New guidance on vitamin D recommends midday sunshine

Sunblock? We don't need no stinking sunblock!

New health advice recommends short spells in the sun - without suncream and in the middle of the day.

Seven organisations have issued joint advice on vitamin D, which the body gets from natural sunlight.

The nutrient keeps bones strong, and protects against conditions like osteoporosis.

The guidance was drawn up because it is thought fears about skin cancer have made people too cautious about being in the sun.

Cancer Research UK and the National Osteoporosis Society are among the bodies which agree that "little and frequent" spells in summer sunshine several times a week can benefit your health.

The experts now say it is fine to go outside in strong sun in the middle of the day, as long as you cover up or apply sunscreen before your skin goes red.

Burn baby, burn.



Confused about what you should do? So are the experts.

Children Who Don't Like Fruit And Vegetables Are 13 Times More Likely To Be Constipated

No s**t.

Primary school children who don't like eating fruit and vegetables are 13 times more likely to develop functional constipation than children who do, according to a study in the December issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing. Drinking less than 400ml of fluid a day also significantly increases the risk.

Then there is this:

A low fiber diet has been proven not to be the cause of constipation and the success of fiber intake as treatment is modest.

Some might be surprised that there is controversy about constipation.

Don't be.

Remember, these are the same people who cannot cure toenail fungus and still want to muck with your genes.

HHS Launches Healthy People 2020

Hallelujah! Since Healthy People 2010 was such a success.

With 2010 nearly over, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has updated its Healthy People program to reduce health risk factors and disparities, providing new topics and objectives for 2020.

The Healthy People initiative began in 1979 with a Surgeon General's report, which set public health targets to be reached by 1990. It has been revised in 10 year increments ever since.

The 2020 version identifies nearly 600 objectives, ranging from homicides to smoking cessation attempts, in 42 topic areas.

In announcing the update, HHS called the new targets and objectives "ambitious yet achievable."

Wanna bet?

More Obesity Among Poorer Women But Not Poorer Men In America

More debunking of the socioeconomic cause of fatso-ness.

Contrary to what many people think, poorer American males are not more likely to be obese than their richer counterparts; but adult females nearer the poverty levels are, according to a new report issued by the National Center for Health Statistics. Rates of adult male obesity are fairly similar throughout all income levels, the authors reveal, with a slight increase among higher income men.

The number of obese adults in the USA has been growing steadily for the last few decades and does not appear to be slowing down. 72 million US adults are estimated to be either obese or overweight today. Over 30% of all American adults are obese.

A number of studies have associated obesity with socioeconomic and educational levels. Unfortunately, the media has often extrapolated from very limited studies and spread a general impression that obesity is the poor man's epidemic.

And more data that fatso-ness is a condition of the stupid.

Education appears to have a more constant correlation with obesity across both sexes:

42% of adult females without a high school education are obese
23% of adult females with a college degree are obese
32% of adult males without a high school education are obese
27% of adult males with a college degree are obese

Data in which you can believe.

NOW HALF OF BRITONS ARE OVERWEIGHT

And to think, they once were an empire.

More than half the population is obese or overweight and Britons are now the fattest in Europe, shocking figures revealed yesterday.

One of Britain’s worst health problems, which puts the overweight at risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes, costs the NHS billions of pounds a year.

The figures also revealed that in Birmingham, 29 per cent of adults are obese – double the European Union average and far higher than the rate of 19 per cent in London.

Now they rule the flab.

New program tackles growing problem of childhood obesity

Not new, but same old, same old.

Although British Columbia has a lower child obesity rate than the rest of Canada, the number of dangerously overweight children is on the increase, according to a government report.

Provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall said the number of obese children has doubled in the past 25 years, citing statistics from a report titled Select Standing Committee on Health: A Strategy for Combating Childhood Obesity and Physical Inactivity in B.C.

However, he noted this trend can be stopped if communities focus on prevention programs and encourage healthier lifestyles and eating habits.

A new program doing just that is SCOPE (Sustainable Childhood Obesity Prevention through Community Engagement), which began recently in Abbotsford and Prince George. The program has also launched a website, www.scopebc.ca,providing information to British Columbians about preventing obesity and encouraging healthy choices.

Its guidelines follow a 5-2-1-0 rule, which means children should eat five vegetables or fruits daily, spend no more than two hours in front of a screen, do at least one hour of active play and have zero sugar-sweetened drinks.

"SCOPE is a way to engage British Columbians in a more broader health initiative," said Kendall. "There's a tremendous role for municipalities to look at where unhealthy foods are marketed and sold and schools can certainly encourage healthy food choices and activities."

"More broader."

Apparently, they need a new English program.

Doomed to fail.

Anabolic steroids after total knee arthroplasty. A double blinded prospective pilot study

Two words - Anabolic Clinic (sm).

This project strongly suggests that the use of anabolic steroids result in an improved outcome as assessed by the KSS and significantly increases extensor strength. No side effects were seen in either the study or control group.

These patients had osteoarthritis, which is very common and a significant cause of disability.

Anabolic steroids, before and after surgery, helped and improved outcome.

Help yourself, as surely neither the government nor conventional sick care will.

For more info, go here and here.

23% of four-year-olds 'overweight'

Fat parents have fat kids.

Almost a quarter (23%) of four to five-year-olds are overweight or obese, figures have shown.

The figure rises to one in three (33%) of children in their final year of primary school (aged 10 to 11).

Kudos, fatsos.

High Dietary Fat, Cholesterol Linked To Increase Risk Of Prostate Cancer

Don't do this:



Or you will experience this with a bad result:

Elevated fat and cholesterol levels found in a typical American-style diet plays an important role in the growth and spread of prostate cancer, say researchers at Thomas Jefferson University's Kimmel Cancer Center.

Their study, the first to show such an association, is published in the December issue of The American Journal of Pathology. It demonstrates how mice eating a Western diet, and predisposed to develop prostate cancer, can develop larger tumors that are faster growing and metastasize more easily to the lungs, compared to animals eating a control diet.

Your choice.

Soda Taxes: Weight Loss Benefit Linked to Household Income

More data demonstrating that this stupid idea will not work.

