Coffee’s health benefits aren’t as straightforward as they seem – here’s why

1. Charlotte MillsLecturer in Human Nutrition, University of Reading
2. Ashley HookingsPhD Candidate, Coffee Intake and Cardiometabolic Health, University of Reading

You’ve probably heard it before: drinking coffee is good for your health. Studies have shown that drinking a moderate amount of coffee is associated with many health benefits, including a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetesand cardiovascular disease. But while these associations have been demonstrated many times, they don’t actually prove that coffee reduces disease risk. In fact, proving that coffee is good for your health is complicated.

While it’s suggested that consuming three to five cups of coffee a day will provide optimal health benefits, it’s not quite that straightforward. Coffee is chemically complex, containing many components that can affect your health in different ways. 

While caffeine is the most well-known compound in coffee, there is more to coffee than caffeine. Here are a few of the other compounds found in coffee that might affect your health.

Alkaloids. Aside from caffeine, trigonelline is another important alkaloid found in coffee. Trigonelline is less researched than caffeine, but research suggests that it may have health benefits, such as reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Polyphenols. Some research shows that these compounds, which are found in many plants, including cocoa and blueberries, are good for your heart and blood vessels, and may help to prevent neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Coffee predominantly contains a class of polyphenols called chlorogenic acids. 

Diterpenes. Coffee contains two types of diterpenes – cafestol and kahweol – that make up coffee oil, the natural fatty substance released from coffee during brewing. Diterpenes may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Melanoidins. These compounds, which are produced at high temperatures during the roasting process, give roasted coffee its colour and provide the characteristic flavour and aroma of coffee. They may also have a prebiotic effect, meaning they increase the amount of beneficial bacteria in your gut, which is important for overall health.

The way your coffee is grown, brewed and served can all affect the compounds your coffee contains and hence the health benefits you might see.

It isn’t just how you brew it – even where coffee is grown affects what compounds it contains.

Processing will also affect the coffee’s chemical composition. For example, some coffee is decaffeinated. This is typically done before roasting, and depending on the decaffeination method, it may further affect other compounds. For example, small levels of chlorogenicacids are lost during the decaffeination process. 

The extent that coffee is roasted is also key. The more severe the roasting, the more melanoidins formed (and the more intense the flavour). But this lowers chlorogenic acidsand trigonelline content. 

In the UK, instant coffee is the most commonly consumed type of coffee. This is typically freeze-dried. Research shows that instant coffee contains higher levels of melanoidinsper serving compared with filter coffee and espresso.

How you prepare your coffeewill also affect its chemical composition. For example, boiled coffee contains a higher level of diterpenes compared with filter coffee. Other factors – such as the amount of coffee used, how finely it was ground, water temperature and cup size – will also affect the coffee’s chemical composition.

Health effects

Every compound has different effects on your health, which is why the way coffee is produced and brewed can be important.

Chlorogenic acids, for example, are thought to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by improving the function of your arteries. There’s also evidence they may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by controlling blood sugar spikes after eating. 

On the other hand, diterpenes have been shown to increase levels of low-density lipoprotein, a type of cholesterol associated with cardiovascular disease. While less research has focused on trigonelline and melanoidins, some evidence suggests both may be good for your health.

Adding cream, sugar and syrup will change the nutritional content of your cup. Not only will they increase the calorie content, they may also increase your intake of saturated fats and sugars. Both of these are associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease and may counter the beneficial effects of the other compounds your cup of coffee contains.

There’s also evidence that people may respond differently to some of these compounds. Regularly drinking three to four cups of coffee daily has been shown to build tolerance to the blood pressure raising effects of caffeine. Genetics may also play a role in how your body handles caffeine and other compounds.

Increasing evidence also points to the gut microbiome as an important factor in determining what health effects coffee may have. For example, some research suggests the gut microbes play an important role in chlorogenic acid metabolism, and hence may determine if they will benefit your health or not.

Researchers need to conduct large studies to confirm the findings of these smaller studies, which seem to show that coffee is good for your health. But in the meantime, minimise the sugar and cream you use in your coffee. And if you’re in good health and aren’t pregnant, continue to take a moderate approach to coffee consumption, choosing filter coffee where possible.

Cannabis use can cause harmful drug interactions

By Judith Van Dongen, WSU Health Sciences Spokane Office of Research

SPOKANE, Wash.—Using cannabis alongside other drugs may come with a significant risk of harmful drug-drug interactions, new research by scientists at Washington State University suggests.

The researchers looked at cannabinoids—a group of substances found in the cannabis plant—and their major metabolites found in cannabis users’ blood and found that they interfere with two families of enzymes that help metabolize a wide range of drugs prescribed for a variety of conditions. As a result, either the drugs’ positive effects might decrease or their negative effects might increase with too much building up in the body, causing unintended side effects such as toxicity or accidental overdose.

While more research needs to be done, the authors said one early takeaway from these studies is that it’s important to be careful when using cannabis with other prescription drugs.

“Physicians need to be aware of the possibility of toxicity or lack of response when patients are using cannabinoids,” said Philip Lazarus, senior author on the papers and Boeing distinguished professor of pharmaceutical sciences. “It’s one thing if you’re young and healthy and smoke cannabis once in a while, but for older people who are using medications, taking CBD or medicinal marijuana may negatively impact their treatment.”

The findings were described in a pair of studies published in the journal Drug Metabolism and Disposition. One study focused on a family of enzymes known as cytochrome P450s (CYPs), whereas the other looked at UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs), another enzyme family. Together, these two enzyme families help metabolize and eliminate more than 70 percent of the most commonly used drugs from the body.

While there has been limited previous research focused on potential drug interactions caused by cannabinoids, this new research provides the first known comprehensive look at the interaction between three of the most abundant cannabinoids—tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN)—and their metabolites and all of the major CYP enzymes. This is also the first known research that looked for interactions between these cannabinoids and UGT enzymes, specifically.

“Cannabinoids stay in your body only for about 30 minutes before they are rapidly broken down,” said first author Shamema Nasrin, a graduate student in the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “The metabolites that result from that process stay in your body for much longer—up to 14 days—and at higher concentrations than cannabinoids and have been overlooked in previous studies, which is why we thought we should focus on those as well.”

The researchers used manipulated human kidney cells that allowed them to look at a single enzyme at a time and validated their results in human liver and kidney specimens in which many of these enzymes were present. They found that cannabinoids and the major THC metabolites strongly inhibited several CYP enzymes. One key discovery was that one of the most abundant THC metabolites, called THC-COO-Gluc—which had not been previously studied in this context—appears to play a major role in inhibiting several key enzymes in the liver. Looking at the UGT enzyme family, the researchers found that all three cannabinoids, but especially CBD, inhibited two of the primary UGT enzymes present in the liver. CBD was also found to block three enzymes that account for about 95 percent of kidney UGT metabolism, which helps clear toxins and certain drugs from the body.

“If you have a kidney disease or you are taking one or more drugs that are metabolized primarily through the kidney and you’re also smoking marijuana, you could be inhibiting normal kidney function, and it may have long-term effects for you,” Lazarus said.

Nasrin added that these interactions between CBD and UGT enzymes could be inhibiting kidney function in patients with acute kidney disease or kidney cancer, who may be using CBD to treat pain or to try to reduce the side effects from anti-cancer drugs.

“Taking CBD or marijuana might help your pain but could be making the other drug you’re taking more toxic, and that increase in toxicity may mean that you can’t continue taking that drug,” Nasrin said. “So, there could be serious ramifications for anti-cancer drugs, and that’s only one example of the many drugs that could potentially be affected by the cannabinoid-enzyme interactions we’re seeing.”

Others who worked with Nasrin and Lazarus on this research include Christy Watson, Yadira Perez-Paramo, Keti Bardhi, Gabriela Fort and Gang Chen, all of whom are, or previously were, at the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Funding for these studies came from the Health Sciences and Services Authority of Spokane County and the State of Washington’s Initiative Measure No. 502, which funds the university’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Program.

New biosensors shine a light on CRISPR gene editing

Source Newsroom: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Credit: Credit: Guoliang Yuan/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Detecting the activity of CRISPR gene editing tools in organisms with the naked eye and an ultraviolet flashlight is now possible using technology developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Scientists demonstrated these real-time detection tools in plants and anticipate their use in animals, bacteria and fungi with diverse applications for biotechnology, biosecurity, bioenergy and agriculture. The team described the successful development of the UV system in Horticulture Researchand their proof-of-principle demonstration in ACS Synthetic Biology.

CRISPR technologies have quickly become the primary tools of bioengineering, and new versions are continually in development. Identifying whether an organism has been modified by CRISPR technology was previously a complex and time-consuming process.

“Before this, the only way to tell if genome engineering occurred was to do a forensic analysis,” said Paul Abraham, a bioanalytical chemist and head of ORNL’s Secure Ecosystem Engineering and Design Science Focus Area. “To be successful, you would need to know what the genome looked like before it was rewritten. We wanted to design a platform where we could proactively observe CRISPR activity.”

The research team developed an efficient self-detect solution that takes advantage of the way CRISPR works to trigger the technology to reveal itself. Under normal conditions, CRISPR works by connecting with a short RNA sequence, known as the guide RNA, as it leads CRISPR to a matching DNA sequence. When the target DNA is found, CRISPR modifies the DNA by acting like tiny molecular scissors to cut through one or both strands of DNA, depending on the type of CRISPR technology in use.

Abraham likens their method to an alarm system with two components: a biosensor guide RNA that redirects CRISPR activity and a reporter protein that flags the activity. Researchers encode the two components into an organism’s DNA to enable the monitoring system.

With the self-detect system in place, the biosensor guide RNA intercepts CRISPR, preventing CRISPR from connecting with its original gene target and redirecting CRISPR to a specific DNA sequence that encodes for a nonfunctioning green fluorescent protein, or GFP. When CRISPR edits the sequence, it flips a switch that produces functioning GFP, which creates a green glow signaling CRISPR’s presence.

Because a microscope is required to see the glow from GFP, the researchers improved on their original method by replacing GFP with a similar reporter protein, called eYGFPuv, that is visible under the type of ultraviolet light commonly known as a black light.

“Now we can see whether CRISPR is active in real time regardless of the size, shape and location of the organisms we’re evaluating,” Abraham said. “This flexibility speeds the bioengineering process and extends the biosensors’ use in laboratory and field applications.”

Since CRISPR must be tailored to each organism for effective use, knowing whether the CRISPR technology is working in a particular plant or microbe can accelerate progress toward goals such as developing drought-resistant bioenergy crops and engineering bacteria to efficiently convert plants into sustainable aviation fuels.

“These tools allow us to quickly identify positive transformants with desired genetic changes we are targeting,” said Carrie Eckert, lead for ORNL’s Synthetic Biology Group. “We are easily able to see the variants versus those where modification did not occur.”

The biosensors also provide an effective method to know whether CRISPR is still active after the desired modifications have taken effect. ORNL plant synthetic biologist and co-author Xiaohan Yang compares CRISPR’s genome editing activity to a beneficial surgery but cautions that “you don’t want the surgeon to leave the scissors behind” as continued CRISPR activity could have unintended effects.

Yang envisions biosensor applications that could test the progeny of modified plants, for instance, to verify that the gene editing machinery did not transfer to them. With this technology, it is possible to survey an entire field of crops.

The research team created specific biosensors to detect various CRISPR tools, including Cas9 nuclease, prime editor, base editor and CRISPRa. They demonstrated the sensors individually with each sensor signaling the presence of a particular type of CRISPR tool. Abraham also sees the potential to combine the biosensors into a version that would flag multiple gene editing technologies at once.

“We’ll continue to optimize these biosensors to improve the security of next-generation biotechnologies,” Abraham said.

Contributors to the paper titled “Expanding the application of a UV-visible reporter for transient gene expressions and stable transformation in plants” include ORNL’s Guoliang Yuan, Haiwei Lu, Md. Mahmudul Hassan, Jin-Gui Chen, Gerald Tuskan and Xiaohan Yang, as well as Dan Tang and Yi Li of the University of Connecticut.

The scientists detailed their proof-of-principle demonstration in ACS Synthetic Biology. Co-authors on the paper, “Plant-based biosensors for detecting CRISPR-mediated genome editing,” include ORNL’s Guoliang Yuan, Md. Mahmudul Hassan, Tao Yao, Haiwei Lu, Michael Vergara, Wellington Muchero, Jin-Gui Chen, Gerald Tuskan, Paul Abraham, Xiaohan Yang and Jesse Labbe (now at Invaio Sciences), as well as Changtian Pan and Yiping Qi of the University of Maryland.

The research was supported by the Center for Bioenergy Innovation and the Secure Ecosystem Engineering and Design Science Focus Area, which are both funded by the Biological and Environmental Research program in DOE’s Office of Science. Additional support was provided by the National Science Foundation.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.

Repurposed drug combats obesity in mice

NIH

At a Glance

• Obese mice lost weight and showed improved metabolic function when treated with a drug that’s normally prescribed for alcohol use disorder.
• Further testing will be needed to determine whether the drug could be effective for treating obesity in people.

Mice made obese from a high fat diet were switched to a diet dosed with disulfiram (Antabuse), shown here, which helped them lose weight and improve their metabolic health. serge001 / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Obesity is a top public health concern. Being obese increases the risk for a variety of health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Excess body weight can cause harmful changes in metabolism—the process by which we turn the energy we eat into fuel for the body’s cells. These metabolic problems can damage many organs, including the liver and pancreas.

Eating a diet high in fat and simple sugars can lead to excess weight as well as chronic, low-grade inflammation in the body. An improved diet and increased physical activity can help reduce body fat, but maintaining a healthy weight can be challenging. Researchers have thus been working to develop new treatments for obesity.

A research team led by Drs. Michel Bernier and Rafael de Cabo of NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA) investigated the use of the medication disulfiram for treating obesity in mice. This drug has been prescribed for alcohol use disorder for over 50 years. Sold under the brand name Antabuse, it is known to have anti-inflammatory properties. The researchers became interested in disulfiram after reading about the benefits this class of drug has shown in treating type 2 diabetes in rats.

The researchers fed middle-aged lab mice a high-fat diet for 12 weeks. The mice became overweight and started showing signs of metabolic problems similar to pre-diabetes. These included insulin resistance and elevated fasting blood sugar levels.

The mice were then assigned to one of four diets for 12 weeks: a standard diet alone, a high-fat diet alone, a high-fat diet with a low amount of disulfiram, or a high-fat diet with a higher amount of disulfiram. Results were published in Cell Metabolism on May 14, 2020.

As expected, the mice that stayed on the high-fat diet alone continued to gain weight and show metabolic problems. Mice switched to a standard diet gradually saw their body weight, fat composition, and blood sugar levels return to normal.

The mice receiving disulfiram with their still-fatty food showed a dramatic decrease in their body weight and related metabolic damage. Those on the higher disulfiram dose lost as much as 40% of their body weight in just four weeks. Their leaner weight was similar to that of mice switched to a standard diet. Disulfiram treatment also appeared to protect the pancreas and liver from damage.

None of the mice were subjected to exercise, nor did they show changes in behavior that might have affected body weight. This suggests that the benefits were solely from the disulfiram treatment.    

“When we first went down this path, we did not know what to expect, but once we started to see data showing dramatic weight loss and leaner body mass in the mice, we turned to each other and couldn’t quite believe our eyes,” Bernier says.

It’s unclear whether disulfiram would benefit people in a similar way. Past clinical studies of the drug haven’t focused on weight loss or other metabolic measures. Experts caution against off-label use of the medication before its effects on weight management in people are understood.

References: Disulfiram Treatment Normalizes Body Weight in Obese Mice. Bernier M, Mitchell SJ, Wahl D, Diaz A, Singh A, Seo W, Wang M, Ali A, Kaiser T, Price NL, Aon MA, Kim EY, Petr MA, Cai H, Warren A, Di Germanio C, Di Francesco A, Fishbein K, Guiterrez V, Harney D, Koay YC, Mach J, Enamorado IN, Pulpitel T, Wang Y, Zhang J, Zhang L, Spencer RG, Becker KG, Egan JM, Lakatta EG, O’Sullivan J, Larance M, LeCouteur DG, Cogger VC, Gao B, Fernandez-Hernando C, Cuervo AM, de Cabo R. Cell Metab. 2020 May 7. pii: S1550-4131(20)30236-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2020.04.019. PMID: 32413333.

Do You Need Dietary Supplements?Vitamins, Minerals, and More

NIH

Bottles of supplements line the shelves at your local supermarket. These include vitamins and minerals from A to zinc. You can also find products like probiotics, herbs, and fish oil. But are they needed for good health? And what about their risks?

“For most people, eating a nutritious variety of foods can provide all the nutrients they need,” says Carol Haggans, a registered dietitian and consultant with NIH. But some may need more than they get from their meals. Your needs can vary depending on your age, health, and what you eat.

Many misunderstand what dietary supplements are for, Haggans explains. “Some people might believe or hope that supplements can prevent or treat disease, but that’s not what they’re intended to do,” she says. “They’re intended to supplement the diet.”

Dietary supplements are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “But they’re regulated under the umbrella of food,” says Haggans. “It’s important for people to know that they’re not regulated like medicines.”

That means companies don’t have to prove that a supplement works before selling it. Companies are required to follow good manufacturing practices in making their products. But bottles still may not always contain what the label claims.

A few independent organizations conduct quality tests of supplements and give seals of approval. But these tests only ensure that a product was properly made and contains the listed ingredients. They don’t guarantee that it works or is safe to take.

Who Needs Supplements?

Your body needs different amounts of certain nutrients at different times in your life. For example, the ability to absorb and process some nutrients decreases with age. So older adults may need more of certain vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin D, vitamin B12, and calcium.

People who avoid certain foods may also need a nutrient boost. For example, vitamin B12 is found only in animal products. “So if you follow a vegan diet, you may not get enough B12 from food,” Haggans says.

Women who are pregnant, or may become pregnant, need a certain amount of folic acid. This helps prevent a type of birth defect called neural tube defects. And infants may need more vitamin D than the amount found in breast milk.

People with chronic health conditions also may need more of some vitamins and minerals, says Dr. Patricia Haggerty, who studies nutrition and the immune system at NIH. These conditions include heart disease, diabetes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and some autoimmune diseases.

But whether you need a supplement—and which one or ones—isn’t something to guess at, Haggerty says. “Which supplements, the dosage, and so on, are things you should work out with your health care provider.” Blood tests often can help determine whether you have a nutrient deficiency.

Safety Concerns

If you take supplements, tell your health care providers. Some supplements can change how well medications work. Others have risks for specific groups of people. See the Ask Your Doctor box for questions to ask about supplements. You can track information about your supplements and medications using NIH’s My Dietary Supplement and Medicine Record chart.

“It’s also important to know the total amount of nutrients you’re getting from both food and different supplements,” Haggans says. “More is not necessarily better, and natural doesn’t necessarily mean safe.”

Many nutrients can be dangerous in large amounts. These have what’s called an upper intake level. Regularly getting more than that level can lead to serious health problems. Vitamins and minerals with an upper limit include calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamins A, B6, C, and D.

Manufacturers aren’t required to keep their products below these upper limits, Haggans explains. So check the labels before you buy. And some nutrients, like vitamin K, can interact with common medications.

Other types of dietary supplements, such as botanicals, can be even more complicated. Botanicals are also known as herbal supplements. They contain one or more parts of a plant. Examples include ginseng, echinacea, and St. John’s wort. Botanicals can come in many forms, such as capsules, dried teas, or liquid preparations.

Botanical products can vary in their ingredients from brand to brand. So their effects in the body can vary. “They can also interact with medications and have side effects,” says Haggans.

Some botanical products may come with health claims that go too far, says Dr. Ikhlas Khan, an NIH-funded natural products researcher at the University of Mississippi. Examples include helping you “sleep better” or “lose weight.”

“If you’re looking for a cure, you shouldn’t be looking in the supplement aisle,” he says.

Boosting Your Immune System

Perhaps the most common claim for supplements is that they boost your immune system. Researchers have been studying whether any can help.

“Many nutrients, like vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, and magnesium are important for a healthy immune system,” Haggerty says. But so far, getting more than the recommended amount of any nutrient doesn’t appear to boost the immune system.

Researchers are testing whether certain supplements can lessen COVID-19 symptoms. “But so far, the data are insufficient to support recommendations for or against any vitamin, mineral, or botanical product to prevent or treat COVID-19,” Haggerty says.

Scientists are also looking at supplements for other viruses. Khan and colleagues are studying a botanical extract made from a type of algae, called spirulina. Studies in mice have shown that compounds in it may increase the immune response and protect against viral infection. The team wants to test whether it can be used to protect against the flu.

But a challenge with botanical supplements is that they can vary from bottle to bottle, Khan explains. So the team must first fully characterize the product before they can test it in clinical trials.

You might wonder: If supplements aren’t the answer, what can you do to boost your immune system right now? “The most important thing is to eat a nutritious variety of foods and maintain a healthy weight,” Haggerty says. Obesity can weaken your immune system.

It’s also important to get regular physical activity, enough sleep, and to minimize stress. Don’t smoke. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Keep up with your vaccines. And wash your hands to lower your chances of getting sick.

“These are all things we can do on a daily basis to keep our immune system healthy,” Haggerty says.

Ask Your Doctor

Before taking a supplement, ask:

• Can this supplement help with my health concern? If so, how much should I take?
• Does this supplement have any harms associated with it? What side effects should I look for?
• Could this supplement interact with my prescription medications? What about over-the-counter medications?
• How do I know whether a supplement contains what it says it does? Can you recommend a brand to take?

