Physical Activity Interventions for Children Have 'Little Impact', Study Suggests

As every Fitness Watch reader already knows.

Physical activity interventions for children have small impact on overall activity levels and consequently the body fat and mass of children, a study published on bmj.com today suggests.

Previous studies have shown that greater activity levels are associated with lower levels of BMI (body mass index) but that physical activity interventions have been unsuccessful in improving children's BMI. Many previous reviews have not, however, confined their analyses to whole-day activity and some relied on questionnaires rather than objective measures of physical activity like pedometers to measure daily steps taken. This is the first systematic review to measure physical activity using accelerometry devices which provide a measure of total bodily movement across waking hours...

The authors conclude that in the mind of the public, physical inactivity is a major cause of childhood obesity and although the need to increase it is intuitive the "small increase gained from formal interventions seems insufficient to improve the body mass / fat of children." They suggest that further studies should capture both whole day activity and activity related to intervention-specific periods.

In an accompanying editorial, authors from University College London suggest that the study's chosen method of analysis does have "inherent limitations" although the results provide the best evidence to date on the effectiveness of activity interventions in childhood. They suggest that the focus of other studies should also shift away from overweight and obese children and instead look at outcomes that relate to improving health in children regardless of their weight. Hamer and Fisher suggest that future research should focus on how changes to the indoor and outdoor environment can encourage children's activity.

There is no need for further studies.

The work has been done.

Find it here, here and here.

Circadian Desynchrony May Disrupt The Systems In The Brain That Regulate Metabolism, Leading To Obesity

This is it! This is the key.

When Thomas Edison tested the first light bulb in 1879, he could never have imagined that his invention could one day contribute to a global obesity epidemic. Electric light allows us to work, rest and play at all hours of the day, and a paper published this week in Bioessays suggests that this might have serious consequences for our health and for our waistlines.

Daily or "circadian" rhythms including the sleep wake cycle, and rhythms in hormone release are controlled by a molecular clock that is present in every cell of the human body. This human clock has its own inbuilt, default rhythm of almost exactly 24 hours that allows it to stay finely tuned to the daily cycle generated by the rotation of the earth. This beautiful symmetry between the human clock and the daily cycle of the Earth's rotation is disrupted by exposure to artificial light cycles, and by irregular meal, work and sleep times. This mismatch between the natural circadian rhythms of our bodies and the environment is called "circadian desynchrony".

It must be circadian desynchrony.

What else could it be?

Moron researcher.

USPSTF Recommends Obesity Screening for All Adults

Ooh. An official recommendation.

That will fix the problem.

Clinicians should screen adults for obesity and offer intensive, multicomponent behavioral interventions to those with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or higher, according to updated guidelines from the USPSTF.

Screening?

More formal than it needs to be in the overwhelming majority of cases.

Just look.

Fitness in Middle Age Lowers Risk for Future Chronic Disease Emma Hitt, PhD

Yep.

Staying fit during middle age is associated with a decreased risk of developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and heart disease, during the next several years, a new study suggests.

Benjamin L. Willis, MD, MPH, from the Cooper Institute at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues, reported the findings in an article published online August 27 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

According to the researchers, "physical activity...likely represents an important determinant of healthy aging," but "studies have reported inconsistent results," and the "incremental contribution of [physical activity] to healthy aging beyond other healthy lifestyle characteristics remains unclear."

"To our knowledge, the association between midlife fitness and healthy aging has not been reported," they write. "[W]e hypothesized that higher midlife fitness levels would be strongly associated with healthy aging as defined by a low burden of chronic condition...outcomes," Dr. Willis and colleagues write.

Their knowledge must be lacking.

We told them so years ago.

Factors That Regulate Size Of Cellular Fat Pools, Obesity

Error alert!

As the national waistline expands, so do pools of intra-cellular fat known as lipid droplets. Although most of us wish our lipid droplets would vanish, they represent a cellular paradox: on the one hand droplets play beneficial roles by corralling fat into non-toxic organelles. On the other, oversized lipid droplets are associated with obesity and its associated health hazards.

Until recently researchers understood little about factors that regulate lipid droplet size. Now, a study from the Stowers Institute of Medical Research published in an upcoming issue of Journal of Cell Biology reports a genetic screen of roundworms that identifies two proteins required for the dramatic expansion of lipid droplets. That study, from the lab of Assistant Investigator Ho Yi Mak, Ph.D., sheds new light onto the molecular processes linked to fat metabolism.

One - obesity has nothing to do with "droplet size."

Two - there is only one factor.

Three - that factor is more Calories in than out.

Four - done.

First Simultaneous Robotic Kidney Transplant, Sleeve Gastrectomy Performed

How fat are you?

Surgeons at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System are developing new treatment options for obese kidney patients.

Many U.S. transplant centers currently refuse to transplant these patients due to poorer outcomes.

By simultaneously undergoing two procedures -- robotic-assisted kidney transplantation and robotic-assisted sleeve gastrectomy -- patients have only one visit to the operating room and one general anesthesia. Surgeons can utilize the same minimally invasive incisions.

You are so fat that human beings can no longer operate on you.

Kudos, fatsos.

Future Health Risks for Obese Children May Be Greater Than Previously Thought

More about nutritional child abuse.

Being obese as a child or adolescent may have a larger effect on future health than previously thought, suggests a study published on bmj.com today.

It comes as New York City passes a ban on large-size sugary drinks to help tackle obesity and related health problems in the US. MPs are now calling on the government to introduce similar legislation in the UK.

Researchers at the University of Oxford show that obese children and adolescents have several risk factors for heart disease including raised blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and a thickening of the heart muscle, compared with normal weight children.

They warn that, if these risk factors are allowed to progress into adulthood, obese children could already be at a 30-40% higher risk of future stroke and heart disease than their normal weight counterparts.

Being overweight in adulthood is well known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. The effect of obesity on children is less well understood, but a growing body of evidence suggests a similar association.

So a team of researchers based at the University of Oxford set out to examine the scale of the association between weight and risk factors for heart disease in children.

They analysed the results of 63 studies involving 49,220 healthy children aged between five and 15 years old. Only studies conducted after 1990 in highly developed countries and published between 2000 and 2011 were included.

The studies measured weight and one or more known cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and blood glucose levels.

Overweight was defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 30 and obesity was defined as BMI of 30 or more. Differences in study quality were taken into account to identify and minimise bias.

Compared with normal weight children, obese children had significantly higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Overweight children also had raised blood pressure, but to a lesser degree than obese children.

Fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance (known markers for diabetes) were significantly higher in obese children, but not in overweight children.

Obese children also had a significant increase in left ventricular mass (a thickening of the heart muscle and often a marker for heart disease) compared with normal weight children, even after adjusting for height. The authors say that the exact ages at which changes in a child's risk factors begin need to be established to help build a more accurate picture of the cardiovascular risk these young people are likely to face as adults.

"Weight, and especially obesity, has a significant effect on the risk parameters for cardiovascular disease that are present in children from age five years," they conclude. "This effect could give them a head start on their normal and even overweight classmates for future cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke."

In an accompanying editorial, Lee Hudson and Russell Viner at the UCL Institute of Child Health in London, say this review "provides a stark illustration of the probable threat that childhood obesity poses to disease burden in the population."

They say further work is needed to guide assessment and treatment decisions, and to tease out the effects of age and pubertal status on cardiovascular risk. In the meantime, the findings "challenge us to rethink our approaches to identifying cardiometabolic abnormalities in obese children."

Stop the abuse.

Walnuts Appear to Improve Semen Quality in Healthy Men

If you say so.

The daily addition of 75 g of whole-shelled walnuts to a typical Western-style diet appears to have positive effects on the vitality, morphology, and motility of sperm in healthy men, according to the findings of a randomized, parallel, 2-group, dietary intervention trial.

Wendie A. Robbins, PhD, and colleagues from the University of California, Los Angeles, published their findings online August 15 in Biology of Reproduction.

The authors note that despite the connection between food and reproduction throughout history, the evidence of the effects of diet on male fertility is lacking.

"Dietary habits and essential nutrients to promote successful reproductive outcomes have been identified for the maternal peri-conceptional and peri-natal period, but healthy dietary habits and essential nutrients for paternal reproductive fitness are less clear," the authors write.

"Evidence is particularly limited for men who routinely consume Western-style diets that may lack optimal nutrients and [polyunsaturated fatty acid] profiles needed for healthy sperm and fertility," they continue.

More interesting is what prompted the study.

I mean, who would think to do such a thing?

This study was funded through a grant from the California Walnut Commission. Dr. Lamb has received grant support from the National Institutes of Health and from the William and Ella Owens Medical Research Foundation.

Answers: These folks and payola.

Gene That Makes Women Happy Identified

Really?

A gene that seems to make females happy, but not males, has been identified by researchers at the University of South Florida, Columbia University, and the New York State Psychiatry Institute.

