Being Overweight Linked To "Severe Brain Degeneration"

More about less.

"US neurologists who analyzed brain scans of elderly people discovered that being overweight is linked to brain tissue loss, or what one researcher described as "severe brain degeneration".

The study was the work of senior author Dr Paul Thompson, a professor of neurology at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and lead author Cyrus A. Raji, a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and colleagues, and is to be published in the journal Human Brain Mapping, of which an early view is available online.

We already know that obesity is linked to an increased risk of several chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke. And now Thompson and colleagues have added another to the list: loss of brain tissue."

The only question is chicken or egg or both?

Are they fat because they are stupid?

Are they stupid because they are fat?

Both of the above?

Strong Thighs Protect Against Symptoms of OA

Train to avoid the pain.

"Strong thigh muscles minimized the pain from osteoarthritis of the knee, but didn't protect against the development of radiographic evidence of the condition in a longitudinal study.

Both men and women in the highest tertile of peak knee extensor strength had reduced odds of developing incident symptomatic whole knee OA (OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3 to 0.8 for women; 95% CI 0.3 to 0.9 for men), according to Neil A. Segal, MD, of the University of Iowa, and colleagues."

Better strong and enabled than weak and disabled.

Train.

Liver Fat Linked to Metabolic Syndrome

Guess who gets fat livers and metabolic syndrome.

"When it comes to how fat affects metabolic risk factors, the issue is where, not how much, researchers said.

The latest hot spot is the liver.

Several studies have shown that visceral fat is associated with increased risk of factors leading to diabetes and heart disease, according to Samuel Klein, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues.

But the real culprit is fat in the liver: other visceral fat might just be an 'innocent bystander,' Klein's group reported online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In a cohort study, they found that obese people with the same visceral fat volume, but different levels of liver fat, had important variations in markers of metabolic disorders.

On the other hand, there were no differences among people with different fat volumes but the same level of liver fat, they found.

'We have found that excess fat in the liver, not visceral fat, is a key marker of metabolic dysfunction,' Klein said in a statement."

And being fat is a key marker of brain dysfunction.

Overweight and Obesity Linked to Lower Brain Volume

No, fat people, it has nothing to do with loudness.

"Overweight and obese individuals have significantly lower brain volume than their normal-weight counterparts, a finding researchers say puts these individuals at much greater risk for dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.

Results from a new imaging study reveal that, on average, obese subjects had 8% lower brain volume than normal-weight subjects and overweight subjects had 4% lower brain volume.

"That's a big loss of tissue and it depletes your cognitive reserves, putting you at much greater risk of Alzheimer's and other diseases that attack the brain," principal investigator Paul M. Thompson, PhD, from the Lab of Neuro Imaging, UCLA School of Medicine, in Los Angeles, California, said in a statement.

The study was published online August 6 in Human Brain Mapping.

Worldwide Problem

It is well known that obesity increases the risk for cardiovascular illness, including diabetes, hypertension, and stroke, all of which increase the risk for cognitive decline and dementia. However, the authors point out, it is not known whether these factors, specifically obesity and type 2 diabetes, are associated with specific patterns of brain atrophy.

The authors note that there are currently more than 1 billion overweight and 300 million obese individuals worldwide. In addition, 40% of men and 45% of women older than 70 years are either obese or have type 2 diabetes."

This explains a lot about politics, AdipOprah's popularity and more.

Valuable research.

10 And 11-Year Olds Feel Pressure To Have A Perfect Body, Canada

Smart kids.

"A study of 4254 Canadian schoolchildren has shown a direct association between BMI and satisfaction with their body shape. The research, published in the open access journal BMC Public Health, shows a linear response for girls, who were happiest when thinnest, and a U-shaped response for boys, who were unhappy when they were too skinny or too fat."

Way smarter than the parents who ruin their awareness of a too high BMI being bad.

From the inherent wisdom that comes from the mouths of babes to unhealthily fat from the Calories that parents shove into the mouths of babes, this is the path of nutritional child abuse.

Too bad.

Identification Of New Genetic Mechanism That Controls The Body's Fat-Building Process

Technobabbling parasites.

"At a time of alarming increases in obesity and associated diseases -- and fiery debates about the cost of health care -- a UCF research team has identified a new genetic mechanism that controls the body's fat-building process.

The discovery could open the door to new treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes, and it has the potential to help hundreds of millions of people and dramatically cut health care costs."

Yeah, as if the crap they "discovered" will be ready in time to help this current "time of alarming increases in obesity and associated diseases -- and fiery debates about the cost of health care."

Anything to make themselves seem relevant in order to get a research buck.

Shut up.

Weight Watchers Meetings Provide A Blend Of Spirituality And Therapy

Weight Watchers has a dismal record of success. You gotta have faith since the program sucks.

"Weight Watchers is the world's largest support group, with more than 1.5 million members worldwide. What makes overweight consumers turn to this organization for help? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says dieters are attracted to its combination of spirituality and therapy....

Interviewing members and observing meetings taught the researchers that Weight Watchers aids dieters' pursuit of well-being in a world that fails to understand them."

What's not to understand about failures?

They are all around us, supporting each other to remain failures.

These just happen to support each other in lack of dieting success - in no small part due to the crappy program, IMHO.

BTW, neither faith nor hope is an action plan.

Audacity notwithstanding.

New fat-fighting drug has anti-diabetes action too

As does weight loss. And you do not have to buy a pill, and all it side effects, for that.

"Researchers searching for a cure for obesity said on Thursday they have developed a drug that not only makes mice lose weight, but reverses diabetes and lowers their cholesterol, too.

The drug, which they have dubbed fatostatin, stops the body from making fat, instead releasing the energy from food. They hope it may lead to a pill that would fight obesity, diabetes and cholesterol, all at once.

Writing in the journal Chemistry and Biology, Salih Wakil of Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, Motonari Uesugi of Kyoto University in Japan and colleagues said the drug interferes with a suite of genes turned on by overeating...

Scientists are painfully aware that drugs that can make mice thin do nothing of the sort in humans. A hormone called leptin can make rats and mice drop weight almost miraculously but does little or nothing for an obese person, for instance.

But Wakil, whose team has patented the drug and is looking for a drug company to partner with, hopes this drug may be different. 'I am very, very optimistic,' he said."

Besides asking "Who gives a s**t about this moron's optimism?", of course he is since there is money to be taken from others in pursuit of this crap.

"Genetic tests showed the drug affected 63 different genes."

The fallout from which they have no idea.

Bad drug.

Good name, however.

One in seven young Canadians deficient in vitamin C

First, it was Vit. D which almost no one on the planet apparently has enough of.

"The British who traveled to Canada by ship in the 1700s knew the risks of not getting enough vitamin C: scurvy. Today's Canadians may need a reminder about the vitamin: As many as one in seven young Canadian adults may be vitamin C deficient, which could place them at increased risk for chronic health problems, study findings suggest...

The findings were comparable to those in a 2004 study of U.S. adults."

Now it is Vit. C.

As vitamin deficiency works its way up the alphabet, all I can say to Vits. A and B, is be afraid, very afraid.

Low-carb diets 'damage arteries'

Oops.

"Low-carb slimming diets may clog arteries and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, a study suggests.

Diets based on eating lots of meat, fish and cheese, while restricting carbohydrates have grown in popularity in recent years.

But the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the US found such habits caused artery damage in tests on mice."

And, by the way, very few ever "slim" on low-carb diets - let alone lastingly.

You want a food program that can work?

Go here and stop wasting your time, and arteries, on fads.

Many diabetic foot amputations are preventable

Yep.

"Limb-salvage experts say many of the 80,000-plus amputations of toes, feet and lower legs that diabetics undergo each year are preventable if only patients got the right care for their feet. Yet they're frustrated that so few do until they're already on what's called the stairway to amputation, suffering escalating foot problems because of a combination of ignorance — among patients and doctors — and payment hassles."

Amputations are complications of Type II diabetes which is fat person diabetes.

"Some 24 million Americans have diabetes, meaning their bodies can't properly regulate blood sugar, or glucose. Over years, high glucose levels gradually damage blood vessels and nerves.

One vicious result: About 600,000 diabetics get foot ulcers every year. Poor blood flow in the lower legs makes those ulcers slow to heal. And loss of sensation in the feet, called neuropathy, makes patients slow to notice even small wounds that rapidly can turn gangrenous.

A mere nick while clipping nails, or a blister from an ill-fitting shoe, can begin the march toward amputation — and about half of patients who do lose a foot die within five years.

