Overweight pregnant women are 'condemning children to lifetime of obesity'

Right conclusion, wrong reason.

"Pregnant women who are overweight could be condemning their children to a lifetime of obesity unless they trim down while trying for a baby, U.S. experts say.

Researchers from medical centres in New York and Quebec found an obese mother's womb may send a signal to their unborn baby that encourages them to grow into a fat child and adult.

The process is more than just passing along genes that promote obesity but the scientists said they have yet to track down a biological explanation for the signal.

Robert Waterland of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston studies the effects of obesity in mice.

He speculated the signal between mother and offspring could affect the child's brain circuitry and predispose them to making more fat-storing cells."

Garbage.

If you have fewer cells, you still have to store the fat from overeating.

You just do it in fewer, but bigger fat cells.

"Once scientists identify the obesity signal, they may be able to recommend ways to suppress it, perhaps through diet or behavioral strategies."

Bull.

There is no signal.

There is, however, the behavioral matter, i.e., eating too damn many Calories.

"In the meantime, experts say obese women should avoid pregnancy until they lose weight as obesity in pregnancy raises the risk of complications like diabetes, caesarean deliveries and stillbirth."

Yes, as I have been saying for years. (e.g., here)

New York study says menu labeling affects behavior

Of course New York's study says it does.

"New York's mandate that fast-food restaurants post calorie information on their menus has changed consumer habits, the city said on Monday, contradicting a recent independent study showing no effect.

The city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released preliminary data showing evidence that people bought food with fewer calories at nine of the 13 fast-food and coffee chains included in a study on the effects of menu-labeling laws that went into effect in 2008.

Researchers surveyed more than 10,000 customers at 275 locations in early 2007 and another 12,000 this year.

They found statistically significant decreases at four chains -- McDonald's, Au Bon Pain, KFC and Starbucks -- and said diners who saw and acted on calorie information bought food containing 106 fewer calories on average than those who did not notice the postings."

Now who you gonna believe?

This study or the "independent study showing no effect"?

Coffee may slow liver damage from hepatitis

It's good again!

"A few cups of coffee everyday may help slow the progression of liver disease associated with long-term infection with the hepatitis C virus, a new study hints.

Researchers found that among 766 patients with hepatitis C-related liver damage, those who drank three or more cups of coffee per day were 53 percent less likely than non-drinkers to see their liver disease progress over four years."

Compare this good with this earlier now it's good, now it's bad coffee news.

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

Be Overweight And Live Longer

Mist.

"Contrary to what was previously assumed, overweight is not increasing the overall death rate in the German population. Matthias Lenz of the Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Natural Sciences of the University of Hamburg and his co-authors present these and other results in the current issue of Deutsches Artzeblatt International (Dtsch Artzebl Int 2009; 106[40]: 641 - 8)."

Death rate is a Rot Hering.

“'Health extends far beyond mortality rates,' said Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Dr. Manson added that other studies, including ones at Harvard, found that being obese or overweight increased a person’s risk for any of a number of diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and several forms of cancer. And, she added, excess weight makes it more difficult to move about and impairs the quality of life.

'That’s the big picture in terms of health outcomes,' Dr. Manson said. 'That’s what the public needs to look at.'”

And to keep the calorically irresponsible alive we are paying for the sick care related to their increased incidence of diseases of choice, which include cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

In addition to the fact that this is not "contrary to what was previously assumed," which indicates how poorly these researchers investigated the prior literature, this study is another exercise in missing the point.

Smart Choices food labels halted on FDA warning

Oops.

"An industry-funded food labeling program was halted on Friday just days after U.S. officials warned they were investigating if nutrition claims on the front of packages were misleading...

The Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday it was examining nutrition claims on the front of packages and would take action against false or misleading claims."

And if you cannot trust the FDA, who can you trust? (see here, here, here, here, here and here)

Oops.

(not that Big Calories is to be trusted, either)

Case Western Reserve University Launches Prevention Research Center For Healthy Neighborhoods

Good. Someone should be preventing this research since "healthy neighborhoods" are mythical and therefore an irrelevant non-issue.

"Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine proudly announces the establishment of the CWRU Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods (PRCHN), a collaborative research center..."

It's about time.

Current Soda Taxes Not High Enough To Curb Obesity, Study Finds

More and bigger collective punishment in your future.

"Current state taxes and levies on soft drinks are slowing consumption and resulting in slimmer waistlines, but the effect is generally small in magnitude, newly published research by the Yale School of Public Health has found. The study appears in the journal Contemporary Economic Policy.

Assistant professor Jason M. Fletcher of Yale analyzed the effectiveness of various forms of soda taxation on body mass index (BMI) over a 16-year period. With colleagues from Bates College and Emory University, Fletcher found that an individual's weight only mildly responds to changes in taxation-a 1 percent tax increase resulted in a BMI decrease of 0.003 points, which is less than a tenth of a pound for a man of average height.

'Our results suggest that the current low, hidden rates of soft drink taxation in most states are not effective in substantially changing adult consumption,' Fletcher said. 'Our results leave open the possibility that large taxes that are communicated to consumers are still worthwhile to consider as policy options, but small tax changes will not work.'"

Don't let the calorically irresponsible ruin things for the rest of us.

Do fat taxes properly.

Fight back.

Too little sleep won't make you fat: study

Of course it won't.

"Skimping on sleep, is unhealthy, but it doesn't make people fat, according to a new study.

'We hoped we were going to find good evidence for that,' Dr. Diane S. Lauderdale told Reuters Health, 'because it was such an interesting, intriguing, novel idea, with some reasons to think biologically it made sense. But we found nothing.'

Chronic sleep deprivation is thought to be a risk factor for weight gain. While several studies have linked higher body mass index (BMI) to shorter nightly sleep, most have been cross-sectional, meaning they looked only at a single point in time -- making it hard to prove whether sleeping too little leads to weight gain or vice versa, Lauderdale and her colleagues explain in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Also, they say, most studies have relied on people's own estimations of how much they sleep at night, which are notoriously inaccurate.

To address this problem, Lauderdale, of the University of Chicago, and colleagues had people wear a wristwatch-like movement-tracking device called an actigraph, which can measure sleep duration as well as sleep fragmentation, or how often a person wakes up during the night.

They looked at 612 people participating in a long-running study of heart disease risk, all of whom were in their 40s.

While shorter sleep duration was indeed associated with higher BMI, as was more fragmented sleep, adjusting for ethnicity and socioeconomic status weakened the relationship.

And people who slept less at the study's outset were no more likely to gain weight during the five-year follow-up period."

There is one thing and only one thing that makes any creature, including humans, fat - more Calories in than out.

Period. End.

Phytochemicals In Plant-Based Foods Could Help Battle Obesity, Disease

Or they could kill you.

"Eating more plant-based foods, which are rich in substances called phytochemicals, seems to prevent oxidative stress in the body, a process associated with obesity and the onset of disease, according to findings published online in advance of the print edition of the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics...

Because many phytochemicals have antioxidant properties, they can help combat free radicals, Vincent said. Phytochemicals include substances such as allin from garlic, lycopene from tomatoes, isoflavones from soy, beta carotene from orange squashes and anythocyanins from red wine, among others."

Here is more info on antioxidants.

Here, too.

And there is more to dislike about the study:

"The researchers studied a group of 54 young adults, analyzing their dietary patterns over a three-day period, repeating the same measurement eight weeks later. The participants were broken into two groups: normal weight and overweight-obese.

Although the adults in the two groups consumed about the same amount of calories, overweight-obese adults consumed fewer plant-based foods and subsequently fewer protective trace minerals and phytochemicals and more saturated fats. They also had higher levels of oxidative stress and inflammation than their normal-weight peers, Vincent said. These processes are related to the onset of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and joint disease, she added."

Apparently, since the article is from the research institution and authored by it, the researchers did not control for any effects that come from being overweight/obese. Otherwise, they would have mentioned it.

Even if "oxidative stress" matters, this effort would not demonstrate it.

Bad research.

Just lose the weight. And the research noise.

Institute Of Medicine Recommends New Nutritional Requeriments (sic) For School Meal Programs

If these experts were so good at making recommendations for "nutritional requeriments (sic) for school meal programs," why do they need new ones? What was wrong with the old ones?

Get the point?

"The National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program should adopt a new set of nutrient targets and standards for menu planning, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. The recommended targets and standards would update and improve the programs' abilities to meet children's nutritional needs and foster healthy eating habits.

The report's recommendations will bring school meals in line with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Dietary Reference Intakes. They will limit sodium and the maximum number of calories, and encourage children to eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The programs' current nutrition standards and meal requirements are based on the 1995 Dietary Guidelines and the 1989 Recommended Dietary Allowances."