Their study has been published in Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry. The authors describe it as the first happiness gene for women.

The scientists explained that the low-expression of the gene MAOA (monoamine oxidase A) is linked to higher levels of happiness in adult females. They added that they were not able to find such an association in men.

Now you can expect your tax dollars to be spent on happiness gene therapy.

A Brave New World coming soon to a sick care delivery system near you.

Study Finds Working Mothers Spend Less Time Daily On Their Children's Diet, Exercise

So what?

When it comes to cooking, grocery shopping and playing with children, American moms with full-time jobs spend roughly three-and-half fewer hours per day on these and other chores related to their children's diet and exercise compared to stay-at-home and unemployed mothers, reports a new paper by a Cornell University health economist.

Male partners do little to make up the deficit: Employed fathers devote just 13 minutes daily to such activities and non-working fathers contribute 41 minutes, finds the study, which will be printed in the December issue of Economics and Human Biology and is posted online*.

The findings are consistent across socio-economic lines measured by the mothers' education, family income, race and ethnicity.

To make up for this time deficit, working mothers are significantly more likely to spend time purchasing prepared foods - takeout from restaurants or prepackaged, ready-to-eat meals from grocery stores - which are generally less nutritious than home-cooked meals.

"It's inaccurate to pin rising childhood obesity rates on women, given that husbands pick up so little of the slack," cautioned lead author John Cawley, professor of policy analysis and management and of economics at Cornell's College of Human Ecology.

The study does not prove that employment alone drives the way mothers spends their time. "For example, mothers who choose to work might be those who enjoy cooking less and who would cook less whether working or not," Cawley said.

Right. The study proves nothing.

All it does is give a platform for a political posture, not a scientific one.

Does Severe Calorie Restriction Help You Live Longer? Probably Not

At last, some sanity.

According to a 25-year study using rhesus monkeys, a lifetime on a very-low calorie diet did not help them live any longer, researchers from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge reported in the journal Nature. Rhesus monkeys are genetically relatively similar to humans. They were fed on a diet consisting of 30% fewer calories than the control group were for a quarter of a century.

The authors say that there are two factors which have the largest impact on lifespan: Good genes A healthy and well balanced diet Don Ingram, a gerontologist who designed the study nearly thirty years ago while he was at the NIA (National Institute on Aging), said "To think that a simple decrease in calories caused such a widespread change, that was remarkable."

At the start of the study, there were already suggestions that severe calorie restriction over the long term might have a positive impact on longevity. Several studies had shown that half-starving roundworms lived much longer than their well-fed counterparts. Animal studies with rats had demonstrated how low-calorie diets kept them youthful for longer.

Scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine, in St. Louis, Missouri, proposed that low-calorie diets reduce a human's core body temperature, resulting in longer life. A study carried out by researchers from the Department of Genetics Evolution and Environment at University College London, published an article in Nature which said that high protein diets make us live longer, not low calorie ones.

But they still have no idea what they are talking about.

Association Between Diets High In Total Antioxidants And Lower Risk Of Myocardial Infarction In Women

More about the killer antioxidants.

Coronary heart disease is a major cause of death in women. A new study has found that a diet rich in antioxidants, mainly from fruits and vegetables, can significantly reduce the risk of myocardial infarction. The study is published in the October issue of The American Journal of Medicine.

"Our study was the first to look at the effect of all dietary antioxidants in relation to myocardial infarction," says lead investigator Alicja Wolk, DrMedSci, Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. "Total antioxidant capacity measures in a single value all antioxidants present in diet and the synergistic effects between them."

They probably should have looked at something different.

As in substances that do not kill or harm to yield their results.

Squeezing A Ball Before Competition Could Help Athletes Avoid Choking Under Pressure

Nothing to do with fitness per se, but does answer an important question.

Some athletes may improve their performance under pressure simply by squeezing a ball or clenching their left hand before competition to activate certain parts of the brain, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

Why do baseball players make adjustments at the plate?

Sorry.

Could not resist.

Energy Drinks Help Heart Function

Apparently New York failed to get the memo.

Energy drinks improve the contractions of both the left and right ventricles of the heart; they have a beneficial effect on myocardial function, Dr Matteo Cameli, from University of Siena, Italy, explained at the European Society of Cardiology 2012 Congress, in Munich, Germany. Dr. Cameli added that energy drinks raise the risk of cardiometabolic diseases.

An energy drink is said to boost mental and physical energy. There are several brands today, including Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar, and Full Throttle. They usually have large amounts of caffeine and also contain taurine. Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid), an organic acid, is a major constituent of bile.

This is one of the very few proper studies to demonstrate a health benefit for energy drinks.

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

Normal Weight People With Belly Fat More Likely To Die

Not possible. All people are 100% likely to die.

A person of normal body weight who has excess belly fat is more likely to die prematurely than an obese person with a fair spread of fat around the body, researchers from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. explained at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2012 in Munich, Germany. Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez said that people with a high waist-to-hip ratio, i.e. those with big bellies, but whose BMI (body mass index) are of normal weight, are more likely to die from a cardiovascular event or any cause than anybody else.

But, there is some sense to this.

If you are a little person and all fat, you are probably in a worse position than a big person who is fatty and has some muscle.

Plausible.

Middle Aged Fitness Protects Health In Old Age

And this is news, why exactly?

Middle aged people who regularly exercise and are physically fit have a much lower risk of developing chronic health conditions associated with old age, researchers from the Cooper Institute, Dallas,

USA reported in Archives of Internal Medicine. The authors added that even a moderate increase in fitness during midlife can help reduce the risk of developing several chronic conditions twenty years later.

Several studies have looked into how physical fitness might impact on elderly health and longevity.

A report published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2008 showed that midlife aerobic fitness can delay biological aging by up to 12 years, as well as securing an independent lifestyle during old age.

What is it about being fit longer that keeps you fit longer?

Remember that "Fitness is the only REAL preventive medicine." ^tm

Long-Term Weight Loss Extremely Hard For Post-Menopausal Women

Poor, fat babies.

Have to do something hard.

Postmenopausal women naturally consume much less energy than when they were younger, the strategies and behaviors they followed earlier in life are simply not sustainable or effective in the long-term any more, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Department of Health and Physical Activity, reported in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The authors added that several factors work against postmenopausal women when they try to lose weight over the long term. Several studies have looked at postmenopausal body weight control and diets.

A team of researchers from the University of Illinois said that postmenopausal dieting women should eat plenty of protein so that they do not lose too much muscle. Another study warned that high-protein diets may encourage bone density loss in postmenopausal women.

Even for younger females and men of all ages, dropping the pounds initially during a diet is usually achievable, but keeping the weight off over the long term is challenging.

So what?

Woman up.

Not Even Best Treatment Mitigates Obesity Effect on Breast Cancer

Kudos, fatsos.

There is now more evidence that obesity can worsen breast cancer outcome. The association occurs even when overweight women receive optimal treatment in a major clinical trial, according to a study published online...in Cancer.

As if there wasn't enough already.

Breast Cancer Recurrence Higher Among Overweight Women

Boobs, Moobs. Noobs (no boobs).

Obese and overweight women are more likely to experience breast cancer recurrence compared to women of normal weight, regardless of the type of cancer treatment they received, researchers reported in the journal Cancer.

Joseph Sparano, MD, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Montefiore Medical Center, New York, and team explained that the patient does not necessarily have to be obese, she may be just within what is considered as overweight. He added that the higher recurrence risk is for the most common type of cancer.

The authors believe that excess body fat may trigger hormonal changes and inflammation that encourage the spread and recurrence of cancer, despite the type of treatment that was administered.

Why make your mammaries, memories?

Your choice, fatsos.

In The Future Weight May Be Managed By Manipulating The Microbiome

Bulls**t.

Vaccines and antibiotics may someday join caloric restriction or bariatric surgery as a way to regulate weight gain, according to a new study focused on the interactions between diet, the bacteria that live in the bowel, and the immune system.

Bacteria in the intestine play a crucial role in digestion. They provide enzymes necessary for the uptake of many nutrients, synthesize certain vitamins and boost absorption of energy from food.

Fifty years ago, farmers learned that by tweaking the microbial mix in their livestock with low-dose oral antibiotics, they could accelerate weight gain. More recently, scientists found that mice raised in a germ-free environment, and thus lacking gut microbes, do not put on extra weight, even on a high-fat diet.

Unless you control the mictobiome with laxatives.

Get a copy of the upcoming book "S**t and Stay Thin,"

Although Healthy Foods Consumed More Often By Wealthy, Study Suggests Need For Customized Prevention Policies Among The Poor And The Rich

Lies.

Healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, proteins and total fats are consumed more often by the wealthy while poorer people consume more carbohydrates, says a new study involving people from 17 countries.

The Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study involving 154,000 individuals from 628 communities reported on the patterns of diet, physical activity and smoking, was presented at the European Society of Cardiology 2012 Congress.

