Antioxidants Cause Fertility Problems In Females

Still think they have any idea what they are talking about? (see post below)

Antioxidants are sold over the counter everywhere. They're added to food, drink and face cream. But according to Prof. Nava Dekel of the Biological Regulation Department, we still don't have a complete understanding of how they act in our bodies. New research by Dekel and her team, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS), has revealed a possible unexpected side effect of antioxidants: They might cause fertility problems in females.

Common antioxidants include vitamins C and E. These work by eliminating molecules called reactive oxygen species that are produced naturally in the body. Stress can cause these chemically active molecules to be overproduced; in large amounts they damage cells indiscriminately. By neutralizing these potentially harmful substances, antioxidants may, theoretically, improve health and slow down the aging process.

But when Dekel and her research team including her former and present Ph.D. students Dr. Ketty Shkolnik and Ari Tadmor applied antioxidants to the ovaries of female mice, the results were surprising: ovulation levels dropped precipitously. That is, very few eggs were released from the ovarian follicles to reach the site of fertilization, compared to those in untreated ovaries.

To understand what lies behind these initial findings, the team asked whether it is possible that the process of ovulation might rely on the very 'harmful' substances destroyed by antioxidants - reactive oxygen species.

Further testing in mice showed that this is, indeed, the case. In one experiment, for instance, Dekel and her team treated some ovarian follicles with luteinizing hormone, the physiological trigger for ovulation, and others with hydrogen peroxide, a reactive oxygen species. The results showed hydrogen peroxide fully mimicked the effect of the ovulation-inducing hormone. This implies that reactive oxygen species that are produced in response to luteinizing hormone serve, in turn, as mediators for this physiological stimulus leading to ovulation.

Ditto for weight loss and fitness advice.

Antioxidants May Help Some Couples Conceive

Still think they have any idea what they are talking about? (see post above)

Oral antioxidants for men may help some couples who are experiencing difficulty conceiving to achieve pregnancy, according to a review published online January 19 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

One in 20 men is affected by subfertility. In many cases, the difficulty may be traced to sperm cells altered by reactive oxygen species. Antioxidants may lessen such damage.

"Between 30% to 80% of male subfertility cases are considered to be due to the damaging effects of oxidative stress on sperm," write Marian Showell, MPH, from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and colleagues. "Oral supplementation with antioxidants may improve sperm quality by reducing oxidative stress."

Ditto for weight loss and fitness advice.

Shocked expert warns of child obesity timebomb

Shocked! Shocked, I tell you!

OVERFED babies in Wales are facing a lifetime of obesity after being found too fat at three months, nutritionists have warned.

Wales?

No, Whales.

Denver summit to address childhood obesity with U.S. Surgeon General

An obese, fat cow, self-admitted health illiterate Surgeon General addressing childhood obesity. What could possibly go wrong?

Childhood obesity in Colorado is a growing problem, both literally and figuratively.

According to statistics compiled by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, approximately 27.2 percent of children in the state age 10-17 are overweight or obese. Across the U.S., this number rises to 31.6 percent.

With those alarming statistics in mind, members of five Denver communities, as well as the Surgeon General of the United States, will gather next month to address the issue of childhood obesity and the role neighborhoods play in combating the condition.

The Neighborhood Health Summit is slated for Saturday, February 5, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Johnson and Wales University’s Jared Polis Auditorium, 7150 Montview Blvd. in Denver. Not only are residents of Northeast Park Hill, Greater Park Hill, East Montclair, Northwest Aurora and Stapleton expected and invited to attend, but member of the University of Colorado’s Health Sciences campus are being asked to participate as well.

Be there 02-05 and see for yourself.

My bet is everything.

Trauma In Childhood Could Contribute To Obesity In Adults

Poor babies.

Scientific studies often attribute obesity to poor nutrition and lack of activity, but recent research has identified childhood traumatic stress as a potential risk factor for obesity in adulthood.

The research, published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, included 148 adult women. Eric A. Dedert, Ph.D., lead author for the study and research psychologist at the North Carolina Veterans Affairs Medical Center, says that nearly half of the women studied reported exposure to childhood physical and/or sexual abuse. Almost 80 percent of the women had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression or both.

The women who reported abuse were more likely to experience PTSD and depression, and were also more likely to be overweight in adulthood.

Excusinators in overdrive.

Washington County website to support healthful living

Bold new thinking from a government.

A new website that aims to be a "communications hub" for health resources in Washington County is set to launch next month.

County officials announced the website's planned unveiling this week. The site, livinghealthywc.org, is to be the online guide for the "Living Healthy in Washington County" initiative, which is part of a greater statewide effort to improve health by reducing obesity and tobacco use.

Plans for the website include advice on nutrition and exercise, implementing healthy snacks at schools and finding smoking-cessation classes.

Clearly, no such initiatives currently exist.

Clearly, if they did, the problem would be solved.

Clearly, this is money well-spent.

Clearly, not.

Idiots.

Clearly.

26 Million Have Diabetes And 79 Million Prediabetes In America

Type 2 diabetes is fat person diabetes.

Over one third of all adults in the USA have pre-diabetes, a total of 79 million people, while the number estimated to have diabetes has risen to 26 million today, compared to 23.6 million in 2008, according to a new report issued by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Prediabetes is when blood sugar levels are too high, but not enough for a diagnosis of diabetes to be reached. One could say that a person with prediabetes nearly has diabetes, but not yet. Those with prediabetes have a significantly higher risk of developing diabetes type 2, as well as stroke and heart disease...

Between 90% to 95% of all diabetes patients in the USA have diabetes type 2. An individual's risk of developing diabetes type 2 grows as he/she gets older, puts on a lot of weight, has a family history of the disease, had gestational diabetes (during pregnancy), and is physically inactive. Certain ethnic groups, such as African-Americans, American-Indians, Alaska Natives, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, and Asian-Americans have a higher risk of developing diabetes type 2 than Caucasians...

Diabetes is the seventh biggest cause of premature death in America. An individual with diabetes has a higher risk of developing hypertension (high blood pressure), amputation of feet and legs, kidney failure, blindness, strokes, and heart attacks.

According to the CDC, diabetes carries a $174 billion cost in America every year, of which $116 are direct medical expenses.

It does not have to be.

Go here, and scroll down to The 5-Day Cures (tm).

Help yourself.

Big Sick Care, Big Government and Big Pharma will not.

Compliance With Guideline Linked to Pneumonia Deaths

Bummer.

Following some treatment guidelines for patients with nosocomial pneumonia appeared to be associated with an increased mortality risk, researchers reported.

Better to stay out of the hospital for as long as possible.

Fit people tend to get sick less.

Get fit.

Breast Cancer Patients With Diabetes May Fare Worse

Just guess who is at greater risk for breast cancer and diabetes.

Having both breast cancer and diabetes greatly increases the chances of dying, new research shows.

Researchers conducted a meta-analysis, or pooled analysis, of previously published studies that looked at how breast cancer patients with diabetes fared.