Especially since the new recommendations are based on last-century data.

Bottom lines: there are no healthy foods, there is only healthy eating and the experts are full of it.

Miriam Hospital Researcher Receives More Than $12 Million To Study Weight Control

More than $12 million wasted.

"The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center (WCDRC) recently received six research grants from the National Institutes of Health - totaling more than $12 million in funding - that will support the work of researchers focused on the prevention and treatment of obesity...

The largest grant - nearly $6 million over five years - was awarded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to compare two behavioral interventions to prevent weight gain in young adults. According to Wing, young adults experience the greatest rate of weight gain - approximately one to two pounds per year - putting them at increased risk for weight-related health problems, such as heart disease."

Let's do the math.

Assuming they are correct (they ought to be since we we're spending more than $12 million on them), "the greatest rate of weight gain - approximately one to two pounds per year" translates into an added 3500 to 7000 Calories onto the body. (assuming all of it is fat)

This is the equivalent of overeating between 9.6 and 19.2 Calories per day. (there are 365.25 days in a year)

These numbers are about the same as the number of Calories in between 1/2 and 1.0 teaspoons of sugar.

That we are paying $12 million and taking 5 years "to compare two behavioral interventions to prevent weight gain in young adults" by getting them to cut back about 10 - 20 Calories per day is insane.

Just for fun, that means that we are spending between $326, 087 and 652,174 per Calorie to do research on how to convince people not to overconsume between 9.6 and 19.2 Calories per day.

This doesn't even include the resulting campaign to develop and implement the sure to be crappy doomed to fail interventions.

Of course, they are comparing "TWO behavioral interventions" for the money.

What a bargain!

Fight back.

Workplace health may be declining -- what to do

Easy.

"One in three workers has at least one symptom of clinical depression; 41 percent say they feel stressed sometimes, often, or very often; and one in five has trouble falling asleep often or very often. In all, 14 percent are being treated for high cholesterol and one in five is taking blood-pressure-lowering medication.

In fact, the percentage of workers who say they're in excellent health has dropped from 34 percent in 2002 to 28 percent in 2008, according to a report recently released by the Families and Work Institute (FWI), a nonprofit research company."

Number One - do not engage in a workplace wellness program.

Healthier U.S. school meals boost costs: study

More stupid.

"A report from the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academies, proposed updating school meal programs to meet nutritional needs and foster better eating habits, but recognized healthier, fresher ingredients would boost costs, especially at breakfast where fruit servings would increase.

'It will cost a little more,' Virginia Stallings, a professor at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and chair of the group that conducted the study, said in an interview.

'But this will be a very wise investment in children's health,' she added.

Most school food providers would need more government money to help pay for food, training and equipment, the report said."

Besides the fact that there are no "healthy" foods, there is only healthy eating, and the "little more" cost is "as much as 25 percent [breakfast] and lunch by 9 percent," it is a very dumb investment.

Even if there were healthy foods, the toxic place known popularly as "home" would continue to undo all of the effort and money spent.

Mangosteen Juice Could Protect Health In The Obese

This has to be it - not enough mangosteen in the diet.

"Mangosteen juice has anti-inflammatory properties which could prove to be valuable in preventing the development of heart disease and diabetes in obese patients. A study, published in BioMed Central's open access Nutrition Journal, describes how the juice of the exotic 'superfruit' lowered levels of C-reactive protein.

Dr. Jay Udani, M.D. from Medicus Research, California, worked with a team of researchers to carry out a randomized, double-blind placebo controlled trial. He said, 'For people drinking over half a liter of mangosteen juice a day, the degree of reduction in CRP levels was statistically significant - a reduction of 1.33mg/L compared to an increase of 0.9mg/L in the placebo group'. (sic)

Inflammation, as measured here by CRP, is a predictor of cardiovascular disease and a precursor of metabolic syndrome. Reducing inflammation in obese people is a treatment goal, and a natural treatment may be preferable to other treatments which may carry the risk of side effect. According to Udani, 'Further studies with a larger population are required to confirm and further define the benefits of this juice, which was safe at all dosages tested'." (sic)

Not CRP - CRaP.

BTW, Medicus Research appears to be a lab-for-hire. No wonder "Further studies with a larger population are required to confirm and further define the benefits of this juice, which was safe at all dosages tested". (sic)

Trust them, IMHO, like any other "ho."

And as to the mangosteen?

The last thing fatsos need are more Calorie-containing things to inhale.

Just lose the weight and your health will improve.

GE Healthcare Kicks Off National 'BEE Healthy' Initiative To Address Childhood Obesity

How much do you want to bet it will 'BEE' a failure?

"GE Healthcare will roll out a national health awareness program called BEE Healthy™*, a General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) corporate-wide initiative that provides fun, interactive activities for children while educating families about childhood obesity. The GE Hispanic Forum, an employee-based group that focuses on making a positive difference in the Hispanic community through an emphasis on health and education, will host the first-ever BEE Healthy* Kids Fitness Buzz.

The 'BEE' portion of BEE Healthy* represents the goals to: Balance for stretching and flexibility; Exercise, and Eat healthy. The first of 10 national events, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee will partner with GE Healthcare to kick off the "Fitness Buzz" on October 16. An estimated 100 boys and girls will compete on the obstacle course challenge at the facility's gymnasium with GE Volunteers mentoring and helping the students with the fitness event. The obstacle course will feature nine activities in which the children will participate and learn about good nutrition and exercise while they have fun. At the completion of the BEE Healthy* program they should realize the importance of a healthy lifestyle."

Nothing new here.

Move along, folks. But be careful.

Don't step in the crap that this program is.

Workers Will Pay More for Health Care, Consulting Firm Says

Good news!

"No matter what happens with health-care reform this fall, employees should expect to pay more for health insurance in 2010 -- especially with co-pays and deductibles.

That's according to data from Hewitt Associates, a human-resources consulting firm. Hewitt also says more companies will require employees to fill out health-risk questionnaires in order to receive benefits. But they aren't cutting back on wellness programs.

Workers will be picking up the extra costs because cash-strapped businesses won't, benefits consultants say. And higher out-of-pocket costs make it even more important for consumers to evaluate their needs, compare plans and use a flexible spending account if it's available...

Hewitt expects the health-care cost per employee to rise 6% to $9,120 on average in 2010, from $8,607 in 2009. And employees will be picking up much of that increase."

Less to spend on Calories.

Overweight 'should be protected'

From themselves. And the rest of us should be protected from the fat.

"The campaigners, who belong to the Size Acceptance Movement, say surveys show 93% of employers would rather employ a thin person than a fat one even if they are equally qualified."

Smart employers since fat people are less productive and cost more.

This example is not one of discrimination.

This is known as good decision-making.

Women Warned About Risks Of Being Overweight During Pregnancy

So what?

"Many pregnant women are unaware that they are overweight or obese, and of the risks this poses to their pregnancy, according to the results of a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA).

Associate Professor Leonie Callaway, of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospitals and the University of Queensland's School of Medicine, and her co-authors surveyed 412 women in early pregnancy who attended a public antenatal clinic or were patients of a private obstetrician.

The survey found 30 per cent of the women had been overweight or obese before pregnancy. However, 36 per cent of the women who were overweight categorised themselves as being of normal weight. Only 16 per cent of women with a BMI in the obese range categorised themselves as obese."

Stupid, ignorant nutritional child abusers simply do not care, apparently.

The time for the talking to stop has long passed as more nutritionally abused kids are being raised.

The time to enforce the law has arrived.

Hold fat parents and parents-to-be accountable.

Ambulances start charging extra for obese patients

Hooray! But still not enough. (Why? Read on. I added the links in the quoted portions of the article.)

"As the nation battles the obesity crisis, ambulance crews are trying to improve how they transport extremely heavy patients, who become significantly more difficult to move as they surpass 350 pounds. And caring for such patients is expensive, requiring costly equipment and extra workers, so some ambulance companies have started charging higher fees for especially overweight people.

The move to modify ambulances is just the latest effort to accommodate plus-sized patients. Some hospitals already offer specially designed beds, wheelchairs, walkers and even commodes. (and here, too.)

Ambulance companies say it's time for insurance providers, Medicaid and Medicare, or patients themselves to begin paying the added costs, which are cutting into their razor-thin profit margins.

In the past, ambulance companies often absorbed the extra expense of serving the obese."

Probably not true.

They probably passed the costs on to the calorically responsible.

Now is the time for payback, i.e,. for fatsos to pay their fair share.