The study found individuals who were poor, or from poorer countries were more active chiefly because of higher energy expenditure in jobs, at home, and during transportation.

The markedly lower level of obligatory physical activity was not compensated for by higher levels of recreational physical activity in richer countries or richer individuals. Those who were rich and those in richer countries quit smoking much more often so that rates of smoking was lower in the wealthier individuals and wealthier countries.

"Policies to prevent cardiovascular disease need to focus on different aspects of lifestyle among the rich versus the poor and between rich and poor countries," said professor Salim Yusuf of the Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences and principal investigator of the study.

Hogwash.

What works for one, works for all.

Fitness.

And there are no "healthy" foods.

There is only eating healthily.

Anyone can do that.

Couch-Potato Kids Are Biggest Child Health Problem in the U.S., Adults Say

Fat parents have fat kids.

Adults across the U.S. rate not getting enough exercise as the top health concern for children in 2012, according to a new University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

In the poll's annual top 10 list, a nationwide sample of adults were asked to identify the top 10 biggest health concerns for kids in their communities. For the first time, not enough exercise was rated by most adults at the top of the list (39 percent). That was followed closely by childhood obesity (38 percent) and smoking and tobacco use (34 percent).

"Childhood obesity remains a top concern, and adults know it is certainly linked to lack of exercise," says Matthew M. Davis M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. "The strong perception that lack of exercise is a threat to children's health may reflect effective recent public health messages from programs such as First Lady Michelle Obama's 'Let's Move' campaign.

"But adequate exercise offers many more benefits other than weight loss or preventing obesity -- such as better attention and learning in school and improved sense of well-being," says Davis, associate professor of pediatrics and internal medicine at the U-M Medical School and associate professor of public policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

The biggest child health problem in the US is fat people reproducing.

Healthy Lifestyle Factors and Diet Linked With Income: PURE

PURE moron, s**thead, researcher.

Data from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study highlight the disparity between healthy diet and lifestyle behaviors among affluent and underdeveloped nations. The consumption of fruits and vegetables increased among nations with a higher gross domestic product (GDP) and wealth index, but this was offset by an increase in the amount of energy obtained from total and saturated fats, as well as from protein.

Dr Salim Yusuf (McMaster University, Hamilton, ON), the lead researcher of the PURE study, said the study, which describes an "epidemiological transition," might help shift global food policies so that countries subsidize the production of fruits and vegetables rather than meat and dairy. In addition, the study highlights an insufficient policy approach when it comes to increasing physical-activity levels.

"In relation to physical activity, sure, we can tell people to be active 30 minutes a day for five days a week, but it's only a tiny drop in the ocean," Yusuf told heartwire. "We've talked about changing the environment by changing our modes of transportation, but what do you do about somebody like you and me who have sedentary jobs? How do we make our jobs more active?"

Regarding the need for change, Yusuf said there is a need for greater investment to understand the societal determinants of health.

No "need" at all.

Just a need to hold people accountable for their illnesses of choice.

Then watch the "environment" change.

Reducing Children's TV Time Helps Them Lose Weight

Not hardly.

New research, released in the September/October 2012 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, suggests that excess weight gain among adolescents could be prevented by reducing the amount of television they view.

The finding came from a team of experts from the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health Obesity Prevention Center who conducted a one-year community-based randomized trial that enrolled 153 and 72 adolescents from the same households.

The researchers held 6 face-to-face group meetings, set up 12 home-based activities, and sent monthly newsletters. With each household's permission, the team attached a "TV Allowance" to every television in each house for them to follow for one year.

After recording the amount of TV viewed, diet, and physical activity levels before and after the intervention, results showed that there was a clear association among adolescents between a decrease in TV hours and reduced weight gain over one year. However, TV hours did not have any significant impact on weight gain in adults.

The findings imply that when adolescents watch a great deal of television they have a risk for excess weight gain. In order to help young people maintain a healthy body weight and live a healthy lifestyle, parents should limit their adolescent's television viewing.

Depends entirely on what one does instead.

You can bet that sitting in front of the computer will do zip.

Absolutely misleading.

Men Should Shed Excess Weight Before Fathering Children, Study Suggests

Fat people should not reproduce.

Melbourne scientists studying the impact obesity has on pregnancy, are urging men to get 'match fit' before conceiving to assist with fetal development.

Reproductive experts from the University of Melbourne's Department of Zoology have discovered that a father's obesity negatively impacts sperm, resulting in smaller fetuses, poor pregnancy success and reduced placental development.

While the health risks surrounding obesity and pregnancy have largely been centred on overweight mothers, scientists from the University of Melbourne are putting the onus on men to shape up. Word Health Organisation figures showing 75 per cent of Australian adult males are overweight or obese, greatly exceeding the global average rate of 48 per cent.

The findings will be presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Endocrine Society of Australia and the Society for Reproductive Biology 2012, starting from August 26-29 on the Gold Coast.

The research was conducted by Professor David Gardner, Dr Natalie Hannan and PhD student Natalie Binder.

"Australia has a weight problem; the rate of obesity among men of reproductive age has more than tripled in the last three decades," Professor Gardner said.

"A lot of men don't understand what contribution they're having, but they need to be healthy before conceiving. Sperm needs to be match fit for the games of life and creating life is the biggest thing that we can do."

The study used in vitro fertilisation (IVF) on animals to determine the effects of paternal obesity on embryo implantation into the womb and fetal development. PhD candidate Natalie Binder generated embryos from both normal weight and obese male mice -- the latter had been fed the equivalent of a western fast food diet for ten weeks.

"We found that development was delayed in the fetuses produced from obese fathers. The rate of embryo implantation into the womb and fetal development decreased in these animals by up to 15 per cent," she said. "Furthermore, placental weight and development was significantly less for embryos derived from the sperm of obese males.

"These findings indicate that paternal obesity not only negatively affects embryo development, but also impacts on the successful implantation into the womb.

"This then results in a small placenta which impairs fetal growth and development with long term consequences for the health of the offspring.

"Our study provides more information about the impact of obesity in men and their ability to start a family and the need to shed kilos in preparation to conceive."

Yes.

Deep Brain Stimulation to Treat Obesity?

No way.

Scientific advances in understanding the "addiction circuitry" of the brain may lead to effective treatment for obesity using deep brain stimulation (DBS), according to a review article in the August issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

Electrical brain stimulation targeting the "dysregulated reward circuitry" could make DBS -- already an accepted treatment for Parkinson's disease -- a new option for the difficult-to-treat problem of obesity. Dr. Alexander Taghva of Ohio State University and University of Southern California was lead author of the new review.

If fat people had deep brains, they would not be fat.

Gallstone Risk Higher Among Obese Children And Teenagers

Fat parents have fat kids.

Obese and overweight children or teenagers have a considerably higher risk of developing gallstones compared to their peers of normal weight, researchers from Kaiser Permanente, USA, reported in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition. Gallstones are not usually seen in kids, the researchers added.

The authors found that, compared to children and teenagers of normal weight, the risk of developing gallstones was:

Six times as high among extremely obese teenagers and children Four times as high among moderately obese teenagers and children Twice as high among overweight teenagers and children

More early nutritional child abuse.

Hold the parents accountable.

70-pound dachshund inspiring people to lose weight

Hey, fatsos!

The dog can do it. About 7 pounds in the last month according to a video I saw.

No, fatosity is not the fault of gut bacteria, viruses, genetics, environment, canine culture, lack of green spaces, too much built environment, and all the other f**k you excuses.

You are fat because you eat too many Calories.

Deal with it.

On your own dime.

Obie, an obese but lovable dachshund, is inspiring people to lose weight.

The 5-year-old pooch is nearly 70 pounds – and that’s seven pounds less than when he came to live with foster mom Nora Vanetta.

Vanetta volunteered to take him after seeing him on the Oregon Dachshund Rescue Facebook page.

“I just read the story and I said, ‘I’ll take him, how hard can it be?’” said Vanetta, a former veterinary technician turned EMT. “He can lose weight.”

Obie’s former owners were elderly and used to feed him only people food, right out of their hands.

Now, Vanetta said, he is on a high-protein, high-fiber diet. The goal is to get him down to 40 pounds, which could take up to one year.

“As soon as he loses the weight, he’ll be a happy, normal dog,” Vanetta said. “The exciting thing is how he’s inspiring people.”

Better think up some new excuses, morons.

Sudden Cardiac Death Less Likely If You're Exercising

Not exercising. Training.

There is a smaller chance of dying from sudden cardiac arrest if it is exercise-related, than cardiac arrests for other reasons, researchers from The Netherlands reported at the European Society for Cardiology 2012 Congress, in Munich, Germany. Dr Arend Mosterd, and team from the Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, presented their findings from ARREST (the Amsterdam Resuscitation Study). The study has been published in Circulation.