Saving those feet isn't cheap. Treating a slow-to-heal diabetic foot ulcer can cost up to $8,000. If it gets infected, $17,000. Worse, a fraction of patients gets multiple slow-to-heal ulcers each year."

Want to prevent them?

Lose the weight before or after you become a Type II diabetic.

Obesity And Weight Management Explores Link Between Erectile Dysfunction And Obesity

If only it could completely stop them from reproducing and parenting nutritionally abused kids.

"Obese men are at increased risk for erectile dysfunction (ED), likely caused by atherosclerosis-related hypertension and cardiovascular disease, as well as hormonal changes associated with obesity...

As many as 30-40% of men over the age of 50 may experience ED, and both obesity and physical inactivity may increase their risk. The build-up of atherosclerotic plaque in the arteries of obese men can damage the arterial lining and contribute to elevated blood pressure."

Besides, who really wants a piece of this?

Nearly 400-Pound Boy, 13, Collapses, Dies on Football Field

And all it generates is wrong point after wrong point.

"An obese eighth-grader's sudden death during a football conditioning lap has revived discussion about whether testing children's hearts before they engage in sports or strenuous activity is necessary.

Anthony Troupe Jr. collapsed last week on a suburban St. Louis football field before he finished running a lap before practice. The oversized 13-year-old was pronounced dead at a local hospital an hour later."

And what is the conversation about?

"In the U.S., screening is the subject of debate, which centers around cost and the concern over an able athlete being held back because of non-definitive test results, Patterson said. He believes anyone who wants to engage in competitive athletics should have an EKG to detect problems resulting in sudden cardiac death in athletes.

'But do you do an EKG on 5 million kids to find 15 cases?' asks Dr. Robert Eckel, past president of the American Heart Association and professor of medicine at University of Colorado Denver Medical School. 'It's a matter of cost and benefit.'

On the other hand, he said, 'If you're a parent who has lost a child, an EKG should have been done.'"

As millions of children are set-ups for less dramatic illnesses that cripple, cause suffering and pain, all they can debate is this one unfortunate and sensational case.

The rest of the children are ignored.

And who is to blame?

The parents, teachers, principals, doctors, nurses, et. al., who did squat in violation of their legally mandated duties, to help this poor kid (and the others) who are the victims of nutritional child abuse.

These are the guardians, first and second line, of our children.

For shame.

Tamoxifen link to second tumours

Oops.

"Long-term use of a common breast cancer drug may hike the risk of developing a deadly second tumour, a study suggests.

Tamoxifen, given to thousands of British women, prevents tumours being fuelled by the sex hormone oestrogen, and stops them returning after surgery.

But a US study links use of the drug to a four-fold raised risk of developing a more aggressive, difficult-to-treat tumour, not dependent on oestrogen."

And with time, more probs related to diet pills will come to light, too.

Unsafe urban neighborhoods linked to teen weight

It's the excusinators at it, again.

"Living in an urban neighborhood that feels unsafe may be a factor in a teen's risk for being overweight, hints a study of public high school students in Boston, Massachusetts."

Then eat less at home.

Shut up.

Morons.

FDA probes liver damage with weight loss pill alli

Oops.

"The Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports of liver damage in patients taking alli, the only nonprescription weight loss drug approved by the agency...

Signs of liver damage include fatigue, fever, nausea and vomiting."

So that is how the weight is lost in the very, very few instances where weight is lost.

Health Insurance Premiums May Double by 2020

Good news!

"Health insurance premiums, which doubled in the last decade, will nearly double again in the next 10 years, placing an increasing burden on families and employers if costs continue to grow at the current rate, a Commonwealth Fund report predicts."

Just like most people's weight.

"In 2008, the average employer-sponsored insurance premium -- including the employer and family shares -- was $12,298, which represents an increase of 119% from 1999, according to the report.

That figure is expected to grow to $23,842 by 2020 if current trends continue."

Think it is about time to lose the weight?

Association Of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms And The Metabolic Syndrome

The fat gots LUTS of problems.

"There is increasing evidence of an association between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Results from the present study - The Boston Area Community Health Survey - conducted in a population-based sample of men, show an association between LUTS and the metabolic syndrome, a precursor state for diabetes and cardiovascular disease that includes criteria for dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, hypertension, and central adiposity."

And what are the symptoms of LUTS?

Symptoms can be divided into seven groups:

Storage: increased daytime frequency, nocturia, urgency, urinary incontinence (stress incontinence, urge incontinence, mixed urinary incontinence, enuresis, continuous urinary leakage).

Voiding symptoms: poor stream, hesitancy, intermittent stream, straining, terminal dribble.

Postmicturition symptoms: postmicturition dribble, feeling of incomplete emptying.
Symptoms associated with sexual intercourse: dyspareunia, vaginal dryness, incontinence.

Symptoms associated with genitourinary prolapse: feeling of 'something coming down', low backache, heaviness, dragging sensation.

Genital and lower urinary tract pain: pain may be associated with bladder filling, micturition, postmicturition or continuous.

Genitourinary pain syndromes and Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction (LUTD): symptom syndromes suggestive of LUTD may be those of an overactive bladder or of bladder outlet obstruction.

Nice.

Workplace Obesity Interventions Must Be Inexpensive To Generate A Return On Investment

The problem is that so-called workplace wellness programs are impossible.

There is no way that they can ever be cost-effective even if they are "inexpensive."

"At work, obesity interventions must focus on low-cost policy or environmental changes to generate a return on investment, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

Because many employers require information about costs saved by interventions, this study, published in the July issue of Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, calculated return on investment from workplace obesity interventions.

'Although the cost of obesity is high, the potential savings associated with moderate weight loss is relatively modest,' said Justin Trogdon, Ph.D., a health economist at RTI and the paper's lead author. 'However, interventions that reduce excess weight can still be cost effective even if they are not cost saving on net.'

According to the researchers, behavioral interventions are generally considered successful if they can lead to 5 percent weight loss over a sustained period of time.

The study results showed that those benefits equate to about $90 per year across all overweight or obese individuals, or $160 per year for those in the highest obesity range.

The research said that those savings are much less than the costs for many worksite programs."

As they will always be for things that do not work.

Daily drinking may raise risk of several cancers

So much for the healthy effects of alcohol.

"Men who drink beer or liquor on a regular basis may face a heightened risk of several different types of cancer, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that among nearly 3,600 Canadian men ages 35 to 70, those who averaged at least a drink per day had higher risks of a number of cancers than men who drank occasionally or not at all -- including cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon, lungs, pancreas, liver and prostate...

Many studies have suggested that moderate drinking -- usually defined as no more than a drink or two per day -- can be a healthy habit, particularly when it comes to heart disease risk.

But the current study suggests that even such moderate drinking levels are linked to higher risks of certain cancers, at least when the alcohol of choice is beer or liquor.

The question of whether moderate drinkers should cut down, however, cannot be answered by a single study, according to Benedetti.

'In terms of balancing this risk (of cancer) with risks of cardiovascular disease,' she said, 'people should talk with their doctor.'"

A lot of good that will do.

Still think they have any idea of what they are talking about?

Daylight Could Help Control Our Weight

Stupid research either in the light of day or the darkness of night.

"Exciting research into Brown adipose tissue (BAT) brown fat, which is found in abundance in hibernating animals and newborn babies could lead to new ways of preventing obesity."

Notice the parts about "hibernating animals" and "newborn babies."

Nada about humans beyond newborns.

"BAT is activated by the cold and is unique in being able to produce very large amounts of heat but little is known about the main factors that regulate the amount of BAT in our bodies. Professor Symonds said: 'Our research demonstrates a very strong seasonal variation in the presence of BAT. The study focused on the impact of daylight and ambient temperature as these are two key factors in determining BAT function in small mammals. Our exciting new findings may help us find novel interventions aimed at promoting BAT activity particularly in the winter.'"

So the deal is, these nuts from Nuttingham are gonna ship the fat to places with "favorable" daylight.

Though there may be an advantage to sending all the fat away, the likelihood is that the rest of us will have to pay carriage costs.

Either way, keep them around or send them away, the fit get screwed.

Stressed-out coeds eat more sweets, snacks

Poor dears.

"The urge to chow down on sweets and fast food at stressful times knows no boundaries, at least among European women.

Female first-year college students from Germany, Poland and Bulgaria all reported eating more of these types of foods if they felt stressed out, and fewer fruits and vegetables, Dr. Rafael T. Mikolajczyk of the University of Bielefeld in Germany and colleagues found."