Six of seven studies found pre-existing diabetes was associated with significantly higher long-term, all-cause mortality. Specifically, the studies showed breast cancer patients with diabetes were nearly 50 percent more likely to die than those who didn't have diabetes.

If you guessed fatsos, go to the head of the class.

Here is where you can go to help yourself if you are at risk.

Why is it that I care more about the health and well-being of fat people than they do?

Obesity In Horses On The Rise Also

Must be cultural, ethnic, infectious, too much TV and computing, too little sleep, etc.

At (sic) isn't just people that have gotten fatter as society has converged on the Utopian ideal of enough food for everyone at low cost. Over 20 percent of horses are overweight or obese too.
A pilot study carried out by The University of Nottingham's School of Veterinary Medicine and Science and published in Veterinary Record showed that rates of obesity among horses are likely to be just as high as they are among people, a condition that can lead to laminitis and equine metabolic syndrome.

Yes, horses can have metabolic syndrome also.

The study was conducted by third year veterinary student Helen Stephenson and assessed the prevalence of obesity among horses whose owners were registered with Oakham Veterinary Hospital, one of the school's clinical associates specializing in the treatment of horses. The results showed that English horses, as was already found in Scottish horses, are getting really fat.

Five hundred owners were sent questionnaires, none of them kept horses for breeding, livery, riding stables, or competition, so were all classed as keeping their animals for leisure only.
Of the 160 returned one in five showed that their horses were either overweight or obese. The owners were asked about their perceptions of their horses' body condition, and asked to score this from zero to five, with a score of more than 3 indicating overweight.

Grass was the main source of forage for half the horses and coarse mix was the main source of concentrate feed in a similar proportion. Only one in 10 horses was not fed any concentrate.

The researchers then assessed the body condition of 15 randomly selected horses to see if the scores had under or overestimated the horse's weight. They assigned an average score that was significantly higher for these horses; eight of the owners had scored their horse at least one grade lower than the researcher had, indicating that the owners had underestimated their horses' weight.

On the basis of the researchers' findings, the authors estimate that the true prevalence of overweight/obesity was likely to be 54% rather than the 20% indicated by the questionnaire responses. So incidence of obesity is a multi-species problem, affecting both humans and their companion animals.

Must be.

If you want to save the planet, stop making the animals sick.

Forum focuses on obesity prevention in children

More useless activity adding to the entropy of the universe.

Educators and health professionals from around Lake County gathered Wednesday to share information and strategies on how to prevent obesity — a disease that has been declared an epidemic by the National Institutes of Health.

Error!

Obesity is not a disease.

Held at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, the community forum looked at diverse ways communities and agencies are already working to help people get fit, not fat. Those ways include new models for physical education, church-based fitness centers, the expansion of farmers markets, day care gardens, child nutrition programs and stepped-up promotion of breastfeeding.

Toby Smithson, national spokesperson for the National Dietetic Association came armed with the latest statistics: more than two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese and over one-third are obese. In Illinois, between 25 and 29 percent of adults are obese.

“The trends are showing that by the year 2020, three out of four adults will be overweight,” said Smithson, who noted that people are snacking and dining out heavily, eating more calories, but getting fewer nutrients.

Poor eating habits, outsized portions, stress, depression and lack of exercise and sleep, also help fuel obesity, Smithson said.

The ADA has launched a Kids Eat Right program to help combat the problem. Smithson, who said the average person makes 250 decisions about food each day, listed key areas where change has to come: schools, health care, a soda tax, food deserts and menu labeling.

Jon Ashworth, who heads the Lake County Health Department’s Obesity Prevention Team, and who led the forum, called the event “an opportunity to gain some ‘big picture’ perspective” on national and statewide conversations on obesity prevention.

“We need to be having these conversations on a local level as well,” Ashworth said.

Error!

You need to shut-up.

There is only one conversation - fewer Calories in than out.

There is only one strategy - have the fat pay for their diseases of choice.

The rest is bulls**t.

To wit, look how well you have done heretofore.

Morons.

Parents 'do not recognise obesity in their children'

Too stupid to parent.

Childhood obesity is a growing problem, but parents are often surprised, even angry, when told that their child is too heavy.

No surprise.

So sad.

About 26 million Americans have diabetes, up 9 pct

Yippee! The sweet success of being a fatso.

Health officials believe diabetes is becoming more common for two reasons — more people are developing obesity-related Type 2 diabetes, and people who have it are living longer.

Kudos, fatsos.

And remember...

As you are taking your diabetes meds, for which we all paid one way or another, that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.

Ambulance company uses special equipment for obese patients

Even more about flabulances and other fatso devices.

The cost of obesity has grown to $270 billion per year nationwide, mostly due to an increase in medical costs. Included in that price is the special equipment required by ambulance companies who respond to calls for the overweight.

Rural Metro medic Nick Corbishley says it is not uncommon for his company to have an obese patient, 330 pounds or more, at least once each day. The heaviest he's ever encountered was 550 pounds, but "there are people who have experienced much larger in the 6 to 700 range," he said.

Mark Mceaney, also a Rural Metro medic, says the company has taken notice and is responding by purchasing new equipment. The new tools include a new $50,000 bariatric transport unit, special stretchers that are 50 percent wider than normal and a bariatric bag that helps multiple first responders to lift an obese person onto the stretchers.

Kudos, fatsos.

Soy Protein Lowers Non-HDL Cholesterol Significantly More Than Milk Protein

Bad news for the IMHO bad folks at Big White.

Soy protein's ability to lower total and LDL (low-density lipoprotein or "the bad") cholesterol has been extensively studied, but the mechanism whereby soy protein lowers cholesterol remains unresolved. A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology last month shows that soy protein lowers total cholesterol and non-HDL (non-high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol significantly more than milk protein in patients with moderately high cholesterol levels.

"Non-HDL cholesterol has been shown to be a somewhat stronger predictor of cardiovascular disease and mortality risk than LDL cholesterol in population studies," said Elaine Krul, co-author of the study and nutrition discovery lead at Solae. "The fact that soy protein significantly decreased non-HDL cholesterol levels compared to milk protein in this study is very promising."

Not if you are Big White.

Does Eating A Big Breakfast Help Weight Loss Or Is It Better To Skip Breakfast Altogether?

Whatever it takes to eat fewer Calories is the correct approach for a fatso.

Does eating a big breakfast help weight loss or is it better to skip breakfast altogether? Available information is confusing but new research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition Journal clears a path through these apparently contradictory reports.

Dr Volker Schusdziarra, from the Else-Kroner-Fresenius Center of Nutritional Medicine, conducted a study on over 300 people who were asked to keep a journal of what they usually ate. Within the group sometimes people ate a big breakfast, sometimes small, and sometimes skipped it all together.

Schusdziarra said that "the results of the study showed that people ate the same at lunch and dinner, regardless of what they had for breakfast", this means that a big breakfast (on average 400kcal greater than a small breakfast) resulted in a total increase in calories eaten over the day of about 400kcal. The only difference seen was the skipping of a mid morning snack when someone ate a really big breakfast, however this was not enough to offset the extra calories they had already eaten.

