An Oprah threat to your health and the health of your children? Have you been misled?

Find out at www.Oprahcide.com or www.DeathByOprah.com

See FTC complaints about Oprah and her diet experts at www.JailForOprah.com

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Cancer Claims for Vitamins Elicit Legal Threat

It's about time.
"A healthcare watchdog group has challenged Bayer HealthCare over cancer-prevention claims in advertising and labeling for two multivitamin products.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says it takes issue with Bayer's suggestion that selenium contained in the multivitamins might reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

In a letter to Gary S. Balkema, president of Bayer's Consumer Care Division, CSPI litigation director Stephen Gardner wrote that Bayer had engaged in 'fraudulent and deceptive practices in the marketing and sale of Bayer's One A Day Men's 50+ Advantage multivitamin and Bayer's One A Day Men's Health Formula multivitamin.'"
Bayer must use the same advertising agency as Oprah and her experts.
"On the CSPI website, Gardner said, 'With these indefensible claims, Bayer is thumbing its nose at the Food and Drug Administration, the FTC, and any number of state consumer protection laws . . . A courtroom would be treacherous territory for Bayer, whose executives would be committing perjury just by reciting their ads under oath.'

In a separate letter to the Federal Trade Commission, CSPI officials urged Mary K. Engle, the agency's associate director of advertising practices, to take action against Bayer.

Among the group's requests are a permanent prohibition on advertisements for the vitamins, a monetary penalty, and a corrective advertising campaign."
Now, if we could only get the FTC and other agencies to look at bad weight loss claims.

Risk of Obesity Higher with Fast Food Nearby

No, it's not.
"When there are more fast-food restaurants in the neighborhood than grocery stores, patients are at an increased risk of obesity, Canadian researchers found."
Still think they have any idea what is going on?

Harder for heavy moms to see child's weight status

No excuse for nutritional child abuse.
"The ability of a mother to identify a weight problem in her child appears to be dependent on her own weight, with overweight mothers tending to underestimate her child's weight."
Time to offer eyelid liposuction so they see better.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Heavy youngsters at risk for asthma symptoms

Kudos, fatsos. More nutritional child abuse.
"Children who are overweight at age 6 to 7 years are at increased risk for having symptoms of asthma like shortness of breath and 'twitchy' airways when they are 8 years old, results of a study conducted in the Netherlands show."
Congrats proud parents of wheezing, Weebles.

Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes Linked to Excess Weight

Kudos, fatsos.
"Children with type 1 diabetes are now more likely to be overweight than their nondiabetic peers, a dramatic difference from their thin, gaunt presentation of the past."
You found a way to fatten up your kids who unfortunately developed Type I diabetes.

Now they can develop other bad illnesses.

Stop your child abuse.

ASMBS: VTE Risk Persists for a Year After Bariatric Surgery

Another result of fat person surgery that leads to death.
"The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after bariatric surgery persists for at least a year after the procedure, according to a review of medical records of 17,000 patients.

The incidence of VTE rose from 0.88% during hospitalization to 3.42% at 12 months...

The rates of pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) also increased out to a year...

Several reports in the medical literature have cited VTE as a leading cause of death after bariatric surgery."
Oops.

Time to think about the right way to lose weight?

Sunday, June 28, 2009

New Gene Discovery Links Obesity To The Brain

More crap research.
"A variation in a gene that is active in the central nervous system is associated with increased risk for obesity, according to an international study in which Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University played a major role. The research adds to evidence that genes influence appetite and that the brain plays a key role in obesity."
This is true.

The "most" key role the brain plays in obesity, is the role of stupid.
"Dr. Kaplan and his U.S. and European colleagues found that people who have inherited the gene variant NRXN3 have a 10-15 percent increased risk of being obese compared with people who do not have the variant...

After analyzing more than two million regions of the human genome, the researchers found that the NRXN3 gene variant previously associated with alcohol dependence, cocaine addiction, and illegal substance abuse also predicts the tendency to become obese. Altogether, researchers found the gene variant in 20 percent of the people studied."
So this alleged connection affects a mere fraction of a mere fraction the stupid fat.
"'Someday we may be able to incorporate several obesity genes into a genetic test to identify people at risk of becoming obese and alert them to the need to watch their diet and to exercise,' Dr. Kaplan said."
Well, there is a winning strategy seeing as how diet and exercise advice has worked so well heretofore.

Good thinking, people from Einstein.

UK Watchdog Calling For Clearer Labelling Compared A Supermarket Salad To A Big Mac

Caveat emptor alert! Remember to eat your vegetables if you want to be "healthy."
"Product-testing and consumer rights group Which? analysed 20 pre-packed salalds they bought from Asda, Boots, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose and discovered that Smedleys Atlantic Prawn Marie Rose Salad, for sale at £1.49 for a 300g pack at Morrisons, 'contained 855 calories and 66.3g fat, which is more than a McDonald's Big Mac and medium fries and 70 per cent of the fat a man should eat in a day', (sic) they said in a press statement released yesterday."
Something's got to kill you.
Cookies
Meat
Fish
Poultry
Basically, all foods, so let's not quibble about individual sources
May as well be veggies.

If you want to live, begin your own personal "Give Up Food For Health" campaign.

They did.


And they are glamorous/rich.

Fat Young Adults at Greater Risk for Pancreatic Cancer

Kudos, fatsos.
"Excess body weight during young adulthood both increases the likelihood of eventually developing pancreatic cancer and reduces the average age of disease onset, researchers said."
Pancreatic cancer:
"Pancreatic cancer is hard to catch early. It doesn't cause symptoms right away. When you do get symptoms, they are often vague or you may not notice them. They include yellowing of the skin and eyes, pain in the abdomen and back, weight loss and fatigue. Also, because the pancreas is hidden behind other organs, health care providers cannot see or feel the tumors during routine exams. Because it is often found late and it spreads quickly, pancreatic cancer can be hard to treat."
Mmmmm.

Eat hearty.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Obesity surgery thins bones, but enough to break?

Another benefit of the IMHO malpractice known as bariatric surgery.
"It isn't just the thunder thighs that shrink after obesity surgery. Melting fat somehow thins bones, too. Doctors don't yet know how likely patients' bones are to thin enough to break in the years after surgery. But one of the first attempts to tell suggests they might have twice the average person's risk, and be even more likely to break a hand or foot...

'These procedures are now being sold as a panacea,' Dr. Shonni Joy Silverberg of Columbia University told last week's annual meeting of The Endocrine Society, where the fat-and-bone relationship took center stage."
Oops.

Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery Linked to Kidney Stones

More benefits from fat person surgery.
"Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery is associated with an increased postoperative risk for kidney stones, according to the results of a study of insurance claims data reported in the June issue of the Journal of Urology."
Kidney stones are fun!

Vinegar May Aid in Fat Loss

Wanna bet?
"Ordinary household vinegar — used to make oil-and-vinegar salad dressings or pickles — appears to turn on genes that help fight fat, researchers in Japan report.

Vinegar has long been touted as a cure-all for many ills. The substance has been used a folk medicine remedy since ancient times."
And we know how long and healthily they lived.

In any event, for those who are believers here is the comprehensive approach:
1. Vinegar aids fat loss.
2. Alcohol is magic in the Mediterranean Diet.
3. Resveratrol is the magic in wine.
For a complete cure for all that ails you and to live forever, drink red wine that has turned to vinegar.

QED.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Disease prevention often costs more than it saves

Another really good reason not to pay for fat person rescue.
"When it comes to health care spending, an ounce of prevention is seldom worth a pound of cure. Take Mrs. Jones, a hypothetical 55-year-old obese woman at risk for diabetes. It costs $900 a year to hire a personal lifestyle coach to help her lose weight and prevent diabetes. Suppose that the coaching works for Mrs. Jones, and she is spared diabetes and all the resulting health bills.
But research shows that for every person like Mrs. Jones, six other people just like her get nothing out of such a program. They either don't lose weight or get diabetes anyway or wouldn't have developed it in the first place. The yearly cost of the prevention program for those six people: $5,400.
That's probably more than Mrs. Jones' health bills from diabetes would have amounted to.
There goes your pound of cure.
The truth is, shockingly few prevention efforts actually save the health care system money overall, despite claims by the president and some in Congress."
Let the fat get what they have eaten so hard to develop and don't pay for that, either.

Then we will see real change.

BTW, it is of some note that the "prevention" strategies cited by supporters in the article are oftentimes rescue efforts.

Clearly, their thinking is unclear.

In more ways than one.

