Obesity blamed for doubling rate of diabetes cases

Kudos, fatsos.

"The nation's obesity epidemic is exacting a heavy toll: The rate of new diabetes cases nearly doubled in the United States in the past 10 years, the government said Thursday.

Nationally, the rate of new cases climbed from about 5 per 1,000 in the mid-1990s to 9 per 1,000 in the middle of this decade.

Roughly 90 percent of cases are Type 2 diabetes, the form linked to obesity."

Yep, Type 2 diabetes is fat person diabetes.

"The report asked about diagnosed diabetes only. Because an estimated one in four diabetics have not been diagnosed, the findings probably underestimate the problem, said Angela Liese, a diabetes researcher at the University of South Carolina.

The underestimates may be particularly bad in the rural South and other areas where patients have trouble getting health care, she noted."

Well, that's encouraging.

We can look forward to paying for even more fat, calorically irresponsible people and their likely to be fat nutritionally abused children.

Way to go, fatsos.

Cocaine addicts' brains predisposed to abuse: study

Another you are hardwired to behave badly article.

"Cocaine addicts may have brain deficits that predispose them to drug abuse, and abusing drugs appears to make matters worse, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

They said images of cocaine addicts' brains reveal abnormalities in the cerebral cortex -- the brain's outer surface -- and these changes relate to dysfunction in areas responsible for attention and decision-making."

There's pedophilia hardwiring.

Then there's fatso hardwiring.

Soon, all bad behavior is beyond our control since we are hardwired for it.

A very slippery slope lubricated with bulls**t.

Abdominal obesity raises dementia risk years later

Kudos, fatsos.

"The researchers found that, compared with subjects with the least amount of body fat, those with the highest levels of abdominal obesity had nearly a 3-fold increased risk of dementia in analyses that factored in the effect of age, gender, race, education, marital status, diabetes, high blood lipids (fats), high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.

Overweight and obesity combined with high levels of abdominal fat, increased risk of dementia by 2.3-fold and 3.6-fold, respectively,..."

You are stupid bombs waiting to explode with dementia.

Concord Grape Juice Has No Significant Impact On Body Weight

Dueling articles. Read this one and then the one below it.

"Regular consumption of 100% polyphenol-rich Concord grape juice did not cause significant weight gain, was not associated with changes in appetite and was shown to reduce waist circumference according to new data presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American College of Nutrition in Arlington, Virginia. [i]

The 12 week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial examined the effect of regular consumption of 100% Concord grape juice on body weight, diet quality, and markers of metabolic syndrome. The study included 76 men and women between the ages of 18 and 50 years who were slightly overweight (body mass index of 25.0 to 29.9). Each participant drank two 8-ounce servings of 100% Concord grape juice per day (n=25), a polyphenol-free grape-flavored drink (n=26) or was assigned to a non-treatment control group (n=25). The two test beverages were calorie and sugar matched but only the 100% Concord grape juice contained natural polyphenolic compounds."

Now see this one.

Face it. They don't know squat.

To deal with weight properly and rationally, go here.

School Vending Machines Dole Out Excess Calories, Fat - USA

Dueling articles. Read this one and then the one above it.

"Despite efforts to include more healthy choices at schools, standard offerings from vending machines - including fruit juices - are giving students more calories than they need.

Recent figures from the HEALTHY Study, a nationwide effort led by Temple University to curb obesity and type 2 diabetes in middle school students, found vending machines beverages had added sugars, high calorie 100 percent fruit juices, and snacks over 200 hundred calories...

'Contrary to common belief, fruit juice is not a healthy snack, if drunk in excess. It should be limited to about 6 ounces per day, but it's common to see more than one serving in a bottle,' said Amy Virus, RD, LDN, senior health services coordinator for the HEALTHY Study from the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University."

Now see this one.

Face it. They don't know squat.

To deal with weight properly and rationally, go here.

Reading Can Help Obese Kids Lose Weight

Crap.

"It's no secret that reading is beneficial. But can it help kids lose weight? In the first study to look at the impact of literature on obese adolescents, researchers at Duke Children's Hospital discovered that reading the right type of novel may make a difference.

The Duke researchers asked obese females ages 9 to 13 who were already in a comprehensive weight loss program to read an age-appropriate novel called Lake Rescue (Beacon Street Press). It was carefully crafted with the help of pediatric experts to include specific healthy lifestyle and weight management guidance, as well as positive messages and strong role models.

Six months later, the Duke researchers found the 31 girls who read Lake Rescue experienced a significant decrease in their BMI scores (-.71%) when compared to a control group of 14 girls who hadn't (+.05%), explained Alexandra C. Russell, MD, a fourth-year medical student at Duke who led the study and presented the findings at the Obesity Society's annual scientific meeting."

Notice that these brave researchers did not say whether the BMIs remained in the obese kid range.

You can bet that if it dropped into the "normal" range they would have trumpeted the results.

After all, they did write this press release:

"Source: Debbe Geiger
Duke University Medical Center"

Bit slimy, eh?

Kids Lured By Corner Stores On Morning Commute

I believe it. That's why I proposed Gram Shop Acts years ago.

"In most cities, the corner store, with its chips, soda and candy, is ubiquitous. Convenient for the neighborhood residents, but also researchers are discovering, a major snack source for school age children.

Researchers from Temple University and The Food Trust recently examined the eating habits of urban children before and after school as part of a larger project to make corner store snacks healthier. Their findings were presented at The Obesity Society's annual scientific meeting on Saturday, October 4, 2008.

'We realized that a majority of kids were eating and drinking on their way to and from school and that the corner stores were playing a big role,' said lead researcher Stephanie Vander Veur, MPH, director of clinical research at Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education...

That's why Temple and The Food Trust are working on the Corner Store project.

'We're teaching children about making healthier choices in schools, using social marketing to reinforce nutrition information, giving students the opportunity to be advocates for healthier choices in their own communities and working with store owners to stock fresh fruit and other healthy snacks for youngsters to buy,' said Sandy Sherman of The Food Trust. 'By involving kids in the process, we're ensuring that the messages really appeal to kids.'"

But their approach, the Corner Store project, will never work.

Eating In A Grab And Go World

Duh.

"A nutritious diet is not seen as being as important as physical activity when it comes to college students' health and wellness efforts, according to Indiana University researchers, even when the students live in an environment that provides classes, cues and motivation to eat healthily. 'Personal preferences triumph over discipline,' the researchers note."

Really? (forget the "nutritious diet" part and focus on the "eat healthily" part. "Nutritous diet" is some buzzword of no real meaning.)

Who could have seen that coming?

"The students, they say, bring to college the eating habits established at home..."

However, one thing you will not see with almost absolute certainty is parents being held accountable for the nutritional child abuse that results from their bad parenting.

No, they will continue to burden the rest of us with the costs of rescue associated with the diseases of choice these weak-willed college students will develop.

"The findings suggest that school and college health educators should consider providing students with tools to 'internalize that fitness = exercise = healthy food,' and to find ways for them to eat healthy in our grab-and-go world."

Good luck with that, as they are already off to a bad start.

Fitness = training + eating healthily.

Until they realize that, there is no hope.

Health Benetits (sic) From Purple Tomatoes

But no spelling benefits. (see article title)

"Scientists have expressed genes from snapdragon in tomatoes to grow purple tomatoes high in health-protecting anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins are naturally occurring pigments found at particularly high levels in berries such as blackberry, cranberry and chokeberry. Scientists are investigating ways to increase the levels of health-promoting compounds in more commonly eaten fruits and vegetables...

Anthocyanins offer protection against certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and age-related degenerative diseases. There is evidence that anthocyanins also have anti-inflammatory activity, promote visual acuity and hinder obesity and diabetes."

Of course, in a while when they discover the downside to anthocyanins, there will be all these killer tomatoes out there breeding with other tomatoes and who knows what.

"Tomatoes already contain high levels of the antioxidant lycopene. Highly processed tomatoes are the best source, or tomatoes cooked in a little oil, which helps to release the lycopene from cells. Flavonoids meanwhile are soluble in water, and foods containing both water soluble and fat-dissolved antioxidants are considered to offer the best protection against disease."

So much for the admonition against eating "processed" foods.

If you believe the lycopene stuff, then the best way to get it is not from mere "processed tomatoes," but "highly processed tomatoes."

Good luck figuring this one out.

And surviving the hysteria over Frankenfoods.

Mental barriers 'prevent obese women from doing exercise'

Clearly.

"Are you overweight and always find some excuse or the other to avoid doing exercise? Well, if you think it's just laziness, think again, for a study claims that it is only a mental block which is hampering your efforts.