And so goes the breakfast myth.

USDA Releases Proposed Rule To Improve National School Lunch And Breakfast Programs

A way to screw the kids and taxpayers in one shot. Quite efficient.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a proposed rule outlining the Department's plan for updating the federal nutrition standards for meals served under the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.

The School Nutrition Association (SNA) welcomed the proposal and looks forward to fully reviewing the details and working with USDA to further improve school meals. SNA, a partner of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign, represents school nutrition professionals who are providing healthier options in cafeterias, as well as food companies that are introducing more whole grain, low sodium and low fat foods.

"School nutrition programs are constantly working to provide a greater variety of fresh produce, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and healthier entrees in school cafeterias," said SNA President Nancy Rice, M.Ed., RD, LD, SNS. "By raising the bar for school mealsnationwide, these proposed standards will promote healthier lifestyles for America's schoolchildren. SNA and its members look forward to working with USDA to find ways to help all schools stretch limited food service dollars to meet each new standard and to encourage students to make more nutritious choices."

The SNA are the same folks who messed-up school meals in the first place and Michellesie "The Cow" Obama's program is idiocy.

Report: 1 in 3 NH third-graders is overweight

Must be from all the extra Calories these kids buy using their discretionary income.

A new report finds that one in three New Hampshire third-graders is overweight or obese.

The report, released by the state Department of Health and Human Services, collected height, weight and other data on over 3,000 third-graders between September 2008 and June 2009. Eighty-one public schools participated in the survey.

There can be no other explanation.

After all, it is never the parents.

Probability of Full Recovery From Body Dysmorphic Disorder Good Over Time

BDD is the way people who care about their bodies, their health and their appearance are labeled as mentally ill.

With enough time, and proper treatment, many patients with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) are likely to recover and not relapse, new research suggests.

In a cohort study examining 514 patients from the Harvard/Brown Anxiety Research Project (HARP) over 8 years, the 22 found to have BDD had a 76% probability of full recovery and only a 14% probability of recurrence after recovery. However, in many of the cases remission took more than 5 years.

"I think the findings were very encouraging because of the high probability found of fully remitting from this disorder," study investigator Katharine A. Phillips, MD, professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and director of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Program at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, told Medscape Medical News.

Just think, with the help of modern medicine, you, too, can not care about your body.

Medical successes:

Recommendation of 6 Months of Breast-Feeding Scrutinized

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

The evidence in favor of 6 months of exclusive breast-feeding has come under scrutiny in a new study published by the BMJ.

A review article assessing the evidence was published by researcher Mary Fewtrell, MD, from the Child Nutrition Research Center at the University College London Institute of Child Health, United Kingdom, and colleagues was published online January 13 in the BMJ.

Current World Health Organization guidelines recommend that infants be exclusively breast-fed for 6 months; that is, with a diet that excludes solids or any fluids other than breast milk, including infant formulas. These guidelines, announced in 2001, were adopted by the United Kingdom in 2003.


Exclusive breast-feeding may not adequately meet infants' energy needs for a full 6 months.
"The critical question is whether the United Kingdom should alter its advice on the introduction of complementary foods while new evidence is assembled," the authors note.

The current report maintains that this change in policy occurred without formal consideration of the scientific evidence.

You can bet that policies without basis in scientific evidence is not rare.

To wit, diet advice.

Plastic Toys May Contain Harmful Chemicals, Lead To Diabetes, Obesity

Must be the reason.

Although diet and exercise levels have long been known to directly affect obesity and diabetes risks, United States government researchers explain there might be more to the equation.

In fact, chemicals found in cigarette smoke and certain plastics may increase the risks of obesity or diabetes.

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey researchers explained a new study found direct correlations between smoking while pregnant and future risks of type 2 diabetes or obesity.

When moms smoke while pregnant, the chances of the child being overweight during childhood, as a teenager, and as an adult are drastically increased.

The theories have been tested using nicotine on young animals. Additionally, exposure to secondhand smoke or harmful chemicals, like those in plastics or arsenic, have been directly shown to increase risks of obesity and diabetes.

Crap.

Big Breakfast Not Tied To Fewer Daily Calories

Now how can it be that eating more Calories does not lead to eating fewer Calories?

Eating a big breakfast is not linked to consuming fewer daily calories as many might think, in fact researchers in Germany found people who ate a breakfast with 400 calories more than a small breakfast tended to eat 400 more calories per day.

Their findings suggest that the myth about eating a big breakfast helping to lose weight is not true, and may have come about from misinterpretation of research that was actually saying given a fixed number of calories per day, those people who consumed more of them at breakfast tended to eat less the rest of the day.

A mystery.

Report Reveals Majority Overestimate Whole Grain Consumption

So what?

The General Mills Whole Grain Check-up, released today, reveals 61 percent of Americans believe they get enough whole grain in their diet. In reality, only 5 percent of Americans get the three full daily servings (at least 48 grams) recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

General Mills conducted the study to better understand American attitudes around whole grain and the gap between the amount of whole grain Americans should be eating and what they are actually consuming.

"With the average person getting a little more than half of a serving of whole grain each day, America's whole grain gap is a concern," said Susan Crockett, Ph. D, RD, FADA, vice president, Health and Nutrition, and director of the Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition at General Mills. "As part of a healthy diet, whole grain can help with diabetes and weight management, as well as reducing the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. Ready-to-eat cereal is the leading source of whole grain and packs in vitamins, minerals and key essential nutrients - without packing on calories."

Bulls**t.

Cereals, made mostly of carbohydrates, contain 4 Calories per gram just as the carbohydrates in donuts.

"Packing on the calories (sic)," is a function of quantity.

The "grain gap," is a truth gap.

Don't fall for the gap crap.

Cancer Society: Obesity Linked to One-Third of MN Cancer Deaths

Kudos, fatsos.

This week is National Healthy Weight Week, and the American Cancer Society (ACS) is encouraging people to manage their weight by eating healthy foods and exercising, a combination that has been shown to reduce the risks of cancer.

ACS estimates one-third of cancer deaths are linked to obesity, including 3,000 deaths each year in Minnesota. Matt Flory, director of health care partnerships for the American Cancer Society's Minnesota chapter, points out that 62 percent of Minnesotans are overweight or obese - up from 44 percent, two decades ago.

Be proud.

Lights in the Bedroom May Increase Breast Cancer Risk

Cancer causer.



Seeing is believing, and cancer causing, too, apparently.

A new study suggests that light at night, specifically in the bedroom, increases the risk for breast cancer. The finding comes from an Israeli case–control study of 1679 women, published in the February issue of Chronobiology International.

This is the third study to suggest that women who have lights on in the bedroom are at greater risk for breast cancer than those who sleep in total darkness. (The previous 2 studies were by Davis et al in J Natl Cancer Inst. 2001;93;1557-1562 and O'Leary et al in Am J Epidemiol. 2006;164:358-366.)