Links

• Health Capsule: Taking Dietary Supplements Safely
• Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know
• Dietary Supplements: Frequently Asked Questions
• Dietary Supplements in the Time of COVID-19
• Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets
• Vitamins and Minerals
• Herbs at a Glance
• Nutrient Recommendations and Databases
• Dietary Supplements for Older Adults
• Dietary Supplements(link is external) (FDA)
• Recommended Vitamin and Mineral Intake Calculator(link is external) (USDA)

When will a robot write a novel?

The Harvard Gazette
— As told to Colleen Walsh, Harvard Staff Writer

We asked Krzysztof Gajos, Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science, to tell us when a robot will write a novel.

From the perspective of someone somewhat familiar with the state of the art in machine learning, my answer is that AI may be able to write trashy novels as soon as next year, but it will not write a true novel in the foreseeable future.

What I mean by this is that the AI tools that we have developed are very good at manipulating surface levels of representation. For example, AI is good at manipulating musical notes without being capable of coming up with a musical joke or having any intention of engaging in a particular conversation with audiences. And AI may produce visually appealing artifacts, again, without any high-level intent behind such an artifact.

“We have created a grand con,” writes Krzysztof Gajos. “And potentially a dangerous one, because we are convincing the rest of the society that technology can do things that it actually cannot do.”
Eliza Grinnell/Harvard SEAS

In terms of words, AI is very good at manipulating the language without understanding or manipulating the meaning. When it comes to novels, there are some genres that are formulaic, such as certain kinds of unambitious science fiction that have very predictable narrative arcs, and particular components of world-building and character-building, and very well understood kinds of tension. And we now have AI models that are capable of stringing tens of sentences together that are coherent. This is a big advance because until recently, we could only write one or two sentences at the time, and the moment we got to 10 sentences, the 10th sentence had nothing to do with the first one. Now, we can automatically generate much larger pieces of prose that hold together. So it would likely be possible to write a trashy novel that has a particular form where those components are automatically generated in such a way that it feels like a real novel with a real plot.

When it comes to more sophisticated works, I think the point I would make is that fiction is an extremely effective and important part of our contemporary discourse, because it allows us to set aside our allegiances, and it allows us to suspend disbelief and to step into the shoes of somebody with a very different perspective — and to be really open to that perspective. We are able to imagine other people’s lives, we are able to imagine alternative ways of interacting with other people, and we’re able to consider them in a really open-minded way.

It’s important to note that I’m relying on my expert perspectives when I talk about computer science, and my personal perspectives when I talk about my experience as a reader. But from the perspective of a reader, I don’t think we will have a robot that is able to engage with and manipulate these kinds of meanings.

As a reader, I find that with gripping fiction, it’s not just the content of the book, it’s not just the plot, it’s not just the issues that engage me. It’s also the fact that I’m engaging with another human who wants me to reimagine the world. It’s part of a discourse.

Another point I would make around the technology is that in recent years researchers have made the distinction between manipulating the language versus manipulating the meaning, and they point out that through tools that expertly manipulate the language we’ve created an illusion that machines can understand and manipulate meaning. But that’s absolutely not the case. We have created a grand con. And potentially a dangerous one, because we are convincing the rest of the society that technology can do things that it actually cannot do.

“Detoxes” and “Cleanses”: What You Need To Know

NCCIH

What are “detoxes” and “cleanses”?

A variety of “detoxification” diets, regimens, and therapies—sometimes called “detoxes” or “cleanses”—have been suggested as ways to remove toxins from your body, lose weight, or promote health. 

“Detoxification” programs may involve a single process or a variety of approaches. These include:

• Fasting
• Drinking only juices or similar beverages
• Eating only certain foods
• Using dietary supplements or other commercial products
• Using herbs
• Cleansing the colon (lower intestinal tract) with enemas, laxatives, or colon hydrotherapy (also called “colonic irrigation” or “colonics”)
• Reducing environmental exposures
• Using a sauna.

These programs may be advertised commercially, offered at health centers, or part of naturopathic treatment. 

Some “detoxification” programs can be unsafe and falsely advertised. For more information on safety, see the “What about safety?” section below.

(The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends chelation therapy, a type of chemical detoxification procedure, for removing toxic metals from the body in some specific serious cases. This page does not address that type of detoxification.)

What does the research say about “detoxes” and “cleanses”?

There have been only a small number of studies on “detoxification” programs in people. While some have had positive results on weight and fat loss, insulin resistance, and blood pressure, the studies themselves have been of low quality—with study design problems, few participants, or lack of peer review (evaluation by other experts to ensure quality).

A 2015 review concluded that there was no compelling research to support the use of “detox” diets for weight management or eliminating toxins from the body. A 2017 review said that juicing and “detox” diets can cause initial weight loss because of low intake of calories but that they tend to lead to weight gain once a person resumes a normal diet. There have been no studies on long-term effects of “detoxification” programs.

What about safety?

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have taken action against several companies selling detox/cleansing products because they (1) contained illegal, potentially harmful ingredients; (2) were marketed using false claims that they could treat serious diseases; or (3) in the case of medical devices used for colon cleansing, were marketed for unapproved uses.
• Some juices used in “detoxes” and “cleanses” that haven’t been pasteurized or treated in other ways to kill harmful bacteria can make people sick. The illnesses can be serious in children, elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems.
• Some juices are made from foods that are high in oxalate, a naturally occurring substance. Two examples of high-oxalate foods are spinach and beets. Drinking large quantities of high-oxalate juice can increase the risk for kidney problems. 
• People with diabetes should follow the eating plan recommended by their health care team. If you have diabetes, consult your health care providers before making major changes in your eating habits, such as going on a “detox” diet or changing your eating patterns.
• Diets that severely restrict calories or the types of food you eat usually don’t lead to lasting weight loss and may not provide all the nutrients you need.
• Colon cleansing procedures may have side effects, some of which can be serious. Harmful effects are more likely in people with a history of gastrointestinal disease, colon surgery, severe hemorrhoids, kidney disease, or heart disease.
• “Detoxification” programs may include laxatives, which can cause diarrhea severe enough to lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.
• Drinking large quantities of water and herbal tea and not eating any food for days in a row could lead to dangerous electrolyte imbalances.

Take charge of your health—talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use, including any “detoxes” or “cleanses.” Together, you and your health care providers can make shared, well-informed decisions.

Are all fasting programs considered “detoxes” and “cleanses”?

Although some fasting programs are advertised with “detoxification” claims, other fasting programs—including intermittent fasting and periodic fasting—are being researched for health promotion, disease prevention, improved aging, and in some cases weight loss. But there are no firm conclusions about their effects on human health. Also, fasting can cause headaches, fainting, weakness, and dehydration.

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How food intake modifies the gut

Université de Genève

Newswise — With more than 10% of the world’s population obese and 40% overweight, obesity constitutes one of the most crucial health challenges. However, existing therapeutic options remain scarce and poorly efficient. Few years ago, scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, discovered that the absorptive surface and function of the gut change due to certain external stimuli, such as exposure to cold. Today, by using different mouse models combined with human intestinal biopsies, they decipher the molecular mechanisms that govern this surprising organ plasticity, and uncover that increasing the food amount elevates the intestinal absorptive surface and function. Mechanistically, this is due to the enhanced expression of PPARα, a regulating protein necessary for the overeating-induced increase in the capacity of the gut to absorb calories. Furthermore, if high amounts of food increase the gut absorptive surface, food restriction can reverse the process and return it close to normal. This phenomenon could be reproduced using pharmacological and genetic approaches, thereby suggesting potential avenues to limit obesity. These results can be read in the journal Nature Communications.

Throughout the world, hundreds of millions of adults and children are clinically obese; a condition closely associated with leading causes of death such as heart diseases or stroke. Obesity mainly results from an imbalance between energy expenditure and caloric uptake, which takes place in the gut where food, previously broken down, is absorbed and passes into the bloodstream for distribution throughout the body. To absorb enough calories, the intestinal wall is layered with millions of convolutions called villi and microvilli that together could cover the surface of a football field.

Villi in the small intestine

A striking and rapid effect

“A few years ago, we discovered that the gut could get longer or shorter according to environmental triggers and physiological needs”, recalls Mirko Trajkovski, professor in the Department of Cellular Physiology and Metabolism and the Diabetes Centre at UNIGE Faculty of Medicine, and corresponding author of this study. “We therefore wanted to understand what propels this remarkable intestinal plasticity.” Using different mouse models combined with human intestinal biopsies — 3D artificial structures — the research team observed that the amount of food consumed was the main regulator of gut length. “We saw a relatively fast and physiologically striking response to elevating the amount of ingested food:  gut length increased for over 30%, coupled with a major growth of the villi and microvilli, contributing to an enhanced caloric uptake capacity of the gut.” adds Mirko Trajkovski. Importantly, these changes were reversible: when the amount of food was reduced, the gut length and morphology were reverted close to normal.

A plasticity under the control of the PPARα protein

Gut expansion requires a lot of energy.  The UNIGE scientists found that increasing the intestinal absorptive surface mobilises different metabolic pathways in the gut, i.e. steps by which cells convert food into energy. While they found several potential pathways that may contribute to gut expansion, one, the PPARα pathway, was found to be indispensable. Indeed, PPARα is a protein that appears of critical importance for increasing the length of villi, as well as for increasing caloric uptake capacity from the food by raising the level of another protein, PLIN2, which, in turn, promotes formation of lipid droplets in the intestinal cells, thereby favouring fat absorption. By inactivating PPARα in the gut of mice, the researchers were able to confirm this mechanism. “Intestinal PPARα deletion, or its pharmacological inhibition, showed marked effects in reducing the absorptive function of the gut. The gut-specific PPARα inhibition was sufficient to revert the fat accumulation and obesity, as well as the glucose intolerance caused by high-caloric feeding”, explains Mirko Trajkovski.

The impressive gut plasticity that permits gut and villi to be shrunk or enlarged is an asset to be further explored as a reversible alternative to gastric bypass surgery, or other interventions that aim at reducing body weight gain and obesity-related complications. “PPARα is a key protein in many metabolic functions, and it is expressed in various tissues throughout the body. It is therefore necessary to develop ways to inhibit it selectively in the gut without reaching the other organs before these discoveries can be applied to patients”, conclude the authors.

Celebrity diets and food fads have been around for centuries – and some of them even worked

1. James Brown Associate Professor in Biology and Biomedical Science, Aston University
2. Duane Mellor Lead for Evidence-Based Medicine and Nutrition, Aston Medical School, Aston University

The word diet originates from the Greek dieta meaning to live normally. However, nowadays it mostly refers to restricting food to help weight loss rather than a way to enjoy food and health.

Throughout history diets have come and gone. Celebrity diets are popular and often bizarre, but are not a new thing. The Daniel Fast, which resembles a vegan diet, and which has its roots in the Book of Daniel, is perhaps one of the earliest examples of a diet. In around 450BC Daniel apparently asked if his men were as strong as the Babylonians after a couple of weeks just eating vegetables. This highlights our deep cultural links to diet: for identity, spirituality and, of course, health.

Fasting diets appear throughout our cultural history, seen in Muslim, Hindu and Christian practices. These vary from not eating during daylight through to just eating a simple vegetarian diet. In the Christian calendar, for instance, historically specific days used to be designated as meat free. The data is mixed in relation to the health effects of religious fasting, as it depends on how people eat in between fasts.

Fasting may have little to no additional benefits beyond simply inducing a calorie deficit, which itself can have metabolic benefits (lower blood fats and sugars) and weight loss.

Meat-free diets

Another theme from fasting is the abstinence from meat and animal products. This was seen in the rise of the vegetarian movement in northern England during the 19th century. This movement inspired food entrepreneurs, including William Kellogg (famous for cereals) and Sylvester Graham (crackers), to develop alternative products. 

The principle behind these being to follow a simple and pious diet to improve the body, mind and spirit. The followers of this movement linked eating animal products to sin and poor health. 

The merits of this argument are more philosophical than physiological. But in the age of climate change awareness, the argument to reduce animal produce in our diets has perhaps reemerged as one of the tools we have to save the planet.

The first diet doctor?

The 18th-century doctor George Cheyne was mocked in the press due to his weight (at one point estimated at 220kg). Many of the wealthier Georgian households would have at the time consumed a high-calorie diet, with large meals of many meats including beef sirloin and pigeon. 

Cheyne developed the “vegetable and milk” diet with fewer calories. His own diet included milk, tea, coffee, bread, butter, mild cheese, fruits, nuts and tender roots including turnips and carrots. He drank no alcohol, barring an occasional small glass of cider.

Greek food today is not the same as the historic healthy diets, but still often includes fresh vegetables and olives. Jacek Chabraszewski/Shutterstock

In the 19th century, undertaker William Banting – trying to manage his own weight – wrote “Letters on Corpulence”. This is seen as the forerunner of many of the popular low-carbohydrate diets, including keto – we see today. Banting’s version did include a few ounces of rusk a day, but it also included more sherry or other alcoholic drinks in a day than is recommended.

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Read more: Mediterranean diet increases gut bacteria linked to healthy ageing in older adults

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Worms, cigarettes and cotton balls

Throughout history some incredibly strange and dangerous diets have been championed. During the 1920s, the slim androgynous popular look for women may have led to a drive for weight loss. 

This led to a range of unhealthy practises of varying effect on weight – from ingesting tapeworms, which could have led to malnutrition as vital minerals would not have been absorbed, through to instead of snacking having a cigarette, when tobacco companies added appetite suppressants to cigarettes. This was before the causal link between smoking and cancer was known, so although may have this reduced food intake, it is possibly one of the least healthy diets to follow.

The cotton ball diet is said to have been developed by models as a method of reducing food intake by swallowing cotton balls to fill the stomach and soak up stomach juices. Most cotton balls today are bleached polyester fibres and therefore this nonsensical approach to calorie restriction is neither effective nor safe. 

The Mediterranean diet’s history goes back to at least ancient Roman times. However, it is subtly different across the Mediterranean region. 

The best-known healthy version is recorded in rural Greece, a simple diet of foodsincluding fish, vegetables, fruit, grains, nuts and some olive oil and wine – as well as a little dairy and meat – as part of a food-orientated lifestyle. This is very different to the foods seen in the Mediterranean today. Global food culture changed with more highly processed foods containing fat, sugar and salt becoming available. 

If we learn one thing from diets across history it is that enjoying simple food with others, and not too much, is the best way to both be, and stay, healthy.

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Study finds daytime meals may reduce health risks linked to night shift work

A small clinical trial supported by the National Institutes of Health has found that eating during the nighttime—like many shift workers do—can increase glucose levels, while eating only during the daytime might prevent the higher glucose levels now linked with a nocturnal work life.

The findings, the study authors said, could lead to novel behavioral interventions aimed at improving the health of shift workers – grocery stockers, hotel workers, truck drivers, first responders, and others – who past studies show may be at an increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

The new study, which the researchers noted is the first to demonstrate the beneficial effect of this type of meal timing intervention in humans, appears online in the journal Science Advances. It was funded primarily by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of NIH.
  
“This is a rigorous and highly controlled laboratory study that demonstrates a potential intervention for the adverse metabolic effects associated with shift work, which is a known public health concern,” said Marishka Brown, Ph.D., director of the NHLBI’s National Center on Sleep Disorders Research. “We look forward to additional studies that confirm the results and begin to untangle the biological underpinnings of these findings.”

For the study, the researchers enrolled 19 healthy young participants (seven women and 12 men). After a preconditioning routine, the participants were randomly assigned to a 14-day controlled laboratory protocol involving simulated night work conditions with one of two meal schedules. One group ate during the nighttime to mimic a meal schedule typical among night workers, and one group ate during the daytime.

The researchers then evaluated the effects of these meal schedules on their internal circadian rhythms. That’s the internal process that regulates not just the sleep-wake cycle, but also the 24-hour cycle of virtually all aspects of your bodily functions, including metabolism.  

The researchers found that nighttime eating boosted glucose levels – a risk factor for diabetes – while restricting meals to the daytime prevented this effect. Specifically, average glucose levels for those who ate at night increased by 6.4% during the simulated night work, while those who ate during the daytime showed no significant increases.

“This is the first study in humans to demonstrate the use of meal timing as a countermeasure against the combined negative effects of impaired glucose tolerance and disrupted alignment of circadian rhythms resulting from simulated night work,” said study leader Frank A.J.L. Scheer, Ph.D., professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Medical Chronobiology Program at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston.

The researchers said that the mechanisms behind the observed effects are complex. They believe that the nighttime eating effects on glucose levels during simulated night work are caused by circadian misalignment. That corresponds to the mistiming between the central circadian “clock” (located in the brain’s hypothalamus) and behavioral sleep/wake, light/dark, and fasting/eating cycles, which can influence peripheral “clocks” throughout the body. The current study shows that, in particular, mistiming of the central circadian clock with the fasting/eating cycles plays a key role in boosting glucose levels. The work further suggests the beneficial effects of daytime eating on glucose levels during simulated night work may be driven by better alignment between these central and peripheral “clocks.”

“This study reinforces the notion that when you eat matters for determining health outcomes such as blood sugar levels, which are relevant for night workers as they typically eat at night while on shift,” said the study co-leader Sarah L. Chellappa, M.D., Ph.D., a researcher in the nuclear medicine department at the University of Cologne, Germany. Chellappa formerly worked with Scheer in Brigham & Women’s Medical Chronobiology Program.

To translate these findings into practical and effective meal timing interventions, the researchers said more study is needed, including with real-life shift workers in their typical work environment.

Study

Daytime eating prevents internal circadian misalignment and glucose intolerance in night work. Science Advances. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg9910
Direct link to article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abg9910(link is external).

Modeling suggests friendships may lead to lopsided elections

By David Nutt

Have you ever thought about not voting because your preferred candidate’s victory seems assured? New Cornell research uses mathematical modeling to show that type of thinking can have the opposite effect, resulting in the election of politicians who do not represent the preferences of the electorate as a whole.

And most surprisingly, the culprit of that disproportionate outcome is not political malfeasance: it could be your network of friends, whose expectations about the likely winner can distort your sense of the election’s outcome and the value of your vote.

The group’s paper, “How a Minority Can Win: Unrepresentative Outcomes in a Simple Model of Voter Turnout,” published Nov. 22 in Physical Review E. The lead author is doctoral student Ekaterina Landgren.

The research was led by Steven Strogatz, the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Applied Mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences and the paper’s senior author.

“In democracies, it is very important to consider that sometimes the candidate who gets the most votes in an election or referendum isn’t the candidate that most people would truly prefer,” Landgren said. “There are some structural reasons for it. There’s gerrymandering, there are malevolent agents. But our model focuses on a situation where this is not created on purpose, but emerges out of the way that people evaluate whether or not their vote will make a difference based on the people they know and the things they see around them.”

Rather than sifting through election data and polling results, the researchers relied upon a simple mathematical model to randomly generate a variety of friendship networks, each with different assumptions and different levels of interaction, along with other factors, such as geographic proximity. After rendering these parameters in code, they tested the scenarios in simulations and then analyzed the statistics of the outcomes, oftentimes mathematically validating the results.

“One of the challenges was coming up with a model that is simple enough to set the stage really clearly, but also complicated enough to yield insights,” said Jonas Juul, a postdoctoral researcher in Cornell’s Center for Applied Mathematics and a co-author of the paper. “But it is an important point that this is a model. We don’t believe this is an accurate representation of reality, but it is an investigation of how the shape and structure of social networks could influence elections.”

The modeling highlighted two conditions that can be skewed by social connections: “complacency,” in which people don’t bother voting because they are certain, based on their friends’ expectations, that their preferred candidate will win; and “dejectedness,” whereby people abstain from voting because they believe their candidate will lose anyway.

At the same time, some people in the minority are motivated to vote expressly because their preferred candidate appears to be vulnerable, and this can result, ironically, in the victories of politicians who do not have the support of the majority.

“In networks where there is some tendency to seek out like-minded people, it is easier for the minority to convince itself that they’re in danger, that the election is going to be very close, than it is for the majority,” Landgren said. “What is fascinating about it, from the mathematics perspective, is that the majority has more accurate information, on average, about the state of the friendship network, or of the overall opinions that exist in this network. So the majority sees there are more majority nodes, which is correct. The minority sees that there is roughly equal numbers of majority and minority nodes, which is not correct, but that is precisely the effect that allows them to win.”

Of course, voters can be influenced by many different sources, from news coverage to the echo chambers of social media. However, the researchers’ mathematical modeling provides an effective way to isolate the impact of social connections on voters’ decision-making processes – which are often opaque – and could also point the way to future studies that explore the many other factors to drive people to the polls.

“Even though our model is very simplified, a lot of its behavior surprised us,” Strogatz said. “So just imagine how difficult it must be to predict voter turnout in reality. That’s another reminder that the social sciences may be the hardest sciences of all.”

The research was supported by a Cornell Center of Applied Mathematics postdoctoral fellowship, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Food scientists aim to make plant-based protein tastier and healthier

by Patty Shillington , University of Massachusetts Amherst

David Julian McClements is a Distinguished Professor of Food Science at UMass Amherst. Credit: UMass Amherst

As meat-eating continues to increase around the world, food scientists are focusing on ways to create healthier, better-tasting and more sustainable plant-based protein products that mimic meat, fish, milk, cheese and eggs.