Gruh-gruh...oink-oink...chrum-chrum

Animal sounds in foreign languages

Pig

Afrikaans: oink-oink
Albanian: hunk hunk
Bulgarian: - (gruh-gruh)
Catalan: onk-onk
Chinese (Mandarin): hu-lu hu-lu
Croatian: rok-rok
Czech: chro chro
Danish: øf
English: oink oink
Esperanto: grunt
Estonian: rui rui
Finnish: röh röh
French: groin groin
German: oink oink
Hungarian: röf-röf-röf
Indonesia: ngoik ngoik
Japanese: buubuu
Korean: kkool-kkool
Montenegrin: oink oink
Norwegian: nøff-nøff
Polish: chrum chrum
Portuguese (Portugal): gruinh / oinc
Portuguese (Brazil): óinc-óinc
Romanian: groh groh
Russian: khryu-khryu
Spanish (Spain): oink-oink
Swedish: nöff
Thai: ood ood (with high tone)
Ukrainian: khryu-khryu
Vietnamese: ut-it
Welsh: soch, soch
Urdu: eeheeah eeheeah ()

Cholesterol in Fried Foods Worse for Arteries

Eat it raw.

"Cholesterol that is oxidized in foods by frying or other high-heat cooking methods may be substantially worse for the arteries, according to results of an animal study...

When fatty foods are heated, the cholesterol reacts with oxygen to form a variety of "cholesterol oxidation products" or oxycholesterols. The researchers estimated that up to 10% of total cholesterol in the average person's diet is oxidized.

'Putting it in practical terms, you have to avoid eating these fried foods containing oxidized cholesterol,' Chen recommended...

Oxidized cholesterol particles are known to adhere more easily to blood vessel walls, disrupt nitric oxide release, and move more quickly outside the vessel lining where they attract white blood cells, she said.

Oxidization of lipids happens naturally in the body as well, but 'what this study adds is that you can eat them already oxidized,' she said."

Look soon for laws requiring restaurants to list on their menus whether the foods they serve are cooked.

Homeopathy not a cure, says WHO

Sez who? WHO, that's who.

"People with conditions such as HIV, TB and malaria should not rely on homeopathic treatments, the World Health Organization has warned.

It was responding to calls from young researchers who fear the promotion of homeopathy in the developing world could put people's lives at risk.

The group Voice of Young Science Network has written to health ministers to set out the WHO view.

However practitioners said there were areas where homeopathy could help."

As in areas like their wallets, or whatever the local equivalent is.

"'When homeopathy stands in place of effective treatment, lives are lost.'"

Welcome to Whore Foods Market, the "First World" store for people with "Fourth World" brains.

Primary liver cancers 'soaring'

Lily livered? No fatty livered.

"Cases of primary liver cancer, an often preventable disease, have trebled in the last 30 years, figures suggest.

While it is not uncommon for cancer to spread to the liver, Cancer Research UK statistics show incidents where it starts in the organ have risen sharply.
Cases of cancer overall have increased over recent decades as people live longer and detection methods improve.

But experts say hepatitis C infections, as well as alcohol and obesity, have helped fuel the spike in liver cases...

Obesity is now thought to be one of the most common causes of liver disease, while cases of cirrhosis associated with excessive drinking are known to have soared in the UK in recent years."

Oink.

Pate de foie de pork (pig liver pate)

Strips of fatback or bacon to line the terrine, 1 1/2 lbs pig liver, cubed, with veins and connective tissue removed, 1 1/2 lbs sowbelly or fatty shoulder, 1/2 lb leaf lard, 1 large egg, 4 tablespoons of flour blended with 1/2 cup dry white wine, seasoning to taste.

Grind together all of the meat and lard. Add the other ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Follow the preceeding terrine directions for cooking and preservation. This is a classic French country style pate.

(No. I am not suggesting that you eat the livers of fat people.)

Consumers devouring nutrient-spiked foods, drinks

It is simply impossible to overestimate how stupid some people are.

"From heart-friendly margarines to sugary cereals that strengthen bones, once-demonized foods are being spiked with nutrients to give them a healthier glow — and consumers are biting, even on some that are little more than dressed-up junk food.

A report released Thursday finds that even in a weak economy, people will pay a premium for products seen as preventing a health problem or providing a good alternative to sodas and empty-calorie snacks. The report is from research firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

These products include winners and sinners: juices that supply kids with needed calcium, but also candy disguised as granola bars with just a smidgeon of much-ballyhooed nutrients.

The industry calls these products "nutraceuticals" or "functional foods." Critics say they could lead people to consume too much of certain nutrients, plus too many calories and fats."

These f*ck-u-to-kill foods are the food industry's way of killing you softly with their Siren's song.

"Americans have a big appetite for these products."

Or any food product.

"'It's really a junk food dressed up to look prettier than it is,' he said. 'People are going to be deceived into thinking a lot of these products are especially healthy for them when there's little evidence they are. There's more hype to these products than there is reality.'"

Try to think about that the next tome you plunk down your money at Whore Foods.

Adult video gamers often overweight, depressed

Go figure.

"Teens aren't the only ones glued to the video game console. According to a new survey, the average video gamer in the U.S. today is 35 years old -- and not all that healthy physically or emotionally.

According to the survey released this week, the typical adult video game player is overweight, introverted and may be a little bit depressed."

Wonder why...

He seems well-adjusted.

Food stamp users risk weight gain: study

More on poveresity.

"Packing on the pounds may be an unintended consequence of the U.S. Food Stamp Program, according to research that shows that getting food stamps may help contribute to obesity, at least among women...

Zagorsky and Smith also found that BMI increased faster when participants were getting food stamps than when they were not, and increased more the longer they were in the food stamp program...

Modifying the food stamp program to include economic incentives to buy and eat healthier foods 'might be an important tool for fighting obesity,' Zagorsky offers.

People on food stamps, for example, could be required to take a course on nutrition and food stamp users who purchase fresh fruit and vegetables and other low-fat products could be given more benefits or receive discounts on these products, he said."

Or...give them less so they buy fewer Calories, since there are no "healthy" foods, anyway (there is only eating healthily).

A better approach.

Australians Urged To Make The Right Start During National Breakfast Week

Not corn flakes, rather CON flakes.

"The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) and Kellogg have teamed up to remind Australians about the benefits of breakfast, by launching Australia's first National Breakfast Week...

"'Healthy eating really is the key to healthy living - a good breakfast ensures you start the day with essential nutrients and energy to boost your metabolism and help you get through the morning,' said Di Prima."

Crap.

Health is the statistical likelihood of developing certain bad illnesses.

To the best of our current knowledge, your likelihood of developing these certain bad illnesses is least when your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9.

We do not know if eating boneless, skinless, organic, free range chicken breasts and having a BMI of 23.0 is any "healthier" than having a BMI of 23.0 and you got there eating the meat of 4-legged animals.

Nor do we know if that same BMI is any "healthier" if you got there eating 3 meals per day or 2 meals per day, skipping breakfast.

It is a what works world and what works for you may be skipping breakfast.

The goal is your body weight, not whether Kellogg's sells you its products or dietitians sell you their services.

Healthy eating is eating just about anyway you choose so your BMI ends up between 18.5 and 24.9.

Period.

If you want strategies on how to do what works, go here.

Meal Replacements Aid Weight Loss

So do researchers with conflicts of interest. Or at least they aid in generating favorable weight loss data and weight loss products companies' bottom lines.

"The meal replacements are products of Health Management Resources Corporation (HMR), a privately owned national health care company specializing in weight loss and weight management.

The study assessed weight outcomes, behavioral data and side effects for obese patients enrolled in an intensive behavioral weight loss program. Two treatment options were offered, Medically Supervised and Healthy Solutions. Medically Supervised patients restricted food consumption to meal replacements, which consisted of shakes and entrees, and bars. Patients either consumed five shakes daily or three shakes and two shelf-stable entrees daily. Healthy Solutions patients limited food intake to shakes, entrees, bars, fruit and vegetables...

The study's co-author, Dr. James W. Anderson, professor emeritus of internal medicine and clinical nutrition at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, said the gold standard for weight loss by the health community is a 5 to10 percent loss of initial body weight. "This study showed a loss of 16.4 percent of initial body weight in the Medically Supervised group and a loss of 15.8 percent of initial body weight in the Healthy Solutions group, both well above the gold standard the health community considers successful and when health improvements are seen."

Anderson served as medical director for the Health Management Resources Program for Weight Management at UK for 22 years and actively continues as staff physician at HMR. The program is a partnership between the UK College of Medicine and Health Management Resources Corporation in Boston, Mass...

Anderson receives salary support and research funding from Health Management Resources. He also receives active research support from the HCF Nutrition Research Foundation."