But look at the numbers:

"Transporting extremely heavy people costs about 2 1/2 times as much as normal-weight patients. It takes more time to move them and requires three to four times more crew members, who often must use expensive specialty equipment, Buell said.

Keller, now an operations manager for the American Medical Response unit in Topeka, successfully petitioned the Shawnee County Commission last summer to raise ambulance fees from $629 to $1,172 for critical-care patients and people who are 500 pounds or heavier.

In Colorado Springs, Colo., and the Nebraska cities of Omaha and Lincoln, the fees are $1,421 for an extremely obese patient, compared with $758 for a typical patient."

The differentials are not even twice as much.

Simply put, it is not enough so the rest of us are still paying for the calorically irresponsible.

"Some critics say the higher fees are a form of discrimination.

'Ambulance services are a critical public service and should accommodate the needs of all of those who require them at a fair cost,' said Joseph Nadglowski, president of the Obesity Action Coalition, a group that advocates for the obese.

Higher payments for heavy patients are commonplace in Oregon and Washington because the insurance industry there acknowledges the additional costs, said Liz Merritt, a spokeswoman for Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Rural/Metro Corporation, an ambulance provider.

Ambulance companies say the insurance industry is their best hope for closing the financial gap."

Two important points re: "discrimination."

1. It is not discrimination to charge more for what costs more.
2. F**k you.

And insurers should refuse to pay more unless they collect higher premiums to offset the costs.

Otherwise the rest of us still end up paying for the brontosapiens.

Don't let that happen.

Bowel disease drugs increase cancer risk: study

And they will find even more problems with diet drugs than they have to date as time passes.

"Thiopurine drugs -- immunosuppressive medicines that inhibit the body's immune system -- are regularly used to treat inflammatory bowel disease, the researchers said, but can increase the risk of cancers linked to viral infections."

Better to get fit than to get drugged.

Moderate Weight Loss Helps Reduce Risk Of Osteoarthritis In The Knee, Maintaining Weight Provides No Benefit

How to avoid crawling to the feed trough.

"Here's another good reason to lose even a moderate amount of weight: it could reduce your risk of developing osteoarthritis in your knees.

People who are overweight and lose just 5 percent of their weight are less likely to develop osteoarthritis of the knee, or knee OA, compared to people who gain weight, according to data from a large ongoing study by the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine."

Go on. Give weight loss a chance.

Health-care reform plans neglect wellness prevention

So what?

"More than one-fourth of all adults in the U.S. are obese. About one in five smoke. Fewer than half get the recommended amount of physical activity.

Despite Americans' poor lifestyle choices and the chronic problems they spawn, the health-care reform proposals being considered in Congress contain relatively little to promote wellness."

The only way to "promote wellness" is to discourage unwellness, i.e., make people pay for their bad choices.

Instead, this is the crap we get:

"Other wellness provisions in the Senate and House bills would:

• Approve money for wellness promotion and prevention ($80 billion over 10 years under the Senate bill, and $15.2 billion over five years under the House bill).

• Award grants to communities to pay for projects like bike paths that support physical activity, and for programs that promote healthy food at restaurants and schools and help people quit smoking.

• Require restaurants to include more information about calories in menu items and suggested daily calorie intake.

• Help companies create wellness programs.

• Establish demonstration projects to test the effectiveness of health promotion programs for Medicare and Medicaid recipients."

Wellness programs do not, cannot and will never work; more "green spaces" to "support physical activity" is stupid since if people were committed to a proper weight they could do it anywhere, as many of us already do without infrastructural changes, "physical activity" for weight control is inefficient and, oh yeah, now the rest of us will have to subsidize bicycle purchases for the fat, Calorie info doesn't make an iota of difference, etc.

This is more of the same BS that has already been proven to fail.

To believe that this stuff can ever work is proof positive of brain death.

Vote the morons out of office.

Fight back.

Magnetic And Copper Bracelets Ineffective Against Pain Of Arthritis, Controlled Study

Now how is this possible?

"After carrying out the first randomized placebo-controlled study on the use of magnetic and copper bracelets and wrist straps for relieving the pain of arthritis, researchers in the UK concluded that they were ineffective.

The study was led by Stewart Richmond, a Research Fellow in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York, and was published online on 12 October in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine. Richmond's team included colleagues from the universities of Hull, Durham, and the NHS.

Magnetic and copper bracelets are used all over the world by people with various chronic musculoskeletal disorders to help reduce pain. The industry is growing worldwide and annual sales for devices that incorporate some kind of magnet for therapeutic purposes now total around 4 billion US dollars."

You mean to say that wearing a bracelet made of copper or one with magnetic properties cannot affect arthritis?

OMG!

Bet this will not stop Whore Foods from selling this crap.

Or the growing number of stupid people from purchasing these items.

And then claiming they cannot afford life's necessities.

Can listening to a podcast lead to weight loss?

And the answer is...

"Losing weight may be no more than a few podcasts away, but study findings suggested that not all weight-loss podcasts are created equally.

Such programs should be engaging and offer sound diet and exercise advice based on behavioral theory, cautions study co-author Dr. Gabrielle M. Turner-McGrievy, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

'Otherwise, people will not derive much benefit,' Turner-McGrievy told Reuters Health in an email...

Simply listening to a podcast won't necessarily make you get out of your chair to exercise: More than half of the study participants in both groups listened to downloads while sitting at their computers, rather than while walking or exercising."

No.

Eating fewer Calories than you burn, will, however.

Metabolic Syndrome in Early Pregnancy Increases the Risk of Preterm Birth

More early child abuse.

"Women with metabolic syndrome in early pregnancy have a higher risk for preterm birth, according to study findings reported in the October 1st issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology."

Another reason why fat people should not get pregnant, and, in fact, should be discouraged from getting pregnant, until they have shed the pounds.

During Pregnancy A High Fat Diet Can Lead To Severe Liver Disease In Offspring

More early nutritional child abuse.

"Scientists have discovered a previously unknown link between a mother's diet in pregnancy and a severe form of liver disease in her child.

In a study, published in the journal Hepatology, researchers at the University of Southampton found that a high fat diet during a woman's pregnancy makes her offspring more likely to develop a severe form of fatty liver disease when they reach adulthood. The findings are another piece in the jigsaw for scientists who believe diets containing too high levels of saturated fat may have an adverse effect on our health.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition associated with obesity and caused by the build up of fat in the liver. The condition advances in some people and it is important to understand the factors that contribute to disease progression. Until recently, NAFLD was considered rare and relatively harmless but now it is one of the most common forms of liver disease that may progress to cirrhosis a serious life threatening chronic liver disease."

Stop the abuse.

Dementia Is a Terminal Illness, But Palliative Care Often Poor

Guess who is at increased risk for dementia.

"A growing number of Americans are dying with dementia, the authors write, but dementia is underrecognized as a terminal illness. Previous studies suggest that patients with advanced dementia are not viewed as being at high risk for death..."

Here is a hint:

Kudos, fatsos.

New Weight Loss Program Helps Overweight Children

Please, hold the Mayo crap.

"According to the Mayo Clinic, 25 million U.S. children and adolescents are overweight or nearly overweight. So, what should a parent do if the doctor says his or her child is overweight? Parents can turn to Smart for Life's™ THINADVENTURE™ healthy weight loss program, which recently launched at Smart for Life™ Centers in Cherry Hill and Berlin, N.J., and King of Prussia and Langhorne, Pa.

The medically-supervised program for children ages five to 14 was created to help parents promote a structured diet of nutritious, yet tasty and convenient, alternatives to junk and fast food. Establishing life-long healthy eating habits in childhood can help ward off serious health related issues such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease later on."

Note "recently launched."

Note no data to support the contention that this program "helps overweight children."

And this is from the same people who advocate The Executioners' Diet.

Self-Esteem In Overweight And Underweight Women Affected By Media Exposure

Poor babies.

"Overweight women's self-esteem plummets when they view photographs of models of any size, according to a new study in Journal of Consumer Research."

Lose the weight.

Lose the envy.

Gain self-esteem.

Pain Response To Heat Reduced By Comfort Food

Life hurts.

"People often eat food to feel better, but researchers have found that eating chocolate or drinking water can blunt pain, reducing a rat's response to a hot stimulus. This natural form of pain relief may help animals in the wild avoid distraction while eating scarce food, but in modern humans with readily available food, the effect may contribute to overeating and obesity."

Choose water.

Bet fat people won't.

Can fish for dinner lead to diabetes?

Oops.