Imposing higher taxes on sodas and other sweetened drinks may generate a lot of money -- but would lead to only minimal weight loss among most people and would have no effect on weight among consumers in the highest and lowest income groups, according to new research from Duke-National University of Singapore (NUS) Graduate Medical School.

The study, led by Eric Finkelstein, PhD, associate professor of health services at Duke-NUS, looked at the differential impact on calories and weight of a 20 percent and 40 percent tax on sodas and other sweetened beverages (SSBs) among different income groups.

The research, appearing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, comes at a time when health policy makers are considering additional taxes on sweetened drinks as a means of improving health and raising revenue to offset budget deficits. Some studies show that excess consumption of sugary drinks leads to weight gain and contributes to the epidemic of obesity in the U.S.

The researchers relied on information in a database of U.S. households that tracked their store-bought food and beverage purchases over the course of a year. The database includes information on household size, demographics and the cost and quantities of foods and beverages purchased by brand and UPC code.

The research team examined store-bought purchases of carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, including sodas, diet carbonated beverages, sports/energy drinks, fruit drinks, fruit juice and skim and whole milk and used statistical techniques to quantify how changes in prices affected household buying habits.

Unlike prior analyses, the study calculated both weight losses resulting from reductions in soda purchases as a result of the tax and weight gains due to switching to other beverages. "If consumers switch from Coke to Diet Coke or water there would be no offsetting gains, Finkelstein said. "If they switch to other high calorie drinks, the effects of the tax would be diluted."

Researchers estimated that were the government to impose a sales tax that raised the price of SSBs purchased by 20 percent, this would generate about $1.5 billion per year in tax revenue in the U.S.; a tax that raised prices by 40 percent would generate $2.5 billion per year, at a cost to the average household of about $28.

Study coauthor Chen Zhen, PhD, a research economist at RTI International, says these taxes are regressive in the sense that the tax paid as a percentage of household income is greater for lower income households than for higher income households. "However, because poor households purchase far more generic brands that are significantly cheaper, they pay a smaller share of the total tax revenue." The study found that the tax paid by lower income households would end up accounting for 20 percent of total tax revenue whereas those in each of the two middle income and high income groups would contribute 25 and 30 percent of the total, respectively.

But would these taxes reduce weight? Results show that because of switching from SSBs to other beverages, the effect on total calories and weight is relatively small. A tax that raises SSB prices by 20 percent generates a daily average reduction of 6.9 calories. Over the course of a year, this equates to no more than 0.7 pounds per household member. A 40 percent tax would reduce daily calories by 12.5 calories and generate annual weight losses of up to 1.3 pounds per person per year.

But, since stupid never works, expect the government to push hard for it.

Vilsack Focuses on Childhood Obesity, Let’s Move! Campaign

Another reason why the USA will lose the battle of the bulge.

With more than half of American children facing serious nutrition challenges, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack called on local officials to partner with the Obama Administration in tackling this issue that has economic competitiveness and national security ramifications.

Vilsack addressed the Delegates Luncheon during the Congress of Cities & Exposition in Denver following a video greeting from first lady Michelle Obama.

The first lady stressed that one in three American children are either overweight or obese; her Let’s Move initiative aims to end childhood obesity in a generation.

The First Cow Michellesie Obama is overweight.

Her program is doomed to fail the kids.

She needs a cup of this:



This is the slim Dear Leaderette:

To repeat. Hey, First Fatty (and you, too, Vilsack):

Deleting Ghrelin Receptor, but Not Ghrelin, Turns Up Fat-Burning Thermostat

Just when you thought ghrelin was gonna save your fat ass...

Deleting the receptor, not the protein ghrelin itself, turns up the body's fat-burning thermostat, giving aging mice an exothermic boost toward a svelte physique, researchers reported at the American Society of Cell Biology's 50th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

The protein's receptor, growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R), might make a better target than ghrelin for treating obesity, according to Yuxiang Sun, M.D., Ph.D., of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX...

The 1999 discovery of ghrelin's role in appetite and energy balance ignited hopes that it was the body's long-sought hunger thermostat. Ghrelin remains the only circulating peptide known to stimulate appetite and promote obesity in both humans and rodents, but it also plays other roles in regulating growth and metabolism.

"All this shows the complexity of ghrelin and its signaling pathway, and suggests the existence of additional unidentified regulators mediating the effect of ghrelin and/or GHS-R," said Sun.

Hope is not an action plan.

Action plans are found here.

Kids' Sports Strike Out on Exercise Goals

Yep.

Youth sports haven't got enough hustle, researchers warned in a study showing that organized sports typically don't give kids their recommended daily exercise.

Only 24% of children ages 7 to 14 who were monitored during soccer, baseball, or softball team practice got 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise, according to James F. Sallis, PhD, of San Diego State University in San Diego, and colleagues.

The rate reached as low as 2% for girls on softball teams; soccer provided the most physical activity, they reported online in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Parents shouldn't hesitate to involve their children in well-organized, properly-supervised youth sports programs but they should be aware that sports are not all equal in the exercise they provide, according to an accompanying editorial.

Physical activity is a terrible way to "treat" overweight/obesity. (see here, here and here)

However, instilling a culture of physical activity in kids is a good idea.

The goal should be to generate an understanding of and appreciation for the benefits of training (exercise is near-useless).

Following the Money, Doctors Ration Care

You want to prevent, reverse or mitigate disease?

Two words: Anabolic Clinic (sm).

UNEQUAL access to health care is hardly a new phenomenon in the United States, but the country is moving toward rationing on a scale that is unprecedented here. Wealthy people will always be able to buy most of what they want. But for everyone else, if we stay on the current course, the lines are likely to get longer and longer.

The underlying problem is that doctors are reimbursed at different rates, depending on whether they see a patient with private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. As demand increases relative to supply, many doctors are likely to turn away patients whose coverage would pay the lower rates.

The "underlying problem" is not reimbursement rates.

It is the rate of diseases of choice.

Lower that and then you will lower costs.

Period.

Study Sheds New Light On Childhood Obesity Epidemic

No surprise here, except to the experts.

Scientists may have discovered a new trend in childhood obesity, according to research published this month in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine. In comparing physical activity levels among American children, researchers discovered that the most overweight and obese ethnic groups are also some of the most active. This work adds to a growing understanding of the complex relationships among physical activity, nutrition, weight management, fitness and health.