An international team has carried out the study and found that obese women often have a 'phobia of exercise' which stops them being active because they feel self-conscious and are afraid of injury.

According to researchers, these mental barriers are real problems which must be overcome to encourage overweight women to exercise more."

The mental barrier is called "Stupid."

And the researchers have a "phobia of truth" which stops them from being smart.

Medicare should pay for obese people to lose weight: doctor

Whores traveling in pairs.

"MEDICARE should help pay for obese Australians to attend weight-loss classes, a leading Queensland Health bureaucrat has recommended.

Dr Linda Selvey, who heads the population health branch, said the national health system should recognise obesity as a chronic disease, allowing treatment to be covered by Medicare, The Courier-Mail reports.

Even commercial programs such as Weight Watchers should attract rebates when overweight patients were referred by a GP, she said."

And we know how well WeightWatchers works.

No wait, whores travel in threes.

"The proposal drew immediate fire from the Australian Medical Association, which argued Medicare rebates should be reserved for visits to a medical practitioner."

The docs gotta get their bucks for the slam-bang job they have done up 'til now.

Oh, my word. There is something in this article for everybody!

Here are more kudos to the fatsos.

"In other evidence to the hearing, fellow researcher Professor Theo Vos warned that the nation's obesity problem was so serious and difficult to address that it was likely to produce a three-fold increase in diabetes in the next 30 years - rising from 1.1 million cases to 3.6 million.

Professor Vos also predicted a 400 per cent increase in health expenditure on diabetes in the same period."

And it will likely happen elsewhere, too.

The only real solution is to allow the fat to enjoy the consequences of their caloric decision-making and have them pay for themselves when they develop diseases of choice.

Newly Identified Cells Make Fat

"Newly Identified Bulls**T Makes Researchers Wallets Fat."

"To understand where fat comes from, you have to start with a skinny mouse. By using such a creature, and observing the growth of fat after injections of different kinds of immature cells, scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Rockefeller University have discovered an important fat precursor cell that may in time explain how changes in the numbers of fat cells might increase and lead to obesity. The finding, published online in this week's issue of the journal Cell, could also have implications for understanding how fat cells affect conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease."

Hogwash.

The only thing that makes people overweight/obese is more Calories in than out.

The number of fat cells is immaterial.

If you have more cells, each gets less plump than if you have fewer cells.

If you have fewer cells, each gets more plump than if you have more cells.

But no matter what, the excess Calories get stored mostly as fat and in the cells you already have.

Pharmacy Profession Supports Calls For Publicly Funded Weight-Loss Programs

More crooks.

"The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has supported calls for publicly funded weight-loss programs to be made available to all Australians...

PSA Vice-President Shane Jackson supported the overall concept of the Federal Government funding accredited weight-loss programs as part of its focus on preventive-health policies...

'We've seen that consumers are already turning to community pharmacies to provide weight-loss services, a nationally coordinated and funded scheme would further improve access and lock in the highest quality standards.

'The community pharmacy sector offers a cost effective vehicle for the dissemination of key public health messages because it combines local accessibility, access to a health professional's advice, availability of therapeutic products and professional service.

'The distribution of obesity related information and the identification and enrolment of target group consumers into weight-management programs already work well in the community pharmacy setting.

'Pharmacists are well equipped to participate in the dissemination of important messages about obesity to the community and to follow-up with individual consumer-level interventions to complement the role of medical practitioners and other health professionals.

'The Pharmaceutical Society also has well established programs and resources which could be used to deliver obesity related initiatives and messages and we would be keen to work with Government to meet the objective of reducing obesity and overweight in the community.'"

Clearly, these folks are lying through their drug-dispensing teeth.

It it were simply matters of the "dissemination of important messages about obesity to the community" and "to deliver obesity related initiatives and messages" they could be doing it now.

And if they are and if it were effective, then there would be no obesity problem to address.

No, these whores are in it to make a buck on the public dole.

I will give them credit for one thing, however. They are not totally dishonest thieves.

"The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia is the organisation that represents the professional interests of pharmacists across the nation. It provides standards of practice, education, training and practice support for pharmacists and helps members of the profession to deliver quality health care to consumers."

At least they acknowledge that they are a trade organization intending to help themselves primarily and consumers as an afterthought.

In the USA, the AMA and other organizations are not so forthcoming.

They hide behind the false skirt of "patient advocates."

A Little Exercise Goes A Long Way For Severely Obese

Not really.

But here is what matters:

"A little exercise goes a long way toward helping severely obese individuals improve their quality of life and complete important daily tasks, according to researchers at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center.

In a pre-program assessment where patients reported, on average, just under one hour of exercise per week, individuals who were more active reported better overall-quality of life. They also reported improvements in their ability to perform daily tasks as measured on a physical functioning scale.

'Things that many people take for granted like tying one's shoes, getting dressed, or simply moving around were easier for those who reported routine exercise,' says Martin Binks, Ph.D., research director at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center, a residential weight loss program at Duke University Medical Center. He presented the research, which included more than 1,200 participants, at the Obesity Society's annual scientific meeting in Phoenix AZ."

These pigs would rather be unable to tie shoes, get dressed or simply move around, than lose weight.

Pay for them and their diseases of choice?

No way.

"Other quality of life improvements associated with higher activity levels included the ability to complete basic daily tasks, such as getting up from chairs, using the stairs, dressing and undressing, and improved physical symptoms like feeling short of breath."

Let them stay seated, live on the ground floor, wear the same clothes over again and huff/puff if food is so important to them.

Or if living a life is so unimportant to them.

Either way, it is, and should remain, their problem.

Obesity takes heavy toll at funerals

Kudos, fatsos.

"THE traditional sight of the pall bearer at a funeral will soon be replaced by mechanical trolleys as the nation's obesity crisis takes its toll beyond the grave.

Funeral directors are being forced to take drastic action when it comes to burying the dead and are introducing machines that lift and lower coffins containing the bodies of obese people.

The rising levels of obesity mean many directors are now installing lifting devices in their morgues and using trolleys to wheel the dead into church instead of lifting them.

Our ever-increasing girths mean an increasing number of dead are too fat to fit into a normal coffin.

The Funeral Directors' Association of NSW executive secretary Ken Chapman said that it was 'quite frequent now' for funeral directors to have to order in oversized coffins.

'The average person can (still fit into a normal-sized coffin) but there are quite a lot of people now who are fairly grossly overweight when they die and they can't be contained in a standard-sized coffin,' Mr Chapman said.

A standard coffin is 1.8m long by 50cm wide at the shoulder.

The over-sized coffins go up in 5cm increments in width and also get deeper to take the body's bulk."

Will have to start burying the fatsos 7 or more feet under.

Just one exercise session speeds fat metabolism

Is this another installment of homeopathic fitness?

"A single bout of exercise helps obese individuals boost their body's fat-burning rate and improve their metabolic health, results of a small study confirm.

'This means that exercising, even without losing weight, can benefit individuals in terms of metabolic health,' Andrea Cornford, a graduate student researcher from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, told Reuters Health."

Not in this case, even though it sounds like it.

So how much "exercise" did they do?

"They found that the women's fat-burning rate was reduced after the session in which they overate and did not exercise. Conversely, just one 90-minute session of exercise -- enough to expend the excess 700 calories that were consumed -- increased the rate of fat-burning and increased the amount of fat that would be stored in muscle, Cornford reported."

Here is how these silly numbers pan out.

To burn 700 Calories in 90 minutes, you have to burn 7.778 Calories per minute.

Moderate-intensity physical activity is "any activity that burns 3.5 to 7 Calories per minute (kcal/min)."

Vigorous-intensity physical activity is "any activity that burns more than 7 Calories per minute (kcal/min)."

The obese women in this study, these researchers claim, "exercised" at an intensity about 11% greater than the low-end of vigorous for a full 90 minutes.

This is, of course, bulls**t.

If they did, which is less likely than highly unlikely, then I submit they are not representative of your average fat out of shape obeseling.

Further, in 1984, the fastest people in the world moved their feet between 185 and 200 times per minute. This was the "stride rate" of "athletes in the 1984 Olympic track and field competitions."

According to research recently presented at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in New Orleans:

"The...study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was designed to translate ACSM/CDC public health guidelines for 30 minutes of daily moderate-intensity physical activity into steps. Researchers at San Diego State University and Arizona State University utilized commercial pedometers on a community sample of adults. Their results support an approximate 100 step/minute recommendation for minimally moderate intensity. To meet ACSM/CDC recommendations, this equates to 3,000 steps in 30 minutes, or three daily bouts of 1,000 steps in 10 minutes."

3000 steps in 30 minutes is 100 steps per minute.

