Obesity-Asthma Link In Children Varies By Race/Ethnicity, Study Finds

But all fat kids are apparently at greater risk.

Children and adolescents who are overweight or obese are more likely to have asthma than their healthy weight counterparts, according to a new Kaiser Permanente Southern California study published in the online edition of Obesity. The study, which included more than 681,000 children between ages 6 and 19, found that the association between asthma and body mass index varied by race and ethnicity.

The study found that the association between BMI and asthma was weaker for African Americans, a group that was previously known to have the highest prevalence of asthma, than for youth from other racial and ethnic groups. Researchers found the strongest association between BMI and asthma in Hispanic youth.

This is the result of nutritional child abuse.

Physical Activity Levels In Children Not Altered By Active Video Games

Really?

In a study recently published in Pediatrics, researchers say that "active" video games may not boost children's physical activity as much as some people believe. The study, entitled "Impact of an Active Video Game on Healthy Children's Physical Activity", published online February 27th, claims that although it may seem that children are "exercising" while playing these games, their physical activity was not greater than children who play interactive games. (sic)

Who could have seen that coming?

Barriers To A Healthy Diet: Healthy Foods Missing From Stores In Low-Income Black Neighborhoods

Excusinators working overtime.

Most convenience stores have a wide variety of chips, colorful candies and bottles of sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages. While shoppers can buy calorie-heavy foods wrapped in pretty packages in these locations, what they usually can't find are the fresh produce, whole grains and low-fat dairy products necessary for a healthy diet.

There are no healthy foods, there is only eating healthily.

This requires eating to a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 (on a population basis.)

The source of the Calories is immaterial.

Coming in April to Fitness Watch

April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month in the USA.

Nutritional child abuse is the most common form of child abuse of which we are aware.

Fitness Watch will be offering 30 Tips and Facts in 30 days - one each day (really more) - to help fight the nutritional child abuse from which so many children suffer.

While others are whining and wringing their hands and then doing nothing about the problem, Fitness Watch will offer information and suggestions about how to deal with the matter.

And if you are one of our non-USA readers, the information will benefit you, too.

Costs Related to Vision Loss to Exceed $3.5 Trillion by 2020

Type 2 diabetes is fat person diabetes.

Costs related to vision loss are expected to skyrocket in the next 10 years as the global population ages. In particular, ocular morbidity related to the diabetes epidemic will increase, according to a study presented here at the World Ophthalmology Congress 2012.

Changes in current allocation of vision-related resources will be required to prevent an ophthalmologic healthcare crisis, researchers warn.

"The spiraling costs related to vision loss are a major problem," said study investigator Robert Braunstein, MD, MBA, clinical professor of ophthalmology at Columbia University in New York City.

The results of this analysis show that global costs related to visual impairment were more than $2.95 trillion in 2010, with North America accounting for $692 billion and Western Europe accounting for $576 billion. Dr. Braunstein projects that the overall figure will balloon to nearly $3.53 billion by 2020.

Kudos, fatsos.

Lifestyle Choices Made in Your 20s Can Impact Your Heart Health in Your 40s

As do investment choices, education choices, family choices, etc.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle from young adulthood into your 40s is strongly associated with low cardiovascular disease risk in middle age, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

For this they needed a new study?

Silly.

Coming in April to Fitness Watch

April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month in the USA.

Nutritional child abuse is the most common form of child abuse of which we are aware.

Fitness Watch will be offering 30 Tips and Facts in 30 days - one each day (really more) - to help fight the nutritional child abuse from which so many children suffer.

While others are whining and wringing their hands and then doing nothing about the problem, Fitness Watch will offer information and suggestions about how to deal with the matter.

And if you are one of our non-USA readers, the information will benefit you, too.

How Added Sugar In Diet Leads To Obesity, Diabetes - New Clues About Fructose

It does not.

A new animal study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offers new clues about the mechanism through which a diet high in fructose, such as from added sugar and high fructose corn syrup, may contribute to the development of obesity and diabetes.

Previous studies have already shown that fructose intake from added sugar is linked with the epidemic rise in obesity, metabolic syndrome, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

"Linked" does not equal cause and effect.

This is the game played by the researchers to con the unsuspecting.

One thing and one thing only causes obesity and the disease of choice - Type 2 diabetes, aka fat person diabetes.

More Calories in than out.

Surprising Research Finds Obesity Can Decrease Risk Of Mortality In People Over 85 Years Of Age

Not surprising.

Obesity is considered the leading preventable cause of death worldwide - until you reach old age, that is. Though obesity increases the risk of an early death, shaving an average of six to seven years off a person's lifespan, Tel Aviv University researchers have found that this trend may reverse itself after the age of 85. In these people, excess fat seems to have a "protective" effect, decreasing the risk of death when compared to those who are considered at a normal body weight

If you survive being too fat, what will kill you is almost certainly a catabolic condition.

Catabolic conditions, generally cause wasting.

When you are big and fat you can waste longer than leaner people.

Hence it takes you longer to die.

To learn more about catabolic conditions, see here and here.

Coming in April to Fitness Watch

April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month in the USA.

Nutritional child abuse is the most common form of child abuse of which we are aware.

Fitness Watch will be offering 30 Tips and Facts in 30 days - one each day (really more) - to help fight the nutritional child abuse from which so many children suffer.

While others are whining and wringing their hands and then doing nothing about the problem, Fitness Watch will offer information and suggestions about how to deal with the matter.

And if you are one of our non-USA readers, the information will benefit you, too.

FDA Adds Warnings to Statin Label

A factor contributing to the "need" for a statin is fatosity.

Taking a statin can raise blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin HbA1c levels, according to a new labeling change approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today for the entire drug class.

Better to lose the weight than "need" the drug.

We All Scream for Ice Cream, But Can We Become Addicted?

Time to make ice cream a controlled substance.

There are people who say that for them, food is like a drug, and a new study suggests that high-calorie foods like ice cream can affect the brain in some of the ways drugs do.

Researchers Kyle Burger and Eric Stice of the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene tested whether eating ice cream very often would lead the brain to require more and more of it before sending signals that it's an enjoyable treat.

They surveyed 151 adolescents about their food cravings, and then scanned their brains while showing them images of a chocolate milkshake to determine how strong their cravings were. The researchers also measured brain activity when the subjects drank a tasteless liquid as a comparison. The teenagers were then fed actual milkshakes.

The participants who reported eating more ice cream over the previous two weeks enjoyed the shakes less -- at least according to the brain scans. The scans showed less activity in the area of the brain associated with reward.

"We believe that means the more an individual is consuming a high-fat, high-sugar and high-energy food, they develop a tolerance of it in a similar fashion that you see happening with drug addiction or alcohol addition," said Burger.

All the teens in the study were a healthy weight, and Burger said that suggests the changes in the brain are happening well before obesity sets in.

Time to put Ben and Jerry in the hoosegow.

Jailhouse Rocky Road, anyone?

Research Offers Insight to How Fructose Causes Obesity and Other Illness

Wanna bet? See post below.

A group of scientists from across the world have come together in a just-published study that provides new insights into how fructose causes obesity and metabolic syndrome, more commonly known as diabetes.

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

Is Fructose Being Blamed Unfairly for Obesity Epidemic?

Yes. See post above.

Is fructose being unfairly blamed for the obesity epidemic? Or do we just eat and drink too many calories?

Researchers from St. Michael's Hospital reviewed more than 40 published studies on whether the fructose molecule itself causes weight gain.

In 31 "isocaloric" trials they reviewed, participants ate a similar number of calories, but one group ate pure fructose and the other ate non-fructose carbohydrates. The fructose group did not gain weight.

In 10 "hypercaloric" trials, one group consumed their usual diet and the other added excess calories in the form of pure fructose to their usual diet or a control diet. Those who consumed the extra calories as fructose did gain weight.