The study "Physical Activity in U.S. Youth: Effect of Race/Ethnicity, Age, Gender, and Weight Status" reports that of the three ethnic groups compared Caucasian, black and Mexican American Caucasian children are overall the least active. Black children, on the other hand, are the most active. This finding is surprising, experts say, because the highest prevalence of obesity occurs in some of the more active groups black and Mexican American children.

"Contrary to our expectations, higher levels of physical activity were not associated with lower rates of obesity across the race and ethnic groups," said Britni Belcher, M.P.H., the lead author of the study.

Of course not.

And they never will be without caloric intake control.

Learn how to do it right.

USA Letting Women's Health Down - Most Goals Not Met

Sow-wash.

Among US women there is more binge drinking, fewer PAP tests, higher blood pressure, more diabetes, and more Chlamydia than a few years ago. Of 26 health indicators, the USA received a Satisfactory grade in only 3, according to a new report issued by Oregon Health & Science University and the National Women's Law Center...

Over the last ten years, the most evident declines in female health have been in rates of Chlamydia, binge drinking and diabetes. In this report, binge drinking refers to a drinking session which includes consuming at least consecutive five alcoholic drinks.

Every single one of these is a disease of choice.

E.g.:

Don't want binge drinking? Don't binge drink.

Don't want high blood pressure? Don't want diabetes? Lose weight. In a huge number of instances this is the common fix for both and the fix for either for an even greater number.

Etc.

Until the realization hits that the problems we highlight are those we cause ourselves AND we are held accountable, there will be no progress in overcoming them.

Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) say the report was developed as a resource for health experts, advocates and policymakers to assess women's health at state and national levels.

A "resource"?

Just as this is a resource:



Idiottes.

Imagination Diet: Thinking About Eating Kills Cravings

Clearly.



The only imagining here is the one that makes these researchers think they are on to something.

This holiday season, visions of sugar plums dancing in your head, or any other treats for that matter, may be the best way to ensure that you don't overindulge, according to new research from Carnegie Mellon University.

While dieters have traditionally been told to avoid thinking about "bad" foods lest they boost cravings, researchers found that imagining eating a certain treat actually made participants eat less of it.

"There's a huge literature on craving and it all suggests that the more you think about something the more you crave it," says Carey Morewedge, the lead author and an assistant professor of social and decision sciences. "But we found that imagining the consumption of food actually significantly decreased the desire to consume it."

One thing is likely for sure, these people thought long and hard imagining themselves eating food. That is why they are so slim:









Idiots.

Treating Women’s Depression Might Help Them Lose Weight

Chicken or egg?

No matter. Either way, the fatsettes ate way too many of each. And other comestibles.

For many women coping with obesity and depression, new research finds that improving your mood might be the link to losing weight.

Anyway, why would fat women be depressed?

I wonder...

Surely not looking like this:

or this:

or this:

Surely not.

Excess Premenopausal Visceral Fat a Risk Factor for Osteoporosis

Two words: Anabolic Clinic (sm)

Two more words: Lose weight.

Young premenopausal women with excessive amounts of visceral fat are at increased risk for osteoporosis, according to new research presented here at the Radiological Society of North America 96th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting.

For years, it was believed that obese women had a lower risk of developing osteoporosis and that the mechanical loading from excess weight was good for their bones. It now appears that having too much fat, particularly deep abdominal fat, might be damaging to bone health, Miriam A. Bredella, MD, from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, told meeting attendees.

"With this ongoing obesity epidemic, we were actually seeing more and more young women breaking their forearms or their wrists, and the single biggest risk factor in this group was actually increased body weight," she told Medscape Medical News. "We thought we should look take a closer look at whether obesity really did protect against osteoporosis."

It didn't.

Anabolic substances build bone.

Weight loss can protect against osteoporosis if the osteoporosis is related to overweight/obesity.

Parents' Influence On Children's Eating Habits Is Limited

Parents do have an influence and the article even admits it.

As primary caregivers, parents are often believed to have a strong influence on children's eating behaviors. However, previous findings on parent-child resemblance in dietary intakes are mixed. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reviewed and assessed the degree of association and similarity between children and their parents' dietary intake based on worldwide studies published since 1980. The meta-analysis is featured in the December issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

"Contrary to popular belief, many studies from different countries, including the United States, have found a weak association between parent-child dietary intake," said Youfa Wang, MD, PhD, MS, lead author of the study and an associate professor with the Bloomberg School's Department of International Health. "This is likely because young people's eating patterns are influenced by many complex factors, and the family environment plays only a partial role. More attention should be given to the influence of the other players on children's eating patterns such as that of schools, the local food environment and peer influence, government guidelines and policies that regulate school meals, and the broader food environment that is influenced by food production, distribution and advertising." He added, "Parents need to be better empowered to be good role models and help their children eat a healthy diet."

If they had no influence, then why say, "Parents need to be better empowered to be good role models and help their children eat a healthy diet."?

Therapeutic Video Games Lead to Higher Vegetable, Fruit Consumption

Gamer:



A BS study with BS conclusions and a BS headline. In sum, crap.

Preteen children who played video games formulated to change eating behaviors increased their intake of fruits and vegetables, according to a study published online December 7 and in the January 2011 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine...

"Serious video games offer promise of innovative channels for effective behavior change," write Tom Baranowski, PhD, from the Agricultural Research Service Children's Nutrition Research Center, US Department of Agriculture, at the Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston, Texas, and colleagues. "Once a child's attention has been attracted, modeling, tailoring, and feedback can increase personal relevance; in addition, games add fun."

The study consisted of 133 children, aged 10 to 12 years, with body mass indexes between the 50th and 95th percentiles. Using computers on loan from the investigators, 103 participants played 2 games, "Escape From Diab" and "Nanoswarm: Invasion From Inner Space," both of which were designed using theories of social cognition, self determination, and persuasion.

The control group of 50 children played games with diet and physical activity themes found on popular Web sites. Each group underwent 4 weight, body composition, and physical activity assessments at the study's onset, immediately after completion of Escape From Diab, immediately after Nanoswarm, and 2 months after the trial. Participants were paid $25 for the first evaluation, with $5 more added incrementally to each of the subsequent reviews.

The children reported their food intake to registered dieticians. Game-playing was verified through the children's email messages, call-in questions, and equipment repair requests.