100 steps per minute is 1.67 steps per second.

100 steps per minute is for "minimally moderate intensity" physical activity (3.5 Kcal/minute).

For "maximally moderate intensity" physical activity, one needs to move 200 steps per minute (7 Kcal/minute).

For vigorous intensity physical activity at 11% above the low-end, one needs to move 222 steps per minute, or 11 - 20% faster than the fastest people on earth in 1984.

So these researchers claim that their fatsos moved their feet faster than the fastest people on earth in 1984.

These researchers are stupid crazy and they will do you harm.

If you are interested in seeing more about the insane numbers that the experts are throwing at you and why their recommendations must fail, which they do, go here.

Do not fall for the crap of the experts.

Unless you want two things:

1. Failure
2. Heart Attack

Persons With Serious Mental Illness Face Higher Prevalence Of Obesity

Cause or effect?

"Obesity is a public health crisis within the general population; however, overweight and obesity issues are even more prevalent in persons with serious mental illness, according to a new report, scheduled to be released on October 3, 2008 by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD)"

Cause and effect.

Obese People, Normal Weight People, And Behavior At The Chinese Buffet

The pigs closest to the trough likely eat more.

"Behavior at the buffet is quite different between normal weight diners and overweight diners according to a recent study by Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab. The research, published in the journal Obesity, finds that compared to normal weight people at Chinese Buffets, overweight individuals sat 16 feet closer to the buffet, faced the food, used larger plates, ate with forks instead of chopsticks, and served themselves immediately instead of browsing the buffet - all factors that may lead them to overeat."

Makes sense.

U.S. to start $3.2 bln child health study in January

So sad. All those billions will be spent and I will bet you that almost nothing of value will come from it.

"A study that will cost $3.2 billion and last more than two decades to track the health of 100,000 U.S. children from before birth to age 21 will be launched in January, U.S. health officials said on Friday.

The National Children's Study will examine factors behind autism, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, birth defects, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, asthma, heart disease, obesity and other conditions, the U.S. government's National Institutes of Health said.

NIH officials said they hope the study, to be conducted at 105 locations throughout the United States, can help pinpoint early-life influences that affect later development, with the goal of learning new ways to treat or prevent illness.

The study will examine hereditary and environmental factors such as exposure to certain chemicals that affect health.

Researchers will collect genetic and biological samples from people in the study as well as samples from the homes of the women and their babies including air, water, dust and materials used to construct their residences, the NIH said."

I wager that all they will find are that lots of things are associated with lots of conditions and that they will develop drugs and other treatments with side effects and almost no direct beneficial effects.

Oh, and that more research will be needed.

What they will not find is that parents are responsible for many of the bad illnesses suffered by children, e.g., nutritional child abuse and its sequelae, since this is politically incorrect.

Though it is factually correct.

"Scheidt said the study also may end up being the largest ever conducted with pregnant women."

At least this is correct:

As the Brits say, "The study will be a pile of Scheidt."

Long sick leave for colds signals poor health later: study

More proof that they have no idea what "healthy" is.

"Employees off sick for long periods -- even for common conditions like flu -- are far more likely to die before their co-workers who do not take such leave, researchers said on Friday.

The study of government workers included people who were healthy to start with and suggested extended sick leave for minor ailments as well as more major ones could point to serious health problems down the road."

Arguably, "people who were healthy to start with" should not be "more likely to die before their co-workers."

And that is one of the major fallacies surrounding "health."

Here is the bottom line:

Health is unknowable.

Health is not the absence of disease.

Health is related to the statistical likelihood of developing certain bad diseases.

You can almost never know whether you are healthy.

As you read this, you may feel great, but, unknown to you, you can have a cancer growing in your pancreas, your blood vessels can be clogging, you can be hypertensive (hypertension is known as the "silent killer" - guess why), etc.

That is why "Fitness is the only real preventive medicine." (tm)

When you are nutritionally fit, i.e., your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, your statistical likelihood of developing certain bad diseases is at its lowest.

"Health is a function of participation. Participation is a function of fitness." (tm)

Get fit.

The only way to do that is to avoid following the suggestions of the experts. (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, for a few examples)

To learn how to get nutritonally fit, see here, here, here and here.

To learn how to get physically fit, go here.

To become/remain a fitness moron and fail, go here and here, for example.

Fat limbs linked to disability in arthritis

Kudos, fatsos.

"People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have more fat on their arms and legs suffer more disability from the disease, according to the first study to look at how fat and lean mass affect body function in RA patients."

You have worsened the RA in your front and hind limbs.

Need To Expand Physical Activity In Schools: Walking Forum Report

More stupidity.

"With childhood obesity expanding to epidemic proportions in the United States, educators, researchers and health practitioners are actively seeking to identify effective means of addressing this public-health crisis."

This is NOT one of them.

"Among the solutions proposed by teachers, researchers and others who met during a roundtable discussion of the issues at a major international conference at the University of Illinois, is the integration of physical activity programming throughout the curriculum in the nation's schools. In other words, the group recommended that physical activity no longer be confined to the domain of the physical education classes."

In study hall, we used to run around and play. Still, kids were fat.

"He noted that while schools are federally mandated to have wellness plans, many - including those within walking distance of the site of the 2005 walking conference - don't employ teachers trained specifically in physical education."

Once the concept of a wellness program is invoked, all is lost.

They are based on the same flawed thinking that plagues other weight loss programs, i.e., a flawed foundation and a lack of understanding of fitness.

Walking for weight management is inefficient and, as with all other pathetic exercise for weight loss/management suggestions, will fail with certainty.

Steroids Not As Effective In Obese Asthma Patients

Kudos, fatsos.

"Glucocorticoids, the primary controller medication for asthma, are 40 percent less effective in overweight and obese asthma patients than in those of normal weight, according to researchers at National Jewish Health, in Denver. The study also identified a potential mechanism involved in the resistance, which suggests therapeutic targets for future medications."

What works for an intended-size human being does not work for you.

"'This study identifies what could be a significant issue for the 20 million Americans with asthma; specifically, the main controller medication might be less effective if you are overweight or obese,' said Dr. Sutherland. 'These findings should spur doctors to carefully evaluate response to treatment in overweight and obese asthmatics and consider optimizing therapeutic regimens as indicated. We also hope they will spur additional research into the treatment of obese patients with asthma.'

Nearly half of the people who suffer from asthma are classified as either overweight or obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 25. An increasing body of literature suggests a connection between obesity and asthma. Obese people often have higher levels of inflammatory molecules in their bodies; asthma is characterized in part by inflamed airways. Studies suggest that being overweight or obese increases asthma incidence and makes asthma more difficult to control."

If these brontosapiens require more or new meds, make 'em pay and leave the calorically responsible alone.

Australia Should Be Looking At Prevention Approaches Rather Than Treatment When It Comes To Obesity

Nice title, stupid implementation.

"A CQUniversity Professor of Physical Activity and Population Health says Australia should be looking at prevention approaches rather than treatment when it comes to obesity.

Professor Kerry Mummery acknowledges the burden that obesity is currently placing on individuals and on the health care system, but calls for more support in prevention, rather than treatment programs.

The Inquiry into Obesity in Australia - is investigating the long-term implications of obesity on the health system...

At the Brisbane public hearing yesterday (October 1) Doctor Linda Selvey from Queensland Health told the inquiry that Medicare rebates should be made available for accredited weight control programs.

'By recognising obesity as a chronic condition in its own right, rather than just a risk factor for chronic conditions, then that potentially opens up a number of existing Medicare items for people with chronic diseases,' she said. (Source: ABC)"

Obesity and overweight are not diseases. Weight control programs are doomed to fail with complete certainty for all practical purposes.

"Professor Mummery said: 'Obesity is a tremendous problem in all age groups and both genders. [See Central Queensland statistics below] Medicare rebates for accredited weight control programs are only a small step in the fight against obesity'. (sic)

'More resources are required across a range of health, education and recreation groups to strengthen the preventive, rather than the treatment approach to this problem'."

The need is for fewer resources thrown at a problem that is not the least bit related to the resources applied to it.

When people experience the wonders of overfatness/obesity/overweight without the promise of rescue, behavior will change.

Or, at the very least, the otherwise wasted resources can be applied to areas where they might make a difference.

Mummery should keep mum.

New Book By Zone Diet Creator Takes A Controversial Look At Obesity

Hey, the IMHO rogue, Barry Sears, is at it again. If you missed the Zone crap, here is another way to get screwed.