However, all that could mean is that one calorie is simply the same as another, and when we consume too many calories we gain weight, said the lead author, Dr. John Sievenpiper.

His research was recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

"Fructose may not be to blame for obesity," he said. "It may just be calories from any food source. Overconsumption is the issue."

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

Coming in April to Fitness Watch

April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month in the USA.

Nutritional child abuse is the most common form of child abuse of which we are aware.

Fitness Watch will be offering 30 Tips and Facts in 30 days - one each day (really more) - to help fight the nutritional child abuse from which so many children suffer.

While others are whining and wringing their hands and then doing nothing about the problem, Fitness Watch will offer information and suggestions about how to deal with the matter.

And if you are one of our non-USA readers, the information will benefit you, too.

Women May Be At Increased Cancer Risk Following Vitamin B And Omega-3 Supplementation

Sue Whore Foods for selling killer supplements?

Women with a previous history of cardiovascular pathologies seem to have a higher cancer risk after five years of Vitamin B and omega-3 supplementation. The research is published in detail in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Predatory sellers, like Whore Foods, will stock the shelves with stuff alleged to be helpful with little or no supporting data.

See if they remove stuff from the shelves when a study shows they can kill.

I suspect that Whore Foods will not.

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

Citrus Fruits May Help Women Reduce Risk Of Stroke

Why no one in Florida has had a stroke.

Eating citrus fruits, especially oranges and grapefruit, because of the flavonone they contain, may lower women's risk of developing clot-associated or ischemic stroke, according to a new study led by Norwich Medical School of the University of East Anglia in the UK that was published online in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association...

Really?

US Kids Consuming Too Much Sugar

Not true. They are consuming too many Calories.

With Tobacco, Alcohol and Salt locked in the crosshairs, the new public enemy number one seems to be sugar. A new report from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) shows 16% of total daily caloric intake of children and adolescents coming from added sugar in foods and drinks. The recommended amount is no more than 15%, but includes fat, as well as sugar.

Sugar cannot make anyone overfat.

Only too many Calories in can.

The source is immaterial.

Obesity - New Clues By Age And Stage, Australia

Fools from down under. They're everywhere! They're everywhere!

Researchers have found that one fourth of students in Australian secondary schools are either overweight or obese, affecting lifestyle and socioeconomic status.

The study, published in the February 20 issue of the Medical Journal of Australia - a publication of the Australian Medical Association, was funded by Cancer Councils around Australia and the National Heart Foundation.

The study examined 12,188 students and found that just under one quarter were either obese (5%) or overweight (18%). In addition, the researchers found that male students were more likely to be overweight or obese as were students who sleep less, do not exercise regularly, spend more time using electronic media, and come from a lower socioeconomic background.

The researchers explained:

"These findings suggest that preventative measures should include a particular focus on facilitating physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior, as well as promoting adequate sleep."

The findings suggest one thing and one thing only: the consumption of fewer Calories than are burned.

The sleep issue is bulls**t.

Physical activity is a terribly inefficient way to control weight and it best left to idiots and the wealthy.

Weaning From Gluten May Be Pointless For Many

Hypochondriacs and...

People who do not have celiac disease and believe they have "non-celiac gluten sensitivity" may be weaning themselves off gluten unnecessarily, researchers from the University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy, reported in Annals of Internal Medicine. The authors added that the majority of people who avoid gluten have "nonceliac gluten sensitivity" - those with celiac disease are a minority among gluten avoiders.

...idiots climbing on board a fictitious wagon.

Selenium Supplements May Increase Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

More killer antioxidants.

Taking selenium? You may not need to. There's new evidence to suggest that selenium supplements aren't necessary for most Americans. They may even cause harm.

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

Scientists Discover Likely New Trigger for Epidemic of Metabolic Syndrome

No they didn't; unless they discovered overeating.

UC Davis scientists have uncovered a key suspect in the destructive inflammation that underlies heart disease and diabetes. The new research shows elevated levels of a receptor present on leucocytes of the innate immune response in people at risk for these chronic diseases. The receptors are the body's first line of defense against infectious invaders, and they trigger a rush of cytokines, the body's aggressive immune soldiers, into the bloodstream.

Basically, metabolic syndrome is what one gets from being too darned fat.

There is only one trigger to getting too fat - overconsuming Calories.

There is absolutely no other way.

If there is an epidemic, it is because too many people are eating too many Calories.

Period.

Crap research.

There is no new trigger, unless it is the same as the old trigger.

Physical Activity Keeps Workers Mentally Fit

More moronic research.

Obesity can be a dangerous risk to our physical health, but according to a Tel Aviv University researcher, avoiding the gym can also take a toll on our mental health, leading to depression and greater burnout rates at work.

Dr. Sharon Toker of TAU's Recanati Faculty of Management, working with Dr. Michal Biron from the University of Haifa, discovered that employees who found the time to engage in physical activity were less likely to experience a deterioration of their mental health, including symptoms of burnout and depression. The best benefits were achieved among those exercising for four hours per week - they were approximately half as likely to experience deterioration in their mental state as those who did no physical activity...

Far-sighted employers can benefit by building a gym on company grounds or subsidizing memberships to gyms in the community, and by allowing for flexible work hours to encourage employees to make physical activity an integral part of their day, suggests Dr. Toker. Such a strategy pays business dividends in the long run.

The data are good: so-called workplace wellness programs are a bust.

They gather dust; they are unused.

Not to mention that even if this foolishness had a prayer of success, the number of workers is diminishing, at least in the USA under BHO, so its effects are a de minimis of a de minimis.

Dr. Toker must be a toker.

Scent of Rosemary May Boost Cognitive Performance

The cure for fatosity-induced cognitive dysfunction?

The aroma of rosemary may boost cognitive performance, results of a new study suggest.

Nope.

Obesity Link To Environmental Pollutant

K-rap.

The levels of the environmental pollutant perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) that mothers had in their blood during pregnancy increased the risk of obesity in their daughters at 20 years of age. The findings come from a recent study of Danish women in which the Norwegian Institute of Public Health participated.

In recent decades, there has been a sharp increase in the number of overweight children and adults in both Norway and worldwide. It is suspected that diet and exercise alone cannot explain this large weight increase.

The only ones who suspect this are the excusinators and IMHO liars/idiots.

Too many Calories in explains it all.

Pre-Pregnancy Exposure To Micronutrients Associated With Gene Modifications In Offspring

So what?

The offspring of women who were given micronutrient supplements (minerals needed in small quantities, such as iron, iodine and vitamin A) before they became pregnant had gene modifications at birth as well as when they were tested at 9 months.

The changes to the genes, called methylation, have previously been associated with the development of the immune system, although this study did not provide direct evidence that the activity of these genes has changed. The research, funded by the BBSRC, was published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics in advance online publication (DOI number DDS026).

Professor Nabeel Affara, lead author of the study from the University of Cambridge, said: "The mechanism by which micronutrients influence methylation changes is still to be worked out, but it is known from other work that the genes of the immune system undergo such changes as immune function develops, particularly in early postnatal stages and early childhood.

"These changes are part of the normal development of the immune system provided adequate nutrition is available. Where this is not the case, different patterns of methylation may occur, altering the activity of key genes and therefore potentially the effectiveness of the immune system. The result is likely to be reduced ability to fight infection and hence susceptibility to infectious diseases."

The alleged changes can better, worsen of have no effect.

If negative, another argument against supplementation.

Potential Link Between Colorectal Cancer Risk, Obesity And Alcohol Consumption

Overconsuming from both ends of the GI tract?

A case-control study from Newfoundland/Labrador has reported that greater alcohol intake may increase the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) among obese subjects, but not among non-obese subjects. This is not a particularly large study, and only 45-60% of subjects who were recruited by telephone ended up providing data. Further, it is a case-control comparison, rather than a cohort analysis, making bias in the results more likely.

