Your health: Should men be concerned about belly fat?

Fighting off that beer belly

It's summer, you've been drinking more than normal with the guys, and you're noticing your girth is growing … could you be developing a “beer belly”?

Drinking excess alcohol can cause you to gain belly fat — the iconic “beer belly.” However, the mayoclinic.org advises that beer alone usually isn't to blame.

How can you tell if you have too much belly fat?

Simply measure your waist. To do this, stand and place a tape measure around your bare stomach, just above your hipbone. If your belly droops, lie down to take the measurement. Pull the tape measure until it fits snugly around you, but doesn't push into your skin. Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around. Relax, exhale and measure your waist, resisting the urge to suck in your stomach.

For men, a waist measurement of more than 40 inches indicates an unhealthy concentration of belly fat and a greater risk of health problems.

So, how do you get rid of belly fat?

Doing abdominal exercises won't get rid of belly fat. However, visceral fat does respond to the same diet and exercise strategies that can help you shed excess pounds and lower your total body fat, mayoclinic.org advises.

To battle the bulge:

• Eat a healthy diet, emphasizing plant-based foods, and limit saturated fat.

• Keep portion sizes in check.

• Include physical activity in your daily routine.

To lose excess fat and keep it from coming back, aim for slow and steady weight loss — up to 2 pounds a week.

Medicare and Medicaid turn 50

July 30 will be the 50th anniversary of the law that created Medicare and Medicaid.

Four health care experts have produced what amounts to a written roundtable discussion: “Medicare and Medicaid at 50: America's Entitlement Programs in the Age of Affordable Care,” The Washington Post reports.

The 16 essays in this collection include histories of how the programs were conceived, developed and legislated; analysis of how they were reshaped and transformed in the 1970s and '80s; discussion of how over the years they have remade political agendas and the health care industry; and predictions about their future.