Put 2 and 2 together and what do you getl?

Whore.

Overweight friends eat more when they dine together

Really?

"Overweight children and teenagers may eat more when they have a snack with an overweight friend rather than a thinner peer, a new study suggests.

In a study of 9- to 15-year-olds, researchers found that all kids, regardless of their weight, tended to eat more when they had the chance to snack with a friend than when they were with a peer they did not know.

But the biggest calorie intakes were seen when an overweight child snacked with an overweight friend.

The findings, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, highlight the role of friends' influence in how much kids eat -- and, possibly, in their weight control.

It's not surprising that children eat more when they are with friends instead of strangers, according to lead researcher Dr. Sarah-Jean Salvy, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the State University of New York at Buffalo."

Guess I should have written about this long ago.

Oh, what do you know?

I did.

But the problem is no one will do anything about it, even though many are supposed to, by law.

Bad parents will continue to overfeed their piglets, will continue to let them associate with other piglets and will continue to do everything swinely possible to nutritionally abuse their kids.

That is, no one will do anything unless more of us step up to the plate and go to bat for the kids.

Do what's right.

Help the kids.

Experts Debunk Myth About Exercise, Weight Loss

These folks would rather save their asses than help you lose yours.

"Leading experts in exercise and weight management have taken strong exception to assertions that exercise can inhibit weight loss by over-stimulating the appetite.

According to John Jakicic, Ph.D., FACSM, 'There is strong evidence from the majority of the scientific literature that physical activity is an important component for initial weight loss.'"

Not so fast, John.

"Responding to a statement recently published online and in print, Jakicic added that 'The statement 'in general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless' is not supported by the scientific evidence when there is adherence to a sufficient dose of physical activity in overweight and obese adults.' Jakicic chairs a committee on obesity prevention and treatment for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and helped write an ACSM Position Stand on strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults."

Note the kicker, "when there is adherence to a sufficient dose of physical activity in overweight and obese adults..."

Just as it is impossible for most people to adhere to conventional diets since they are all starvation diets (e.g., see here, here, here and here), so, too, is it impossible for most people to follow the insane fitness recommendations of organizations such as ACSM and agencies like CDC.

Note that this article was released by the ACSM.

These are "experts" with a vested interest and clear bias.

They are fighting for their lives, not yours, IMHO, since their raison d'etre is under justified attack.

Baby boomers still getting high, U.S. agency says

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. More doublethink?

"Baby boomers, now well into middle age, are still turning on to illegal drugs, doubling the rates of illicit drug use for the older generation, according to U.S. government statistics released on Wednesday...

'This continued use poses medical risks to these individuals and is likely to put further strains on the nation's health care system -- highlighting the value of preventing drug use from ever starting.'"

So the President's Prostate Cancer Prevention Program goes up in smoke.

Yes we can-nabis, or no we can't-abis?

You decide.

Health care cost burden for obese getting heavier

The problem:

"Caring for obese people is eating up an ever-bigger slice of the US health care spending pie, a new government report shows."

The solution: stop caring for them.

"From 2001 to 2006, health care expenditures on obese adults rose from $167 billion to $303 billion, an 82 percent jump, according to an analysis by Marie N. Stagnitti, a senior survey statistician at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in Rockville, Maryland.

Costs for overweight individuals rose 36 percent, from $202 billion to $275 billion, while spending on normal-weight people rose 25 percent, from $208 billion to $260 billion."

One place not to turn for solutions is to this Stagnitti idiot.

"'Obviously we need to get this under control,' Stagnitti told Reuters Health. 'This is just another way to cut the data show that, especially for the obese population, we need to figure out what's going on there.'"(sic)

When someone is so stupid that they "need to figure out what's going on," re: overweight/obesity, it is time to put them out of our misery.

There is one thing and one thing only going on - more Calories in than out.

With sh*theads like Stagnitti and her ilk in positions of influence there can be only hope.

And hope is one pis*-poor action plan.

"Obese people accounted for 28 percent of total health care spending in 2001, and 35 percent in 2006, the researcher found, while normal-weight people's share of these costs dropped from 35 percent to 30 percent.

During that time the number of obese adults in the US rose from 48 million to 59 million, while the number of normal weight adults actually fell slightly, from 79.6 million to 78.3 million."

Note that these figures do not include the merely overweight.

"During the survey period, the proportion of overweight and obese people in the US population grew, which likely accounts for some of the increases in costs; in 2001, 23.6 percent of US adults were obese and 39 percent were normal-weight, compared to 27.2 percent and 36.1 percent, respectively, in 2006."

Ah, here they are. Can't forget the other elephants in the room.

And they are growing, too. In number and size.

"Stagnitti's analysis also showed that obese people accounted for the lion's share of the US population with at least a single chronic disease, like heart disease or diabetes. In 2001, 57.1 percent were obese, and in 2006 59.7 percent were obese."

Let 'em live with their diseases of choice or pay for 'em themselves.

Nothing else will work to stem the tide.

And if any of you have a chance to speak with the Dear and Fearless Leaders in DC, please tell them to stick their sick care reform plans up their fat (insert body parts).

Nothing will work to stem the costs of a repair and rescue industry - no funding scheme, no Counseling For Clunkers (tm) Program or Counseling 4 Clunkers (tm) Program, no nothing - except a better product entering the system.

Until they fix the fat, the rest of the system has no chance of improving.

Bridging The Health GAP: Connecting The Doctor's Office And The Gym

One from the badly timed article file. (e.g., see here)

"Interweaving the worlds of doctors, fitness professionals and patients into one model platform for optimum health and fitness has long been a challenge for proponents of healthy lifestyles. But a new partnership between the Exercise is Medicine™ global initiative and Anytime Fitness, the world's largest co-ed fitness chain, aims to do just that and demonstrate how exercise can help solve America's health care crisis."

Do not fall for their hype.

It simply ain't gonna work. Here is one reason.

Another is that docs are out of shape and overweight, too.

The proof is in their bodies.

They don't have the bona fides.

A third is that exercise is a fool's game for weight loss and "health care."

Successfully controlling caloric intake is the only first step. Anything else is just plain stupid.

Cannabis chemicals may help fight prostate cancer

Talk about blowing smoke up your butt.

"Chemicals in cannabis have been found to stop prostate cancer cells from growing in the laboratory, suggesting that cannabis-based medicines could one day help fight the disease, scientists said Wednesday.

After working initially with human cancer cell lines, Ines Diaz-Laviada and colleagues from the University of Alcala in Madrid also tested one compound on mice and discovered it produced a significant reduction in tumor growth.

Their research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, underlines the growing interest in the medical use of active chemicals called cannabinoids, which are found in marijuana.

Experts, however, stressed that the research was still exploratory and many more years of testing would be needed to work out how to apply the findings to the treatment of cancer in humans..."

Dude.

"'These chemicals can stop the division and growth of prostate cancer cells and could become a target for new research into potential drugs to treat prostate cancer,' she said."

Isn't that what the colchicine was for?

"Other attempts to exploit the cannibinoid system have met with mixed success. Sanofi-Aventis was forced to withdraw its weight-loss drug Acomplia from the market last year because of links to mental disorders."

Oops.

BTW, these "disorders" had something to do with suicide.

Turn on, tune in, drop dead with a healthy prostate.

Parents May Be Misled About How Infants Should Sleep

More about the MSM's killing fields.

"Parents may be getting the wrong message about safe sleeping for their infants from mainstream magazines, researchers found.

More than one-third of photographs in advertisements and articles in magazines geared toward women, expectant parents, and parents of young children showed babies sleeping on their sides or stomachs, according to Rachel Moon, MD, of Children's National Medical Center in Washington, and colleagues.

Moreover, nearly two-thirds of the photographs depicted infant sleep environments that were unsafe, they reported online in Pediatrics."

The MSM has been hurting us for years.

Your defense?

Don't believe 'em.

And when it comes to fitness, your defense is here at Fitness Watch.

We got your back. And your front. And your sides. And your top. And your bottom.

Abdominally Obese At Higher Risk Of Several Illnesses, Australia

News Flash!

Not.

"A new study published in the Medical Journal of Australia has shown that Australians who are abdominally obese (large waist circumference) are at heightened risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

The landmark AusDiab study surveyed 11,247 Australian adults aged 25 years or over in 1999 and 2000. In 2004 and 2005, 6537 of these participants returned for a follow-up physical examination.

The study found that men and women who were obese were more than twice as likely to develop diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal blood lipid (cholesterol) levels and the metabolic syndrome over the next 5 years compared to those with a normal waist circumference...