Video Games "Hold Promise"

A repeated measures analysis of covariance resulted in the following findings:

children playing Escape From Diab and Nanoswarm ate 0.67 more servings per day of fruits (including 100% juice) and vegetables (P = .018) than those in the control group;
the games had no significant relationship with increased water intake (P = .116); and
the games did not result in greater moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (P = .496) or lower body mass index (P = .107).

"Fruit and vegetable intake and water consumption and physical activity were still below the minimum recommendations, indicating that more work is needed," the authors write.

The researchers stated several limitations to their study, as follows:

self-reporting was used to collect most measures, including fruit and vegetable intake;
differences in key measures at the study's onset may have prevented the discernment of some changes;
the sample size, limited by the funding agency, was underpowered to measure some outcome effects;
the degree to which monetary incentives motivated the players to finish games is not known; and
sedentary behavior increased slightly in the group playing Escape From Diab and Nanoswarm.

"Serious video games hold promise, but their effectiveness and mechanisms of change among youth need to be investigated more thoroughly," the authors write.

"Research is needed on the optimal design of video game components to maximize change."

What needs to be researched is the likely IMHO criminal ruse used by these researchers to get funded.

High-Fat Diet in Pregnancy Linked to Brain Inflammation in Offspring, Animal Study Suggests

Another possible way for creative fat people to harm their kids.

A high-fat diet in pregnant rats is linked to irreversible negative brain changes in offspring, according to research presented at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology 49th Annual Meeting.

"This is a first look at the effects of mothers' obesity on the fetal brain," said Staci Bilbo, PhD, lead author of the study and assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.

"Previous research has shown a link between obesity and inflammation in the body — outside of the brain — but little is known about whether obesity in a pregnant mother can affect the way the brain develops in her offspring."

Kudos, fatsos.

New Study Reveals Low Sex Drive In Women With Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is fat person diabetes.

Almost half of women in the US who suffer from Type 1 or 2 diabetes report that it has a negative impact on their sex lives, according to a new study released today by MicroMass Communications, Inc., a leader in behavioral marketing in the healthcare industry.

Let's hope it is low enough to prevent them from getting pregnant since they put themselves and their children-to-be at risk.

And they expect the rest of us to pay for their complications, diseases of choice and the harms they inflict on their kids.

Obesity at 9 to 12 Years Predicts Heart Disease Risk Factors in Adolescence

Fat parents have fat kids. More early nutritional child abuse.

Greater adiposity in childhood, at ages 9 to 12 years, is associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence, ages 15 to 16 years, although the risks can be decreased in obese children by achieving normal weight by adolescence, a new study has found.

Hold these child-abusing parents accountable.

Lifestyle Change Is The Only Answer To Heart Disease

Wrong and right.

Sophia Antipolis: 'Some progress, but the big challenges remain'. This was the verdict after the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) hosted the 2010 European Summit on CVD Prevention. The summit was attended by a broad cross-section of medical experts, healthcare organisations, national societies, regulators and representatives from the European Union (EU). The aim of this bi-annual event is to encourage concerted action towards a harmonised strategy for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Europe. Much of the debate centred on how the EU and national governments should respond to overwhelming evidence that shows how lifestyle factors such as poor diet, lack of exercise, alcohol abuse and smoking have turned CVD into an epidemic that medical science alone cannot treat.

Wrong:

Lifestyle change is unnecessary. To cut back a few Calories per day and lose weight over time is not a lifestyle change.

A lifestyle change is going from single to the parent of triplets. Moving from rural Kansas to downtown Tokyo. Losing your freedom and becoming the sex slave of a convicted felon. Etc.

Right:

Diseases of choice are "fixed" by making different choices.

That is why the rest of us should not pay a penny for the extra costs associated with the sick care of the fat.

CMACE Release: National Enquiry Into Maternal Obesity - Implications For Women, Babies And The NHS

The uterine killing fields. More evidence why the fat should not reproduce.

The Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CMACE) releases its report Maternal obesity in the UK: Findings from a national project today after its three-year UK-wide national enquiry into Obesity in Pregnancy.

This major national study, which collected information from every maternity unit in the UK, has revealed for the first time the prevalence of severe maternal obesity (body mass index 35+) in the UK. The report also details the complications and consequences of obesity during pregnancy, and outlines the implications for the care of obese pregnant women.

This study found that around 5% of the UK maternity population were severely obese. In real terms, this equates to around 38,478 (1 in 20) pregnant women each year, and, with growing levels of obesity in the general population, this number is expected to increase. Wales was found to have the highest rate (6.5%, 1 in every 15 pregnant women) of severe maternal obesity in the UK. In England, the region with the highest rate was East of England (6.2%, 1 in every 16 pregnant women), while London had the lowest rates (3.5%, 1 in every 29 pregnant women).

The report highlighted that pregnancy outcomes for severely obese women are poorer when compared to the general population. The study found that the stillbirth rate in women with a BMI 35+ (8.6 per 1000 singleton births) was twice as high as the overall national stillbirth rate (3.9/1000 singleton births), and that the risk of stillbirth increases with increasing obesity. Also, in women with a BMI 35+, stillbirths occurring during labour and birth were three times higher than the overall national rate in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The risks of obesity in pregnancy extend to the mother too. Pregnant women, and especially obese pregnant women, are more at risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), which is a potentially fatal condition that involves a blood clot forming in a vein which may break away, travel through the circulatory system and obstruct a blood vessel. The CMACE study revealed how VTE risk was poorly documented for obese pregnant women at their first antenatal appointment and fewer than 50% of the women at moderate or high risk of VTE were offered treatment to prevent the condition. For those women who did receive treatment antenatally, the prescribed doses were considered to be insufficient for their body weight, according to current guidelines published by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). Similar findings were found for postnatal treatment for the prevention of VTE, with only 55% of eligible women being prescribed the appropriate medication. These findings highlight that improvements in this area are required to reduce the risk of VTE in obese women during and after pregnancy.

The CMACE report also revealed that obese women have an increased risk of medical conditions both before and during pregnancy. Thirty-eight per cent of women in the study had at least one medical condition diagnosed prior to and/or during pregnancy. The most common conditions were gestational diabetes and pregnancy induced hypertension, which affect 8-9% of women with a BMI 35+; these conditions affect approximately 2-2.5% of women in the general maternity population. The presence of medical conditions increases the risk of complications for both the mother and baby, and increased surveillance and medical intervention are therefore required.