"Rather than looking at obesity as a condition resulting from sloth and gluttony, Dr. Sears explains obesity as a form of cancer driven by silent inflammation. Additionally, the epidemics of weight gain and diabetes in America are primarily caused by the genes in susceptible individuals being activated by recent changes in the American diet. Once those genes are turned on, obesity and diabetes are the inevitable outcome, resulting in the rapid increase of toxic fat in our bodies."

A read recommended for an imbecile.

Are you a taker?

If you are, you can look like Barry, too, if you follow his advice:

This is Barry after spending about 4 years in the Zone:



This is Barry before he spent those 4 years in the Zone:



Quite an improvement, no?

Weight Loss Drug Effectiveness Affected By Genes

More bad news for the stupid morons who still think they will find a drug "cure" for overfatness.

"A study conducted by researchers at Mayo Clinic shows that obese patients with specific genetic makeup had enhanced response to the weight loss drug sibutramine, while others who lack these genetic factors lost little or no weight."

With billions of people, with many more billions of genes, with even many more epigenetic variations (if you believe in that) and other factors, you can count on a gazillion, trillion, humongo-illion, Gogol-illion incalculable variations.

You will die like stink from your diseases of choice before they "solve" this one.

Adios, gordos.

Of course, since there is no relationship between overweight/obesity and genetics, this whole drug thing is doubly stupid.

FTC warns consumers about bogus cancer cures

Now if they would only do the same thing for diet programs and products.

"The Federal Trade Commission charged five companies with making false and misleading claims for cancer cures and said Thursday that it has reached settlements with six others."

And there is this:

"'As long as products have been sold there has been somebody out there selling snake oil to consumers,' said Lydia Parnes, director of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection."

Truer words were never spoke.

Get Oprah and her experts for starters.

More Exercise Needed To Tackle Child Obesity, British Medical Association Scotland

Nutty.

"To mark the beginning of International Walk to School month [1 - 31 October 2008], BMA Scotland has today (Wednesday 1 October) published a briefing paper highlighting the health and social benefits of encouraging children to have an active lifestyle.

Dr Dean Marshall, Chairman of the BMA's Scottish General Practitioners Committee, said:

'To maintain good health and stave off obesity and other serious illness in later life, it is recommended that children engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day, such as brisk walking, running, and sports.'"

Exercise is a terribly inefficient way to manage weight.

And exercise while a child will not prevent weight gain later in life. To wit, all the fat adults who were not fat kids, many of whom exercised while they were children.

Even in the face of exercise it is necessary to exert caloric intake control since exercise burns a paltry few Calories at best. Even Michael Phelps has to consume fewer than or the same number of Calories that he burns to prevent weight gain.

This article demonstrates the type of moronic thinking that leads to the 3-4 HOURS of exercise per day recommended for adults.

Dean Marshall is the Dean of the School for Dummies.

Vitamin C may blunt effect of chemotherapy: study

Still think they know what a "healthy" supplement is?

"Vitamin C supplements may undercut the effectiveness of cancer drugs including Novartis' Gleevec, a U.S. study published on Wednesday showed.

When used on human cancer cells treated with a form of vitamin C in lab dishes, chemotherapy drugs killed 30 percent to 70 percent fewer tumor cells than usual, the scientists wrote in the journal Cancer Research...

'The vitamin C didn't neutralize the effects of the chemotherapy drugs, but it blunted their effects,' Heaney said in a telephone interview...

'Vitamin C is something everyone needs to have in their diet or you develop scurvy. But I don't recommend taking supplemental vitamin C during that period of time that my patients are receiving chemotherapy,' Heaney added."

The point?

No one knows what these things will do, especially in combination with all the other thousands of different substances that get into the bodies of the over 6 billion people on the planet.

Figuring that out is just too complex and beyond our abilities.

Nutritional fitness, and by extension health, is best-related to BMI and BMI is related only to Calories in, Calories out.

How you get to a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9, where statistically speaking your "health" is best, is your choice, but relying on anything but the balance of Calories is just plain stupid.

And will fail you with virtual certainty.

A dozen more Chinese dairy companies accused

More about Traditional Chinese Medicine. Apparently there is a TCM certification in acupoisoning.

"More than a dozen additional Chinese dairy companies were named as violators after new tests on their milk powder products, further broadening a scandal affecting products ranging from baby formula to chocolate, authorities said.

The contamination has been blamed for the deaths of four children and kidney ailments among 54,000 others. More than 13,000 children have been hospitalized and 27 people arrested in connection with the tainting. An additional 31 batches of Chinese milk powder were found tainted with the industrial chemical melamine, according to data seen on the food safety administration's Web site Wednesday. Out of the 20 companies on the list, 15 have not been named in previous tests.

The new batches being tested were mostly milk powder products for adults, ranging from full fat milk powder to milk powder said to be high in calcium and zinc. A previous round of testing, results of which were posted on Sept. 16, found melamine in 69 infant milk powder batches.

The new figure brings to at least 100 the number of tested batches of milk powder found to contain melamine. Dozens of brands sold by more than a score of dairy firms, including some of China's biggest names, have been among those tested.

Tests have also found melamine in 24 batches of liquid milk produced by three of the country's best known dairy firms."

If this is how well-controlled an overseen industry is, think about the ones that are not monitored, e.g., TCM.

Caveat emptor.

Dieters Struggle with Weight Gain During Pregnancy

Damned if you do. Damned if you don't.

"Women who diet frequently or are constantly vigilant about how much they eat may put on more weight than they should when they become pregnant, researchers found...

Women who are constantly aware of their weight and what they are eating -- dubbed restrained eaters -- may need nutritional counseling during pregnancy regardless of their prepregnancy weight, the researchers suggested."

Out of control and on a diet? You "put on more weight than (you) should when (you) become pregnant."

In control and not on a diet? You "put on more weight than (you) should when (you) become pregnant."

No one is normal anymore.

Not when they can sell you drugs, surgeries or other services.

Tough research.

News Media Lax on Disclosing Funding of Drug Trials

Of course, they are.

They make money from advertising drugs and are smart/smarmy enough not to bite the hands that feed them.

"The news media often fail to report the fact that drug trials are funded by pharmaceutical companies, researchers here found.

Of 306 news stories about company-funded drug trials, 42% did not identify the funding source, Michael Hochman, M.D., of Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard, and colleagues reported in the Oct. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In addition, 67% of the articles used the brand names of medications in at least half of the references.

'For patients and physicians to evaluate new research findings, it is important that they know how the research was funded so they can assess whether commercial biases may have affected the results,' the researchers said.

'Additionally,' they continued, 'the use of generic medication names by the news media is preferable so that physicians and patients learn to refer to medications by their generic names, a practice that is likely to reduce medication errors and may decrease unnecessary healthcare costs.'"

If you want to see some really flagrant IMHO scum in action, pick up a copy of Prevention magazine, a Rodale publication, while you are in line at the grocery store.

DO NOT BUY IT. Just peruse it.

There are more drug ads per page than just about any other publication you will find.

Prevention?

Then why so many drug ads?

To prevent you from saving your money and to prevent them from being out of a job - which they deserve.

Eat For Goals! - UEFA, The World Heart Federation And The European Commission Come Together To Tackle Childhood Obesity

A kick and a miss!

"The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the World Heart Federation, with the support of the European Commission, came together at the British School of Brussels to launch the children's cookery book, Eat for Goals! Through the book the message that a healthy lifestyle is also based on healthy food is conveyed by children's role models, a multicultural group of 13 internationally renowned male and female football players, who share what they love to eat and give recipes for their favourite dishes...

A detailed list of the ingredients and step-by-step instructions for preparing each of the 13 dishes makes it easy for even the less-experienced child to make delicious, healthy meals. And for those who want to know more about the relationship between a balanced, healthy diet and performance, which is crucial to footballers, the book gives the nutritional values per portion and plenty of food tips.

'Eat for Goals! shows young players and lovers of football how to cook and eat like champions,' - Steven Gerrard, captain of FC Liverpool."

Here is how champions eat.

Perhaps Steven got kicked in the head too many times.

He should just shut-up.

As should these morons:

"'It's vital that children have a healthy lifestyle based on healthy food and exercise. I'm looking forward to cooking the recipes in Eat for Goals! with my children when they're older,'- Ruud van Nistelrooy, FC Real Madrid..."

'I'm very happy to share my favourite recipe as a healthy lifestyle is not just about exercise but also healthy food,' - Birgit Prinz, 1. FFC Frankfurt."

BTW, this POS is not free.

"UEFA, as part of its ongoing football and social responsibility efforts, identified the Eat for Gaols! (sic) initiative as a good way to talk to a large and young public about the importance of good food and daily exercise by bringing together footballers' favourite recipes...

