Increased waist, increased risk for Tendinopathy.

Why would having a bigger waist increase your risk for tendinopathy?

The reason is low-grade inflammation. The fat we carry around the waist is metabolically active and is contributing to inflammation. Even when the additional stress from added weight is accounted for, where you carry that weight makes a difference.

This was the case even among competitive volleyball players who are in better shape than the average person.

Male players with a waist circumference of more than 83cm (which is 32.6 inches) had approximately 74% probability of abnormal imaging of one or both Achilles tendons(Malliaras P, et al. 2007). Players with a waist circumference below 83cm had only a probability of 15%.

This is how important low-grade inflammation is.

You don’t have to have any other visible signs of this type of inflammation, but now you know one way of detecting it.

The authors of the below-referenced article state that prolonged systemic , low-grade inflammation and impaired insulin sensitivity act as a risk factor for a failed healing response after an acute tendon insult and predispose to the development of chronic overuse tendinopathies(Del Buono A, et al. 2011).

What about free radical damage?

Reactive oxygen species, together with other factors, may influence tendon integrity and contribute to the development of tendinopathies(Longo UG, et al. 2008).

This is what you can do.

In addition to eating an anti-inflammatory diet as outlined before, you can take curcumin, which has shown to reduce inflammation without the side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs. Just be sure that what you take is better absorbed than regular curcumin because that is not absorbed well.

To reduce free radical damage the right form of glutathione is a great antioxidant. Most of the glutathione on the market comes in the form of reduced glutathione which is oxidized in the stomach (destroyed) and for that reason is not going to work very well(Allen J, Bradley RD, 2011). S-Acetyl Glutathione, on the other hand, is not damaged in the stomach and gets to the tissue it is supposed to protect.

It is a very effective antioxidant.

Better Curcumin

Research has documented the many benefits of curcumin (found in turmeric spice), but regular curcumin is hard to absorb. Our formula improves the intake of this beneficial substance into the cells.

Effective S-Acetyl Glutathione Glutathione is your primary defense against aging, but regular glutathione is oxidized (destroyed in the stomach) and provides little value. S-Acetyl Glutathione is easily absorbed and provides protection.

Read More

Allen J¹, Bradley RD. Effects of oral glutathione supplementation on systemic oxidative stress biomarkers in human volunteers. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Sep;17(9):827-33. doi: 10.1089/acm.2010.0716.

Del Buono A¹, Battery L, Denaro V, Maccauro G, Maffulli N. Tendinopathy and inflammation: some truths. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2011 Jan-Mar;24(1 Suppl 2):45-50.

Longo UG¹, Oliva F, Denaro V, Maffulli N. Oxygen species and overuse tendinopathy in athletes. Disabil Rehabil. 2008;30(20-22):1563-71. doi: 10.1080/09638280701785643.

Malliaras P¹, Cook JL, Kent PM. Anthropometric risk factors for patellar tendon injury among volleyball players. Br J Sports Med. 2007 Apr;41(4):259-63; discussion 263. Epub 2006 Aug 18.