And if you train, the likelihood of a prolonged, suffering-filled death is lessened, too.

Spotlight Shifts, Again, to Anti-Inflammatories for Cutting CV Risk

More changes.

It's time to shift some of the attention paid to lipid-lowering drugs onto therapies that fight vascular inflammation, according to a number of experts speaking on the opening day of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2012 Congress. Statin and aspirin studies tracking markers of inflammation show that "the magnitude of this disease associated with inflammation is at least as large as that of lipids or blood pressure," Dr Paul Ridker (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA) told heartwirehere.

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

Fitness - the only REAL preventive medicine. ^tm

Get fit.

Cereal bars: Healthy image a myth - Which?

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

The image of cereal bars as a healthy snack is a "myth", according to a study by Which? The consumer group found all but one of the 30 bars it analysed were high in sugar, with more than half containing over 30% sugar.

One bar, Nutri-Grain Elevenses, contained nearly four teaspoons - more than in a small can of cola and 20% of the recommended daily allowance.

Other snacks it analysed were found to be high in fat and saturated fat.

Do not fall for the hype.

Gallstone risk 'higher among obese teenagers'

Fat parents have fat kids.

Teenagers who are overweight or obese are much more likely to develop gallstones, compared with peers of a healthy weight, US research suggests.

Healthcare providers Kaiser Permanente looked at 510,000 children aged 10-19. The study, in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, found 766 had gallstones.

It found those who were overweight were twice as likely as those with a healthy weight to have gallstones - the rate was higher among those who were obese.

Those who were moderately obese were four times more likely to have gallstones than those with a normal body mass index, and this rose to six times for those classed as extremely obese.

A UK obesity expert said it was yet another sign that obesity-linked disorders were being seen at increasingly young ages.

More nutritional child abuse. Stop the abuse.

Antibiotic Use in Infants Before Six Months Associated With Being Overweight in Childhood

Crap.

Treating very young infants with antibiotics may predispose them to being overweight in childhood, according to a study of more than 10,000 children by researchers at the NYU School of Medicine and the NYU Wagner School of Public Service and published in the online August 21, 2012, issue of the International Journal of Obesity.

The study found that on average, children exposed to antibiotics from birth to 5 months of age weighed more for their height than children who weren't exposed.

Between the ages of 10 to 20 months, this translated into small increases in body mass percentile, based on models that incorporated the potential impacts of diet, physical activity, and parental obesity.

By 38 months of age, exposed children had a 22% greater likelihood of being overweight.

However, the timing of exposure mattered: children exposed from 6 months to 14 months did not have significantly higher body mass than children who did not receive antibiotics in that same time period.

The NYU School of Medicine researchers, led by Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP, associate professor of pediatrics and environmental medicine, and Jan Blustein, MD, PhD, professor of population health and medicine, caution that the study does not prove that antibiotics in early life causes young children to be overweight.

It only shows that a correlation exists. Further studies will need to be conducted to explore the issue of a direct causal link.

At least these researchers had the guts to admit it.

"Further studies" are not needed.

The Fight Against Childhood Obesity Looks To School Food

Wrong place.

Childhood Obesity, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, has published a special issue dedicated to the role that schools can and should play in providing and encouraging healthy nutrition and good eating habits to help stem the tide of the obesity epidemic in children and adolescents. The special issue provides comprehensive coverage of food policy, systems, and programs to improve food culture, practices, and nutrition standards in the school environment, and is available free on the Childhood Obesity website*.

Look to the parents.

The SNDA II (link) and III (link) have proven that schools are not to blame.

Researchers Create A New Tool To Fight Childhood Obesity

Meet the new tool, the same as the old tool. We won't get tooled again.

Dieters often use online calorie calculators to stay true to their weight-loss plan. Translating the concept to the population health arena, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health created the Caloric Calculator to help policymakers, school district administrators, and others assess the potential impact of health policy choices on childhood obesity.

Select a target population (middle-school-age boys, for example) and the Caloric Calculator tells you the percentage of this group who are obese (18%) and the average daily calorie cuts necessary to meet two goals: returning them to obesity levels for that population in the year 2000 and the early 1970s (109 and 237 kcal, respectively). The user can then choose from a menu of 14 interventions: 30 minutes of daily PE time, for example, would reduce 49 kcal; eliminating one can of soda would cut an additional 136 kcal; and restricting television time by 60 minutes would cut another 106 kcal. Each time an intervention is added, the Calculator displays a graph illustrating the cumulative impact on obesity goals. In this example, both goals are met.

Yes, we will.

Pan-Fried Meat Increases Risk Of Prostate Cancer, New Study Finds

Eat it raw.

Research from the University of Southern California (USC) and Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC) found that cooking red meats at high temperatures, especially pan-fried red meats, may increase the risk of advanced prostate cancer by as much as 40 percent.

Mariana Stern, associate professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, led analyses for the study, "Red meat and poultry, cooking practices, genetic susceptibility and risk of prostate cancer: Results from the California Collaborative Prostate Cancer Study." The study, which is available online in the journal Carcinogenesis, provides important new evidence on how red meat and its cooking practices may increase the risk for prostate cancer.

Previous studies have emphasized an association between diets high in red meat and risk of prostate cancer, but evidence is limited. Attention to cooking methods of red meat, however, shows the risk of prostate cancer may be a result of potent chemical carcinogens formed when meats are cooked at high temperatures.

Steak tartare, anyone?

Kids Who Spend Too Much Time On The Couch Have Poorer Motor Coordination

As is always the case with these types of studies, the kids do TV or computing.

Oddly, they never are readers or chess players who demonstrate the ill effects of those pursuits.

A study published in the American Journal of Human Biology shows that children who are sedentary for over three-quarters of their time, watching TV or spending time in front of the computer have up to nine times poorer motor coordination compared to those who are active.

The study revealed that it is not sufficient to combat the negative effect of sedentary behavior on basic motor coordination skills like walking, throwing or catching with physical activity alone. These activities are thought to be the basis to more complex movements.

Go figure.

Gut Bacteria Linked to Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome Identified

This is it. This is the key. Really. Not the post below. Really.

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have identified 26 species of bacteria in the human gut microbiota that appear to be linked to obesity and related metabolic complications. These include insulin resistance, high blood sugar levels, increased blood pressure and high cholesterol, known collectively as "the metabolic syndrome," which significantly increases an individual’s risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The results of the study, which analyzed data from the Old Order Amish in Lancaster County, Pa., are being published online on Aug. 15, 2012, in PLOS ONE, which is published by the Public Library of Science (PLOS One). The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). (UH2/UH3 DK083982, U01 GM074518 and P30 DK072488)

"We identified 26 species of bacteria that were correlated with obesity and metabolic syndrome traits such as body mass index (BMI), triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose levels and C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation," says the senior author, Claire M. Fraser, Ph.D., professor of medicine and microbiology and immunology and director of the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "We can’t infer cause and effect, but it’s an important step forward that we're starting to identify bacteria that are correlated with clinical parameters, which suggests that the gut microbiota could one day be targeted with medication, diet or lifestyle changes."

Not an important step.

Useless research crap.

Like the stuff gut bacteria becomes when you take a dump.

Link Between Hormone Levels and Risk for Metabolic Disease Uncovered

No, wait! This is the key. Really. Not the post above. Really.

Working with a national team of researchers, a scientist from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute has shown for the first time a link between low levels of a specific hormone and increased risk of metabolic disease in humans.

The study, published online ahead of print in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, focuses on the hormone adropin, which was previously identified by Scripps Research Associate Professor Andrew Butler's laboratory during an investigation of obese and insulin-resistant mice.

Adropin is believed to play an important role in regulating glucose levels and fatty acid metabolism.

This is more than Adropin the bucket of s**t research.

Of that you can be sure.

Sugar And High Fructose Corn Syrup Found To Perform Equally On A Reduced Calorie Diet

Almost certainly correct.

A new study published in Nutrition Journal shows that people can lose weight while consuming typical amounts of sugar or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) if their overall caloric intake is reduced.

"Our research debunks the vilification of high fructose corn syrup in the diet," said James M. Rippe, M.D., one of the study authors. "The results show that equally reduced-calorie diets caused similar weight loss regardless of the type or amount of added sugars. This lends further support to findings by our research group and others that table sugar and HFCS are metabolically equivalent."

The results are significant for those trying to lose weight and anyone concerned about the type of added sugars in foods and beverages they consume. Importantly, this study looks at sweeteners consumed in real-world diets and at levels that are typical among American consumers.

"We wanted to design a study that would generate information that is useful and applicable to the way people actually eat, not speculative results on simulated laboratory diets that focus on one component at extreme dietary levels," explained Dr. Rippe.

The study design included 247 overweight or obese subjects ages 25 to 60 who took part in the randomized, double blind trial. After 12 weeks on a hypocaloric (reduced calorie) diet, there was no evidence that either table sugar or HFCS prevented weight loss when the amount of overall calories was reduced.