Eat for Goals! was created for children aged 5 to 11 and is published in English, French and German by publisher Falkemedia based in Kiel, Germany. The book is in hardback and costs EUR 12.90. It will be available in bookshops throughout Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland from the end of October. The book is already available to be ordered online...and via the UEFA and World Heart Federation websites. Postage and delivery cost an additional EUR 5 to European countries outside Germany. Discussions are at an early stage regarding publication in other formats and in other European languages and countries.

Purchasers of the book will be helping more children as UEFA will donate EUR 1 from the sale of each book in support of the World Heart Federation's programmes encouraging children to be physically active."

So for 17.90 EUR or around 23.66 USD (today's exchange rate - 10/21), with shipping, you can get a whopping 13 recipes and sh**y weight management advice.

What a bargain!

Act within the next 10 minutes and maybe they will toss in a Ginsu.

Some commitment by the UEFA and the German F**kumedia company that publishes the book to "social responsibility."

Behavioral Modification Programs Help Obese Children Manage Their Weight

Not exactly.

The fat kids still gained weight, only more slowly.

"Obese school-age kids and teens can lose weight or prevent further weight gain if they participate in medium- to high-intensity behavioral management programs, according to a new report released today by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Children in the medium- to high-intensity behavioral management programs studied met for more than 25 hours, usually once or twice a week, for 6 months to 12 months. Effective programs included techniques to improve dietary and physical activity habits, with some featuring strategies such as goal setting, problem solving and relapse prevention...

In a study of one high-intensity, 12-month program reviewed by the researchers, obese children 8 to 16 years old gained less than 1 pound on average, compared with obese kids the same age who gained nearly 17 pounds during the same time period...

The report also showed that adding prescription drugs to a behavioral weight management program helped extremely obese adolescents lose weight. However, no studies evaluated maintenance of weight loss after drug treatment ended...

While there were no reported harms from behavioral intervention alone, there were side effects from prescription drugs. These included mild increases in heart rate or blood pressure from the use of sibutramine. Among those taking orlistat, up to one-third reported abdominal pain, oily spotting or fecal urgency; 9 percent reported fecal incontinence.

The researchers also reviewed the effectiveness of weight-reduction surgery on morbidly obese adolescents who had a BMI of 41 or greater. Although the evidence is limited, results suggest moderate to substantial weight loss."

More ineffective approaches to a problem in the home.

Stop the child abuse and hold the abusers and their co-abusers, including doctors and teachers, responsible.

That will be the way to prevention.

Going Into Debt to Save a Life: Family Frustrated That Insurance Won't Pay for Bariatric Surgery

Exactly as it should be, despite the "poor, poor pitiful me" spin the POS morons at ABCNews put on the story.

"Johnna VinZant's life revolved around keeping herself alive. Routine visits to various doctors' offices had become daily 'pit stops' -- regular maintenance checks to keep her going.

If the average person saw VinZant on the street, they might have looked at her and seen someone who needed to go on a diet. She is, in fact, morbidly obese -- her 5-foot-3-inch frame carried between 270 and 280 pounds on average.

The weight was literally killing her. She had a laundry list of complications, including diabetes, sleep apnea that strained her heart, spinal disc disease, arthritis and incontinence -- and the list went on.

'Some mornings I wake and I can't even get out of bed. My legs don't work. Can't get to the bathroom. It's scary,' she said."

But not scary enough to do anything about it.

"So VinZant decided to make the gamble of her life. She said doctors had told her that bariatric surgery was a necessity because time was running out.

The surgery involved stapling her stomach to make a small pouch, leaving her no choice but to eat less because there's so little space.

She needed to lose weight, a lot of weight, and fast. There was just one problem -- her insurance company suggested a diet program and rejected her request for surgery coverage.

VinZant recognized that her request for surgery to some might be seen as an unnecessary.

'I've been on several different diets,' she said. 'I've been on several different exercise programs. I'm not a candy bar person. I don't sit and eat Bon Bons in my room at night. I don't have that kind of problem.'

VinZant said that her weight was caused by a hormone imbalance and that no amount of weight loss programs would fix it. Her doctor agreed.

'And all this is, is discrimination,' said Dr. Alan Wittgrove. 'What they want her to do is to submit to a process that is known to fail, that is diets for morbidly obese individuals in lieu of having something that is known to be successful in a very high percentage of the population. No other place in medicine would they do that.'"

There is absolutely no "hormone imbalance" that can defeat Calories In, Calories Out.

Nor is it discrimination. It is proper allocation of resources and an insurer unwilling to pay to rescue this person from her irresponsible behavior and subsequent diseases of choice.

And this Dr. Wittgrove is IMHO an idiot or an opportunist or both or worse.

Likely both or worse. He makes money from performing the IMHO malpractice known as bariatric surgery:

"Wittgrove performed the surgery."

And what did it take to relieve the horrible complaints of this bronto-sapien?

"A week and a half later, VinZant was ready to head home. At her final checkup, she had already lost 14 pounds, her diabetes was gone and she could walk without pain."

14 pounds that this whiner claimed she could not lose.

Bulls**t.

Fortunately the insurance company did not fall her her crap.

"VinZant recently moved to Minneapolis, Minn., after living in tiny Soldotna, Alaska. She has three kids and a husband who does painting and drywall work. Paying for the surgery on her own would have been impossible.

Her father, Skip Dove, is a school custodian and he couldn't afford the roughly $30,000 surgery either.

But he's paying for it anyway on a credit card with a 22 percent interest rate.

'It's a bad idea,' he said. 'And that's why the strategy is to get the house refinanced and get some of the equity and put it in the credit card.'

He worried his daughter would die without the surgery. He'd watched her deteriorate year by year as her weight went up while her ability to do the simplest things vanished."

Where was his worrying as his elephantine daughter went from pig to pachyderm?

These people are getting what they deserve and so are the rest of us - we do not have to pay for this person's diseases of choice.

This is how it should be when it comes to overweight/obesity.

And if ABCNEws is so exercised over this, why don't they pay for her surgery?

MSM scum.

X-Ray Evidence Shows Popular Supplements Fail to Slow Knee Osteoarthritis

Still think they know what an effective supplement is?

Another take on this all too obvious outcome of a study that should never have been undertaken by a funding entity that should never have been.

"Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, individually or in combination, were ineffective in reducing long-term radiographic progression of knee osteoarthritis, showed a large randomized trial.

Surprisingly, combining the two non-prescription supplements gave the worst results. Even placebo appeared to outperform the combination, despite its passionate popularity with osteoarthritis patients...

Chondroitin may actually interfere with glucosamine absorption, the researchers said, citing a previous pharmacokinetic study...

The study was funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine."

More stupidity.

Breast Cancer Risk Linked to Birth Size

Kudos, fatsos.

Fat people have big babies.

"Breast cancer risk rose 6% for every 2-cm increase in length, and 6% with each additional 1.1 pound of birth weight, reported Isabel dos Santos Silva, M.D., Ph.D., of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and colleagues online in PLoS Medicine."

Stop the child abuse.

Nutrients For A Stronger Future In Old Age

There are none. The joke is on you!

"Experts at The University of Nottingham are to investigate the effect of nutrients on muscle maintenance in the hope of determining better ways of keeping up our strength as we get old."

But they are gonna figger it out.

"In order for skeletal muscles to maintain their size, the large reservoirs of muscle protein require constant replenishment in the way of amino acids from protein contained within the food we eat. In fact, amino acids from our food act not only as the building blocks of muscle proteins but also actually 'tell' our muscle cells to build proteins."

Garbage.

Muscle mass is built only when muscle is trained. (for all practical purposes)

Unless that happens, no amount of food in the world will build muscle without adding more fat.

You know what?

Maybe they will not figger it out.

GI Dynamics Announces Promising Multi-Center Safety And Efficacy Data Of EndoBarrier™ Gastrointestinal Liner For Pre-Surgical Weight Loss

More yummy news about the ingestible female condom.

You are what you eat.

Violations Reported at 94% of Nursing Homes

Another good reason to get fit.

"More than 90 percent of nursing homes were cited for violations of federal health and safety standards last year, and for-profit homes were more likely to have problems than other types of nursing homes, federal investigators say in a report issued on Monday.

About 17 percent of nursing homes had deficiencies that caused “actual harm or immediate jeopardy” to patients, said the report, by Daniel R. Levinson, the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Problems included infected bedsores, medication mix-ups, poor nutrition, and abuse and neglect of patients."

Fitness is a way to stay independent, out of nursing homes and functional longer.

Even if nursing homes weren't such awful places, it would still be better to maintain a functional life for as long as possible and not rely on the "kindness of strangers." (hat tip to Blance DuBois in "A Streetcar Named Desire")

"Health is a function of participation. Participation is a function of fitness." (tm)

Some 'ignore food label schemes'

Ain't so bad.

