Fitness Watch

Factors That Predict Walking Difficulty In Elderly

2012-02-02T05:06:00.002-06:00

Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that the likelihood of becoming disabled with age increases with the following factors: having a chronic condition or cognitive impairment; low physical activity; slower gross motor coordination; having poor lower-extremity function; and being hospitalized. Women are also more likely than men to become disabled in their later years.

Based on 12 years of data, the findings are published in the Jan.17 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine by a research team led by Thomas Gill, M.D., the Humana Foundation Professor of Geriatric Medicine and professor of medicine, epidemiology, and public health at Yale School of Medicine.

With age, many people can no longer walk short distances or drive a car, and those with long-term loss of mobility have difficulty regaining independence.

Anabolic substances can help maintain independence and walking ability.

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

Obesity In Children - Virtually Unchanged In U.S.

2012-02-02T05:05:00.001-06:00

Fat parents have fat kids. Fat kids become fat parents.

Two investigations being published by JAMA reveal that the prevalence of obesity in the United States has not changed considerably. Approximately 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 6 children and adolescents are obese according to data from 2009-2010. The data also revealed that the prevalence of obesity in certain demographics has increased.

The abuse that keeps on abusing.

Most Medicare Demo Projects Fail to Raise Quality, Cut Costs

2012-02-02T05:04:00.000-06:00

Two words - Anabolic Clinic (sm).

Most Medicare demonstration projects aiming to reduce costs and improve the quality of care — prime goals of healthcare reform — miss their mark, according to a new study from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published online Wednesday.

What this will mean in practice is that more and more you will be on your own.

And, IMHO, if you want to age as healthily and fitly as you can, it is time to consider anabolic substances.

For more information see here, here and here.

The Pig Is Clever Like A Fox

2012-02-02T05:03:00.000-06:00

Oprah's participation in the weight loss debate is an Orwellian nightmare - the pig is in charge.

Well, the pig is clever like a fox.

Just in time to rollout the new version of the book she co-wrote with Bob Greene, AdipOprah, an IMHO whore-for-the-money and clear threat to people's health, devoted the cover and cover story of her O(bese), The AdipOprah magazine, to her weight woes.

In typical fatso style she basically blames her alleged mere 40-pound weight gain on her poor, defenseless, thyroid gland (again).

She is clearly spewing the slop in which she rolls.

The rollout of her “updated and revised” book together with the rollout of her personal story about why she cannot get the rolls out of her belly are an interesting coincidence.

I will bet, it was not “updated and revised” to tell people it is crap and that she and Bob are liars.

Personally, IMHO, it is nothing more than another attempt by a crooked person to rip-off money from desperate people. (According to the bovine billionaire herself, there are "more than 2.4 million" of them who read the magazine. Add to that the people who watch her TV show, listen to her radio programming, watch her TV network and visit her website and you have an awful lot of impressionable people being fooled.)

What she is talking about this 2008 holiday season is, IMHO, nothing more than another attempt at thievery. This is not new for them as Bob and Oprah, IMHO, have a history of using lies and falsified images to scam the public.

(IMHO, Oprah with Bob are every bit as crooked as Oprah is with her other boys, Mehmet and Michael, David and Jorge.)

Despite the fact that the IMHO whore-for-the-money admits that she was gaining weight beginning "in February 2007," she was too greedy to recuse herself from promoting the diet scheme concocted by her and Bob, instead averring how well it worked for her. Even to this day.

I just pulled this (12-14-08) from their diet website. The website is copyright, 2007. The hardcover edition of the book came out December 26, 2006. The paperback edition came out December 26, 2007. The "I" is fatso "O":

I lost weight in stages. First I became active, and I still work out even though I really hate it, but I know if I don’t I will end up 200 pounds again. Then I started working on my eating. I stopped eating past 7:30 at night. When Bob told me it would make a big difference in my weight, I resisted. I thought it was going to be too hard. But I was surprised to find that it wasn’t; even more surprised when it turned out to be one of the most effective changes I made.

I’ve now taken most of the bad foods out of my diet and replaced them with good. I eat smaller portions and I eat healthy foods as a way of life, not a diet to go on and off.

Liar.

And the picture used on the website to promote the diet is:

Double liar.

(Here are real images of Oprah on her/Bob's diet.

Triple liar.)

Which is the same picture (the background was changed) she and Bob used to rip people off in 2008, on their website:

Quadruple liar.

And other places on the web:

Quintuple liar.

And at a "discount":

Sextuple liar.

And they promoted her and still promote her (12-24-08) as a "success" on their diet (enlarge the image if you have to or just click on it to get to the page):

Septuple liar.

Scummy Oprah and Bob are all talk about integrity as if it means something to them. This is from the complaint to the FTC about Bob and Oprah and their false and deceptive advertising:

"As will be seen in Exhibits A, B and M, there is much made of 'truth' and 'truthfulness' by both Mr. Greene and Ms. Winfrey. Likewise, they speak of accepting responsibility for one’s actions. In fact, 'truthfulness' and 'responsibility' appear in the General Index on pages 272 and 271, respectively, in the hardcover edition.

I submit that in the FTC’s taking of its responsibility it has the opportunity to not only protect consumers from what I contend (and what I posit a reasonable consumer would contend if he/she were aware of them) are clearly false and deceptive advertising practices, but also to provide Ms. Winfrey and Mr. Greene with opportunities to accept responsibility for and the consequences of their dishonesty and untruthfulness."

You can check out the Exhibits here.

Here is their chance to stop the talk and do the walk, which, incidentally, Oprah claims is a big part of the fatso "cure":

"All you have to do is work out harder and eat less! Get your 10,000 steps in!"

What to do?

Give back all the money they took under clearly false pretenses (plus interest earned and any damages), apologize to the world, do some jail time for being the IMHO crooks they are, shut their mouths for good (and the mouths of Oprah's other experts), stop publishing/writing on topics at which they are failures, slither off into the sunset and just go away for good.

That is integrity.

Incidentally, there is one truth among all this drivel of hers.

"All you have to do is…eat less!"

If this means fewer Calories in than out, then she is right.

And what is most important is that you do not need their sh**ty book in order to do that.

Complain to the FTC about her, Bob, Mehmet, Michael, David and Jorge, so it will get these IMHO parasites out from the broadcast media.

The sooner the better. Stop them before they harm again.

You can make a difference.

Oprah and Bob Greene Scamming The Public - Again

2012-02-02T05:02:00.001-06:00

The headline links to the Oprahcide or Death By Oprah website.

This link will take you to the Jail For Oprah website where you will find FTC complaints filed re:

Oprah and Bob and
Oprah and her diet expert's books and
Oprah, Jorge Cruise and David Katz.

Here is a picture of Bob and an Oprah that never existed in reality:

I am clear that, IMHO, Oprah and Bob are two of the leaders in the nutritional homicide movement. There are others, like Mehmet Oz, IMHO.

But what is so grossly apparently dishonest, is the Photoshopped image of AdipOprah.

Her entry into the fitness/weight loss domain is like the book Animal Farm.

The pig is in charge.

She claims to be all about integrity, but it is clear to me that she is a dishonest person who has a profit-motivated integrity of convenience that is basically the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help her Photoshop.

This is how Oprah really looks.

Big and fat and with chinny chin chins.

And big thighs and fat ass.

To see more images of AdipOprah and how she really looks following Bob's and Oprah's Best Life Diet, go:

here
here
here
here
here
here

The images above cover the period of time from around the release of their book, December 26, 2006, until just about the present.

But when you are a whore for the money, well, truth in extra-large packaging goes out the door.

However, "Sale Pricing" does not.

Here is a new "deal" Bob and The Killer Queen of Daytime TV are offering.

One look at the real Oprah - same faked image.

One look at the real Oprah - same doomed to fail advice.

One look at the real Oprah - same guaranteed to make you poorer and them richer scam.

This is how The Best Life Diet is described at amazon.com:

"From the bestselling author of Get With the Program! and Bob Greene's Total Body Makeover comes The Best Life Diet, a lifetime plan for losing weight and keeping it off. Bob Greene helped Oprah achieve her dramatic weight loss, and he can help you too. You'll eat the same delicious food that Oprah enjoys, and, just like Oprah, you'll have Bob to encourage you at every step."

Just like he did for Oprah! (see images and image links above, in case you have forgotten how good Bob is and/or how fat Oprah is)

Shame on her.

She should be ashamed but I suspect she is not.

If she ever had an ounce of shame, it has likely been replaced by pounds of fat.

In Oprah's own words:

"Excerpt from The Best Life Diet (sic) - by Oprah Winfrey

You cannot ever live the life of your dreams without coming face to face with the truth. Every unwanted pound creates another layer of lies."

Right.

And Oprah is the multi-layered liar.

Laughing all the way to the bank with your money.

To find out more about what I believe is going on, read the FTC complaint filed regarding her and Bob. It is available here.

Consumer Reports - Profile In Incompetence (Update)

2012-02-02T05:01:00.001-06:00

Today is February 02, 2012. No response from CR since June 11, 2007.

Here is a chronicle of my communications with Consumer Reports re: their June 2007 cover story on "Rating the Diets."

The quality of their work is, IMHO, shamefully shoddy and their analytical skills fatally flawed - just like diet programs.

Of particular interest is CR's response, via a Mr. Harzewski speaking for the Editors.

Read it all.

Then, you decide.

To me, these folks are dangerously incompetent.

Caveat subscriber.

To access all the Fitness Rants, click here.

Well-Informed People Eat Better

2012-02-01T05:06:00.002-06:00

Really?

A study by Italian researchers shows that the more people are informed by newspapers, television and the Internet, the more they stick to the Mediterranean diet, the healthiest eating pattern in the world

It is time to leave behind the belief that mass media are always a source of bad habits. Television, newspaper and the Internet, when used to get information, may turn out to be of help for health.

Besides the facts that the article and conclusion are crap, clearly it is WELL-FORMED people who eat better:

Childhood Obesity Rates In The USA Have Changed Little

2012-02-01T05:05:00.003-06:00

Which is to say that there are still too many nutritionally abused children in the US of A.