'Our findings confirm that abdominal obesity confers a considerably heightened risk of type 2 diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, and heart disease,' said Mr Adrian Cameron, an epidemiologist at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne."

OMG!

Who could have possibly guessed that Type 2 diabetes is fat person diabetes?

Or that metabolic syndrome, which by definition is a fat person syndrome, is a fat person syndrome?

Or that there is a link between too-fat and heart disease?

Duh.

Apparently they have money to burn down under to do "landmark" studies that confirm others.

What a big waste for such a big waist.

Sleep apnea raises death risk 46 percent: study

Sleep apnea is a fat person's disease.

"They said people with severe breathing disorders during sleep were more likely to die from a variety of causes than similar people without such sleep disorders. The risks are most obvious in men aged 40 to 70, Naresh Punjabi of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and colleagues found.

Sleep apnea is caused by a collapse of the upper airway during sleep. Strong snoring can be a symptom but what makes apnea different are numerous brief interruptions in breathing.

Sleep apnea is closely linked with obesity, high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke, but researchers have not been able to clearly quantify how much more likely it makes a person to die."

The ones who really lose sleep here are the fit, since they have to pay to rescue the fat from their diseases of choice.

Hey, fat people! Shed the pounds and get some rest.

New Study Finds Links Between Video-Game Playing And Health Risks In Adults

A Wii game, a huge disappointment.

"While video gaming is generally perceived as a pastime for children and young adults, research shows that the average age of players in the United States is 35. Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Emory University and Andrews University analyzed survey data from over 500 adults ranging in age from 19 to 90 in the Seattle-Tacoma area on health risks; media use behaviors and perceptions, including those related to video-game playing; and demographic factors. In an article published in the October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, they found measurable correlations between video-game playing and health risks.

A total of 45.1% of respondents reported playing video games. Female video-game players reported greater depression and lower health status than female nonplayers. Male video-game players reported higher BMI and more Internet use time than male nonplayers. The only determinant common to both female and male video-game players was greater reliance on the Internet for social support."

Well, you probably have to when you're likely a fat, out of shape videogame playing slug.

Moderate drinking 'boosts bones'

Maybe. There is this:

"Women who drink moderate amounts of beer may be strengthening their bones, according to Spanish researchers.

Their study of almost 1,700 women, published in the journal Nutrition, found bone density was better in regular drinkers than non-drinkers.

But the team added that plant hormones in the beer rather than the alcohol may be responsible for the effects.

Experts urged caution, warning that drinking more than two units of alcohol a day was known to harm bone health."

Must be all those plant hormones ganging up on drinkers.

Then there is this:

"Daily limits on alcohol consumption are meaningless and potentially harmful, experts have warned."

So what are you gonna believe?

Still think they have any idea what they are slurring about?

Chinese herb shows promise for rheumatoid arthritis

High octane alternative care - more TCM.

"The Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) proved more effective than the anti-inflammatory drug sulfasalazine in a study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis...

Many patients in both groups discontinued treatment, the researchers report."

Gotta wonder why.

In any event, until we know, get the lead out.

Routine pre-exercise heart check often not needed

Probably right for at least two reasons.

"Most generally healthy adults starting an exercise program do not need to see their doctor first, researchers say.

Routine medical screening before starting a regular exercise regimen with the goal of reducing the risk of sudden exercise-induced death is not recommended, the researchers wrote in a report published this month."

The first is that "exercise" is too weenie to cause real harm. Or real good for that matter.

The second is that most people do not engage in physical activity anyway so why would they need a "pre-exercise heart check"?

Tissue Scarring Key To Link Between Obesity And Diabetes

Not even close. Mumbo-jumbo.

"The team, in collaboration with University Hospital Aintree, the University of Warwick and researchers in Sweden, found that people classified as obese and those with pre-diabetes have raised levels of a protein called SPARC, that can cause tissue scarring. The research revealed that an increase in insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar levels, and leptin, a hormone that regulates appetite, can trigger an increase in SPARC, which can prevent the proper storage of fat in fat tissue cells.

It is thought that leptin, in an attempt to balance energy levels in the body, could trigger SPARC to limit the storage of fat. SPARC can do this by increasing the formation of scars in fat tissue, which can prevent fat being stored safely in the body. Researchers found that this process could predispose obese patients to type 2 diabetes."

What is the real link between obesity and diabetes?

Obesity.

Study Backs Kids' TV Junk Food Ad Ban, Australia

No, it doesn't.

"A new study provides clear evidence of the health benefits of banning TV junk food advertising aimed at children, AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today.

Research conducted by Professor Boyd Swinburn and his colleagues at the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre in Obesity Prevention at Deakin University found banning junk food ads aimed at children would lead to a 1.4 per cent, or 540 grams, reduction in the average weight of an Australian child."

If you read the whole piece, which was written by the AMA, you will find that they say absolutely nothing about the study or how the data were generated.

Incidentally, 540 grams, the amount of weight that "would" be lost, is a mere 1.19 pounds.

This means that the average Australian child weighs 84.9 pounds.

More yellow "medical" journalism.

Psychologist Says Parents Can Help Stop The Obesity Epidemic

Duh.

"Childhood obesity has quadrupled in the last 40 years, which may mean today's children become the first generation to have a shorter lifespan than their parents, a leading obesity expert told the American Psychological Association on Saturday.

However, parents can help stave off this impending crisis if they help their children to eat better and exercise..."

This guy is one of the 100 monkeys at the typewriter who puts out crap ideas and finally got one right.

Parents should be held accountable for the overfatness of their kids.

Link Between Over-indebtedness And Obesity Identified

Birds of the over-feather flock together.

"Scientists at the University of Mainz have discovered a close correlation between over-indebtedness and obesity. According to the report published in the journal BMC Public Health, over-indebted Germans are more likely to be overweight or obese than the population in general."

And with the overweight and over-indebted are the over-stupid researchers:

"The authors attribute this to the high cost of a healthy diet..."

Eating healthily is CHEAPER than eating unhealthily.

More research that overwhelms us with crap.

Scientists find rare gene behind short sleepers

But can they help them become taller sleepers?

"Scientists have discovered a gene that helps a mother and daughter stay alert on about six hours sleep a night, two hours less than the rest of their family needs.

It's believed to be a very rare mutation, not an excuse for the rest of us who stay up too late. But the finding, published in Friday's edition of the journal Science, offers a new lead to study how sleep affects health."

These researchers are impressive.

They found the about 6-hour gene. Not the about 5:59 and about 6:01 genes.

One down, 1439 to go.

Until they get better and find the 5:59:59 and 6:00:01 genes.

Then it is one down, 86,399 to go.

Yep. It must be this rare mutation and no other possible cause.

"The result: A model that 'provides a unique opportunity' to study the effects of different amounts of sleep, Fu concluded."

Yuck Fu.

Food Stamp Use Linked To Weight Gain

Fat people are terrible investors - they buy energy (in the form of Calories) and hold it on their bodies until they die.

Then they take it with them to the grave.

Overweight/obesity is the ultimate buy-and-hold investment.

"The U.S. Food Stamp Program may help contribute to obesity among its users, according to a new nationwide study that followed participants for 14 years.

Researchers found that the average user of food stamps had a Body Mass Index (BMI) 1.15 points higher than non-users. The link between food stamps and higher weight was almost entirely based on women users, who averaged 1.24 points higher BMI than those not in the program, the study found. For an average American woman, this would mean an increase in weight of 5.8 pounds.

The study also found that people's BMI increased faster when they were on food stamps than when they were not, and increased more the longer they were in the program."

No wonder they "need" food stamps.

Fatsos squander their money on investments that can only depreciate in value.

As I exposed in MASSematics (tm):How To Get Rich By Not Dieting, overeating Calories, i.e., obesity, causes poverty.

This is called poveresity.

Then they expect the rest of us to pay for their rescue.

Forget about it.

Implement a Corporal Gains Tax that affects the fat so they can pay for their own rescue.

Mothers Follow Their Own Moms' Parenting Practices

Mystery solved.

"When it comes to how they raise their children, mothers today tend to follow the same practices their own mothers did, according to a new study that looked at parenting practices across two generations."

Fat parents have fat kids.

There is no genetic cause for fat kids and fat grandkids.

It is transgenerational bad parenting.

Goal setting helps cut type 2 diabetes risk

A red herring.

"Adults may be able to reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes as they age simply by setting diet and exercise goals and sticking to those goals, study findings hint.

Older men and women who self-monitored their behavior and set healthier diet and physical activity goals not only lost weight and body mass over a year, but maintained their losses after 3 years, researchers report in the journal Diabetes Care."