In this study, there was no relation of alcohol with the risk of CRC when considering the entire population. However, when subjects were stratified by BMI (<30 versus = 30), the data indicate an increase in CRC risk for obese subjects who were "drinkers" (OR=2.2, 95% CI 1.2-4.0), especially among subjects reporting 5 or more drinks/daily (OR=3.7, CI 1.5-9.0).

Eat, drink (or take it rectally) and be cancerous.

Fructose Weight Gain Impact Same As Other Carbohydrates

Why? Because a Calorie by any other name still contains the same amount of energy.

Fructose does not make you gain more weight than other types of carbohydrates, Canadian researchers reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine. They found that a little extra fructose added to foods did not trigger weight gain, as long as the participants reduced the equivalent total calories from other carbs. In other words, fructose calories are no more fattening than the same number of calories in other carbohydrate foods.

The authors explained that fructose's contribution to excess bodyweight in Western societies is often mentioned, but no studies have clearly shown a connection. John L. Sievenpiper, MD, PhD., and team set out to determine what effect fructose might have on people's weight in controlled eating trials.

They gathered data on 41 controlled feeding trials which had lasted for at least seven days. 31 of them, involving 637 participants, compared the effect of free fructose and non-fructose carbohydrates in isocaloric trials. Isocaloric means with similar total calories. 10 studies, involving 119 participants were hypercaloric trials (high calories). They excluded trials that evaluated high-fructose corn syrup (42% to 55% free fructose).

They found that in the isocaloric trials, fructose made no overall difference to body weight, when compared to non-fructose carbohydrates. However, high calorie fructose diets did lead to increases in body weight.

The pity is that this research was done at all in order to prove an irrefutable truth.

Crash test dummy unveiled for larger children

"Larger children" = nutritionally child abused children = fatso kids.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday unveiled a new crash test dummy to be used to evaluate child safety seats and boosters made for children weighing more than 65 pounds.

It seems as if NHTSA is years late.

Overweight Americans May Risk Kidney Damage When Attempting Weight Loss

Another excuse in the quiver of the excusinators for why fatsos should not lose weight.

With 1 in 5 overweight Americans suffering from chronic kidney disease, Cleveland Clinic researchers analyzed the nutritional and lifestyle habits of overweight adults, finding that their methods included diets and diet pills that may cause further kidney damage.

The study findings, published online this month in the International Journal of Obesity, came from an analysis of food choices and lifestyle habits of 10,971 overweight adults taken from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a federally-administered assessment of the overall health and nutritional status of Americans.

Of the overweight and obese patients with kidney disease included in the survey, 50 percent reported that they had attempted to lose weight in the past year. The survey showed that, on average, obese Americans with kidney disease consume protein in amounts that are above the recommended levels prescribed by the National Kidney Foundation for chronic kidney disease patients.

The typical American diet each day includes approximately 1.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight. Patients with CKD are advised to consume 0.6g to 0.75g protein per kilogram of body weight each day and popular high-protein diets may call for up to 1.9g per kilogram of body weight.

"People who are overweight or obese are at higher risk for chronic kidney disease and there is a great need to define what the appropriate lifestyle changes and weight loss modalities are for protecting kidney function," said Sankar Navaneethan, M.D., a nephrologist in the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute at Cleveland Clinic and lead author of the study. "Rather than using fad diets or diet pills, overweight and obese people with kidney disease may adopt a weight loss plan that incorporates a low-protein, low-calorie diet, regular physical activity and close follow-up by their physicians."

What this really is, is a result of bad weight loss advice - which is the usual.

Total rethink needed on dieting: scientists

True. But not the way these folks are going about it.

Everything you know about dieting is wrong, say US scientists who have devised a new formula for calculating calories and weight loss that they hope will revolutionize the way people tackle obesity.

Obesity rates have doubled worldwide in the past 30 years, coinciding with a growing food surplus, and the ensuing epidemic has sparked a multibillion dollar weight loss industry that has largely failed to curb the problem.

Current standards in the United States, where two thirds of people are overweight or obese, advise people that cutting calories by a certain amount will result in a slow and steady weight loss over time.

But that advice fails to account for how the body changes as it slims down, burning less energy and acquiring a slower metabolism, researchers told the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Vancouver.

The result is a plateau effect that ends up discouraging dieters and sending them back into harmful patterns of overeating.

A reason this is such hogwash is that the "plateau effect" has not only been known forever (almost), but that it can be anticipated with certainty by one who did not know of it if they understood the relationship between weight loss and the Laws of Thermodynamics.

Everything we know about weight loss is wrong because the recommended levels of caloric intake are based on faulty assumptions.

This prevents people from even losing enough weight to get to the plateau.

To learn how to lose weight successfully, go here.

New Guidelines Planned on School Vending Machines

Morons.

The government’s attempt to reduce childhood obesity is moving from the school cafeteria to the vending machines.

The Obama administration is working on setting nutritional standards for foods that children can buy outside the cafeteria. With students eating 19 percent to 50 percent of their daily food at school, the administration says it wants to ensure that what they eat contributes to good health and smaller waistlines.

Easy.

No vending machines, no Calories, no enlarging waistlines.

Any other approach must fail.

The moron and moronette in the White House are too stupid to do anything different from failure.

Electronic Health Records Alert Pediatricians To Obese Patients

Silly sad.

Electronic health records and embedded tools can alert and direct pediatricians so they can better manage the weight of children and teenagers, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published online in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Researchers analyzed visits for nearly 740,000 children and adolescents ages 2 to 17 to evaluate the impact of computer-assisted decision tools and found that extracting information from the electronic health record substantially improves the identification and diagnosis of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents, and also facilitated exercise and nutrition counseling.

Why?

Because the counseling will be the same failed approaches; that docs cannot tell if a kid is too fat by just looking at him or her is nuts.

Pediatric Obesity Rates Curbed By Parent-Training Intervention

Absolutely clear evidence that parents are the problem.

A UCLA study has found that a new parent-training program is effective in reducing the risk of low-income, preschool-age Latino children being overweight.

Researchers found that after one year, there was a 9 percent reduction in overweight and obese children in the parent-training intervention group, while a control group that did not receive the parent training had a 16 percent increase in overweight and obese children.

Otherwise, intervention involving parents would not have "worked."

Hold these nutritional child abusers accountable and watch the kids slim down.

In Obese And Diabetic Patients, Pancreatic Hormone Linked With Severe Heart Disease

Unimportant.

What is important is that being obese causes the problem.

Severe heart damage in people who are obese and diabetic is linked with a pancreatic hormone called amylin, UC Davis researchers have found.
In the failing hearts of patients who were obese and diabetic, the scientists discovered strings of proteins, small fibers and plaques made of amylin, the hormone that produces the feeling of being full after eating. They also showed in an animal model that amylin accumulation in the heart leads to heart muscle destruction and failure.

Published in the journal Circulation Research, the study also found amylin buildup in overweight patients who are not obese, suggesting the potentially dangerous accumulations may start before a diabetes diagnosis.

Heart failure is the number-one killer in obese and diabetic populations. Controlling the circulation of amylin hormone in the blood might lessen or prevent disabilities and deaths from heart disease, the scientists said.

Lose the weight.

Better yet, don't put it on in the first place.

Jeans Ad Sparks Controversy. Do Levis Models Come in Any Other Sizes?

Hot?

Both sides are right and wrong.

When it comes to selling clothes, size matters. A campaign for Levis Curve ID Jeans was banking on it, until it backfired.

The line of customized shape-fitting denims boasts in a print ad, "hotness comes in all shapes and sizes." But underneath that message of empowerment, are three models with very similar, slender body types. Aside from slight differences in backside protrusions, none of the models reflect the size 14 shape of the average American woman.

Copyranter, an advertising watchdog blog that posted the magazine ad Wednesday, called it an insult to women size six and over.