Two investigations being published by JAMA reveal that the prevalence of obesity in the United States has not changed considerably. Approximately 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 6 children and adolescents are obese, according to data from 2009-2010. The data also revealed that the prevalence of obesity in certain demographics has increased.

Stop and reveres the abuse.

1 in 3 US Adults, 1 in 6 US Children Obese

2012-02-01T05:05:00.001-06:00

Guess who is still way too big and way too fat.

The US prevalence of obesity continues to be high, with one third of US adults and 1 in 6 US children and adolescents affected, according to 2009 to 2010 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The data were presented in 2 papers published online January 17 in JAMA. As alarming as these rates are, the data suggest that they may be topping out, according to the researchers.

"[Obesity prevalence] increased significantly over the 12-year period from 1999 through 2010 for men and for non-Hispanic black and Mexican American women, but did not change between 2003-2009 and 2010 for men or women," write Katherine M. Flegal, PhD, distinguished consultant from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues in the first article.

In addition, trends in US children and teenagers followed a similar pattern — unchanged, but at 17% — since the last review of 2007-2008, explain Cynthia L. Ogden, PhD, MRP, NCHS epidemiologist, and colleagues in the second article, on children and teenagers.

Be proud America.

The Pig Is Clever Like A Fox

2012-02-01T05:03:00.000-06:00

I lost weight in stages. First I became active, and I still work out even though I really hate it, but I know if I don’t I will end up 200 pounds again. Then I started working on my eating. I stopped eating past 7:30 at night. When Bob told me it would make a big difference in my weight, I resisted. I thought it was going to be too hard. But I was surprised to find that it wasn’t; even more surprised when it turned out to be one of the most effective changes I made.

I’ve now taken most of the bad foods out of my diet and replaced them with good. I eat smaller portions and I eat healthy foods as a way of life, not a diet to go on and off.

Liar.

And the picture used on the website to promote the diet is:

Double liar.

(Here are real images of Oprah on her/Bob's diet.

Triple liar.)

Which is the same picture (the background was changed) she and Bob used to rip people off in 2008, on their website:

Quadruple liar.

Septuple liar.

Scummy Oprah and Bob are all talk about integrity as if it means something to them. This is from the complaint to the FTC about Bob and Oprah and their false and deceptive advertising:

"As will be seen in Exhibits A, B and M, there is much made of 'truth' and 'truthfulness' by both Mr. Greene and Ms. Winfrey. Likewise, they speak of accepting responsibility for one’s actions. In fact, 'truthfulness' and 'responsibility' appear in the General Index on pages 272 and 271, respectively, in the hardcover edition.

I submit that in the FTC’s taking of its responsibility it has the opportunity to not only protect consumers from what I contend (and what I posit a reasonable consumer would contend if he/she were aware of them) are clearly false and deceptive advertising practices, but also to provide Ms. Winfrey and Mr. Greene with opportunities to accept responsibility for and the consequences of their dishonesty and untruthfulness."

You can check out the Exhibits here.

Here is their chance to stop the talk and do the walk, which, incidentally, Oprah claims is a big part of the fatso "cure":

"All you have to do is work out harder and eat less! Get your 10,000 steps in!"

What to do?

"All you have to do is…eat less!"

You can make a difference.

Oprah and Bob Greene Scamming The Public - Again

2012-02-01T05:02:00.000-06:00

The headline links to the Oprahcide or Death By Oprah website.

This link will take you to the Jail For Oprah website where you will find FTC complaints filed re:

Oprah and Bob and
Oprah and her diet expert's books and
Oprah, Jorge Cruise and David Katz.

Big and fat and with chinny chin chins.

And big thighs and fat ass.

To see more images of AdipOprah and how she really looks following Bob's and Oprah's Best Life Diet, go:

here
here
here
here
here
here

"From the bestselling author of Get With the Program! and Bob Greene's Total Body Makeover comes The Best Life Diet, a lifetime plan for losing weight and keeping it off. Bob Greene helped Oprah achieve her dramatic weight loss, and he can help you too. You'll eat the same delicious food that Oprah enjoys, and, just like Oprah, you'll have Bob to encourage you at every step."

"Excerpt from The Best Life Diet (sic) - by Oprah Winfrey

You cannot ever live the life of your dreams without coming face to face with the truth. Every unwanted pound creates another layer of lies."

Right.

And Oprah is the multi-layered liar.

Laughing all the way to the bank with your money.

To find out more about what I believe is going on, read the FTC complaint filed regarding her and Bob. It is available here.

Consumer Reports - Profile In Incompetence (Update)

2012-02-01T05:01:00.000-06:00

Today is February 01, 2012. No response from CR since June 11, 2007.

Why We Are So Fond Of Fat: Receptor For Tasting Fat Identified In Humans

2012-01-31T05:06:00.000-06:00

The culprits:

We have pain receptors. Are we so fond of pain?

Why do we like fatty foods so much? We can blame our taste buds.

Blame the person in the mirror.

Leave the taste buds out of it.

Questions About Data Linking Breast Cancer and HRT

2012-01-31T05:05:00.000-06:00

Though not a fitness matter, this still serves to demonstrate just how unreliable/unproven a lot of medical data are.

The link between breast cancer and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is based on "unreliable evidence," assert the authors of a paper published online January 16 in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care. However, this criticism has been summarily dismissed by experts involved in the HRT studies.

The authors note that the claim that HRT with estrogen plus progestogen is now an established cause of breast cancer is based principally on the findings of 3 studies — the collaborative reanalysis, the Women's Health Initiative, and the Million Women Study (MWS).

The findings from these studies, which were reported in the early 2000s, led to warnings about the risk for breast cancer from HRT, and resulted in a dramatic fall in the use of these products.

However, these studies do not prove causality, say the authors, headed by Samuel Shapiro, MB, visiting professor of epidemiology at the University of Cape Town Medical School in South Africa. They examined each of the studies in a series of articles, the latest of which focuses on the MWS.

"HRT may or may not increase the risk of breast cancer," the authors note, and conclude that these studies do not establish causality.

Well, that resolves the issue, don't it?

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

Vitamin D Could Help Combat The Effects Of Aging In Eyes

2012-01-31T05:04:00.003-06:00

New, probably false, hope for the cure du jour.

Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have found that vitamin D reduces the effects of ageing in mouse eyes and improves the vision of older mice significantly. The researchers hope that this might mean that vitamin D supplements could provide a simple and effective way to combat age-related eye diseases, such as macular degeneration (AMD), in people.

After all, so many "benefits" of Vit. D have bit the dust.

Red-Wine Researcher Charged With 'Photoshop' Fraud

2012-01-30T05:06:00.000-06:00

And how many other miracle cures are associated with fraudulent research results?

A University of Connecticut researcher known for touting the health benefits of red wine is guilty of 145 counts of fabricating and falsifying data with image-editing software, according to a 3-year university investigation made public Wednesday.

The researcher, Dipak K. Das, PhD, is a director of the university's Cardiovascular Research Center (CRC) and a professor in the Department of Surgery.

UConn?

Maybe.

But he is a con for sure.

Still believe in what they are talking about?

Discovery Of A New Muscle Hormone Might Allow Benefits Of Exercising To Be Induced

2012-01-30T05:05:00.001-06:00

It won't. But it will certainly have side effects.

Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute say they have isolated a previously unknown hormone they found in muscle cells. They sat that the protein serves as a chemical messenger triggering many of the key health benefits of exercising.

Bruce Spiegelman, PhD, a cell biologist at Dana-Farber, and senior author of the report, published in Nature worked alongside Pontus Bostroöm, MD, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Spiegelman lab.

Bostroöm said :

"It's exciting to find a natural substance connected to exercise that has such clear therapeutic potential."

The hormone which Spiegelman named "Irisin," after Iris, a Greek messenger goddess, could open the door for treatment for people with diabetes, obesity and possibly other disorders, including cancer. It's the first stage in understanding how the body broadcasts the benefits of exercise into positive changes in physiology, and should with further research enable scientists to mimic that effect, both in healthy people and by way of combating disease.

Wanna bet?

High-Dose Vitamin D Fails to Mitigate COPD Exacerbations

2012-01-30T05:04:00.000-06:00

More bad news for the cure du jour.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations and secondary COPD outcomes showed no improvement with high-dose vitamin D, according to a small, single-center randomized trial — the first such trial of vitamin D and COPD. However, the study probably will not put the concept to rest that vitamin D merits further scientific study for patients with moderate to severe COPD. The trial was published in the January 17 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

"Particularly for COPD, the vitamin D pathway is an attractive target for intervention studies because vitamin D deficiency may enhance chronic airway and systemic inflammation, reduce bacterial clearance, and increase the risk for infectious exacerbations at the same time," write lead author An Lehouk, PhD, from the Department of Medical Sciences, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium, and colleagues.

There was no significant improvement in several exacerbation outcomes, including time to the first exacerbation (the primary outcome), time to the second exacerbation, annual rate of exacerbations, and median time to first hospitalization for an exacerbation.

Oops.

Obese Nurses More Stressed, Less Active

2012-01-29T05:06:00.000-06:00

Eat less and get out of the profession until you can be a role model.

Survey data from 2,103 female nurses revealed that nurses with long work hours were significantly more likely to be obese compared with underweight or normal weight nurses. The obese nurses also reported having jobs requiring less physical exertion and less movement.

Previous to the study, not much was known scientifically about the prevalence of nurses' obesity and of the potential relationship between their work and their weight, says lead researcher Kihye Han, PhD, RN, postdoctoral fellow at the School.

Han says the study results provide timely evidence-based information for nurse executives and administrators who may consider rethinking their nurse scheduling. "Long work hours and shift work adversely affect quantity and quality of sleep, which often interferes with adherence to healthy behavior and increases obesity," she concludes.

It is not the scheduling.

It is the Calories.

Shut up, morons.

Intense Exercise May Cause Right Ventricular Dysfunction

2012-01-29T05:05:00.005-06:00

No proof.

Regular exercise can increase life expectancy by an average of 7 years compared with a sedentary lifestyle, according to an editorial by Sharma and Zaidi, which accompanies the current study. Even modest doses of exercise can reduce the risk for mortality.