ASMBS: Like Mother, Like Baby, Obesity Surgery Benefits Both

Untrue.
"Bariatric surgery before pregnancy significantly improves an obese woman's chances of giving birth to children who don't have obesity-related metabolic disorders, according to a study reported here."
Weight loss before getting pregnant improves the outcome.

This is why fat people should delay having kids until after they lose the weight.

The surgery spin is ASMBS's (a surgery trade group) way to make a case for extracting money from the public coffers to pay for the calorically irresponsible.

An IMHO example of how surgery is used to excise truth.

Alcohol Top 'Active Ingredient' in Mediterranean Diet

More secrets about the over-hyped Mediterranean Diet revealed.
"Moderate alcohol intake may be the single biggest contributor to the Mediterranean diet's longevity benefit, accounting for 23.5% of the effect in a prospective cohort study.

Surprisingly, the high ratio of monounsaturated-to-saturated fat in the olive oil-rich diet was a more modest contributor to the reduction in all-cause mortality, at 10.6%, according to Dimitrios Trichopoulos, MD, PhD, of Harvard, and colleagues.

Low meat consumption and lots of fruits, vegetables, and nuts were the main contributors to health benefits after alcohol.

Meanwhile, high fish and seafood consumption was actually associated with a nonsignificant increase in mortality risk, they reported online in BMJ."
Eat hearty?

Nah.

Drink hearty!

And avoid the killer fish.
"After an average 8.5 years of follow-up, the researchers found that above average fish and seafood intake was the only component of the Mediterranean diet that did not perform as expected. Instead of being beneficial, it trended in the wrong direction (mortality ratio 1.078, P=0.243)."
Oops.

Good news for PETA.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Study Finds Living Near Fast Food Outlet Not A Weighty Problem For Kids

More on the fat piglets debate.
"A new study by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) researchers contradicts the conventional wisdom that living near a fast food outlet increases weight in children and that living near supermarkets, which sell fresh fruit and vegetables as well as so-called junk food, lowers weight.

The IUPUI investigators in economics, pediatrics, geography and urban planning compared children's weights over time before and after one of these food purveyors moved near the childrens’ residences. Living near a fast food outlet had little effect on weight and living near a supermarket did not lower it."
But you can rest assured that living in a home with nutritionally abusive parents contributes to weight gain 100% of the time.

Unfit at 20, Diabetes at 40

And one more time...
"Twenty-somethings who aren't physically fit may be at an increased risk of developing diabetes in middle age, researchers said.

Those with low aerobic fitness levels as measured by a treadmill test were two to three times more likely to develop the disease over a 20-year period, Mercedes Carnethon, PhD, of Northwestern University, and colleagues reported online in Diabetes Care.

'[Patients] who have low fitness in their late teens and 20s tend to stay the same later in life or even get worse,' Dr. Carnethon said. 'Not many climb out of that category.'

The researchers have previously reported that improved fitness over seven years was associated with a lower likelihood of developing diabetes."
"Fitness is the only REAL preventive medicine." (tm)

Foot reflexology does not enhance ovulation: study

Lies!
"Foot reflexology does not appear to have a significant impact on ovulation among women having difficulty becoming pregnant, researchers report...

Modern foot reflexology follows an ancient premise that strong massage of, or pressure on, parts of the foot can correct disturbances in associated body organs. However, 'we found no evidence to support the concept that there are particular 'reflex zones' in the feet that relate to other parts of the body,' White told Reuters Health."
It is simply not possible that massaging the foot won't facilitate pregnancy.

After all, the G-Spot is only one letter away from the F-Spot.

And we all know what properly rubbing the former can do to facilitate pregnancy.

Or at least attempts at it, if you know what I mean.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Americans struggle to pay for healthcare: study

Good news.
"Americans are struggling to pay for healthcare in the ongoing economic recession, with a quarter saying they have had trouble in the past 12 months, according to a survey released on Monday.

Baby boomers -- the generation born between 1946 and 1964 -- had the most trouble and were the most likely to put off medical treatments or services, said researchers at Center for Healthcare Improvement, part of the Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters."
The problem is that they are "belly boomers," not baby boomers.

And their fat spawn, Gen XXL (truncatedly referred to as "Gen X") is part of the problem, too.

Hopefully, the costs will be so great, that spending on Calories will decline resulting in weight loss and a reversal in the upward trend of sick care costs.

Control of "bad" cholesterol improving

Not even close.
"New research suggests that more and more people are keeping their levels of LDL 'bad' cholesterol below recommended limits."
How so?
"'Although there is room for improvement, particularly in very high-risk patients, these results indicate that (cholesterol)-lowering therapy is being applied much more successfully than it was a decade ago,' Dr. David D. Waters, lead author of the study and emeritus professor, University of California, San Francisco, said in a statement."
By drugs.

That's like saying that American-made cars are getting better since more of them are being repaired.

Crazy.

Calcium Supplementation May Not Improve Weight Loss in Obese Patients

Here's one that you won't see Big White talking about.
"Dietary supplementation with elemental calcium, 1500 mg/day, for 2 years may not improve weight loss in overweight and obese adults, according to the results of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial reported in the June 16 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

'Some data suggest that increasing calcium intake may help prevent weight gain,' write Jack A. Yanovski, MD, PhD, from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues...

'Dietary supplementation with elemental calcium, 1500 mg/d, for 2 years had no statistically or clinically significant effects on weight in overweight and obese adults,' the study authors write. 'Calcium supplementation is unlikely to have clinically significant efficacy as a preventive measure against weight gain in such patients.'"
Why would they when they can keep doing IMHO dishonest PR like this, for example.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Big US study will test vitamin D, fish oil

Big deal. The cure du jour and fish fat are getting a test.
"Two of the most popular and promising dietary supplements — vitamin D and fish oil — will be tested in a large, government-sponsored study to see whether either nutrient can lower a healthy person's risk of getting cancer, heart disease or having a stroke."
How have other cures du jour fared?
"'But we should be cautious before jumping on the bandwagon to take mega-doses of these supplements,' Manson warned. 'We know from history that many of these nutrients that looked promising in observational studies didn't pan out.'

Vitamins C, E, folic acid, beta carotene, selenium and even menopause hormone pills once seemed to lower the risk of cancer or heart disease — until they were tested in big studies that sometimes revealed risks instead of benefits.

In October, the government stopped a big study of vitamin E and selenium pills for prostate cancer prevention after seeing no evidence of benefit and hints of harm."
Oops.

We will just have to wait and see.

Just how friendly are those probiotics in your food?

Bacterial scam by scum.
"Probiotics, the so-called 'friendly' bacteria with health benefits, have busted out of the dairy case and are colonizing other areas of the supermarket.

The bacteria, which occur naturally in fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir and miso, are thought to aid digestion and support the immune system by balancing the intestinal ecosystem.

But as manufacturers add the microbes to everything from infant formula and fruit juice to pizza, muffins and granola bars, experts caution that the word "probiotic" is widely misused by industry and misunderstood by consumers.

While there are thousands of different bacterial strains, only a few dozen have been tested for health benefits. And though studies suggest some products may offer relief to people with digestive issues, it's not known whether healthy people receive any benefits from snacking on live 'bugs.'"
In fact, it is known that some healthy people receive benefits - the people at the companies hawking this crap. They benefit financially.

Though, arguably, they are not healthy, but mentally. morally and emotionally sick con artists.
"The European Union Food Safety Authority this week started a process to regulate health claims on products, including probiotics. And a pending class-action lawsuit alleges Dannon misled consumers about the benefits of Activia and DanActive, both marketed as probiotics.

Dannon denies using deceptive advertising and is standing by the claims and the studies that supported them. But a spokesman agreed it's buyer beware at the market...

There is no standard definition of probiotics, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but scientists generally say the term refers to foods, beverages or supplements containing live microorganisms that studies show promote health when people take enough of them. Without studies, they shouldn't be called probiotic, scientists say.

'Sadly, of the hundreds of new products launched in recent years, very few have been shown to be probiotic,' said probiotic researcher and developer Gregor Reid, a microbiologist at the University of Western Ontario and the president of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics."
Yes, it is sad that people are so stupid that they fall for this hogwash wholesale (at retail prices, no less).
"For the consumer, finding the right probiotic can be vexing. Labels can't legally declare that the probiotic can cure, treat or prevent disease. So health claims, which don't require FDA approval, are often vague.

For example, Kashi's 'Vive' is called a 'probiotic digestive wellness cereal,' one that 'may restore your digestive balance.'