It is all about the weight and losing the excess.

Then all is better.

However, simple it is not, as the conventional diet schemes are "Executioners' Diets."

Also flawed are the fitness program schemes.

Together they stymie the efforts of those who sincerely want and try to lose weight and get physically fitter.

Risk For Weight Gain In Children May Be Increased By Certain Behavioral Traits And Feeding Practices

Let's think about what those might be?

"Many clinicians and public health officials view parental involvement as an essential part of solving the current childhood obesity epidemic. However, it's important for parents to use the right approach when trying to combat childhood obesity."

How about being bad parents and feeding them too much?

Amazonian Tribe Sheds Light On Causes Of Heart Disease In Developed Countries

More on the inflammation causes you to be dead debate.

"Heart attacks and strokes the leading causes of death in the United States and other developed countries may have been rare for the vast majority of human history, suggests a study to be published in PLoS ONE on Tuesday, August 11...

Chronic inflammation, which may lead to damage of the arteries, is prevalent among the Tsimane. According to the study, the Tsimane also have unusually high levels of C-reactive protein, increasingly used in clinical settings to evaluate risk for cardiovascular disease.

Yet, despite these risk factors for heart attacks, the researchers found that the high levels of C-reactive protein were unrelated to risk of peripheral arterial disease (the hardening of plaque in the arteries).

In fact, peripheral arterial disease 'increases with age in every investigated population except the Tsimane,' according to the study. Among the Tsimane, not a single adult showed evidence for peripheral arterial disease (measured using the ankle-brachial blood pressure index)."

And so, the shelf life of yet another biomarker is in question.

Still think they have any idea what they are talking about?

Leading Exercise Scientist Points To Increasing Evidence That Sedentary Lives Can Be Deadly

No. THIS "leading scientist" does; sapient ones, don't. Here are some who do not.

"As many as 50 million Americans are living sedentary lives, putting them at increased risk of health problems and even early death, a leading expert in exercise science told the American Psychological Association...

The researchers periodically measured the participants' body composition and body mass index, and each patient underwent a stress test."

Most of the problems are related to overweight/obesity.

Exercise is a terribly inefficient way to control weight.

And the solution is has nothing to do with what this "expert" recommends:

"'We need numerous changes to promote more physical activity for all, including public policies, changes in the health care system, promoting activity in educational settings and worksites, and social and physical environmental changes. We need more communities where people feel comfortable walking. I believe psychologists can help develop better lifestyle change interventions to help people be more active via the Internet and other technological methods.'"

We need to tax the fat more, we need to have them pay more for sick care insurance, we need to report fat parents to the appropriate child welfare organizations, we need to make mandatory reporters accountable for breaking the law...

Breast reconstruction may not boost well-being

Too bad. So many men need it these days.

"Similarly, nine of 16 studies on body image showed no clear differences -- including each of the three studies the researchers deemed to be 'higher-quality.'

And of 12 studies that looked at sexual functioning, seven found no differences, while the rest were split; in two..."

Oh, well.

Offspring weight, heart risks linked to mom's blood sugar

And just guess which moms tend to have high blood sugar.

"A mother's blood sugar levels during pregnancy may increase her offspring's risk for being overweight and having heart disease, according to findings from a Danish study.

Such high blood sugar levels - characteristic of diabetes during pregnancy, known as gestational diabetes - have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease and other problems in animals. The cluster of conditions - high blood pressure, low levels of 'good' cholesterol, high levels of blood lipids (fats), elevated blood sugar, body weight, and waist size - are known in humans as metabolic syndrome and indicate increased risk for heart disease and diabetes."

Fat ones.

More early nutritional child abuse.

Doctor: Women Wired to Dislike Mothers-in-Law

More hardwiring. (see here, here and here.)

"Now, the reason behind the age-old problem of feuding between mothers-in-law and their sons' wives has been answered. Wives are programmed to dislike their partner's mom."

It will never stop.

Rate of severe childhood obesity up sharply in U.S.

Move along. No surprise here. Nothing to see. Move along.

"The rate of severe obesity among U.S. children and teenagers more than tripled over the past three decades, a new study finds.

Using data from a long-running government health survey, researchers found that as of 2004, nearly 4 percent of 2- to 19-year-olds in the U.S. were severely obese...

'Children are not only becoming obese, but becoming severely obese, which impacts their overall health,' lead researcher Dr. Joseph A. Skelton, of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said in a news release from the university."

As if this isn't bad enough, here is the boneheaded solution advocated by the researchers:

"'These findings,' he added, 'reinforce the fact that medically-based programs to treat obesity are needed throughout the United States and insurance companies should be encouraged to cover this care.'"

Clearly this is not the solution, will never be the solution and the researcher...well, he belongs behind bars for being the lawbreaker he is, IMHO.

And in CAPTA's HO, too.

Effect Of Gastric Bypass Surgery On Kidney Stone Disease

The effect is bad.

"UroToday.com - 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' (George Santayana in The Life of Reason 1905). One of the first unintentional human models created for calcium oxalate stone formation was in the obese patient who underwent a jejunal ileal bypass.

In this patient population, the risk of stone disease at 5 years after surgery rose to approximately 20%. In some patients, renal failure resulted. Given this situation, in 1979, the Food and Drug Administration declared a moratorium on jejunal ileal bypass.

Fast-forward 30 years. Enter the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery for obesity. In this comparison of 4,639 patients undergoing this procedure vs. 4,639 nonoperated obese patients...

To be sure, these patients are at an increased risk of stone formation after their procedures. Appropriate dietary measures were recommended by the authors (increased fluid intake, low protein diet, low salt diet, normal calcium diet); however, recommending a diet to someone who has undergone an operative procedure for obesity seems futile at best. Are we rediscovering what we already knew and have we now sewn (sic) seeds that over time will lead to worsening urolithiasis and new cases of renal failure? Caveat emptor."

Yep.

Botanicals Have No Effect On Hot Flashes Or Cognition

Shelf-life of the herbal remedies? Expired.

"Two studies conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Northwestern University have found that commonly used botanicals do not have an effect on hot flashes or on cognitive function in menopausal women.

The studies appear online and will be published in an upcoming issue of Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society."

The only remaining question is whether knowledge of the study results will have an effect on cognition.

Will people stop wasting their money on this stuff?

Psychopaths have faulty brain connections, scientists find

As I predicted, the slippery slope continues.

"Psychopaths who kill and rape have faulty connections between the part of the brain dealing with emotions and that which handles impulses and decision-making, scientists have found.

In a study of psychopaths who had committed murder, manslaughter, multiple rape, strangulation and false imprisonment, the British scientists found that roads linking the two crucial brain areas had "potholes," while those of non-psychopaths were in good shape."

Just as pedophiles are "hardwired" and fatsos, too.

Defense lawyers get ready.

Credit Crunch Likely To Worsen Obesity Epidemic

They overeat when times are good, they overeat when times are bad, they overeat all the time. That is why they are obese.

"Levels of debt have been associated with an increased risk of being fat. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Public Health blame the trend on the high price of healthy food, and a tendency for people worried by debt to comfort eat."

Shut up, you silly, stupid excusinator.

Shoppers Helped To Identify Food And Beverage Choices By Smart Choices Program

Not.

"This summer, the Smart Choices Program TM will appear on hundreds of products in supermarkets and other retail outlets across the country. This first-ever uniform front-of-pack nutrition labeling program, developed by a diverse coalition of scientists, nutritionists, consumer organizations and food industry leaders is designed to promote public health by helping shoppers make smarter food and beverage choices within product categories.

Unlike nutrient scoring systems, rankings or store-based programs, the Smart Choices Program uses a single, green check mark on the front of the product package to provide "at-a-glance" assurance that a product has met strict science-based nutrition criteria derived from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, reports from the Institute of Medicine and other sources of authoritative nutrition guidance. Qualifying products also will display a calorie indicator on-pack that identifies calories per serving and servings per container."

A "smart" program would promote foods that deactivate a shopper's ability to swallow before they overeat Calories.

If where you live is anything similar to where I live, the "health food" stores are gorged with fat shoppers.

This program is another stupid one.

Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin

An MSM awakening to the Fitness Watch way. Almost.

"But the past few years of obesity research show that the role of exercise in weight loss has been wildly overstated...

Exercise, in other words, isn't necessarily helping us lose weight. It may even be making it harder."

The reasons proffered for exercise's stark failure are not necessarily correct, but that is really unimportant at this juncture.

What is important is to realize how awful "exercise" is for weight loss and why it should be the last thing you do to lose weight.

The next problem is the bad diet advice that stymies all serious attempts to lose weight through caloric intake control.