Endurance athletes may perform physical activity at levels 5 to 10 times greater than the exercise recommendations for preventing coronary atherosclerosis. Previous research suggests that athletes maintain indices of systolic and diastolic function associated with healthy cardiac function, although up to half of marathon runners can demonstrate elevated levels of serum cardiac troponin (cTnI).

This finding, along with a higher risk for atrial fibrillation among endurance athletes, has led to questions regarding whether endurance training among athletes is truly heart healthy. The current study by La Gerche and colleagues examines cardiac function among endurance athletes to address this issue...

Right now, La Gerche and colleagues are unsure of the implications of the right ventricle enlargement, although there are some causes of concern.

Just hype.

Antihypertensive Therapy Extends Life, First-Time Data Show

2012-01-29T05:04:00.000-06:00

Guess whether fat people have a greater likelihood of developing hypertension and "needing" drugs.

Antihypertensive therapy with chlorthalidone-based stepped care therapy was associated with a lower rate of cardiovascular events than placebo, according to findings from the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP) trial, which took place from 1985 to 1990. However, the effect of stepped care therapy on mortality was not significant.

A "legacy effect" has been reported in some previous trials, in that the benefit of therapy on hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes appeared or persisted after the end of the trials when all patients were advised to receive active therapy. The goal of the present study by Kostis and colleagues was to measure the gain in life expectancy at the 22-year follow-up of SHEP participants randomly assigned to active antihypertensive treatment.

The first long-term data from the high-blood-pressure study SHEP show that each month of chlorthalidone-based therapy was associated with approximately one day of extension in life, free from cardiovascular death [1].

"The main findings are that after 22 years of follow-up, when about 60% of the participants in SHEP were dead, we saw a prolonged life expectancy in those who took the active treatment for 4.5 years, and that is the first time this has been reported in studies of hypertension, because you have to wait a long time to find out differences in life expectancy," lead author Dr John B Kostis (UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ) told heartwire .

And how much longer and better would you live if you did not get hypertension?

Increase Dietary Fiber, Decrease Disease

2012-01-28T05:06:00.001-06:00

Probably true.

We should all be eating more dietary fiber to improve our health -- that's the message from a health review by scientists in India. The team has looked at research conducted into dietary fiber during the last few decades across the globe and now suggests that to avoid initial problems, such as intestinal gas and loose stool, it is best to increase intake gradually and to spread high-fiber foods out throughout the day, at meals and snacks.

Makes the case for high-carbohydrate eating as fiber is carbohydrate.

Physical Activity Yields Better Academic Performance in Children

2012-01-28T05:05:00.000-06:00

Probably.

The evidence for a relationship between physical activity and academic performance is not conclusive. A review by Trudeau and Shephard in the February 25, 2008, issue of the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found a positive link between physical activity and academic performance, based on cross-sectional studies. A review by Taras in the August 2005 issue of the Journal of School Health reported possible acute benefits of physical activity on academic performance.

Especially real competitive activity as opposed to the everyone-is-a-winner activity.

Yerba Mate Tea Linked With Greater Bone Mineral Density

2012-01-28T05:04:00.001-06:00

Woo hoo?

No...

In Argentina and other South American countries, consumption of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) tea exceeds that of coffee or tea (Camellia sinensis). The prevalence of osteoporosis and the incidence of osteoporotic fractures in Latin America are lower than in Northern Europe and the United States, but they are increasing.

Intake of caffeine, which is present in high concentration in yerba mate, may negatively affect bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture risk. Previous studies have not examined the effects of yerba mate on bone health. The objective of this study by Conforti and colleagues was to assess the effects of yerba mate consumption on BMD...

The authors conclude that chronic consumption of yerba mate tea was associated with greater BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck, "suggesting a protective effect of this tea on bone mass of postmenopausal women." They also note that their earlier hypothesis that yerba mate consumption, based on other investigators' reports of a deleterious effect of caffeine on BMD, "should be rejected."

Limitations of the study are its retrospective nature, participants' self-reports of yerba mate consumption, and that the study participants were a selected population of postmenopausal women in a program for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of osteoporosis. Results may not be generalizable to younger women, men, or children.

...Woo-woo.

Meaninglessly impractical k-rap.

By Analyzing How Multiple Microbial Species Act In Concert In The Gut, Researchers See Different Patterns In Lean And Obese People

2012-01-27T05:06:00.001-06:00

Bacteria are ganging up on you, fatso.

For the first time, researchers have analyzed the multitude of microorganisms residing in the human gut as a complex, integrated biological system, rather than a set of separate species. Their approach has revealed patterns that correspond with excess body weight.

The cure?

Fecal transplantation.

I am sure you will be able to find many willing donors since many of us have been taking s**t from you for many years.

It is payback time.

Child Care Centers Lack Sufficient Outdoor Activity

2012-01-27T05:05:00.000-06:00

Meaningless and misleading.

A study led by Kristen Copeland, MD, division of General and Community Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Faculty Scholar reveals that, many of the three quarters of preschool-age children in the U.S. who attend child care get insufficient outdoor physical activity...

Copeland said:

"Given that childhood obesity is a national epidemic and a major cause of childhood morbidity, and that time in child care may be the child's only opportunity for outdoor play, licensing standards may need to explicitly promote physical activity in as much detail as is devoted to safety.

An important message from this study is that well-intentioned policies may have unintended consequences for preschool-age children's physical development.

Daily physical activity is essential for preschool-age children's development and for preventing obesity, yet parents' and teachers' concerns about injury and school-readiness may be keeping children from being physically active. In essence, in ensuring that young children are smart and safe, we may also be keeping them sedentary."

K-rap.

All overweight/obesity at any age is caused by more Calories in than out.

If you want to get more Calories out, then increased activity is the way.

Outdoors or indoors matters not.

Young Women Often Fail To Spot Their Weight Gain

2012-01-27T05:04:00.000-06:00

Hint.

Look at your fat ass, belly and thighs.

Despite popular belief about women's weight concerns, young women commonly fail to recognize recent gain of as many as 11 pounds - putting them at risk for cardiovascular disease and other obesity-related conditions. Self-perception of weight gain also appears to be significantly influenced by race, ethnicity and contraceptive methods.

In a study published online and in the March issue of the Journal of Women's Health, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) researchers found that a significant number of women evaluated at six-month intervals did not recognize recent gains in weight.

Just an example of how out of touch people are.

Researchers Clarify Link Between Salt And Hypertension

2012-01-26T05:06:00.001-06:00

Another truth bites the dust.

A review article by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) debunks the widely-believed concept that hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the result of excess salt causing an increased blood volume, exerting extra pressure on the arteries. Published online in the Journal of Hypertension, the study demonstrates that excess salt stimulates the sympathetic nervous system to produce adrenalin, causing artery constriction and hypertension.

The research was led by Irene Gavras, MD, and Haralambos Gavras, MD, both professors of medicine at BUSM.

"The purpose of this paper is to correct an erroneous concept that has prevailed for many years, even though scientific evidence has mounted against it," said Irene Gavras, who is also a physician in Boston Medical Center's Hypertension practice.

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

Another version:

Insufficient Fruits And Vegetables Consumed By Canadians

2012-01-26T05:04:00.002-06:00

The five-a-day bull was debunked long ago.

Adults from 30 to 60 years old, especially those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, aren't consuming the daily recommended levels of fruits and vegetables. Quebecers, however, eat more of nature's produce than their fellow Canadians.

But if they are going to eat fruits and vegetables, then, okay, eat the sufficient ones.

Breastfed Babies Cry More, Harder To Soothe

2012-01-26T05:04:00.000-06:00

And the reason...

New evidence from a UK study suggests that breastfed babies may be harder to soothe and cry more frequently than bottle-fed babies. But researchers say rather than being a sign of stress, irritability is a natural part of the communication between mothers and their infants and this should not put them off breastfeeding.

...because they are happy and want to tell the world about it.

Bulls**t.

If you're happy and you know it, cry and scream:

New Guidelines For Cancer Prevention From The American Cancer Society Stress Need For Supportive Environment

2012-01-25T05:06:00.001-06:00

F**k the ACS.

Updated guidelines on nutrition and physical activity for cancer prevention from the American Cancer Society stress the importance of creating social and physical environments that support healthy behaviors. The report includes updated recommendations for individual choices regarding diet and physical activity patterns, but emphasizes that those choices occur within a community context that can either help or hinder healthy behaviors.

Any environment can support "healthy" behaviors.

It is just that people do not want to behave in ways that are best for their health.

No environment can make people behave "healthily," except for one where the consequences of "unhealthy" behavior are experienced.

Only that will cause change.

All the rest is a waste.

Age-Related Blindness May Be Warded Off By Grapes

2012-01-25T05:05:00.001-06:00

Wanna bet?

Can eating grapes slow or help prevent the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a debilitating condition affecting millions of elderly people worldwide? Results from a new study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine suggest this might be the case. The antioxidant actions of grapes are believed to be responsible for these protective effects.

The study compared the impact of an antioxidant-rich diet on vision using mice prone to developing retinal damage in old age in much the same way as humans do. Mice either received a grape-enriched diet, a diet with added lutein, or a normal diet.

The result? Grapes proved to offer dramatic protection: the grape-enriched diet protected against oxidative damage of the retina and prevented blindness in those mice consuming grapes. While lutein was also effective, grapes were found to offer significantly more protection.

Here is one believer:

"Preserving eye health is a key concern as we age and this study shows that grapes may play a critical role in achieving this," said Kathleen Nave, president of the California Table Grape Commission.

I wonder why.

Low Vitamin D Levels Suffered By 70 Percent Of Europeans

2012-01-25T05:04:00.001-06:00

They're suffering. Suffering, I say. Suffering.

A group of experts has prepared a report on vitamin D supplementation for menopausal women after it was revealed that Europeans have suffered an alarming decrease in their levels of this vitamin. In their opinion, the ideal would be to maintain blood levels above 30 ng/ml. Vitamin D is essential to the immune system and processes such as calcium absorption.

"We believe that many diseases can be aggravated by a chronic deficiency of vitamin D," states Faustino R. Pérez-López, researcher at the University of Zaragoza.

This researcher believes, but does not know and has not proved.

Maybe this researcher has low levels of Vitamin D and suffers from Vitamin D related bad researching.