And it may - each serving contains a whopping 12 grams of fiber. But the probiotic used - Lactobacillus paracasei ssp paracasei F19 - has not been tested in humans eating Kashi Vive. And there's no guarantee that the microbes in the dry cereal are alive.

To make things more complicated, probiotics interact with bacteria already in the body and everyone has slightly different microflora, said probiotic expert Gary Huffnagle, a professor of internal medicine and microbiology at the University of Michigan Medical School. So a product that works for one person might not be the right one for another."
Caveat emptor.

Obesity, early menopause tied to uterine cancer

Kudos, fatsos.
"Women who are very obese and go through early menopause may have a substantially elevated risk of endometrial cancer, a new study suggests.

Endometrial cancer arises in the endometrium, the lining of the uterus, and various factors related to women's hormone production -- such as timing of menopause, number of pregnancies and body weight -- have been linked to the risk of developing the disease.

These latest findings, from a study of 3,600 U.S. women ages 20 to 54, confirm the relationship between obesity and higher endometrial cancer risk."
All this just for a few extra mouthfuls of food.

Good decision-making.

You should be proud of yourselves.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Doctors Fight Labeling Obesity a Disability

Right conclusion, wrong reason.
"But should obesity be considered a disability? On Tuesday the American Medical Association voted a resounding no at its annual meeting.

But in a country where nearly one in three people is obese but where laws do not always cover size discrimination, and many health insurance policies do not cover obesity treatments until a patient develops a more serious health condition -- not all who deal with obesity agree on the matter.

'We believe that we passed this for the patient's benefit,' said Dr. Domenic Federico, an AMA delegate from Michigan. 'We do not want to have this limit the ability to have doctors talk about a very serious condition.'"
This is a CYA situation.

Docs are covering their butts since the advice they offer keeps and makes fat people even fatter. (see here, here, here, here and here)

If overweight/obesity were considered disabilities, docs are afraid that they would be accused of making people disabled.

They would rather stick with what they already know - how to make overweight/obese people sicker and dead.

Physical Activity May Be Driven by Biological Regulator

Actually more than one "regulator."
"More physical education programming in school won't necessarily increase a child's total physical activity levels, researchers said."
True.
"The finding suggests that the body may regulate physical activity much the way it regulates appetite."
True.

The regulators are called self-control, willpower, self-esteem, responsibility.

Any other "regulator" is a fabrication.
"'Environmental opportunity does not control physical activity,' Dr. Wilkin said."
True.

The regulators just mentioned and parental influence control physical activity.

And this Wilkin person? What is his contribution to understanding what is going on?
"'How, I don't know.'"
'Nuff said.

DDW: Obesity Surgery Through the Mouth Seems to Work

Wiring the mouth shut, another oral approach, would work better.
"Transoral methods for reducing gastric volume or bypassing the stomach altogether as treatment for obesity are gaining steam, several reports here indicated."
And it would be cheaper, too.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Diet Of Whipping Cream, Butter, Oil Can Help Control Epileptic Seizures In Children

An explanation at last.
"A new study by researchers at The Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin has shown that the highly regimented ketogenic diet, a high-fat nutritional therapy used to limit seizures, requires long-term medical management and strong parental commitment to achieve both sufficient nutrition and improved seizure control in children."
Parents are not nutritionally abusing their kids.

They are engaging in seizure prevention.

Obesity May Reduce Brain Gray Matter In Postmenopausal Women

Gray matter is the stuff you need to think and be smart.
"'A subset of women from the Pittsburgh Healthy Women Study (HWS) who had been followed for an average of 15 years was invited to participate in brain imaging studies,' said lead author Isabella Soreca, M.D., an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh. "We found that those who had gained the most weight had lower gray matter volume."

The study appears online in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine.

'Women who gain weight tend to have high blood pressure, impaired glucose tolerance and other health concerns that are known to affect the brain,' Soreca sai5. 'The group we used were overweight, but were otherwise completely healthy. It was surprising that these healthy women still showed reductions in gray matter volume, and this indicates that weight gain by itself may impact the brain.'

Charles D. Smith, M.D., a professor of neurology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, said that although the study results are interesting for researchers, for now they are only likely to add confusion for a public concerned about weight and nutrition."
Hey. Chuck Smith!

How smart can you possibly be to look like this (and be a sick care worker, to boot)?




When it comes to gray matter, where there is absence, there is stupid.

Alzheimer's Society Comment On Research Into Impact Of Vitamin D On Brain Performance

The Vitamin D bandwagon gets more and more crowded.

However...even the Alzheimer's society is not convinced.
"One in three people over 65 will die with dementia making research into this area vital. This study, including over 3,000 men from a number of European locations, shows that maintaining vitamin D levels could play a role in reducing the decline of brain function.

However, further research is needed to determine whether or not vitamin D can help preserve brain function in older people or reduce risk of dementia. As vitamin D is readily available to most people, through exposure to sunshine or eating oily fish, it will be interesting to see the results of future studies.

In the meantime, current evidence tells us that a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet and exercise, is the best way of reducing your risk of dementia."
Good for them, in this case.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Competitiveness And Perfectionism: Common Traits Of Both Athletic Performance And Disordered Eating

More sheer idiocy from the "experts."
"Timberline Knolls, one of the country's leaders in the treatment of eating disorders, is recognizing well-known tennis star, Monica Seles, for disclosing her history with an eating disorder in her new book Get a Grip. Ms. Seles' display of courage and candor has the potential to help many others who have similar struggles, especially young female athletes...

Early Detection - what to look for:

- increased concern about body composition, body fat;

- increased concern about "healthy eating" and rigid behavior around food (eating fat free, not eating certain food groups, eating alone or in isolation);

- social withdrawal, loss of intimacy or closeness with peers and family members;..."
Here are the alternatives:

- DECREASED concern about body composition, body fat;



- DECREASED concern about "healthy eating" and rigid behavior around food (eating fat free, not eating certain food groups, eating alone or in isolation);




- social withdrawal, loss of intimacy or closeness with peers and family members; (Whaddya expect when this is how you look?)



Timberline Knolls is a place for morons.

Enter at your own risk.

"Eating For Two" Has Consequences For Mom And Baby

The problem is that most pregnant women eat for two or more before they get pregnant.
"There is more medical evidence that pregnant women should steer clear of advice to 'eat for two.'

Alison Stuebe, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, reviewed data for more than 1,300 women and found that those who consumed extra calories, as well as fried foods and dairy products, were more likely to gain more than is recommended during pregnancy that's 35 pounds or more for a woman with a normal body mass index, or BMI...

Gaining too much weight is linked with complications at birth, such as pre-eclampsia or requiring a C-section, as well as higher odds that both mom and child will be obese later in life."
However, even without gaining too much weight, mothers-to-be who are fat from the get-go expose their fetuses to complications of pregnancy.

Better to delay getting pregnant until the weight is lost.

Link Between Low Levels Of Vitamin D And Common Vaginal Infection In Pregnant Women

Wow! That Vitamin D is so good it works where the sun don't shine.
"Pregnant women with low levels of vitamin D may be more likely to suffer from bacterial vaginosis (BV) - a common vaginal infection that increases a woman's risk for preterm delivery, according to a University of Pittsburgh study."
Well, unless you're Britney, that is.

Then the sun shines there.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Positive body image not always a good thing

You mean that it is "not always a good thing" to feel positive about being a fat, out of shape, grossly stupid, nutritional child-abusing pig?
"While a poor body image can be harmful, some women's health may be threatened by an overly positive perception of their shape and size, a study suggests.

In a study of 81 inner-city, mostly minority women, researchers found that while two-thirds of the women were overweight or obese, many seemed to see themselves as thinner.

When shown silhouettes depicting various body types, 70 percent of the women chose a normal-weight or moderately overweight figure as being closest to their own. Only five of the 31 obese women chose a silhouette that correlated with their actual weight and shape.

In addition, 20 percent of obese women selected an obese silhouette as their "ideal" body type, the researchers report in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology."
Huh.

So being happy/sanguine about looking like this is not okay?



How can that be?

Deakin Health Expert Recommends New Direction For Obesity Research

Almost clear thinking.

The unclear parts are the alleged causes of weight gain and the "need to re-orient our research."

There is no need for any research into either causes or "potential solutions."

The cause of and solution to overweight/obesity are known with 100% certainty.

Cause - more Calories in than out.

Solution - fewer Calories in than out. And you need a plan.

Still the rest of the press release is almost spot on.
"Most of the current obesity research is not proving helpful in finding solutions to the growing international epidemic, according to a Deakin University public health expert...

