How Sumo Wrestlers Stay Healthy On 7,000 Calories A Day

Summary

Sumo wrestlers, despite consuming 7,000 calories daily and weighing up to 400 pounds, maintain surprisingly healthy levels of triglycerides and cholesterol due to their intense exercise regimen. Unlike typical obesity, their fat is stored subcutaneously rather than viscerally, reducing health risks. However, upon retirement, they face increased cardiovascular risks if they don't adjust their calorie intake, highlighting the importance of continuous physical activity for their unique health profile.

Takeaways

• 🍽️ Sumo wrestlers consume up to 7,000 calories daily and weigh between 300 to 400 pounds.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Despite their size, sumo wrestlers typically don't suffer from common obesity-related health issues.
• 🔎 CT scans show that sumo wrestlers have minimal visceral fat and store most fat subcutaneously.
• 🌡️ They maintain normal triglyceride levels and surprisingly low cholesterol, reducing their risk of heart disease.
• 🏃‍♂️ Intense exercise, like sumo training, may prevent the accumulation of harmful visceral fat.
• 🔄 Exercise increases adiponectin, a hormone that directs glucose and fat away from vital organs and towards subcutaneous storage.
• 🌅 Sumo training in Japan starts early and is rigorous, lasting up to five hours.
• 🤼‍♂️ Sumo exercises, such as butsukari-geiko, are physically demanding and designed to exhaust.
• ⏸ Once retired, sumo wrestlers must reduce calorie intake to avoid cardiovascular diseases.
• ⏳ Retired sumo wrestlers reportedly have a life expectancy about 10 years shorter than average Japanese citizens.

Q & A

How many calories do sumo wrestlers typically consume daily?

Sumo wrestlers eat up to 7,000 calories a day.

What is the average weight range for sumo wrestlers?

Sumo wrestlers weigh between 300 to 400 pounds, which is two to three times as much as the average adult.

Why might sumo wrestlers not suffer from common obesity-related health issues?

Sumo wrestlers typically do not have much visceral fat and instead store most of their fat right underneath the skin, which is less harmful.

What is visceral fat and why is it harmful?

Visceral fat is the fat that wraps around internal organs like the pancreas and liver, polluting the blood with molecules that can cause inflammation and lead to health issues such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and heart attacks.

What are the normal levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in sumo wrestlers?

Sumo wrestlers have normal levels of triglycerides and unexpectedly low levels of cholesterol, which lowers their risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

How does intense exercise affect the buildup of visceral fat in sumo wrestlers?

Intense exercise may prevent the buildup of visceral fat by increasing a hormone called adiponectin, which guides glucose and fat molecules out of the bloodstream and underneath the skin.

What is the typical training routine for sumo wrestlers?

Training at a sumo stable, or heya, in Japan starts as early as 5 a.m. and can last for up to five hours straight, involving exercises like butsukari-geiko where wrestlers repeatedly hit and push each other until exhaustion.

What happens to sumo wrestlers' health when they stop exercising?

When sumo wrestlers retire, they have to seriously cut calories or they become at risk for cardiovascular disease, which might explain why retired wrestlers reportedly die an estimated 10 years younger than the average Japanese citizen.

What is the significance of the hormone adiponectin in sumo wrestlers' health?

Adiponectin is significant because it helps guide glucose and fat molecules away from building up as visceral fat and instead stores them underneath the skin, contributing to the relative health of sumo wrestlers.

How does the sumo wrestling match contribute to the wrestlers' health?

The sumo wrestling match contributes to their health by providing intense physical activity, which helps to maintain low levels of visceral fat and keep cholesterol and triglyceride levels in check.

What is the potential health risk of consuming 7,000 calories a day without the intense exercise routine of a sumo wrestler?

Consuming 7,000 calories a day without the intense exercise routine of a sumo wrestler could lead to the buildup of harmful visceral fat, increasing the risk of obesity-related health issues.