In Overweight And Obese Adults A Diet Rich In Slowly Digested Carbs Reduces Markers Of Inflammation

2012-01-24T05:06:00.000-06:00

Inflammation ain't all that.

Among overweight and obese adults, a diet rich in slowly digested carbohydrates, such as whole grains, legumes and other high-fiber foods, significantly reduces markers of inflammation associated with chronic disease, according to a new study by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Such a "low-glycemic-load" diet, which does not cause blood-glucose levels to spike, also increases a hormone that helps regulate the metabolism of fat and sugar. These findings are published online ahead of the February print issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

Check out the links above.

Then ask yourself:

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

Researcher Who Studied Benefits Of Red Wine Falsified Data Says University

2012-01-24T05:04:00.001-06:00

Reservations about resveratrol.

An extensive misconduct investigation that took three years to complete and produced a 60,000-page report, concludes that a researcher who has come to prominence in recent years for his investigations into the beneficial properties of resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, "is guilty of 145 counts of fabrication and falsification of data".

You mean it may not be good for you?

Huh. Go figger.

Coffee Drinkers At Reduced Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes

2012-01-24T05:04:00.000-06:00

Type 2 diabetes is fat person diabetes.

Why do heavy coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, a disease on the increase around the world that can lead to serious health problems? Scientists are offering a new solution to that long-standing mystery in a report in ACS' Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry.

Maybe all that jittering causes weight loss.

Scientists Isolate Hormone That Triggers Health Benefits Of Exercise

2012-01-23T05:06:00.000-06:00

Can't wait to see the side effects from this stuff.

An international team of scientists has isolated a natural hormone or chemical messenger in muscle cells that triggers some of the important health benefits of exercise. They have named it "irisin", after the Greek messenger goddess, and believe it is a promising candidate for developing drugs to treat diabetes, obesity and maybe even cancer.

Effects that you will almost certainly not see are the health benefits of exercise.

2 Inch Loss In Height Could Signal Fracture Risk And Death In Older Women

2012-01-23T05:05:00.001-06:00

Two words - Anabolic Clinic (sm).

Older women who have lost more than two inches in height face an increased risk of breaking bones and dying, according to a new study published in the January issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research and funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The study found that women 65 and older who lost more than two inches over 15 years were 50 percent more likely to both fracture a bone and to die in the subsequent five years, compared to women who lost less than two inches in height.

To find out how anabolic substances can save your bones and height, see here, here and here.

Type Of Fat Matters: Dispelling The Low-Fat-Is-Healthy Myth; And The Muffin Makeover

2012-01-23T05:04:00.000-06:00

These muffin heads have s**t for brans (sic).

Dozens of studies, many from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers, have shown that low-fat diets are no better for health than moderate- or high-fat diets - and for many people, may be worse.

To combat this "low fat is best" myth, nutrition experts at HSPH and chefs and registered dietitians at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) have developed five new muffin recipes that incorporate healthy fats and whole grains, and use a lighter hand on the salt and sugar. Their goal? To "make over" the ubiquitous low-fat muffin, touted as a "better-for-you" choice when in fact low-fat muffins often have reduced amounts of heart-healthy fats, such as liquid plant oils, but boast plenty of harmful carbohydrates in the form of white flour and sugar.

It is all about the Calories.

No more, no less.

Screw the so-called "heart-healthy" fats.

If the number of Calories is too great, no fat is heart-healthy.

Sugar Tax Has Huge Potential To Reduce Obesity, Diabetes, And Heart Disease

2012-01-22T05:06:00.000-06:00

No it doesn't. (e.g., see here and here)

Another salvo shot at the calorically responsible.

Over the past 10 years, Americans drank more sugar-sweetened beverages than ever - as much as 13 billion gallons a year - making these drinks the largest source of added sugar and excess calories in the American diet and, arguably, the single largest dietary factor in the current obesity epidemic. While many states have a sales tax on soda, experts believe they are too low to impact consumption. In a study conducted at Columbia University Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco, researchers estimated that if a higher, penny-per-ounce tax were imposed on sugar-sweetened beverages, it would result in an approximately 15% reduction in consumption and reduce the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

The study findings are published online in the January issue of Health Affairs.

The researchers estimated that, over a ten year period (2010-2020), the penny-per-ounce tax could reduce new cases of diabetes by 2.6%, as many as 95,000 coronary heart events, 8,000 strokes, and 26,000 premature deaths. These health benefits represent more than $17 billion over a decade in medical costs avoided for adults aged 25, in addition to generating approximately $13 billion in annual tax revenue.

Instead of penalizing the rest of us, here is how to properly do a fat tax.

Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists Improve Obesity

2012-01-22T05:04:00.001-06:00

Fuggaedaboutit.

Patients treated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists exhibited greater weight loss and improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels irrespective of the presence of type 2 diabetes, according to the findings of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Tina Visbøll, MD, DMSc, and colleagues from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, published their findings online January 11, 2012, in BMJ.

The authors mention the difficulties people have in achieving and maintaining weight loss, suggesting that new treatments are required.

Not even close.

What is required is an opportunity for fat people to experience the consequences of their behavior without the rest of us bailing them out.

Once that happens, the pounds will melt like the butterballs the fat are.

Would You Stop Eating out to Lose Weight?

2012-01-22T05:04:00.000-06:00

Just say, "No."

Going out to eat has become a major part of our culture. Frequently eating out and consuming high-calorie foods in large portions at restaurants can contribute to excess calorie intake and weight gain.

'Cause there is no need.

New Diabetes Investigations Examine Weight-Loss Programs

2012-01-21T05:06:00.000-06:00

Type 2 diabetes is fat person diabetes.

In the United States almost 26 million individuals are affected by diabetes and it is estimated that over the next 10 years 40 million more individuals in the country could develop diabetes. Furthermore, an additional 100 million people could develop an insidious prediabetic condition that frequently leads to diabetes.

Often being overweight or obese triggers the condition. According to increasing scientific evidence, fitness programs and weight loss can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes from developing.

Unfortunately, conventional weight loss programs are doomed to fail.

Here, here, here, here and here are why.

Here, here and here are how to succeed.

Blame Your Taste Buds for Liking Fat: Receptor for Tasting Fat Identified in Humans

2012-01-21T05:05:00.003-06:00

But blame your big, fat, gluttonous, weak, lily fatty-livered self for eating too much of it.

Why do we like fatty foods so much? We can blame our taste buds. Our tongues apparently recognize and have an affinity for fat, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. They have found that variations in a gene can make people more or less sensitive to the taste of fat.

Taste buds cannot grasp an eating utensil, lift a hand to the mouth or swallow.

Blame yourself.

Period.

Processed meat 'linked to pancreatic cancer'

2012-01-21T05:04:00.000-06:00

Now what will you eat with the pannkakor and lingonberries?

A link between eating processed meat, such as bacon or sausages, and pancreatic cancer has been suggested by researchers in Sweden.

They said eating an extra 50g of processed meat, approximately one sausage, every day would increase a person's risk by 19%.

But the chance of developing the rare cancer remains low.

The World Cancer Research Fund suggested the link may be down (sic) to obesity...

Sara Hiom, the charity's information director, said: "The jury is still out as to whether meat is a definite risk factor for pancreatic cancer and more large studies are needed to confirm this, but this new analysis suggests processed meat may be playing a role."

Sensationalism 'til proven.

You Don't Need To Stop Eating Out To Lose Weight

2012-01-20T05:06:00.001-06:00

More coverage of the obvious and this clearly useless study.

Going out to eat has become a major part of our culture. Frequently eating out and consuming high-calorie foods in large portions at restaurants can contribute to excess calorie intake and weight gain. However, a study in the January/February 2012 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior demonstrates that individuals can eat out and still lose weight.

See here.

How Obesity Affects Cancer Screening

2012-01-20T05:05:00.000-06:00

Not favorably if you want to detect it early.

Researchers in Family and Community Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University recently found that obesity was linked to higher rates of prostate cancer screening across all races/ethnic differences and lower rates of cervical cancer screening, most notably in white women. Their study on the role of obesity in cancer screening rates for prostate, cervical as well as breast and colorectal cancers across race/ethnicity and gender is examined in the current issue of the Journal of Obesity.

"Numerous studies have suggested that obesity constitutes an obstacle to cancer screening, but a deeper examination also considering the role of race/ethnicity and gender in the equation has not been done before," said Heather Bittner Fagan, MD, FAAFP MPH, lead author and associate professor, Thomas Jefferson University and director of Health Services Research, department of Family and Community Medicine, Christiana Care Health System. "A greater understanding of the relationship between cancer screening and obesity, race/ethnicity and gender can also help explain the association between obesity and increased cancer mortality."

Kudos, fatsos.

Though underactive physically relative to the Calories consumed, you are active in choosing your way to die.

Be proud.

For Women Who Imbibe, Red Wine May Be Healthier (sic) Option

2012-01-20T05:04:00.001-06:00

Or not.

When it comes to the consumption of alcohol, the message has been decidedly mixed. Some studies show that moderate consumption might offer some health benefits, especially for the heart; other studies show an increased risk for certain cancers with the consumption of a very small amount of alcohol.

A new study has found that the consumption of red wine might offer some degree of protection against breast cancer. The results of this small study, published online December 7, 2011 in the Journal of Women's Health, challenge findings suggesting that all types of alcohol consumption can raise the risk of developing breast cancer.

Caveat imbibor.

Weight Maintenance In Restaurants

2012-01-19T05:06:00.000-06:00

Easy. No need for 6-week course. (see here)

According to an investigation by researchers from the University of Texas at Austin, even though eating out often and consuming large portions of food in restaurants can contribute to excess calorie intake and weight gain, individuals can still lose weight while eating out. The study is published in the January/February issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

A waste of money proving what is already proven.

Stupid.

Inactivity Is a Universal Risk Factor for Heart Attack

2012-01-19T05:05:00.000-06:00

"Universal." That would seem to include a load of people. But is it right?

With certainty, you can decrease your likelihood of developing heart disease without a shred of exercise. (This is not to suggest that physical activity is without benefit. It is as long as you train and not exercise.)