It’s no simple task, says renowned food scientist David Julian McClements, University of Massachusetts Amherst Distinguished Professor and lead author of a paper in the new Nature journal, Science of Food, that explores the topic.

“With Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods and other products coming on the market, there’s a huge interest in plant-based foods for improved sustainability, health and ethical reasons,” says McClements, a leading expert in food design and nanotechnology, and author of Future Foods: How Modern Science Is Transforming the Way We Eat.

In 2019, the plant-based food market in the U.S. alone was valued at nearly $5 billion, with 40.5% of sales in the milk category and 18.9% in plant-based meat products, the paper notes. That represented a market value growth of 29% from 2017.

“A lot of academics are starting to work in this area and are not familiar with the complexity of animal products and the physicochemical principles you need in order to assemble plant-based ingredients into these products, each with their own physical, functional, nutritional and sensory attributes,” McClements says.

With funding from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Good Food Institute, McClements leads a multidisciplinary team at UMass Amherst that is exploring the science behind designing better plant-based protein. Co-author Lutz Grossmann, who recently joined the UMass Amherst food science team as an assistant professor, has expertise in alternative protein sources, McClements notes.

“Our research has pivoted toward this topic,” McClements says. “There’s a huge amount of innovation and investment in this area, and I get contacted frequently by different startup companies who are trying to make plant-based fish or eggs or cheese, but who often don’t have a background in the science of foods.”

While the plant-based food sector is expanding to meet consumer demand, McClements notes in the paper that “a plant-based diet is not necessarily better than an omnivore diet from a nutritional perspective.”

Plant-based products need to be fortified with micronutrients that are naturally present in animal meat, milk and eggs, including vitamin D, calcium and zinc. They also have to be digestible and provide the full complement of essential amino acids.

McClements says that many of the current generation of highly processed, plant-based meat products are unhealthy because they’re full of saturated fat, salt and sugar. But he adds that ultra-processed food does not have to be unhealthy.

“We’re trying to make processed food healthier,” McClements says. “We aim to design them to have all the vitamins and minerals you need and have health-promoting components like dietary fiber and phytochemicals so that they taste good and they’re convenient and they’re cheap and you can easily incorporate them into your life. That’s the goal in the future, but we’re not there yet for most products.”

For this reason, McClements says, the UMass Amherst team of scientists is taking a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to tackle this complex

More information: David Julian McClements et al, A brief review of the science behind the design of healthy and sustainable plant-based foods, npj Science of Food (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41538-021-00099-y

Provided by University of Massachusetts Amherst

Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from

by Marinka Steur, Nita Forouhi

Heart disease is a major cause of death worldwide—responsible for some 9 million deaths a year. But it is preventable, and health behavior changes—such as exercising more, quitting smoking and eating healthier—are often recommended.

One diet change commonly recommended by experts is to eat fewer saturated fats—and instead consume polyunsaturated fats (typically found in nuts, vegetable oils and fish), which are considered healthier. But our new research suggests that instead of only paying attention to the amount of saturated fat we consume, we should also look at what foodsources the saturated fat is coming from. 

Until now, most research on saturated fats has focused solely on looking at saturated fat and its link with heart disease. But foods contain many different types of nutrients. This is why it’s important to investigate which foods containing saturated fats are linked to heart disease, rather than only considering saturated fat alone. This is what our research set out to do.

Our research drew on data from the University of Cambridge’s EPIC-CVD study, which looked at the cardiovascular health of middle-aged people in ten European countries. This included 10,529 participants who developed heart disease during the study, whom we compared against 16,730 participants who did not. Participants were randomly selected from the 385,747 participants of the EPIC study to ensure our findings were representative of the whole study population. We also looked at data on their dietary habits as part of our analysis.

We made sure to take into account various factors that may be related to heart disease—such as a person’s age, sex, physical activity levels, whether they smoked or drank alcohol and whether they were overweight or obese. This minimized the chances that our findings about fat consumption and heart disease might actually be explained by these other factors.

We found no overall link between the amount of saturated fats participants consumed and their risk of developing heart disease. But this picture was different when we looked at foods that are typical sources of saturated fats. 

We found that people who ate more saturated fats from red meat and butter were more likely to develop heart disease. The opposite was true for those who ate more saturated fats from cheese, yogurt and fish—which were actually linked to a lower risk of heart disease. These findings are in line with what earlier research has shown about the link between these foods and heart disease. These findings show us that the link between heart disease and saturated fats depends on what food sources it comes from.

One caveat with our research is that it’s based on observing the associations between diet and health. As such, this cannot prove cause and effect. However, conducting a randomized controlled trial, where participants would be randomly assigned a certain diet to follow for many years, would likely be impractical—and many participants may not wish to stick to a specific diet for the length of the study. 

More than one nutrient

Foods are more than just the sum of their parts. They contain many different nutrients, vitamins, minerals and properties that may act together to prevent or cause certain diseases.

For example, although cheese and yogurt contain saturated fats, they also contain nutrients such as vitamin K2 and probiotics. Each of these nutrients may affect heart disease risk through differentinterrelated pathways—such as by their effects on blood sugar, cholesterol levels or inflammation.

Previous studies have also shown that different saturated fats carry different levels of risk when it comes to heart disease. For instance, palmitic acid (a sub-type of saturated fat) is more abundant in red meat compared to cheese and yogurt. Research shows that it may have a detrimental effect on the levels of cholesterol circulating in our blood—a well known risk factor for heart disease.

In contrast, pentadecanoic acid (another sub-type of saturated fat, commonly found in dairy) is generally linked with lower risk of heart disease. This shows us that ultimately, our health is affected by the combination of all the nutrients and bioactive components (including vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals) in the foods we eat. This is why it’s important to consider the foods we eat alongside the nutrients they contain. 

Preventing heart disease depends on numerous factors, such as being physically active, not smoking and adopting a healthier diet. But as our research shows, reducing saturated fat intake may not be enough for reducing risk. Rather, it’s about focusing more on reducing foods such as red meat and butter which are linked to a significantly higher risk than other foods that contain saturated fats.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Why it’s still a scientific mystery how some can live past 100 – and how to crack it

1. Richard FaragherProfessor of Biogerontology, University of Brighton
2. Nir BarzilaiProfessor of Medicine and Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

A 35-year-old man only has a 1.5% chance of dying in the next ten years. But the same man at 75 has a 45% chance of dying before he reaches 85. Clearly, aging is bad for our health. On the bright side, we have made unprecedented progress in understanding the fundamental mechanisms that control aging and late-life disease. 

A few tightly linked biological processes, sometimes called the “hallmarks of aging”, including our supply of stem cells and communication between cells, act to keep us healthy in the early part of our lives – with problems arising as these start to fail. Clinical trials are ongoing to see if targeting some of these hallmarks can improve diabetic kidney disease, aspects of immune function and age-related scarring of the lungs among others. So far, so good.

Unfortunately, big, unanswered questions remain in the biology of ageing. To evaluate what these are and how to address them, the American Federation For Aging Research, a charity, recently convened a series of meetings for leading scientists and doctors. The experts agreed that understanding what is special about the biology of humans who survive more than a century is now a key challenge. 

These centenarians comprise less than 0.02% of the UK population but have exceeded the life expectancy of their peers by almost 50 years (babies born in the 1920s typically had a life expectancy of less than 55). How are they doing it?

We know that centenarians live so long because they are unusually healthy. They remain in good health for about 30 years longer than most normal people and when they finally fall ill, they are only sick for a very short time. This “compression of morbidity” is clearly good for them, but also benefits society as a whole. In the US, the medical care costs for a centenarian in their last two years of life are about a third of those of someone who dies in their seventies (a time when most centenarians don’t even need to see a doctor).

The children of centenarians are also much healthier than average, indicating they are inheriting something beneficial from their parents. But is this genetic or environmental?

Centenarians aren’t always health conscious

Are centenarians the poster children for a healthy lifestyle? For the general population, watching your weight, not smoking, drinking moderately, and eating at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day can increase life expectancy by up to 14 years compared with someone who does none of these things. This difference exceeds that seen between the least and most deprived areas in the UK, so intuitively it would be expected to play a role in surviving for a century. 

But astonishingly, this needn’t be the case. One study found that up to 60% of Ashkenazi Jewish centenarians have smoked heavily most of their lives, half have been obese for the same period of time, less than half do even moderate exercise, and under 3% are vegetarians. The children of centenarians appear no more health-conscious than the general population either. 

Compared to peers with the same food consumption, wealth and body weight, however, they have half the prevalence of cardiovascular disease. There is something innately exceptional about these people.

The big secret

Could it be down to rare genetics? If so, then there are two ways in which this could work. Centenarians might carry unusual genetic variants that extend lifespan, or instead, they might lack common ones that cause late-life disease and impairment. Several studies, including our own work, have shown that centenarians have just as many bad genetic variants as the general population. 

Some even carry two copies of the largest known common risk gene for Alzheimer’s disease (APOE4), but still don’t get the illness. So a plausible working hypothesis is that centenarians carry rare, beneficial genetic variations rather than a lack of disadvantageous ones. And the best available data is consistent with this. Over 60% of centenarians have genetic changes that alter the genes which regulate growth in early life. This implies that these remarkable people are human examples of a type of lifespan extension observed in other species. Most people know that small dogs tend to live longer than big ones but fewer are aware that this is a general phenomenon across the animal kingdom. Ponies can live longer than horses and many strains of laboratory mice with dwarfing mutations live longer than their full-sized counterparts. One potential cause of this is reduced levels of a growth hormone called IGF-1 – although human centenarians are not necessarily shorter than the rest of us.

Small dogs live longer than large ones.anetapics/Shutterstock

Obviously, growth hormone is necessary early on in life, but there is increasing evidence that high levels of IGF-1 in mid to late life are associated with increased late-life illness. The detailed mechanisms underlying this remain an open question, but even among centenarians, women with the lowest levels of growth hormone live longer than those with the highest. They also have better cognitive and muscle function. 

That doesn’t solve the problem, though. Centenarians are also different from the rest of us in other ways. For example, they tend to have good cholesterol levels – hinting there may several reasons for their longevity.

Ultimately, centenarians are “natural experiments” who show us that it is possible to live in excellent health even if you have been dealt a risky genetic hand and chose to pay no attention to health messages – but only if you carry rare, poorly understood mutations.

Understanding exactly how these work should allow scientists to develop new drugs or other interventions that target biological processes in the right tissues at the right time. If these become a reality perhaps more of us than we think will see the next century in. But, until then, don’t take healthy lifestyle tips from centenarians.

People who microdose psychedelic substances report improved mood and focus

by Elaine Smith, University of Toronto

A University of Toronto Mississauga researcher and his colleagues have “uncovered high potential research avenues” for assessing the benefits and drawbacks of microdosing with the psychedelic substances LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) and psilocybin (the key ingredient in magic mushrooms).

Their study, published recently in the Harm Reduction Journal, found that people who took very small doses of psychedelic substances commonly reported improved mood and focus, along with concerns about illegality and stigma.

Microdosing refers to the practice of regularly ingesting small, non-hallucinogenic amounts of psychedelic substances. The National Post traces the trend back to 2010 when biohackers began seeking a competitive edge. Thomas Anderson, a Ph.D. student and cognitive neuroscientist, Associate Professor of psychology Norman Farb, Rotem Petranker from York University, and colleagues from the U of T Faculty of Medicine and U of T Scarborough are the first to explore microdosing scientifically.

“The most common benefit was improved mood, which suggests that researching microdosing as a potential pharmacotherapeutic treatment for depression could be worthwhile,” Anderson says. “Microdosing could provide a possible alternative to SSRIs [selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, a class of drugs commonly used to fight depression], which are great but don’t work for everyone.

“Microdosing won’t work for everyone, either, but it could provide a possible alternative to other treatment pathways.”

Participants also reported improved creativity, which includes divergent thinking, curiosity and openness. This creativity finding agrees with another recent publication by Anderson and colleagues that reported microdosers were more creative and open and less neurotic and dysfunctional.

In the paper, Anderson and colleagues collected reports from almost 300 self-identified microdosers and have distilled the reported improvements into categories. The top categories were: improved mood (27 percent of reports), focus (15 percent), creativity (13 percent) and self-efficacy (11 percent). Mood refers not only to happiness and well-being but also to reduced depression, according to participants.

The top challenges associated with microdosing were physiological discomfort and concerns about illegality. The discomfort included complaints such as headaches, nausea and insomnia, while illegality posed the biggest concern for microdosers, who must shop the black market to get psychedelics. They may not be sure of the purity of their purchases and there may be an irregular supply.

Stigma concerning illegal substances was also present, but users may not face as much stigma as the microdosing community fears, says Anderson.

“Many people are relatively accepting of psychedelics privately, but the same people can incorrectly believe that others are not so accepting and so they think there is lots of stigma when there isn’t. We’ve had academics come out of the woodwork to support us—we have not heard from anyone that’s actually against the responsible scientific study of these substances.”

The authors caution that the study makes no causal claims—that it simply reflects the experiences of people involved in microdosing.

“Scientifically speaking, we don’t know if microdosing does anything at all,” says Anderson, adding the goal of the paper is to provide a basis for future research and to reveal research avenues with high potential so funding can be spent investigating the most promising uses of microdosing.

“Ultimately, pre-registered randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) of microdosing psychedelics are needed to test its safety and efficacy,” the authors write.

More information: Thomas Anderson et al. Psychedelic microdosing benefits and challenges: an empirical codebook, Harm Reduction Journal (2019). DOI: 10.1186/s12954-019-0308-4

Study finds psychedelic microdosing improves mental health

by University of British Columbia

An international study led by UBC Okanagan researchers suggests repeated use of small doses of psychedelics such as psilocybin or LSD can be a valuable tool for those struggling with anxiety and depression.null

The study, recently published in Nature: Scientific Reports, demonstrated fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, and greater feelings of wellbeing among individuals who reported consuming psychedelics in small quantities, or microdosing, compared to those who did not.

Microdosing involves regular self-administration of psychedelic substances in amounts small enough to not impair normal cognitive functioning.

Considering this is the largest psychedelic microdosing study published to date, the results are encouraging, says UBCO doctoral student and lead author Joseph Rootman.

“In total, we followed more than 8,500 people from 75 countries using an anonymous self-reporting system—about half were following a microdosing regimen and half were not,” Rootman explains. “In comparing microdosers and non-microdosers, there was a clear association between microdosing and fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress—which is important given the high prevalence of these conditions and the substantial suffering they cause.”

The study is also the first to systematically examine the practice of stacking, or combining microdoses of psychedelics with other substances like niacin, lions mane mushrooms and cacao, which some believe work in conjunction to maximize benefit.

Rootman works with Dr. Zach Walsh, a psychology professor in UBCO’s Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dr. Walsh says it’s an exciting time for research in this area.

“These findings highlight adults who are microdosingto treat their mental health conditions and enhance their wellbeing—rather than simply to get high,” says Dr. Walsh. “We have an epidemic of mental health problems, with existing treatments that don’t work for everyone. We need to follow the lead of patients who are taking these initiatives to improve their wellbeing and reduce suffering.”

Study co-author Kalin Harvey is the chief technology officer of Quantified Citizen, a mobile health research platform. He says this study highlights the potential of citizen science.

“The use of citizen science allows us to examine the effects of behaviors that are difficult to study in the lab due to regulatory challenges and stigma associated with the now discredited ‘war on drugs.'”

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, one in five Canadians personally experience a mental health problem or illness each year. This is one of the many reasons Dr. Walsh says conducting innovative psychological research is imperative.

“These cross-sectional findings are promising and highlight the need for further investigation to better determine the impacts of factors like dosage and stacking,” explains Dr. Walsh.

“While the data is growing to support the use of psychedelics like psilocybin in large doses to treat depression and addiction—our data also helps to expand our understanding of how psychedelics may also help in smaller doses.”

Everyday Household Noise Is Stressing Out Your Dog: Study

If your pooch often seems anxious, it could be due to common household noises such as from a vacuum or microwave oven, researchers say.

It’s well known that a sudden loud racket such as fireworks or thunderstorms can spark anxiety in dogs, but this new study shows that even day-to-day sounds may upset them, and that owners may not realize it.

“We feed them, house them, love them and we have a caretaker obligation to respond better to their anxiety,” said lead author Emma Grigg, a research associate and lecturer at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis.

Her team surveyed 386 dog owners about their dogs’ responses to household sounds and also assessed dog behaviors and human reactions from 62 online videos.null

High-frequency, intermittent household noises such as the battery warning of a smoke detector are more likely to cause a dog anxiety, rather than low-frequency, continuous noise, the researchers concluded.

They also found that many owners underestimate their dogs’ frightened reactions to household noises, and often respond with amusement rather than concern, according to findings published Nov. 8 in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

“We know that there are a lot of dogs that have noise sensitivities, but we underestimate their fearfulness to noise we consider normal because many dog owners can’t read body language,” Grigg said in a university news release.

“Dogs use body language much more than vocalizing and we need to be aware of that,” she added.

Common signs of anxiety in dogs include cringing, trembling or retreating. There are also more subtle clues such as panting, licking their lips, turning their head away, stiffening their body, turning their ears back and lowering their head below their shoulders.

“We hope this study gets people to think about the sources of sound that might be causing their dog stress, so they can take steps to minimize their dog’s exposure to it,” Grigg said.

Sources

• University of California, Davis, news release, Nov. 9, 2021

Laws of Logic Lead to New Restrictions on the Big Bang

By
CHARLIE WOOD
November 10, 2021

Physicists are translating commonsense principles into strict mathematical constraints on how our universe must have behaved at the beginning of time.

Quick intro into de Sitter’s observations

For over 20 years, physicists have had reason to feel envious of certain fictional fish: specifically, the fish inhabiting the fantastic space of M.C. Escher’s Circle Limit IIIwoodcut, which shrink to points as they approach the circular boundary of their ocean world. If only our universe had the same warped shape, theorists lament, they might have a much easier time understanding it.

Escher’s fish lucked out because their world comes with a cheat sheet — its edge. On the boundary of an Escher-esque ocean, anything complicated happening inside the sea casts a kind of shadow, which can be described in relatively simple terms. In particular, theories addressing the quantum nature of gravity can be reformulated on the edge in well-understood ways. The technique gives researchers a back door for studying otherwise impossibly complicated questions. Physicists have spent decades exploring this tantalizing link.

Inconveniently, the real universe looks more like the Escher world turned inside out. This “de Sitter” space has a positive curvature; it expands continuously everywhere. With no obvious boundary on which to study the straightforward shadow theories, theoretical physicists have been unable to transfer their breakthroughs from the Escher world.

For over 20 years, physicists have had reason to feel envious of certain fictional fish: specifically, the fish inhabiting the fantastic space of M.C. Escher’s Circle Limit IIIwoodcut, which shrink to points as they approach the circular boundary of their ocean world. If only our universe had the same warped shape, theorists lament, they might have a much easier time understanding it.

M.C. Escher’s Circle Limit III (1959).

“The closer we get to the real world, the fewer tools we have and the less we understand the rules of the game,” said Daniel Baumann, a cosmologist at the University of Amsterdam.

But some Escher advances may finally be starting to bleed through. The universe’s first moments have always been a mysterious era when the quantum nature of gravity would have been on full display. Now multiple groups are converging on a novel way to indirectly evaluate descriptions of that flash of creation. The key is a new notion of a cherished law of reality known as unitarity, the expectation that all probabilities must add up to 100%. By determining what fingerprints a unitary birth of the universe should have left behind, researchers are developing powerful tools to check which theories clear this lowest of bars in our shifty and expanding space-time.

Unitarity in de Sitter space “was not understood at all,” said Massimo Taronna, a theoretical physicist at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics in Italy. “There is a huge jump that has happened in the last couple of years.”

Spoiler Alert

The unfathomable ocean that theorists aim to plumb is a brief but dramatic stretch of space and time that many cosmologists believe set the stage for all we see today. During this hypothetical era, known as inflation, the infant universe would have ballooned at a truly incomprehensible rate, inflated by an unknown entity akin to dark energy.

Cosmologists are dying to know exactly how inflation might have happened and what exotic fields might have driven it, but this era of cosmic history remains hidden. Astronomers can see only the output of inflation — the arrangement of matter hundreds of thousands of years after the Big Bang, as revealed by the cosmos’s earliest light. Their challenge is that countless inflationary theories match the final observable state. Cosmologists are like film buffs struggling to narrow down the possible plots of Thelma and Louise from its final frame: the Thunderbird hanging frozen in midair.

The final frame of Thelma and Louise (top) and the cosmic microwave background radiation both depict the last instant of an epic tale.

Roland Neveu / PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / Alamy Stock Photo; ESA, Planck Collaboration

Yet the task may not be impossible. Just as currents in the Escher-like ocean can be deciphered from their shadows on its boundary, perhaps theorists can read the inflationary story from its final cosmic scene. In recent years, Baumann and other physicists have sought to do just that with a strategy called bootstrapping.

Cosmic bootstrappers strive to winnow the crowded field of inflationary theories with little more than logic. The general idea is to disqualify theories that fly in the face of common sense — as translated into stringent mathematical requirements. In this way, they “hoist themselves up by their bootstraps,” using math to evaluate theories that can’t be distinguished using current astronomical observations.

One such commonsense property is unitarity, an elevated name for the obvious fact that the sum of the odds of all possible events must be 1. Put simply, flipping a coin must produce a heads or a tails. Bootstrappers can tell at a glance whether a theory in the Escher-like “anti-de Sitter” space is unitary by looking at its shadow on the boundary, but inflationary theories have long resisted such simple treatment, because the expanding universe has no obvious edge.