A cancer waiting to happen:

Family, Friends, Social Ties Influence Weight Status In Young Adults

Why parents should not let their kids have fat friends.

Does obesity tend to "cluster" among young adults? And if so, what impact does it have on both their weight and weight-related behaviors? That's what researchers from The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center set out to answer to better understand how social influences affect both weight status and weight loss intentions in this difficult-to-reach age group.

According to the study, published online by the journal Obesity, overweight and obese young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 were more likely to have overweight romantic partners and best friends and also had more overweight casual friends and family members compared to normal weight peers. Also, overweight and obese young adults who reported having social contacts trying to lose weight had greater weight loss intentions.

Why is this an important issue? Forty percent of young adults age 18-25 are considered overweight or obese, and young adults experience the highest rate of weight gain per year - typically one to two pounds - of any age group. While previous research has consistently demonstrated the powerful impact of social influence on health behaviors, especially for younger individuals, no previous study has examined whether social ties influence weight status and weight loss intentions among young adults.

Duh.

Young American Families Demand Fresh, Affordable, Healthy Food Options

Bulls**t.

Recent research finds that the next generation of the American family is more ethnically diverse, cash-strapped, cuisine-savvy, and health-concerned than ever before. An article in the January issue of Food Technology magazine identifies new culinary, health, and restaurant behaviors shaping the food choices of tomorrow's family.

Then why are they so fat?

They are just whining and blaming everyone else for their irresponsibility and demanding handouts.

Shut up!

Woman With Diabetes Gains 85 Pounds to be Eligible for Gastric Bypass

A doctor trying to relate to her patients.

Rebecca Blair, a veterinarian from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., got a dreaded diagnosis back in 2007: type 2 diabetes.

"I was on four different oral medications and injections, but my diabetes was very bad and nowhere near controlled," said Blair.

She ate healthy foods and did everything she could to lose weight, but wasn't successful at either dropping the pounds or bringing her blood sugar under control.

Of course, the pinheads at ABCNews subscribe to the myth of "healthy foods" and fail to realize that she could not have done "everything...to lose weight" since eating fewer Calories than she burned would have worked with 100% certainty.

More bulls**t from the morons at ABCNews.

Guidelines Often Based on Low-Level Evidence

This explains diet advice.

More than half of the recommendations in practice guidelines issued by a leading infectious disease organization are based on opinions from experts rather than higher-level evidence from clinical trials, researchers say.

Now that you know, what are you going to do about it?

Hint: go here.

Dietary Restriction Early In Prenancy Has Negative Impact On Fetal Brain Development

A license for the fat to eat even more.

A research team that includes scientists from the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) reported today that inadequate nutrition during early pregnancy impairs fetal brain development.

The researchers found decreased formation of cell-to-cell connections, cell division and amounts of growth factors in the fetuses of mothers fed a reduced diet during the first half of pregnancy, in baboons located at SFBR's Southwest National Primate Research Center.

You can bet that is how it will be interpreted.

USDA Breaking News: Combat Obesity, School Lunches To Change Drastically

Stupidity on a grand scale.

Sorry kids, say goodbye to chips, tater tots and chocolate milk. In a move to change the practices of school lunch services that have helped drive the United States into a state of obesity emergency, the USDA made public new recommendations to overhaul the 15 year old methods being used in our children's schools that affect more than 32 million American students.

Salt content would be cut by more than half, reduced fat milk products would be the norm and all grains would be whole, and even though veggies are good for you, kids don't need the starch that is contained in potatoes for example, so those would be limited to a cup serving a week.

Health professionals have described child obesity as a national epidemic. About nine million kids are affected. That amounts to 15% of American children, aged 6 to 11 years, who are considerably overweight and according to 2008 statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 17% of children and adolescents 2 to 19 years old are obese.

This number has actually tripled in the past 30 years. And the rates for obesity are actually greater for minority children. Over 25% of Black and Hispanic kids are overweight.

Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. BMI is calculated from a person's weight and height and provides a reasonable indicator of body fatness and weight categories that may lead to health problems. Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

Besides the fact that this will not work, the Feds can't even get their numbers straight.

Childhood obesity is not "defined by a BMI of 30 or greater."

The source of this drivel?

Source: USDA

Figures.

Study Suggests Economic Insecurity Boosts Obesity

More excuses.

The stress of being exposed to economic insecurity may mean people living in countries with so-called "free market" economies are more likely to become obese, British researchers said on Friday.

In a study published in the December issue of Economics and Human Biology, Oxford University researchers found that Americans and Britons are much more likely to be obese than Norwegians and Swedes, and suggested that the stress of life in a competitive social system without a strong welfare state may cause people to overeat.

"Policies to reduce levels of obesity tend to focus on encouraging people to look after themselves, but this study suggests that obesity has larger social causes," said Dr. Avner Offer, a professor of economic history who led the study. "It may be that the economic benefits of flexible and open markets come at a price to personal and public health which is rarely taken into account."

Dr. Offer's team looked at 11 wealthy countries and found that those with a liberal market regime -- with strong market incentives and relatively weak welfare states -- experienced one-third more obesity on average.

Comparing four "market-liberal" English-speaking countries -- the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia -- with seven relatively wealthy European countries that traditionally offer stronger social protection -- Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden -- the team found that economic insecurity is strongly linked to levels of obesity.

Countries with higher levels of job and income security were associated with lower levels of obesity, the researchers said.

"Basically, our hypothesis is that market-liberal reforms have stimulated competition in both the work environment and in what we consume, and this has undermined personal stability and security," Dr. Offer said in a statement about the findings.

He also argued that the onset and increase of large-scale obesity began during the 1980s, coinciding with the rise of market-liberalism in the English-speaking countries.

The rise of obesity in wealthy societies has often been attributed to an increasingly ready supply of cheap, accessible, high-energy, pre-processed food in fast food outlets and supermarkets -- a phenomenon known as the "fast food shock" -- but Dr. Offer's team found that economic influences were greater.

More Calories in than out boosts it.

Nothing else.

Sleep Apnea Patients at Increased Risk for Perioperative Pulmonary Complications

Guess who gets sleep apnea more than intended-size humans.

Patients with sleep apnea were more likely to be men and were 5 times more likely to be obese vs patients without sleep apnea.

Fatsos.

Kudos, fatsos.

Spanish Heart Risk Study Challenges Image Of Healthy Mediterranean Diet And Lifestyle

Say it ain't so. But it almost certainly is.

A Spanish study has challenged the long-held belief that people in the Mediterranean all enjoy more healthy diets and lifestyles, after discovering alarmingly high cardiovascular risk factors similar to those found in the UK and USA.

Research published in the January issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice, also found strong links between low levels of education and increased risk.

"Cardiovascular diseases account for 33 per cent of deaths in Spain, making it the main cause of mortality in the country" says Dr Ricardo Gómez-Huelgas from the Internal Medicine Department at Hospital Carlos Haya, Malaga.