"Making sure fish ends up on your dinner plate a couple of times a week may be a good way to cut your risk for developing heart disease, but it may not do the same for diabetes, new study findings hint.

In the study, researchers found no evidence of reduced risk for diabetes among adults who ate more fish, or the essential omega-3 fatty acids obtained primarily from seafood.

Rather, their findings suggest that eating 2 or more servings of fish a week may slightly increase diabetes risk.

Diet is a key factor in preventing the onset of diabetes in adults, but how omega-3 fatty acid intake impacts diabetes risk is still unresolved, Dr. Frank B. Hu, at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues explain in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

They examined ties between fish and omega-3 fatty acid intake and the development of diabetes among 152,700 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study and 42,504 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

Overall, 9,380 cases of adult-onset diabetes developed among these healthcare workers during up to 18 years of follow up.

After adjusting for lifestyle and other dietary factors, plus body weight, family history of diabetes, and menopausal status and hormone use when applicable, Hu's team noted increased diabetes risk "in all cohorts" consuming higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids.

Diabetes was 1.17 times more likely among people who ate fish 2 to 4 times a week, and 1.22 times more likely among those who ate fish 5 or more times a week, relative to those who ate lesser amounts of fish."

There are no "healthy" foods, only eating healthily.

When are they going to wise up?

Candy Bar Or Healthy Snack? Free Choice Not As Free As We Think

More excusination.

"If you think choosing between a candy bar and healthy snack is totally a matter of free will, think again. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research shows that the choices we make to indulge ourselves or exercise self-control depend on how the choices are presented."

Isn't this called "advertising"?

Wellness Incentives Could Create Health-Care Loophole

Good.

"That's a message more Americans could hear if health-care reform provisions passed by the Senate finance and health committees become law. By more than doubling the maximum penalties that companies can apply to employees who flunk medical evaluations, the legislation could put workers under intense financial pressure to lose weight, stop smoking or even lower their cholesterol.

The bipartisan initiative, largely eclipsed in the health-care debate, builds on a trend that is in play among some corporations and that more workers will see in the benefits packages they bring home during this fall's open enrollment. Some employers offer lower premiums to workers who complete personal health assessments; others limit coverage for smokers."

Whether it will happen or not, we will have to wait and see.

Either way, tax the calorically irresponsible.

No evidence B vitamins protect the heart

Oops.

"Taking B vitamins is unlikely to prevent heart attack and stroke in people who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease, a new research review suggests.

The findings, based on eight clinical trials of more than 24,000 people, give added weight to current recommendations against using B vitamins as a way to prevent heart trouble.

The idea that B vitamins like folic acid, B-6 and B-12 might help prevent heart complications stems from the fact that they lower blood levels of an amino acid called homocysteine. Homocysteine levels are often elevated in people with atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque in the arteries that can lead to heart attack and stroke.

However, researchers have not been sure whether high homocysteine levels actually contribute to atherosclerosis progression, or are merely a marker of heart risks. Suggesting the latter may be true, no clinical trial has proven that B-vitamin supplements prevent heart attack and stroke...

The review provides 'strong evidence' that these B vitamins do not prevent heart problems and strokes, lead researcher Dr. Arturo J. Marti-Carvajal, of the Iberoamerican Cochrane Network in Valencia, Venezuela, told Reuters Health in an email.

His advice to people trying to protect their heart health is to forgo B vitamins in favor of proven tactics: stop smoking, exercise regularly, get regular tests of blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, and eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in fast food and other less-than-healthy fare."

Imagine that.

Stopping smoking, physical activity and eating healthily can make a difference.

Radical.

Physical problems 'often mental'

They got that ALMOST right.

"The true burden of mental ill health is unrecognised since many 'physical' problems, like cancer and obesity, are really 'mind' problems, say experts."

Clearly, one has to be mentally ill to make the bad choice to get fat.

That does not mean we should pay to rescue them from the "mental illnesses" of stupidity and bad decision-making.

Chinese herbs show promise for diabetes prevention

Must be the lead.

"A number of traditional Chinese herbs may help control blood sugar levels in people at high risk of diabetes, a new research review suggests.

The review, which examined 16 clinical trials of 15 different herbal formulations, found that the herbs generally helped lower blood sugar levels in people with "pre-diabetes" -- those with impaired blood-sugar control that can progress to full-blown type 2 diabetes.

When the researchers pooled data from eight of the studies, they found that adding an herbal remedy to lifestyle changes doubled the likelihood of participants' blood sugar levels returning to normal.

What's more, people using the remedies were two-thirds less likely to progress to diabetes during the studies, which ran for an average of nine months.

The findings appear in the Cochrane Library, which is published by the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research.

The results, say the researchers, are 'quite promising.' However, they also stress that the studies had shortcomings in their methods that make it hard to draw firm conclusions."

Or maybe the melamine.

Good luck, supplementistas.

Visit the Turn Fat People Into Mice Blog

I recently started this very important blog and will update it regularly.

It offers timely posts documenting the cutting edge science re: rodentia obesus and the world's growing knowledge of how to make fat mice thin.

Though most successful fat research appears to be on mice, this blog is an equal opportunity site and does not discriminate against any rodent.

Therefore, for example, if research turning fat rats into thin rats comes to its attention, readers of the Turn Fat People Into Mice blog will know about it.

It is important to have a searchable and accessible whole planet repository of the research that demonstrates our unparalleled ability to turn fat mice into thin mice.

Since we are experts at fixing fat mice, instead of trying to work it out for humans, where there are apparently at least 6000 genes relating to overweight/obesity, let's research how to turn fat people into mice.

"Scientists think that the mouse genome will be even important than the human genome to medicine and human welfare. That seems bizarre: why is that? The reason is that, because of the relatively 'recent' divergence of the mouse and human lineages from our common ancestor (about 75 million years ago), an astonishing 99% of mouse genes turn out to have analogues in humans. Not only that, but great tracts of code are syntenic - that means the genes appear in the same order in the two genomes...

The astonishingly close homology that has been revealed in the code between mouse and human genome extends to functionality. Many homologous genes have identical functions in the two species, anatomy, physiology and metabolism are similar and genetic disease pathology can be very similar. So the fact that we can study the mouse empirically, means that we can identify the functions of genes in people and both understand human disease pathology and create ways to treat it." (source)

Clearly, turning fat people into mice is a simpler matter.

Then, once they are thin, we can turn them back into people.

Or at least we can give that some consideration.

Visit Turn Fat People Into Mice. Often.

Urban 'Corner Stores' Can Contribute To Child Obesity

Time for Gram Shop Acts, which I have been advocating for years.

"The easy availability of low-nutrition snacks may contribute to childhood obesity in minority and low-income communities. In the study, 'Snacking in Children: The Role of Urban Corner Stores,' researchers conducted more than 800 interviews on children in grades 4 through 6, from 10 urban elementary schools in which half or more of the students receive free or reduced-price meals.

The students were interviewed outside 24 corner convenience stores before and after school. The study found that the most frequently purchased items were high-calorie, low-nutrition foods such as chips, candy and sugar-sweetened beverages. On average, each student spent $1.07 for two food or beverage items, with almost 360 calories."

Help the kids and keep them away from Calories.

Effects Of Aspirin And Folic Acid On Inflammation Markers For Colorectal Adenomas

Maybe inflammation ain't so bad.

"Unexpectedly, inflammation markers do not appear to be involved with the chemopreventative effect of aspirin on colorectal adenomas, according to a brief communication published online October 12 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute."

Still think they have any idea what is going on?

Remember, "'Truth' Has A Shelf Life." (tm)

Post-retirement jobs benefit health: U.S. study

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

"Older people who hold temporary or part-time jobs after retirement enjoy better physical and mental health than those who stop working entirely, according to a U.S. study released on Tuesday.

Those who continue to work in their original field also have better mental health than those who change fields, according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology published by the American Psychological Association."

However, Houston we've got a problem.

Day care next frontier in fighting kids' obesity

Another front in which to lose the battle/war.

"Grilled chicken replaced the hot dogs. Strawberries instead of cookies at snack time. No more fruit juice — water or low-fat milk only. This is the new menu at a Delaware day care center, part of a fledgling movement to take the fight against obesity to pudgy preschoolers.

Day care is the next frontier: New Harvard research shows few states require that child-care providers take specific nutrition and physical activity steps considered key to keeping the under-5 crowd fit.

And while years of work now have older kids starting to get healthier food in schools, more and more kindergarteners show up their first day already overweight or obese."

Note "healthier food," not healthier kids.

Doomed to fail, as everything else based on the conventional stupidity.