"Misinformation about added sugars, particularly high fructose corn syrup, has caused many people to lose sight of the fact that there is no silver bullet when it comes to weight loss," said Dr. Rippe. "A reduction in calorie consumption, along with exercise and a balanced diet, is what's most important when it comes to weight loss."

Yup.

Children’s Self-Control Is Associated With Their Body Mass Index as Adults

Whoda thunk that kids with poor self-control would become adults with poor self-control?

As adults, we know that self-control and delaying gratification are important for making healthful eating choices, portion control, and maintaining a healthy weight.

However, exhibiting these skills at a young age actually may affect weight later in life. A new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics finds that delaying gratification longer at 4 years of age is associated with having a lower body mass index (BMI) 30 years later.

Between 1968 and 1974, 653 4-year-olds completed a delay of gratification test, in which the children were given one treat, such as a cookie or a marshmallow, and were told that they would be given a second treat if they could wait to eat the first treat for an unspecified length of time (it ended up being 15 minutes).

Follow-up studies found that delaying gratification for a longer time as a preschooler was associated with adolescent academic strength, social competence, planfulness, ability to handle stress, and higher SAT scores.

According to Tanya R, Schlam, PhD, from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health's Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, "Interventions can improve young children's self-control, which may decrease children's risk of becoming overweight and may have further positive effects on other outcomes important to society (general health, financial stability, and a reduced likelihood of being convicted of a crime)."

Surprise, surprise.

Not.

Doing the Math to Fight Childhood Obesity

No hope of succeeding.

Dieters often use online calorie calculators to stay true to their weight-loss plan. Translating the concept to the population health arena, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health created the Caloric Calculator to help policymakers, school district administrators, and others assess the potential impact of health policy choices on childhood obesity.

Select a target population (middle-school-age boys, for example) and the Caloric Calculator tells you the percentage of this group who are obese (18%) and the average daily calorie cuts necessary to meet two goals: returning them to obesity levels for that population in the year 2000 and the early 1970s (109 and 237 kcal, respectively).

The user can then choose from a menu of 14 interventions: 30 minutes of daily PE time, for example, would reduce 49 kcal; eliminating one can of soda would cut an additional 136 kcal; and restricting television time by 60 minutes would cut another 106 kcal. Each time an intervention is added, the Calculator displays a graph illustrating the cumulative impact on obesity goals. In this example, both goals are met.

"While childhood obesity can sometimes seem like an insurmountable problem, there are many proven interventions that can make a difference. The Caloric Calculator shows that, when implemented in combination, they add up to what is needed," says Claire Wang, MD, ScD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy & Management, who led the development of the tool.

While the Caloric Calculator is geared for policymakers, it may also prove useful to parents and teachers who want to be informed about the relative merits of ways to fight childhood obesity in their community.

As if people are numerate enough for this to make a difference.

They are not.

It won't.

Overtime Shifts May Increase Obesity Rates Among Nurses

The only overtime here is the overtime the excusinators are working.

According to a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, nurses who work long shifts, overtime or other adverse work schedules could be at greater risk of obesity.

Absolutely nothing will increase obesity except more Calories in than out.

Period.

End.

'Burdens Of Place' Plague Urban Poor; Often Lead To Weight Gain, Obesity

No. The 'burden of excuses' plague the rest of us.

Most of America's urban cores were designed for walking but offer little in the way of supermarkets, healthy restaurants and other amenities for residents to walk to, according to a study led by a Michigan State University scholar.

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

The only unhealthy things here, are the minds of the researchers.

More bulls**t excuses.

High Rates of Sleep Apnea in Women

'Cause there are high rates of fat women.

New research from Umeå and Uppsala universities has found high rates of sleep apnea in women, despite the condition usually being regarded as a disorder predominantly of males.

The study, published online ahead of print August 16 in the European Respiratory Journal, also suggested that women with hypertension and/or obesity were more likely to experience sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which there are frequent pauses in breathing during sleep. The incidence of the condition increases with age and it is considered more prevalent in men than in women. In this new study, researchers from Uppsala and Umeå University in Sweden aimed to investigate the frequency and risk factors of sleep apnea in women.

The study analysed 400 women from a random sample of 10,000 women aged 20-70 years. The participants answered a questionnaire and underwent a sleep examination.

The results found that obstructive sleep apnea was present in 50% of women aged 20-70 years. The researchers also found links between age, obesity and hypertension: 80% of women with hypertension and 84% of obese women suffered from sleep apnea. Additionally, severe sleep apnea was present in 31% of obese women aged 55-70 years old.

Lead author Dr Karl Franklin said: "We were very surprised to find such a high occurrence of sleep apnea in women, as it is traditionally thought of as a male disorder. These findings suggest that clinicians should be particularly aware of the association between sleep apnea and obesity and hypertension...

No surprise here.

It is not even surprising that the researchers were surprised.

They know so little.

Par for the course.

Stress Makes Men Appreciate Heavier Women

Add stress to the list that includes alcohol in excess, low self-esteem and blindness.

Increased stress in men is associated with a preference for heavier women, according to research published in the open access journal PLOS ONE.

The researchers, led by Viren Swami of the University of Westminster in London, compared how stressed versus non-stressed men responded to pictures of female bodies varying from emaciated to obese.

They found that the stressed group gave significantly higher ratings to the normal weight and overweight figures than the non-stressed group did, and that the stressed group generally had a broader range of figures they found attractive than the non-stressed group did.

These results, the authors write, are consistent with the idea that people idealize mature morphological traits like heavier body size when they experience an environmental threat such as stress.

No.

They show that when you have a bad relationship with life, i.e., you are "stressed," you will settle for less than if you had a better relationship with life.

How else to explain finding this worthy of appreciation?

Losing Twenty Pounds Can Help Obese Adults Gain 10 Years

Note that it is all about the weight loss and not "healthy foods."

According to a new study presented at the American Psychological Association's 120th Annual Convention, individuals who are overweight or obese could gain ten years worth of health benefits by simply losing 20 pounds...

Rather than receiving drugs, study participants were shown how to change their behavior. Results from the study revealed that modest weight loss (average 14 lbs) reduced the risk of individuals developing Type 2 diabetes by 58%.

A benefit of the study is that we should no longer pay for Type 2 diabetics, since it remains a disease of choice.

The Value Of Calcium And Vitamin D Supplements Questioned

How dare they!

Prescribing calcium and vitamin D supplements for men at risk of bone loss from hormonal treatment for prostate cancer seems like good medicine.

But new research from epidemiologists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center showed that this type of supplementation did not prevent bone loss and, in fact, may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and aggressive prostate cancer. The study was published online in the July issue of the journal The Oncologist.

"It wouldn't be so bad if there simply was no obvious benefit," said Gary G. Schwartz, Ph.D., who is a nationally-recognized prostate cancer epidemiologist at Wake Forest Baptist and lead author of the study. "The problem is that there is evidence that calcium supplements increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and aggressive prostate cancer, the very disease that we are trying to treat."

Don't they know that the cure du jour fixes everything?

Lose Weight While Still Consuming Sugar

News flash!

According to a new study featured in Nutrition Journal, people can still lose weight even if they consume typical amounts of sugar or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), as long as their overall caloric intake is reduced.

James M. Rippe, M.D., one of the study authors, says:

"Our research debunks the vilification of high fructose corn syrup in the diet. The results show that equally reduced-calorie diets caused similar weight loss regardless of the type or amount of added sugars. This lends further support to findings by our research group and others that table sugar and HFCS are metabolically equivalent."

The findings are important for people who try to lose weight and also for those who are concerned about the type of added sugars in foods and beverages they consume. The researchers decided to investigate sweeteners that are consumed in real-world diets at typical levels in American consumers.

Dr. Rippe explained: "We wanted to design a study that would generate information that is useful and applicable to the way people actually eat, not speculative results on simulated laboratory diets that focus on one component at extreme dietary levels."

The researchers conducted a randomized double blind trial that involved 247 overweight or obese people between the ages of 25 to 60 years. At the end of the 12-week reduced-calorie diet, the team saw no evidence that either table sugar or HFCS stopped people from losing weight when the overall amount of calories they consumed was reduced.

So, if you consume fewer Calories than you burn, you will lose weight?

Astounding.

Amazing.

Go figger.

'Exergames' Not Perfect, But Can Lead To More Exercise

Well they won't.

Active video games, also known as "exergames," are not the perfect solution to the nation's sedentary ways, but they can play a role in getting some people to be more active.

Michigan State University's Wei Peng reviewed published research of studies of these games and says that most of the AVGs provide only "light-to-moderate" intensity physical activity.

And that, she says, is not nearly as good as what she calls "real-life exercise."

"For those not engaging in real-life exercise, this may be a good step toward this," said Peng, an assistant professor of telecommunication, information studies and media.