"Food labelling could end up being ignored by a large number of shoppers, experts suggest.

A "significant" proportion did not take them into account when buying treats such as cakes, show early results from a Food Standards Agency-funded study."

Food labels are silly, relatively useless, confusing, likely beyond the comprehension of most people and offer unneeded (and unwanted) data.

Much better to chuck the labels currently in use and replace them with ones that offer real, i.e., useful, information.

Still, you can take the horse/elephant/pig to water, but you cannot make it drink.

Or think.

Faulty Food Reward System in the Brain May Increase Risk of Obesity

Not really. First the technobabble.

"Overeating may be hardwired in the brain, at least in females, researchers here found.

When given a chocolate milkshake, obese young women and adolescent girls had a weakened response in the dorsal striatum -- the area of the brain responsible for dopamine-related food reward -- compared with leaner females, Eric Stice, Ph.D., of the Oregon Research Institute here, and colleagues reported in the Oct. 17 issue of Science."

Ooh, dorsum striatum. Now doesn't that sound impressive?

"It has been known that dopamine receptors in the dorsal striatum are reduced in obese patients, they said, suggesting a diminished food reward system.

To test whether activation in that part of the brain in response to a food stimulus was related to weight gain, they conducted two separate studies, one in 33 adolescent girls (mean age 15.7) ranging in weight from lean to obese (mean body mass index 24.3 kg/m2) and the other in 43 overweight and obese young women (mean age 20.8; mean BMI 28.6 kg/m2).

Participants in both studies were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging as they drank a chocolate milkshake and a tasteless, saliva-like solution. Programmable syringe pumps delivered the liquids to ensure consistent volume, rate, and timing.

Although the technology measures blood flow and not dopamine signaling, 'it has been argued that [a] signal in regions that register as a dopamine source or target probably reflects dopaminergic activity,' the researchers said."

Which likely means that it has been argued that it does not "reflect dopaminergic activity."

Otherwise, why argue?

But here is the real bottom line, despite the media hype about this study (e.g., here, here and here):

"However, they acknowledged that they were unable to determine whether the blunted brain response in obese patients played a role in the development of obesity or whether it was a secondary response to years of overeating.

In addition, they cautioned that the results may not be generalizable to males."

For your own sake, if you really want to lose weight, eschew the crap reported by the media, the trash research, the hype of those eager to offer you drugs and surgery and the frenzy created by those who advertise, sell or promote impossible to succeed weight loss programs, e.g., the MSM.

None of it will ever work better than controlling your caloric intake naturally.

If you agree, see here, here, here and here.

Omega-6 fatty acid intake tied to breast cancer

Still think they know what a "healthy" food is?

"Women who consumed the most HAs were at no greater breast cancer risk than those who consumed the least, the researchers found. However, in women with low HA consumption, high omega-6 PUFA intake increased the likelihood of being diagnosed with breast cancer."

But Omega-6 is supposed to be good for you.

"Omega-6 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids (EFAs), which means that they are essential to human health but cannot be made in the body. For this reason, they must be obtained from food. Omega-3 fatty acids are another important group of essential fatty acids. Together, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function as well as normal growth and development. EFAs belong to the class of fatty acids called polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). They are generally necessary for stimulating skin and hair growth, maintaining bone health, regulating metabolism, and maintaining reproductive capability.

Deficiencies in EFAs can lead to reduced growth, a scaly rash called dermatitis, infertility, and lack of ability to fight infection and heal wounds."

Bottom line, they do not what is good, how much is good and in what combination they are good or bad.

There are no "healthy" foods.

There is only healthy eating.

Just One Session Of Exercise Can Improve Metabolic Health In Overweight Patients With Insulin Sensitivity

Just one and then you are done. Forever.

"The findings indicate that even one bout of exercise helps to reduce the fat by-products inside the muscle, which affects the insulin sensitivity. The findings also suggest that a single session of exercise 'steers' muscle fat towards oxidation, thereby avoiding the accumulation of fat by-products."

Life is good when you believe the crap of moron researchers.

Wanna bet?

New Study Finds Dangerous Carcinogen In Fast-Food Grilled Chicken

"New Study Finds Physicians For Responsible Medicine A Dangerous Organization (again)."

This is what you get when you have a group with an agenda promoting their bulls**t.

"A new study published in Nutrition and Cancer shows that consumers are exposed to a known carcinogen when they consume grilled chicken. One hundred samples from seven popular chain restaurants were analyzed by an independent laboratory, and PhIP, a known human carcinogen, was found in every sample.

PhIP forms when meat, especially chicken, is grilled or pan-fried at high temperatures, and, for more than a decade, it has been on the California governor's list of chemicals known to cause cancer. The carcinogen-containing grilled chicken samples, including salads, sandwiches, and entrées, were collected from McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Chili's, TGI Friday's, Outback Steakhouse, Burger King, and Applebee's.

'Grilled chicken is the largest source of PhIP, a potent carcinogen,' says Kristie Sullivan, M.P.H., lead author of the new study and a toxicologist with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine..."

Note, that the possibly bad stuff comes from "grilled chicken," not fast-food grilled chicken.

These are the same irresponsible jerks who made Bob Atkins' medical records public.

The point is not whether it is correct about his diet, the point is that in pursuit of its agenda they will do the irresponsible.

As they have done here.

Do not trust them.

Discrepancies Discovered Between People And Animals On Calorie Restriction

Now how is that possible?

"Calorie restriction, a diet that is low in calories and high in nutrition, may not be as effective at extending life in people as it is in rodents, according to scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis"

Oh.

They did the studies on rats, not pigs, elephants, etc., which are clearly more like fat people.

Got it.

Eating Walnuts Slows Cancer Growth, Laboratory Study Finds

Here's an article with data to be trusted.

"Snack-sized quantities of walnuts slow cancer growth in mice, reports a Marshall University pilot study published in the current issue of the peer-reviewed journal Nutrition and Cancer.

Researcher W. Elaine Hardman, Ph.D., of Marshall's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine said the study was designed to determine whether mice that got part of their calories by eating walnuts had slower breast cancer growth than a group eating a diet more typical of the American diet.

"When we fed the mice the walnuts, the growth rate of the tumors they had was dramatically suppressed," Hardman said."

And all you need to eat is a few more than usual, according to this study. Like 330 Calories per day if you eat 2000 Calories per day or 495 if you eat 3000 Calories per day - somewhere between 2 and 3 ounces per day.

These "researchers" did not address how the walnuts were prepared - salted, fried, etc.

But at a cost of maybe $5.00 for 3/4 of a pound, you can spend $1.25 to $1.66 per day or $465.65 and $607.41 per year on this "snack."

"The mice ate a diet in which 18.5 percent of the daily calories -- the equivalent of two servings for humans -- came from walnuts. Tumors in the walnut-fed group took twice as long to double in size as tumors in the control group, the article reports. The study is believed to be the first to look at the impact of walnut consumption on cancer growth.

'It's always very good to find something that will slow the growth of tumors without being toxic chemotherapy,' said Hardman, who has spent 15 years studying the role of diet in cancer."

Of course, you have to get the right kind of cancer for these nuts to work.

Plus, there was no evidence that the cancer did not spread earlier, just allegedly grew more slowly.

And you have to be a nut to believe this crap.

But, hey! It is always good to find a study that makes money for your underwriters.

"The project was funded through grants from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the California Walnut Commission, neither of which had input on the interpretation or reporting of the findings."

Right.

Snicker. Snicker.

Government probes chelation-heart disease study

Still think they know what a safe "alternative" therapy is?

"The largest alternative medicine study the government has ever launched has stopped enrolling people while officials investigate whether participants were fully informed of the risks and are being adequately protected, The Associated Press has learned.

More than 1,500 heart attack survivors are involved in the research, which tests a controversial treatment called chelation. It is mainly used to treat lead poisoning.

More than two people have died, although the Miami doctor leading the study said the deaths were not a direct result of the treatments. He said he doesn't know exactly how many deaths have occurred.

He also acknowledged that some doctors who had been involved in the study have been disciplined by state boards or have criminal records and have been asked to drop out.

'We think we have a safe and ethical trial and we're protecting our patients,' said the leader, Dr. Gervasio Lamas of the University of Miami."

This is the kind of protection you can expect when you enter the sick care system - conventional or alternative.

Better to get fit than repaired.

"Fitness is the only real preventive medicine." (tm)

Outdoor pools boost child's asthma risk: study

Why Michael Phelps cannot swim well.