'For an individual person, we know the causes of weight gain over time include the obesogenic environment, genetic predisposition, and increasing age - none of which can be influenced by the health professional trying to help the person lose weight. At a population level, the commercial drivers which promote our overconsumption of food are unlikely to be reversed by the private sector because there is no commercial gain for the food industry to promote eating fewer calories...

'For overweight individuals, so long as they can stick to a set of dietary rules which results in a reduced calorie intake, it doesn't seem to matter what foods are included or excluded. This is why lots of different types of diets which are unrelated to the dietary causes of weight gain can produce weight loss.

'...Education, guidelines, industry self-regulation, and government ads on TV are unlikely to have much influence and stronger policies will be needed.'"
Time to do it right, which is the way we have been saying it all along.

Antioxidant Benefits Of Tart Cherries Reinforced By New Human Study

Who could possibly benefit from this study?
"Eating just one and a half servings of tart cherries could significantly boost antioxidant activity in the body...

Cherries are not only good for you, but they're also a homegrown 'Super Fruit.'...

Funding for the study was provided by the Cherry Marketing Institute, an organization funded by North American tart cherry growers and processors. CMI's mission is to increase the demand for tart cherries through promotion, market expansion, product development and research."
Mystery solved.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Missed cues may lead to overfed babies

Does this mean that fat infants, fat kids, fat adolescents, fat teenagers and fat adults are not fat from genetics, infections, hormones, ethnicity, culture or environment?
"Some mothers may end up overfeeding their infants because they fail to notice signs that the baby is full, a new study suggests.

The study, of 96 low-income mothers who had chosen to bottle-feed, found that when a woman tended to miss her baby's fullness signals, the infant was more likely to gain weight rapidly over the first year of life.

The findings suggest that parents' sensitivity to their formula-fed baby's cues play an important role in the risk of excessive weight gain, the researchers report in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior...

While a chubby baby will not necessarily become an overweight child, the researchers note, some studies have found rapid weight gain early in life may predispose children to becoming overweight later on."
Yep.

Vitamin D 'key to healthy brain'

It's "key."
"Scientists have produced more evidence that vitamin D has an important role in keeping the brain in good working order in later life.

A study of over 3,000 European men aged 40-79 found those with high vitamin D levels performed better on memory and information processing tests.

The University of Manchester team believe vitamin D may protect cells or key signalling pathways in the brain."
Just as it is key in preventing prostate cancer, I'll bet.

A-B-C-D-E Spells Fitter Future For Nation's Obese Children

Euro-crap - as pronounceable as it is likely to succeed.
"The fitness mantra - Activity, Belief, Confidence, Diet and Exercise.

Britain's growing army of overweight children need a diet of confidence-building techniques and a boost in self-esteem to shed dangerous pounds.

Getting fit to lose weight is not enough to solve the crisis; children need to be ensuring they get their five a day to keep obesity at bay.

"This isn't five fruit and veg portions, this is activity, belief, confidence, diet and exercise, says Stephen Cole, MD of FitJuniors, the innovative weight loss camp for children aged 8-17 which launches in July."
Note that this self-declared "innovative weight loss camp for children" has not "launched" yet.
"British Medical Association research states that excess body weight is 'now the most common childhood disorder in Europe' with a fifth of youngsters between 13 and 16 being classed as overweight."
I'll wager that this will not do a damned thing to lower that number.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Parents Concerned, But Confused About How To Fix Childhood Obesity

"Parents Claim Concern, But Are Too Damned Stupid About How To Fix Childhood Obesity."
"Food, fitness or family…which one is most to blame for childhood obesity? New research from Mintel shows today's parents aren't sure, and they're feeling overwhelmed and worried as they try to prevent obesity in their own children.

In an exclusive consumer survey of American parents, Mintel found confusion over whether diet or exercise is most important for keeping kids at a healthy weight. Nearly three quarters of parents (72%) believe kids have too much access to junk food, while 69% feel that a lack of exercise is more to blame for obesity. In addition, two in five parents (40%) are concerned that their children might develop obesity."
Wrong answers.

The blame goes to parents and bad parenting.
"According to Mintel, parents need help when it comes to promoting healthy eating with their children. While 95% feel that this is very or somewhat important, only 82% believe they are somewhat or very successful at doing so. Similarly, while 93% consider it very or somewhat important to limit their children's access to junk food, only 77% feel they have been very or somewhat successful at accomplishing this.

Additionally, many parents blame kids' sedentary lifestyles for obesity. According to parents, less than half of kids are physically active five or more hours per week-less than an hour a day. These sedentary habits are not enough to offset the caloric intake of kids with poor eating habits."
And who's fault is that, bad parents?
"More than half of parents (57%) are worried that their children don't get enough information about healthy living at school, and 47% believe children should have ongoing diet and nutrition classes."
Then you give it to them at home.

And if you are too ignorant to know how and what to teach your kids, consider consulting a physician about a vasectomy or tubal ligation before you ruin more lives.

Morons.

Dementia drugs may raise fainting risk

Another example of why you should not take diet pills.
"A class of drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors, commonly used to treat people with Alzheimer's disease, appear to increase the risk of fainting, Canadian and US researchers report.

"These drugs can sometimes slow the heart rate and provoke fainting," lead investigator Dr. Sudeep S. Gill explained. This "may then contribute to injuries related to fainting and falling, such as hip fractures."

Furthermore, if falls and fainting are not recognized as being drug-induced, he told Reuters Health, it may lead to unnecessary procedures 'such as insertion of permanent pacemakers, rather than simply stopping the offending drug.'"
These drugs are "commonly used" and they are just now discovering more problems associated with them.

You can rest assured that more problems will be found with the IMHO malpractice known as diet pills as time passes.

It is much better to lose the weight naturally than with pharmacologic intervention, especially since the pills do not work anyway.

Almonds may boost immune function

Oh yeah?
"Lab experiments indicate that almonds have the potential to boost immune health and reduce inflammation, according to research reported Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Philadelphia."
Sez who?
"The study was funded by the Almond Board of California."
Oh yeah.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Waits To See Specialists in Boston Increased to Average of 50 Days, Study Finds

Another reason to get fit - your access to sick care is going away.

So when you really will/do need it, it ain't gonna be there, despite the "promises" (read "lies") of the politicians.
"The average time patients in Boston wait for an appointment to see a specialist has increased over the last five years to an average of 50 days and can be up to one year, despite the fact that the city has an "abundance" of specialists, according to a recent study, the Boston Globe reports. For the study, Merritt, Hawkins & Associates, a Texas-based consulting and physician recruiting firm, surveyed 1,162 physician offices in 15 metropolitan areas to try to re-create the situation of a new patient seeking a nonurgent appointment in five specialty areas -- cardiology, dermatology, family medicine, obstetrics-gynecology and orthopedic surgery.

The average wait time in Boston is more than three weeks longer than any other city included in the study...

According to the study, while Boston patients have long faced delays, the problem may have been exacerbated by an increase in patients seeking care following the implementation of the 2006 Massachusetts health insurance law. While the study did not pinpoint a cause for longer wait times in Boston, the study's authors wrote that the city's experience 'may signal what could happen nationally in the event that access to health care is expanded through health care reform.'"
And the Massachusetts model is the one Washington's idiocrats are favoring.

Save yourself while you still can.

Genetic Fitness May Explain Why Intelligent People Are Often Healthier

Researchers with s**t for brains.
"UK and US researchers found that more intelligent people are often healthier, and suggest that this could be due to what they describe as a genetic "fitness factor" whereby both body fitness (health) and brain fitness (intelligence) are influenced by genetic differences among people.

The study was the work of scientists at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, the University of Delaware, in Newark, US, and University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque, US. The paper is to be published in the journal Intelligence where an early corrected proof issue was put online on 28 April.

Other studies that have found intelligence and health often go together have suggested it could be due to several things, including childhood poverty, which harms both intelligence and health, and the fact that brighter people may find it easier to learn how to keep healthy by eating the right foods, not smoking and taking regular exercise.

But as lead and corresponding author Dr Rosalind Arden told the press:

'We had a different idea, that there may be an over-arching genetic 'fitness-factor' that influences both intelligence and health, regardless of childhood experiences or healthy lifestyles.'"
Which explains why so many pro athletes are Rhodes Scholars.

Shut up and put your "different ideas" back in your asses from whence they came.