Clearly, this is early child abuse.

Surgeon general: 1 cigarette is 1 too many

What about one too many Calories, Surgeon General Benja-moo-n?

Think the occasional cigarette won't hurt? Even a bit of social smoking — or inhaling someone else's secondhand smoke — could be enough to block your arteries and trigger a heart attack, says the newest surgeon general's report on the killer the nation just can't kick.

Lung cancer is what people usually fear from smoking, and yes, that can take years to strike. But Thursday's report says there's no doubt that tobacco smoke begins poisoning immediately — as more than 7,000 chemicals in each puff rapidly spread through the body to cause cellular damage in nearly every organ.

"That one puff on that cigarette could be the one that causes your heart attack," said Surgeon General Regina Benjamin.

Or the one that triggers someone else's: "I advise people to try to avoid being around smoking any way that you can," she said.

Oh, and BTW, is the idiot-in-chief listening?

Healthy Behavior Through Peer Pressure

There is a problem here.

Hanging out with healthy friends could be the best way to keep fit. A study of 3610 Australian women, published in BioMed Central's open access International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that physical activity and healthy eating behavior were both strongly affected by social norms.

What mentally, physically and emotionally healthy person would want to hang out with this?



Or this?

McDonald's sued over Happy Meals

And CSPI is helping.

Good.

Hopefully McDonald's will be able to drive-up the costs of litigation so CSPI goes under.

Happy Meals are again under attack, this time in court.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has filed a lawsuit against McDonald's Corp., claiming that the company's meals with toys unfairly entice children into eating food that can do them harm.

The Washington advocacy group warned McDonald's in June that it would sue if the company did not stop providing toys with children's meals that have high amounts of sugar, calories, fat and salt. The suit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, seeks class-action status.

"McDonald's offerings consist mostly of fatty meat, fatty cheese, French fries, white flour, and sugar — a narrow combination of foods that promotes weight gain, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease — and may lead to a lifetime of poor diets," Michael Jacobson, the group's executive director, said in a news release.

The lead plaintiff in the suit is Monica Parham, a mother of two from Sacramento who said the company "uses toys as bait to induce her kids to clamor to go to McDonald's," the organization said.

McDonald's spokeswoman Bridget Coffing said Happy Meals offer quality foods in smaller portions that are appropriate for children.

As the debate over Happy Meals and childhood obesity has raged in recent months, McDonald's has consistently pointed out that parents can choose apple slices instead of French fries for their children, and order milk instead of soda.

"We are proud of our Happy Meals and intend to vigorously defend our brand, our reputation and our food," Coffing said Wednesday.

"We listen to our customers, and parents consistently tell us they approve of our Happy Meals," Coffing said. "We are confident that parents understand and appreciate that Happy Meals are a fun treat, with quality, right-sized food choices for their children that can fit into a balanced diet."

It is not The Clown, it is the parents.

You know, the other/real clowns.

Mixed Picture for Vitamin D Status in Frail Elderly

More bad news for the cure du jour.

Both high and low levels of vitamin D were associated with frailty in elderly study participants, suggesting a more complex relationship between vitamin D and health status than has been commonly thought, researchers said.

Of course it is "more complex...than has been commonly thought."

You have been warned.

9 Out Of Ten Of All Primary Care Centers In Sweden Prescribe Physical Activity For The Prevention And Treatment Of Disease

BFD - it is useless. Proof? See below.

Prescribing physical activity for the purpose of preventing and treating various conditions can now become a reality for healthcare professionals all over the world...

In Sweden, healthcare professionals have been prescribing physical activity for many years. Physical activity on prescription is used in all healthcare districts in Sweden. Interest is growing in other countries in working with the method. Physical activity in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease (FYSS in Swedish) is used as a handbook in over 50 percent of all prescriptions for physical activity. The book is also used in research and as a textbook in courses for doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and other healthcare workers.

And the results of "many years" of "prescribing physical activity"?

Childhood obesity on the up in Sweden especially in girls

High obesity incidence in northern Sweden: How will Sweden look by 2009?

Social mapping of the obesity epidemic in Sweden

Dramatic Increases of Morbid Obesity in Swedish Men

And this is just a small sampling.

Endangered species:

FDA cracks down on illegal supplements

You don't need them so there is no need to expose yourself to the dangers.

The Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on manufacturers of certain weight loss, body building and sexual enhancement supplements that contain potentially dangerous ingredients.

The FDA said Wednesday that some manufacturers are deceptively labeling products to hide that they contain ingredients known to cause adverse health effects. Other supplements contain ingredients that should only be available by prescription.

"These tainted products can cause serious adverse effects, including strokes, organ failure, and death," said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. "The manufacturers selling these tainted products are operating outside the law."

Avoid 'em.

Obama signs child nutrition bill

Too bad, but expected from a person with learning disabilities.

President Barack Obama signed a sweeping overhaul of child nutrition standards Monday, enacting a law meant to encourage better eating habits in part by giving the federal government more authority to set standards for food sold in vending machines and elsewhere on school grounds.

Among other things, the $4.5 billion measure provides more money to poor areas to subsidize free meals and requires schools to abide by health guidelines drafted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. To help offset the higher cost of including more fruits and vegetables, the bill increases the reimbursement rate for school lunches.

The bill is about "giving our kids the healthy futures they deserve," the president said during a bill signing ceremony at a Washington elementary school. "Right now across the country too many kids don't have access to school meals."

It is about lying to the kids and parents.

The intent is to deal with childhood overweight/obesity.

The School Nutrition Lunch Program as it existed was not the cause.

This is about politics pure and simple without an iota of science or data to back it up.

A boondoggle.

Ideal Weight Or BMI Linked To Much Lower Risk Of Premature Death

More validation of the BMI (BTW, there is no such thing as an "ideal body weight.")

Non-smoking adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) from 20 to 24.9 have a much lower risk of premature death than overweight or obese individuals, as well as extremely thin people, researchers wrote in the NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine). If your BMI is between 25 and 29.9 you are overweight, you are obese if it is over 30, severely obese if over 35. The World Health Organization defines those with a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 as being within normal ranges. Many countries define the ideal as between 20 and 24.9.