"The company doesn't seem to understand what 'different' means," added Jezebel's Anna North. "See, 'hotness comes in all shapes and sizes,' as long as those shapes are minute variations on the same thin, ponytailed woman."

In a call to Levis, a spokesperson told Shine that particular ad is actually from last year. Their latest campaign takes into account the heaping dose of criticism from bloggers since the first ads launched in 2010. ("If you put the words 'Bold Curve' next to a woman, I expect her to have, um, bold curves and preferably legs that don't look like toothpicks," activist Shelby Knox wrote of one of the first Curve ID ads.)

The detractors are correct in that the models do not portray a broad range of body types. Clearly, at least one is way wrong in describing the legs of the models as toothpicks in appearance.

Levis is wrong in not having models of more sizes and shapes.

Levis is clearly correct in not having models of larger size as the vast majority could only be hot to blind people who would not be able to see the ads (or fatsos who have to resign themselves to finding other fat people attractive).

New Regulations Fail To Make TV Food Adverts Healthier For Children

BFD.

Despite new regulations restricting UK TV advertisements for food, children are still exposed to the same level of advertising for junk foods which are high in fat, salt and sugar, researchers have found.

Unexpectedly, academics at Newcastle University also found that since the new restrictions were introduced five years ago, viewers of all ages are seeing many more adverts for unhealthy foods.

There are no healthy foods, there is only eating healthily.

Advertising is not at fault.

Consumers are.

Faulty Fat Sensor Implicated in Obesity and Liver Disease

The faulty sensor is called "the fat person." Here is a picture of the defective part:

Defects in a protein that functions as a dietary fat sensor may be a cause of obesity and liver disease, according to a study published in the journal Nature, led by researchers at Imperial College London. The findings highlight a promising target for new drugs to treat obesity and metabolic disorders.

Any other conclusion is simply wrong.

Goat Cheese Fortified With Fish Oil To Deliver Healthy Omega-3 Fatty Acids

What you get when you cross a goat with a fish.

Fish oil is an underused ingredient in the food industry because of its association with a strong odor and aftertaste. A new study in the February issue of the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists, shows that fish oil can be added to goat cheese to deliver high levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids without compromising taste or shelf-life.

What could go wrong?

We will have to wait to find out.

In The Battle To Improve Food Marketing Influencing Children's Diets, Mixed Progress Made By US Government And Schools

Advertising does not appreciably affect children's diets.

New research has found that the US government and schools have made mixed progress to comprehensively address food and beverage marketing practices that put young people's health at risk. A comprehensive review published in the March issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that public sector stakeholders have failed to fully implement recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to support a healthful diet to children and adolescents.

What affects children's diets is the food and drink adults give them.

Period.

Body clock 'alters' immune system

Well, this garbage will change the work day.

The time of the day could be an important factor in the risk of getting an infection, according to researchers in the US.

They showed how a protein in the immune system was affected by changes in the chemistry of the body through the day.

The findings, published in the journal Immunity, showed the time of an infection changed its severity.

An expert said drugs were likely to take advantage of the body clock in the near future.

And as an extra benefit, we can expect research bucks wasted on a new class of crap drugs.

Woo hoo!

Nanoparticles In Food, Vitamins Could Harm Human Health, Warn Researchers

Just when you thought it was safe...

Billions of engineered nanoparticles in foods and pharmaceuticals are ingested by humans daily, and new Cornell research warns they may be more harmful to health than previously thought.

A research collaboration led by Michael Shuler, a professor of Chemical Engineering and chair of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University, studied how large doses of polystyrene nanoparticles - a common, FDA-approved substance found in substances ranging from food additives to vitamins - affected how well chickens absorbed iron, an essential nutrient, into their cells.

The results were reported online in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

According to the study, high-intensity, short-term exposure to the particles initially blocked iron absorption, whereas longer-term exposure caused intestinal cell structures to change, allowing for a compensating uptick in iron absorption.

The researchers tested both acute and chronic nanoparticle exposure using human gut cells in petri dishes as well as live chickens and reported matching results. They chose chickens because these animals absorb iron into their bodies similarly to humans, and they are similarly sensitive to micronutrient deficiencies.

Shuler said the research serves to underscore how such particles, which have been widely studied and considered safe, cause barely detectable changes that could lead to, for example, over-absorption of other, harmful compounds.

Human exposure to nanoparticles is only increasing, Shuler said.

Well, maybe it ain't.

Caveat consumer.

Integrative Medicine Use Up, but Outcomes Still Uncertain

Not true. The outcome of money for nothing, or worse, is well-known.



BTW, the study is more than complete crap as it did not measure outcomes. It only measured the impressions of persons with vested interests on how well they felt they were doing.

In a survey of US medical centers using integrative medicine, 75% reported success using integrative practices to treat chronic pain, with more than half reporting positive results in the areas of gastrointestinal conditions, depression, anxiety, cancer, and chronic stress, according to a report released today by the Bravewell Collaborative.

The Bravewell Collaborative "support[s] the advancement of integrative medicine by creating and translating emerging knowledge into broad practice," according to its Web site. In the report, the collaborative defines integrative medicine as "an approach to care that puts the patient at the center and addresses the full range of physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental influences that affect a person's health."

The survey, Integrative Medicine in America: How Integrative Medicine Is Being Practiced in Clinical Centers Across the United States, involved 29 integrative medicine centers (9 of them in the Bravewell Clinical Network) at many leading medical institutions, including the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio; Duke University in Durham, North Carolina; the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; Stanford University in California; and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. These institutions provided a range of services including adult, geriatric, adolescent, obstetric-gynecologic, pediatric, and end-of-life care. The most frequently prescribed interventions, often in combination, were food and nutrition, supplements, yoga, meditation, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and acupuncture, massage, and pharmaceuticals.

Report coauthor Constance Pechura, PhD, senior advisor at the Bravewell Collaborative, said, during a telephone briefing on the release of the report that 29 centers were chosen from about 60 candidate integrative medicine centers (about 50 of them in an integrative medicine academic consortium). Coauthor Donald Abrams, MD, professor of clinical medicine and a consultant at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, said the 29 centers were chosen based on their leadership, having been in operation for more than 3 years, having a significant patient volume, and having "contributed to the field." He told Medscape Medical News during the telephone briefing that, "[i]n fact, we were looking at some of the best centers, but I do think it's probably generalizable to certainly other centers in the academic consortium."

Conditions Treated With Best Success

During the briefing, Dr. Abrams said, "We were not measuring outcomes. We were asking the center directors and the clinical directors to give us their impressions of where they were having success."

Garbage

No Link Found Between Prolonged Fructose Intake And Increased Blood Pressure

Of course not.

Eating fructose over an extended period of time does not lead to an increase in blood pressure, according to researchers at St. Michael's Hospital.

A new study has found that despite previous research showing blood pressure rose in humans immediately after they consumed fructose, there is no evidence fructose increases blood pressure when it has been eaten for more than seven days.

In fact, researchers led by Drs. David Jenkins and John Sievenpiper observed a significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure - the measure of blood pressure when the heart is relaxed between contractions - in people who had eaten fructose for an extended period of time.

"A lot of health concerns have been raised about fructose being a dietary risk factor for hypertension, which can lead to stroke, cardiovascular disease, renal disease and death," said Vanessa Ha, a Master of Nutritional Sciences student and the lead author of the paper. "However, we wanted to determine whether fructose itself raised blood pressure, or if the apparent harm attributed to fructose was simply because people are eating too many calories."

Bingo.

Pregnant Women More Likely To Achieve Recommended Exercise Levels If They Care For A Dog

Apparently caring about your unborn child is not motivation enough.

The study of more than 11,000 pregnant women, in partnership with Mars Petcare, showed that those who owned dogs were approximately 50% more likely to achieve the recommended 30 minutes of exercise a day through high levels of brisk walking than those without dogs. Scientists suggest that as it is a low-risk exercise, walking a dog could form part of a broader strategy to improve the health of pregnant women.