A new analysis of the INTERHEART study, drilling down into exactly how physical activity and its different components contribute to the risk of MI, doesn't turn up any huge surprises but does confirm that inactivity is "a universal cardiovascular risk factor," lead author Dr Claes Held (Uppsala Clinical Research Center, Uppsala, Sweden) tells heartwire [1]. Held and colleagues publish the results online January 11, 2012 in the European Heart Journal...

The results also show an association between ownership of a TV and car and an increased risk of MI, although Held stresses, "We cannot say this is a causal relationship, it's an association, and we need a prospective trial to confirm this." Nevertheless, he acknowledges, "If you own a TV and a car, your risk of being sedentary is increased. It's an interesting finding that goes with the theme."

Giving up the car and TV seems way extreme and not a guarantee against becoming/remaining a fatso. ("We cannot say this is a causal relationship...")

'Alarming' New Data on US Binge Drinking

2012-01-19T05:04:00.001-06:00

At 7 Calories per gram. Or maybe they are into the questionable resveratrol.

Roughly 1 in 6 (38 million) adults in the United States binge drink approximately 4 times a month, according to a Vital Signs report published today in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), a publication of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Binge drinking is defined as consuming 4 or more drinks for women and 5 or more drinks for men on an occasion.

The new data suggest that, on average, the largest number of drinks consumed by binge drinkers is 8 drinks per binge episode, "far exceeding drinking levels that define this behavior," Ursula Bauer, PhD, MPH, director of the CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, said during a telebriefing.

"It is alarming that binge drinkers are consuming so much alcohol with such regularity," Robert Brewer, MD, MPH, Alcohol Program Lead at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, added in a statement.

Luckily, this activity comes with its own self-limiting, stop gap measures - purging and loss of consciousness.

Aspirin in Primary CVD Prevention: Risks Outweigh Benefits

2012-01-18T05:06:00.000-06:00

And for how long have we been told to take an aspirin a day?

A new meta-analysis said to provide "the largest evidence to date regarding the wider effects of aspirin treatment in primary prevention" has shown that cardiovascular benefits are offset by an elevated risk of bleeding.

Senior author Dr Kausik Ray (St George's University of London, UK) commented to heartwire : "On a routine basis I would not recommend aspirin use in primary prevention. And it certainly should not be put in a polypill for mass use."

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

Exercise Hormone May Fight Obesity and Diabetes

2012-01-18T05:05:00.003-06:00

K-rap.

A newly discovered hormone produced in response to exercise may be turning people’s white fat brown, a groundbreaking new study suggests, and in the process lessening their susceptibility to obesity, diabetes and other health problems. The study, published on Wednesday in Nature and led by researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, provides remarkable new insights into how exercise affects the body at a cellular level.

Just do the physical activity, avoid the drug they intend to make and for which they will charge you, royally.

Also, it will have side effects/complications with certainty.

University Suspects Fraud by a Researcher Who Studied Red Wine

2012-01-18T05:04:00.000-06:00

Bad day for the cure du jour of the oenophile/alcoholic sects.

A charge of widespread scientific fraud, involving 26 articles published in 11 journals, was leveled by the University of Connecticut today against Dipak K. Das, one of its researchers, whose work reported health benefits in red wine.

Many of the articles reported positive effects from resveratrol, an ingredient of red wine thought to promote longevity in laboratory animals.

The charges, if verified, seem unlikely to affect the field of resveratrol research itself, because Dr. Das’s work was peripheral to its central principles, several of which are in contention.

We'll see.

Either way, caveat emptor.

Eat Out, Lose Weight, Mindfully

2012-01-17T05:06:00.000-06:00

This is news?

Eating out frequently and consuming large, energy-rich portions can result in excess calorie intake and weight gain. Now a new study suggests people don't have to stop eating out to lose weight, even if they dine out frequently, as long as they take a mindful approach to eating. A report on the study is scheduled to appear in the January/February 2012 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

As Fitness Watch readers have known for years.

NIH study to test treatment for fatty liver disease in children

2012-01-17T05:05:00.000-06:00

Guess which kids get fatty liver disease? Nutritionally abused ones.

With the launch of a new clinical trial supported by the National Institutes of Health, researchers are working to determine whether treating children diagnosed with the most severe form of fatty liver disease with a drug called cysteamine will help improve the liver.

The trial, called Cysteamine Bitartrate Delayed-Release for the Treatment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Children (CyNCh),will enroll 160 boys and girls ages 8 to 17 with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The participants will receive cysteamine or placebo by mouth twice a day for a year. There are no weight cutoffs or percentiles for the children participating in CyNCh. However, more than 90 percent of the children are expected to be overweight or obese. Participants need a baseline biopsy that confirms severe NAFLD to be eligible for the study. Children with poorly managed diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic liver diseases will be excluded.

NAFLD covers a range of severity from simple liver disease without injury, called steatosis, to the more concerning nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, which includes fat accumulation, inflammation, and liver injury. Most children with fatty liver disease are overweight and resistant to insulin, a hormone that regulates energy. The only way to distinguish NASH from other forms of fatty liver disease is with a liver biopsy.

"We did not see fatty liver disease in children until recently," said Edward Doo, M.D., NASH Clinical Research Network project scientist and director of the Liver Diseases Program at NIH's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), which is funding the study in collaboration with Raptor Pharmaceutical of Novato, Calif., which makes the drug and will provide it to the trial. "Fatty liver disease affects about 17 percent of children in the United States. This rise in the number of children with NAFLD most likely mirrors the increase in obesity, which affects more than 16 percent of American children and teens," Dr. Doo said.

And that's no doo.

Low risk of heart incidents found for marathoners

2012-01-17T05:04:00.000-06:00

And that is a benefit of training (not exercising).

It's dramatic news when a marathon runner collapses with no pulse. Now a big study finds such calamities are rare and usually due to a pre-existing heart problem.

Train.

Stroke Risk Associated With Diet Quality, Energy Intake Overall

2012-01-16T05:06:00.002-06:00

It is all about Calories in vs Calories out.

...overnutrition also increases stroke risk. The likely mechanism is by hastening the onset of obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes.

But what is of importance, are the results of the literature search and what was found re: nutrition myths.

Note the following about antioxidants, calcium and vegetarian diets:

On the basis of a literature review, the reviewer noted the following findings:

Vitamin A supplementation increases all-cause mortality risk.

β-carotene supplementation increases cardiovascular and all-cause mortality risks and does not prevent stroke.

Vitamin C supplementation does not prevent stroke.

Vitamin E supplementation increases all-cause mortality risk and does not prevent stroke.

Although folic acid supplementation does not prevent stroke in populations with high folate intake, deficiency in regions of low folate intake may be a causal and treatable risk factor for stroke.

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and stroke, but to date, supplementation has not been shown to prevent cardiovascular events. Randomized trials are underway.

Salt supplementation by 5 g per day is linked to a 23% increase in stroke risk (95% confidence interval [CI], 6 - 43).

Although decreasing salt intake has not been shown to reduce stroke risk, lowering consumption by 2 g per day is associated with a 20% decrease in cardiovascular events (95% CI, 1 - 36), and lower salt intake is also linked to blood pressure reduction.

Potassium supplementation by 1 g per day is associated with an 11% reduction in the risk for stroke (95% CI, 3 - 17), but supplementation is not proven to prevent stroke.

Potassium supplementation by 0.8 g per day is associated with a decrease in blood pressure by 5/3 mm Hg.

Calcium supplementation exceeding 0.5 g per day is linked to a 31% increase in the risk for myocardial infarction (95% CI, 2 - 67), does not prevent stroke, and may actually increase stroke risk.

High intake of total fat, trans fats, and saturated fats is not associated with an increased risk for stroke, and reduced total fat intake does not lower stroke risk.

High intake of plant n-3 polyunsaturated fats is associated with a reduced risk for stroke.

Marine n-3 polyunsaturated fat supplementation lowers cardiovascular events and death by 8% (95% CI, 1 - 15), but in a randomized trial, it did not reduce stroke risk.

High intake of carbohydrates with high glycemic index and glycemic load is associated with increased blood glucose levels, body weight, and stroke mortality.

High fiber intake is linked to lower blood pressure, blood glucose levels, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.

High protein intake is not associated with stroke risk.

High intake of a healthy diet was linked to an increased risk for stroke in one observational study and a reduced risk for stroke in another observational study.

High intake of an unhealthy diet was linked to an increased risk for stroke and a population-attributable risk for stroke of 19% (99% CI, 11 - 30).

In women, a prudent diet or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)–style diet is associated with a lower risk for stroke, and a Western diet is linked with a higher risk for stroke.

In women, the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower risks for stroke, cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality.

The effects of a vegetarian diet and a Japanese diet on stroke risk are unknown.

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

Could Your Personality Be Making You Fat?

2012-01-16T05:05:00.003-06:00

No. Not in the absence of more Calories in than out.

Could your personality be making your fat?
Tiffanie Davis Henry, a therapist and co-host of ABC’s “The Revolution,” appeared on “Good Morning America” today to weigh in on the topic. And she said that your personality – and the connection between emotions and what and when you eat – could indeed be making you fat.

Another example of the excusinators working overtime.

One should always be suspect of the weight-related stuff spouted on ABCNews and their programs as most of it, IMHO, is misleading crap.

Statins Associated With Significant Increase in Diabetes Risk

2012-01-16T05:04:00.000-06:00

Now they tell us.

Statin use in postmenopausal women is associated with a significantly increased risk of diabetes mellitus, research shows [1]. New data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) hints that the risk of diabetes is higher than suggested by previous studies, with investigators reporting a 48% increased risk of diabetes among the women taking the lipid-lowering medications.

Fat people are more likely to have high lipids than are intended-size humans.

And you can bet that they will continue to find more issues with these drugs as they will with fat person drugs (e.g., diet pills) and fat person surgeries (bariatric surgery).

Cognitive Decline Can Start at Age 45

2012-01-15T05:06:00.000-06:00

For some, at least:

Cognitive decline is detectable in persons aged 45 to 49 years and may not uniformly start later, in persons aged approximately 60 years, as previously thought, new research suggests.

Or younger:

Routine aspirin 'may cause harm'

2012-01-15T05:05:00.000-06:00

Another truth bites the dust?

Healthy people who take aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke could be doing more harm than good, warn researchers.