The study was carried out on a random selection of 2,270 adults attending a healthcare centre in Malaga, Andalucia, a region with one of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease in Spain. The participants ranged from 18 to 80, with an average of just under 44 years, 50.3 per cent were female and 58 per cent had low educational levels.

More than 60 per cent were overweight or obese and 77 per cent did not get enough exercise. The researchers also found that 28 per cent smoked, 33 per cent had high blood pressure, seven per cent had diabetes and 65 per cent had high cholesterol levels.

Just under 30 per cent of the patients had three or more cardiovascular risk factors that could be modified by changes to their lifestyle or diet.

"Most of the cardiovascular risk factors increased with age, with the exception of smoking and low levels of 'good' cholestererol, and we noted some differences between the sexes" says Dr Gómez-Huelgas.

"We also found that a low education level was associated with a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and this association was significant when it came to smoking, obesity, abdominal obesity and high levels of fatty molecules.

"The prevalence of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol in Spain have all risen at an alarming rate over the last 20 years and this is likely to cause future increases in bad health and death due to cardiovascular disease."...

"Our findings are cause for concern" says Dr Gómez-Huelgas. "We found high rates of obesity, abnormal lipid and fat levels and hypertension in the study group. And the high rates of smoking and sedentary lifestyles in young women raises fears for a large increase in cardiovascular deaths in this group in the near future. There are also issues around public health messages for people with lower education levels who tend to have higher risk factors.

"The drive to reduce cardiovascular disease by tackling these risk factors poses a real challenge for the healthcare profession. We hope that our findings can help to reduce risk factors among the most vulnerable sections of the community."

"The study by Dr Gómez-Huelgas and colleagues challenges the belief that cardiovascular disease, one of the fastest growing diseases in the developing world, is more likely to affect the chilly north than the sunny south" says Dr Anthony Wierzbicki, a London-based Consultant in Metabolic Medicine.

"In fact, the risk levels found in this study show parallels with the USA and are worse than those reported by recent UK studies.

"The myth that the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle is so healthy is based on 40-year old data from rural areas and so much has changed during those four decades. Studies like this are invaluable because they identify those people most at risk and provide valuable information that helps us to improve both screening and prevention strategies."

Still have to shed the pounds.

There is no way around it currently.

Mandatory Menu Labeling Didn't Change Behavior At 1 Fast Food Chain

As expected.

An effort in King County, Washington, to add nutrition facts labeling to fast food menus had no effect on consumer behavior in its first year.

As part of a comprehensive effort to stem the rise in obesity, the county, which includes Seattle and environs, imposed a mandatory menu labeling regulation on all restaurant chains with 15 or more locations beginning in January, 2009. Restaurants had to disclose calorie information at the point of purchase.

Researchers from Duke-National University of Singapore (NUS) Graduate Medical School and the public health department of Seattle & King County found, in the 13 months after the legislation went into effect, food-purchasing behavior at the Taco Time locations in King County was identical to that in Taco Time locations where menu boards remained unchanged.

The total number of sales and average calories per transaction were unaffected by the menu labeling.

"Given the results of prior studies, we had expected the results to be small, but we were surprised that we could not detect even the slightest hint of changes in purchasing behavior as a result of the legislation," said lead author Eric Finkelstein, Ph.D., associate professor of health services at Duke-NUS. "The results suggest that mandatory menu labeling, unless combined with other interventions, may be unlikely to significantly influence the obesity epidemic."

As part of health care reform, the federal government has plans for a nationwide launch of mandatory nutrition information at the point of purchase for fast-food chains with 20 or more outlets.

Mega-waste.

Routine Osteoporosis Screening Recommended For All Women Over Age 65

Two words - Anabolic Clinic (sm).

In an update to its 2002 recommendation, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) now recommends that all women ages 65 and older be routinely screened for osteoporosis. This is the first final recommendation statement to be published since the USPSTF implemented a new process in July 2010 in which all of its draft recommendation statements are posted for public comment on the USPSTF website prior to being issued in final form. The draft recommendation statement on screening for osteoporosis was posted for public comment from July 6 to August 3, 2010.

The USPSTF also recommends that younger women with increased risk factors for osteoporosis be screened if their fracture risk is equal to or greater than that of a 65-year-old white woman who has no additional risk factors. White women are used as the benchmark because they have a markedly higher rate of osteoporosis and fractures than other ethnic groups. Risk factors for osteoporosis include tobacco use, alcohol use, low body mass and parental history of fractures.

Osteoporosis can be prevented through the use of anabolic substances.

They work better than the newer drugs.

And they are remarkably safe.

To learn more, go here.

If you do not look out for yourself, you can bet with certainty that no one else will.

American Women Speak Out About Weight Loss And Their Thoughts On Healthy Eating

From the minds of failures and conventional diet advice is to blame in large part.

Read on.

On average, more than a third of American women think about their weight at least three times per day, and many think that achieving their weight loss goals or maintaining an 'ideal' weight requires overly strict and drastic lifestyle changes, according to a recent survey conducted by McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, the marketer of SPLENDA® Sweetener Products, with the support of SHAPE Magazine. Eighty-one percent of women surveyed do not think they are at their ideal weight; still, almost half are optimistic they will achieve their ideal weight in 2011. The survey, which polled women across the country ages 25-54, returned thoughtful feedback on the state of weight loss in America today and the things women are doing to stay healthy.

The survey revealed that when it comes to achieving or maintaining their ideal weight, most women are ill-informed on the most effective and/or healthy ways to do so. For example, 91 percent of women were unaware of the amount of calories one needs to burn in order to lose a pound of fat (3,500 calories).

That number, 3500 Calories to lose a pound of fat, is a lie.

Period.

To understand why, see here and here.

To see who is IMHO harming you in a big way, go here.

To see the consequences, go here, here, here and here.

To do weight loss right, go here.

Stand Up, Move More, More Often: Study Finds More Breaks From Sitting Are Good For Waistlines And Hearts

Sit less.



Sit more.

It is becoming well accepted that, as well as too little exercise, too much sitting is bad for people's health. Now a new study has found that it is not just the length of time people spend sitting down that can make a difference, but also the number of breaks that they take while sitting at their desk or on their sofa. Plenty of breaks, even if they are as little as one minute, seem to be good for people's hearts and their waistlines.

The study, which is published online today (Wednesday 12 January) in the European Heart Journal [1], is the first in a large, representative, multi-ethnic population to look at the links of the total amount of time spent sitting down and breaks in sedentary time, with various indicators of risk for heart disease, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, and inflammatory processes that can play a role in atherosclerosis (blocked arteries).

It found that prolonged periods of sedentary time, even in people who also spent some time in moderate-to-vigorous exercise, were associated with worse indicators of cardio-metabolic function and inflammation, such as larger waist circumferences, lower levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol, higher levels of C-reactive protein (an important marker of inflammation) and triglycerides (blood fats).

However, the study also found that, even in people who spent a long time sitting down, the more breaks they took during this time, the smaller their waists and the lower the levels of C-reactive protein.