Physicists can check a theory for unitarity by laboriously calculating its predictions from moment to moment and verifying that the odds always add up to 1, the equivalent of watching a whole movie with an eye for plot holes. What they really want is a way to glance at the end of an inflationary theory — the film’s final frame — and instantly know whether unitarity has been violated during any previous scene.

But the concept of unitarity is linked closely to the passage of time, and they’ve struggled to understand what shape the fingerprints of unitarity would take in this final frame, which is a static, timeless snapshot. “For many years the confusion was, ‘How the hell can I get information about time evolution … in an object where time doesn’t exist at all?’” said Enrico Pajer, a theoretical cosmologist at the University of Cambridge.

Last year, Pajer helped bring the confusion to an end. He and his colleagues found a way to figure out if a particular theory of inflation is unitary by looking only at the universe it produces.

In the Escher world, checking shadow theories for unitarity can be done on a cocktail napkin. These boundary theories are, in practice, quantum theories of the sort we might use to understand particle collisions. To check one for unitarity, physicists describe two particles pre-crash with a mathematical object called a matrix, and post-crash with another matrix. For a unitarity collision, the product of the two matrices is 1.

Enrico Pajer, a theoretical cosmologist at the University of Cambridge, helped develop a simple way to test models of inflation.

Ivar Pel

Where do physicists get these matrices? They start with the pre-crash matrix. When space holds still, a movie of a particle collision looks the same played forward or backward, so researchers can apply a simple operation to the initial matrix to find the final matrix. Multiply those two together, check the product, and they’re done.

But expanding space ruins everything. Cosmologists can work out the post-inflation matrix. Unlike particle collisions, however, an inflating cosmos looks quite different in reverse, so until recently it was unclear how to determine the pre-inflation matrix.

“For cosmology we would have to exchange the end of inflation with the beginning of inflation,” Pajer said, “which is crazy.”

Last year, Pajer, along with his colleagues Harry Goodhew and Sadra Jazayeri, figured out how to calculate the initial matrix. The Cambridge group rewrote the final matrix to accommodate complex numbers as well as real numbers. They also defined a transformation involving swapping positive energies for negative energies — analogous to what physicists might do in the particle collision context.

But had they found the right transformation?

Pajer then set out to verify that these two matrices really do capture unitarity. Using a more generic theory of inflation, Pajer and Scott Melville, also at Cambridge, played the birth of the universe forward frame by frame, looking for illegal unitarity violations in the traditional way. In the end, they showed that this painstaking process gave the same result as the matrix method.

The new method allows them to skip the moment-by-moment calculation. For a general theory involving particles of any mass and any spin communing via any force, they could see if it is unitary by checking the final outcome. They had discovered how to reveal the plot without watching the movie.

The new matrix test, known as the cosmological optical theorem, soon proved its power. Pajer and Melville found that a lot of possible theories violated unitarity. In fact, the researchers ended up with so few valid possibilities that they wondered if they could make some predictions. Even without a specific theory of inflation in hand, could they tell astronomers what to search for?

Cosmic Triangle Test

One revealing imprint of inflation is the way galaxies are distributed across the sky. The simplest pattern is the two-point correlation function, which, roughly speaking, gives the odds of finding two galaxies separated by particular distances. In other words, it tells you where the universe’s matter is.

Our universe’s matter is spread out in a special way, observations have found, with dense spots stuffed full of galaxies that come in a variety of sizes. The theory of inflation arose in part to explain this peculiar finding.

The universe started out quite smooth overall, the thinking goes, but quantum wiggles imprinted space with tiny dollops of extra matter. As space expanded, these dense spots stretched out even as the tiny ripples continued to arise. When inflation stopped, the young cosmos was left with dense spots ranging from small to large, which would go on to become galaxies and galaxy clusters.

All theories of inflation nail this two-point correlation function. To distinguish between competing theories, researchers need to measure subtler, higher-point correlations — relationships between the angles formed by a trio of galaxies, for instance.

Typically, cosmologists propose a theory of inflation involving certain exotic particles, and then play it forward to calculate the three-point correlation functions it would leave in the sky, giving astronomers a target to search for. In this way, researchers tackle theories one by one. “There are many, many, many possible things you could look for. Infinitely many, in fact,” said Daan Meerburg, a cosmologist at the University of Groningen.

COSMOLOGY
Cosmic Triangles Open a Window to the Origin of TimeOCTOBER 29, 2019

Pajer has turned that process around. Inflation is thought to have left ripples in the fabric of space in the form of gravitational waves. Pajer and his collaborators started with all possible three-point functions describing these gravitational waves and checked them with the matrix test, eliminating any functions that failed unitarity.

In the case of a certain type of gravitational wave, the group found that unitary three-point functions are few and far between. In fact, only three pass the test, the researchers announced in a preprint posted in September. The result “is very remarkable,” said Meerburg, who was not involved. If astronomers ever detect primordial gravitational waves — and efforts are ongoing — these will be the first signs of inflation to look for.

Positive Signs

The cosmological optical theorem guarantees that the probabilities of all possible events add up to 1, just as a coin is certain to have two sides. But there is another way of thinking about unitarity: The odds of each event must be positive. No coin can have a negative chance of landing on tails.

Victor Gorbenko, a theoretical physicist at Stanford University, Lorenzo Di Pietro of the University of Trieste in Italy, and Shota Komatsu of CERN in Switzerland recently approached unitarity in de Sitter space from this perspective. What would the sky look like, they wondered, in bizarro universes that broke this law of positivity?

Taking inspiration from the Escher world, they were intrigued by the fact that anti-de Sitter space and de Sitter space share one fundamental feature: Viewed properly, each can look the same at all scales. Zoom in near the boundary of Escher’s Circle Limit III woodcut, and the shrimpy fish have identical proportions to the whoppers in the middle. Similarly, quantum ripples in the inflating universe generated dense spots large and small. This common property, “conformal symmetry,” recently allowed Taronna, who has been working with Charlotte Sleight, a theoretical physicist at Durham University in the U.K., to port a popular mathematical technique for breaking apart boundary theories between the two worlds.

Video: David Kaplan explores the leading cosmological explanation for the origin of the universe.
Filming by Petr Stepanek. Editing and motion graphics by MK12. Music by Pete Calandra and Scott P. Schreer

Gorbenko’s group further developed the tool, which let them take the end of inflation in any universe — the hodgepodge of density ripples — and break it into a sum of wavelike patterns. For unitary universes, they found, each wave would have a positive coefficient. Any theories predicting negative waves would be no good. They described their test in a preprint in August. Simultaneously, an independent group led by João Penedones of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne arrived at the same result.

The positivity test is more exact than the cosmological optical theorem, but less ready for real data. Both positivity groups made simplifications, including stripping out gravity and assuming flawless de Sitter structure, that will need to be modified to fit our messy, gravitating universe. But Gorbenko calls these steps “concrete and doable.”

Cause for Hope

Now that bootstrappers are closing in on the notion of what unitarity looks like for the outcome of a de Sitter expansion, they can move on to other classic bootstrapping rules, such as the expectation that causes should come before effects. It’s not currently clear how to see the traces of causality in a timeless snapshot, but the same was once true of unitarity.

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“That’s the most exciting thing that we still don’t fully understand,” said Taronna. “We don’t know what is not causal in de Sitter.”

As bootstrappers learn the ropes of de Sitter space, they hope to zero in on a few correlation functions that next-generation telescopes might actually spot — and the few theories of inflation, or even gravity, that could have produced them. If they can pull it off, our swollen universe might someday look as transparent as the world of Escher’s fish.

“After many years of working in de Sitter,” Taronna said, “we are finally starting to understand what the rules of a mathematically consistent theory of quantum gravity are.”

Sikh ethics sees self-centredness as the source of human evil

by Keshav Singh

As a moral philosopher, I spend a lot of time thinking and writing about questions such as ‘What is it to be a good person?’ and ‘How should we treat other people?’ During my philosophical training, I learned what philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill had to say about these questions. But this wasn’t the first exposure I had to moral questions. Like many people, I grew up in a religious household, and what I was taught about ethics came from the religious tradition I was raised in.

I’m a Sikh, and I was raised in the Sikh religious tradition. Long before I was exposed to the works of any Western philosophers, I looked to the teachings of the Sikh gurus, enshrined in our scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, for moral guidance. This has recently got me thinking: how does Sikhism approach the ‘big questions’ of Western moral philosophy?

Before I go on, a brief introduction to Sikhism for those who are unfamiliar with it. Sikhism is the world’s fifth-largest organised religion, with around 25-30 million practitioners. It’s also one of the youngest of the major world religions: it was founded by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who lived in the 15th and 16th centuries, and became the first of 10 Sikh gurus. Sikhs believe that the Divine is a fundamental unity underlying all of reality, and that, as manifestations of that Divine unity, all people are equal. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji tells us: ‘Look upon all with equality, for the Divine Light resides in everyone.’

According to the Sikh worldview, the whole is prior to its parts. The level of reality at which we are all individuals is a less fundamental reality than the level at which we are all One. This is a different worldview from that of most philosophers in the Western canon, who have usually posited the individual as fundamental. Western philosophers tend to think of the parts (us) as prior to the whole (if any whole even exists).

Correspondingly, the Sikh tradition ends up giving a different story about morality from most of Western philosophy, one that’s grounded in a belief in the fundamental unity of all things. Central in that story is the concept of haumai, which literally translates as ‘I am’. Haumai is a person’s false sense of themselves as singularly important, that the world revolves around them, and that the experiences, wants and needs of others are somehow less real or significant than their own.

According to Sikh scripture, haumai is the source of all injustice and human evil. It leads us to fail to recognise that other people share the very same ethical significance we have. The more consumed we are by haumai, the more we focus on our own wants and needs at the expense of our concern for others. At the extreme, we start to think of ourselves as the only ones who matter at all. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji tells us that ‘those who have virtue as their treasure destroy haumai’.

Sikh scripture preaches recognising oneself as part of a unified whole through the practice of treating all as One

Haumai is also the main obstacle to achieving spiritual enlightenment, which is a matter of apprehending and connecting with the Divine. And we connect with the Divine by recognising the sense in which we are fundamentally all One. Haumai, then, is essentially an excessive sense of individuality that leads us to misperceive reality. And this leads to an important insight: failing to care for others and treat them well quite literally gets things wrong, by manifesting the false view that we are all disconnected individuals, and that one person’s wants and needs can have a significance that others’ wants and needs don’t.

Now, recall that this whole story about morality starts from the belief that we are fundamentally all One. So, it isn’t a story that’s available to philosophers who view the individual as fundamental. If the individual is fundamental, then we can’t point to any underlying unity or oneness among us all to explain why we ought to treat each other in certain ways, or why the wants and needs of others are significant in just the same ways ours are. In other words, positing the individual as fundamental ends up making it difficult to explain morality.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that Sikhism eschews individuality altogether. In fact, the Sikh gurus were highly critical of religious practices of the time that involved trying to somehow negate the self and destroy one’s individuality. Ascetic practices, such as ritual bathing and self-mortification, are decried in Sikh scripture as not just self-indulgent, but self-undermining. No matter how much one might try to negate one’s self in these ways, one only focuses more on one’s own individuality, and one’s sense of personal importance separate from that of anyone else. This ends up constituting its own form of haumai.

Instead of trying to negate the self, Sikh scripture preaches recognising oneself as part of a unified whole through the practice of treating all as One. We can’t make ourselves good people simply by training ourselves to think pure thoughts. We have to go out in the world and do good for others. Only through this practice can we come to truly apprehend the fundamental unity behind everyone and everything.

How do we engage in the practice of treating all as One? The answer is relatively simple: by treating others as having the very same kind of ethical significance as we do. This means not only doing good deeds, but doing those deeds for the sake of others. A good deed done out of selfish motives has no moral value; if one does good deeds out of a desire for status or recognition, one acts out of haumai.

Rather than helping us to recognise our interconnection with others, acting out of haumai can only perpetuate our separation from others. That’s why, in the Sikh tradition, the idea of seva (selfless service) is so important. We have to practise seeing all as One by doing good deeds for others for their own sakes. We can’t do it just by having the right views, and we can’t do it by doing the right things for the wrong reasons.

Sikh scripture also discusses the kinds of impulses we all have to fight against that keep us in haumai and cut us off from ultimate reality. The ‘five thieves’ are vices of character that, metaphorically speaking, plunder our souls. These five vices can be very roughly translated as (objectifying) lust, wrath, greed, attachment and arrogance. All of them degrade our character, and they all do so by manifesting haumai. Whether through sexual objectification, material greed or emotional possessiveness, when we manifest these vices, we fail to see the world around us through any lens but that of our own selfish concerns. We fail to accord anyone else any importance that doesn’t reduce to the importance we accord ourselves.

All of these familiar vices are ways of failing to care appropriately about others, and so failing to comprehend the sense in which we are all radically interconnected. To rid ourselves of these vices, to rid ourselves of haumai, we need to treat others not as mere objects there for us, as subjects, to use and manipulate, but rather as parts of the very same whole that we ourselves belong to. In other words, to rid oneself of haumai, one needs to stop expressing ‘I am, I am’, with one’s actions and start expressing ‘We are.’ But what does this practice look like more specifically? What particular kinds of actions should we undertake to rid ourselves of haumai?

Living in a capitalist society that prizes individualism, it often feels like haumai is inescapable

One thing that is very clear is that our seva, our undertaking of good deeds for the sake of others, can’t be parochial. To rid ourselves of haumai, we can’t focus solely on doing good for people of the same race, religion or social class. Sikh scripture enjoins us to ‘look upon all with equality, for the Divine Light resides in everyone’. This means we must recognise the equal moral standing of everyone. It’s not enough for our deeds to be benevolent; they also must be egalitarian.

The Sikh gurus were committed to fighting against oppressive social structures of their time, such as the caste system and sati (the practice of forcing widows to take their own lives). Following their example, Sikhs are called to see systems of oppression and injustice as methods of enacting hierarchies that divide us and disconnect us from each other, and to fight against those systems. The desire to gain status and power over others is a clear manifestation of haumai, the false sense of ourselves as somehow fundamentally more important than others.

The gurus also created the institutions of kīrtan(collective singing) and langar (communal dining) with the goals of negating inegalitarian social structures and encouraging the equal treatment of all people. These practices continue to be central to Sikhism, with the goal of encouraging egalitarian and social-justice-minded thinking.

Of course, the moral ideals of eradicating haumaiare not easy to embody, as the Sikh gurus recognised: as conscious beings with our own first-personal subjectivity, we are psychologically disposed to see the world from our own perspective, through the lens of our own wants and needs. According to Sikh scripture, we must transcend this human impulse toward haumai by contemplating the oneness of all, reciting the name of the unified Divine, and exemplifying these commitments in our ethical conduct.

In this way, leading an ethical life is a constant struggle against our own self-centred tendencies, and we should expect ourselves to regularly fall short. I know I certainly do. Living in a capitalist society that prizes individualism and competition, it often feels like the world is so suffused with haumai that it is inescapable. But the gurus recognised this too: ‘Engrossed in haumai,’ says Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, ‘the world perishes.’ Despite this, Sikhs are exhorted to maintain a spirit of chardi kala – eternal optimism. To fall into cynicism or despair would be its own form of haumai. This is why we Sikhs wear our distinctive articles of faith. Every day, when I tie my turban, I am reminded that, even when I feel powerless against the tides of darkness and separation, I must renew commitment to fighting for unity, justice and equality. And when others see my turban, I want them to know these commitments and hold me to them. For if there is one thing the Sikh ethical tradition teaches us, it is that only by being good to others can we truly become good ourselves.

Life extension: the five most promising methods – so far

1. Richard Faragher Professor of Biogerontology, University of Brighton
2. Lynne Cox Associate Professor of Biochemistry, University of Oxford

Most people want to live a long and happy life – or at least avoid a short and miserable one. If you’re in that majority, then you’re in luck. Over the last decade, a quiet research revolution has occurred in our understanding of the biology of ageing.

The challenge is to turn this knowledge into advice and treatments we can benefit from. Here we bust the myth that lengthening healthy life expectancy is science fiction, and show that it is instead scientific fact.

1. Nutrition and lifestyle

There’s plenty of evidence for the benefits of doing the boring stuff, such as eating right. A study of large groups of ordinary people show that keeping the weight off, not smoking, restricting alcohol to moderate amounts and eating at least five servings of fruit and vegetable a day can increase your life expectancy by seven to 14 years compared with someone who smokes, drinks too much and is overweight.

Your five a day is essential. Natalia Lisovskaya/Shutterstock

Cutting down calories even more – by about a third, so-called dietary restriction – improves health and extends life in mice and monkeys, as long as they eat the right stuff, though that’s a tough ask for people constantly exposed to food temptation. The less extreme versions of time-restricted or intermittent fasting – only eating during an eight-hour window each day, or fasting for two days every week – is thought to reduce the risk of middle-aged people getting age-related diseases.

2. Physical activity

You can’t outrun a bad diet, but that doesn’t mean that exercise does not do good things. Globally, inactivity directly causes roughly 10% of all premature deaths from chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and various cancers. If everyone on Earth got enough exercise tomorrow, the effect would probably be to increase healthy human life expectancy by almost a year. 

But how much exercise is optimal? Very high levels are actually bad for you, not simply in terms of torn muscles or sprained ligaments. It can suppress the immune system and increase the risk of upper respiratory illness. Just over 30 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity is enough for most people. Not only does that make you stronger and fitter, it has been shown to reduce harmful inflammation and even improve mood.

3. Boosting the immune system

However fit you are and well you eat, your immune system will, unfortunately, get less effective as you get older. Poor responses to vaccination and an inability to fight infection are consequences of this “immunosenescence”. It all starts to go downhill in early adulthood when the thymus – a bowtie-shaped organ in your throat – starts to wither. 

That sounds bad, but it’s even more alarming when you realise that the thymus is where immune agents called T cells learn to fight infections. Closing such a major education centre for T cells means that they can’t learn to recognisenew infections or fight off cancer effectively in older people. 

You can help – a bit – by making sure you have enough key vitamins, especially A and D. A promising area of research is looking at signals that the body sends to help make more immune cells, particularly a molecule called IL-7. We may soon be able to produce drugs that contain this molecule, potentially boosting the immune system in older people. Another approach is to use the food supplement spermidine to trigger immune cells to clear out their internal garbage, such as damaged proteins, which improves the elderly immune system so much that it’s now being testedas a way of getting better responses to COVID vaccines in older people. 

4. Rejuvenating cells

Senescence is a toxic state that cells enter into as we get older, wreaking havoc across the body and generating chronic low-grade inflammation and disease – essentially causing biological ageing. In 2009, scientists showed that middle-aged mice lived longer and stayed healthier if they were given small amounts of a drug called rapamycin, which inhibits a key protein called mTOR that helps regulate cells’ response to nutrients, stress, hormones and damage. 

In the lab, drugs like rapamycin (called mTOR inhibitors) make senescent (aged) human cells look and behave like their younger selves. Though it’s too early to prescribe these drugs for general use, a new clinical trial has just been set up to test whether low-dose rapamycin can really slow down ageing in people.

The sirolimus (rapamycin) molecules may help us live longer. Danijela Maksimovic/Shutterstock

Discovered in the soil of Easter Island, Chile, rapamycin carries with it significant mystique and [has been hailed] in the popular press as a possible “elixir of youth”. It can even improve the memory of mice with dementia-like disease. 

But all drugs come with pros and cons – and as too much rapamycin suppresses the immune system, many doctors are averse to even consider it to stave off age-related diseases. However, the dose is critical and newer drugs such as RTB101 that work in a similar way to rapamycin support the immune system in older people, and can even reduce COVID infection ratesand severity. 

5. Clearing out old cells

Completely getting rid of senescent cells is another promising way forward. A growing number of lab studies in mice using drugs to kill senescent cells – so-called “senolytics” – show overall improvements in health, and as the mice aren’t dying of disease, they end up living longer too. 

Removing senescent cells also helps people. In a small clinical trial, people with severe lung fibrosis reported better overall function, including how far and fast they could walk, after they had been treated with senolytic drugs. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Diabetes and obesity, as well as infection with some bacteria and viruses, can lead to more senescent cells forming. Senescent cells also make the lungs more susceptible to COVID infection, and COVID makes more cells become senescent. Importantly, getting rid of senescent cells in old mice helps them to survive COVID infection.

Ageing and infection are a two-way street. Older people get more infectious diseases as their immune systems start to run out of steam, while infection drives faster ageing through senescence. Since ageing and senescence are inextricably linked with both chronic and infectious diseases in older people, treating senescence is likely to improve health across the board. 

It is exciting that some of these new treatments are already looking good in clinical trials and may be available to us all soon.

Veganism’s hyper-masculine influencers may discourage men from giving up meat and dairy

1. Catherine Oliver Research Associate in Human Geography, University of Cambridge

A shift to eating more plants and fewer animals is on the agenda for many people and institutions. Research has long shown the impact of industrial animal agriculture on the planet, and zoologist Joseph Poore, the lead author of a study on food’s environmental impacts, has said that “a vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth”. This is why the menu for delegates at the COP26 climate conference has been criticised for its reliance on meat and dairy.

But researchers are warning that eating meat isn’t just a dietary preference: it is wrapped up with gender. The most common demographic of vegans are women aged between 18 and 34 and twice as many women as men are vegan. 

