Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Paging Dr. Gupta: How Do You Get Fab Abs?

Aired March 14, 2002 - 10:50   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Dr. Sanjay Gupta has joined us to help us get the newest fashion accessory. We're going to get a workout.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: They're called the six pack, the Holy Grail of body physique. And I think just about anybody who exercises regularly or dieted regularly has at one time or another wanted these. What are they?

WHITFIELD: Fab abs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice-over): Does your abdomen look like this? Do you wish it looked like this? Well, most are somewhere in between, but would love it if our stomach looked like Janet Jackson's. Abs -- there are a group of muscles known as the rectus abdominus. They are normally covered by a layer of fat under the skin. Ripped abs are the holy grail, great for our vanity, and they definitely look good on the beach.

To lose the layer of fat that covers the rectus abdominus, personal trainers advise us to get our body fat down to about 15 percent for women and 8 percent for men.

But according to doctors concerned about health rather than beauty, your body fat can be much higher. And body fat that's too low can be dangerous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: So it's not surprising that a lot of people have actually looked into this, including the American Council on Exercise. Let me just share a few of the numbers. They actually looked at body fat percentages. What is a minimum essential body fat before it starts to get dangerous? Ten to 12 percent for women, 2-4 percent for men.

Going to the other end of the extreme, 31 percent for women is high; 25 percent for men is also high, but acceptable.

So, Fredricka, it's important to point out that 60 percent of Americans today consider themselves to be overweight in this country, and 20 percent of kids.

So when we're talking about fab abs, we've also got to keep in mind that most people sort of fall somewhere in between.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and it's really not purely about vanity. It is about health. I mean, we really need to pay attention to why -- we should be paying attention to our own fat content.

GUPTA: That's right, and David Satch (ph), the surgeon general actually talked about overweight and obesity, and he talked about the fact that obesity can be associated with many different diseases. But also low body fat, body fat that's too low, can also be associated with decease as well.

The body fat is responsible for your temperature regulation. It's responsible for storing nutrients. So there are some important functions that the body fat provides as well. So it's important not to get too low, but you need at least some.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you know, here's what I want to know, I mean, because I don't think there's a guarantee that low body fat actually gives you or shows off the abs. I speak from experience. I was down to 3 percent at one time when I was playing ball. I never the...

WHITFIELD: Never had the six pack.

HARRIS: No, I never had the six pack, and I knew a lot of guys who were in great shape, 4 or 5 percent, and you couldn't tell. I mean, they were strong and everything, but they didn't necessarily -- they didn't have to have the six packs. Is there a guarantee?

GUPTA: There is no guarantee. I guess what the nutritionist have told me is that you need to have at least that percentage of body fat in order to see them. It doesn't mean that you for sure you will have those ripped abs. You also have to develop your abdominal musculature, and then genetics play a large part of it as well. There are people who exercise all the time and never seem to develop those fabulous abs, as they say.

But, again, the health component is something that we're trying to stress. As long as you can keep fit, make sure your diet, get the muscle exercise, as well as the cardiovascular exercise it will be the most healthy.

HARRIS: You will be with us throughout the morning. Which one are you going to demonstrate for us. Are you going to show us your crunch technique.

GUPTA: Right, I think I'm going to leave my shirt on for the next segment.

WHITFIELD: We all well. All right, thanks very much.

(LAUGHTER)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com