Conquer those, i.e., don't follow conventional diet and exercise advice, and success is yours.

Sports creams may do little for pain

Another truth has outlived its shelf life.

"Popular over-the-counter sports rubs may have little real effect on aching muscles and painful joints, a research review suggests.

The review looked at 16 clinical trials investigating topical remedies containing salicylates, a group of compounds, including aspirin, used to ease aches, inflammation and fever.

Many familiar sports rubs, like Aspercreme, Ben Gay and Icy Hot, contain one or more salicylates, often in combination with other active ingredients like menthol.

'The point is, you go to any pharmacy in the U.S. and find tons of these things, but they don't work,' Andrew Moore, a biochemist at Oxford University in the UK and the senior researcher on the review, said in a written statement.

'I wouldn't waste the money,' he advised. 'You might as well rub your skin with a bit of spit.'"

Or s*it.

OCD national meeting draws past, present sufferers

Of course they all showed.

"Ashley Bystrom was terrified of germs. Jared Kant worried his own thoughts could hurt other people.

Both children overcame the paralyzing fears that accompanied their obsessive-compulsive disorder, success that they feel driven to share with others. That's why neither would miss the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation's annual conference, an event this weekend where the personal connections and support are as important as the speakers and seminars."

They have OCD.

What did you expect?

Women Count Calories Around Men; Not So When Around Other Women

The problem: gender-specific selective math skills.

"If you are a woman who dines with a man, chances are you choose food with fewer calories than if you dine with a woman. That is one of the findings in a study conducted by researchers at McMaster University...

Meredith Young, PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, found that what a person chooses to eat at lunch or dinner is influenced by who they eat with and the gender make-up of the group...

By observing students in naturalistic settings in three large university cafeterias with a wide choice of food options and dining companions, Young found that women who ate with a male companion chose foods of significantly lower caloric value than did women who were observed eating with another woman.

What's more, when women ate in mixed-gender groups their food choices were at the lower end of the caloric scale; the more men in the group the fewer the calories. When women ate in all-female groups, their food was significantly higher in calories."

The solution - Mr. Meal Mate - The Dining Dude:

Problem solved.

Consume fewer Calories, lose weight.

YMCA Of The USA Announces 16 Communities Selected For Statewide Policy Change Initiative To Reverse The Childhood Obesity Epidemic

They're targets alright.

"Sixteen communities in Connecticut, Kentucky and Tennessee have been selected to build statewide networks to help reduce childhood obesity rates, the YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) announced today. These communities will be part of Y-USA's Activate America(R): Pioneering Healthier Communities (PHC) initiative. Y-USA, the national resource office for the nation's 2,686 YMCAs, will draw on its successful, community-level PHC model, applying its experiences and existing networks of YMCA State Alliances to support policy, environmental and systems changes in the three states...

'The actions of these sixteen communities will be important towards helping children and their families lead healthier lives,' said James Marks, M.D., M.P.H., senior vice president and director, Health Group, at RWJF. 'We're excited to support the YMCA as it expands its community-level leadership into statewide action. As a nation we need this kind of effort everywhere.'"

Wanna bet?

For more on the morons at the RWJF, go here.

New Approach Targets Gut Hormone To Lower Blood Sugar Levels

Another target.

"A research team led by Dr. Tony Lam at the Toronto General Research Institute and the University of Toronto discovered a novel function of a hormone found in the gut that might potentially lower glucose levels in diabetes.

In this ground-breaking study on a rat model, Dr. Lam's team discovered that activating receptors of the cholecystokinin (CCK) peptide hormone in the gut rapidly and potently lowers blood glucose levels by triggering a signal to the brain and then to the liver to lower glucose or sugar production. In the same experiment, CCK failed to lower blood glucose in rodents fed a high-fat diet for three days."

And it only took them 81 years to figure this out - assuming it is correct.

Of course, when they find out 81 years from now that the treatment, if they develop one, is worse than the disease, you and your kids will be long gone dead.

"Dr. Lam stressed that the clinical therapeutic implications of the current findings remain largely unknown. A large amount of time will be required to determine whether enhancing CCK action in the gut of humans is effective and safe in lowering glucose levels in healthy individuals as well as patients with diabetes and obesity. Many laboratories around the world are in a race to find alternatives ways in which to lower glucose levels because of the severe complications which can result from high sugar levels. Currently, those with diabetes lower their glucose through diet, exercise, anti-diabetic tablets or insulin injections."

Better to control your fat person diabetes with something called weight loss that does not involve a next generation of interventions.

The Fitness Revolution - Launch Of The UK's First Dedicated Health And Fitness Channel

Exactly what the unfit need - more TV.

"The fight against obesity has stepped up a gear with the launch of the UK's first dedicated health and fitness channel bringing exercise classes into the nation's living rooms.

Fitness TV, which launched this week (4th August 2009), will feature an ever-changing timetable of workouts from some of the country's top instructors, as well as general programmes offering health and nutrition tips."

Brilliant.

Men with angina 'at greater risk'

And guess who is at an even greater risk.

"Men with angina are much more likely than women to develop further serious heart problems, a study suggests.

Researchers found male patients were twice as likely to have a heart attack and almost three times as likely to suffer a heart disease-related death.

Angina, a type of chest pain, is common and can be the first sign of heart disease - but the risks are unclear...

The same factors - along with obesity - were also associated with a higher risk of dying from heart disease."

Oink.

Schering and Merck Are Settling Vytorin Suits

Still think they have any idea of what a "safe" drug is?

"Merck and Schering-Plough agreed Wednesday to pay $41.5 million to settle class-action lawsuits that accused them of withholding unfavorable results of a clinical trial of the cholesterol drugs Vytorin and Zetia.

The companies came under intense scrutiny in January 2008 after they released a study — completed nearly two years earlier — that showed that the medicines, the work of a joint venture, were no more effective in unclogging arteries than a pre-existing and less expensive cholesterol treatment...

Merck and Schering-Plough continued to defend their drugs’ efficacy and safety and did not acknowledge any wrongdoing or liability as part of the settlement. Merck’s general counsel, Bruce N. Kuhlik, said the settlement allowed the companies to avoid mounting legal costs."

Of course.

Better to be fit, than drugged.

Men with livelier, more plentiful sperm live longer

Schwing!

"Healthier sperm may mean longer life, according to a study that followed more than 40,000 Danish men for up to 40 years.

In an interview with Reuters Health, Dr. Tina Kold Jensen, who was involved in the study, said: 'No matter what you look at, the risk of dying is decreased if you have a good semen quality compared to low; the poorer the semen quality, the higher the risk of dying.'"

Hey, guess who has bad sperm?

Fatsos.

It don't mean a thing if you ain't got no schwing!

Seniors with weak muscles at risk for hospital stay

The problem:

"Older Americans who have low strength and poor physical function are at increased risk of being hospitalized, researchers report."

The solution:

TRAIN!

Back treatment for elderly no better than fake one

Acupuncture, step aside.

"A common treatment that uses medical cement to fix cracks in the spinal bones of elderly people worked no better than a sham treatment, the first rigorous studies of the popular procedure reveal.

Pain and disability were virtually the same up to six months later, whether patients had a real treatment or a fake one.

Tens of thousands of Americans each year are treated with bone cement, especially older women with osteoporosis, some of them stooped and unable to stand up straight. The treatment is so widely believed to work that the researchers had a hard time getting patients to take part when it was explained that half of them would not get the real thing.

'All of us who do the procedure have seen apparently miraculous cures,' said Dr. David F. Kallmes, a radiologist at the Mayo Clinic who led one of the studies. But he said there were also 'miraculous cures' among those who got the fake treatments."

Oops.

Another truth with an expired shelf life.

Network TV morning health news segments may be harmful to your health

As I have been saying and proving (or so I believe) for years about the MSM, here is something from another crap watchdog:

"By reviewing health news coverage every day, we are able to see big pictures of clear patterns unfolding that the casual day-to-day news consumer may miss.

One picture is quite clear. The morning health news segments on ABC, CBS and NBC do the following regularly:

* Unquestioningly promote new drugs and new technologies
* Feed the “worried well” by raising unrealistic expectations of unproven technologies that may produce more harm than good
* Fail to ask tough questions
* Make any discussion of health care reform that much more difficult

Here is just some of what we’ve observed, broken down by topics. You can look up any of these on the HealthNewsReview.org website. Probably the easiest way is to go to “Find Reviews” > “By News Organization”, then use the pulldown menu to select the news source. http://www.healthnewsreview.org/review/by_org.php?type=Media+Source"

Check them out the next time you see an MSM "health" piece.