Caution!

Do not read in the bathroom.

'Yo-yo' Effect Of Slimming Diets Explained

It is explained here, not in this article.

If you want to lose the kilos you've put on over Christmas, you may be interested in knowing that the hormones related to appetite play an important role in your likelihood of regaining weight after dieting. A new study confirms that people with the highest levels of leptin and lowest levels of ghrelin are more likely to put the centimetres they lost back on again.

Doctors often have to deal with patients who, after sticking to a slimming diet, have regained the kilos lost in just a short time or weigh even more than they did before they started the diet. This is called the 'yo-yo' effect, and it is noted in some people who follow such weight-loss programmes.

The article is hogwash.

Obese Man Sues Government for Failing to Help Him

When the fat expect the rest of us to pay for their diseases of choice, this is what happens.

A British man who once tipped the scales at nearly 1,000 pounds is suing Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), claiming that they failed to heed his cries for help as far back as 1996.

Paul Mason, who at one time held the title of world’s fattest man, says he began eating 24 hours a day after an unexpected breakup in his mid-20s. By 1996, he had reached 420 pounds, and begged the NHS for help. An agency doctor advised him to “ride your bike more.”

In the decade that followed, his weight climbed to over 900 pounds, until he finally opted for life-saving gastric bypass surgery last year. He has since slimmed down to a more manageable 500 pounds.

Mason’s beef with the NHS is that they didn’t identify his problem as a clinical eating disorder; instead, they merely told him that he needed to exercise and lose weight.

Mason, 50, says his suit is intended to spur the agency to help others similarly situated -- before it is too late.

“I want to set a precedent so no one else has to get to the same size -- and to put something back into society,” Mason told The Sun recently.

Mason says that, at his heaviest, he was eating 20,000 calories per day -- almost ten times the recommended amount for a man his age. His health care costs over the last 15 years are estimated at around 1 million pounds -- that’s $1.5 million, or around $2,000 per week. According to The New York Daily News, that figure doesn’t include his $50,000 gastric bypass surgery or the cost of firefighters breaking down his door to get him out for hernia surgery.

The firefighters probably needed hernia surgery, too.

In any event, not a penny extra should be spent caring for fatso illnesses of choice.

Let them pay the difference.

But, if there is a "need" for society to underwrite some costs for fatsos, then consider these:

Healthy Habits For New Hampshire Children

Will not work and the 5-a-day approach has been shown to be a scam. (e.g., see here and here)

As part of an ongoing effort to instill healthy habits for New Hampshire children, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire is pleased to announce a multi-year grant to the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF). The grant of $167,446 will be used to support New Hampshire Fellows from Dartmouth College who will implement ASF's 5-2-1-0 Healthy Kids Countdown, a childhood obesity prevention program, in the granite state.

ASF was selected for the grant because its Schweitzer Fellows exceptional graduate and professional school students who dedicate themselves to addressing health disparities have served youth and families in underserved communities for nearly two decades. Specifically, ASF's New Hampshire-Vermont Schweitzer Fellows Program will use the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation grant to support stipends for New Hampshire Fellows and participating community-based organizations, 5-2-1-0 Healthy Kids Countdown initiative training, leadership development training, and the purchase of equipment and other materials needed to support the Schweitzer Fellows' 5-2-1-0 Healthy Kids Countdown programming in community-based organizations.

Programming failure.

He Shed, She Shed: Herbalife Surveys How Men And Women View Weight Loss

First off, screw Herbalife, and their IMHO useless, crappy products.

That said, who cares what the motivation allegedly is?

They don't lose the weight anyway.

Couples making a joint New Year's effort to shape up may be surprised to find that they don't see eye-to-eye when it comes to tackling weight loss. A recent nationwide survey* of 1000 adults revealed that men and women differ not only in their strategies, but also in what motivates them to shed excess flab.

The survey, sponsored by Herbalife, shows that the main factor driving weight loss efforts for women is appearance - nearly 40 percent were motivated to lose because "I don't like the way I look." Looks matter to men, too, but feeling out of shape also ranked high - "not feeling healthy" was the top reason that drove 27 percent of the guys to take action.

Even though the prevalence rates of overweight are about the same in men and women, the survey showed that women get dissatisfied with their weight much earlier in the game than men do. A gain of five pounds or less was enough to motivate nearly 18 percent of women to step up their shape-up efforts, while nearly the same percentage of men said it would take a gain of more than 20 pounds or more before getting serious. The tipping point for the majority of both sexes is 10 pounds.

Meaningless.

Parents Are Key To Getting Children To Turn Off Television

Which is why it will never get done.

With the U.S. national goal of ending childhood obesity within a generation, experts worldwide are looking for ways to keep children active and away from the television.

According to a study entitled "Movement Skills and Physical Activity in Obese Children: Randomized Controlled Trial" published this month in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, the official scientific journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, parents who employ a physical activity and/or dietary intervention can reduce their overweight child's screen time by nearly one hour per day.

Parents turn on the box so they do not have to deal with their kids and do something like act as parents.

Good luck with that.

Life Expectancy For Today's Youth Cut Short By Obesity

Fat parents have fat kids.

For the first time in history, the next generation will not live longer, or even as long, as their parents.

"Diseases such as Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, heart conditions and joint deterioration - what were once considered 'adult' diseases - are regularly being diagnosed in children, due to the prevalence of obesity," said Jessica Bartfield, MD, internal medicine and medical weight-loss specialist at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, part of the Loyola University Health System.

"What is particularly tragic is that studies have suggested that obesity in children today may contribute to a 2-5 year decline in their life expectancy, shorter than that of their parents, due to obesity related diseases that are largely preventable," said Dr. Bartfield, who is part of Gottlieb's medically supervised weight-loss program involving physicians, nutritionists, exercise physiologists and behavioralists.

Kudos, fatsos.







Of course, when your kids look like that, why would they want to live longer?

Population-wide Reduction In Salt Consumption Recommended

And for how many years have we been hearing this call?

The American Heart Association issued a call to action for the public, health professionals, the food industry and the government to intensify efforts to reduce the amount of sodium (salt) Americans consume daily.

In an advisory, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, the association sets out the science behind the American Heart Association's recommendation for the general population, which is to consume no more than 1500 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day because of the harmful effects of sodium - elevated blood pressure and increased risk of stroke, heart attacks and kidney disease. Elevated blood pressure (hypertension) is a major public health problem - approximately 90 percent of all Americans will develop hypertension over their lifetime.

Sodium consumption is currently more than two times higher than the recommended upper limit of 1,500 mg daily, with 77 percent of that consumption coming from packaged, processed and restaurant foods. "Even a modest decline in intake - say 400 mg per day -would produce benefits that are substantial and warrant implementation," say the advisory authors. The 2005 United States Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended a sodium intake limit of 2,300 mg per day, which many health experts say is too much for most Americans. Earlier this year, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recommended to the secretaries of the United States Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that the goal should be modified to 1,500 mg per day for the general population. The advisory committee consists of leading scientists who reviewed the most recent scientific studies and created a set of recommendations that are being reviewed by the secretaries.