"Swimming in outdoor chlorinated pools appears to increase the odds a child will develop asthma, Belgian researchers said on Thursday.

Other studies have linked chlorine and asthma but the new findings published in the European Respiratory Journal cast doubt on the idea outdoor pools are safer than indoor ones where chlorine vapors remains trapped inside an enclosed space.

'The more you swim, the higher the risk,' said Alfred Bernard, a toxicologist at Catholic University of Louvain in Brussels, who led the study. 'What is new in this study is that we looked at outdoor pools for the first time.'"

Shortness of breath.

Another mystery unraveled by brilliant research.

Half A Bar Of Dark Chocolate Per Week To Keep At Bay The Risk Of Heart Attack

Wanna bet?

"Maybe chocoholics are not jumping for joy. Probably they would have preferred bigger amounts to support their passion. Though the news is still good for them: 6.7 grams of chocolate per day represent the ideal amount for a protective effect against inflammation and subsequent cardiovascular disease. This has been demonstrated for the first time in a population study by the Research Laboratories of the Catholic University in Campobasso, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute of Milan."

But you have to believe research that can precisely tell you that 6.7 grams or .236 ounce is "ideal."

For all, everybody and anybody.

What precision!

What bulls**t.

You have to be a retardaholic to believe it.

Weight Loss Surgery May Be Associated With Bone Loss

Get the surgery, lose the bones.

"Weight loss surgery may be linked to deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D and bone loss, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

With the growing epidemic of obesity, many people are opting for surgical procedures to help promote weight loss. While these procedures result in significant and sustained weight loss and reverse many of the complications of obesity, this new study shows there may be harmful effects on calcium and bone metabolism.

'Our research shows that deficiencies of calcium and vitamin D absorption occur following gastric bypass surgery,' said Dr. Shonni J. Silverberg, professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York, N.Y., and coauthor of the study. 'When analyzing hip bone density, we found that those who lost the most weight also lost the most bone.'"

Oops.

Study Links Obesity To Recurrent Miscarriage

Population control.

"New research released at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) 7th International Scientific Meeting in Montreal, has found that obesity significantly increases the risk of a subsequent pregnancy loss in women with recurrent miscarriages.

The study, from St Mary's hospital in London, aimed to investigate the effect of body mass index (BMI) on unexplained recurrent (three or more) miscarriage and included 696 women who attended a specialist clinic between 1996 and 2007.

All couples attending the clinic underwent comprehensive investigations and those with no identifiable cause established were referred to as 'unexplained' recurrent miscarriage.

Each woman had her BMI measured at first consultation and was placed into one of four categories: underweight; normal; overweight; and obese...

When maternal age and number of previous miscarriages were adjusted, obese women were shown to have a significantly increased risk of a further miscarriage compared to those with normal weight (OR 1.73, CI 1.06 -2.83). There was no difference between those who were overweight (OR 1.27, CI 0.89 - 1.83) or underweight (OR 0.12, CI 0.15 - 1.00)."

Food lust turns to blood lust as these fatsos kill their unborn.

Stop them.

Mom's diabetes ups baby's risk of multiple defects

More child abuse.

"Pregnant women with diabetes are at increased risk of having a child with multiple birth defects, new research confirms.

'Probably of all the maternal exposures and conditions that might be associated with birth defects, diabetes is the one that has the strongest association,' lead investigator Dr. Adolfo Correa of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, told Reuters Health in an interview. The finding is particularly concerning, he added, given the worldwide epidemic of type 2 diabetes that shows no sign of abating any time soon."

Type 2 diabetes is fat person diabetes.

Stop the fat from abusing their children, embryos and fetuses.

Antidepressants 'may harm sperm'

Now that is depressing. Still think they have a safe "cure" for your overfatness?

"Drugs taken by millions of men to alleviate depression may affect their fertility, say US scientists...

This is the second study by a team of researchers at Cornell Medical Center in New York which points to a possible effect on sperm quality. "

Oops.

"Dr Andrew McCulloch, of the Mental Health Foundation, said: 'Most medications carry some level of risk, and antidepressants are no different.

'They are powerful drugs, so in a sense it is no surprise that research is discovering more about their impact on the body.'"

And fat person pills are powerful, and dangerous drugs, too. Plus, they are unneeded.

Avoid them and lose weight the right way.

With food, temptation may be a good thing

Or not.

"While dieters often banish tempting foods from their kitchens, a new study suggests that keeping some sweet treats around might be a good way to build willpower.

In three tests that presented female college students with tempting foods, researchers found that the women exerted greater self-control when they had previously been confronted with a sweet treat they had access to -- rather than just pictures or smells."

Of course, by eating, the co-eds had taken in more Calories than the pictures and smells would have provided and may not have been as hungry.

"For their study, which is published in the Journal of Consumer Research, the researchers recruited female college students for a series of food experiments. In each study, the women were told that a candy manufacturer was doing consumer research, which involved showing them pictures of the candies -- a food temptation - they could not immediately, akin to seeing an ad for candy.

Some of the women were also presented with a bowl of the candy and were told not to eat any - an accessible temptation they had to resist.

Soon afterward, the study volunteers were confronted with yet another lure: a bowl of M&Ms. The researchers found that women who'd already been tempted by the forbidden candy were more likely than those who'd merely seen pictures of that candy to exercise self-restraint around the M&Ms."

So what?

"'In other words, we believe that self-control can be trained,' Geyskens said."

Duh.

For this they needed to do research?

Idiots.

The Fountain of Youth or Medical Baloney?

Baloney.

"'The theory behind anti-aging is keeping your insides young -- keeping your body strong,' Somers said.

Now 61 years old, Somers brought 'Nightline' along to visit one of the doctors she champions in her latest book, 'Breakthrough.' She is the self-styled face of what she describes as the visionary field of anti-aging medicine."

Another celeb moron like AdipOprah.

"But Somers said, '[I] feel in 10 or 20 years, everyone will understand this as a given,' adding, 'I've been on hormone replacement now for 13 years. I chose to treat my cancer ... [even though] doctors told me I would probably die because I refused chemotherapy.'

Somers underwent surgery and radiation to treat her breast cancer eight years ago but declined chemotherapy in favor of a homeopathic treatment, a decision she credits for keeping her cancer-free."

Of course, this moron does not address the matter of why she developed breast cancer if her hormone replacement crap was so good.

And, of course, no one asks her to explain that one.

Don't fall for her bull.

"Fitness is the only REAL anti-aging medicine." (tm)

Health insurance costs grow more gradually in 2008

Good news! No, not the growth in costs, the lesser coverage.

"Health insurance premiums rose a modest 5 percent this year for coverage that's getting skimpier, researchers say."

The less sick care that is paid for, the less exposure to the harms of the sick care system.

Hopefully.

Inhalers may up heart death risk

Still think there is a "safe" drug "cure" for your overweight/obesity?

"Inhalers prescribed for serious lung disease may increase the risk of deadly heart problems, say researchers.

Trials on more than 15,000 patients found inhaled anticholinergic drugs increased the risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death by 58%.

The drugs, Atrovent and Spriva, open up the airways to help patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to breathe.

The work is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association...

This would mean the drugs could cause one in 40 users to die from a heart condition and one in 174 to have a heart attack, say the researchers. "

If you do, you are an imbecile.

So do the smart thing and shed the pounds in a smart way.

Guidelines Urge Physical Activity During Pregnancy

Or is this a recipe for miscarriage/embryocide/feticide?

"Moderate physical activity during pregnancy does not contribute to low birth weight, premature birth or miscarriage and may actually reduce the risk of complications, according to a Michigan State University professor who contributed to the U.S. government's first-ever guidelines on physical activity.

Kinesiology professor James Pivarnik and doctoral students Lanay Mudd and Erin Kuffel wrote the section on pregnancy and postpartum activity as part of the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines unveiled Oct. 7 in Washington, D.C., by the Department of Health and Human Services. Pivarnik, president-elect of the American College of Sports Medicine, attended the event and spoke on behalf of the organization and MSU. "

They keep talking about "moderate-intensity aerobic activity."

"Specifically, the guidelines call for women to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week during pregnancy and the postpartum period, preferably spread throughout the week. In addition to health benefits, moderate physical activity also may reduce the length of labor, evidence suggests. The guidelines call for women to avoid doing activities that involve lying on their back after the first trimester and activities with high risk of falling or abdominal trauma."

What does this mean?

Here is a brief review of what these experts are expecting pregnant women to do.

You decide if these are reasonable/good guidelines.

Finger length tied to enthusiasm for exercise

Among the most meaningful research undertakings ever.

"Finger length may help differentiate the couch potatoes from the exercise junkies, if new animal research is any indication.