Let the wisdom of the BMI be your guide, grasshopper.

Weight Watchers Introduces Revolutionary New Program To Help Americans Improve Their Eating Habits And Successfully Lose Weight

An IMHO conclusively proven crappy weight loss program undergoes a revolution. Of course, if it were any good, it would not need a "revolutionary new program."

The new era of Weight Watchers is here. Today Weight Watchers, the world-renowned leader in weight management, has announced it is introducing in the United States a successor to its popular POINTS weight loss system - the new PointsPlus program.

Simpy more of the same IMHO garbage.

Don't fall for it.

Less Booze Not More Veg Is Key To Cut Cancer Risk

More uselessness of more veggies.

People should be warned that cancer is linked to obesity and alcohol, rather than urged to eat more fruit and vegetables to protect against the disease.

A review, published yesterday in the British Journal of Cancer, which looks at decade of evidence on the links between fruit and vegetables and the development of cancer, concludes that the evidence is still not convincing.

The only diet-related factors that definitely affect cancer risk are obesity and alcohol. But tobacco is still the single biggest cause of cancer.

Do what works.

Less alcohol, fewer Calories, no smoking.

And if you want to get there eating more vegetables, so be it.

But the vegs will not protect you in the absence of the absence of the others.

Elevated Blood Pressure Suffered By Up To 8 Percent Of Canadian Children

More nutritional child abuse.

"We blame kids for being fat, we blame kids for being inactive, we blame kids not eating right or the families for not feeding their kids right," says Terrance Wade, the Canada Research Chair in youth and wellness at Brock University. "But a lot of these things are not based on individual choices because your life choices and such are constrained by your life chances."

Wade is completing a five-year study funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario to determine what social situations can lead to hypertension in children and develop strategies for children to deal with those situations in their daily lives. His work will be part of the program at the first-ever Canada Research Chairs conference in Toronto this week.

Children in disadvantaged socio-economic situations are more likely to deal with the kinds of daily stresses that can lead to hypertension at an early age.

The excuses are bulls**t.

Almost none of it has to do with "being constrained by your life chances."

Unless you consider crappy, stupid parents one of life's chances.

Because that is where the problem resides.

Excess Fructose May Play Role In Diabetes, Obesity And Other Health Conditions

'Tain't the fructose. 'Tis the Calories.

More and more people have become aware of the dangers of excessive fructose in their diet. A new review on fructose in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) indicates just how dangerous this simple sugar may be.

Richard J. Johnson, MD and Takahiko Nakagawa, MD (Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension, University of Colorado) provide a concise overview of recent clinical and experimental studies to understand how excessive amounts of fructose, present in added sugars, may play a role in high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

It is all about Calories in vs. Calories out.

Keep the fat weight down, keep these illnesses at bay.

Combined Consumption Of Caffeine And Glucose Improves The Efficiency Of Brain Activity

Think faster!

The combination of caffeine and glucose can improve the efficiency of brain activity, according to a recent study in which functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to identify the neural substrate for the combined effects of these two substances. The study, which was published in the journal Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, is led by the researchers Josep M. Serra Grabulosa, from the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology at the UB and a member of the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS); Ana Adan, a lecturer from the same department and a member of the UB's Institute of Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (IR3C); and Carles Falcón, a member of the Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN).

"Our main finding is that the combination of the two substances improves cognitive performance in terms of sustained attention and working memory by increasing the efficiency of the areas of the brain responsible for these two functions", explains Josep M. Serra Grabulosa. This supports the idea of a synergistic effect between two substances, in which each one boosts the effect of the other.

Bad if you are already stupid, e.g., an overweight/obesity researcher.

Experts Say School Sports Vital In Getting Boys Off The Sofa

Vital. Absolutely vital.

60 public health and physical activity specialists gathered in London yesterday. They examined ways to get more men and boys away from the tv, computer games and social networking to beat obesity and heart disease.

Experts at the symposium, organised by the Men's Health Forum charity and the Royal Society for Public Health, expressed their great concern at the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove MP's plan to scrap funding for school sports.

Funny.

Aren't sofas usually found at home and not in schools?

Will never work.

Chromium Has No Nutritional Effect

Say it ain't so.

Despite a long-held acceptance that healthy diets must incorporate chromium III, new research indicates the element has no nutritional benefit, according to a paper authored by University of Alabama researchers.

Gotta wonder why there was "a long-held acceptance" in the first place.

With certainty, it was due to experts.

Still think they have any idea what an effective supplement is?

Something Else May Be Causing Obesity Epidemic, Apart From Diet And Lack Of Exercise

NO. There is nothing else than more Calories in than out.

While humans have been getting fatter, so have other animals which live alongside us, and not only our pets, but also monkeys and rodents, including feral rats. Researchers from the University of Alabama suggest that other environmental factors, such as infections or exposure to light may also be having an impact on obesity rates, not just diet and lack of physical activity. They wrote about their findings in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Lead researcher, Prof. David Allison, a biostatistician at the University of Alabama, said:

"It may be something in the air, the water or the food, other than the nutrients."

Allison speculated that viruses or other pathogens, or some kind of environmental contaminant may be playing a role in driving obesity in humans and animals. He mentions adenovirus 36 which causes weight gain in some animals, dioxins which can upset our hormonal system, air conditioning and central heating systems, as possible environmental factors that should be looked into further.

S**t for brains researcher.

Vanderbilt Experts Warn Overeating Extends Past The Holidays

News flash!

Vanderbilt experts are asking Americans to focus beyond the Thanksgiving table when it comes to holiday overeating and the larger obesity epidemic facing the country. The struggle with obesity is year-round.

Perhaps this can explain why people are fat year-round.

But more research is necessary.

Brilliant experts.

Simply brilliant.

Lifestyle-Related Diseases Will Be Costly Down The Road; Americans Rate Their Healthcare Highly

"Lifestyle-related diseases" are diseases of choice.

Have the fat pay for their own diseases of choice and watch the obesity/overweight epidemic melt away.

