has found that abdominal obesity increased more than 65 percent among U.S. children between 1988 and 2004. This finding is significant because abdominal obesity has emerged as a better predictor of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes risk than the more commonly used Body Mass Index (BMI), a weight to height ratio that can sometimes be misleading.

As the first nationally representative study to document the increase in children’s belly fat, the study published in the journal ‘Pediatrics’ paints a bleak picture for these children who have a higher risk of heart disease, adult-onset diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Increases in BMI scores have been raising concerns about the short and long term health of children throughout the developed World, but the increase in the rates of abdominal obesity in children appears to have been even more pronounced. According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2004, the percentage of 6 to 11 year old children with high BMI scores rose about 25 percent. But the increase in abdominal obesity of the same group over the same period was more than 35 percent.

The good news is that, for children and adolescents, the health effects are often reversible through improved lifestyle for weight loss. Study author Stephen Cook, M.D., an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester, said that the study should be a warning for physicians and parents to limit sedentary activities, such as TV and computer time, and to teach and model healthy eating and exercise behaviors.

“Kids, teens and adults who have early stages of atherosclerosis in their arteries can have a healthy cardiovascular system again,” said Assistant Professor Cook. “Older adults who have plaque build up have a much harder battle, especially if the plaque has calcified.”

Measuring waist circumference is not a “vital sign” normally taken in a visit to the doctor. A BMI is commonly calculated, but there are limitations to those measurements. A very muscular person may register a high BMI score, even if s/he is very healthy and has an average waist circumference. Whereas, a sedentary child may not register a very high BMI score even though they are carrying a lot of fat around their abdomen putting them at a higher risk for health problems.

China’s growing waistline

About 20% of the more than 1 billion overweight people in the World are Chinese. China is often overlooked when discussing the obesity crisis that is sweeping the developed World because the prevalence of overweight and obesity in China is relatively low at 15% when compared with countries such as the United States where over half of the population are overweight. An article in the British Medial Journal by Professor Yangfeng Wu from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has suggested two key reasons why we should be taking more notice of this looming crisis in China.
Professor Wu points out that there has been an alarmingly rapid increase in overweight and obesity in China in recent years, especially in school children for whom prevalence of overweight increased 28 times between 1985 and 2000.
Professor Wu also points out that there is increasing evidence that the World Health Organization’s definition of overweight and obesity, which is derived from studies on the correlations between Body Mass Index (BMI) and disease in white populations, may not be applicable to Asian populations. The Working Group on Obesity in China has recommended that lower BMI cut points should be used to determine overweight and obesity in China. If these cut points were used then over a quarter of a billion people in China would be regarded as overweight or obese.
The explanations for China’s recent epidemic of overweight and obesity are the same as for the rest of the World. Poor diet and reduced levels of physical activity due to the continuing modernization of transport and labor activities. China has the added problems of a widespread belief that excess body fat represents health and prosperity and that it has become difficult to find safe places in over crowded residential areas to exercise or even walk.
Professor Wu said that China needs to act now if it is to have any chance of preventing a further increase in obesity rates. He suggested that as a first step, the prevention and control of obesity should be listed in China’s framework and policy on health. He hopes that by acting now China may be able to achieve where the West has so far failed in halting the growing obesity problem.

New water log added to Mikibo food diary

We have added two new features to the food diary. The first is a water logging feature and indicator so that you can ensure you are being adequately hydrated.
The second feature is called Quickfoods and allows you to add foods that you consume regularly in one step. This should save you time when entering your foods each day.

To join Mikibo for free please visit: www.mikibo.com

Mikibo Launches Health Professional System

Mikibo has launched a new system to allow health professionals (doctors, dietitians, trainers etc) to monitor their clients nutritions and exercise, leave messages and set training programs via Mikibo. To visit the Mikibo Professional page click ‘Your health professionals’ under Personal Settings on the left of the homepage.
This service is currently in a free beta trial so if you are a health professional please contact Mikibo.
If you would like your health professional to monitor you through Mikibo please ask them to Mikibo.
To join Mikibo please visit www.mikibo.com

New Heart Foundation Steps Log

In association with the National Heart Foundation of Australia, Mikibo has added a new step log function for those of you who use pedometers. This is a great way to ensure you are getting enough exercise each day. You will find the link to the step log in the bottom left corner of the home page (once you have logged in).

To join Mikibo for free visit www.mikibo.com

Add missing foods system updated.

We have made a long awaited update to the add missing foods system. You can now add foods to the Mikibo food database in a variety of units as well as per serve (if you don’t know the weight or volume). We hope this makes it easier for you to add missing foods.

To join Mikibobo visit www.mikibo.com

Website Reducing Waistlines

Sydney, Australia, August 16, 2006 – A free website is helping people who want to lose weight and be more healthy. Mikibo, which launched last December, has thousands of members in 37 countries across 6 continents, and its members are seeing results. Since launch Mikibo’s members have lost more than 10,000 pounds of body weight.

Mikibo’s key features are food and exercise diaries, exercise plans and support groups. By tracking their eating and exercise habits, members are able to see what they are doing right and where they could improve. Mikibo founder and exercise physiologist Dr Toby Heap says that Mikibo is an educational experience for its members. “By keeping a food diary members quickly learn which foods are causing problems, and which foods are not. Most people get a shock when they record their food intake for the first time” says Heap.

The World Health Organisation has stated that obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally. There are more than a billion overweight people in the world and at least 300 million are obese.[1]

Being overweight increases the likelihood of death and illness from conditions such as: type two diabetes, sleep apnoea, osteoarthritis, psychological problems and reproductive problems.[2]

While genetic and environmental factors play a role, the main cause of obesity is an imbalance between energy intake (food and drink) and energy expenditure (exercise and metabolism). This energy imbalance is caused by an increased consumption of more energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and reduced physical activity.[3]

The shift towards less physically demanding work, increased use of cars and public transport and more passive leisure activities means that average energy requirements are falling. If our energy requirements are lower this means that we have to increase the proportion of fresh fruit and vegetables in our diet if we want to continue getting the same level of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Mikibo helps members to see if they are getting the recommended intake of micronutrients, such as calcium and iron, and warns members if they are having too much saturated fat or if their diet is high in cholesterol or sodium.

Mikibo was started by Dr Toby Heap who has a PhD in exercise physiology from the University of Sydney. As an athlete who was keeping food and exercise diaries he saw an opportunity to use technology to assist people to improve their health and fitness. “Keeping a food diary is a very repetitive process that involves a lot of adding up daily totals. It struck me that this was a perfect application for the Internet” says Heap.

Mikibo aims to empower members to lead more healthy lives. “We are providing our members with the tools and information they need so that they can improve their health and fitness through a sensible approach to nutrition and exercise” says Heap.

Unlike other weight loss and fitness services Mikibo is free to join. To become a member of Mikibo people can visit www.mikibo.com.

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[1] World Health Organization, www.who.int

[2] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, www.aihm.gov.au

[3] World Health Organization, www.who.int

New Gym and Triathlon Groups

We have added two new groups to Mikibo. By popular demand we added a gym users group where you can discuss your favorite gyms, classes, instructors, equipment etc. We have also added a triathlon group for those of your who like the sport. If you’re a member if Mikibo then you should check out these new groups. If you are not yet a member then you can join for free at www.mikibo.com

Mikibo training diary update

You can now add detailed notes about your training sessions in the training diary. Click on the name of any exercise that you have added to your diary and you will be able to record your training details. This should be particularly useful for recording sets, reps and load in strength training and for recording interval training breakdowns in endurance training.

Join Mikibo at www.mikibo.com