"Eventually the goal is to help them get somewhat active and maybe move to real-life exercise."

Not in a million years.

People are too damned lazy.

Besides, exercise is useless or worse. Training is what you need to do.

The Psychological Effects Of Thinking That You Are Fat May Make You Fat

Then think yourself thin.

They're everywhere -- in magazines, on the Internet, on television - people with super-thin bodies who are presented as having the ideal body form. But despite the increasing pressure to be thin, more and more of us are overweight. Now, researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have found that normal weight teens who perceive themselves as fat are more likely to grow up to be fat.

"Perceiving themselves as fat even though they are not may actually cause normal weight children to become overweight as adults," says Koenraad Cuypers, a researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

See how easy that was?

Feeling Fat May Make You Fat, Study Suggests

More excusinators working overtime.

They're everywhere -- in magazines, on the Internet, on television -- people with super-thin bodies who are presented as having the ideal body form. But despite the increasing pressure to be thin, more and more of us are overweight. Now, researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have found that normal weight teens who perceive themselves as fat are more likely to grow up to be fat.

"Perceiving themselves as fat even though they are not may actually cause normal weight children to become overweight as adults," says Koenraad Cuypers, a researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Cuypers and his colleagues at the Department of Public Health and General Practice in NTNU's Faculty of Medicine have looked at data from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) to examine the obesity problem from a new angle: Theirs is the first study to look at the relationship between perceived weights and actual weights in a longitudinal study of teenagers and young adults.

A perpetual struggle for the ideal body

There are likely many different, and complex, reasons that explain why thinking you are fat as a teen- even if you are not -- may lead you to become fat when you are grown.

One explanation may be related to psychosocial stress, which can be associated with gaining weight around the waist. Under this scenario, the psychosocial stress related to having (or not having) an ideal body type, along with the perception of oneself as overweight, can result in weight gain.

Just like thinking you are smart makes you smart.

More evidence that this is bulls**t?

Re: this research - thinking it is meaningful does not make it meaningful.

Variety Could Boost Veggie Eating

But it will make no difference in fatosity.

Giving people a choice of vegetables at mealtimes got them eating more greens, but not fewer calories, says a new small study.

Though, the fat may crap better because of increased fiber.

And speaking of crap...

Still, Dr. Barbara Rolls of Pennsylvania State University, who co-authored the study, told Reuters Health, "it's exciting to show that you can use variety to increase the intake of healthy foods."

Rolls is the "creator" of the IMHO useless Volumetrics diet plan.

Eat lots of fibery-type stuff to feel stuffed. Doesn't work.

And contrary to Rolls' crap, there are no "healthy" foods, there is only eating healthily.

This lady, Rolls, is out on two strikes.

Iron, Vitamins Could Affect Physical Fitness In Adolescents

At least they got the iron part right. How to take it appears at the end.

New research, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, has found that adolescents' blood levels of various micronutrients are correlated with their performance in physical fitness tests. Although the results don't suggest any causes, they do show a new relationship between different measures of adolescent health.

Most people acquire healthy habits in their adolescence that they will carry through adulthood, for example, they start choosing foods high in vitamins and minerals and developing a regular exercise routine. According to recent studies, adolescents' performance on standard physical fitness tests, as well as their intake of important nutrients, has decreased over the years.

The authors suggest that these findings could be related because physical fitness and nutrition are intertwined. For example, iron forms part of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to muscles, and antioxidants like vitamin C help rebuild damager after a difficult training session.

The proper way to take iron:

Growth Hormone Injections May Enhance Cognition

Two words - Anabolic Clinic (sm).

Treatment with human growth hormone–releasing hormone (GHRH) for 20 weeks had favorable effects on cognitive function in a randomized controlled trial of healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Compared with placebo, daily subcutaneous injections of tesamorelin (Egrifta, Theratechnologies, Inc) were associated with improvement on tests of executive function and possibly memory, the study team reports in an article published online August 6 in Archives of Neurology.

To find out more, go here.

Serious Mental Illness Can Double Cancer Risk

Being fat increases cancer risk...

Adults with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have a greater than 2-fold increased risk for cancer, particularly lung cancer, a new study suggests.

This study adds to a growing body of research suggesting a higher risk for cancer in patients with serious mental illness.

...which just goes to show that fat people are seriously mentally ill.

No news there.

Osteoarthritis Patients Benefit From Exercise And Weight Loss

Now what can it possibly be about being too heavy that ill-affects joints?

A $3 million grant, from the National Institute of Aging, has been given to the University of Illinois at Chicago to analyze the effects of two community-based promotion programs for older people struggling with osteoarthritis.



Fit and Strong!, an evidence-based physical activity and health behavior change program, will be compared with Fit and Strong! Plus, a more traditional program with an added weight management/dietary component.

Probably the extra weight.

When you are bigger than intended-size, lots of things go wrong.

Healthy Food Choices Improve With Color-Coded System

Error! There are no "healthy" foods. There is only eating healthily.

And this study proved NOTHING.

A program designed to encourage more healthful food choices through simple color-coded labels and the positioning of items in display cases was equally successful across all categories of employees at a large hospital cafeteria. In an article appearing in American Journal of Preventive Medicine, a team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers report that the interventions worked equally well across all racial and ethnic groups and educational levels.

"These findings are important because obesity is much more common among Americans who are black or Latino and among those of low socioeconomic status," says Douglas Levy, PhD, of the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at MGH, lead author of the AJPM report. "Improving food choices in these groups may help reduce their obesity levels and improve population health." The authors note that current efforts to encourage healthful food choices by labeling or posting the calorie content of foods have had uncertain results. Even individuals with relatively high educational levels may have difficulty reading and understanding nutritional labels, and the problem is probably greater among low-income or minority individuals with limited literacy. As reported earlier this year, the MGH research team - which includes leaders of the MGH Nutrition and Food Service - devised a two-phase plan to encourage more healthful food purchases without the need for complex food labels.

In the first phase, which began in March 2010, color-coded labels were attached to all items in the main hospital cafeteria - green signifying the healthiest items, such as fruits, vegetables and lean meats; yellow indicating less healthy items, and red for those with little or no nutritional value. The second "choice architecture" phase, which began in June 2010, focused on popular items -cold beverages, pre-made sandwiches and chips - likely to be purchased by customers with little time to spend who may be more influenced by location and convenience. Cafeteria beverage refrigerators were arranged to place water, diet beverages and low-fat dairy products at eye level, while beverages with a red or yellow label were placed below eye level. Refrigerators and racks containing sandwiches or chips were similarly arranged, and additional baskets of bottled water were placed near stations where hot food was served.

The study was designed to measure changes in employee purchases of green-, yellow- and red-labeled items by racial/ethnic categories and by job type during both phases of the program.

NOTE: No data on whether weight was lost.

This type of study is known technically as bulls**t.

Falls Prevented With Novel Exercise Program for Older People

For the most benefit combine the best of both worlds - The Anabolic Clinic (sm) and FitnessMed, i.e., Anabolic Medicine (sm) and Training.

Embedding balance and strength movements into everyday activities such as "carrying the groceries from the car to the porch while walking sideways" may help older people prevent falls and improve overall strength and balance, according to a study published online August 7 in the British Medical Journal.

If you are going to do it, do it right.

Severity of Diabetes and Accelerated Cognitive Aging

Type 2 diabetes is fat person diabetes.

...results of this study suggest that among well-functioning older adults, diabetes and poor glucose control in patients with diabetes are associated with worse cognitive function and greater decline in cognitive function. Severity of diabetes may therefore increase the likelihood of accelerated cognitive aging.

Fat people get stupid faster than intended-size people.

Americans Gaining More Weight Than They Say

Believe it.

Despite the increasing awareness of the problem of obesity in the United States, most Americans don't know whether they are gaining or losing weight, according to new research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. Obesity increased in the US between 2008 and 2009, but in response to the questions about year-to-year changes in weight that were included in the most widespread public health survey in the country, on average, people said that they lost weight. Men did a worse job estimating their own weight changes than women. And older adults were less attuned to their weight changes than young adults. The findings are being published in the article "In denial: misperceptions of weight change among adults in the United States" in the August edition of Preventive Medicine.

"If people aren't in touch with their weight and changes in their weight over time, they might not be motivated to lose weight," said Dr. Catherine Wetmore, the lead author on the paper. "Misreporting of weight gains and losses also has policy implications. If we had relied on the reported data about weight change between 2008 and 2009, we would have undercounted approximately 4.4 million obese adults in the US."

Oink.

Prevalence of NAFLD Increasing Among American Adolescents

More nutritional child abuse.

Approximately 10% of adolescents in the United States are suspected of having nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to researchers who reported their findings here at Digestive Disease (DDW) Week 2012.

NAFLD can lead to liver damage, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. The common perception has been that NAFLD is increasing among youth, but previous studies have not confirmed this. Some researchers have suggested that, if this perception is true, higher rates of NAFLD might be linked to the rise in obesity in children.