Especially since there are no "healthy" foods. There is only healthy eating.

'Real-World' Study Finds That Obesity Doubles The Risk Of Conditions Associated With Heart Disease

Diseases of choice.

"Obese patients treated in office-based medical practices were twice as likely as normal-weight patients to develop conditions associated with heart disease, a new study has found.

Researchers evaluated data collected by primary care and other office-based physician practices across the United States for a five-year period to identify whether obese patients developed hypertension, high triglycerides/low HDL, and diabetes more often than patients whose weight was considered normal."

And we must stop paying for this.

Fight back.

W.Va. town offers wary welcome to celebrity chef

Look who is gonna teach people how to slim down:

"Weary of being stuck with what they call the false label of America's unhealthiest city, Huntington residents are offering a wary welcome to a celebrity TV chef who hopes to help them shape up.

Jamie Oliver is starring in a reality TV show slated to be broadcast next year on ABC."

Be wary, very wary.

New Joint Statement Streamlines Definition of Metabolic Syndrome

Cute.

"A new joint statement from a number of professional organizations has identified specific criteria for the clinical diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome, tightening up the definition, which previously differed from one organization to the next."

They streamlined a definition of what is not streamlined.

"Specifically, the new metabolic-syndrome definition streamlines previous differences related to abdominal obesity as defined by measurements in waist circumference. Substantial disparities existed between the previous IDF and the ATP III definitions of what constituted an excessively large waist circumference, by as much as 8 cm between the two groups, but these have been amended. Now, the criteria for elevated waist circumference are based on population- and country-specific definitions, which, although streamlined, do leave some work to be done, said Eckel."

Won't make people thinner, however.

But it will offer people who immigrate the promise of "better health" just by going to the "right country."

"Notably absent from the joint statement is the American Diabetes Association. As reported by heartwire, there are unresolved scientific issues between the ADA and other associations, including the AHA, regarding the metabolic syndrome. Specifically, the ADA, as well as the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), objected to the manner in which the metabolic syndrome was characterized as a risk factor for heart disease or diabetes, arguing that there was no need to diagnose a patient with the syndrome because emphasis should be placed on aggressively treating the individual risk factors. In 2005, the ADA and EASD issued their own joint statement calling for a critical appraisal of the metabolic syndrome, its designation as a syndrome, and its clinical utility."

And those dissenting.

Some "joint statement."

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

Are obese people less likely to commit suicide?

Possible.

"Obesity may lead to numerous health problems, but it may actually be linked to fewer successful suicides, according to a new study.

Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal, at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, looked at rates of suicide and obesity in U.S. states in 2004 and 2005. On average, about a quarter of adults studied were classified as obese on the basis of their body mass index, which is a standard measure of the relationship of height and weight. Also on average, there were about 12 suicides per 100,000 adults.

However, with each 3 percent increase in obesity in a given state, there were 3 fewer suicides per 100,000 adults, they report in the journal Obesity.

U.S. states with higher rates of obesity also had lower rates of successful suicide using guns, suffocation, and poisoning."

As to guns, there is much more flesh to penetrate so a more powerful weapon is needed.

Suffocation? There is much more tissue to compress.

Poisoning...since the fat eat just about anything, it is likely they have become resistant to most common poisons.

No surprise here.

Move along.

Two dead, 19 sick at Arizona 'sweat dome' retreat

Woo-woo whoops.

"Two people died and 19 were treated in hospital after falling ill in a sauna-like "sweat dome" at a retreat in northern Arizona, authorities said on Friday.

Yavapai County Sheriff's Office spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn said 64 people were in a sweat dome at the Angel Valley Retreat Center near Sedona for up to two hours on Thursday.

Twenty-one people were taken for treatment at the nearby Flagstaff Medical Center and Verde Valley Medical Center, where two of them were pronounced dead.

"We're just looking into what may have caused these unfortunate injuries and deaths," D'Evelyn told Reuters.

There was no immediate information about the condition of those treated in hospital. Local news media reported a man and a woman had died.

Sedona, 117 miles (188 km) north of Phoenix, is renowned for its red rocks, which some people believe have spiritual and restorative powers. The area is a popular destination for New Age retreats.

Television news images of the sweat dome showed a large, windowless circular structure, apparently covered in black plastic or tarpaulin.

D'Evelyn said participants had paid up to $9,000 to take part in the sweat dome, which was warmed by preheated rocks brought inside.

He said investigators were at the resort on Friday, looking into the cause of the injuries and deaths."

Probably not having done a detox diet or coffee colonic first.

LA hospital exposed patients to high radiation

Bzzzzzt.

"California public health officials are investigating medical errors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in which 206 patients were exposed to high doses of radiation during CT brain scans.

The report came as the FDA issued an alert to hospitals nationwide, warning them to review their safety procedures for CT scans. But the alert did not specifically name Cedars-Sinai.

'The magnitude of these overdoses and their impact on the affected patients were significant,' the FDA said, warning that undetected overdoses put 'patients at increased risk for long-term radiation effects.'"

Another good reason to be fit and avoid hospitals.

Massachusetts' Universal Healthcare Coverage Reveals Serious Shortage of Primary Care Physicians

Yet another reason to get fit.

"Surveys of Massachusetts residents and emergency physicians show that the healthcare reform enacted in 2006 that gave healthcare coverage to all state residents did not alleviate the problem of overcrowding or long wait times in emergency departments (EDs)."

As a touted template for national sick care reform, this is what to expect.

You are better off being fit and not needing sick care as much as the unfit.

'Good' dietary fats trim body fat in diabetic women

Wanna bet?

"Eating certain kinds of fats may actually help obese women with diabetes trim some body fat, a small study suggests.

The study, of 35 older women with type 2 diabetes, found that supplements containing two types of fats -- conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) or safflower oil -- led to healthy changes in body composition over four months.

With CLA, the women saw a dip in body mass index (BMI) -- a measure of weight in relation to height -- and in their total level of body fat.

With safflower oil, the women's BMI did not change, but they typically shed a couple pounds of fat from the trunk area.."

If the BMI did not change (with safflower oil), their weight did not change either.

Yet, they allegedly lost fat.

So where did the replacement weight come from?

Just like the results of this study, likely all of it came from bad research.

High-Fat Diet Impairs Muscle Health Before Impacting Function

Kudos, fatsos.

"Skeletal muscle plays a critical role in regulating blood sugar levels in the body. But few studies have comprehensively examined how obesity caused by a high-fat diet affects the health of muscle in adolescents who are pre-diabetic.

In a paper published tomorrow in the scientific journal PLoS One, a team of McMaster University researchers report that the health of young adult muscle declines during the pre-diabetic state, which is when blood sugar levels are higher than normal but lower than during Type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that during this period significant impairments occur in the muscle, even though it appears to be functioning normally."

You have nutritionally abused your kids into muscle dysfunction.

The UK's Public Sector And Industry Unite To Attack Obesity And Heart Disease

And what have they been doing until now?

"The battle against obesity, heart disease and other diet related health problems has received a £4 million boost with the announcement of seven new research projects. The projects, taking place in universities and research institutes across the UK, are part of a partnership between 2 publicly-funded Research Councils and 15 companies. This means the research being funded is tackling big questions in diet and health in our society but in a way that the food industry will able to use quickly to help improve the nation's health through diet.

The partnership, the Diet and Health Research Industry Club (DRINC), has awarded the money to a range of projects. Research will look at such things as the role of probiotics and prebiotics in reducing obesity and improving immunity, why and how polyphenols found in fruit juice reduce the risk of heart disease and if this ability is reduced during food processing and the role of cognition in triggering physiological signals of fullness."

Money down the toilet, er, loo.

Exercise Improves Body Image For Fit And Unfit Alike, UF Study Finds

Guess what?

"Attention weekend warriors: the simple act of exercise and not fitness itself can convince you that you look better, a new University of Florida study finds.

People who don't achieve workout milestones such as losing fat, gaining strength or boosting cardiovascular fitness feel just as good about their bodies as their more athletic counterparts, said Heather Hausenblas, a UF exercise psychologist. Her study is published in the September issue of the Journal of Health Psychology."

Don't fool yourselves, unfitsos.

If you are unfit, you are unfit.

And you still look it, too.

Actually achieve the goal.

Not some feel-good-but-you-will-still-get-unfit-persons'-diseases-of-choice imitation.

Los Angeles Fast-Food Restaurant Ban Unlikely To Cut Obesity, Study Finds

The Big Apple of the West.