A number of human studies have linked finger length ratio -- specifically, the length of the index finger in relation to the ring finger -- to certain behaviors and traits, including aggression, athletic ability and academic skills.

Generally speaking, men tend to have a shorter index finger relative to the ring finger, whereas the two tend to be more equal in length in women. Studies have the linked the 'male' pattern -- whether it's in men or women -- to higher aggression levels and greater athletic prowess, for example, whereas the 'female' pattern has been associated with sharper verbal skills.

In this latest study, published in the journal PloS One, co-author Dr. Peter L. Hurd and colleagues investigated this relationship in 1000 white mice. They found that selective breeding to enhance the trait of increased physical activity resulted in mice with a higher digit ratio. Although behavior was clearly associated with digit ratio, the findings were the opposite of those observed in humans.

Specifically, the scientists found that mice with a lower -- more male-like -- digit ratio tended to be lazier than their counterparts with more-feminine digits. That is, the latter group voluntarily took to their running wheels more often than the group with relatively short 'index fingers' -- in mice, the second digit on the paw."

I hope that public funds were used for this important undertaking.

Not.

China official says milk scandal "under control"

More traditional Chinese medicine.

"China, seeking to assure the world its products are safe, said on Wednesday a tainted milk scandal had been brought under control.

And in New York, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told an audience that his government would seize the crisis as an opportunity to overhaul safety controls."

So let's do a quick, limited tally - killer toys, killer animal feed, killer animal food, killer rice gluten, killer pork, killer milk, killer animal treats and after each, it is always "under control."

Still think there is a "safe" or "healthy" food/supplement?

Altered Calcium Metabolism After Bariatric Surgery Prompts Bone Loss

And they will continue to find more complications as time passes.

"Gastric bypass surgery may put patients at risk for brittle bones by disrupting nutrient absorption, researchers here said."

Oops.

GI Dynamics To Present Data From Clinical Weight Loss Study Of EndoBarrier™ Gastrointestinal Liner In Morbidly Obese Patients

A female condom you swallow.

"GI Dynamics, a medical device company pioneering the development of new approaches to treating metabolic disorders, today announced that new data regarding EndoBarrier™, its novel, noninvasive device currently in clinical trials to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes, will be presented at the International Federation for Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) 13th World Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina."

Here is a picture of the device:



Here is a picture of the female condom:



I would say that it is a stupid idea that has no hope of catching on, except fat people will swallow anything.

We'll see.

Kids' Weighty Issues Tackled At Obesity And Eating Disorder Conference

Another doomed to fail conference.

"Health professionals from across Australia will meet in Brisbane at a University of Queensland conference focused on prevention and treatment of childhood obesity and eating disorders.

The two-day conference, Perspectives on Childhood Obesity and Eating Disorders: from Prevention to Treatment, is hosted by UQ's Children's Nutrition Research Centre. It will explore core issues surrounding Australia's growing need for weight management solutions for children, including recent research that has uncovered new and effective methods of treatment."

Clearly crap since if they "uncovered new and effective methods of treatment" there would be no need for a conference. It would be all over the news and in the literature for everybody to see, then implement.

"'We will be covering the clinical, psychological and social challenges of obesity with experts, and working through strategies to tackle them and also learning how body image and contemporary social pressures have the potential to influence eating behaviour,' Associate Professor Davies said."

Here is the death knell, "covering the clinical, psychological and social challenges of obesity with experts..."

No focus on the only thing that matters, controlling Calories in vs. Calories out.

And the only way to achieve it, i.e., holding all nutritional child abusers (e.g., parents, doctors, teachers) accountable for their actions.

Recurrent Miscarriage Risk Higher For Obese Women

More dead embyos/fetuses from fat people.

"'This study demonstrated that women with unexplained RM [recurrent miscarriage] who are obese (BMI greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2) have a significantly increased risk of miscarriage in future pregnancies compared to those with a normal BMI.'

'These women should be counselled regarding the significant beneficial effect on pregnancy outcome to be gained by weight loss,' they added."

No, they should not get pregnant until they have lost the weight.

This is the earliest form of child abuse.

Top Scientists Gather To Discuss Wild Blueberry Health Research: Summit Reveals Promising Studies In Brain And Cell Health

Top scientists? What, have they cured cancer already and the top scientists are now applying themselves to the "wild blueberry" problem?

"Fourteen researchers from hospitals, universities and research groups around the U.S. and Canada met to discuss Wild Blueberry health research at the Wild Blueberry Health Research Summit in Bar Harbor, Maine. The 11th annual meeting took place in August and focused on the results of clinical trials that have implications for brain and cellular health, as well as potential benefits on satiety, and insulin sensitivity."

And who puts out drivel like this?

"About Wild Blueberry Association of North America

The Wild Blueberry Association of North America is a trade association of growers and processors of Wild Blueberries from Maine and Canada, dedicated to bringing the Wild Blueberry health story and unique Wild Advantages to consumers and the trade worldwide. For the latest information on the health benefits of Wild Blueberries, where to purchase Wild Blueberries, or to find recipe ideas, visit..."

Surprise!

Consumer Advisory - Nissin Cha Cha Dessert May Contain Melamine

More traditional Chinese medicine.

"The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Regent Long Marketing and Distribution Ltd. are advising people not to consume the Nissin Cha Cha Dessert described below. This product was made using Yili Pure Milk, in which melamine was detected by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's Centre of Food Safety...

Melamine is a chemical compound used in a number of commercial and industrial applications."

Oops.

"Superfoods" To The Rescue!

CBS = "Can't Believe (their) S**t" and Mallika Marshall, proves, once again, that she is an idiot.

"Imagine a food - not a drug - powerful enough to help you peel off pounds, lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer, and, as an added bonus, put you in a better mood - with no side effects.

Well, these life-altering 'Superfoods' are available right now in your local supermarket....

These 'Superfoods' do a lot more than help you lose weight. Many are good for the heart or help improve memory, like fish rich in Omega-3. And one thing all 'Superfoods' have in common is that they are all 'raw,' meaning unprocessed."

Unprocessed?

As if almond butter occurs naturally without processing.

When it comes to s**t for brains, Mallika Marshall is near the top of the list.

And when it comes to "Superfoods," apparently your network makes a difference.

But one thing is for sure, "Superfoods" make no difference at all.

Except to the IMHO crooks who promote this stuff. They get richer (and you get poorer).

Heavy children may have more headaches

Kudos, fatsos. You made your kids so fat, that their heads hurt.

"Overweight children and teenagers may be at elevated risk of developing chronic headaches, a new study suggests.

The good news, researchers found, is that weight loss may, in turn, cut headache frequency.

The study, which included 913 children and teens with headache complaints, found that as the children's body mass index increased, so too did the frequency of their headaches...

Of the whole study group, 17.5 percent were overweight or obese, while another 33 percent were at risk of becoming so. In general, the researchers found, the frequency of the children's headache bouts increased in tandem with their BMI.

In the subgroup of children who were followed for up to 6 months, however, those who managed to shed some weight tended have a decline in the number of headache episodes. Hershey and his colleagues reported the findings online in the medical journal Headache."

Too bad that fat child-abusing parents cannot help their fat nutritionally abused kids control their fat body weight.

Another reason to stop nutritional child abuse.

BMC/Drexel Report Finds Food Prices In Boston And Philadelphia 50 Percent Higher

More good news!

"Researchers from the Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program (C-SNAP) at Boston Medical Center and Drexel University School of Public Health, have reported that low-income families in Boston and Philadelphia using food stamp benefits do not have the financial resources to buy the Thrifty Food Plan, the standardized food plan used as the basis for calculating food stamp benefits by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Even families receiving the maximum food stamp benefit would have to spend an additional $2,250 in Boston and $3,165 in Philadelphia annually to purchase the Thrifty Food Plan."

Since there are many who (wrongly) conclude that overweight/obesity results from poverty, this is a real blessing for them.

Higher costs = less purchased food, which should = fewer Calories, which should = either weight loss or a halt in the progression of weight gain.

Too bad the researchers are imbeciles.

"'C-SNAP's latest report, "Coming up short: High food costs outstrip food stamp benefits,' shows that, on average, the maximum food stamp benefit is insufficient to buy the Thrifty Food Plan in any size food store in participating neighborhoods in Boston and Philadelphia. Moreover, the researchers found it very difficult for families in the surveyed neighborhoods to find healthy foods - on average 27 percent of the items that make up the Thrifty Food Plan were missing, predominantly the healthier options like whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and low-fat milk and cheese."

As there are no "healthy" foods, all this effort is wasted and misleading.

Oh, well.

Nothing new here.