Miriam Vos, MD, from Emory University and Children's Healthcare in Atlanta, Georgia, and colleagues reviewed data on 10,359 adolescents 12 to 18 years of age from the National Health and Examination Survey, spanning 1988 to 2008. Suspected NAFLD was defined as a body mass index at least in the 85th percentile and elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT; above 25.8 U/L for boys and above 22.1 U/L for girls). To allow for comparisons with earlier studies, they also analyzed the data based on ALT levels above 30.0 U/L.

The rate of suspected NAFLD increased from 3.6% to 9.9% over the study period (P < .0001), and obesity rates increased from 11.2% to 20.6% (P < .0001). The increase in suspected NAFLD occurred primarily in obese adolescents, but the rise was more rapid than the increase in obesity itself.

Hold the parents accountable in order to save the kids.

Protein That Slows Aging May Protect Against Diabetes

Much easier to not eat a high-fat diet than it is for the sick care system to develop more invasive treatments (if ever).

A new MIT study has found that a protein that slows aging in mice and other animals also helps fight against the damages of a high-fat diet, including diabetes.

Over a decade ago, SIRT1's longevity-boosting properties were discovered by MIT biology professor Leonard Guarente, who has continued to examine its role in various body tissues. His recent study, appearing August 8th in the journal Cell Metabolism, observed what happens when the SIRT1 protein is missing from adipose cells, which make up body fat.

The research team put mice on a high-fat diet and realized that they started to develop metabolic disorders, like diabetes, when they lacked the protein, while normal mice given the same diet did not develop these disorders as quickly.

Guarente, the Novartis Professor of Biology at MIT, explained: "We see them as being poised for metabolic dysfunction. You've removed one of the safeguards against metabolic decline, so if you now give them the trigger of a high-fat diet, they're much more sensitive than the normal mouse."

This finding suggests that drugs that enhance SIRT1 activity could possibly help fight against obesity-linked diseases.

But they won't and they will have side effects.

Physically Fit Boys And Girls Score Higher On Reading And Math

More fat kids are stupider than intended-sized kids.

Having a healthy heart and lungs may be one of the most important factors for middle school students to make good grades in math and reading, according to findings presented at the American Psychological Association's 120th Annual Convention.

"Cardiorespiratory fitness was the only factor that we consistently found to have an impact on both boys' and girls' grades on reading and math tests," said study co-author Trent A. Petrie, PhD, professor of psychology and director of the Center for Sport Psychology at the University of North Texas.

"This provides more evidence that schools need to re-examine any policies that have limited students' involvement in physical education classes."

PE classes will not do squat.

Crappy parents will continue to overfeed their kids.

Holding parents accountable for what they do to their kids is what it will take.

Guess the researchers are fat since they are so stupid.

Weight training 'reduces diabetes risk'

Almost certainly true.

Weight training helps to prevent type 2 diabetes in men, research suggests.

Researchers found regular weights reduced the risk by up to a third, in the study of more than 32,000 men published in the Archives of Internal Medicine journal. It is already well known that regular exercise can prevent the disease.

But the report is considered important as weights provides an alternative to aerobic exercises such as running for people who are not so mobile.

Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health in the US and the University of Southern Denmark followed the men over an 18-year period, during which time nearly 2,300 developed the condition.

'Difficulty' They found 30 minutes of weights a day, five times a week could reduce the risk of diabetes by 34%. But they also reported that even less regular exercise - up to an hour a week - had an impact, cutting the risk by 12%.

Nonetheless, aerobic exercise was still found to be slightly better with regular activity halving the risk.

But they are wrong in that the training must be done properly or it will have no real effect, or even a negative one.

This happens when people fool themselves into believing that their paltry efforts can be effective.

They will not.

To learn how to train, go here.

Fracture Risk Not Found To Increase Following Bariatric Surgery

No, the news is not good.

An international study, led by researchers at the Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (MRC LEU) at the University of Southampton, has found that obese patients who undergo bariatric surgery are not at an increased risk of broken bones in the first few years after the operation.

However, the study, published in the British Medical Journal has shown that there is a possibility of an increase in fracture risk after three to five years.

Generally, a higher Body Mass Index (BMI) protects the bone against most types of fracture because a higher BMI is associated with increased bone density. Additionally there is more protection around the bones.

Studies have shown that weight loss can lead to a reduction of bone density and specifically studies have suggested that bone density is lost after bariatric surgery; however no previous work has been able to investigate whether such changes might result in an increased risk of fracture relative to a control population.

Just lose the weight naturally.

Here is how.

Chronic Diseases May Stem From Bacteria-Immune System 'Fight'

Must be these guys:



Not this:

Results from a study conducted at Georgia State University suggest that a "fight" between bacteria normally living in the intestines and the immune system, kicked off by another type of bacteria, may be linked to two types of chronic disease. The study suggests that the "fight" continues after the instigator bacteria have been cleared by the body, according to Andrew Gewirtz, professor of biology at the GSU Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infection. That fight can result in metabolic syndrome, an important factor in obesity, or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

There can be no other explanation.

50% Of UK Adults Don't Think They Can Run 100 Meters

And they are probably 100% right.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt won the Olympic 100 metres in 9.63 seconds on Sunday, reaching a peak speed of around 23mph in a dazzling display of athletic sprinting. On the flip side of that, a survey released this week has revealed that around 45% of adults believe they would be unable to run 100 meters without stopping.

To mark the start of Slimming World's Miles for SMILES activity program, a program that promotes physical activity whilst raising money for the NSPCC, Slimming World together with YouGov conducted a survey involving 2,065 people, which discovered that 56% of women believed they would find it hard or impossible to run 100 meters compared with 31% of men.

The announcement of London hosting the Olympics was thought to encourage Brits to become more active. However, the survey showed that 75% of people, i.e. three out of four individuals are never physically competitive active, whilst over half, i.e. 55% are not physically active at all. In contrast, 6 out of 10 men or 59% enjoy watching sport on TV at least once every week, which is likely to increase during the Olympics.

Not SMILES.

SFB = Sh*t For Brains.

That is what you must have to think that these "initiatives" will work. Morons.

Food Addiction, Obesity And The Lasting Health Benefits Of Modest Weight Loss

Another reason not to pay for a fat person's illnesses of choice.

Overweight and obese individuals can achieve a decade's worth of important health benefits by losing just 20 pounds, even if they regain the weight later that decade, according to research presented at the American Psychological Association's 120th Annual Convention.

The time to start stopping is now.

Fiber-Added Foods May Not Stem Hunger

Of course not.

Fiber-enriched processed foods promise a healthier version of snacks, but they might not keep hunger at bay, a small study suggests. The researchers found no hunger-limiting effects of chocolate bars containing four different "functional fibers," such as inulin - aka "chicory root extract" - commonly found in fiber-enriched processed foods.

Overall, the women in the study were just as hungry come lunch time as they were on a day when they ate a low-fiber bar for breakfast. And their food intake for the rest of the day was similar as well.

There is more to the sensation of hunger than the feeling of fullness. No surprise here.

Gut Bacteria During Pregnancy Mimic Metabolic Syndrome

Nutso. Not so.

The composition of microbes in the gut changes dramatically during pregnancy, and although these changes are normally associated with metabolic syndrome, they could be beneficial in pregnant women.

Omry Koren, PhD, from the Department of Microbiology and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and colleagues published their findings in the August 3 issue of Cell.

According to the researchers, several studies suggest a role for "gut microbiota in driving metabolic disease, including inflammation, weight gain, and reduced insulin sensitivity."

Likewise, during pregnancy, bacterial load is reported to increase; however, "a comprehensive view of how microbial diversity changes over the course of normal pregnancy is lacking."

"The contribution of intestinal host-microbial interactions in promoting weight gain and other metabolic changes in the context of pregnancy remains to be evaluated," they add.

If at all, it is de minimis.

The real point is the use of this techno-bacterio-babble to suggest that people get fat from their gut bacteria.

Bulls**t.

It remains absolutely impossible to gain weight in the absence of more Calories in than out.

Gut bacterial composition notwithstanding.

Hope For New Obesity And Diabetes Treatments From Mechanism That Turns White Fat Into Energy-Burning Brown Fat

No there isn't.

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified a mechanism that can give energy-storing white fat some of the beneficial characteristics of energy-burning brown fat. The findings, based on studies of mice and of human fat tissue, could lead to new strategies for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes. The study was published in the online edition of the journal Cell.

But it won't.

There is only one strategy that will lead to weight loss.

Fewer Calories in than out.

If you think that they will be able to control the relative proportions of white and brown fat in your body, and do it harmlessly before your overfatness sickens you, you are an idiot.

Recommendations From Guidelines on Obesity In Type 2 Diabetes Are Largely Consistent

As are the patients - they are consistently largely and portly and fatly.