Partially, this is because masculinity is tied up with eating meat. This is evident in the “soy boy” stereotype – a pejorative term used to insult left-wing and vegan men by questioning their masculinity. These ideas, rooted in a misconception that eating soy will increase oestrogen, prevent some men from seriously considering veganism.

#Vegan Men

If you open Instagram and search #VeganMen, your screen will be flooded with photos of men attesting to the benefits of veganism. Analysing popular accounts of these influencers, multiple narrative patterns around masculinity arise. They capture traditional ideas of masculinity with topless, muscular selfies or huge plates of food, usually centring around replica meats. 

In the captions, men talk about how veganism has transformed their lives, while – importantly – not affecting their masculinity. For accounts with large followings, this isn’t just a form of outreach, but an attempt to sell veganism for financial, cultural and aesthetic gain in sponsored ads, followers, likes and comments. Three themes came up repeatedly: 

1. Veganism enhances masculinity;
2. Men should become vegan “saviours”;
3. As well as building muscle, veganism also makes men morally purer.

On social media, veganism is presented as an aspirational lifestyle. But talking to vegans from all walks of life, and of different ages, influencer veganism couldn’t be further from the truth.

On social media, male vegan influencers are trying to counteract stereotypes by showing how veganism can enhance masculinity. For the last three years, I have explored this online boom, comparing the online lives of vegan influencers with vegan men in the real world, and asking whether going vegan really does threaten men’s masculinity.

Veganism is perceived as less than masculine by
some men. Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock

Meat, masculinity and social change

In my research into vegan masculinity, I undertook seven targeted interviews with vegan men based across Britain aged between 20 and 65. All of these men felt that the images of vegan men on social media were a far cry from their own experiences. Going vegan had, instead, forced them to face stereotypes around masculinity and question them.

While vegan influencers promoting a kind of hypermasculinity might seem like a win for veganism, it can be unappealing to men who might feel that they aren’t “manly” enough. When the only vegan men with big audiences are those reproducing these aesthetics, this can make normal vegan men feel as if they are failing to “pull off” veganism. In fact, when men give up meat, they expect, as some of the men I spoke to did, to be mocked by their peers.

Matthew, in his mid-30s, told me: “I don’t fit what people think a vegan is. I play football, I play rugby, I go to the gym.” Similarly, Charlie, in his late 20s, said that his veganism is about his body as a man: “I’m not just doing this for environmental factors or animal rights, but also to do with how my body feels.” 

For Rhys, in his 20s, veganism undoes traditional ideas of gender: “I’m not ‘alpha male’ so I have enjoyed not being associated with that kind of masculinity. That whole thing of ‘real men eat meat’ is so ludicrous. It’s nice to be outside of that.”

Veganism should be an option for all men.

Going even further, Matthew told me that not only does being a vegan man challenge traditional gender norms but it is also “a form of feminist intervention. It’s about challenging the status quo, disrupting social norms.” Similarly, Simon, in his 60s, saw veganism as a compassionate, feminist diet, that he believed could connect him with women in his family because it showed a caring side to him.
This is a far cry from the hyper-masculine images that vegan influencers post online. Veganism enables men to question outdated ideas of gender and to undo notions of masculinity as entangled with what they eat or how they look.
If the future of the planet requires us to change our diets, understanding how food is entangled with gender norms is important. While vegan influencers might be shaping public opinion of what a vegan looks like, veganism needs to be seen as an option for all types of men.

Myths about Thanksgiving and nutrition debunked

The feast that officially kicks off the holiday season is almost here. Thanksgiving is steeped in the comfort and familiarity of traditional foods—turkey and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce—as well as a few time-worn misconceptions. If you blame the turkey for your after-dinner snooze or feel you’ve ruined your healthy diet by splurging on pumpkin pie, it’s time to set things straight. We’re taking on—and debunking—five Thanksgiving feast un-truths.

1. Turkey makes you sleepy: Not really

Turkey contains tryptophan, an amino acid that helps the body produce serotonin, which is involved in regulating sleep cycles. But many protein-rich foods, including chicken, fish, soybeans, and some cheeses, contain as much or more tryptophan by weight than turkey, yet don’t have the same reputation for inducing sleepiness.

Post-meal malaise is more likely due to other factors. The high intake of rapidly digested carbohydrates (e.g., white potatoes, stuffing, sugary desserts) at most Thanksgiving meals increases blood sugar quickly. The major boost in insulin released to manage that blood sugar can cause an overcorrection, leading to low blood sugar levels and tiredness.

Our over-full plates could also contribute to post-feast fatigue. The body diverts blood away from other parts of the body to the digestive tract, which can leave us feeling low energy. Let’s not forget the sleep-inducing effects of alcoholic beverages or the exhaustion brought on by preparing the feast and the stress involved in entertaining guests.

Try this: To prevent a stupor caused by overindulgence, don’t go into the Thanksgiving meal overly hungry. Eat small portions of white potatoes, stuffing, sweetened cranberry sauce, and other sugary treats—and put those carbs to task with an energizing post meal walk instead of a nap.

2. Canned pumpkin is not as nutritious as fresh: They are pretty equivalent

Whether fresh or canned, you really can’t go wrong with this flavorful and nutrient-dense winter squash. A single half-cup serving of either fresh or canned pumpkin packs more than 100% of the recommended daily value of vitamin A and is a good source of several other vitamins and minerals, including fiber, vitamin C, iron, and potassium. Choose 100% pumpkin, not cans of pumpkin pie mix, which contain a lot of added sugar, salt, and spices. Using canned pumpkin purée saves time, energy, and even money and might help boost intake of this nutritious food. One definite perk to using fresh pumpkin is the pumpkin seeds, which can be roasted and used in various dishes. Be aware that the flavor of fresh pumpkin might be slightly different than canned, depending on the type of pumpkin used.

Try this: Use 100% pumpkin purée in muffins, pancakes, and savory dishes like soups, overnight oats, casseroles, and pasta sauce. Try making this year’s homemade pumpkin pie taste a little more like pumpkin and a little less like sugar.

3. Cranberry sauce is great for health: Not with all that added sugar

For many, a Thanksgiving meal is not complete without cranberry sauce. This celebrated staple might seem to be among the healthiest dishes on the table. It could be—if it weren’t for all the added sugar. Whole cranberries, fresh or frozen, are naturally low in sugar, but it takes a lot of added sugar to counter their tartness. Cranberries’ distinct flavor, along with their deep crimson color, indicate the presence of many healthful plant compounds. They are also rich in fiber and vitamin C.

Try this: Consider making your own sauce or relish with less sugar. Experiment with ingredients like fresh or dried fruit, citrus zest, unsweetened fruit preserves, vanilla or almond extract, and cinnamon to help cut the sugar when making this year’s cranberry side-dish.

4. The bird is done when the juices run clear: No—use a meat thermometer

Myoglobin, the pigment that causes the pink color in a turkey’s juices, becomes clear when heated. But the color of the juices is not a reliable way to avoid giving your guests food poisoning. According to the USDA, poultry is done when its internal temperature reaches 165°F. The best way to check for doneness is to use a meat thermometer.

Try this: Remove the turkey from the oven and check the temperature by inserting a meat thermometer horizontally into the thickest part of the breast and the innermost part of the thigh, making sure not to let the thermometer touch bone. When the minimum internal temperature of 165°F is reached, remove the bird from the oven and let it rest (20–40 minutes, depending on size) so the juices reabsorb and keep the meat moist. Note that it is not safe to cook poultry in an oven set lower than 325°F.

5. One day of feasting will ruin a healthy dietary pattern: Not so—if you splurge, get back on track

Food is an important part of celebratory gatherings. Depriving yourself can lead to overindulgence later, so it’s all right to enjoy a modest serving of au gratin potatoes, glass of eggnog, or slice of your favorite pie as the occasional treats that they are. Savoring your favorite holiday foods slowly and mindfully and reflecting on how much you enjoy sharing them with family and friends is an important aspect of enjoying life.

Provided by Tufts University

Tufts Receives $10 Million Grant to Help Develop Cultivated Meat

As the world’s demand for protein grows, food production needs to keep pace. Now a team led by a Tufts professor has received a five-year, $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop an alternative food source: meat produced not from farm animals, but from cells grown in bioreactors.

The team, led by David Kaplan, the Stern Family Professor of Engineering, and his team of graduate students, will combine the efforts of engineers, biologists, nutrition researchers, and social scientists at Tufts and other universities, all in an effort to enhance food sustainability, nutrition, and security.

Cultivated-meat production is emerging as an alternative source of sustainable protein to help address nutrition and food safety for consumer choices. Kaplan, who is a Distinguished Professor at Tufts and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and his team have led some of the early work in the field.

He says that this new industry could provide nutritious and safe foods while reducing environmental impact and resource usage—with a target of significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water use than traditional meat production.

To achieve these goals, the interdisciplinary teams will also work together to evaluate consumer acceptance of cultivated meat, measure the environmental impact of the manufacturing process, assess the economic viability compared to farm production, and prepare the next generation of the industry’s workforce.

“Part of our research will look at improving the nutritional content, shelf life, and other qualities of cell-based meat, along with assessments of impact on consumer perceptions and acceptance,” says Kaplan, whose team of Ph.D. students—Natalie Rubio, Andrew Stout, John Yuen, Michael Saad, Sophie Letcher, and Jake Marko—will be working with him on the effort.

Tufts Now recently spoke with him to learn more about the project.

Tufts Now: It’s interesting to see how this program is set up to address cellular agriculture from multiple angles, not only from a technological standpoint, but also consumer acceptance, economic analysis, and environmental impact. Who will be working on all of these issues?

David Kaplan: This is definitely not just a Tufts engineering effort. We will be working with colleagues Sean Cash and Nicole Tichner-Blackstone at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, who will get a better read on consumer acceptance of cultivated meat.

They also will provide a scientific basis for understanding what the total costs will be from beginning to end and how it compares to current methods of meat production.

They will also be conducting life-cycle assessments, examining all the inputs that go into growing meat from cells, including the ingredients, the energy required, the resources needed such as water supply and transportation of materials, and also the waste that comes from the process, including greenhouse gases.

Merredith Portsmore at the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach will help develop educational programs in grades K-12 to both inspire and prepare students to learn about cellular agriculture and the technological advances that could reshape the industry in the future.

And of course, our lab and our engineering colleagues will develop the underlying science and technologies and the undergraduate and the graduate level education programs for workforce development.

Who else is involved with the research program?

Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts will be supplying the animal biopsies to start our cell lines, and there are many supporting collaborations with faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences.

Joining our effort are six other institutions that will contribute in different ways, with Tufts taking the lead. Virginia Tech will be carrying out research in many of the same areas as Tufts, such as cell isolations from other species, improvement of the meat in terms of authentic flavor and texture, nutritional analysis, and consumer acceptance.

The University of California at Davis will be focused on food science, while the University of Massachusetts, Boston will gather data on sustainability of cellular agriculture. Research at Virginia State will be focused on the nutritional aspects of the new products. MIT will be focused on AI and modeling approaches to optimize media formulations for cell culture. All of our collaborating institutions will be developing educational programs to facilitate workforce development, too.

Companies in Israel, Japan, and the U.S. are working on producing cell-cultured meat resembling beef, chicken, and seafood. How close are we to having an industry with large-scale production of cultivated meat?

One of the companies, called JUST, has released their cell-grown chicken in Singapore, so that’s a product you can order in some restaurants, but not yet widely available. That’s the first and only publicly released product so far from cellular agriculture. There are many companies worldwide now pushing forward on the technology—but how soon their product will be on the shelf, I don’t know.

The commercial and academic laboratory efforts have so far mostly produced small-scale amounts of cell-grown tissues for meat from a laboratory setting, but we are looking at industrial-level scale up in the future and how this might be accomplished.

The challenges are huge. From an engineering perspective, every time you scale to the next level there are new limitations in terms of energy requirements, moving and combining materials, dealing with safety and contamination issues.

Do you have any initial thoughts about whether consumers will be receptive to this new source of meat in their diet?

That’s still an unknown, and that’s why we included consumer acceptance as an important part of our study. The only data point we have so far is the overwhelming receptivity of consumers to plant-derived meats, like the Impossible Burgers and Beyond Burgers.

You see those in supermarkets everywhere now, far exceeding anybody’s projections. So whether it’s a similar response to cell-based meat or not we don’t know. We are anticipating positive views, but we can’t be sure.

Part of our research will look at improving the nutritional content, shelf life, tastes and flavor, and other qualities of cell-based meat, and that may also have an impact on consumer perceptions and acceptance. If life-cycle analysis shows significant advantages in sustainability and environmental impact, that could also have a positive effect on acceptance as well.

Isaac Nicholas can be reached at isaac.nicholas@tufts.edu; Mike Silver can be reached at mike.silver@tufts.edu.

Insomnia may be a risk factor for highly fatal brain aneurysm rupture Source Newsroom: American Heart Association (AHA)

Insomnia may be a potential risk factor for a brain bleed from a ruptured aneurysm along with more well known risk factors of smoking and high blood pressure, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

More than 3% of adults worldwide have unruptured blood vessel malformations in the brain called intracranial aneurysms, the majority of which will never rupture. About 2.5% of intracranial aneurysms will rupture, resulting in a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), also called a brain bleed. SAH is a type of stroke that occurs when a blood vessel on the surface of the brain ruptures and bleeds into the space between the brain and the skull.

“Ruptured aneurysms are highly fatal. It is, therefore, extremely important to identify modifiable risk factors that can help prevent aneurysms from rupturing,” said study author Susanna C. Larsson, Ph.D., associate professor in the unit of cardiovascular and nutritional epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, and the unit of medical epidemiology at Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden.

The researchers sought to determine whether various factors were associated with intracranial aneurysm and/or the aneurysm rupturing. They studied established risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure and also assessed the link between aneurysms and coffee consumption, sleep, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), blood glucose levels, type 2 diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, chronic inflammation and kidney function.

Data from several genome-wide association studies were used to gauge genetic associations to lifestyle and cardiometabolic risk factors. Genetic information from a meta-analysis conducted by the International Stroke Genetics Consortium was used to identify nearly 6,300 cases of intracranial aneurysm and nearly 4,200 cases of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Cases of intracranial aneurysm and subarachnoid hemorrhage were compared to over 59,500 controls to determine genetic predisposition for aneurysms. According to the analysis:

• A genetic predisposition for insomnia was associated with a 24% increased risk for intracranial aneurysm and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
• The risk for intracranial aneurysm was about three times higher for smokers vs. non-smokers.
• The risk for intracranial aneurysm was almost three times higher for each 10 mm Hg increase in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number in a blood pressure reading).
• High triglyceride levels and high BMI did not demonstrate an increased risk for intracranial aneurysm and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

“The association between insomnia and intracranial aneurysm has not been reported previously, and these findings warrant confirmation in future studies,” Larsson said. “Our research supports the thinking that risk factors that people can change or manage may impact brain aneurysms and hemorrhage risk. Once confirmed, future studies should examine ways to incorporate this knowledge into prevention programs and therapies.”

According to a 2016 American Heart Association scientific statement, Sleep Duration and Quality: Impact on Lifestyle Behaviors and Cardiometabolic Health, insufficient and poor-quality sleep and sleep disorders are linked to a higher risk of high blood pressure. The statement summary notes that treating people with sleep disorders may provide clinical benefits, particularly for blood pressure.

Study limitations included that there was not enough information to adequately analyze some of the risk factors. In addition, the analysis included only people of European ancestry; therefore, the findings may not be generalizable to people from diverse racial and ethnic groups.

Co-authors are Ville Karhunen, Ph.D.; Mark K. Bakker, M.Sc.; Ynte M. Ruigrok, Ph.D.; and Dipender Gill, Ph.D.

The study was funded by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare funded the study.

Additional Resources:

• Multimedia is available on the right column of release link: https://newsroom.heart.org/news/insomnia-may-be-a-risk-factor-for-highly-fatal-brain-aneurysm-rupture?preview=0b3351f8b90738aaa07fe3b7c15505be
• After Nov. 3, view the manuscript online.
• Healthy sleep habits help lower risk of heart failure
• How Sleep Affects Your Health
• Sleeping less than six hours and heart disease, stroke – deadly combo
• Follow AHA/ASA news on Twitter @HeartNews
• Follow news from the Journal of the American Heart Association @JAHA_AHA

Statements and conclusions of studies published in the American Heart Association’s scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers are available here, and the Association’s overall financial information is available here. 

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

UTSW study finds potential strategy for fighting obesity Source Newsroom: UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern scientists may have identified a method of safely mimicking the weight-loss benefits of a plant compound that – despite its harmful side effects – hold critical answers to developing therapies for obesity.

Celastrol, derived from the root extracts of a white-flowered plant in China, has drawn increased attention in recent years after studies showed it can both prevent and reverse obesity in mice. However, because celastrol can cause reactions such as high blood pressure and lethargy in mice, researchers have sought to understand how the compound works and use that knowledge to develop safe weight-loss treatments for people.

UT Southwestern may have solved part of the puzzle in a new study that shows celastrol requires a specific protein in a type of neuron that influences metabolism. Scientists found they can mimic a “fed” signal to mouse brains by deleting this protein from the neurons, resulting in mice losing 7% of their body weight in two weeks despite being a fed high-fat diet.

Key to the findings: The mice did not appear to endure the same physical ailments documented in previous research in which celastrol was administered.

“This new understanding of how celastrol works on the cellular level opens more possibilities for targeting pathways that can improve our metabolism without the negative health impact,” said study author Kevin W. Williams, Ph.D., an investigator at UT Southwestern’s Center for Hypothalamic Research. “We haven’t uncovered all the cell populations that influence weight loss, but each of these findings brings us closer to developing effective, safe therapies for obesity.”

The study, published in JCI Insight, is the latest research from Dr. Williams that may someday help improve glucose metabolism in patients with obesity-driven conditions such as diabetes. More than 30 million Americans have diabetes, accounting for nearly 10% of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The new research focused on a class of cells in the brain called POMC neurons, which are associated with reduced appetite, lower blood glucose levels, and higher energy burning when activated. A 2019 study from Dr. Williams showed a single bout of exercise can boost the activity of POMC for up to two days.

In the latest research, the Williams lab found this neuron also plays a critical part in how celastrol impacts weight loss. Mice given the compound saw decreased activity of a protein called PERK within the region of the brain where POMC neurons reside. The lab further found that deleting PERK from these neurons can replicate much of the weight-loss effects of celastrol, and appears to do so without causing harmful side effects often associated with anti-obesity drugs.

“The mice were leaner and had the same activity levels; they didn’t appear lethargic, sickly or ill,” Dr. Williams said. “But this is through observation only. Further study is needed to verify how targeting this pathway may be influencing their cardiovascular systems and other functions.”

The Food and Drug Administration cautions people against the use of celastrol, a substance also known as thunder god vine used in traditional Chinese medicine. Although extracts from the plant are sold as supplements, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has posted cautionary statements saying scientists do not yet have enough data about celastrol’s safety and effectiveness.

But the compound has already given scientists important insight into how safer strategies for weight loss may be developed in the lab. In the new study, for instance, deleting PERK from the POMC neurons blocked about half the food intake-reducing effect of celastrol.

“This indicates there are other cell populations for celastrol’s effects on metabolism besides POMC,” said Dr. Williams, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern and an investigator in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. “We’ll continue mapping the roles of these cell types until we have a fuller picture of the complex network of pathways. One day, perhaps, this knowledge may contribute to the development of more effective therapeutics in the treatment of obesity and diabetes.”

About UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty has received six Nobel Prizes and includes 25 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 16 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 2,800 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in about 80 specialties to more than 117,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 3 million outpatient visits a year.

Study links irregular sleep patterns to metabolic disorders

Obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol more prevalent among irregular sleepers.

 

A new study has found that not sticking to a regular bedtime and wakeup schedule — and getting different amounts of sleep each night — can put a person at higher risk for obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension, high blood sugar and other metabolic disorders. In fact, for every hour of variability in time to bed and time asleep, a person may have up to a 27% greater chance of experiencing a metabolic abnormality.

The results of the study, which was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, appear today in the journal Diabetes Care(link is external).

“Many previous studies have shown the link between insufficient sleep and higher risk of obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders,” said study author Tianyi Huang, Sc.D., epidemiologist of the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. “But we didn’t know much about the impact of irregular sleep, high day-to-day variability in sleep duration and timing. Our research shows that, even after considering the amount of sleep a person gets and other lifestyle factors, every one-hour night-to-night difference in the time to bed or the duration of a night’s sleep multiplies the adverse metabolic effect.”

For the current study, researchers followed 2,003 men and women, ages 45 to 84, participating in the NHLBI-funded Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). The participants were studied for a median of six years to find out the associations between sleep regularity and metabolic abnormalities. To ensure objective measurement of sleep duration and quality, participants wore actigraph wrist watches to closely track sleep schedules for seven consecutive days. They also kept a sleep diary and responded to standard questionnaires about sleep habits and other lifestyle and health factors. Participants completed the actigraphy tracking between 2010 and 2013 and were followed until 2016 and 2017.

“Objective metrics and a big and diverse sample size are strengths of this study,” said Michael Twery, Ph.D., director of the NHLBI’s National Center on Sleep Disorders Research. “As is the study’s ability to look not only at current factors, but to conduct a prospective analysis that allowed us to assess whether patterns of irregular sleep could be linked to future metabolic abnormalities.”