"Restrictions on fast-food chain restaurants in South Los Angeles are not addressing the main differences between neighborhood food environments and are unlikely to improve the diet of residents or reduce obesity, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Researchers from RAND Health found that the South Los Angeles region has no more fast-food chain establishments on a per capita basis than other parts of the city, but rather many more small food stores and other food outlets.

Those outlets are more likely to be the source of high-calorie snacks and soda consumed substantially more often by residents of South Los Angeles as compared to other parts of the city, according to the study published online by the journal Health Affairs."

Neither approach will "cut obesity."

The matter is one of personal irresponsibility.

From where the Calories originate is irrelevant.

Study Suggests Antioxidants Could Make Us More, Not Less, Prone To Diabetes

When supplements go bad.

"We've all heard about the damage that reactive oxygen species (ROS) - aka free radicals - can do to our bodies and the sales pitches for antioxidant vitamins, skin creams or 'superfoods' that can stop them. In fact, there is considerable scientific evidence that chronic ROS production within cells can contribute to human diseases, including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

But a new report in the October 7th Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, adds to evidence that it might not be as simple as all that. The researchers show that low levels of ROS - and hydrogen peroxide in particular - might actually protect us from diabetes, by improving our ability to respond to insulin signals.

'Our studies indicate that 'physiological' low levels of ROS may promote the insulin response and attenuate insulin resistance early in the progression of type 2 diabetes, prior to overt obesity and hyperglycemia,' said Tony Tiganis of Monash University in Australia. 'In a way, we think there is a delicate balance and that too much of a good thing - surprise, surprise - might be bad.'"

No surprise here.

Fitness Watch readers have known it for years e.g., see this.

Many Healthy Foods Are Also The Ones Most Likely To Cause Foodborne Outbreaks, US

Imagine what the "unhealthy" ones do!

"Many healthy food such as eggs, leafy greens and tuna are among the top 10 foods regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that are most likely to cause outbreaks of foodborne illness, according to a consumer group that is calling for an end to self-regulation among America's food growers and processors."

Oops.

N.C. to penalize obese workers, those who smoke

Wrong. It is not a penalty. It is a reflection of the increased risk at which these people voluntarily put themselves - expecting the rest of us to pay for it.

"North Carolina is poised to become only the second state to penalize state employees by placing them in a more expensive health insurance plan if they're obese.

Smokers will feel the drag of higher costs, too, as North Carolina and South Carolina state employees who use tobacco are slated to pay more for health insurance next year.

N.C. officials, coping with a steady uptick in health care costs for state employees each year, are aiming to improve state workers' health, which saves money in medical expenses.

'Tobacco use and poor nutrition and inactivity are the leading causes of preventable deaths in our state,' said Anne Rogers, director of integrated health management with the N.C. State Employees Health Plan. 'We need a healthy workforce in this state. We're trying to encourage individuals to adopt healthy lifestyles.'

State workers who don't cut out the Marlboros and Big Macs will end up paying more for health insurance. Tobacco users get placed in a more expensive insurance plan starting in July and, for those who qualify as obese, in July 2011."

Kudos, NC.

The only mistake is waiting until next year and 2011.

Depression, Anxiety Linked to Weight Gain

Comfort food?

"People who suffer from depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders are more likely to gain weight over time and become obese than people who don’t, a new study shows.

Researchers followed more than 4,000 British civil servants for almost two decades in one of the longest studies ever to examine the impact of mental health on obesity.

They found that people with chronic or repeat episodes of depression, anxiety, or other mental health disorders were the most likely to become obese over the course of the 19-year study.

People with symptoms of one or more mental disorders three times during the study were twice as likely to be obese at the final screening as people who never reported such symptoms."

This sure looks comfortable:

This, too:

B-Vitamin Pills Have No Effect On Heart Disease Risk

Say it ain't so.

"B-vitamin supplements should not be recommended for prevention of heart disease, say scientists. A Cochrane Systematic Review has shown these supplements do not reduce the risk of developing or dying from the disease.

'There is no evidence to support the use of B-vitamins as supplements for reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke or death associated with cardiovascular disease,' says lead researcher, Arturo Martí-Carvajal of the Iberoamerican Cochrane Network in Valencia, Venezuela. 'And it is important to point out that although we may have not found a positive effect, these kinds of studies are vitally important for determining the factors that influence the risk of developing and dying from this disease, which is the number one cause of death in the world today.'

Certain B-vitamins, specifically B12, B9 (folic acid) and B6, influence levels of an amino acid in the blood called homocysteine. High levels of this molecule are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. It has been suggested that giving B-vitamin supplements could help regulate levels of homocysteine, thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and death. But according to the researchers, there is no scientific basis for this claim.

The review included eight trials involving a total of 24,210 people. None of the eight trials individually supported the idea that giving B-vitamin supplements could prevent cardiovascular disease. Together the data show that B-vitamin supplements, whether compared with placebos or standard care, have no effect on the incidence of heart attack, stroke or death associated with heart disease."

Won't stop Whore Foods from touting this stuff, though.

Antioxidants Could Trigger Type 2 Diabetes, So Use Them In Moderation Say Researchers

Oops, again.

"An international team of researchers found that antioxidants commonly promoted as being good for our health may speed up early onset of Type 2 diabetes by mopping up Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) that may play a protective role in the early stages of Type 2 diabetes by enhancing insulin action."

Still think they have any idea of what a "healthy" supplement is?

Common Mental Disorders May Be Linked To An Increased Risk Of Obesity

The disorder is called "stupid." (e.g., see here, here, here, here and here)

"People with common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety are at increased risk of becoming obese, according to new research published on BMJ.com today."

Oh, yeah.

Maybe those, too.

Obese Children At Significantly Greater Risk For Post-Adenotonsillectomy Complications

Don't give them ice cream afterwards.

Another form of nutritional child abuse. This time from, basically, removing the tonsils.

"Obesity in children significantly increases the risk of major and minor respiratory complications following surgery to correct sleep disordered breathing (SDB), according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA.

The study, which followed the post-operative recovery of 49 obese children compared with a control group, revealed that 75.5 percent of the obese children experienced one or more post-surgical respiratory complications, compared with just 26.5 percent of the control group. Particularly, airway obstruction in the obese was significantly more frequent than that of the control group. Obese children were also more likely to be admitted to the hospital, and had a longer duration of stay.

The likelihood of developing these adverse events was greater as the body mass index increased, and in boys.

Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common type of SDB, occurs when the upper airway obstructs or collapses during sleep, causing a decrease in oxygenation. This can result in cognitive and behavioral consequences in children. The main treatment for SDB in children is to surgically remove the tonsils and adenoids that could obstruct the upper airway."

Another result of irresponsible parenting.

Americans Concerned About Heart Health, But Not Proactive Enough To Prevent It

That's for sure.

"To help draw attention to National Child Health Day, the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA) released findings from a new national consumer survey and launched a campaign to educate families about heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S.

The national survey revealed that more than three in five (61%) Americans incorrectly believe that the processes related to heart disease do not begin until adulthood.

Alarmingly, fewer than four in ten (38%) correctly surmise that people should be concerned about living a heart-healthy lifestyle to prevent a future heart attack beginning in childhood, and continuing throughout every life stage...

According to the study, published in September in an advance online edition of the journal Circulation, even with the success of past heart disease awareness and education campaigns the trend toward reducing cardiovascular risk is now headed in a negative direction. The vast majority (92%) of Americans are still at risk, primarily because of the rise in obesity."

All the more reason to stop paying for the fatsos and their diseases of choice.

"'This is a wake up call for parents and their children in particular,' says Laura Hayman, Ph.D., RN, a member of the PCNA Board of Directors and a leading researcher on obesity and cardiovascular disease in children, adolescents, and families. 'Some strides have been made; however, since more and more children are currently overweight, they are more likely at risk for obesity-related conditions later in life such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes.'"

And holding parents accountable for nutritionally abusing their children.

Strong Link Between Obesity And Depression

So what?

"Doctors should pay more attention to the link between common mental illness and obesity in patients because the two health problems are closely linked, according to researchers at the University of Adelaide."

Don't waste your time "pay(ing) more attention to the link."

There isn't one.

Depression is not a disorder generally resulting from caloric deficiency.

Calories are not the solution.

The two are "linked" only in so far as one becomes the excuse for the other.

And as a means to make bucks for the sick care system.

Being Overweight Super-Sizes Both Risk And Consequences Of Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Suffocation from stuffocation.

"Overweight individuals are not just at greater risk of having sleep-disordered-breathing (SDB), they are also likely to suffer greater consequences, according to new research.

According to the study, to be published in the October 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, an official publication of the American Thoracic Society, excess weight increased the severity of oxygen desaturation in the blood of individuals with SDB during and after apneas and hypopneas."