Recently, the American Heart Association lowered their recommendation to no more than 1500 mg of sodium daily for the general public, after a report from the Centers for Disease Control found that a majority of the American population either have high blood pressure or are at high risk for developing it.

A waste.

No one is listening.

Especially the AHA since they keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome.

Einstein called this insanity.

Compulsory Nutritional Information In Menus Makes No Difference To Calorie Intake

Who could have seen this coming? Fitness Watch readers, of course.

You would have thought that forcing restaurants to list nutritional information in their menus would make people more careful about what they ate - apparently it makes no difference at all. In January 2009, King County, Washington, USA, made it compulsory for fast food outlets with 15 or more locations to disclose nutritional data on their menus, including calorie information.

Authorities at King County, which includes the city of Seattle, said their intention was to try to address the rise in obesity rates in the area.

Scientists from the health department of Seattle and King County, as well as some from Duke-National University of Singapore gathered information on purchasing behavior of Taco Time customers in the area. They found that after 13 months of mandatory menu labeling, people's purchasing habits had not changed at all.

Sales value and average calories for each transaction were not affected by the measure, the authors wrote.

Lead author Eric Finkelstein, Ph.D., said:

"Given the results of prior studies, we had expected the results to be small, but we were surprised that we could not detect even the slightest hint of changes in purchasing behavior as a result of the legislation. The results suggest that mandatory menu labeling, unless combined with other interventions, may be unlikely to significantly influence the obesity epidemic."


Federal authorities are planning to make all fast-food chains with at least 20 outlets include nutritional data on all their menus. The researchers wonder whether this may be a mistake.

Coauthor Kiersten Strombotne of Duke-NUS, said:

"However, it may be that detailed nutritional information is not the best way to convey the health content of fast foods. For example, if you know a store offers diet and regular soda, does showing how many calories are in regular soda really offer any relevant information? Those who want a lower calorie drink already know to drink the diet soda."


Before mandatory labeling was introduced, Taco Time already had a "Healthy Highlights" logo option on its menu, something which may have undermined the impact of the county's health drive, Finkelstein suggested.

Finkelstein said, said:

"A simple logo identifying which foods are healthiest may be all it takes to convey that information to those consumers who wish to choose a healthier alternative. The additional information appears not to have made a difference."


After the Nutrition Facts Panel was required nationally for pre-packaged foods, obesity continued growing in the USA regardless, Finkelstein pointed out.

Surprise!

Duh.

Coffee May Help Protect Against Diabetes

Two words - Anabolic Clinic (sm).

Coffee, that morning elixir, may give us an early jump-start to the day, but numerous studies have shown that it also may be protective against type 2 diabetes. Yet no one has really understood why.

Now, researchers at UCLA have discovered a possible molecular mechanism behind coffee's protective effect. A protein called sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) regulates the biological activity of the body's sex hormones, testosterone and estrogen, which have long been thought to play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes. And coffee consumption, it turns out, increases plasma levels of SHBG...

A large body of clinical studies has implicated the important role of sex hormones in the development of type 2 diabetes, and it's known that SHBG not only regulates the sex hormones that are biologically active but may also bind to receptors in a variety of cells, directly mediating the signaling of sex hormones.

"That genetic evidence significantly advanced the field," said Goto, "because it indicated that SHBG may indeed play a causal role in affecting risk for type 2 diabetes."

"It seems that SHBG in the blood does reflect a genetic susceptibility to developing type 2 diabetes," Liu said. "But we now further show that this protein can be influenced by dietary factors such as coffee intake in affecting diabetes risk - the lower the levels of SHBG, the greater the risk beyond any known diabetes risk factors."

Anabolic substances have been shown to improve glucose tolerance and are available now.

Learn more. Here. Now.

Taking More Steps Every Day Can Help Ward Off Diabetes

So what? It is not as if people will do something like move.

Simply taking more steps every day not only helps ward off obesity but also reduces the risk of diabetes, finds a study published on bmj.com today.

While several studies have shown that physical activity reduces body mass index and insulin resistance - an early stage in the development of diabetes - this is the first study to estimate the effects of long-term changes in daily step count on insulin sensitivity.

A popular guideline is to do 10,000 steps every day, though a more recent recommendation is 3,000 steps, five days a week.

No.

The "guideline" is not "popular."

The guideline is common.

If it were "popular," this article would not have been written.

Cost of Obesity Approaching $300 Billion a Year

There is something way wrong when the cost of the cancer of obesity is more than the cost of the cancer of cancer. (see post below)

The total economic cost of overweight and obesity in the United States is $270 billion per year while the cost in Canada is about $30 billion a year, a new study shows.

The $300 billion total cost in the United States and Canada is the result of: increased need for medical care ($127 billion); loss of worker productivity due to higher rates of death ($49 billion); loss of productivity due to disability of active workers ($43 billion); and loss of productivity due to total disability ($72 billion), said the Society of Actuaries (SOA).

All this for diseases of choice.

The rest of us should choose not to pay for the rescue of the fat.

Fight back.

US Cancer Costs in 2020: Up to $207 Billion

Fatosity costs more than cancer. (see post above)

Following the life stages of baby boomers has become somewhat of a national pastime - and now, as the flower-power generation reaches the age of Medicare eligibility, policymakers are wondering how much their health care will cost.

A new study published today by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) predicts how much more the nation can expect to spend on its collective cancer care a decade from now.

The aging of the population alone means that the cost of cancer care will increase by 27 percent between 2010 and 2020, the study showed. That's a jump from $125 billion now to $158 billion in 2020 (in 2010 dollars), and doesn't take into account any increase in cancer rates or in the cost of treatment.

And fat people get some cancers at a higher rate than intended-size humans.

The bottom line is that fat people are too expensive for the rest of us to rescue.

UK In Danger Of Stroke As Stress Levels Rise

Weenies.

New research released today has revealed that an alarming number of British adults could be at an extreme risk of stroke, due to rising stress levels.

Over seven million British adults could be at risk of stroke as the new working year begins, with women targeted as being even more of a concern than men. Staggeringly, around 15 per cent of people in the UK consider themselves extremely stressed heading into 2011, with the figure rising to nearly a fifth of women compared to a tenth of men.

Poor babies.

Stress is simply a demand placed on a system.

Stress is just about the only way humans improve.

For example, it is impossible to become fitter through physical activity unless one experiences enough stress of sufficient intensity.

Same with getting smarter.

Stress is demonized to sell products and services to make people even weenier and more dependent on others.

And to think, the Brits were once an empire.

How the mighty hath fallen.

Falls as Serious for Elderly as Stroke, Heart Attack: Experts

Two words - Anabolic Clinic (sm)

Fall screening and prevention should be a regular part of health care for older adults, and all programs to prevent falls should include exercise, according to updated guidelines for preventing falls in the elderly.