The researchers’ hypothesis that there were, in fact, such associations, proved correct. Individuals with greater variations in their bedtimes and in the hours they slept had a higher prevalence of metabolic problems, and these associations persisted after adjusting for average sleep duration. This was also the case when they looked at the participants who developed metabolic disorders during the 6.3 years of follow up.

The prospective results showed that the variations in sleep duration and bedtimes preceded the development of metabolic dysfunction. According to the authors, this provides some evidence supporting a causal link between irregular sleep and metabolic dysfunction.

Participants whose sleep duration varied more than one hour were more likely to be African-Americans, work non-day shift schedules, smoke, and have shorter sleep duration. They also had higher depressive symptoms, total caloric intake, and index of sleep apnea.

Increasing sleep duration or bedtime variability was strongly associated with multiple metabolic and simultaneous problems such as lower HDL cholesterol and higher waist circumference, blood pressure, total triglycerides, and fasting glucose.

“Our results suggest that maintaining a regular sleep schedule has beneficial metabolic effects,” said study coauthor Susan Redline, M.D., senior physician in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “This message may enrich current prevention strategies for metabolic disease that primarily focus on promoting sufficient sleep and other healthy lifestyles.”

About the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): NHLBI is the global leader in conducting and supporting research in heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders that advances scientific knowledge, improves public health, and saves lives. For more information, visit https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health^®

Study

Huang, T., Redline, S. Cross-sectional and prospective associations of actigraphy-assessed sleep regularity with metabolic abnormalities: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Diabetes Care. June 2019. DOI: 10.2337/dc19-0596

 

EXERCISING ON THE CHEAP

What is one of the simplest and least expensive ways to improve heart function? Walking.

 

Walking is one of the least expensive exercises an individual can do; just put on a pair of sneakers and you are ready to go. It is also one of the most convenient exercises. Walking can be accomplished just about anywhere, making it a popular favorite. The health benefits of walking are many. Brisk, consistent walking is an effective way to lower blood pressure and keep diabetes and bay, both of which in turn lower heart disease risk. Two expansive, long-term Harvard studies conjure that walking for about 20 minutes a day may cut your risk of heart disease by as much as 30%.

 

Some people still need that proverbial kick in the pants to start and stick with a walking program. One of the best ways is to find walking buddies, says Dr. Lauren Elson, physical medicine and rehabilitation instructor at Harvard Medical School. “I find that if I can get someone to walk with a partner—a spouse or a friend—that helps a lot.” Even better is getting several friends to walk together because they all hold each other accountable. “They call each other up and say, ‘Where are you?'” Dr. Elson says. For additional suggestions for group walking opportunities, see the websites of the American Heart Association (www.health.harvard.edu/walking-clubs) and Walk with a Doc (www.walkwithadoc.org).

 

Other people find motivation by using a pedometer to track their steps and distance, says Dr. Elson, who is also the medical editor of the Harvard Special Health Report Walking for Health (www.health.harvard.edu/walk). One study of 26 determined that people who used pedometers increased physical activity levels by nearly 27%, amounting to about 2,500 steps a day. Many stores that sell exercise equipment have inexpensive pedometers. With a smartphone, you can download a pedometer app such as Moves, Breeze, or Pedometer++.

 

If you use a pedometer, track your steps from morning until night. Take the average of your total steps for two or three days aiming to increase your daily total by about 1,000 to 2,000 steps. Increase your steps by the same amounts until you reach at least 10,000 steps per day.

 

If you have been whammed by a heart attack or been diagnosed with heart disease, walking is the perfect exercise; you can easily adjust your routine in conjunction with your fitness level. If you have heart failure, seek a cardiac rehabilitation program recommended by your Dr.

 

Whether you start a walking program on your own or with supervision, plan to start slowly and work gradually toward better fitness—, and follow these safety tips:

• Always warm up with five minutes of easy walking to prepare your muscles and heart for exercise. In the end, cool down by slowing your pace.
• Do not push through fatigue. If you feel tired or have any heart symptoms, stop.
• Walk in an indoor shopping mall if it is too cold, too snowy, or too hot to exercise outdoors. Ask your doctor if you should take any additional precautions.

 

Therefore, my fellow travelers, couch potatoes one and all, what is left to say? If one has not been exercising, the eight-week workout is a sure bet. You will increase the time you are walking and work up to 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week as well.  And so we’re on the same page, brisk walking is defined as walking as if you are in a bit of a hurry. Breathing rate should increase, but you can still talk in a full sentence that is if you are not functionally illiterate. Finally, good posture means good health; stand tall with your head up, shoulders down and back, and flabby abdominal muscles tight.

 

Marching orders: How to start a walking program. (2015, November). Retrieved from Harvard Health Publications HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL: http://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/marching-orders-how-to-start-a-walking-program

 

 

Dear readers, if you have read this far, the Captain would be most heartened if you would rate this and future articles and/or leave a comment at the top of the blog posts whether positive or negative. In this way, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” may better serve you and our entire readership.

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

WHAT IS THE OUTLOOK OF EXTENDING THE HUMAN LIFESPAN?

A study published online today in Nature by Albert Einstein College of Medicine scientists suggests that it may not be possible to extend the human lifespan beyond the ages already attained by the oldest people on record.

Since the 19th century, average life expectancy has risen almost continuously thanks to improvements in public health, diet, the environment, and other areas. On average, for example, U.S. babies born today can expect to live nearly until age 79 compared with an average life expectancy of only 47 for Americans born in 1900. Since the 1970s, the maximum duration of life—the age at which the oldest people live—has also risen. However, according to Einstein researchers, this upward arc for maximal lifespan has a ceiling—and we’ve already touched it.

“Demographers, as well as biologists, have contended there is no reason to think that the ongoing increase in maximum lifespan will end soon,” said senior author Jan Vijg, Ph.D., professor, and chair of genetics, the Lola and Saul Kramer Chair in Molecular Genetics, and professor of ophthalmology & visual sciences at Einstein. “But our data strongly suggest that it has already been attained and that this happened in the 1990s.”

Dr. Vijg and his colleagues analyzed data from the Human Mortality Database, which compiles mortality and population data from more than 40 countries. Since 1900, those countries generally show a decline in late-life mortality: The fraction of each birth cohort (i.e., people born in a particular year) who survive to old age (defined as 70 and up) increased with their calendar year of birth, pointing toward a continuing increase in average life expectancy.

Nevertheless, when the researchers looked at survival improvements since 1900 for people aged 100 and above, they found that gains in survival peaked at around 100 and then declined rapidly, regardless of the year people were born. “This finding indicates diminishing gains in reducing late-life mortality and a possible limit to human lifespan,” said Dr. Vijg.

He and his colleagues then looked at “maximum reported age at death” data from the International Database on Longevity. They focused on people verified as living to age 110 or older between 1968 and 2006 in the four countries (the U.S., France, Japan, and the U.K.) with the largest number of long-lived individuals. Age at death for these supercentenarians increased rapidly between the 1970s and early 1990s but reached a plateau around 1995—further evidence for a lifespan limit. This plateau, the researchers note, occurred close to 1997—the year of death of 122-year-old French woman Jeanne Calment, who achieved the maximum documented lifespan of any person in history.

Using maximum-reported-age-at-death data, the Einstein researchers put the average maximum human life span at 115 years—a calculation allowing for record-oldest individuals occasionally living longer or shorter than 115 years. (Jeanne Calment, they concluded, was a statistical outlier.) Finally, the researchers calculated 125 years as the absolute limit of the human lifespan. Expressed another way, this means that the probability in a given year of seeing one person live to 125 anywhere in the world is less than 1 in 10,000.

“Further progress against infectious and chronic diseases may continue boosting average life expectancy, but not maximum lifespan,” said Dr. Vijg. “While it’s conceivable that therapeutic breakthroughs might extend human longevity beyond the limits we’ve calculated, such advances would need to overwhelm the many genetic variants that appear to collectively determine the human lifespan. Perhaps resources now being spent to increase lifespan should instead go to lengthening healthspan—the duration of an old age spent in good health.”

Explore further:  Global life expectancy up five years since 2000: WHO

More information:  Nature, nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/nature19793

Journal reference:  Nature  

Provided by:  Albert Einstein College of Medicine  

OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY STATISTICS

 

About Overweight and Obesity

This publication describes the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States.

• Overweight refers to an excess amount of body weight that may come from muscles, bone, fat, and water.¹
  
• Obesity refers to an excess amount of body fat.¹
  

Fast Facts

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010 ^2, 3

• More than 2 in 3 adults are considered to be overweight or obese.
  
• More than 1 in 3 adults are considered to be obese.
  
• More than 1 in 20 adults are considered to have extreme obesity.
  
• About one-third of children and adolescents ages, 6 to 19 are considered to be overweight or obese.
  
• More than 1 in 6 children and adolescents ages 6 to 19 are considered to be obese.
  

Using Body Mass Index (BMI) to Estimate Overweight and Obesity

The BMI is the tool most commonly used to estimate overweight and obesity in children and adults.

BMI of Adults Age 20 and Older
BMI	Classifcation
18.5 to 24.9	Normal weight
25 to 29.9	Overweight
30 +	Obesity
40 +	Extreme obesity

For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are measured by using weight and height to compute the person’s BMI. The BMI is used because, for most people, it correlates with the amount of fat in their bodies. An online tool for gauging the BMIs of adults can be found at:http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_BMI/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.htmlExternal Link Disclaimer

BMI of Children and Adolescents Ages 2 – 19
BMI	Classification
At or above the 85th percentile	Overweight or obese
At or above the 95th percentile	Obese

Children grow at different rates at different times, so it is not always easy to tell if a child is overweight. BMI charts for children compare their height and weight to other children of the same sex and age. An online tool for gauging the BMIs of children and teens can be found at: http://nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspxExternal Link Disclaimer

Causes of Overweight and Obesity

Overweight and obesity result from an energy imbalance. The body needs a certain amount of energy (calories) from food to keep up basic life functions. Bodyweight tends to remain the same when the number of calories eaten equals the number of calories the body uses or “burns.” Over time, when people eat and drink more calories than they burn, the energy balance tips toward weight gain, overweight, and obesity.

Children need to balance their energy, too, but they are also growing and that should be considered as well. Energy balance in children happens when the amount of energy taken in from food or drink and the energy being used by the body support natural growth without promoting excess weight gain.

Many factors can lead to energy imbalance and weight gain. They include genes, eating habits, how and where people live, attitudes and emotions, life habits, and income.¹

Treatment of Overweight and Obesity

Overweight and obesity are risk factors for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other health problems such as those listed below.

Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity

type 2 diabetes heart disease high blood pressure nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (excess fat and inflammation in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol) osteoarthritis (a health problem causing pain, swelling, and stiffness in one or more joints) some types of cancer: breast, colon, endometrial (related to the uterine lining), and kidney stroke

There is no single cause of all overweight and obesity. There is no single approach that can help prevent or treat overweight and obesity. Treatment may include a mix of behavioral treatment, diet, exercise, and sometimes weight-loss drugs. In some cases of extreme obesity, weight-loss surgery may be an option.¹

Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity

The data presented in this publication are from two surveys conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)^2,3 and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).⁴

Adults Age 20 and Older2

More than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of adults are considered to be overweight or obese. More than one-third (35.7 percent) of adults are considered to be obese. More than 1 in 20 (6.3 percent) have extreme obesity. Almost 3 in 4 men (74 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity is similar for both men and women (about 36 percent). About 8 percent of women are considered to have extreme obesity.

Overweight and Obesity among Adults Age 20 and Older, United States, 2009–2010

Estimated Percentage by BMI

■ Normal weight or underweight (BMI under 24.9)
■ Overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9)
■ Obesity (BMI of 30+)
■ Extreme obesity (BMI of 40+)

According to the pie graph, 31.2 percent of adults had BMIs under 24.9 and so were considered normal weight or underweight. Another 33.1 percent had BMIs from 25 to 29.9, and so they were considered overweight. The group with BMIs of 30 or higher—people considered to have obesity—amounted to 35.7 percent. Those considered to have extreme obesity, with BMIs of 40 or higher, amounted to 6.3 percent.

Source: NHANES, 2009–2010

Estimated Percentage by Sex

■ Men ■ Women

According to the bar graph, 74 percent of men had overweight or obesity; 64 percent of women had overweight or obesity. Equal percentages (36) of men and women had obesity. Among men, 4 percent had extreme obesity; the percentage among women was double that of men, at 8 percent.

Source: NHANES, 2009–2010

Different Racial and Ethnic Groups—Adults*

Among Hispanic, black, and white adults age 20 and older: 2 Overweight and obesity affect more than 3 in 4 Hispanics (78.8 percent) and blacks (76.7 percent). About 2 in 3 whites (66.7 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese. About half of blacks (49.5 percent), and more than 1 in 3 Hispanics (39.1 percent) and whites (34.3 percent) are considered to be obese. Extreme obesity affects more than 1 in 10 blacks (13.1 percent), and about 1 in 20 whites (5.7 percent) and Hispanics (5 percent). Rates of obesity among Asian Americans are much lower than among other racial and ethnic groups. The following are general prevalence estimates from the 2010 NHIS for adults age 18 and older in these groups who reported being of one race.4 Asian Americans: 11.6 percent American Indians and Alaska Natives: 39.9 percent Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders: 43.5 percent†

† This estimate is based on a small number of respondents (n = 284) in the category of Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders; relative standard error is greater than 30 percent and less than or equal to 50 percent.

Overweight and Obesity among Adults Age 20 and Older, United States, 2009–2010

Estimated Percentage by Race/Ethnicity*

■ Overweight or Obesity ■ Obesity ■ Extreme obesity

According to the bar graph, among white people, 66.7 percent were considered overweight or obese, 34.3 percent were considered obese, and 5.7. percent were considered to have extreme obesity. Among black people, 76.7 percent were considered overweight or obese, 49.5 percent were considered obese, and 13.1 percent were considered to have extreme obesity. Among Hispanic people, 78.8 percent were considered overweight or obese, 39.1 percent were considered obese, and 5 percent were considered to have extreme obesity. Among adults in the United States in all racial categories, 68.8 percent were considered overweight or obese, 35.7 percent were considered obese, and 6.3 percent were considered to have extreme obesity.

Source: NHANES, 2009–2010

Estimated Percentage of Youth with Overweight or Obesity, United States, 2009–2011

Children and Adolescents 3

Young children ages 2 to 5 have a lower prevalence of overweight and obesity than older youth. Among young people ages 2 to 19: About 31.8 percent are considered to be either overweight or obese, and 16.9 percent are considered to be obese. About 1 in 3 boys (33 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese, compared with 30.4 percent of girls. About 18.6 percent of boys and 15 percent of girls are considered to be obese. Among children and adolescents ages 6 to 19: Almost 1 in 3 (33.2 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese, and 18.2 percent are considered to be obese. More than 2 in 5 black and Hispanic youth (more than 41 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese.* About 25.7 percent of black, 22.9 percent of Hispanic, and 15.2 percent of white youth are considered to be obese.*

Percentage by Age Group, Ages 2–19

■ Overweight or Obesity ■ Obesity

According to the bar graph, among people ages 2–5, 26.7 percent had overweight or obesity, and 12.1 percent had obesity. Among people ages 6–11, 32.6 percent had overweight or obesity, and 18 percent had obesity. Among people ages 12–19, 33.6 percent had overweight or obesity, and 18.4 percent had obesity.

Source: NHANES, 2009–2010

Percentage by Sex, Ages 2–19

■ Overweight or Obesity ■ Obesity

According to the bar graph, among girls, 30.4 percent had overweight or obesity, and 15 percent had obesity. Among boys, 33 percent had overweight or obesity, and 18.6 percent had obesity. Across youth of both sexes, 31.8 percent had overweight or obesity, and 16.9 percent had obesity.

Source: NHANES, 2009–2010

Percentage by Race/Ethnicity, Ages 6–19*

■ Overweight or Obesity ■ Obesity

According to the bar graph, among white youth, 29 percent had overweight or obesity, and 15.2 percent had obesity. Among black youth, 41.8 percent had overweight or obesity, and 25.7 percent had obesity. Among Hispanic youth, 41.2 percent had overweight or obesity, and 22.9 percent had obesity. Across youth ages, 6 to 19 of all races, 33.2 percent had overweight or obesity, and 18.2 percent had obesity.

Source: NHANES, 2009–2010

Trends in Overweight and Obesity among Adults, United States, 1962–2010**

Changes over Time*

• Since the early 1960s, the prevalence of obesity among adults more than doubled, increasing from 13.4 to 35.7 percent in U.S. adults age 20 and older. ^2, 5
  
• Obesity prevalence remained mostly stable from 1999 to 2010 but has increased slightly, yet in a statistically significant way, among men overall, as well as among black women and Mexican American women. ²
  
• Among children and adolescents, the prevalence of obesity also increased in the 1980s and 1990s but is now mostly stable at about 17 percent. ³
  

*”Blacks” refers to non-Hispanic blacks, and “whites” refers to non-Hispanic whites.

■ Overweight ■ Obesity ■ Extreme obesity

According to the graph, as of 1962, about 46 percent of adults in the United States fell into the categories of overweight, obesity, and extreme obesity. About 32 percent of adults were overweight, about 13 percent were obese, and about 1 percent had extreme obesity.

Percentages of adults within all of these categories increased gradually until the late 1970s, at which point they began to climb more quickly, leveling off somewhat around 2000. The increase was most dramatic within the obesity category, while the percentage of overweight adults held fairly steady, and the percentage of adults with extreme obesity increased moderately. Around 2000, about 70 percent of adults were considered overweight, obese, or extremely obese. Of this group, 34 percent were considered overweight, about 31 percent were considered obese, and about 5 percent were considered to have extreme obesity.

By 2010, the percentage of adults considered overweight, obese, or extremely obese had climbed to about 75. About 33 percent were considered overweight, about 36 percent were considered obese, and about 6 percent were considered extremely obese.

Source: Ogden & Carroll, 2010; Flegal et al., 2012

**Data for 1960–1980 are for adults ages 20 to 74; data for 1988–2010 are for adults age 20 and older

Physical Activity Statistics

Adults

Research Findings

• Research suggests that staying active may lower a person’s chance of getting heart disease, stroke, some cancers, type 2 diabetes, and other conditions.
  
• Researchers believe that some physical activity is better than none. Extra health benefits can be gained by increasing how often and intensely one exercise and how long each session lasts.
  

Government guidelines recommend that healthy adults take part in an aerobic activity of moderate intensity for at least 150 minutes a week or vigorous-intensity for 75 minutes a week.⁶ Aerobic activity uses large muscles such as the legs and back and makes the heart beat faster. In addition, the guidelines recommend that people do activities that strengthen muscles (such as weight training or push-ups) at least twice a week.

Some studies measure physical activity by people’s self-report of what they do. Other studies use a tool that records movement as it occurs. Researchers consider the studies using tools to be more accurate. A study conducted in 2003–2004 that used this type of tool to measure physical activity found that only about 3 to 5 percent of adults meet these recommendations.⁷

Children and Adolescent

The physical activity guidelines also recommend that children and youth get at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily.

Research Findings

Findings from a study ⁷ conducted in 2003–2004 that measured physical activity using a tool that records movement suggest the following:

• In the age group of 6 to 11, almost half of boys (49 percent) and about a third of girls (35 percent) get the recommended amount of physical activity.
  
• Physical activity declines with age. While 42 percent of children ages 6 to 11 get 60 minutes a day of physical activity, only about 8 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 15 reach this goal.
  

At all ages, girls have lower levels of physical activity than boys.

Children and Adolescents Ages 6–19 Getting at Least 60 Minutes per Day of Physical Activity, United States, 2003–2004

■ All     ■ Boys     ■ Girls The bar graph presents percentages for different age ranges, and it shows percentages of boys, girls, and all children within the ranges doing 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity. The leftmost part of the graph shows data on children ages 6–11. For children in that age range, 42 percent were getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Among boys, 48.9 percent were getting 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity, and among girls, the proportion was 34.7 percent. The middle of the graph shows data on youth ages 12–15. For youth within this age range, 8 percent were getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Among boys, the percentage was 11.9, and among girls, the percentage was 3.4. The right part of the graph shows percentages for youth ages 16–19. For youth within this age range, 7.6 percent were getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Among boys, 10 percent were doing 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity, and among girls, 5.4 percent were doing 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day. In general, many more young children than older ones were doing at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily. Source: Troiano et al., 2008

References

1. National Institutes of Health. Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: The evidence report. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; September 1998. NIH Publication No. 98–4083. Available online:http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-pro/guidelines/archive/clinical-guidelines-obesity-adults-evidence-reportExternal NIH Link
   
2. Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Ogden CL. Prevalence of obesity and trends in the distribution of body mass index among US adults, 1999–2010. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2012; 307(5):491–97. Available online:http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1104933External Link Disclaimer
   
3. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Flegal KM. Prevalence of obesity and trends in body mass index among US children and adolescents, 1999–2010. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2012; 307(5):483–90. Available online:http://jama.jamanetwork.com/Mobile/article.aspx?articleid=1104932External Link Disclaimer
   
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Summary health statistics for U.S. adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2010. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Vital and Health Statistics 10(252); 2012. Available online:http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_252.pdf [PDF – 3.8 Mb]External Link Disclaimer
   
5. Ogden CL, Carroll MD. Prevalence of overweight, obesity, and extreme obesity among adults: United States, trends 1960–1962 through 2007–2008. NCHS Health E-Stat. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2010. Available online:http://www.cdc.gov/NCHS/data/hestat/obesity_adult_07_08/obesity_adult_07_08.pdf [PDF – 202.5 Kb]External Link Disclaimer
   
6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. ODPHP Publication No. U0036. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available online: http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/External Link Disclaimer
   
7. Troiano RP, Berrigan D, Dodd KW, Mâsse LC, Tilert T, McDowell M. Physical activity in the United States measured by accelerometer.Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2008;40(1):181–188. Available online: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18091006External NIH Link
   

[Top]

Clinical Trials

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and other components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conduct and support research into many diseases and conditions.