A new way to choke on food.

Kudos, fatsos.

Antioxidants may raise diabetes risk: study

They're bad again.

"Instead of protecting against diabetes, antioxidants -- compounds in foods and supplements that prevent cell damage -- may actually increase the chances of getting diabetes, at least in the early stages, Australian researchers reported on Tuesday.

'In the case of early type 2 diabetes ... our studies suggest that antioxidants would be bad for you,' Tony Tiganis of Monash University in Australia, whose study appears in the journal Cell Metabolism, said in a statement."

Yet another change.

Antioxidants are healthy
Antioxidants are unhealthy
Antioxidants are healthy
Antioxidants are unhealthy

Still think they have any idea of what a "healthy" food or supplement is?

Hearing Loss Risk In Men Can Be Reduced By Higher Folates, Not Antioxidants

A bad day for antioxidants. (see above)

"Increased intakes of antioxidant vitamins have no bearing on whether or not a man will develop hearing loss, but higher folate intake can decrease his risk by 20 percent, according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA.

The study, which identified 3,559 cases of men with hearing loss, found that there was no beneficial association with increased intakes of antioxidant vitamins such as C, E, and beta carotene. However, the authors found that men over the age of 60 who have a high intake of foods and supplement high in folates have a 20 percent decrease in risk of developing hearing loss."

Until another study shows something different, that is.

General Mills Joins Unprecedented Coalition To Help Reduce Obesity

A way to sell products to a naive public.

"Reinforcing General Mills' on-going commitment to helping Americans achieve a healthy weight through energy balance, the company joined retailers, non-government organizations and peer food and beverage manufacturers today to launch the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF)...

The HWCF is a national, multi-year effort to try to help reduce obesity - especially childhood obesity - by 2015. The HWCF will promote ways to help people achieve a healthy weight through energy balance - balancing calories consumed as part of a healthy diet with calories expended through physical activity. The initiative will focus its efforts on three critical areas where people spend much of their time - the marketplace, the workplace and schools...

In the important area of whole grain nutrition, General Mills' Big G cereal division alone delivers almost 35 million servings of whole grain per day - helping ensure that 1 in 10 Americans get at least one serving of whole grain every day by eating a bowl of any Big G cereal, including category-leading cereals such as Cheerios, Chex and Kix.

Other examples of the company's focus on health and nutrition include more convenient ways to eat Green Giant vegetables, reduced-sodium Progresso soups and low-fat Yoplait yogurts."

At best, a disingenuous sales pitch, IMHO.

'Cause the only way to reduce obesity is to reduce Calories.

Nuthin' else matters.

Kids' weight a factor in hospital admission

More nutritional child abuse.

"Overweight or underweight children who are seen in the emergency department are more likely to be admitted to the hospital, and to stay longer, than normal-weight youngsters, according to a study reported Monday at the American College of Emergency Physicians' annual meeting in Boston.

'The bottom line is, like anything else, being in the middle (weight) range is best,' Dr. Adam Singer from the State University of New York at Stony Brook told Reuters Health.

Singer and colleagues took a look back at 6,304 children who were seen in the emergency department in 2007.

Of the 12 percent of children who were admitted, 6.9 percent were underweight, 16.8 percent were at risk of being overweight, and 18.4 percent were overweight.

A deeper look at the data revealed that children outside of the healthy weight range (both under and over) were more likely to be admitted to the hospital (47 percent versus 41 percent).

Fewer boys were at a healthy weight than girls (54 percent versus 63 percent) and underweight patients were younger than patients in the other weight categories.

Gender, age and obesity class were all associated with hospital admission: Boys were more likely to be admitted than girls, younger children more likely than older, and healthy-weight children less likely than overweight.

'We can speculate that obese children may be more likely to get sick, and when they get sick, they may be more likely to have severe illness -- regardless of whether or not the illness is specifically related to obesity, such as diabetes -- compared to normal-weight children,' Singer said."

Hold the parents and mandatory reporters accountable.

Then watch the kids lose the weight.

Calorie labeling doesn't curb NYC fast food habits

Who could have seen this coming?

"A rule that requires New York City fast food restaurants to post calorie information on their menu boards has not changed consumer habits in low-income neighborhoods, according to a study published on Tuesday.

While half of consumers surveyed said they noticed the labeling, and about a quarter of those said they made different choices as a result, a review of fast food purchases showed habits remained the same, said the study, published in the journal Health Affairs."

Fitness Watch readers, that's who.

And now for the obligatory excusinator:

"Brian Elbel, a professor at the New York University School of Medicine and a lead author of the study, which was conducted in low-income neighborhoods with high minority populations, said that more research needed to be done.

'Though the introduction of calorie labels did not change the number of calories purchased, a combination of public policy efforts are likely necessary to produce a meaningful change in obesity,' Elbel said."

Shut up, Brian, you moron.

How many more forms of collective punishment do you have to try in order to rein in fatsos?

There is a right way to do a fat tax and this is not one of them.

Idiot.

American Roulette — Contaminated Dietary Supplements

Whoops.

"In one of the most dangerous cities in the United States, one portly police sergeant has more to worry about than crime. His doctor had been encouraging him for years to lose weight, and like millions of other Americans, he decided to try a weight-loss supplement to help him shed his extra pounds. But instead of losing weight, he lost his job. According to the label, his diet pills, which were imported from Brazil and sold in the United States, contained vitamin E, centella, senna, and cascara, among other 'natural' ingredients. Not included on the label was the amphetamine detected in his urine drug screen. The now-unemployed sergeant is not alone. Such contaminated supplements represent an emerging risk to public health."

Good luck, supplementistas.

You are better off eating healthily and avoiding "healthy" foods and supplements.

Paradoxically, Food Insecurity May Be Underlying Contributor To Overweight

Have you heard the one about the kids without enough Calories who got fat?

"Both household food insecurity (HFInsec) and childhood overweight are significant problems in the United States. Paradoxically, being food-insecure may be an underlying contributor to being overweight. A study of almost 8,500 low-income children ages 1 month to 5 years, published in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, suggests an association between household food insecurity and overweight prevalence in this low-income population...

Food insecurity is defined as the lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life, which results from limited or uncertain access to nutritionally adequate and safe foods in socially acceptable ways. In 2004, 11% of households in the United States reported household food insecurity, and households with children younger than 6 years old and black and Hispanic households experienced higher rates of household food insecurity and hunger. Prevalence of household food insecurity and overweight has increased over time and are more prevalent in low-income families."

And the punchline is..."lack of access to enough food" causes overweight.

This is, of course, impossible.

Maybe, this will help explain it:

"What does it mean to be “poor” in America? For the average reader, the word poverty implies significant physical hardship — for example, the lack of a warm, adequate home, nutritious food, or reasonable clothing for one’s children. By that measure, very few of the 30 million plus individuals defined as “living in poverty” by the government are actually poor. Real hardship does occur, but it is limited in scope and severity.

The average person identified as “poor” by the government has a living standard far higher than the public imagines. According to the government’s own surveys, the typical “poor” American has cable or satellite TV, two color TVs, and a DVD player or VCR. He has air conditioning, a car, a microwave, a refrig erator, a stove, and a clothes washer and dryer. He is able to obtain medical care when needed. His home is in good repair and is not overcrowded. By his own report, his family is not hungry, and he had sufficient funds in the past year to meet his family’s essential needs. While this individual’s life is not affluent, it is far from the images of dire poverty conveyed by liberal activists and politicians.

Various government reports contain the following facts about persons defined as “poor” by the Census Bureau:

Nearly 40 percent of all poor households actu ally own their own homes. On average, this is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.

Eighty-four percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, in 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.

Nearly two-thirds of the poor have cable or satellite TV.

Only 6 percent of poor households are over crowded; two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.

The typical poor American has as much or more living space than the average individual living in most European countries. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)

Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 31 percent own two or more cars.

Ninety-eight percent of poor households have a color television; two-thirds own two or more color televisions.

Eighty-two percent own microwave ovens; 67 percent have a DVD player; 73 percent have a VCR; 47 percent have a computer.

The average intake of protein, vitamins, and minerals by poor children is indistinguishable from that of children in the upper middle class. Poor boys today at ages 18 and 19 are actually taller and heavier than middle-class boys of similar age were in the late 1950s. They are a full inch taller and ten pounds heavier than the GIs who stormed the beaches of Normandy during World War II.