A summary of the American Geriatrics Society and British Geriatric Society recommendations -- based on a review of fall prevention studies -- appears Jan. 13 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

"Falls are one of the most common health problems experienced by older adults and are a common cause of losing functional independence. Given their frequency and consequences, falls are as serious a health problem for older persons as heart attacks and strokes," guideline panel co-chair Dr. Mary Tinetti, of Yale University School of Medicine, said in a journal news release.

No one will help you except yourself.

Learn how.

Cancer costs projected to reach at least $158 billion in 2020

Just guess what group of people has increased rates of cancer.

Based on growth and aging of the U.S. population, medical expenditures for cancer in the year 2020 are projected to reach at least $158 billion (in 2010 dollars) — an increase of 27 percent over 2010, according to a National Institutes of Health analysis. If newly developed tools for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up continue to be more expensive, medical expenditures for cancer could reach as high as $207 billion, said the researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the NIH. The analysis appears online, Jan. 12, 2011, in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

The projections were based on the most recent data available on cancer incidence, survival, and costs of care. In 2010, medical costs associated with cancer were projected to reach $127.6 billion, with the highest costs associated with breast cancer ($16.5 billion), followed by colorectal cancer ($14 billion), lymphoma ($12 billion), lung cancer ($12 billion) and prostate cancer ($12 billion).

If cancer incidence and survival rates and costs remain stable and the U.S. population ages at the rate predicted by the U.S. Census Bureau, direct cancer care expenditures would reach $158 billion in 2020, the report said.

Bronto-sapiens, that's who.

Kudos, fatsos.

Lucrative NHS overtime for consultants questioned

"I am romantic about the NHS; I love it. All I need to do to rediscover the romance is to look at health care in my own country." Donald Berwick, MD, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Some consultants are making more than £100,000 a year in overtime payments from the NHS, the BBC has learnt.

The sums - paid on top of basic salaries and bonuses - have been criticised at a time when the health service is trying to save money.

Consultants have been accused of playing the system, but doctors said poor planning by managers was to blame.

Oops.

Me, fat? Americans in denial about weight, survey finds

So what else is new?

Despite surging obesity numbers in the U.S., a new survey finds that just one out of 10 Americans say their diet is unhealthy.

The survey, conducted by Consumer Reports, also found that while four in 10 admitted being "somewhat overweight," just 11 percent said they were very overweight or obese — a direct contradiction of previous weight measurements taken by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which show that 68 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.

Pictures of health:

Exercise May Improve Odds Against Prostate Cancer Death

It is training, not exercise.

Prostate cancer patients who routinely engage in modest amounts of vigorous physical exercise appear to lower their risk of dying from their disease, new research suggests.

Three hours a week or more of vigorous biking, tennis, jogging or swimming seems to improve the prognosis among such patients, the research team found. But they added that even moderate physical activity appears to lower the overall risk of dying from any cause.

"This is the first study in men with prostate cancer to evaluate physical activity after diagnosis in relation to prostate cancer-specific mortality and overall mortality," noted study author Stacey Kenfield, a research associate in the department of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, as well as at the Channing Laboratory at Brigham and Women's Hospital, both in Boston.

So which would you rather train for:

LIfe, or this coupled with more bad news?



Your choice.

Diabetes Soaring Among American Adults: Report

Kudos, fatsos.

For the rest of us, it is past time to cut the fat off from our money that is being spent on their diseases of choice.

The number of American adults treated for diabetes more than doubled between 1996 and 2007, rising from about 9 million to 19 million, says a federal government report released Wednesday.

By age groups, the number of adults treated for diabetes increased from 4.3 million to 8 million among people age 65 and older; 3.6 million to 8.9 million among adults aged 45 to 64; and 1.2 million to 2.4 million among people aged 18 to 44, reported the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Diabetes comes in two forms: type 1, an autoimmune disorder in which patients lack the insulin-producing cells needed to control blood sugar; and type 2, often related to obesity, where cells gradually lose sensitivity to insulin. Over 95 percent of diabetes cases are of the type 2 variety.

Fight back.

Journal: Study linking vaccine to autism was fraud

And morons fell for this crap as they fall for the crap of the diet gurus, such as AdipOprah and her experts.

The first study to link a childhood vaccine to autism was based on doctored information about the children involved, according to a new report on the widely discredited research.

The conclusions of the 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues was renounced by 10 of its 13 authors and later retracted by the medical journal Lancet, where it was published. Still, the suggestion the MMR shot was connected to autism spooked parents worldwide and immunization rates for measles, mumps and rubella have never fully recovered.

And when will they (and others) be brought to justice?

Given this administration, the answer is "Never."

All these IMHO whores are in bed together.

The diagnostic dilemma of pathological appearance and performance enhancing drug use.

More official sick care party-line drivel.

Appearance and performance enhancing drug (APED) use includes the use of a range of pharmacologically distinct substances and concurrent investment in outward appearance or achievement, dietary control, and frequent exercise.

This is what they are bitching about.

People using APED invest in improving their appearance.

People using APED invest in dietary control.

People using APED invest in frequent exercise.

And these are indications of pathology.

What is not pathologic, then?

Apparently, cosmetic surgery, diet drugs, etc.

If you listen to the conventional stupidity, you get what you deserve.

The horrible and just plain sickening results of being concerned about appearance, dietary control and exercise (there is no suggestion whatsoever that the people in these images used APED):





Better to do this to yourself (there is a suggestion that these people did not):

Nebraska Medical Association Announces Policies to Combat Childhood Obesity in Nebraska

Those Cornhuskers are right on top of it.

The Nebraska Medical Association (NMA) is leading an effort to address childhood obesity and overweight in Nebraska. The most recent state statistics show that 31.5 percent of Nebraska children are overweight or obese. The increasing numbers of obese children has led many health experts to predict that the current generation of children will be the first in our nation's history to have a shorter life than their parents. To address these startling statistics, the NMA has developed four policy recommendations which were established through meetings involving representatives from over 30 different organizations from across the state.

Brilliant.

Will work as well as the Cornhusker Kickback.

Recipe for Healthy Eating Not Easy to Stick To

Another example of how Americans are fooling themselves.

Americans appear to be taking in public health messages about eating healthier, but the question remains as to whether they're really digesting them, a new survey shows.

Nearly 90% of respondents to a Consumer Reports telephone survey thought they were eating right -- saying that their diet was either somewhat (52.6%), very (31.5%), or extremely healthy (5.6%).

But when they were asked about what they actually eat, far fewer seemed to be in following a healthy diet.

For instance, of the 1,234 people surveyed, only 30% said they eat five servings of fruit and vegetables every day, just 13% step on the scale every morning, and a meager 8% monitor their daily calorie intake.

"Americans have a tendency to give themselves high marks for healthy eating, but when we asked how many sugary drinks, fatty foods, and fruits and veggies they consumed, we found that their definition of healthy eating was somewhat questionable," Nancy Metcalf, senior editor at Consumer Reports Health, said in a statement.

Or are just plain stupid.

You decide.