An analysis of more than 100,000 patients, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, concluded the risk of internal bleeding was too high.

The UK-led study said only people with a history of heart problems or stroke should take the tablets.

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

Nicotine Gum and Skin Patch Face New Doubt

2012-01-15T05:04:00.000-06:00

Oops.

The nicotine gum and patches that millions of smokers use to help kick their habit have no lasting benefit and may backfire in some cases, according to the most rigorous long-term study to date of so-called nicotine replacement therapy.

Sick care appears better at marketing than being effective.

No news here.

A Good Reason to Be Nuts About Walnuts

2012-01-14T05:06:00.000-06:00

Or you have to be nuts to believe in antioxidants.

Sprinkle some walnuts on your salad this evening. Your heart will thank you.

When it comes to heart health benefits, roasted and raw walnuts rule the roost, a new study shows.

Researchers from the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pa., compared the amount of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols in nine types of roasted and raw nuts and two types of peanut butter. They also tested just how effective the antioxidants in the nuts are in regard to heart health using lab analysis.

Here are some of the effects of the killer antioxidants:

Vitamin A supplementation increases all-cause mortality risk.
β-carotene supplementation increases cardiovascular and all-cause mortality risks and does not prevent stroke.
Vitamin C supplementation does not prevent stroke.
Vitamin E supplementation increases all-cause mortality risk and does not prevent stroke.

"Nuts" to nuts, apparently.

Most Adverse Events in Hospitals Go Unreported

2012-01-14T05:05:00.000-06:00

Be afraid, very afraid.

Roughly 86% of patient mishaps in hospitals never make it into the databases of incident reporting systems designed to improve the quality of care, according to a study released today by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) in the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Fit people generally are hospitalized less than unfit people.

Get fit and protect yourself.

Red Meat Consumption Linked With Risk for Kidney Cancer

2012-01-14T05:04:00.001-06:00

Really?

People who eat lots of red meat may have a higher risk of some types of kidney cancer, suggests a large U.S. study.

Previous studies examining the link between red meat and kidney cancer arrived at mixed conclusions, according to Dr. Carrie Daniel, from the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, and her colleagues.

More filling for the mixed conclusions bag.

"Couch Potato Drug" May Protect Against Heat Stroke

2012-01-13T05:06:00.002-06:00

Usually one gets heat stroke from overactivity on a hot, sunny day.

An experimental drug that once made the headlines as the "couch potato pill", for its capacity to mimic the effects of exercise in sedentary mice, may have another use, as a way to protect against heat stroke. In a new study about to be published in the journal Nature Medicine, scientists describe how the experimental therapy, called AICAR, protected animals with a genetic predisposition to heat stroke. They hope it means the drug holds promise for treating people who are susceptible to heat-induced sudden death.

We have seen headlines about people unexpectedly dying from heat stroke. A physically fit young athlete, seemingly no different from his colleagues, suddenly dies on the football field during a sweltering hot day in August, or the victim could be an elderly woman gardening in the middle of a hot July day.

Heat stroke is a serious, life-threatening condition, and currently we have no treatment for it other than immerse the casualty in ice water or apply ice packs to bring their body temperature down to normal.

Cases of heat stroke are on the rise. According to a recent study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the number of injuries linked to heat stroke in the US more than doubled in the ten years from 1997 to 2006, during which time, an estimated 55,000 people received treatment for the condition in emergency rooms across the US.

Seems as if being a couch potato can be protection enough against heat stroke, without drugs.

Higher Bone Mineral Density Related to Drinking Yerba Mate

2012-01-13T05:05:00.001-06:00

Another meaningless, even misleading, "this does not prove cause and effect" article. Note the bone loss data at the end of the excerpt.

Postmenopausal women who consumed yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) tea had higher bone mineral density (BMD) compared with women who did not drink the tea, Andrea Conforti, MD, from the Program for the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis in Mendoza, Argentina, and colleagues report in the January 2012 issue of Bone.

Yerba mate is a xanthine-containing beverage that is popular in South America. It may be prepared as an infusion of dried leaves steeped in hot water and then filtered. More commonly, it is consumed through a metal straw inserted into a dried gourd containing the leaves, over which hot water is poured repeatedly, and it was these users who were included in the study. By this method, the tea contains caffeine at a concentration of about 330 mg/L.

In this cross-sectional, observational study, investigators identified postmenopausal women in the osteoporosis program who drank at least 1 L of yerba mate tea daily for at least 5 years (n = 146) and matched them by age and time since menopause with an equal number of women who did not drink yerba mate tea. Both groups were fairly sedentary, defined as not being in a program of physical exercise...

Although the yerba mate group had higher lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD at all ages compared with control patients, the slopes of the regression lines for BMD vs age did not differ between the groups, indicating that loss of BMD over time was similar for the tea-drinkers and the control participants.

No difference in bone loss.

Do you really think it was the yerba mate that made any alleged difference?

Intense Exercise May Cause Right Ventricular Dysfunction

2012-01-13T05:04:00.000-06:00

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Regular exercise can increase life expectancy by an average of 7 years compared with a sedentary lifestyle, according to an editorial by Sharma and Zaidi, which accompanies the current study. Even modest doses of exercise can reduce the risk for mortality.

Endurance athletes may perform physical activity at levels 5 to 10 times greater than the exercise recommendations for preventing coronary atherosclerosis. Previous research suggests that athletes maintain indices of systolic and diastolic function associated with healthy cardiac function, although up to half of marathon runners can demonstrate elevated levels of serum cardiac troponin (cTnI).

This finding, along with a higher risk for atrial fibrillation among endurance athletes, has led to questions regarding whether endurance training among athletes is truly heart healthy.

Good luck getting exercise right.

BTW, the research failed to show any increased likelihood of death or illness.

Right now, La Gerche and colleagues are unsure of the implications of the right ventricle enlargement, although there are some causes of concern.

Yellow medical journalism.

Meaningless or worse.

Couch Potato Or Elite Athlete? A Happy Medium Keeps Colds At Bay!

2012-01-12T05:06:00.000-06:00

Well this will clear-up any confusion.

Battling colds and doing (or pledging to do) more exercise are familiar activities for most of us in January. But different levels of exercise can actually significantly increase or decrease your chances of catching a respiratory infection, says Professor Mike Gleeson from Loughborough University.

While regular moderate exercise can reduce the risk of catching cold-like infections, prolonged strenuous exercise, such as marathons, can make an individual more susceptible.

Not.

Good luck finding the alleged "happy medium."

Exercise Might Not Prevent Pregnancy-Related Diabetes

2012-01-12T05:05:00.001-06:00

Of course not. Gestational diabetes is more commonly seen in fatsos.

Pregnant women who exercised regularly during the second half of their pregnancies did not lower their odds of gestational diabetes in a recent trial.

Researchers in Norway found that when they randomly assigned 855 pregnant women to either exercise three times a week or to stick with regular prenatal care alone, the exercisers were no less likely to develop gestational diabetes.

By the third trimester, 7% of the exercise group and 6% of the control group had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Unless you are a member of the idle class, exercise is an idiot's game for controlling weight. (see here and here)

Can Too Much Vitamin D Harm Cardiovascular Health? Probably

2012-01-12T05:04:00.000-06:00

More bad news for the cure du jour.

Although vitamin D has long been known to promote bone health and protect the heart, researchers at John Hopkins reveal that vitamin D might stop conferring cardiovascular benefits and may cause harm as blood levels increase above what is considered normal.

Good luck titrating your blood levels to "normal."

Fatty diet damages brain - study

2012-01-11T05:06:00.001-06:00

A possible fat-stupidity connection.

SCIENTISTS have found a high-fat diet damages a crucial region of the brain that controls body weight in rodents and believe a similar process may occur in obese humans.

Within 24 hours of being fed high-fat foods, rats and mice developed inflammation followed by scarring in the hypothalamus, a region that regulates body weight and food intake in humans and rodents. Animals fed the diet continuously for four weeks developed chronic inflammation and neuron loss.

No wonder he was called "Dumbo."

Red Wine Reduces Breast Cancer Risk

2012-01-11T05:04:00.002-06:00

Not necessarily, according to this article.

Regular alcohol consumption raises breast cancer risk, except for red wine, which has the opposite effect when consumed in moderation, researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles reported in the Journal of Women's Health. The authors explained that the chemicals in the seeds and skins of red grapes slightly reduce estrogen levels and raise testosterone among premenopausal females - thus reducing their breast cancer risk.

The authors stress that it is the red grape that has the beneficial compounds, and not just red wine. They suggest that women should consider red wine when choosing an alcoholic beverage to consume, rather than encouraging wine over grapes.

This study contradicts in part a widespread belief that the consumption of all types of alcoholic drinks raises a woman's chances of developing breast cancer, because alcohol raises estrogen levels, which in turn encourages the growth of cancer cells.

However, the researchers found that premenopausal women who consumed eight ounces of red wine every evening for approximately a month, had lower estrogen and higher testosterone levels. They tried out the same with another group of women, but they had to consume white wine - it did not have the same effect...

They found that red wine lowers estrogen levels, which in turn should stem cancer cell growth.

"Should," is not proof.

Caveat drinkor.

How Poor Maternal Diet Can Increase Risk of Diabetes: New Mechanism Discovered

2012-01-11T05:04:00.001-06:00

Crap. Type 2 diabetes is fat person diabetes.

Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council have shown one way in which poor nutrition in the womb can put a person at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other age-related diseases in later life. This finding could lead to new ways of identifying people who are at a higher risk of developing these diseases and might open up targets for treatment.

Mechanism studies are ephemeral. Recall that at one time there were only three elementary particles - electrons, protons and neutrons. Now there are way more.

There is only one major mechanism - more Calories in than out.

The fix?

Fewer Calories in than out.

Over and out.

Young, Obese and in Surgery

2012-01-10T05:06:00.002-06:00

A surprisingly not too bad story from the frequently fact-/truth-challenged NYT about the IMHO malpractice known as bariatric surgery. Read it all. Here are some excerpts:

There was no question, at 5-foot-1 and more than 250 pounds, she was overweight. But she resisted, saying she could diet.

“I’ll lose weight,” Ms. Gofman assured her doctor.