HealthDay/Bloomberg Businessweek: "Increased efforts to prevent several lifestyle-related diseases could save the United States billions of dollars a year in medical costs," according to a study scheduled to run in the American Journal of Public Health. The study, based on 2003-2005 data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, involved estimating "how reductions in the rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and related conditions would affect health care spending." The authors concluded "that reducing the prevalence of diabetes and high blood pressure by 5 percent would save the nation about $9 billion a year in the near term. In addition, conditions related to those health problems would also be reduced, which would increase the savings to about $24.7 billion a year in the medium term" (Preidt, 11/22).

Nohting else will work.

Vitamins E And C Appear To Have Little Effect On Age-Related Cataract

So much for antioxidants.

Long-term, regular use of vitamins E and C has no apparent effect on the risk of age-related cataract in men, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

"An estimated 20.5 million persons 40 years and older in the United States show some evidence of age-related cataract," the authors write as background information in the article. "Because oxidative damage is a prominent feature of cataracts, one focus of nutrition research has been the link between dietary intake of nutrients with antioxidant potential, particularly vitamins E and C, and the risk of cataract"...

"In summary, these randomized trial data from a large population of middle-aged and older, generally well-nourished men indicate that long-term supplementation with high-dose vitamin E and vitamin C, either alone or in combination, has little effect on rates of cataract diagnosis and extraction.""

Still think they have any idea what an effective supplement is?

Weight Training For Kids Is Bad Is A Myth - It Can Be Safe And Good For Them

Yep.

Contrary to popular belief, weight training can be safe and good for children, and does not make them short, dumpy and susceptible to weak joints and injuries for the rest of their lives. An article published in the medical journal Pediatrics and written by researchers from the German Sport University Cologne (Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln) shows that resistance training can not only be safe for children, it is also beneficial, some would even say essential.

The more important point is why the "popular belief" is that weight training is bad.

Could it be more drivel from experts?

You betcha.

Majority Of Americans Will Have Diabetes Or Pre-Diabetes By 2020 - With Huge Financial Costs

Not if the rest of us refuse to pay for their diseases of choice.

Imagine a society where over half its people, i.e. the majority of them, are diabetic or prediabetic. There is a good chance this will happen in the USA by 2020. The estimated $3.35 trillion cost over the coming ten years is massive. A study by The Center for Health Reform & Modernization of UnitedHealth Group, an insurance company, reveals that if the current pattern continues, those figures will be a reality within the next ten years. The report offers some suggestions which may slow things down, and perhaps even turn them round.

By 2020, diabetes and prediabetes will use up approximately 10% of health care spending, the authors estimate. The current annual health care bill of $194 billion will shoot up to nearly $500 billion.

Fight back.

Obesity In Adolescence Significantly Associated With Increased Risk Of Severe Obesity In Adulthood

More nutritional child abuse.

An analysis of nationally representative data suggests that being obese in adolescence increases the risk of being severely obese in adulthood, with the risk higher in women, and highest for black women...

Hold the parents and those who enable the nutritional child abuse by their law-breaking accountable for the harm they cause the children.

Then sit back and enjoy watching the problem go away.

Weight Watchers Updates Popular Points System

Points, updated. System, still IMHO crap.

Weight Watchers, the international weight-management and packaged food company, has revised its popular points weight-loss system for the first time in 13 years, the company said.

The updated points system, called PointsPlus, goes beyond merely counting calories and is designed to encourage people trying to lose weight to make educated, healthier decisions about the food they eat.

Weight Watchers CEO and chief science officer Karen Miller Kovach said the new system reflects the latest in weight loss research.

"We've learned so much more (since the original points system) in terms of weight management science. It was time for an overhaul," she said. "We've translated the new science of the last 13-15 years into a livable system."

And it took them 13-15 years to do it, no less.

Overweight and Obesity Linked With an Increased Risk of All-Cause Death

Duh.

Being too fat--as well as possibly being too skinny--is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, according to the results of a new study.

No news here.

Too fat kills you.

That a high BMI is associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality has been known for-like-ever.

Just lose the weight.

Five a day 'will not stop cancer'

More about the 5-a-day scam.

Official guidelines recommend at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day in order to be healthy but new research has found that this may not have a substantial effect on cancer.

The science suggests that people should be told that cancer risk is much more related to how much you eat and drink rather than what you eat.

The review, published in the British Journal of Cancer, looks at a decade of evidence on the links between fruit and vegetables and the development of cancer, but it concludes that the evidence is still not convincing.

The only diet-related factors that definitely affect cancer risk are obesity and alcohol, they discovered.

Tobacco is still the single biggest cause of cancer.

You wanna decrease your chances of getting cancer?

1. Caloric intake control, unlike this cow and weight-loss guru:



2. Stop smoking, unlike this model citizen of the world:



3. Stop drinking unlike these clearly perpetually under the influence idiots:

RSNA: Deep Belly Fat Bad to the Bones

Fat fracture risks.

Heavier premenopausal women with an excess of belly fat may be at an increased risk of osteoporosis, researchers said here.

Those who had more visceral fat had significantly decreased bone mineral density compared with women who had more subcutaneous fat, Miriam Bredella, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues reported at the Radiological Society of North America meeting.

"We found that in young women, deep belly fat is bad for the bones," she said. "We now know that abdominal obesity needs to be included as a risk factor for osteoporosis and bone loss."

Crack.

Stop obesity before it starts

What a concept. Those Minnesotans are right on top of things.

Though many children and adolescents today maintain a healthy weight, public health officials are concerned about the ones who don’t.

“There are more overweight and obese children than ever before,” said Cheri Lewer, director of Waseca County Public Health. “The same factors affecting adults are affecting our children.”

Even as the rate of overweight and obese populations in the U.S. has roughly doubled in adults over the last 30 years, the rates have tripled or quadrupled in young people. The obesity rate in children aged 6 to 11 doubled during that time, and the rate of obesity in children aged 12 to 19 tripled. The numbers from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reported the prevalence of obesity in these age groups between the periods of 1971 to 1974 and 1999 to 2002.

Minnesota mirrors those numbers, and Waseca County is no exception to the rule.

According to the Minnesota Student Survey, a voluntary survey given to students in the sixth, ninth and 12th grades in public schools, 13 percent of 12th grade males and and 5 percent of 12th grade females were obese in 2010, according to their body mass index. The rate of obesity in ninth grade students was 10 percent in males and 6 percent in females for the same year.

