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03 Jan 2012 10:41

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Culture: Researchers: Eating too much fat can injure parts of your brain

  • C is for Uh-Oh: Medical researchers have found that within 24 hours of a high-fat diet, there is measurable damage in the brains of rodents and humans. “Obese individuals are biologically defending their elevated body weight,” said Dr. Michael Schwartz, a professor at the University of Washington. The study indicates that eating fat leads to changes in the brain, and in the body, because it affects the hypothalamus, which regulates weight. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Aug 2011 10:46

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World: Australian study: Watching tons of TV shortens your lifespan

  • 22 minutes shorter for each hour of television you watch, lazy slob source
  • » No, TV isn’t a carcinogen: The reason for this is that when you’re watching TV, you’re usually not doing anything, least of which working out. You’re just staring at Kate Gosselin and her army of kids, learning absolutely nothing from The Learning Channel other than that you probably don’t want to be a single mom with eight kids. By the way, that 22 minutes you just wasted watching an hourlong block of Jon Gosselin’s biggest problem? That’s the same level of longevity taken away when you smoke two cigarettes. Think about that.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jun 2011 13:34

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Biz: Protip: Sports drinks great for exercise, not for kids

  • Sports drinks probably aren’t the best choice for kids, because they could lead to obesity, according to a new study. Researchers suggest that children drink water for hydration instead, because there aren’t the extra calories you might find in sports drinks like Gatorade or Powerade. The study also looked at kids that were drinking energy drinks after exercise, coming to the somewhat obvious finding that they’re bad for kids because of the extra stimulants in them — including caffeine. A spokesperson for the American Beverage Association, an industry group, notes that the drinks “are not intended for young consumers.” source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 May 2011 14:30

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U.S.: Obvious thing of the day: Computers in offices make us fat, lazy

  • We have transitioned from jobs that primarily involved doing physical activity on our feet to ones where most of us make our living while sitting.
  • Pennington Biomedical Research Center researcher Timothy Church • Describing why we use far fewer calories at work now than we did 30 years ago. To put it simply, we sit around a lot, a fact which anyone could tell you by the mere fact that they too sit around at their computers all day. Could someone create … like a Wii version of Excel or something like that? So we might have to exercise while adding things to a spreadsheet or blogging or cutting out a photo in Photoshop? Or could you turn our computers into treadmills that only power on while we’re running on them? Seems like all this technology at our disposable makes us lazy and fat or something. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 May 2011 10:27

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Biz: Arizona ensures the Happy Meal stays unregulated, unhealthy

  • It’s not that we’re trying to make kids fat — clearly we’re not; it’s about how much government intrusion is really necessary.
  • Arizona Restaurant Association president Steve Chucri • Using the small-government argument to fight for one of his group’s major interests: Keeping Happy Meals unregulated. The group helped push forth an Arizona law that bars local governments from doing what San Francisco did — that is, forcing fast-food places to sell healthier food with their toy-laden meals. Yale’s Kelly Brownell, who leads the university’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, offers a pretty good explanation why the food industry is fighting so hard against the policy: “The companies are fearful these laws will impede their opportunity to recruit new customers,” he notes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Apr 2011 20:47

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U.S.: If you read any 6,000-word article on sugar today, let it be this one

The New York Times Magazine has a freaking massive piece on whether or not sugar is toxic. Want the answer? Well, you’re gonna have to read it, sweetheart. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Oct 2010 20:39

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Culture: Marie Claire forced into mea culpa over anti-obesity blog post

  • So anyway, yes, I think I’d be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other … because I’d be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything.
  • Marie Claire writer Maura Kelly • Basically calling fat people ugly and claiming that they’re at fault for their conditions. Kelly, who was responding to a CNN article about Hollywood’s treatment of plus-size characters in TV shows, went on to claim that “obesity is something that most people have a ton of control over” and offered advice to people to lose weight. The result? Well, she’s pretty much the most hated woman on the Internet today, was forced to respond to the article to apologize profusely, and should probably never write anything ever again. Listen, Maura, Julius may have a few extra pounds on his torso, but he’s not going to take your abuse! Say one more word and he’s gonna chase you down with a Twinkie or one of those dumbbells he never uses. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

23 Sep 2010 18:39

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U.S.: Whoa, this is heavy, Doc: U.S. to get progressively fatter

  • 75% of America will be obese or overweight by 2020 source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Sep 2010 20:53

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U.S.: Obesity is expensive, but it’s way more expensive for women

  • $4,879 the yearly cost of being obese for women
  • $2,646 the yearly cost of being obese for men source
  • » Why the disparity?: Apparently, it’s because overweight women tend to make less than thin women do, but men suffer from no similar weight tax on their income. The really scary thing, by the way, is that once life expectancy is factored in, the numbers become significantly higher – $8,365 for women and $6,518 for men. Yikes.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jul 2010 22:34

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Biz: Who cares if it works? FDA won’t recommend weight-loss drug

  • yes Qnexa, a weight-loss drug developed by Vivus, helped obese people lose weight – lots of it.
  • but The drug, however, had side effects, and it was unclear if it led to heart attacks or strokes.
  • no A FDA advisory panel chose not to endorse the obesity drug. Vivus loses again! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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