Conventional accounts of poverty not only exaggerate hardship, they also underestimate government spending on the poor. In 2008, federal and state governments spent $714 billion (or 5 percent of the total economy) on means-tested welfare aid, providing cash, food, housing, medical care, and targeted social services to poor and low-income Americans. (This sum does not include Social Security or Medicare.) If converted into cash, this aid would be nearly four times the amount needed to eliminate poverty in the U.S. by raising the incomes of all poor households above the federal poverty levels."

Maybe not.

Who knows?

You decide.

Untreated sleep apnea may impair driving

And fat people are more likely to get sleep apnea.

"People with untreated sleep apnea may be less alert behind the wheel, and more vulnerable to the effects of sleep loss and alcohol, than healthy drivers, a study published Monday suggests.

The findings, say researchers, suggest that people with the nighttime breathing disorder should be especially careful about avoiding alcohol and getting enough rest before hitting the road.

Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, is a disorder in which the tissues at the back of the throat temporarily collapse during sleep, causing repeated stops and starts in breathing during the night. This leads to poor-quality sleep and, often, daytime drowsiness.

It's estimated that traffic accidents related to OSA cause 1,400 fatalities in the U.S. each year."

Go here and stop letting the fat imperil you and those you love.

Can your pants size predict your cancer risk?

Yes.

"Your pants size might help gauge your risk of developing certain cancers, regardless of how much you actually weigh, Dutch researchers report.

A large waist and wide hips signal accumulation of so-called "intra-abdominal fat" -- the particularly harmful deep "hidden" fat that surrounds the abdominal organs and is linked to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

'It has been hypothesized that clothing size is related to physique, and it was recently reported that clothing size appears to be a strong surrogate for obesity and intra-abdominal fat,' Dr. Laura A. E. Hughes, of Maastricht University, the Netherlands, and colleagues note in the journal Epidemiology.

Using information on nearly 2500 men and women enrolled in a large study of diet and cancer, the researchers validated ties between a person's clothing size and waist and hip size and their body mass index - a standard measure used to tell how fat or thin a person is.

Trouser and skirt size correlated well with waist and hip circumference measurements in men and women, the investigators report.

Hughes and colleagues next looked at whether clothing size could predict cancer risk.

With an average follow up period of roughly 13 years, they found that, in women, bigger skirt size predicted greater risk of endometrial cancer, while in men, bigger trouser size predicted greater risk of kidney cancer in men."

Next question.

Oh, yeah.

And let's stop paying for these fatsos and their diseases of choice.

Genetic Manipulation Mimics Calorie Restriction In Mice, Offering Promise Of Drug Treatments For Age-Related Diseases

And another reason to turn fat people into mice...

"Scientists have managed to extend the lifespan of mice by up to a fifth and reduce the number of age-related diseases the animals suffer. The research, which involved blocking a key molecular pathway, mimics the health benefits of reducing calorie intake and suggests that drug treatments for ageing and age-related diseases are feasible.

As far back as the 1930s scientists showed that reducing the calorie intake of laboratory rats whilst maintaining sufficient quantities of vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients can have health benefits. So-called 'calorie restriction' appeared to increase the life-span of the animals, and a recent study showed that this may be the case for primates, though it is not understood why. Evidence also suggests that calorie restriction can have health benefits for humans, too, though it is unclear whether it can increase longevity."

And maybe even the rest of us, too.

Guess there is a reason why they say:

the "eek" shall inherit the earth,
the "squeaky" wheel gets the grease,
"Cheese," to make you smile and

there is no apparent downside to this since, "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley..."

Plus, think of all the calcium from the dairy cheese.

Just watch out for cats.

Britain's new healthy eating guru: Homer Simpson

A lotta dough for...

"Forget all the pizza and doughnuts -- the British government wants fans of "The Simpsons" to ditch junk food and eat more healthily.

The Department of Health is spending 640,000 pounds ($1 million) to sponsor episodes of the long-running U.S. cartoon series broadcast on Channel 4, as part of its Change4Life campaign.

Before the start of the sponsored shows, cartoon characters pretending to be the members of the dysfunctional animated family are shown sitting on a sofa tucking into ice cream and chips which then morph into more healthy alternatives.

The government hopes that viewers will realize they should follow that behavior, and not the beer-swilling, doughnut-guzzling diet of Homer Simpson and his family."

"Doh!"

University Of Florida To Receive $29.5 Million In Recovery Act Funds To Begin Study Of Whether Exercise Prevents Disability In Older Adults

Now why hasn't anybody else thought of this?

"The University of Florida will receive $29.5 million in federal stimulus funds over the next two years from the National Institute on Aging to begin a six-year study on whether a program of structured physical activity can prevent or delay major movement disability in older adults.

When completed, funding for the project is expected to total more than $60 million from the NIA, including the $29.5 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The total will amount to the largest federal award to UF, as well as fund the largest study to prevent mobility disability in seniors."

Oh, they haven't?

"Many studies have shown that regular exercise improves physical performance. And the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity each week, as well as muscle-strengthening activities."

Wanna bet?

From the Feds:

"Research sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality led to development of a patient self-management program that can help prevent or delay disability even in patients with arthritis, heart disease, or hypertension. Patients are taught how to better manage their symptoms, adhere to medication regimens, and maintain functional ability. AHRQ-funded research shows that health education and lifestyle changes can reduce the negative consequences of chronic disease."

A waste.

Better off spending some money to stimulate the memory of the government.

Food Companies Guilty Of Misleading People With Health Claims, Says Which?

Really?

"As the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) publishes its assessment on many of the health claims * made by food products, Which? chief policy adviser, Sue Davies, says:

'A huge number of food products claim to have health benefits, but finally we are separating the wheat from the chaff. Incredibly, only a third of health claims looked at by EFSA could be backed up.

'Clearly many food companies are exploiting people's interest in improving their health, often over-charging them for alleged health benefits which can't be proved...'"

Who'da thunk it?

New Sources Of Omega-3 From Grains And Lamb

Frankenfood alert!

"CSIRO Food Futures Flagship scientist, Dr Surinder Singh, will outline his team's progress on the transfer into crop plants of biochemical pathways for long-chain omega-3 synthesis sourced from marine microalgae.

'Long-chain omega-3 oils such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have well-documented health benefits against coronary heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other disorders,' Dr Singh says.

'The main sources of these long-chain omega-3s are algal oils and fish oils - with 88 per cent of global fish oil production used by aquaculture. Our research aims to ensure that a sustainable, land-based production system can be developed to help meet the increasing demand.'

Dr Singh's team has isolated and characterised a suite of highly efficient algal genes, and demonstrated the production of EPA and DHA in model land plants.

They are now developing oilseed crop plants that synthesise EPA and DHA in their oils and are relevant for Australian agriculture. The plants are expected to be available for commercial release by about 2015.

In related work, a PhD candidate with the Food Futures Flagship and the University of Tasmania, Will Bignell, will address the conference on the potential for raising the omega-3 oil content of lamb.

'Lamb already contains varied levels of long-chain omega-3 which can be boosted using marine algae and fish oils in feeds,' Mr Bignell says.

'Canola and lupin meals are common sheep feeds and understanding their effects on omega-3 oils will provide a foundation for ultimately raising the long chain omega-3 content of Australian lamb.'"

From Sea Kittens to Sea Lambs.

Cute.

Lifespan In Flies Extended By 'Anti-Atkins' Low Protein Diet

Flies in the Atkins' ointment.

"Flies fed an 'anti-Atkins' low protein diet live longer because their mitochondria function better. The research, done at the Buck Institute for Age Research, shows that the molecular mechanisms responsible for the lifespan extension in the flies have important implications for human aging and diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cancer."

Right.

Adults Who Ate Sweets Every Day In Childhood Are At Increased Risk Of Aggression

Twinkie defense.

"Children who eat sweets and chocolate every day are more likely to be violent as adults, according to new research.

A study of almost 17,500 participants in the 1970 British Cohort Study found that 10-year-olds who ate confectionary daily were significantly more likely to have been convicted for violence at age 34 years.

The study, published in the October issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, is the first to examine the long-term effects of childhood diet on adult violence.

Researchers from Cardiff University found that 69 per cent of the participants who were violent at the age of 34 had eaten sweets and chocolate nearly every day during childhood, compared to 42% who were non-violent.

This link between confectionary consumption and violence remained after controlling for other factors.

The researchers put forward several explanations for the link. Lead researcher Dr Simon Moore said: 'Our favoured explanation is that giving children sweets and chocolate regularly may stop them learning how to wait to obtain something they want. Not being able to defer gratification may push them towards more impulsive behaviour, which is strongly associated with delinquency.'"

Now we understand why we all just can't get along.