They may have a review.

Though things can change, so far, in my experience, they have been reasonable.

Evidence for acupuncture in impotence is weak

Now how can this be? What is it about sticking a needle in your penis that won't cause arousal?

"Men may not want to pin their hopes on acupuncture as a treatment for impotence, or erectile dysfunction, a new review of evidence suggests.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method of stimulating specific body points through the insertion of specialized pins that sometimes carry faint electrical charges. Traditionally, acupuncture has been used to maintain and restore body functions.

Several studies had reported 'acupuncture increases nitric oxide,' which has been tied to the ability to maintain erections, Dr. Myeong Soo Lee, at Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine in Daejeon, told Reuters Health by email.

Yet to date, published studies that evaluated acupuncture as a treatment for erectile dysfunction provide 'no convincing evidence' that acupuncture is beneficial for this condition, Lee and colleagues report in the journal BJU International."

More traditional Chinese medicine "cures."

So much for the health effects of penis piercing.

Arthritis drugs raise cancer risk in kids: FDA

Still think they have any idea of what a "safe" drug is?

"Blockbuster prescription drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions can increase the risk of potentially deadly cancer in children and teenagers, U.S. health regulators said on Tuesday in ordering stronger warnings on such medications.

The Food and Drug Administration, which urged greater caution with so-called TNF blockers last September, said an analysis of 48 reported cancer cases in children using the drugs 'showed an increased risk of cancer, occurring after 30 months of treatment on average.'

Eleven of the reported cases were fatal, the FDA said."

Oops.

All the more reason to avoid needless, IMHO malpractice drugs like diet pills and their known and not-yet-known complications.

Majority of "Healthy Weight" Americans Say Obese Individuals Should Pay Higher Insurance Premiums

Yep.

"A new national media study among 602 Americans revealed that the majority of “healthy weight” Americans (61%) indicated that obese individuals should pay higher insurance premiums due to the increased health risk of being overweight.

The study was conducted by HCD Research using its MediaCurves.com® website during July 30-31, to obtain viewers’ perceptions of a video discussion on whether overweight individuals should pay higher insurance costs.

The study also revealed that the majority of adults (62%) in the U.S. are classified as overweight according to the government standard, with 44% who are classified as “moderately overweight” and 18% who are classified as “severely overweight.”

While the majority of “healthy weight” Americans (61%) reported that obese individuals should pay higher insurance premiums, 47% of “moderately overweight” Americans and 22% of “severely overweight” Americans indicated that obese individuals should pay higher insurance premiums."

And so they should.

The sooner, the better.

The costlier to the fat, the better.

Studies: Millions of U.S. kids lacking Vitamin D

MILLIONS!

"Millions of U.S. children have disturbingly low Vitamin D levels, possibly increasing their risk for bone problems, heart disease, diabetes and other ailments, according to two new studies that provide the first national assessment of the crucial nutrient in young Americans.

About 9 percent of those ages 1 through 21 — about 7.6 million children, adolescents and young adults — have Vitamin D levels so low they could be considered deficient, while an additional 61 percent — 50.8 million — have higher levels, but still low enough to be insufficient, according to the analysis of federal data being released Monday.

'It's astounding,' said Michal L. Melamed of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, who helped conduct one of the studies published online by the journal Pediatrics. 'At first, we couldn't believe the numbers. I think it's very worrisome.'"

So don't believe them.

More bad science:

"The analysis and an accompanying federal study also found an association between low Vitamin D levels and increased risk for high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and a condition that increases the risk for heart disease and diabetes, known as the metabolic syndrome."

Note "association," not cause and effect.

As if more Vit. D will make kids not-fat.

Fat chance.

"Taken together, the studies provide new evidence that low Vitamin D levels may be putting a generation of children at increased risk for heart disease and diabetes, two of the nation's biggest health problems that are also increased by the childhood obesity epidemic."

Wanna bet that all the Vit. D in the world will not make a single piglet force-fed by nutritionally abusive parents any leaner?

I do.

The Vit. D debate is a distraction.

Calories in vs. Calories out is the issue.

Low-Carb or Low-Fat Diet May Similarly Affect Weight, A1C in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Which means no matter how you lose the weight, what is important is the weight loss.

"A low-carbohydrate diet may have effects similar to those of a low-fat diet on weight and hemoglobin A1C (A1C) levels in patients with type 2 diabetes..."

So just shed the pounds.

Mortality Linked To Physical Activity Levels In Unfit Individuals

Kudos, unfit-sos - you're killing yourselves.

"The least-fit segment of the population has twice the mortality risk of even those who are just a bit more in shape, according to a study published in the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

A research team from Stanford University led by Victor F. Froelicher, M.D., and Jonathan Myers, Ph.D., FACSM, performed exercise tests and followed more than 4,300 subjects from 1986 to 2006, none of whom had a history of heart disease. Fitness and physical activity levels were measured using treadmill tests and questionnaires, and mortality rates were tracked during the 20-year study period.

Sandra Mandic, Ph.D., and the research team from Stanford analyzed the results, and found that the mortality rate for the least-fit individuals was twice that of the second least-fit group, and more than four times the rate of the most-fit group. Fitness was the strongest predictor of mortality in this group of healthy individuals."

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

Don't just live longer. Live a fuller life.

Get fit.

Study finds rise in student injuries in gym class

Move along. Nothing to see here. A tempest in a teapot.

"Injuries to American children during physical education classes increased by 150 percent from 1997-2007, a new study finds, a possible drawback to a movement encouraging more vigorous exercise in schools.

Yet that may have less to do with lively gym programs than with lack of adult supervision, experts said. A decline in school nurses and larger class sizes could be to blame, said the study's senior author Lara McKenzie of Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

'Children got hurt by running into equipment or having contact with structures or other persons,' McKenzie said. 'They had heat stroke, fainting and heart palpitations.' Boys had more cuts and broken bones than girls. Girls were more likely to suffer strains and sprains."

There is no way that "adult supervision" will stop sprains and strains.

Neither will more school nurses who, if anything, come into play after an injury. Duh.

As to contact with stuff, look where you are going. No one can be your eyes.

Palpitations? What are they gonna wear telemetry devices? (not to mention that palpitations, i.e., sensible beating of the heart, is part and parcel of physical activity and not necessarily abnormal)

Minor injuries happen.

Stop whining.

Accept it and stop trying to make life anesthetic and risk-free.

That will never work.

Daily alcohol limit 'unhelpful'

Yup.

"Daily limits on alcohol consumption are meaningless and potentially harmful, experts have warned.

The government says men should drink no more than three to four units per day and women no more than two to three.

Liver specialist Dr Nick Sheron, of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, says these limits were devised by civil servants with 'no good evidence' for doing so.

He says the advice runs the risk of people taking it to mean that it is safe to drink alcohol every day."

Like daily sleep recommendations, daily exercise recommendations, daily study recommendations, this one is also worse than meaningless.

What works is what works. And what works for you may be different from what works for your neighbor.

By and large, many daily recommendations are simply stupid.

Links Between Gastric Bypass, Immune System Studied By MSU Professor

Kudos, fatsos.

"While the massive weight loss associated with gastric bypass surgery is beneficial, some patients may face malnutrition, poor wound healing and infection as their immune systems adjust to the extreme decrease in food consumption, according to a Michigan State University researcher."

Even your "cure" makes you sick.

Wouldn't it be better just to lose the weight naturally?

$33.9 Billion Spent Out-Of-Pocket On Complementary And Alternative Medicine By Americans

Moonbats.

"Americans spent $33.9 billion out-of-pocket on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) over the previous 12 months, according to a 2007 government survey1. CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products such as herbal supplements, meditation, chiropractic, and acupuncture that are not generally considered to be part of conventional medicine...

Of the $33.9 billion spent on CAM out-of-pocket, an estimated $22.0 billion was spent on self-care costs - CAM products, classes, and materials - with the majority going to the purchase of nonvitamin, nonmineral, natural products ($14.8 billion) such as fish oil, glucosamine and Echinacea. U.S. adults also spent approximately $11.9 billion on an estimated 354.2 million visits to CAM practitioners such as acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists, etc.

To put these figures in context, the $14.8 billion spent on nonvitamin, nonmineral, natural products is equivalent to approximately one-third of total out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs, and the $11.9 billion spent on CAM practitioner visits is equivalent to approximately one-quarter of total out-of-pocket spending on physician visits."

Instead of doing what certainly works, i.e., caloric intake control, people would rather waste money chasing unicorns.

And they still have enough money left over to buy and consume too many Calories.

Impressive.