But the study, according to this article, did not evaluate outcome data.

This is routine for BS research.

See how well it can work?

The picture of fitness.

Organic Food Can Have High Concentrations Of Arsenic

At least it's organic.

Rice is known to have concentrations of arsenic that find their way into the population, especially among people who consume more rice than other staples. New research is suggesting that even organic brown rice can have high concentrations of arsenic, and with processing to produce syrups and other packaged foods, the poison can become more concentrated.

A rather worrying example has been released this week by Jackson BP et al. entitled "Arsenic, Organic Foods, and Brown Rice Syrup", published in the latest issue of Environmental Health Perspectives. Their work shows arsenic in cereal bars, sports bars and even baby food, at concentrations as much as six times above the EPA safe level for drinking water.

The problem largely seems to be due to the processing of Organic Brown Rice Syrup (OBRS) that is used as an alternative to sugar or corn syrup sweeteners, in a variety of products.

Another example of death by Whore Foods.

Exercise, Regardless of Amount of Sedentary Time, Improves Risk Factors in Kids

Wrong. Training does.

Children and adolescents participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity have a lower cardiometabolic risk profile, including lower HDL-cholesterol levels and systolic blood pressure, regardless of the amount of time they spend sedentary, according to the results of a new study [1]. On the basis of the findings, researchers say that children should be encouraged to increase their participation in physical activity rather than decrease the amount of time they spend sedentary, "as this appears more important in relation to cardiometabolic health."

Clearly a culture of physical fitness, when coupled with proper caloric intake, is important.

Future Risk For Osteoporosis May Be Lowered By Exercising During Early 20s

No. Training is what works.

Still bone banking appears to work. Nothing new in this article.

Physical exercise in the early twenties improves bone development and may reduce the risk of fractures later in life, reveals a study of more than 800 Swedish men carried out at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

The strength of our bones is determined early in life. The more bone mass we put on when young, the smaller the risk of fractures as we grow older. Previous research has shown that exercise before and during puberty is particularly important for bone development.

Now researchers at the University of Gothenburg's Sahlgrenska Academy have shown that exercise in the early twenties also aids bone growth, countering the risk of broken bones later in life.

Useless research.

Worthwhile reminder.

Improving The Functional Capacity And Quality Of Life Of Elderly People By Power Training

Training is the key to all fitness success.

Twelve weeks of training geared towards improving muscular power in older people are highly effective for improving their functional capacity and quality of life, as shown by the studies carried out by the "Biomechanics and Physiology of Movement" research group at the Public University of Navarre led by Professor Mikel Izquierdo-Redin.

Train.

At all ages.

U.S. to Review Diet Treatment Once Rejected

Why not?

It wasn't good enough for you before, why shouldn't it be good enough for you now?

Next week, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will recommend whether the agency should approve the first new prescription diet pill in 13 years.

The F.D.A. rejected the drug under review, Qnexa, in 2010, amid safety concerns, and the drug’s manufacturer is now presenting additional data to argue its case...

Even though the F.D.A. declined to approve Qnexa two years ago, citing the risks of birth defects and cardiovascular problems, doctors are allowed to prescribe the components off-label as they see fit.

Good luck.

Seems smarter to lose weight the right way.

Prenatal Vitamin D May Influence Kids' Language Skills

The cure du jour fixes everything!

Results of a large study suggest that maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy has an effect on the neurocognitive development of offspring.

The study showed that pregnant women with insufficient serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)-vitamin D) levels (≤46 nmol/L) had about a 2-fold higher risk of having a child with clinically significant language difficulties compared with pregnant women whose vitamin D levels were greater than 70 nmol/L.

"These results fit with the increasing recognition that adequate vitamin D levels are very important in fetal development," first author Andrew J. O. Whitehouse, PhD, from the Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia in Subiaco, told Medscape Medical News.

"We would like to see our findings replicated. Beyond that, the next step is to conduct randomized controlled trials to determine whether vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy may help promote optimal development of the offspring," Dr. Whitehouse said.

You won't. It won't.

Except by another BS study.

The Negative Effects Of Maternal Obesity May Be Reversed By Exercise

More evidence that being a nutritional child abuser is a choice.

Exercise is the key to overcoming the adverse metabolic effects passed on to offspring by their overweight mothers, with research showing for the first time these effects can be almost completely reversed through physical activity.

Being an obese mother can have a powerful impact on the next generation, altering central appetite circuits and contributing to increased fat deposits, glucose intolerance and metabolic disease in offspring.

The fat should not reproduce.

Study Of Resveratrol May Lead To Treatments For Vascular And Metabolic Diseases

Not so "well-conducted" as you will see.

A well-conducted experimental study in mice has provided potentially important new insights into the association of the intake of resveratrol and like compounds with health benefits. Resveratrol is a constituent of red wine and other vegetable products, and is being evaluated in high-doses as a pharmaceutical. The biologic mechanisms demonstrated in this study could provide key new approaches for the prevention or treatment of a number of chronic diseases in humans, especially those related to vascular and metabolic diseases and to the risk of mortality...

In general, Forum reviewers thought that this was a very well-done study. Their concerns related to the dose used in these experiments; while the levels of resveratrol and like compounds might be accessible with pharmaceutical doses, the suggestion that similar levels could be connected with wine consumption is misleading. Further, in humans, resveratrol in the diet will interact with many other chemicals to achieve an effect, as whole plant extracts consist of many active and inactive micronutrients that may play a role in health and disease. To ascribe a specific effect on health from one chemical found in wine or other plant products could be misleading.

Or...it may not.

Snickers Coming Down In Size

Bull.

Snickers, Twix and other chocolate products from Mars Inc are coming down in size as part of a drive by the company to stop selling chocolate products containing more than 250 calories by the end of 2013. This means the 540-calorie king-size Snickers bar will become a thing of the past.

Virginia-based Mars Inc, which also makes pet foods, drinks and chewing gum, is the world's leading confectioner and produces 7 of the best-selling global chocolate brands, including Mars, Dove/Galaxy and Snickers.

According to information on the company website, and a press announcement by a spokeswoman on Wednesday, the downsizing of chocolate products is part of an ongoing effort to enhance the nutritional content of the company's brands and sell them in a more responsible way.

"We are aware of the high levels of obesity, heart disease and diabetes in some regions where we operate, and we are taking steps to enhance the nutritional content of our snacks. We are renovating our chocolate products to reduce saturated fats and decrease calories per serving and innovating to give consumers greater choice," says a statement on the company's Health and Nutrition web pages.

A way to sell less and charge more.

However, if Mars, Inc., is admitting that their products are the cause of obesity, then hopefully some sharp attorneys will teach their marketing people a much needed lesson to shut-up when they should.

Gut Bacteria May Have Role In Obesity

"May," but they don't.

A new animal study published in this month's issue of the Journal of Proteome Research suggests that bacteria living in the large intestine may play a role in obesity by slowing down the activity of energy-burning brown fat. The researchers said their findings could spur new ways to prevent obesity and promote weight loss, for example by pointing to new drug targets and microbial treatments.

No bug can increase anyone's weight in the absence of more Calories in than out.

Period.

Some Doctors Do Not Tell Their Patients The Truth

Who'da thunk it?

A significant minority of practicing doctors do not agree that patients should always be told the whole truth, even though The Charter on Medical Professionalism insists on openness and honesty, researchers from Harvard Medical School and other institutions in Massachusetts reported in the journal Health Affairs. The Charter is backed by over 100 professional organizations globally, including the US Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

And among the most egregious?

IMHO, AdipOprah experts.

Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Frequently Untreated in Psychiatric Patients

Really?