The better approach is to hold the parents, teachers and principals accountable for their roles in the nutritional child abuse.

FDA Panel to Consider Lap Band Expansion

Hey, as long as the fat pay for it themselves, band 'em if they want it.

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee convening Friday will consider a request by manufacturers of the Lap Band to allow the popular weight-loss device to be used on those who are less obese.

The request by Allergan, the same company that manufactures Botox, will likely prove to be a controversial one, as some say such an approval could push the band further into the realm of cosmetic elective surgery. And the fact that the chairwoman of the FDA committee considering the request owns stock in Allergan will likely do little to quell this controversy....

"It is disturbing that the person who's heading the review committee has stock in that company," Besser told "Good Morning, America." "Allergan has a lot to benefit if this is approved."

And good luck sticking with the program.

Long-term studies suggest that almost a third of people who undergo the procedure regain the weight they initially lost or have the surgery reversed. Many even risk fatal complications from the procedure, said Besser.

You'll need it.

And the (lap) band played on.

Trials use technology to help young adults achieve healthy weights

No way.

Trials use technology to help young adults achieve healthy weights

Seven NIH-funded trials seek participants to use Web, cell phones, social networking
To engage young adults in protecting their future heart health, the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has funded seven clinical trials that combine behavioral weight management programs with technologies such as text messaging, online social networking, and Bluetooth-enabled scales. Several of the trials have begun seeking participants.

"These studies have the potential to teach us about successfully engaging young adults in achieving a healthy weight at a critical time in their lives," said Susan B. Shurin, M.D., acting director of the NHLBI. "Learning effective strategies for weight management further empowers young adults to protect their future heart health. These studies are designed to provide evidence to help us guide young adults toward approaches that work and allow them to choose the options that work best for them."

These idiots can be taught nothing as they have learned nothing.

See here.

IOM Report: Most North Americans Receive Enough Calcium, Vitamin D

After being told day after day after day that we "need" more Vitamin D and calcium, this should relieve any confusion.

Most North Americans receive enough calcium and vitamin D, according to a report containing updated dietary reference intakes that was released today by the Institute of Medicine.

Catharine Ross, PhD, from Pennsylvania State University, in Philadelphia, chaired a committee of 14 experts appointed by the Institute of Medicine to assess current data of health outcomes associated with calcium and vitamin D intake.

In the report issued today, the committee reviewed studies on the metabolism and physiology of calcium and vitamin D and their influence on health. Dietary reference intakes were determined using the estimated average requirement (EAR; the level at which 50% of the population's needs are met), recommended dietary allowance (level at which 95% of the population's needs are met), tolerable upper intake level, and adequate intake level.

The suggested daily calcium EAR is 500 mg for children aged 1 to 3 years and 800 mg for those aged 4 to 8 years. Adolescents should consume at least 1100 mg calcium daily to support bone growth (the recommended dietary allowance for this age group is 1300 mg calcium/day). The EAR for women aged 19 to 50 years and men up to 71 years of age is 800 mg daily; for women older than 50 years and men older than 71 years, the EAR is 1000 mg, and the recommended dietary allowance is 1200 mg.

The only group that did not meet EARs for calcium intake was girls aged 9 to 18 years.

Wanna bet?

Doctors forced to break babies bones to deliver them safely

Another reason to discourage the fat from having kids.

DOCTORS are being trained in how to deliver super-sized babies as the country's obesity epidemic worsens.

The large newborns - most born to obese and overweight mothers - are so big their shoulders are becoming stuck during labour.

In extreme cases doctors have to break their collarbones to free them and save their lives.

Kudos, fatsos.

Healthy lifestyle role 'for all society'

Doomed to fail.

Schools, employers, the food and drink industry and communities themselves are being urged to do their bit to make the nation healthier.

Ministers said they wanted to tap into the potential of all of society in setting out their public health plans.

We have seen "the potential of all of society."

Here it is:

Report: A bit more vitamin D is good, not too much

Tempering the cure du jour madness.

Got milk? You may need a couple cups more than today's food labels say to get enough vitamin D for strong bones. But don't go overboard: Long-awaited new dietary guidelines say there's no proof that megadoses prevent cancer or other ailments — sure to frustrate backers of the so-called sunshine vitamin.

The decision by the prestigious Institute of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, could put some brakes on the nation's vitamin D craze, warning that super-high levels could be risky.

"More is not necessarily better," cautioned Dr. Joann Manson of Harvard Medical School, who co-authored the Institute of Medicine's report being released Tuesday...

Vitamin D and calcium go hand in hand, and you need a lifetime of both to build and maintain strong bones. But the two-year study by the Institute of Medicine's panel of experts concluded research into vitamin's D possible roles in other diseases is conflicting. Some studies show no effect, or even signs of harm.

A National Cancer Institute study last summer was the latest to report no cancer protection from vitamin D and the possibility of an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in people with the very highest D levels. Super-high doses — above 10,000 IUs a day — are known to cause kidney damage, and Tuesday's report sets 4,000 IUs as an upper daily limit — but not the amount people should strive for.

And Manson pointed to history's cautionary tales: A list of other supplements — vitamins C and E and beta carotene — plus menopause hormone pills that once were believed to prevent cancer or heart disease didn't pan out, and sometimes caused harm, when put to rigorous testing.

Yep.

Clue found to penis birth defect

The penis is now officially a birth defect.

Scientists have identified a gene which may play a role in a common defect affecting the genitalia of baby boys

Who knew?

Sorry. Could not resist.

New Genomic Technique Reveals Obesity Gene Variants

More bad news for the stupid folk waiting for the genetic "cure" for their overfatness.

Obesity is highly heritable, but so far genetic association studies have only explained a small fraction of this heritability. Now, in a study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology, researchers have identified DNA variants in two nervous system genes that are associated with an excessively high BMI.

Assuming 2 variants per gene, that makes over 12062 genes.

Yeah. They'll find a genetic "cure."

In a pig's eye, oinkers.

Putting the Squeeze on Fat Cells

This is what fat people do when they dress.

From fad diets to exercise programs, Americans continue to fight the battle of the bulge. Now they'll have help from recent Tel Aviv University research that has developed a new method to look at how fat cells -- which produce the fat in our bodies -- respond to mechanical loads.

A lot of good that's done.