...the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) published the results of a literature search for evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of obesity in type 2 diabetes. The aim of the report was to identify those recommendations from current guidelines of high methodological quality that may be relevant for a possible new obesity module in the disease management programme (DMP) for type 2 diabetes.

Diet, exercise and behavioural therapy generally advised

IQWiG found that the recommendations of the various guidelines for the treatment of people with type 2 diabetes who are also grossly overweight were more or less consistent: in general, alongside weight reduction, diet, exercise and behavioural therapy were also advised.

They (the recommendations) are also consistently ignored.

Sexual, Urological Disorders Linked to Waist Size

And oddly, they are not linked to small waist sizes.

For the first time in a comprehensive way, researchers have associated obesity in men, particularly large waist circumference (WC), with sexual and urologic dysfunction, in addition to metabolic effects.

Go figger.

Most Severely Obese Kids Have CV Risk Factors

Fat parents have fat kids.

About two-thirds of children and adolescents with severe obesity have at least one cardiovascular risk factor, such as elevated total cholesterol or triglycerides, high fasting glucose levels, or hypertension...

More nutritional child abuse. Kudos, fatsos.

Exposure To Magnetic Fields In The Womb Associated With Increased Risk Of Obesity In Childhood

This is it.

This is the key to fatosity and it offers a simple solution. Finally.

In-utero exposure to relatively high magnetic field levels was associated with a 69 percent increased risk of being obese or overweight during childhood compared to lower in-utero magnetic field levels, according to a Kaiser Permanente study that appears in the current online version of Nature's Scientific Reports.

Researchers conducted the prospective cohort study, in which participating women in Kaiser Permanente's Northern California region carried a meter measuring magnetic field levels during pregnancy and 733 of their children were followed up to 13 years, to collect clinically recorded information on growth patterns. On average, 33 weight measurements per child were collected.

Researchers noted a dose response relationship with increasing in-utero magnetic field levels being associated with further increased risk of obesity or being overweight. The observed association and supporting evidence provide the first epidemiologic findings that link increasing exposure to environmental magnetic fields, especially in-utero exposure, over the last few decades with the rapid rise in childhood obesity during the corresponding decades, according to the authors.

Clearly, the magnetic field causes attraction to Calories.

The solution?

Expose all pregnant women to the reverse polarity so their kids are repulsed from Calories.

Done.

MCI Linked to Social Isolation, Death

Fat people are more likely to be cognitively impaired.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with memory loss, also known as amnestic MCI (aMCI), is linked to an increased risk for death. Furthermore, MCI with or without memory loss is linked to an increased risk for social isolation, new research shows.

Well, at least you'll have food to keep you company.

'Obese' Or 'Overweight' Are Hurtful Labels, Whereas Terms Like 'Large' Considered By Parents To Be Less Offensive

Fat parents have fat kids.

Poor, poor nutritional child abusing babies.

Are their fatso feelings hurt?

If doctors want to develop a strong rapport with parents of overweight children, it would be best if physicians used terms like "large" or "gaining too much weight" as opposed to the term "obese." These were findings recently published by medical researchers at the University of Alberta.

Geoff Ball, a researcher in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry with the Department of Pediatrics, worked with department colleagues Amanda Newton and Carla Farnesi to review articles about the important relationship between families and health professionals when it comes to addressing concerns about children's weight. Farnesi has since moved to Montreal where she will soon start her PhD at Concordia University. Their findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed journal, Pediatric Obesity.

They found the delicate balance was affected by: parents' preferences about language regarding obesity, how health professionals talked about weight, how care was delivered and parents' expectations.

"Health professionals probably shouldn't use terms like fat, chubby, overweight or obese," says Ball. "Terms that are more neutral, less judgmental and less stigmatizing should be used. Most of the time families will want that sensitive type of language. And that's what clinicians should want, too, because that's what families want."

Some parents felt blamed for their children's weight issues, while others found health professionals "rude and judgmental" or inattentive.

Which is why "F*ck you" is so appropriate a response to these fatsos.

It is a term that is universally understood, makes one's position clear and requires no need to remember how one tippy-toes around an issue.

There is much to be said for simplicity.

Canada's Food Guide Servings Misunderstood By The Public

It is okay. Serving size is useless, unless you can calculate the Calories.

Think you know what one serving of food looks like? You may want to think again, according to a new study from York University.

Many people overestimate the size of one serving of food as defined in Canada's Food Guide, so they may be overeating even if they believe they are being careful, according to a study by Jennifer Kuk, a professor in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science in York's Faculty of Health, and lead author Sharona Abramovitch, a former graduate student at York. The study was published online in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism.

Canada's Food Guide is an important tool used by many general practitioners to help their patients eat more healthfully, says Kuk, so it made sense to study whether people would be able to tell from the food guide if they are eating enough of the four food groups: vegetables and fruit, meat and alternatives, grain products, and milk and alternatives.

"What we found was that the way people estimate one serving is essentially how much they would normally eat at one time," says Kuk. "The majority of participants in the study inaccurately thought they would need to increase their food consumption by approximately 400 calories to meet recommendations in Canada's Food Guide. This suggests we either need to change the size of a serving in the Guide - which has remained almost the same since 1977 - or educate Canadians more about how much food they should be consuming in a day."

It is all about the Calories.

What this study does show that is of some value, is that people will always find a way to render a system useless or worse.

It also shows how bad the experts are at creating solutions to problems.

Do not follow expert diet advice.

Health Coaches To Help Fight Obesity? Could Be Cost Effective

Only if the rest of us don't have to pay for them.

Coaches have always had an important influence on improving athletic skills and guiding athletes to their greatest potential. Can a similar type of coach have the same influence on patients battling obesity?

According to the findings of a recent pilot study by researchers from the Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center, health coaches can play an important role in weight loss.

Obesity is a serious and costly disease in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one-third of American adults are obese. Obesity is not only a health problem, but also has severe impacts on the nation's health care system, costing millions of dollars every year.

In the first study of its kind, the volunteers who took part in a low-intensity behavioral weight loss program, and were supported by either a peer coach or a health professional coach, were found to have impressive results regarding weight loss (5% or more of their initial body weight).

Lead author Tricia M. Leahey, Ph.D., of The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center says:

"Although these findings are only preliminary, it's encouraging that lay health coaches successfully supplemented a less intensive, lower cost behavioral intervention and that their weight losses were actually comparable to those produced by professional coaches - something that could be critical in this changing health care landscape."

Health coaches serve as ongoing support, accountability, and provide information and promote behavioral change outside of treatment visits.

"Ongoing support" is a buzzterm for the fat who lost weight, will regain it.

Exercise Helps Reduce Depressive Symptoms In Heart Failure Patients

Two words - Anabolic Clinic (sm).

A new study, published in...JAMA, found that patients with chronic heart failure had modest reductions in symptoms of depression after 12 months of participating in exercise training, compared with usual care.

First, training, not exercise.

Second, it is clear that anabolic substances increase tolerance to physical activity in heart failure patients allowing them to derive even greater benefits.

Obesity Treatments Obstructed By Weight-Loss Clinic Drop-Out Rates

No mystery here.

Dieters are starved into failure.

See here, here, here, here and here.

More than 1.7 billion people worldwide may be classified as overweight and need appropriate medical or surgical treatment with the goal of sustainable weight loss. But for weight management programs to be effective, patients must complete them, states a study published in the Canadian Journal of Surgery (CJS) that analyzed drop-out rates and predictors of attrition within a publicly-funded adult weight management program.

Researchers from the Department of Surgery at the University of Alberta and the Centre for the Advancement of Minimally Invasive Surgery at the Royal Alexandria Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, found that over a six-year period almost half (43%) of the patients of a weight-management clinic funded by Alberta Health Services dropped out of the program before achieving sustainable weight loss.

The program involves 6 months of primary care, including education on strategies for treating obesity, nutritional counselling, smoking cessation, physical activity and mental health assessment to identify untreated conditions, such as depression, that may be barriers to effective weight management. Some participants also undergo bariatric surgery.

In a group of patients who are motivated enough to participate in a program like this, a 43% drop-out rate is surprising. "Identifying the factors that predict attrition may serve as a basis for program improvement and further research," the authors state.

Among the patients included in the study, the drop-out rate was 54% in the group treated by medical management only and 12% in the group treated surgically. These drop-out rates are similar to those reported in other studies. "We speculate that patients willing to undergo the initial bariatric surgical procedure may be more committed to complete the program," the authors explain. They suggest that the substantial early weight loss associated with bariatric surgery may serve as additional motivation to continue in the program.

Younger patients and women were also more likely to drop out of the program.

"Further research is needed to clarify why surgical patients have lower attrition rates and how these factors can be applied to proactively decrease the drop-out rates and increase success," the authors state.

There is no need for "further research."

There is a need to change the doomed-to-fail diet advice of the "experts."