Alcohol use by pregnant women hasn't changed

So if modifying their alcohol drinking in order to benefit their kids and kids-to-be is not adequate reason, then why would they ever stop overeating or fattening-up their kids for the kill?
"Alcohol use and binge drinking among pregnant women and women of childbearing age changed little between 1991 and 2005, according to investigators at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fetal alcohol syndrome, birth defects, and low birth weight are among the problems associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy, Dr. C. H Denny and co-authors note in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report...

'The prevalence of any alcohol use and binge drinking...did not change substantially over time,' the authors report."
They wouldn't and won't.

Better to hold them accountable.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Link Between Individual Stress And Teens Being Overweight Or Obese

Crap research, misleading title.
"Stress may indeed be a direct contributor to childhood obesity. That's according to a new Iowa State University study finding that increased levels of stress in adolescents are associated with a greater likelihood of them being overweight or obese."
Not hardly.
"'It could possibly be that the obesity is leading to these stressors too,' Lohman said. 'And so the work that we're doing right now looks at which one of these is really coming first: the stressors or the obesity. We know that it is cyclical and that all of these factors just compound on each other.'"
So the piglets may get fat first, then get "stressed."

Wonder what it can be about being a fat kid that is stressful.

(Text continues afterthe images.)





The researchers did find a miracle - too few Calories leading to overweight/obesity.
"The study also found that a mother's stress, coupled with food insecurity in the household -- a situation in which an individual cannot access enough food to sustain active, healthy living -- contributes to a child's chances of becoming overweight or obese."
Must be the really special loaves and fish in those households.

Great research, folks.

Not.

U.S. workers paying more for healthcare: report

Good news.
"Healthcare costs for Americans who get medical coverage through an employer hit a record $16,771 per family this year, and they are having to pay more themselves, a report released on Monday showed.

Employers trying to save money in the current recession have forced workers to take on a greater portion of their healthcare costs, according to Milliman Inc., the consulting firm that prepared the report.

That trend could accelerate the longer the recession lasts, the report stated."
Much of sick care costs are for chronic illnesses which fat people get at a much higher rate than intended-size people.

These are the same fat people who produce less at work and for whom the rest of us are paying.

We can only hope that this news will inspire calorically responsible people to get motivated and fight back.

This is the only way the trend will reverse.

Vitamin D may not protect against prostate cancer

Another failure of the cure du jour.
"New research from Europe confirms that men's prostate cancer risk has no relationship to how much vitamin D they have in their blood.

"Despite the widespread notion that vitamin D insufficiency is an important risk factor for prostate cancer, this theory has not been substantiated by results from the majority of published prospective studies," Dr. Francesca L. Crowe of the University of Oxford in Oxford, UK, and colleagues write in the American Journal of Epidemiology."
Funny how facts change the landscape.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Overweight teens show higher suicide risk

Kudos, fatsos. More nutritional child abuse.
"Teenagers who are overweight, or who simply believe they are, may be at increased risk of attempting suicide, a new study suggests.

The study, of more than 14,000 U.S. high school students, found that those who were overweight were almost one-third more likely than their thinner peers to say they had attempted suicide.

Meanwhile, teens who considered themselves overweight -- including those were not, by objective measures -- were 45 percent more likely to have tried suicide than those who thought they were normal weight.

'Our findings show that both perceived and actual overweight increase risk for suicide attempt,' lead researcher Dr. Monica Swahn said in a written statement.

'This is a major concern,' she added, 'since more and more children and youth are becoming overweight and obese.'"
This sad situation is exacerbated by irresponsible, parasitic researchers who exploit children for their studies.

If they really cared about the kids and not their publications, they would report these kids to child and family services, as they are required to do by law.

They and the parents are lawbreakers.

And sickening, too.

Period.

Folic acid might be losing its sheen

Oops.
"Folic acid is one of those great public health success stories. In the decade that followed the fortification of cereal grains and other foods, along with educational campaigns, the rate of certain birth defects dropped dramatically.

As studies beginning in the 1980s started showing that folic acid could also help prevent some cancers, it started to seem like a wonder-vitamin.

Now, however, folic acid's heyday may be over. New studies suggest that getting too much folic acid might fuel certain cancers in some people.

And with the vitamin showing up in ready-to-eat cereals, bread, snack bars, multivitamins and more, some health experts fear that it's easy to far exceed the recommended daily intake of 400 micrograms.

There is now an urgent need, experts say, to figure out how much folate is enough but not too much for different segments of the population."
Next on the chopping block, the cure du jour, Vitamin D.

It is so much better to be fit, than fad.

Wise up.

Beer tax on tap for health care?

Drink so others can live.
"Joe Six-Pack may have to hand over nearly $2 more for a case of beer to help provide health insurance for all.

Details of the proposed beer tax are described in a Senate Finance Committee document distributed to lawmakers before a closed-door meeting Wednesday. Senators are focusing on how to pay for expanding health insurance for an estimated 50 million uninsured Americans, a cost that could range to some $1.5 trillion over 10 years.
"What can possibly go wrong here?

Hey, beer folk. If people got fit, you could have your beer and drink it, too.

On the cheaper, no less.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Healthy Teen Weight Behaviors Linked To Regular Self-Weighing

Whatcha gonna believe?

This?
"In a study of 130 overweight adolescents, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found that frequent self-weighing is associated with positive behaviors and may prove to be a useful weight-control tool."
Or this?
"Promoting Self-Weighing In Teens Is Not Helpful To Weight Management"
Clearly, they have no idea what is going on.

Post-Workout Sports Drink? Try Cereal and Milk Instead

You mean that expensive supplements are not needed? Go figger.
"Athletes may get the same post-workout boost from a bowl of cereal as they might expect from a sports drink, researchers found.

A bowl of cereal with nonfat milk after exercise produced statistically similar results as a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink for nearly all measures of muscle glycogen and protein synthesis, Lynne Kammer, M.S.E., M.A., of the University of Texas at Austin, and colleagues reported.

The findings, in trained cyclists and triathletes, were reported in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition."
Save the money.

Link Between Vitamin D Insufficiency And Bacterial Vaginosis In Pregnant Women

Apparently Vitamin D is so good, it even works where the sun don't shine.
"Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal infection in US women of childbearing age, and is common in pregnant women...

Vitamin D may play a role in BV because it exerts influence over a number of aspects of the immune system. This hypothesis is circumstantially supported by the fact that BV is far more common in black than white women, and vitamin D status is substantially lower in black than white women...

In summary, these findings suggest that vitamin D insufficiency is associated with BV in the first 4 mo of pregnancy. Further, poor vitamin D status may contribute to the strong racial disparity in the prevalence of BV in US women."
Since Vitamin D is the cure du jour, you can bet that more research money will be pushed its way.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Does Mom Know When Enough Is Enough?

No.
"As the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States continues, researchers are examining whether early parent and child behaviors contribute to the problem. A study from the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers University, published in the May/June 2009 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior reports that mothers who miss signs of satiety in their infants tend to overfeed them, leading to excess weight gains during the 6 month to 1 year period."
More nutritional child abuse.
"However, the researchers warn that, 'To use this knowledge to better inform low-income/educated mothers, indeed, mothers of any background who have settled on a feeding method, could pose a daunting challenge. Feeding an infant is a primal behavior, and to suggest to a new mother that she is feeding her infant too often, too much, or worse yet, is not very good at reading her infant's signals, would require an extremely skilled nurse or social worker. Giving counsel after watching a mother feed her infant might be seen as threatening, or at the very least meddling, and just pointing it out could be construed as an accusation of 'poor mothering.'"
Wrong, friend-o.

Neither "an extremely skilled nurse (n)or social worker" is needed.

What is needed is enforcement of the child abuse laws already on the books.

And BTW, it is "poor mothering" to fatten children up for the kill, moron.

Diet And Exercise Intervention Helps Older, Overweight Cancer Survivors Reduce Functional Decline

How can this be?
"A home-based diet and exercise program reduced the rate of functional decline among older, overweight long-term survivors of colorectal, breast and prostate cancer, according to a study in the May 13 issue of JAMA."
Amazing that losing weight and engaging in activities keeps one functional longer.

Now why didn't anyone think of this before?

Groundbreaking.

FDA Tells Cheerios Cereal Makers Their Health Claims Contain "Serious Violations"

"Serious."
"The US Food and Drug Administration has written a warning letter to General Mills, the makers of the popular breakfast cereal Cheerios, explaining that they have reviewed the labelling of the product and found it contains 'serious violations' of federal regulations...

According to the FDA, General Mills is breaking federal regulations on two counts: they are marketing Cheerios like an 'unapproved new drug' and misbranding the product by making 'unauthorized health claims'...