Researchers at Zucker Hillside Hospital's Recognition and Prevention (RAP) Program who have worked with teenagers at risk for serious mental illness for the past decade are now studying the effectiveness of Omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil) for treating psychiatric symptoms. This new study is a National Institute of Mental Health-funded randomized double-blind trial that was designed to test whether Omega-3 fatty acids improve clinical symptoms, and help adolescents and young adults (ages 12 to 25) who are at elevated risk for severe psychiatric disorders function better in school, work and other social environments.

"Of the 300 adolescents who have participated in the RAP Program, most have shown substantial improvement," noted Barbara Cornblatt, Ph.D., director of the Recognition and Prevention (RAP) Program and investigator at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. "If this study continues to show success, Omega 3 could offer a natural alternative to the range of medications and therapies now offered to RAP participants. Ultimately, the goal of the RAP Program is to intervene and prevent illness before symptoms get worse."

Of course not.

There are no data in support of this headline.

More garbage.

Food Marketing Targeted At Kids Still Not Ideal

Guess they aren't buying enough with all their discretionary income.

New research shows that the US government and schools have only achieved a mixed progress in its extensive quest to address food and beverage marketing practices that are harmful to young people's health.

According to a thorough review in the March issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, public sector stakeholders have failed to fully implement recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IOM,) to support a healthful diet to children and adolescents.

Lead author Vivica Kraak, MS, RD, a Research Fellow at Deakin University's Population Health Strategic Research Center in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia declares:

"Evidence links the marketing of high-calorie, nutrient-poor branded food and beverage products to obesity rates. Our evaluation found that the prevailing marketing environment continues to threaten children's health and the public sector has missed important opportunities to promote a healthful diet and create healthy eating environments."

More BS from pinhead researchers.

As if any correlation between advertising and either purchase or consumption of certain foods by kids is on the children.

Clearly it is on the parents/guardians.

Clearly it is not the food, but the Calories.

Not a single child would be overweight/obese if he/she were not overfed Calories by those responsible for them.

The Power Of Games And Interactive Media For Childhood Obesity Prevention And Health Promotion

The power?

Zero or less.

Children are naturally drawn toward gaming and other types of technology, creating an ideal opportunity to design interactive media tools to encourage physical activity and promote healthy eating habits, according to an article in a special issue of the journal Childhood Obesity celebrating the second anniversary of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative. The issue includes a special Foreword by Mrs. Obama and is available free online.

"Let's Get Technical! Gaming and Technology for Weight Control and Health Promotion in Children," an article by Tom Baranowski, PhD and Leslie Frankel, PhD, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, describes the ongoing research effort to identify and develop the most effective approaches for using gaming and interactive media to deliver health promotion messages to children of all ages.

This special Let's Move! issue has a wide range of contributions from leaders in the fight against childhood obesity including Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, NFL quarterback Drew Brees, Stephen Daniels, MD, PhD, Sandra Hassink, MD, Margo Wootan, DSc, and Editor-in-Chief David Katz, MD, MPH.

The s**t-for-brains trust involved in this, led by the First Cow Michellesie Obama, guarantees failure.

Here are images of the First Cheerleader for Let's Moove:

Switching To Water, Diet Beverages Can Tip The Scales

Gee, how can that be?

Making a simple substitution of water or diet soft drinks for drinks with calories can help people lose 4 to 5 pounds, a new University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study shows.

Fewer Calories, anyone?

Obese children outgrowing kids' clothing and furniture

More nutritional child abuse.

As children are getting bigger, their clothing, their furniture and other objects that support their weight must also expand.

Seventeen percent of children are obese, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And one in three kids is obese or overweight. The rate of childhood obesity has tripled to the point that pediatricians say growth charts no longer apply to today's kids.

To accommodate larger kids, some schools have instructions for teachers to provide separate chairs and desks for students who cannot fit into the pupil chairs. And school furniture makers are increasing the size of chairs and desks to accommodate larger students.

Pigletsty nation.

Overeating Tied to Increased Risk for Memory Loss

Guess they forget to skip a meal or serving.

New data from the Mayo Clinic Study on Aging suggest that consuming between 2100 and 6000 calories per day may double the risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in adults aged 70 years and older.

"We observed a dose-response pattern...: the higher the amount of calories consumed each day, the higher the risk of MCI," study author Yonas E. Geda, MD, from the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, noted in a statement.

The current study, Dr. Geda told Medscape Medical News, suggests that in elderly persons aged 70 years and older, "excessive caloric intake may be associated with higher risk of MCI."

Oink.

Four Plant Extracts Discovered For Possible Weight Loss

Much ado about doo-doo.

Four plant extracts that may be effective in fighting and preventing obesity have been identified through in vitro examinations by a team of researchers from the University of Granada. The team then tested the extracts on rats.

Although results from the assays show promise, additional investigations on animals are needed in order to assess and verify the anti-obesity effects of these extracts. Once the researchers are able to confirm the extracts anti-obesity effects on animals, they will be tested in clinical trials.

The researchers found that two of these extracts restricted the activity of one of the primary enzymes involved in the breakdown of dietary lipids, which would ultimately reduce absorption of lipids.

After evaluating cells, the team also found that another two extracts reduced fat content as they activated the hydrolysis of the triglycerides accumulated within fat cells.

The names of the extracts cannot be disclosed for confidentiality reasons.

"Confidentiality reasons."

Uh-huh.

Weight Loss Can Be Contagious, Study Suggests

Too bad just about all fat people have developed immunity.

Is weight loss "contagious"? According to a new study published online in the journal Obesity, teammates in a team-based weight loss competition significantly influenced each other's weight loss, suggesting that shedding pounds can have a ripple effect.

The only real "ripple effect" is on their bodies:

Dog Therapy in Waiting Rooms Calms and Eases Pain

Maybe.

They may be hairy, and sometimes smelly and droolly, but dogs may lower pain and stress levels for patients with chronic pain, a new study suggests.

Study results show that chronic pain patients reported less depression and fatigue and had lower mean pain scores when they waited for their outpatient appointment with a dog companion and its handler compared with those who opted to wait without company.

"There's actually good science to suggest that dog therapy should be a useful thing," Dawn Marcus, MD, from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania, told Medscape Medical News.

Unless...

Physician, lawyer up.

Trans-Fatty Acid Consumption Drops Among US Caucasians

So?

A study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, revealed that from 2000 to 2009, trans-fatty acid blood levels (TFAs) in white U.S. adults have decreased by 58%. CDC researchers have, for the first time, been able to measure trans fats in human blood.

As part of CDC's larger National Bio-monitoring program, which measures over 450 environmental chemicals and nutritional indicators in people, the CDC researchers evaluated trans-fatty acid blood levels before and after the Food and Drug Administration's 2003 regulation became effective in 2006. Participants were selected from the 2000 and 2009 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

The regulation requires that food and dietary supplement manufacturers inform consumers about the TFA, also known as unsaturated fat content, by listing the relevant information on the product's Nutrition Facts panel. Until the legislation became effective in 2006, some local as well as state health departments initiated public awareness campaigns about the associated health risks with TFAs, and required restaurants to limit using TFAs in food.

Christopher Portier, Ph.D., director of CDC's National Center for Environmental Health declared:

"The 58 percent decline shows substantial progress that should help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults. Findings from the CDC study demonstrate the effectiveness of these efforts in reducing blood TFAs and highlight that further reductions in the levels of trans fats must remain an important public health goal."


Dr. Portier continued saying that although the current study only offers information for white adults, more CDC studies are underway to assess blood TFAs in other adult race/ethnic groups as well as in children and adolescents.

And it offers no information about whether any difference has actually been made in the fight against cardiovascular disease.

May be a big yawner.

Have to wait and see.

'Let's Move!' Aids Physicians in Childhood Obesity Prevention

Bulls**t.

Thanks to some name-dropping, physicians are finding it easier to talk about treating — and preventing — obesity with their pediatric patients' parents on the second birthday of the federal initiative called Let's Move!, designed to counter that epidemic.