What are clinical trials, and are they right for you?
Clinical trials are part of clinical research and are at the heart of all medical advances. Clinical trials look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease. Researchers also use clinical trials to look at other aspects of care, such as improving the quality of life for people with chronic illnesses. Find out if clinical trials are right for youExternal NIH Link.

What clinical trials are open?
Clinical trials that are currently open and are recruiting can be viewed at www.ClinicalTrials.govExternal Link Disclaimer.

Resources

Additional Reading from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Obesity and Socioeconomic Status in Adults: United States, 2005–2008 
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db50.htmExternal Link Disclaimer

Obesity and Socioeconomic Status in Children and Adolescents: United States, 2005–2008
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db51.htmExternal Link Disclaimer

Prevalence of Obesity in the United States, 2009–2010
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db82.htmExternal Link Disclaimer

This content is provided as a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health. The NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings through its clearinghouses and education programs to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public. Content produced by the NIDDK is carefully reviewed by NIDDK scientists and other experts.

The NIDDK would like to thank:
Cheryl Fryar, M.S.P.H., and Cynthia Ogden, Ph.D., M.R.P., both of the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for reviewing this fact sheet.

This information is not copyrighted. The NIDDK encourages people to share this content freely.

INCONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE, THE BENEFITS OF A PALEO DIET IN MODERATING TYPE 2 DIABETES

One of the tenants of the noted Paleolithic diet concentrates its aims on avoiding refined sugars and processed food, but scientific evidence from research about any beneficial effect for people living with type 2 diabetes is unresolved at this point, according to a Perspective published online by the Medical Journal of Australia.

Associate Professor Sofianos Andrikopoulos from the University of Melbourne

Associate Professor Sofianos Andrikopoulos from the University of Melbourne noted that in its most basic form, the Paleo diet’s concentration on fresh foods seems compatible with dietary guidelines worldwide.

“However, what constitutes a Paleolithic diet is often skewed by individual interpretation or bias. This lack of a standard definition further complicates research evidence for or against this dietary approach and is often supported by individual self-reported benefits on health and wellbeing in popular social media channels.” Notwithstanding the enthusiasm shown for the Paleo diet, there is a dearth of adequate scientific trials investigating the effect of the diet on people with diabetes.

However, a Swedish study discovered that the Paleo diet achieved a lower value of body mass index and glycated hemoglobin levels (The A1C test is a blood test that provides information about a person’s average levels of blood glucose, also called blood sugar, over the past 3 months. The A1C test is sometimes called the hemoglobin A1c, HbA1c, or glycohemoglobin test.) The comparison was made against a diabetes diet for obese patients with well-controlled type 2 diabetes. Associate Professor Andrikopoulos concluded that the study was not of enough breath to determine any long-term benefit.

“These small and short-term studies tend to indicate some benefit but do not convincingly show that a Paleolithic diet is effective for weight loss and glycemic control in type 2 diabetes,” he wrote.

A study on a healthy, research group of average weight put on a Paleo diet for 10 days showed a static response to fasting plasma glucose (insulin) levels. It did find reduced plasma lipid levels and blood pressure compared with the usual baseline diet.

Another 2-week study on obese patients with metabolic syndrome (a cluster of biochemical and physiological abnormalities associated with the development of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes) found no effect on glucose tolerance (how well your body’s cells can absorb glucose or sugar). The study did reveal that the group had reduced blood pressure and plasma lipid levels, which was associated with a small decrease in weight.

In summation, Associate Professor Andrikopoulos stated; “given that even very short deficits in energy balance can improve metabolic parameters, it is difficult to make strong conclusions about the long-term benefits of the Paleolithic diet in type 2 diabetes (or any other condition), because of the short duration of the interventions (less than 12 weeks), the lack of a proper control group in some instances, and the small sample size (less than 20 individuals) of the above studies”.

Article: The Paleo diet and diabetes, Sofianos Andrikopoulos, Medical Journal of Australia, doi: 10.5694/mja16.00347, published 8 August 2016.

Source: Australian Medical Association (AMA)

 

 

Dear readers, if you have read this far, the Captain would be most heartened if you would rate this and future articles and/or leave a comment at the top of the blog posts whether positive or negative. In this way, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” may better serve you and our entire readership.

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan, and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

ELEVATED CAFFEINE LEVELS COULD TRIGGER HEART ARRHYTHMIAS!

 

Once again fellow travelers we are warned against imbibing caffeine to excess. The elevated levels of caffeine and energy drinks may lead to cardiac problems; this comes from a case study in a report in the July/August Journal of Addiction Medicine, at the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). Wolters Kluwer publishes the journal.

 

Maryam Sattari, M.D.

The case study adds to prior reports of unfavorable cardiovascular events related to the consumption of energy drinks, including abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). The lead author is Dr. Maryam Sattari of the University of Florida, Gainesville.

 

The case study involves a 28-year-old man seen in the emergency department after developing vomiting with blood. Upon examination, the only abnormality, other than obesity, was a very fast heart rate–about 130 beats per minute.

 

An electrocardiogram uncovered an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation, the rapid, irregular, and unsynchronized contraction of the muscle fibers of the upper chambers of the heart. This is a common type of arrhythmia and it can lead to serious complications if sustained. Further testing showed no other heart problems.

 

This individual said he routinely drank two Monster energy drinks per day, for total caffeine content of 320 mg, along with two or three beers. No other common causes of his heart rhythm abnormality were apparent.

 

With the administration of medications, the atrial fibrillation resolved over 48 hours. An endoscopy was performed, related to the vomiting of blood, showing a tear of the stomach and esophagus. Forceful vomiting probably caused this. The individual was finally sent home in stable condition. A one-year’s follow-up exam uncovered no further symptoms of active arrhythmia.

 

Although several factors might have contributed to the patient’s atrial fibrillation, Dr. Sattari and colleagues write, “We believe that energy drink consumption played a key role.” They point out the 160 mg caffeine content of a Monster energy drink is about four times higher than in a caffeinated soft drink (The caffeine content of coffee drinks varies widely, but maybe even higher).

 

A review of the medical research identified at least eight cases of cardiovascular events linked to energy drinks, such as Monster or Red Bull. The researchers discuss several mechanisms by which the high caffeine content of these products might lead to cardiovascular events. These include other ingredients, such as taurine, that might heighten the effects of caffeine; using energy drinks along with alcohol or illicit drugs; or high-stress levels.

 

Energy drinks have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially among adolescents and young adults. Marketed as “nutritional supplements,” these beverages are not subject to the caffeine limits on soft drinks, or to the safety testing and labeling required for medications

.

This and previous reports are “suggestive but not conclusive” that the caffeine in energy drinks may cause abnormal heart rhythms and other cardiac complications. “We suggest that arrhythmia could be a complication of energy drink consumption,” Dr. Sattari and coauthors write. They encourage health care providers to ask about energy drink intake in otherwise healthy young patients with unexplained arrhythmias.

 

Hughes, C. (2016, August 2). Cardiac Complications from Energy Drinks? Case Report Adds New Evidence at. Retrieved August 2, 2016, from Newswise: http://www.newswise.com/articles/cardiac-complications-from-energy-drinks-case-report-adds-new-evidence

 

 

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

A WISE MOVE WHEN ORDERING OUT

Want to cut calories by making more healthful meal choices? Try avoiding unhealthy impulse buying tough by ordering meals at least an hour before eating. New findings from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon University show that people choose higher-calorie meals when ordering immediately before eating, and lower-calorie meals when orders are placed an hour or more ahead of time. The results, which have significance for addressing the nation’s obesity epidemic, are published in the Journal of Marketing Research.

Eric M. VanEpps, Ph.D.

“Our results show that ordering meals when you’re already hungry and ready to eat leads to an overall increase in the number of calories ordered and suggest that by ordering meals in advance, the likelihood of making indulgent purchases is drastically reduced;” said lead author Eric M. VanEpps, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at the Penn Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, who conducted the studies while a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon. “The implication is that restaurants and other food providers can generate health benefits for their customers by offering the opportunity to place advance orders.”

Researchers conducted two field studies examining online lunch orders of 690 employees using an onsite corporate cafeteria, and a third study with 195 university students selecting among catered lunch options. Across all three studies, the researchers noted that meals with higher calorie content were ordered and consumed when there were shorter (or no) waiting periods between ordering and eating.

The first study was a secondary data analysis of over 1,000 orders that could be placed anytime after 7 a.m. to be picked up between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The second study randomly assigned participants to place orders before 10 a.m. or after 11 a.m. The third study randomly assigned university students to order lunch before or after class, with lunches provided immediately after class.

In the first study, VanEpps and colleagues from Carnegie Mellon University found that for every hour of delay between when the order was placed and the food was ready (average delay of 105 minutes), there was a decrease of approximately 38 calories in the items ordered. In the second study, the researchers found that those who placed orders in advance, with an average delay of 168 minutes, had an average reduction of 30 calories (568 vs. 598) compared to those who ordered closer to lunchtime (with an average delay of 42 minutes between ordering and eating). The third study showed that students who placed orders in advance ordered significantly fewer calories (an average of 890 calories) compared to those who ordered at lunchtime (an average of 999 calories).

In all three studies, lower caloric totals were generally not confined to any specific population groups. Failure to eat breakfast did not emerge as a factor in the observed effect of time delay on total lunch calories, nor were there any observed differences in meal satisfaction between meals ordered in advance and those ordered for immediate consumption.

George Loewenstein, Ph.D.

“These findings provide one more piece of evidence that decisions made in the heat of the moment are not as far-sighted as those made in advance,” said George Loewenstein, Ph.D., the Herbert A. Simon University Professor of Economics and Psychology at Carnegie Mellon, and senior author on the study. “For example, people who plan to practice safe sex often fail to do so when caught up in the act, and people who, in dispassionate moments, recognize the stupidity of road rage nevertheless regularly succumb to it. Unfortunately, pre-commitment strategies are more feasible when it comes to diet than to many other hot behaviors.”

Based on findings from other studies, VanEpps says there is a potential concern that people who cut calories in one meal might “make up” for the calorie reductions later, whether at dinner or via snacking, though there is little evidence that participants in these studies were aware that lunches ordered in advance had fewer calories. The authors suggest future research in the form of longitudinal studies that measure eating decisions over a longer period would be useful in addressing this issue. In addition, because the two employee workplace studies provided discounted food and the university-based study provided free food, future research examining analogous situations where participants pay full price for their meals would be beneficial.

Funding for the study was provided by Lowenstein’s personal research funds.

Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $5.3 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 18 years, according to the U.S. News & World Report‘s survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation’s top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $373 million awarded in the 2015 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities includes The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center — which are recognized as one of the nation’s top “Honor Roll” hospitals by U.S. News & World Report — Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital — the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Chestnut Hill Hospital and Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In the fiscal year 2015, Penn Medicine provided $253.3 million to benefit our community.

Delach, K. (2016, July 19). Want to Cut Calories? New Studies Suggest Placing Orders Before It’s Time to Eat. Retrieved July 26, 2016, from Penn Medicine: http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2016/07/vanepps/

Citations

Journal of Marketing Research

 

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

HEALTHFUL CONVENIENCE FOODS

Prepackaged, prepared foods take many forms:  boxed, dry goods such as quick-cook pasta and rice mixes; canned foods, such as soup or ravioli; or frozen foods, such as a single frozen dinner or a “family-sized” lasagna.

All of these are usually loaded with calories salt, saturated and trans fats, sugar, refined carbohydrates, additives, and preservatives. “It’s not the worst thing if you eat this kind of fast food once in a great while, but if you start eating a lot of it, it can lead to weight gain and the health risks that come with it, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease,” says McManus.

And don’t think that take-out food is the answer, either. “Food ‘to go’ has the same problem. It’s quick and it’s hot, but it’s probably salty, fatty, and very high in calories,” says McManus.

To find the more healthful convenience foods takes a bit of sleuthing on everyone’s part.  Start with ingredient lists. “The fewer ingredients, the better, and make sure that real foods are on the list, whether it’s meat or vegetables,” says McManus. If there’s any added sugar, it should be one of the last ingredients, since ingredients are listed in order of quantity.

Next stop: the Nutrition Facts label. McManus recommends looking at the label and choosing entrees with serving sizes that provide 600 or fewer calories; 5 or more grams of fiber; 500 or fewer milligrams of sodium; zero grams of trans fat; 5 or fewer grams of saturated fat; and zero grams of sugar. (See “What to look for in a healthy prepared entrée.”)

 

What to look for in a healthy prepared entrée
The label says…	Look for…
Calories	600 or less
Fiber	5 grams or more
Sodium	500 milligrams or less
Trans fat	0 grams
Saturated fat	5 grams or less
Sugar	0 grams

 

Now, to fill up the cart with healthful convenience foods like dried foods, such as whole-grain cereals (shredded wheat or rolled oats); frozen or canned vegetables (without added salt); canned tuna or salmon; some frozen fish or shrimp; and some frozen entrees, usually from companies that promote the fact that they use organic ingredients. It won’t take long to microwave a fish fillet and open a can of green beans or heat a nutritious frozen dinner.

 

 

Healthier meals on the go. (2016, January). Retrieved July 25, 2016, from Harvard Health Publications Harvard Medical School: http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-eating/healthier-meals-on-the-go?utm_source=delivra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=GB20160725-HEDiabetes&utm_id=207105&mid=21239452&ml=207105

 

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

THINK TWICE WHEN THROWING FOOD AWAY!

A shameful waste of good food

Did you know that we Americans throw away about 80,000,000,000 (80 billion) pounds of food a year and that only half of us are aware that food waste is a problem? What’s more, investigators have found that most people perceive benefits to throwing food away, some benefits of which have a very limited basis.

 

A study recently published in PLOS One is just the second peer-reviewed large-scale consumer survey about food waste and is the first in the U.S. to identify patterns regarding how Americans form attitudes on food waste.

 

Brian Roe

The findings provide the data required to advance targeted efforts to reduce greatly the amount of food that U.S. consumers throw into the refuse each year, according to this study co-authored by Brian Roe, the McCormick professor of agricultural Marketing and Policy at The Ohio State University.

 

The researchers developed a national survey to identify Americans’ awareness and attitudes regarding food waste. In July 2015, it was administered to 500 people representative of the U.S. population.

 

The study found that 53 percent of respondents said they were aware that food waste is a problem. This is about 10 percent higher than a Johns Hopkins study published last year, Roe said, which indicates an awareness of the problem could be growing.

 

“But it’s still amazingly low,” he said. “If we can increase awareness of the problem, consumers are more likely to increase purposeful action to reduce food waste. You don’t change your behavior if you don’t realize there’s a problem in the first place.”

 

Among other findings, the study identified general patterns that play a role in people’s attitudes regarding household food waste.

 

“Generally, we found that people consider three things regarding food waste,” said doctoral student Danyi Qi, who co-authored the study. “They perceive there are practical benefits, such as a reduced risk of foodborne illness, but at the same time, they feel guilty about wasting food. They also know that their behaviors and how they manage their household influence how much food they waste.”

 

Specifically, this survey brought to the fore how Americans think about food waste:

 

• Perceived benefits: 68 percent of respondents believe that throwing away food after the package date has passed reduces the chance of foodborne illness, and 59 percent believe some food waste is necessary to be sure meals are fresh and flavorful.

 

• Feelings of guilt: 77 percent feel a general sense of guilt when throwing away food. At the same time, only 58 percent indicated they understand that throwing away food is bad for the environment, and only 42 percent believe wasted food is a major source of wasted money.

 

• Control: 51 percent said they believe it would be difficult to reduce household food waste and 42 percent say they don’t have enough time to worry about it. Still, 53 percent admit they waste more food when they buy in bulk or purchase large quantities during sales. At the same time, 87 percent think they waste less food than similar households do.

 

In studying these patterns, the researchers see several areas to focus educational and policy efforts.

 

“First, we can do things to chip away at the perceived benefits of wasting food,” Qi said. “Our study shows that many people feel they derive some type of benefit by throwing food away, but many of those benefits are not real.”

 

For example, removing “Sell by” and “Use by” dates from food packages could significantly reduce the amount of good food that is trashed, the researchers said.

 

“Only in rare circumstances is that date about food safety, but people are confused about the array of dates on food packages,” Roe said. Recent efforts to create uniform national standards for such labels have received bipartisan support.

 

In addition, the researchers see an opportunity to help consumers understand the negative environmental impacts of food waste.

 

Food waste is the largest source of municipal solid waste in the U.S. and the most destructive type of household waste in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the researchers report.

 

“Helping people become more aware of that wouldn’t be a silver bullet,” Roe said, “but it could sway 5 to 10 percent of people who are generally willing to change their behaviors to improve the environment but who have never put two and two together about the damaging impacts of food waste.”

 

Finally, researchers believe better data on measuring household waste could lead to improvements.

 

“Right now everybody thinks they are doing as good as or better than everybody else,” Roe said. “It’s somebody else that’s creating food waste.”

 

To combat this perception, Roe, Qi, and other members of the research team are in the process of developing a smartphone app to measure more finely household food waste. Roe is now seeking Federal grants and private support to fund the project, a collaboration with the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University. The LSU group developed the SmartIntake app several years ago to help participants in food intake studies report what they eat more accurately.

 

 

 

Filipic, M. (2016, July 21). News: Why Americans Waste So Much Food. Retrieved July 25, 2016, from The Ohio State University College of Food, Agriculture, Environmental Sciences: http://cfaes.osu.edu/news/articles/why-americans-waste-so-much-food

 

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

POPULAR DIETS AND CORRECTING THE NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES IN EACH

What diet are you on? If it is the paleo, high protein, low carb, gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan diet then this article may be of interest to you. Whether people choose these diets with the hope of losing weight or maintaining a semblance of wellness, individuals that subscribe to these diets could be missing some essential vitamins and nutrients. In the April issue of Food Technology Magazine, Linda Milo Ohr writes about the vitamin and nutrient deficiencies in these popular diets and what is needed to make up for them.

Vegetarian and Vegan

Individuals following the vegetarian and vegan diet comprise a significant and growing part of the consumer base worldwide, as much as 20% of the global population (DSM 2013). Worldwide, there are around 1.4 billion vegetarians, and the number is increasing.

The 2015-2020 U.S. Vegetarian Healthy Eating plan includes more legumes, soy products, nuts, seeds, and whole grains compared to the standard Health U.S. Style Eating Pattern. It contains no meats, poultry, or seafood. Due to differences in the foods included in the protein foods group, specifically more tofu, and beans, the vegetarian diet plan is somewhat higher in calcium and dietary fiber and lower in vitamin D (HHS/USDA 2016).

http://patch.com/new-jersey/ramsey-nj/how-avoid-common-nutrient-deficiencies-if-youre-vegan

The Mayo Clinic recommends that vegetarians pay special attention to eating foods that contain calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, and zinc. Vitamin B12 is necessary to produce red blood cells while iron is also a component of red blood cells and is important for oxygen transport. It also plays a role in energy metabolism and the immune system.
Omega-3 fatty acids are important for heart health and cognition. They are mainly found in fish; however, vegetarian-sourced omega-3s are available (Ohr, 2016).

High-Protein/Low-Carb/Gluten-Free
High-protein/low-carbohydrate diets, carbohydrate-free diets, and gluten-free diets put a major emphasis on eliminating or reducing carbohydrate consumption and often whole grains from the diet. Gluten-free diets are essential for those diagnosed with celiac disease, but the gluten-free lifestyle has a growing following among those who feel they are sensitive to gluten, think gluten is bad for them, or want to reduce carbohydrates in their diets (Ohr, 2016).

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“Low-carbohydrate diets have been around for a long time,” says Jim White, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (eatright.org) and owner of Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios, Virginia Beach, Va. (jimwhitefit.com). “With low carbs, you are missing one of the major macronutrients, whole grains. You can end up missing out on B vitamins for energy metabolism and dietary fiber, which already as a nation we are not consuming enough of.” White explains that if not enough fiber is consumed, the unique nutritional benefits aren’t felt, such as satiety, transit time, and cholesterol reduction. “Initially, when you decrease carbohydrates, there will be weight loss, but most will be water weight because there are about 3 grams of water per 1 gram of carbohydrate.” White notes that consumers following a gluten-free diet do have other sources of complex carbohydrates available to them, including quinoa, brown rice, and sweet potatoes.

Paleo
The Paleo diet, often referred to as the Caveman diet, advises consumers to return to the eating habits of their ancestors. The basic diet consists of lean meat, fish/seafood, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and healthful oils (olive, walnut, flaxseed, macadamia, avocado, and coconut). What is cut out of the diet are grains, legumes, dairy products, foods high in refined sugar and salt, processed foods, potatoes, and refined vegetable oils (Ohr, 2016).

http://www.christopherjamesclark.com/blog/the-paleo-diet-and-b-vitamin-deficiencies-the-critics-vs-the-data/

The Paleo diet is popular for weight loss as well as athletic performance because of its focus on lean protein consumption. Manheimer et al. (2015) demonstrated that the Paleo diet resulted in greater short-term improvements on metabolic syndrome components than did guideline-based control diets. The researchers conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the Paleo nutritional pattern with any other dietary pattern in participants with one or more of the five components of metabolic syndrome. Four RCTs that involved 159 participants were included. The four control diets were based on distinct national nutrition guidelines but were broadly similar. Paleo nutrition resulted in greater short-term improvements than did the control diets for waist circumference, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, and fasting blood sugar (Ohr, 2016).