Thus the label does not have enough information to 'enable the public to understand the significance of the claim in the context of the total daily diet,' said the FDA letter."
As if that would make any difference. Except, maybe a negative one.

As to unsubstantiated health claims that do matter and IMHO false and misleading advertising, silence from the Feds.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Diabetics risking life and limb amid recession

More MSM bulls**t.
"Diabetics are increasingly risking life and limb by cutting back on — or even going without — doctor visits, insulin, medicines and blood-sugar testing as they lose income and health insurance in the recession, an Associated Press analysis has found.

Doctors have seen a drop in regular appointments with diabetic patients, if they come back at all. Patients more often seek tax-subsidized or charity care. And they end up in emergency rooms more often, patients and physicians said in interviews.

Sales of top-selling drugs and other products used to treat and monitor the disease have dropped since the economic crisis accelerated last fall, the AP analysis found. There are even signs that some patients are choosing less-expensive insulin injections over pricier pills to save money."
Type 2 diabetes, the more common form of diabetes, is fat person diabetes.

Here is the poster child for the article:



These fatsos risked life and limb by getting fat when times were not so lean.

Now they are risking nothing.

And it did not happen overnight.

Here are the pudgy fingers of the poster child:



They developed their disease of choice by choice.

Too f-ing bad.
"Patients' frugality comes at a tremendous cost to the already-strained health care system. The typical monthly bill to treat diabetes runs $350 to $900 for those without insurance, a price tag that's risen as newer, more expensive medicines have hit the market. Emergency care and a short hospitalization can easily top $10,000, and long-term complications can cost far more.

M. Eileen Collins, 48, of Indianapolis, tried to scrimp on her medication last fall after her husband lost his job and with it their insurance. Without money for insulin, test supplies and other medicines, she asked for free samples and also got a few drugs through $4-a-month generic programs. But she stopped taking most of her drugs and cut her insulin doses in half to stretch her budget."
Well, most likely too f-ing bad for the rest of us who were calorically responsible, as you can expect that we will be called upon to pay to rescue these irresponsible pigs who should have scrimped on money spent for Calories.
"Getting patients to stick to their treatment has long been tough."
And whose fault is that?

If they want relief, then stick to the plan. (and not Bob Greene's and AdipOprah's)

If not, well, better it cost them an arm and a leg, than it cost the rest of us an arm and a leg.

Sometimes actions have consequences.

In the matter of overweight/obesity, this is one of them.

And until these irresponsible people have an opportunity to experience the consequences, they will not change.
"'There's an increase in just overall consequences of diabetes: losing a foot, losing a kidney, bad eyesight. At least six people come to mind over the last six months ... most because of the recession,' said Dr. Nicholas Vasquez, who works in one of the country's biggest ERs, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix.

Vasquez and his colleagues view the desperate patients in their ER as harbingers of what's to come if the recession deepens.

'What we're seeing mostly is the first steps of people not taking care of their diabetes and starting to have consequences,' he said."
Let's hope so.

And let's hope that a lesson will be learned that will result in change for the better.

And that lesson is not to have the rest of us support the calorically ill-behaved.

Energy Drinks Work In Mysterious Ways!

You mean the fittest people on the planet don't buy into the low GI, low-carb, high bulls**t advice of the experts?
"Runners clutching bottles of energy drink are a common sight, and it has long been known that sugary drinks and sweets can significantly improve athletes' performance in endurance events."
Go figger.

Aussie Civil Suit Uncovers Fake Medical Journals

Diet drug successes? Bariatric surgery results? What could possibly go wrong?
"An ongoing class-action trial against Merck & Co. has included claims of a series of controversial marketing techniques that have roiled the international science community -- including the creation of phony medical journals full of previously published studies favorable to Merck's drugs.

The trial in Australia, one of many held worldwide over Merck's recalled drug Vioxx, has opened what plaintiffs call a trove of internal material from the company related to how it promoted the blockbuster arthritis drug that, before its recall in 2004, generated more than $2 billion in sales a year.

Vioxx has been linked to many thousands of strokes and heart attacks including, plaintiffs claim, those of some 1,000 Australians, according to court documents. The plaintiffs in the case have presented evidence revealing a range of sales tactics, from a bizarre motivational Vioxx music video for the sales staff set to the melody of Ricky Martin's 'She Bangs' to an internal Merck list of physicians with "anti-Merck" medical views to be 'neutralized.'"
That, among other things.

It is better to be fit than sorry.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Benefit Of Exercise On Diabetes Risk May Be Undone By Vitamin Supplements, Study

More bad news for antioxidant fans.
"A team of scientists from Germany and the US found that vitamin C and E supplements may undo the benefits of exercise on diabetes risk and glucose metabolism. It would seem that exercise-induced oxidative stress helps the body defend itself against stress and metabolize carbodydrates more effectively, said the researchers.

The study was the work of scientists from Germany's Leipzig and Jena Universities and Harvard Medical School in Boston, US, and was published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS on 11 May...

'Exercise causes repeated boosts of free radicals, which - according to our results - induce a health-promoting adaptive response in humans.'

'Subsequently, our body activates molecular defense systems against stress, and metabolizes carbohydrates more efficiently, both of which prevents diabetes, and possibly other diseases,' he added.

'Blocking these boosts of free radicals by antioxidants accordingly blocks the health promoting effects of exercise,' explained Ristow, adding that short term doses of free radicals may behave like a vaccine, helping the body to boost defences against chronic stressors and building a long term adaptive response.

The researchers concluded that:

'Exercise-induced oxidative stress ameliorates insulin resistance and causes an adaptive response promoting endogenous antioxidant defense capacity. Supplementation with antioxidants may preclude these health-promoting effects of exercise in humans.'

In other words, the positive effect of exercise on metabolism is undone by taking antioxidants."
It's not nice to fool Mother Nature.

New Evidence Of How High Glucose Damages Blood Vessels Could Lead To New Treatments

A waste - there is no need for "new treatments."
"New evidence of how the elevated glucose levels that occur in diabetes damage blood vessels may lead to novel strategies for blocking the destruction, Medical College of Georgia researchers say."
Type 2 diabetes is fat person diabetes.

The current treatment, weight loss, will fix the matter in the overwhelming majority of cases.

Some U.S. companies reforming healthcare in-house

A better approach, though time will tell if this one really works. Still it can do no worse than the conventional strategies that are out there.
"Companies impatient to rein in healthcare costs can go ahead on their own without waiting for federal legislation, Safeway Inc. president Steven Burd said on Tuesday."
With certainty, the approach of government, Big Sick Care, etc., will fail.

In fact, for businesses to succeed, they must mount a "wellness insurgency" against the conventional programs.

Independent approaches are needed if a workplace "wellness" program is to succeed.
"'If you are part of a large organization, you really don't have to wait for government to do anything,' Burd told the World Health Care Congress being held in Washington. 'You can design your own healthcare reform.'"
And the incentive to succeed?
"Employees have to be part of the program to qualify for a discount -- those who score the lowest pay 51 percent more for health insurance premiums than those who score perfectly."
If you fail, you pay more.

This is much better than bribing people with money rewards to temporarily change their ways.

If you want to implement a successful "wellness" program and are willing to eschew the failing advice of the government, Big Sick Care and other harmful entities, go here.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

New Methods For Combating The Childhood Obesity Epidemic

Possibly a sorta good sorta start.
"The state of Michigan and the county of San Diego, Calif. have recently made the decision to employ their existing electronic immunization registries as a means of tracking the obesity rates of children. The data gathered from such systems can be an extremely valuable means of tracking the obesity epidemic in their jurisdictions and evaluating the effectiveness of ongoing obesity intervention programs, something not currently possible."
Using the data for evaluation of programs is certainly inadequate and will almost certainly make no difference.

It should be used to hold parents accountable for the nutritional abuse of their children.

Also, a better start would be a registry of fat parents starting when they have kids.

This would alert social services to follow-up in order to prevent or catch child abuse when early.

Still, it is heartening to see that someone is at least finally starting to think about keeping tabs on the fat.

Risks In Heart Patients Reduced By Walking Often And Far

Amazing! Burning more Calories, burns more Calories.
"An exercise program that burns a lot of calories reduced cardiac risk factors better than standard cardiac rehabilitation in overweight coronary patients, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

'The higher-caloric exercise, consisting of almost daily long-distance walking, resulted in double the weight loss and a greater fat mass loss than standard cardiac rehabilitation exercise,' said Philip A. Ades, M.D., lead author of the study and professor of medicine and director of cardiac rehabilitation and prevention at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington. 'And probably most importantly, these patients improved their insulin sensitivity to a greater degree.'...