When parents take their children to a pediatrician's office, they sometimes will mention the program and the name of its founder, First Lady Michelle Obama, according to Sandra Hassink, MD, a board member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and director of the Nemours Pediatric Obesity Initiative at A.I. Dupont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware.

"It gives us an opening with the patients and family to talk about the need to be eat healthy and be active," Dr. Hassink told Medscape Medical News. "It's been a positive influence."

There are no data to demonstrate that it makes any difference at all re: how fat kids become.

No Cancer Protection With Vitamin B or Omega-3 Fatty-Acid Supplements

No protection?

There were even more cancers!

Vitamin B and omega-3 fatty-acid supplementation over a period of five years failed to reduce the incidence of cancer and cancer mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease, research shows. The investigators did observe a statistically significant interaction by sex, however, with women taking omega-3 fatty acids at an increased for cancer and cancer mortality.

"People should be very careful when deciding to self-medicate with these dietary supplements because they are active substances," lead investigator Dr Valentina Andreeva (University of Paris, France) told heartwire . "The findings need to be confirmed and should be interpreted with caution, but there is some indication that they might have adverse effects. Taking these supplements without a physician's advice and over the long term might not be a good idea."

More bad news for the deadly substances known as supplements.

Bacteria used to fight sleeping sickness

Now they are all going to get fat.

Scientists believe they have found a way to beat sleeping sickness using a bacterium against the tsetse fly host that spreads the disease to humans.

In the same way that we have friendly bacteria in our intestines, the tsetse fly harbours bacteria in its midgut, muscle and salivary glands.

Experts in Belgium have genetically modified these "good bugs" so they attack the culprit parasite carried by the fly.

Keep 'em asleep.

Injuries In Overweight And Obese Children More Often From 'Low-Energy' Impact

When you are big and fat, low impact is high impact.

Obese children are 74 percent more likely to sustain a fracture of the growth plate, the softer end of the bone where growth occurs.

A new study presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), involved 224 children visiting a Maryland hospital with a fracture. Information was collected on each patient regarding their sex, age, height, weight, fracture location and pattern. Patients ages 2 to 16 were divided into two groups for comparison: a "normal weight" group and an "obese/overweight" group for children with a body mass index (BMI) greater than the 85 percentile.

The overweight/obese group represented 41.3 percent of the fracture population, and had a statistically significantly higher rate of growth plate injuries (40 percent versus 23 percent).

The study, which is ongoing, also looked at the type of incidents causing the fractures, and found that the obese/overweight children had a greater number of injuries resulting from "low-energy" contact or impact, such as falling from a standing position. The findings could provide greater insight into the inherent risks for overweight and obese children pertaining to exercise and physical activity.

Another result of nutritional child abuse.

More Evidence Links Low Vitamin D to Depression

So what?

A large cross-sectional study of adults suggests a link between low vitamin D levels and depressive symptoms, particularly in individuals with a history of depression.

Because the relationship between low vitamin D levels and depression was stronger in those with a prior history of depression, "it may be more of a marker for relapse than for new-onset," senior investigator E. Sherwood Brown, MD, PhD, head of the psychoneuroendocrine research program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, told Medscape Medical News.

"Our findings suggest that screening for vitamin D levels in depressed patients — and perhaps screening for depression in people with low vitamin D levels — might be useful," Dr. Brown added in a university-issued statement.

No data that supplementing Vit. D does squat for depression.

A cure still in search of new diseases and research money.

Swapping sugary drinks for diet soda, water leads to weight loss: Study

How stupid is this?

Drinking soda makes you fat. That's what researchers and the health police have been hammering into our heads for years, but a new study has actually proven that ditching sugary drinks for diet versions or water will lead to weight loss.

Proof that consuming fewer Calories than are burned will result in weight loss.

This needed to be proven?

Altered Lifestyle Plus Anti-Obesity Drugs Are Effective

Altered lifestyle.

So are no drugs and same lifestyle with fewer Calories consumed.

Researchers from the University of Leicester have discovered that anti-obesity drugs together with lifestyle advice are effective in reducing weight and BMI. In the paper published in Obesity Review, Dr. Laura Gray and her team from Leicester University's Department of Health Sciences assessed the effectiveness of anti -obesity drugs and a modified lifestyle on weight loss and body mass index.

BFD = Big F**kin' Discovery.

Morons.

Four Natural Extracts With Anti-Obesity Effects Tested On Rats

So?

University of Granada researchers have identified four plant extracts that might help in preventing and fighting obesity. The researchers identified the most effective plant extracts through in vitro assays; subsequently, extracts were tested on rats. While the results obtained are promising, further studies on animals are required to evaluate and confirm the anti-obesity effects of these extracts. Once their anti-obesity effects are confirmed on animals, the extracts will be tested on humans.

In vitro assays revealed that two of these extracts -which name cannot be disclosed for confidentiality reasons- inhibited the activity of one of the key enzymes involved in the breakdown of dietary lipids, which would eventually reduce lipid absorption.

They're secret - f**k you, University of Granada.

No data.

No results.

No proof.

Only more hype from a low-level institution in search of PR.

Aspirin could beat cancer spread: Australian study

Has got to be true...

Aspirin and other household drugs may inhibit the spread of cancer because they help shut down the chemical "highways" which feed tumours, Australian researchers announced on Tuesday.

Scientists at Melbourne's Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre said they have made a biological breakthrough helping explain how lymphatic vessels -- key to the transmission of tumours throughout the body -- respond to cancer.

'Cause as we all know, no one who ever got cancer, took aspirin.

Baby Knows Best: Baby-Led Weaning Promotes Healthy Food Preferences

Possibly true, since a kid is unlikely to overstuff itself like a goose fed for a pâte future.

A new study by psychologists at The University of Nottingham has shown that babies who are weaned using solid finger food are more likely to develop healthier food preferences and are less likely to become overweight as children than those who are spoon-fed pureed food.

Sad that a newborn is so much smarter than an adult.

But when it comes to nutritional child abusers, there is no limit to their stupidity.

How Appetite Cells In The Brain Respond To Fasting

Agouti.

More agouti.

There are two key cell types in the brain that are central to the regulation of feeding behaviors, agouti-related peptide (AgRP)-expressing neurons and proopiomelancortin (POMC)-expressing neurons. Previous work has shown that the AgRP neurons promote feeding and weight gain, while the POMC cells have been linked with appetite suppression and weight loss. Now a new study published by Cell Press in the February 9 issue of the journal Neuron uncovers a neural pathway that links fasting with activation of AgRP neurons. The research provides valuable insight into the complex mechanisms that control food seeking behavior.

"Given their critical roles in feeding behaviors, there is great interest in understanding the factors that regulate the activity of AgRP and POMC neurons," says senior study author, Dr. Bradford B. Lowell, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. "However, although both types of neurons receive abundant excitatory and inhibitory inputs, the influence of these upstream signals has not received much attention."

Silly.

You get hungry. That is it.

To lose weight, there is no need to fast.

There is a need to eat fewer Calories.

No more. No less.

It is the starvation nature of conventional diets that causes them to fail.

E.g., see here, here, here, here and here.

Nothing agouti will come of this misdirected research.

Physical Activity Yields Feelings Of Excitement, Enthusiasm

Overselling it.

People who are more physically active report greater levels of excitement and enthusiasm than people who are less physically active, according to Penn State researchers. People also are more likely to report feelings of excitement and enthusiasm on days when they are more physically active than usual.

Physical activity, done right, can wear you out and make you tired.

This is not bad.

What is bad, is creating the expectation that physical activity will be enjoyable, fun, exciting, etc.

That is a reason why people quit.

Physical activity does not live up to the hype.

It does, however, live up to reality.

Anti-Obesity Drug Now In Clinical Trials May Cause Rapid Bone Loss

Two words - Anabolic Clinic (sm).