Dr. Vayner said, prophetically, “It’s not your fault, but you’re not going to be able to do it.”

True and false.

True because almost all conventional diets are starvation diets. (e.g., see here, here, here, here, here and here).

False because all a person has to do to lose weight is consume fewer Calories than they burn. This should be apparent and within the reach of just about everyone.

And why is this IMHO malpractice really pushed by the sick care industry? Perhaps this is why:

The operation took about 25 minutes. Child Health Plus, a state insurance plan for low-income families, covered the $21,369 cost. Medicaid in almost every state and many private health plans now cover bariatric surgery, often more readily than diet or exercise plans.

On many days, Dr. Sherwinter performs three or four operations in a row.

And how good is this medical s**t? Maybe this good:

A Belgian study of adult patients found that nearly half had their bands removed within 12 years for various reasons, according to the study’s principal author, Dr. Jacques Himpens: they did not lose much weight; they regained what they had lost; they had frequent heartburn or vomiting; or the band would slip or perforate the stomach.

A German study found that 30 percent of patients needed new operations within 14 years, some because they wanted bands removed, and others because of complications like slippage.

Another study in Australia found that one-third of operations on teenagers required follow-up surgeries within two years, often because of “pouch dilation,” when the stomach above the band becomes enlarged, which can happen if the patient does not follow the regimen and tries to eat too much...

Stomach enlargement, she said, “speaks to the importance of additional education for the adolescent to understand the importance of adhering to the new eating program.”

Well, if these fat people could adhere to a new eating program, they would never had "needed" the surgery.

Duh.

And for how long does a victim of this surgery have to adhere to a new eating program?

“It’s not just you can’t eat Thanksgiving dinner,” Dr. Zuckerman said. “You’re going to have to have this tiny little meal for the rest of your life.”

Good luck with that.

More like little luck with that:

Ms. Gofman arrived for her first postoperative visit 13 days after the surgery, stylishly dressed in a bias-cut black sweater, blue pants and short snow boots. The scale read 251 pounds, 20 pounds below that of her last weigh-in.

But her mood did not match. “You know how you said I can have mashed potatoes a little bit,” she told Dr. Sherwinter. “I measured it. I didn’t feel full at all. Then I was bad. I ate a little bit more and a little bit more, and I still didn’t feel full, but I stopped.”

Ms. Gofman wanted a “fill” of her band, an infusion of saline to make it even more constricting, even though Dr. Sherwinter had told her to wait six weeks before tightening it. She then confessed that she had also eaten a dumpling skin.

“That’s probably not the best thing to do,” Dr. Sherwinter said. “Dumplings are fried and have mongo calories.”

“I’m just so nervous to fail my own diet,” she said. “There’s a diner downstairs from my apartment, and a Dunkin’ Donuts.”

“The key is moderation, having a little mashed potato but not a portion,” he said.

“I’m not good at moderation,” she replied.

And...

She would wolf down her food, and then she would run to the bathroom to vomit or sit in pain waiting for it to make its way through the band. “I couldn’t even have a single little sandwich without embarrassing myself and going to the bathroom,” she said.

To her dismay, she discovered that “all the fattening foods” — chips, chocolate — went down easily. “Apples and bread are hard,” she said. “It’s annoying how hungry I was.”...

Ms. Gofman, who has just turned 20, saw Dr. Sherwinter in November. She had regained not quite half of what she had lost. He did not scold or blame her. He tightened her band, so it now took an hour and a half to force down two scrambled eggs.

She does not want to reveal how much she weighs, but she is fighting constant hunger, and progress is slow.

And so it really goes.

In the real world.

Experts Urge BMI Method for Calculating Weight in Kids With Eating Disorders

2012-01-10T05:05:00.000-06:00

For once, the experts got it right.

An exact determination of expected body weight for adolescents based on age, height and gender is critical for diagnosis and management of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. However, there are no clear guidelines regarding the appropriate method for calculating this weight in children with such disorders.

In a study to be published online Jan. 4, 2012, in the journal Pediatrics, researchers from the University of Chicago, the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Rochester Medical Center compared three common methods for calculating expected body weight of adolescents with eating disorders and found that the body mass index (BMI) percentile method is recommended for clinical and research purposes.

Forget "clinical and research purposes."

BMI is best since it relates to the likelihood of developing certain bad illnesses and it is accessible to just about everyone.

All that is needed is height and weight.

There is no need to enter the sick care system to determine it.

That last fact, alone, is reason enough to use it and love it.

Congress may set national PE standards to fight child obesity

2012-01-10T05:04:00.005-06:00

This will work every bit as well as Michellesie "The Cow" Obama's moronic program.

With public schools cutting back on spending for physical education, some members of Congress want to intervene, worried that the nation's schools are churning out too many fat kids.

The only hope is to vote these fools out of office.

Here is the Fat Fearless Leaderette:

Here is what she and her moron hubby should do (making the generous assumption that they are capable of thinking):

Another Example of Sick Care Ignoring Past Proof

2012-01-09T05:06:00.011-06:00

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
—George Santayana, Life of Reason, Reason in Common Sense, Scribner's, 1905, p. 284

Beware of what you read and believe as we at Fitness Watch have been saying all along re: weight loss and fitness.

Here is an article from 06 January 2012 about "new" research.

Here is a British Fertility Society press release about the "new" research.

Here is an article from 1997.

Below are two music videos that include Santayana's words:

Scientists Reassess Weight Loss Surgery For Type 2 Diabetes

2012-01-09T05:05:00.000-06:00

That there was a need to "reassess" is embarrassing.

Weight loss surgery is not a cure for type 2 diabetes, but it can improve blood sugar control, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Surgery. Whereas some previous studies have claimed that up to 80 per cent of diabetes patients have been cured following gastric bypass surgery, researchers at Imperial College London found that only 41 per cent of patients achieve remission using more stringent criteria.

Of course fat person surgery could not cure Type 2 diabetes.

As soon as the weight comes back on, the illness generally returns.

More overselling by the sick care profession.

New Gene That Regulates Body Weight Discovered

2012-01-09T05:04:00.003-06:00

At last. They found the one.

Oops. Not.

Actually, one more of over 6000.

Abraham Kovoor was studying a brain protein, called RGS9-2, that he had previously related to the involuntary, random and repetitive body movements that are side effects of drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.

While studying these side effects, which are called dyskinesia, Kovoor, an assistant professor in the University of Rhode Island's College of Pharmacy, discovered that RGS9-2 also plays a role in regulating body weight.

With so many thousands of genes related to weight, or so they say, the task of finding a genetic cure is nigh impossible.

Even this "shake, rattle and roll" gene ain't gonna be the salvation.

Is Georgia's Anti-Obesity Campaign a Form of Bullying?

2012-01-08T17:16:00.000-06:00

Poor little, fragile fatso kids, their indignant nutritional child abusing parents and enablers like Lynn Grefe of NEDA.

The Georgia anti-childhood obesity campaign featuring overweight children has been called shocking and sparked heated debate across the country. Now it has attracted the attention of the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), who has equated the advertisements to bullying.

“Every day we hear about the terrible rise in bullying within our schools, yet this ad campaign could actually promote and give permission to such behaviors among kids,” Lynn Grefe, president and CEO of NEDA, said in a press release. “Sadly, these ads will be successful in shaming children with weight problems and their parents, but will do nothing to promote and educate about wellness and emotional well-being. Shame on Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta … not shame on the local kids.”

Grefe also calls for an end to the campaign: “Responsibility starts with them pulling the ads.”

The Strong4Life campaign, sponsored by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, feature black-and-white images of overweight and obese children along with the tagline, “Stop sugarcoating it, Georgia.” In one of the commercials, an overweight teen asks his mother, “Mom, why am I fat?”

The truth sometimes hurts.

Deal with it.

Exercise may reduce prostate cancer risk

2012-01-08T05:06:00.003-06:00

That would be conventional exercise. That is why there is uncertainty, as in "may."

To really make a difference you have to train.

The idea that physically active men might be less likely to develop prostate cancer has been controversial. Some studies say yes, others no — and a couple even suggest that exercise leads to more cancers.

Now a San Antonio researcher's review of dozens of studies shows regular exercise probably lowers the risk — a little.

Here is some training that apparently works:

Report Looks at Best Diets, Easiest to Follow

2012-01-08T05:05:00.000-06:00

Idiocy on steroids.

Who isn't looking for a diet this month? Whether you're resolving to lose weight, eat healthier, or manage or prevent health problems, here's help.

Just out today: the U.S. News & World Report's Best Diets 2012, a rating of 25 different diet plans.

And the winner is?

There is only one diet.

There is only one best diet.

The one diet is where you consume fewer Calories than you burn.

The one best diet is the one where you sustain consuming fewer Calories than you burn long enough to lose the desired amount of weight.

Period.

End.

Excess Calories, Not Mix of Protein, Fat, or Carbohydrate, Key in Causing Obesity

2012-01-07T05:06:00.000-06:00

More about this madness.

Excess food consumption, rather than any specific caloric mixture of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, is an important driver of obesity, and will be key in curbing it, suggests new research published in the January 3 issue of JAMA.

The medical establishment discovering that it is all about the Calories is like a 70 year old discovering that he/she had hands.

The ultimate proof of the stupefied condition of the system and its leaders.

Brain power can decline from age 45: study

2012-01-07T05:05:00.001-06:00

Two words: Anabolic Clinic (sm).

Cognitive skills can start to fall from the age of 45, not from around the age of 60 as is commonly thought, according to research published on Friday by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Researchers led by Archana Singh-Manoux from the Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health in France and University College London observed 5,198 men and 2,192 women over a 10-year period from 1997.

The volunteers were London civil servants aged between 45 and 70 who had been enrolled in a long-term health study.

Over the 10 years, the participants were tested three times -- for memory, vocabulary, and skills in aural and visual comprehension.

During this time, there was a 3.6-percent decline in mental reasoning in men aged 45-49 and a 9.6-percent fall in those aged 65-70. The corresponding figures for women were 3.6 and 7.4 percent.

"Cognitive decline is already evident in middle age," says the paper, which defines this as the years from 45 to 49.

To learn how anabolic substances can improve cognition, go here, here and here.