The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the General Clinical Research Center at the University of Vermont College of Medicine."
Your tax dollars at work.

Lifetime exercise may cut breast cancer death risk

Possibly another reason to be fit.
"Women who participate in recreational exercise and sports over their lifetime may be lowering their risk of death from breast cancer and breast cancer recurrence."
And it seems like a real good one, too.
"These findings suggest "being physically active before a breast cancer diagnosis can improve survival after breast cancer," Friendenreich told Reuters Health.

However, occupational activity and physical household work such as gardening, housework, and do-it-yourself home repair did not confer benefits similar to those from lifetime exercise and sports activities, the investigators report in the International Journal of Cancer."
Of course not, as these "activities" are nearly worthless endeavors that only generate heat and are simply promoted as "exercise"and a way to "health" in order to appease the masses.

They are part of the Big Fitness Lies we are fed by the experts.

You want a real shot at health?

Then get fit. It is the only thing you can do in pursuit of better health.

Monday, June 08, 2009

Open Wide: New Incision-Free Procedure Helps Patients Achieve Weight Loss

More IMHO malpractice and why? Because "weight gain after gastric bypass surgery is not uncommon."
"'When you're overweight people stare at you. They make fun of you. You can see the negative reaction in their face,' said Maria Rusak, 53, resident of San Diego. 'In a world where everyone is trying to be a skinny minnie, who wants to date a 350-pound girl?'

Rusak, like 15 million other Americans, suffered from obesity and related health complications such as arthritis, high blood pressure and gallstones. Nine years ago, she pursued gastric bypass surgery to lose the weight.

'Losing the weight felt incredible. Gaining the weight back did not,' said Rusak. 'After the gastric bypass I weighed 190 pounds but then I slowly got back up to 264 pounds. I was so discouraged. The gastric bypass stopped working.'

Weight gain after gastric bypass surgery is not uncommon. Over time, the small stomach pouch created by the surgery stretches out. More calories are consumed and the feeling of fullness after eating disappears."
Bad medicine.

Clearly.

ECO: Obesity Blamed on Overeating, Not Inactivity

Nearly 100% correct.
"The rise of obesity in the U.S. is almost entirely due to overeating, not declining physical activity levels, researchers have found.

Using equations based on biological, epidemiological, and food supply factors, researchers reporting at the European Congress on Obesity in Amsterdam found that excess food intake alone explains the obesity epidemic.

'Weight gain in the American population seems to be virtually all explained by eating more calories,' said Boyd Swinburn, M.D., of Deakin University in Australia, lead author of the study. 'It appears that changes in physical activity played a minimal role.'"
Which is why "exercise" will almost never make a difference.

Except to add pounds.

"Exercising" for weight loss is an idiot's game.

Caloric intake control is the game for success.

Promising Research Project Suggests That Probiotics May Be Able To Help You Keep Fit And Slim

And keep them rich, too.
"Nutrition researchers from LIFE and Chr. Hansen, a Danish biotech company, are collaborating on a groundbreaking weight management research project dubbed "ProSat". The objective is to investigate the use of probiotics for weight control..."
And who are these biased researchers?
"Leading researchers in the area

Chr. Hansen carries out research in the slimming effect of probiotics with the purpose of developing new, innovative products for the growing market for food and dietary supplements that can control our feeling of satiety.

'We are in close contact with a number of leading, international players in the food industry", says Lars Bredmose, marketing director at Chr. Hansen. 'However, there are many potential candidates. Therefore, we have aimed, right from the beginning, to work, on the basis of basic science, with some of the most competent researchers in the area' (sic)."
If they do say so themselves.

Sunday, June 07, 2009

Why Newsweek Is Newsweak

This week Newsweek is featuring a cover story about AdipOprah.

On the last page of the article, it is written:
Is there anything Oprah gets right?
In fact, there is. For one, she gives excellent diet and fitness tip.
Referring to AdipOprah and her fitness/diet experts, this is why Newsweek is Newsweak:
here, and
for starters.

Is there anything Newsweak gets right?

ASH: Kids with Elevated BP At Risk for Heart Damage

Guess which kids get hypertension? Fat ones.
"Childhood hypertension, determined by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, more than doubles the risk of left ventricular hypertrophy...

These findings add to growing evidence that childhood blood pressure not only tracks into adulthood but has immediate consequences as well.

Hypertrophy is evidence that end-organ damage has already occurred in childhood, commented William B. White, M.D., of the University of Connecticut in Farmington, who moderated a press conference at which the findings were presented."
More nutritional child abuse.

Stop the abusers.

ASH: Lower Blood Pressure Not Always Better in Heart Disease

Still think they have any idea what is going on?
"Blood pressure that is too low raises cardiovascular risk for coronary heart disease patients even when other risk factors are controlled, researchers found.

The J-shaped curve in which major cardiovascular event rates drop dramatically with blood pressure up to a certain point and then rebound has been a debated aspect of antihypertensive trials for more than 20 years.

Now the controversial curve has appeared even in a lipid-lowering trial without blood pressure management, Franz Messerli, M.D., of St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York, and colleagues reported.

Their aggressive statin treatment trial showed a threefold increased risk for patients at or below the 110-mm Hg systolic threshold or the 60-mm Hg diastolic threshold, they reported here at the American Society of Hypertension meeting."
Better to be fit than medicated or surgerized.

Constant sun -- too much of a good thing?

Vitamin D, which is increased by exposure to sunlight, is now...
"Too much sunlight in places like Greenland where long summer days often cause insomnia appears more likely to drive a person to suicide, Swedish researchers said Friday.

Despite a belief that suicides tend to rise in late autumn and early winter months because of darkness, the new findings suggest that places where constant sunlight in summer seasons is a fact of life may be just as dangerous."
...Vitamin Dangerous and Vitamin Death.

Oops.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Too Much Of A Good Thing

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
"For many women, body image is a constant struggle; a poor self-image can lead to a host of both mental and physical health problems. But a new study out of Temple University finds that an extremely good body image can also take its toll on a woman's health.

In research published in the May issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Temple researchers studied the body image perceptions of 81 underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese women in the North Philadelphia area and found that as their body mass index (BMI) increased, two-thirds of the women still felt they were at an ideal body size."
Of course, if one's body image is "extremely good," then they should not end up as fatsos.
"'So the question for doctors then becomes, 'How can we effectively treat our overweight and obese patients, when they don't feel they're in harm's way?' said study researcher Marisa Rose, M.D., assistant professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences in the Temple University School of Medicine. 'It stresses a need for culturally sensitive education for this population.'"
Nope.

It "stresses a need" to let them experience the effects of their "extremely good body image" without us rescuing them.

It also stresses how stupid the excusinators are for thinking this is about body image when their idea of an "extremely good" one results in overweight/obesity.

ASH: Common Genes Contribute to Blood Pressure Regulation

More bad news for the fat morons waiting on a genetic "cure" to their overfatness.
"Common genetic variants that help determine risk of hypertension and blood pressure levels in the population have been discovered.

For the first time, genome-wide analyses revealed variants -- in 13 regions, nearly all previously unsuspected -- linked with systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as hypertension.

Odds ratios for hypertension associated with each of these variants ranged up to 1.16. But the researchers leading these studies cautioned that the findings would not be immediately useful for screening purposes."
Let's do the data:
"13 regions" - so far
"nearly all previously unsuspected" - wanna bet that there will be more "unsuspected" regions found?
"would not be immediately useful for screening" - let alone cure/treatment
Put it all together and what do you have?

Not a chance that the genetic approach will work for overweight/obesity.

Mercy Medical Center First In New York State With Latest Non-Invasive Weight-Loss Surgery

More about the IMHO malpractice known as bariatric surgery. Note that this new procedure is to correct failures from the first operation.
"Mercy Medical Center's Bariatric Surgery Program, ranked highest in New York State 2008/2009 by the HealthGrades® national hospital rating company, has become the first weight-loss surgery center in New York State to offer the new non-invasive ROSE procedure that reduces the size of a patient's stomach without the need for any incisions.

The transoral ROSE (Restorative Obesity Surgery, Endolumenal) technique reduces the gastric pouch in patients who have had previous gastric bypass surgery but begun (sic) to regain weight as a result of stretching of the stomach...