An endocrine hormone used in clinical trials as an anti-obesity and anti-diabetes drug causes significant and rapid bone loss in mice, raising concerns about its safe use, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have shown.

Anabolic substances are anti-obesity medications that build bone.

To find out more, go here, here and here.

Big Drop In Trans-Fats In US Bloodstream

So what?

A new study published this week shows there has been a big drop in levels of trans-fatty acids in the US bloodstream. From 2000 to 2009 it fell by 58%. This is the first time researchers from the US Centers from Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been able to measure trans-fats in human blood. They write about their findings in a letter to the Editor of JAMA.

Trans-fatty acids (TFAs) are a group of fats that, unlike other dietary fats, are not essential to health. In the human diet they come from two sources: synthetic and natural.

The synthetic sources include products where manufacturers have hydrogenated vegetable oils to make them solid at room temperature and thereby increase their shelf life. TFAs are also present in small quantitites in meat and milk products since grazing animals produce them naturally.

Studies suggest that consuming high levels of TFAs is linked to cardiovascular disease, partly because they increase levels of "bad" cholesterol (LDL), and that changing to a diet low in TFAs may lower LDL cholesterol and thus reduce the associated health risks.

But does it? Has it?

That is what matters.

Clearly the jury is still out.

Not yet time to rejoice.

Exercise Increasingly Recommended By Doctors, CDC

So what?

Doctors in the US are increasingly advising adults to exercise or be more physically active, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published online on Thursday.

The important thing to know is whether it makes a difference.

The silence in the article on that matter speaks volumes.

Atlanta anti-obesity ads 'risk child stigma'

F**k the s**t-for-brains "leading US health official."

A leading US health official has warned that a campaign started by a children's hospital to fight childhood obesity poses health risks.

Alan Guttmacher, a child health expert at the National Institutes of Health, says Atlanta-based Strong4Life "carries a great risk of increasing stigma".

The campaign has been criticised for using stark images of overweight children to warn of obesity risks.

The hospital behind the campaign said it raised awareness of obesity dangers.

A Guttmacher-type unstigmatized, psychologically healthy kid:

Hospital = 1.

Guttmacher = 0.

Kids = -1.

Researchers Pave The Way For Improving Treatment For Type 2 Diabetes

K-rap.

In a study published last week in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, a team led by Dr. Vincent Poitout of the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM)* has made an important step forward in understanding how insulin secretion is regulated in the body. This discovery has important implications for drugs currently in development to treat Type 2 diabetes, a disease which is diagnosed every 10 seconds somewhere throughout the world.

Type 2 diabetes is fat person diabetes.

The cure is here, now.

The cure is drug-free.

The cure is weight loss.

How to get the cure is here.

A High Level Of Vitamin D Deficiency Found Among Trauma Patients

More BS about the cure du jour.

New research presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found that 77 percent of trauma patients had deficient or insufficient levels of vitamin D.

Researchers have linked a lack of vitamin D with muscle weakness, bone fractures, and the inability of bones to fully heal. In a new study, investigators sought to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among orthopaedic trauma patients.

Investigators reviewed the medical records of 1,830 adult (ages 18 and older) patients at a university Level 1 trauma center from Jan. 1, 2009 to Sept. 30, 2010. Participants with vitamin D levels below 20 ng/mL were categorized as "deficient," and those with levels between 20 and 32 ng/mL, "insufficient" (levels between 40 and 70 ng/mL are considered "healthy.")

Thirty-nine percent of all patients were vitamin D deficient, and another 38.4 percent had insufficient levels of vitamin D. Patients ages 18 to 25 had the lowest levels of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency of any age group, and yet 29 percent were deficient, and 54.7 percent, insufficient.

Now the supposed lack of Vitamin D attracts traumatizers.

Wanna bet?

Bisphosphonates Increase Contralateral Atypical Fracture Risk

Two words - Anabolic Clinic (sm).

Bisphosphonates are supposed to prevent fractures.

Patients who continue bisphosphonate therapy after an atypical index femur fracture are more likely to suffer a fracture in the contralateral femur, researchers reported here at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2012 Annual Meeting.

"Stop bisphosphonates if you have an index atypical fracture," said lead researcher Richard M. Dell, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at Kaiser Permanente, California.

Increasing evidence shows an association between bisphosphonate use and atypical femur fractures. Previous research found that more than 20% of patients with an index atypical femur fracture will develop an atypical femur fracture on the contralateral femur.

Oops.

Obesity Is Associated With Urinary Tract Infections

You are so fat, that you infect your own urine.

Obesity as measured by body mass index (BMI) is associated with increased risk for urinary tract infection (UTI) and pyelonephritis in both sexes, according to a retrospective, cross-sectional study.

Overall, the incidences of UTI and pyelonephritis were 2.5- and 5-fold higher among obese individuals (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) than among nonobese individuals, report Michelle J. Semins, MD, and colleagues from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, in an article published in the February issue of Urology.

"Obesity has also been associated with urological conditions such as male and female sexual dysfunction, infertility, incontinence, genitourinary malignancy, and nephrolithiasis," the authors write. "A similar relationship between obesity and [UTI] may exist but it has not been as well defined."...

The authors mention that the association between obesity and infection could have medical and financial implications. "[T]he high incidence of infection observed in the obese population places a meaningful financial burden on health care resource use and may also lead to other medical complications," the authors write.

And that the rest of us are paying for your illness of choice stinks, too.

French weight loss drug 'killed at least 1,300'

Better to lose weight sans pills and/or surgery.

Mediator, a drug licensed for use by diabetics that became widely prescribed in France as a slimming aid, "probably" caused at least 1,300 deaths before it was withdrawn, a study published on Thursday said.

Learn how.

New Diet: Top Off Breakfast With -- Chocolate Cake?

What could go wrong?

When it comes to diets, cookies and cake are off the menu. Now, in a surprising discovery, researchers from Tel Aviv University have found that dessert, as part of a balanced 600-calorie breakfast that also includes proteins and carbohydrates, can help dieters to lose more weight -- and keep it off in the long run.

They key is to indulge in the morning, when the body's metabolism is at its most active and we are better able to work off the extra calories throughout the day, say Prof. Daniela Jakubowicz, Dr. Julio Wainstein and Dr. Mona Boaz of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Diabetes Unit at Wolfson Medical Center, and Prof. Oren Froy of Hebrew University Jerusalem.

Everything.

Notice that the real key here is limiting the number of Calories.

That is always the key.

If fat people could do that following conventional diet advice, there would be no fat people.

But conventional diet advice is nearly impossible to follow.

Hence, continuing fatosity.

The Risk Of Colon Cancer Could Be Reduced By Regular Use Of Vitamin And Mineral Supplements

Finally. Someone who actually gives a rat's ass.

Could the use of vitamin and mineral supplements in a regular diet help to reduce the risk of colon cancer and protect against carcinogens? A study published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology (CJPP) found that rats given regular multivitamin and mineral supplements showed a significantly lower risk of developing colon cancer when they were exposed to carcinogens.

Just forget the part where vitamins and antioxidants kill people.

Experts Weigh In

Vitamins and Mortality: Some Guidance An interview with Jaakko Mursu, PhD

Trash the Vitamins: Convince Your Patients A study review by Charles P. Vega, MD and Veena Kulchaiyawat, DO

Dietary Supplements and Mortality Rates in Women: A Cautionary Tale Commentary from JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH

Vitamins and Mortality: In Defense of Supplements Commentary from Ayaz Virji, MD

News

Vitamin Supplements Associated With Increased Risk for Death

Vitamin E Supplements May Raise the Risk for Prostate Cancer

Vitamin D May Not Have Cardioprotective Benefits

Other Studies

Long-term Antioxidant Supplementation Has No Effect on Health-Related Quality of Life

Mortality in Randomized Trials of Antioxidant Supplements for Primary and Secondary Prevention: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

'Nuff said.