Report Finds Most Errors at Hospitals Go Unreported

2012-01-07T05:04:00.003-06:00

Another reason to get fit.

Hospital employees recognize and report only one out of seven errors, accidents and other events that harm Medicare patients while they are hospitalized, federal investigators say in a new report.

Yet even after hospitals investigate preventable injuries and infections that have been reported, they rarely change their practices to prevent repetition of the “adverse events,” according to the study, from Daniel R. Levinson, inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Fit people generally require fewer hospitalizations and therefore less exposure to hospital-related risk.

U.S. News and World Report Ranks Easiest Diets to Follow

2012-01-06T05:06:00.000-06:00

K-rqp article - do not be fooled.

For the Easiest Diets list, programs received points for convenience, ease of initial adjustment, fullness and taste.

Nothing about success.

Why?

Because they all do poorly, including the alleged best one.

How Much Protein Helps With Weight Loss?

2012-01-06T05:05:00.001-06:00

Why you should not trust conventional sick care to help you lose weight.

Calories are the culprits that cause weight gain when people overeat, not the amount of protein in the diet, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

If it is just realizing that weight loss is all about Calories in vs. Calories out, then its members, e.g., docs, nurses, dietitians, etc., are just plain stupid.

Don't let the stupid lead you.

Physically Active Kids Appear To Do Better In Class

2012-01-06T05:04:00.000-06:00

Another possible reason for kids to be active.

A systematic review of published data reported in the January issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine finds there may be a positive link between physical activity and academic performance of children in school: the ones who are more physically active seem to do better in class. However, the authors are cautious about the certainty of this finding because too few of the studies they reviewed were of sufficiently high quality. They call for further research using more robust measures of physical activity.

And even if active kids are not "smarter," for sure inactive kids (and their crappy parents) are stupid.

Calories, not protein, boost body fat: study

2012-01-05T05:06:00.000-06:00

What we at Fitness Watch have been saying all along.

"The key finding of this study is that calories are more important than protein while consuming excess amounts of energy with respect to increases in body fat," said the research, led by George Bray of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

It is all about Calories in vs. Calories out.

Period.

End.

Gastric bypass cuts death risk: study

2012-01-05T05:05:00.001-06:00

If true, then the fat should pay for it themselves if they want to live.

After all, fat is a choice.

"Bariatric surgery was associated with reduced number of fatal heart attack deaths (22 in the surgery group vs. 37 in the control group)," said the study led by Lars Sjostrom of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Bariatric surgery was also linked to a lower number of heart attacks overall, fewer strokes, and fewer fatal strokes.

But when the researchers looked at weight change alone, they could find no significant relationship to cardiovascular events in either group, suggesting that the weight loss itself might not be the driver of fewer deaths.

If they do not want to pay, then adios, fatsos.

Why Ice May Be Bad for Sore Muscles

2012-01-05T05:04:00.000-06:00

Another truth bites the dust.

Already, the benches in gym locker rooms and beside basketball courts are filling with 2012’s early casualties, those of us who, goaded by New Year’s resolutions, are exercising a bit too enthusiastically and developing sore muscles. Many of us will then drape ice packs over our aching muscles. But a new review article published this month in the journal Sports Medicine suggests that for sore muscles, ice is not always the panacea that most of us believe it to be and that, in some instances, it can be counterproductive.

For the study, researchers at the University of Ulster and University of Limerick in Ireland reviewed almost three dozen earlier studies of the effects of using ice to combat sore muscles, a practice that many who exercise often employ. Ice is, after all, the “I” in the acronym RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation), which remains the standard first-aid protocol for dealing with a sports-related injury. Icing is also widely used to deal with muscles that twinge but aren’t formally injured. Watch almost any football, basketball or soccer game, at any level, and you’ll likely see many of the players icing body parts during halftime, preparing to return to play.

But there has been surprisingly little science to support the practice. A 2004 review of icing-related studies published to that point concluded that while cold packs did seem to reduce pain in injured tissues, icing’s overall effects on sore muscles had “not been fully elucidated” and far more study was needed.

Last year, a small-scale randomized trial found no discernible benefits from icing leg muscle tears. The cooled muscles did not heal faster or feel less painful than the untreated tissues. But, as the researchers point out, it is difficult to scientifically study icing, since you can’t blind people to whether they are receiving the therapy or a placebo. People generally can tell if their muscles are getting cold or not.

Which leaves the findings of the new review about icing by athletes as the best overview we may have for now. And the findings are not altogether comforting.

The authors write that, in a majority of the studies they looked at, icing was quite effective at numbing soreness. But it also significantly reduced muscle strength and power for up to 15 minutes after the icing had ended. It also tended to lessen fine motor coordination. Some of the reviewed studies found that people experienced impaired limb proprioception, or their sense of where their limb was in space after it had been iced.

The result was frequently, at least in the short term, poorer athletic performance.

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

'Stop Sugarcoating' Child Obesity Ads Draw Controversy

2012-01-04T05:06:00.003-06:00

It's about time.

"Being fat takes the fun out of being a kid," read graphics of a TV ad in which a young girl tells of how she doesn't like going to school because she's bullied over her weight.

It is part of a video and print campaign to combat childhood obesity in Georgia, which has one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the nation.

But could the ads end up stigmatizing overweight kids instead of solving the problem?

BFD and f**k you, weenie kids and adults. All other approaches, i.e., coddling, have understandably and predictably failed.

And hold the nutritional child-abusing parents responsible, too.

Academic performance at school linked to exercise

2012-01-04T05:05:00.000-06:00

No doubt (except training, not exercising, is what works - see below).

How well children perform in the classroom could be linked to how physically active they are, suggests a Dutch review of previous studies.

Writing in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, researchers said they found strong evidence of a link between exercise and academic performance.

The review looked at 14 studies involving more than 12,000 children.

Healthy mind, healthy body.

But train. Don't exercise.

Exercise is useless or worse.

Detoxing in January is futile, says liver charity

2012-01-04T05:04:00.000-06:00

And stupid.

Giving up alcohol or going on a detox for one month is pointless, especially after the excesses of the festive season, says a liver charity.

Instead, the British Liver Trust says drinkers should make a decision to stay off alcohol for a few days every week throughout the whole year.

Experts agree that a short period of complete abstinence will not improve liver health.

A longer-term attitude to alcohol is more desirable, the charity said.

Andrew Langford, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said that people tend to believe the hype about rejuvenating their liver by detoxing in January.

"People think they're virtuous with their health by embarking on a liver detox each January with the belief that they are cleansing their liver of excess following the festive break...

"Detoxing for just a month in January is medically futile. It can lead to a false sense of security and feeds the idea that you can abuse your liver as much as you like and then sort everything else with a quick fix.

"It makes about as much sense as maxing out your credit cards and overdraft all year, then thinking you can fix it by just eating toast in January. The figures just don't stack up," said Dr Wright.

Which is true for all "detox" diets.

More Reasons To Keep This New Year's Weight Loss Resolution Uncovered By Ben-Gurion U Researchers

2012-01-03T05:06:00.000-06:00

Wrong and right.

Wrong:

Long-term healthy dietary interventions frequently induce a rapid weight decline, mainly in the first four to six months, followed by weight stabilization or regain, despite continued dieting. The partial regain may discourage people from adhering to healthier habits, but research now shows that improvements to health remain even if weight is regained.

Four to six months is not long-term.

It is impossible to diet, i.e., eat fewer Calories than you burn and have your weight stabilize or increase.

Right:

The study recently released online in Diabetes Care (Print: February 2012) identified two distinct biomarker patterns that correspond to weight change, one of which continues to improve with time.

The study was conducted among 322 participants during the two-year Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial (DIRECT) performed by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev at the Nuclear Research Center Negev, Israel (New England Journal of Medicine). The population was randomized to three different, but healthy interventions: low-fat, Mediterranean or low-carbohydrate diets, and unprecedented adherence rates were maintained throughout the entire two-year period.

According to BGU Faculty of Health Sciences Prof. Assaf Rudich, "This study tells us that we may all have tunnel vision on weight when it comes to healthy dieting. Although maintaining ideal body weight is linked to better health, when it comes to adopting healthier dietary habits in mild to moderately obese people, there are benefits beyond weight loss, such as decreasing inflammatory tone and elevating the 'good cholesterol' HDL."

If you are a believer in biomarkers, then this has value to you.

Prepregnancy BMI, Pregnancy Weight Gain Linked With Higher Birth Weight

2012-01-03T05:05:00.002-06:00

The conclusion? The fat should not reproduce.

"[P]repregnant BMI alone is an important predictor of birthweight. Furthermore, weight gain during pregnancy has an effect on offspring birthweight independent of prepregnancy BMI. An obvious goal should be to [encourage] overweight and obese women to attain healthy weight before conception and keep a moderate weight gain during pregnancy," the authors conclude.

What we have been calling for all along.

Diabetes during pregnancy may raise ADHD risk

2012-01-03T05:04:00.000-06:00

And who is more likely to get diabetes when pregnant?

The study, published this week in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that children whose mothers received a diabetes diagnosis during pregnancy (known as gestational diabetes) were twice as likely as their peers to meet the criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at age six.

Fatsos, i.e., homo sow-piens.

Coast Guard Passenger-Limit Rule Reflects Americans’ Weight Gain

2012-01-02T05:06:00.000-06:00

How fat are Americans?

The average U.S. adult weighs significantly more today than a few decades ago, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to implement nationwide regulations that could restrict the number of passengers allowed on board a vessel.

The new vessel-stability rules raised the estimated weight of an average adult passenger from 160 pounds to 185 pounds.

The regulation follows population data from the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggesting a dramatic weight increase in the past two decades. An estimated one-third of U.S. adults are considered obese, according to the CDC.

The vessel-stability rules apply to any passenger vessel that carries six or more paid customers, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said.

Each vessel is inspected for stability by the Coast Guard and given a weight restriction, the spokeswoman said. The Department of Homeland Security uses an Assumed Average Weight per Person to set weight restrictions on boats based on their size and capacity.

Many ferry and charter-boat operators have begun reducing the number of passengers allowed on board.

The Coast Guard last implemented changes to the rules in 1960, when the average adult weight was between 140 and 160 pounds.

Fat enough to sink a ship.