'This is an important new option for the 15 to 20 percent of patients who gain weight a few years after undergoing bariatric surgery,' explained Shawn Garber, MD, Chief of Bariatric Surgery at Marcy and head of the New York Bariatric Group."
Also note how high the failure rate is within just "a few years."

And this is from a program that claims it is "ranked highest in New York State 2008/2009 by the HealthGrades® national hospital rating company..."

If 15 - 20% of certain cars failed in just "a few years," they would be removed from the marketplace.

Friday, June 05, 2009

Although Genetically Engineered Mice Don't Get Obese, They Do Develop Gallstones

Another victory for Big Sick Care!
"Obesity and gallstones often go hand in hand. But not in mice developed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Even when these mice eat high-fat diets, they don't get fat, but they do develop gallstones."
The goal of sick care is to do as many things as possible to patients for which there is payment.

When sick care can charge you for altering you genetically AND operating on you for gallbladder disease, in addition, this is called a "medical advance."
"Researchers say the findings offer clues about genetic factors related to gallstones, and they believe better understanding of those factors may one day allow physicians to monitor people at risk and even, perhaps, to intervene before gallstones become a serious problem."
Ah, yes, the old "intervention" chestnut.

Expect more medical progress soon.

Massage Actually Impairs Blood Flow To The Muscle After Exercise

Still think they have any idea of what a "healthy" activity is?
"A Queen's University research team has blown open the myth that massage after exercise improves circulation to the muscle and assists in the removal of lactic acid and other waste products.

'This dispels a common belief in the general public about the way in which massage is beneficial,' says Kinesiology and Health Studies professor Michael Tschakovsky. 'It also dispels that belief among people in the physical therapy profession. All the physical therapy professionals that I have talked to, when asked what massage does, answer that it improves muscle blood flow and helps get rid of lactic acid. Ours is the first study to challenge this and rigorously test its validity.'

The belief that massage aids in the removal of lactic acid from muscle tissue is so pervasive it is even listed on the Canadian Sports Massage Therapists website as one of the benefits of massage, despite there being absolutely no scientific research to back this up.

Kinesiology MSc candidate Vicky Wiltshire and Dr. Tschakovsky set out to discover if this untested hypothesis was true, and their results show that massage actually impairs blood flow to the muscle after exercise, and that it therefore also impairs the removal of lactic acid from muscle after exercise."
Oops.

Unless they massaged the data, that is.

Thursday, June 04, 2009

FDA backs drug that treats diabetes via the brain

Catch-22.
"People with Type 2 diabetes may soon get a very different treatment approach: A drug that helps control blood sugar via the brain — an idea sparked, surprisingly, by the metabolism of migrating birds."
Type 2 diabetes is fat person diabetes.
"Where do the birds come in? Years ago, Louisiana State University researchers were studying how migrating birds arrived at their destinations without being emaciated. They develop seasonal insulin resistance, the very condition that in people leads to Type 2 diabetes.

People don't have those seasonal variations but the theory is the dopamine plays a role anyway.

The researchers discovered a biological clock — in the brain's hypothalamus — that controlled when the metabolism change kicked in for the birds, and also in hibernating mammals. Different concentrations of certain brain chemicals, including dopamine, at different times of day dictated whether the bird metabolized like a fall bird or a summer bird, said Cincotta."
The Catch-22 is that fat people must have little to no brain to regulate since they got themselves fat and diabetic.

But if they do, it is likely to be a bird brain.

Vitamin D Supplements No Help Against Melanoma

Another chink in the armor of the cure du jour.
"Increased vitamin D intake is not protective against melanoma, and may actually increase the risk, according to the results of the largest prospective cohort study on the topic."
Still think they have any idea of what a "safe" supplement is?

Breathing Exercises May Relieve Sleep Apnea Symptoms

Weight loss does it for sure, no "may" about it - when the sleep apnea is due to overweight/obesity.

Sleep apnea is a fatso's disease, mostly.
"Exercising muscles in the upper airway may help improve the symptoms of moderate obstructive sleep apnea, a randomized trial showed."
Good luck with those breathing exercises.

If getting them to "exercise" was so easy, they would not have sleep apnea to begin with.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Weight Gain Early In Life Leads To Physical Disabilities In Older Adults

Kudos, fatsos.
"Carrying extra weight earlier in life increases the risk of developing problems with mobility in old age, even if the weight is eventually lost, according to new research out of the Sticht Center on Aging at Wake Forest University School of Medicine...

'In both men and women, being overweight or obese put them at greater risk of developing mobility limitations in old age, and the longer they had been overweight or obese, the greater the risk,' said lead investigator Denise Houston, Ph.D., R.D., an assistant professor of gerontology at the School of Medicine and an expert on aging and nutrition."
All the more reason not to underwrite care for the fat since they have ample time and years of opportunities to reverse their self-inflicted disease-causing process.

Undiagnosed diabetes costs U.S. $18 billion a year

Kudos, fatsos.
"About 6.3 million Americans have diabetes without knowing it, and complications from their undiagnosed disease account for an estimated $18 billion in U.S. healthcare costs each year, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

Prior studies have shown that diabetes cost the U.S. economy about $174 billion in 2007 in medical expenses and lost productivity...

They estimated that undiagnosed diabetes in 2007 cost an additional $2,864 per person, or a total of $18 billion per year."
Or $3 per person for each person on the planet.

And that is for the undiagnosed cases only.

Get fit. Fight back. Or go broke.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Zinc pill for diarrhoea queried


Still think they have any idea of what an "effective" supplement is?
"The widespread practice of using zinc and copper supplements to treat diarrhoea may not be effective, research by an Indian team suggests.

A team from Lata Medical Research Foundation assessed the effects of the supplements on 808 children in Nagpur.

The BMC Medicine study found they were no more effective at reducing symptoms than a dummy pill...

The researchers found supplements had little effect on how long diarrhoea lasted, how much diarrhoea the children produced, or how much need they had of oral rehydration salts or intravenous fluids."
They don't.

Volunteering may increase retirees' lifespan: study

"Health is a function of participation. Participation is a function of fitness. (tm)"
"Results of new study provide more evidence that participating in volunteer activities may add years to an older person's life.

In a study of U.S. retirees, researchers found that volunteering significantly reduced the chances of dying over a four-year period."
'Nuff said.

Obese children more likely to have allergies: study

Making kids sick - more nutritional child abuse.
"Obese children and adolescents are 26 percent more likely to have some kind of allergy, especially to food, U.S. researchers said on Monday."
And that ain't nothing to sneeze at.

Monday, June 01, 2009

Study Confirms: Your Hidden Food Allergies Are Making You Fat

Bulls**t from oil-producing morons.
"Medical researchers from Dubai reported in the...Middle East Journal of Family Medicine (The Effect of The ALCAT Test Diet Therapy for Food Sensitivity in Patient's With Obesity) that patients unable to achieve goal weight loss (sic) by calorie restriction alone were significantly aided in their attempts when they avoided foods that had been shown by a unique lab test to excite their immune response."
It is an impossibility to be "unable to achieve goal weight loss (sic) by calorie restriction alone."

There is not a single entity in the universe that will fail to lose weight when fewer Calories are consumed than burned.

You just have to do it properly by avoiding the recommendations of the experts.

Dubai? More like these researchers were on doobies.

Too little, too much sleep raises diabetes risk

Not really - it is about too much fat.
"Getting enough sleep -- but not too much -- may be a safeguard against type 2 diabetes, new research in the journal Sleep Medicine shows...

After adjusting for several factors that could affect both sleep duration and diabetes risk, such as physical activity level, age and smoking habits, Chaput and his colleagues found that people who got six hours of sleep or less a night were 2.78 times more likely to develop IGT or full-fledged type 2 diabetes during the course of the study, while risk was 2.54 times greater for people sleeping nine hours or more."
Not the end of the Goldilocks sleep story.
"When the researchers adjusted the data to factor out the influence of excess body weight indications, such as waist circumference, percentage body fat, and body mass index, the link was weakened somewhat, suggesting that obesity was a factor in the relationship as well."
Ah ha!

End of story.

Sleep tight.

White Tea The Solution To The Obesity Epidemic?

And the answer is...
"Possible anti-obesity effects of white tea have been demonstrated in a series of experiments on human fat cells (adipocytes). Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition and Metabolism have shown that an extract of the herbal brew effectively inhibits the generation of new adipocytes and stimulates fat mobilization from mature fat cells...

After treating lab-cultured human pre-adipocytes with the tea extract, the authors found that fat incorporation during the genesis of new adipocytes was reduced."
NO.