With its focus on lean proteins and elimination of grains and dairy, those following the Paleo lifestyle need to consider nutrients they may not be getting in adequate amounts. It is recommended that people should supplement with folate, B vitamins, calcium, and vitamin D. “With many diets, especially Paleo and dairy-free, we are seeing people not getting enough calcium and vitamin D,” observes White.

Dear readers, if you have read this far, the Captain would be most heartened if you would rate this and future articles and/or leave a comment at the top of the blog posts whether positive or negative. In this way, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” may better serve you and our entire readership.

 

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Ohr, L. M. (2016, April). Filling in Nutrient Gaps, Volume 70, Number 4. Retrieved May 4, 2016, from IFT: http://www.ift.org/food-technology/past-issues/2016/april/columns/nutraceuticals-nutrient-gaps.aspx

DSM. 2013. Essentials for Vegetarians. DSM Nutritional Products, Heerlen, the Netherlands. dsm.com.

HHS/USDA. 2016. 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services/U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/.

Manheimer, E. W., E. J. van Zuuren, Z. Fedorowicz, and H. Pijl. 2015. “Paleolithic Nutrition for Metabolic Syndrome: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 102(4): 922–932.

 

 

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

TATTOO YOU, WHAT TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE THE TATTOO!

Many Americans are being tattooed these days. Surveys indicate approximately one in five Americans now has at least one tattoo.

Linda Katz, M.D., M.P.H., Director of FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors

It is also shown with the increasing popularity of tattoos, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeing a rise in reports of individuals developing infections from contaminated tattoo inks, as well as having bad reactions to the inks themselves,
according to Linda Katz, M.D., M.P.H., director of FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors.

Before getting a tattoo, mull over the seven important questions (as answered by Dr. Katz):

1. Should I be concerned about non-sterile needles, or the ink itself?

Infected tattoo

Both; while it’s true that you can get infections from unhygienic practices and equipment that isn’t sterile, in the last several years there have been cases in which people got infections because the ink itself was contaminated with microorganisms, such as bacteria and mold introduced either at the time of manufacture or at the tattoo parlor. Using non-sterile water to dilute the pigments is a common culprit, although not the only one.

There is no sure-fire way to tell if the ink is safe. Just looking at it or smelling it will not tell you if it is contaminated. An ink can be contaminated even if the container is sealed or wrapped, or the label asserts the product is sterile. Ink could become contaminated at any point in the production process.

State, county, or local health departments oversee the operation of tattoo parlors. In situations in which firms recall tattoo inks, FDA is often involved in alerting firms to problems related to their inks and working with the firms to make sure recalls are effective. FDA also alerts the public when it becomes aware of a public health concern.

2. What does FDA know about inks?

The information the agency has about inks is limited. But FDA is analyzing tattoo inks and pigments for contaminants, heavy metals, degradants, potentially toxic chemicals—including pH stabilizers, microbicides, and coating agents—and other materials that are not intended to be placed into the body. There are reports in the published scientific literature of tattoo inks that contain everything from pigments used in printer toner to pigments used in car paint.

3. What about do-it-yourself tattoo inks and kits?

Inks and kits sold online to consumers have been associated with reports of infection or allergic reactions. The agency is also concerned that, unlike most licensed tattoo artists, consumers will not have sufficient knowledge or the means to control and avoid all possible sources of contamination and subsequent infections in the process of giving themselves a tattoo.

4. What kinds of reactions have been seen with tattoos?

Infected do-it-yourself tattoo; note pussy sores.

You might notice a rash—redness or bumps—in the area of your tattoo, and you could develop a fever. Serious infections can require months of treatment with a variety of antibiotics. More virulent or aggressive infections may be associated with high fever, shaking, chills, and sweats. If these symptoms arise, you may need antibiotics, hospitalization, and/or surgery. Your physician or other health care professional will make that determination.

If you have an allergic reaction, the exact cause may be hard to pinpoint. You could have an allergic reaction to a pigment (one of the ingredients that add color to the ink) or to a diluent, (the liquid used to dilute the pigments). On the other hand, you could have a reaction to a contaminant that got into the ink during manufacturing.

In addition, because the inks are permanent, the reaction may persist.

5. If I get a tattoo and develop an infection or other reaction, what should I do?

Portia Love, M.D., is a Montgomery dermatologist.

Three things: First, contact your doctor or other health care professional.

Second, notify the tattoo artist. That way he or she can identify the ink that was used, and avoid using it again. Moreover, you can ask the tattoo artist for detailed information on the brand, color, and any lot or batch information that may be useful in determining the source of the problem and how to treat it.

Third, report the problem to FDA. FDA urges consumers, tattoo artists, and even health care professionals to report tattoo-related problems to FDA. Here is how:

• You can report a problem by contacting FDA’s Medwatch Program online by calling 1-800-FDA-1088.
• You can also contact the FDA district office consumer complaint coordinator for your geographic area.

Provide as much detail as possible about the ink and your reaction and outcome. Reports from consumers are one of our most important sources of safety information.

 

6. What about later on, Could other problems occur?

Although research is ongoing at FDA and elsewhere, there are still a lot of questions the research has not answered yet. These include questions about the long-term effects of the pigments, other ingredients, and possible contaminants in the tattoo ink.

Then there is the question of tattoo removal. We know that people have laser treatments to remove tattoos, but we do not know the short- or long-term consequences of how the pigments break down after laser treatment. However, we do know that there may be permanent scarring from some of the tattoo removal procedures.

 

7. What is the bottom line?

Think before you ink. Because of all the unknowns described above, this is not a decision to be made without careful consideration.

This is especially important because, despite advances in laser technology, removing a tattoo is a painstaking process and complete removal without scarring may be impossible.

If you do decide to get a tattoo, make sure the tattoo parlor and artist comply with all state and local laws. The National Conference of State Legislatures has a Web page on state laws, statutes, and regulations governing tattooing and body piercing. For information on local regulations, contact your county or city health department.

 

A Tattoo for You? Seven Key Questions to Consider. (2016, May 3). Retrieved May 3, 2016, from FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm316357.htm?source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#top

 

DIET AND THE CONVERSION OF WHITE FAT INTO OBESITY-FIGHTING BEIGE FAT

White Fat, Beige Fat, Brown Fat. Click to enlarge

At some point, fellow travelers have probably heard the terms white, beige, and brown fat brought up in the topic of conversation regarding the fight against obesity. The most important single idea in the field of metabolic disease is the concept of energy balance. This means that, with the rare exception of malabsorption of nutrients, an animal cannot gain or lose weight unless there is an imbalance between food intake and energy expenditure. When energy intake chronically exceeds energy expenditure, weight gain, and obesity result. This excess weight is stored in adipose tissue, which consists of fat cells, or adipocytes, which have an incredible capacity for storing surplus energy in the form of lipid. This tissue is not just a passive storage depot, but also an endocrine organ, secreting molecules like leptin that can regulate appetite and whole-body metabolism. In addition to these well-described energy-storing fat cells, adipocytes also exist that are highly effective at transforming chemical energy into heat. Brown adipocytes, which get their name from their high number of iron-containing mitochondria, are specialized to dissipate energy in the form of heat, a process called nonshivering thermogenesis. The thermogenic gene program of classical brown and beige fat cells (those brown cells that can emerge in white fat depots under certain conditions) can increase whole-body energy expenditure and therefore can protect against obesity and diabetes. This role of brown (and now beige) adipose cells in increasing whole-body metabolic rates have driven much of the interest in these cell types (Wu, Cohen, & Spiegelman, 2013).

Well, scientists at Washington State University have shown that berries, grapes, and other fruits convert excess white fat into calorie-burning beige fat, providing new strategies for the prevention and treatment of obesity.

Scientists used mice in the study; the mice were fed a high-fat diet. The thin mice receiving resveratrol in amounts equal to 12 ounces of fruit per day for humans put on 40% less weight than control mice. Resveratrol is a polyphenol, one type of antioxidant found in most fruits.

Prior research had intimated that resveratrol aids in the prevention of obesity but the mechanism of action was unclear. Much of the research, primarily with red wine, used copious concentrations of resveratrol, a much higher concentration than an individual could consume in a normal diet.

Professor Min Du

Min Du, a professor of animal sciences at WSU, and visiting colleague, scientist Songbo Wang, made evident that mice fed 0.1% resveratrol were able to change their excess white fat into the active, energy-burning beige fat.

 

“Polyphenols in fruit, including resveratrol, increase gene expression that enhances the oxidation of dietary fats so the body won’t be overloaded,” said Du. “They convert white fat into beige fat that burns lipids¹ off as heat – helping to keep the body in balance and prevent obesity and metabolic dysfunction.”

The scientists also demonstrated that an enzyme called AMPK², which regulates the body’s energy metabolism, promotes this transition of white fat into beige fat.

Resveratrol has been lauded as a natural way to slow aging and fight cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, and diabetes. However, many of the claims are still under debate (Phillips, 2015).

Du said resveratrol is only one of the polyphenolic compounds found in fruit that provides beneficial health effects.

“We are using resveratrol as a representative for all of the polyphenols,” he said.
“We are still using it as a pure compound to be consistent with the study that came out 20 years ago in the medical journal, The Lancet, showing that resveratrol in wine has beneficial effects.

“In reality, it’s the total polyphenolic content that is more important,” he said. “We think you can increase your total intake of polyphenol compounds by directly increasing fruit consumption.”

Du said those compounds are found in all fruits but are especially rich in blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, and apples. Twelve ounces is about two or three servings per day.

Wines like merlot or cabernet sauvignon, in contrast, contain only a fraction of resveratrol and other phenolic compounds found in grapes, he said.

“Many of the beneficial polyphenols are insoluble and get filtered out during the wine production process,” he said.

For consumers who want to add fiber and these bioactive compounds to their diet, it’s much better to eat the whole fruit, he said.

Researchers had always assumed there were only two types of fat, said Du – white fat where lipids are stored as energy and brown fat that burns lipids to produce heat.

Several years ago, scientists discovered beige fat, which is in between white and brown fat. Du said beige fat is generated from white fat in a process called “browning.”

“Resveratrol can enhance this conversion of white fat to beige fat and, when you have high rates of browning, it can partially prevent obesity,” he said.

In the study, adult female mice were fed a high-fat diet. Those supplemented with resveratrol were 40 percent less likely to develop diet-induced obesity compared to control mice that gained weight (Phillips, 2015).

Du said white fat is protective when it’s healthy. But too much leads to imbalance and disease.

“The current theory is that when we eat excessively, the extra lipids are stored in white fat. With obesity, the fat cells enlarge to a point where they’re saturated and can’t uptake more lipids,” he said. “As the fat cells become overloaded and die, they release toxins and cause inflammation leading to health problems like insulin resistance and diabetes.

“Polyphenols like resveratrol are good as they enhance the oxidation of fat so it won’t be overloaded. The excess is burned off as heat,” he said.

The study was recently published in the International Journal of Obesity. It was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and an Emerging Research Issues Internal Competitive Grant from the WSU College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. None of the funders had a role in the interpretation of the results.

---

[1] Lipids are a group of naturally occurring molecules that include fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E, and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, phospholipids, and others.

Lipid – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipid

[2] 5′ AMP-activated protein kinase or AMPK or 5′ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase is an enzyme that plays a role in cellular energy homeostasis. It consists of three proteins (subunits) that together make a functional enzyme, conserved from yeast to humans.

AMP-activated protein kinase – Wikipedia, the free …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMP-activated_protein_kinase

---

 

Phillips, R. (2015, June 18). WSU scientists turn white fat into obesity-fighting beige fat. Retrieved April 28, 2016, from WSU NEWS: https://news.wsu.edu/2015/06/18/wsu-scientists-turn-white-fat-into-obesity-fighting-beige-fat/

 

Wu, J., Cohen, P., & Spiegelman, B. (2013, February 1). Adaptive thermogenesis in adipocytes: Is beige the new brown? doi:10.1101/gad.211649.112

 

 

Dear readers, if you have read this far, the Captain would be most heartened if you would rate this and future articles and/or leave a comment at the top of the blog posts whether positive or negative. In this way, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” may better serve you and our entire readership.

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

 

 

 

 

THE WEIGHT OF REJECTION LOOMS LARGE FOR HEAVIER INDIVIDUALS.

 

Imagine oneself in this scenario. You are in a speed dating situation with only 5 minutes to find favor with, or not, the individual on the opposite side of the table from you. It can be unnerving enough for the most confident of individuals. For heavier women the effects are even worse. A study shows that reservations about rejection and devaluation in reference to one’s weight can lead down the path to the deleterious health consequences.

Dr. Brenda Major is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Dr. Alison Blodorn is a post-doctoral research associate working with Dr. Brenda Major in the Self & Social Identity Lab at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Two UC Santa Barbara psychologists set out to examine whether and how the anticipation of rejection — versus the actual experience of it — affects an individual’s emotional well-being. Dr. Brenda Major is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Brenda Major devised a study that measured the effects of anticipated rejection caused by weight-stigmatizing situations — like dating. The results, they discovered, depended on participants’ weight and gender. The findings appear in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (Cohen, 2016).

“We experimentally tested whether the mere anticipation of rejection among heavier individuals is enough to lead to downstream negative psychological effects such as decreased self-esteem or feelings of self-consciousness,” explained Blodorn, a postdoctoral research associate in the Self & Social Identity Lab in UCSB’s Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences.

The researchers enlisted 160 men and women of differing body weights, aged 18 to 29, who identified themselves as heterosexual. Each individual in the study was asked to give a 5-minute talk detailing why he or she would make a viable dating partner. They were told a comely member of the opposite sex would evaluate the speech.

Half of the participants in the study were told that the evaluator would see a video recording of their speeches, so their weight would be self-evident. For the other half of the study group, evaluators would only hear the audio portion of the speeches so weight was not a factor in the decision-making process.

To assess anticipated rejection, immediately before giving their speeches participants were asked to rate, how likely they thought their evaluators would be to accept them or to reject them. After their speeches were recorded, participants completed a variety of tests to measure levels of self-esteem, feelings of self-consciousness such as shame and embarrassment, and stress emotions like anxiety and discomfort. Participants’ height and weight were also measured in order to calculate their body mass index (BMI) (Cohen, 2016). “Heavier women — or those with a higher BMI — who thought their weight would be seen expected to be rejected by their evaluator,” Blodorn explained. “This anticipated rejection led to lower self-esteem, greater feelings of self-consciousness and greater stress.”

She noted that the same conditions that were detrimental to heavier women had the opposite effect for thinner women who saw their weight as an asset. “Thinner women expected to be accepted and this led to increased feelings of positive self-esteem, decreased self-consciousness and less stress,” Blodorn said. “It’s not too surprising, given that thinness and beauty are so intertwined in our society.”

The results differed for men. “Interestingly, we didn’t see any of the same negative effects for heavier men,” Blodorn said. “They didn’t expect to be rejected by an attractive female who was going to rate their dating potential when their weight was fully seen. It’s possible that these findings are limited to the dating domain, and more research needs to be done before we could say heavier men are not affected by weight stigma.”

The study implies, relative to heavy women, that direct confrontations with negative weight based treatment are not necessary for weight stigma to have adverse effects.

“Even in the absence of actual experiences with negative weight-based treatment, anticipated rejection can lead to negative psychological health,” Blodorn said. “Given that weight bias is so pervasive in our society, these findings have huge implications for the psychological well-being of heavier women.”

“It seems inevitable that in a slew of different situations — such as going to the grocery store or gym — they are going to be worried about being rejected or evaluated unfavorably due to their weight,” she concluded. “And this can lead to long-term decreases in well-being.”

 

 

Cohen, J. (2016, March 21). The Weight of Rejection. Retrieved March 24, 2016, from The UC Santa Barbara Current: http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2016/016570/weight-rejection

POOR DIET, LACK OF EXERCISE HASTENS THE ONSET OF AGE-RELATED CONDITIONS IN MICE AND MEN.

An unhealthy diet and living the life of a couch potato may be making you age faster. Researchers at Mayo Clinic believe there is a link between these modifiable lifestyle factors and the biological processes of aging. In a recent study, researchers demonstrated that a poor diet and lack of exercise accelerated the onset of cellular senescence ( the process of aging) and, in turn, age-related conditions in mice. Results appear in the March issue of Diabetes  (Forliti, 2016).

Senescent cells contribute to various diseases and conditions joined with age. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging discovered that exercise deters premature senescent cell accumulation and as a prophylactic against the harmful effects of an unhealthy diet including but not limited to deficits in physical, heart, and metabolic function, equal to diabetes.

Nathan K. LeBrasseur, M.S., Ph.D.

“We think at both a biological level and a clinical level, poor nutrition choices and inactive lifestyles do accelerate aging,” says Nathan LeBrasseur, Ph.D., director of the Center on Aging’s Healthy and Independent Living Program and senior author of the study. “So now we’ve shown this in very fine detail at a cellular level, and we can see it clinically. And people need to remember that even though you don’t have the diagnosis of diabetes or the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease or the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease today when you’re in midlife, the biology underlying those processes is hard at work.”

While the deleterious effects of the fast-food diet were readily apparent, researchers found noticeable health improvements after the mice began to exercise. Half the mice, among which were on both healthful and unhealthful diets, were given exercise wheels. The mice that ate a fast-food diet but exercised displayed suppression in body weight gain and fat mass accumulation; they were protected against the buildup of senescent cells. The mice petit healthful, normal diet also benefited from exercise.

MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video is available for download on the Mayo Clinic News Network. https://youtu.be/SRqmxfwf9aI

“Some of us believe that aging is just something that happens to all of us and it’s just a predestined fate, and by the time I turn 65 or 70 or 80, I will have Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis,” says Dr. LeBrasseur. “And this clearly shows the importance of modifiable factors so healthy diet, and even more so, just the importance of regular physical activity. So that doesn’t mean that we need to be marathon runners, but we need to find ways to increase our habitual activity levels to stay healthy and prevent processes that drive aging and aging-related diseases.”

The research was supported by the Paul F. Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, the National Institutes of Health, the Pritzker Foundation, and Robert and Arlene Kogod.

Others on the research team include Marissa Schafer, Ph.D.; Thomas White, Ph.D.; Glenda Evans; Jason Tonne; Grace Verzosa, M.D.; Michael Stout, Ph.D.; Daniel Mazula; Allyson Palmer; Darren Baker, Ph.D.; Michael Jensen, M.D.; Michael Torbenson, M.D.; Jordan Miller, Ph.D.; Yasuhiro Ikeda, Ph.D.; Tamar Tchkonia. Ph.D.; Jan van Deursen, Ph.D.; James Kirkland, M.D., Ph.D., all of Mayo Clinic.

Mayo Clinic and Dr. Tchkonia, Palmer, Dr. Kirkland, and Dr. LeBrasseur have a financial interest related to this research.

 

 

Forliti, M. (2016, March 16). Poor Diet, Lack of Exercise Accelerate Onset of Age-Related Conditions in Mice. Retrieved March 21, 2016, from Mayo Clinic News Network: http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/poor-diet-and-lack-of-exercise-accelerate-the-onset-of-age-related-conditions-in-mice/

 

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

A 5% WEIGHT-LOSS MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE IN YOUR HEALTH PROFILE.

Medical complications of obesity. Click to enlarge

Greater than one in three Americans are obese. Obesity is a looming risk factor for a variety of diseases, two diseases being type 2 diabetes and heart disease. These health problems stem from a wide range of underlying medical abnormalities that affect the liver, pancreas, muscle, fat, and other tissues.

Current treatment guidelines suggest a 5% to 10% weight reduction in people that are overweight or obese to bring about any noticeable improvements in health. Team leader, Dr. Samuel Klein, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and his team studied the metabolic benefits of a 5% weight loss in obese subjects. NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), and other NIH constituents funded this study.

The scientists randomly assigned 40 sedentary people with obesity to maintain their body weight or to go on a diet to lose 5% of their body weight, followed by targets of 10% and 15%. Participants averaged 44 years of age with a body mass index (BMI) of 38 (average weight of about 235 pounds). The participants did not smoke or have diabetes. The findings appeared online on February 22, 2016, in Cell Metabolism (Torgan, 2016).

Subjects in the weight-loss group ate a low-calorie diet: 50%-55% of the energy supplied was in the form of carbohydrates, 30% as fat, and 15%-20% as protein. Participants were provided with weekly diets and behavioral education sessions.

Nineteen individuals reached the initial target range of 5% weight loss, an average of 12 pounds, after about 3 ½ months. The researchers discovered that this crew had greatly decreased body fat, which included the abdominal fat and fat in the liver. Moreover, they had decreased blood plasma levels of glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and leptin, which are the telltale risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. These individuals showed an improved function of insulin-secreting beta cells found in the pancreas, as well as increased sensitivity of fat, liver, and muscle tissue to insulin.

Biomarkers of inflammation are increased in people with obesity. However, the scientists found no changes in systemic or fat tissue biomarkers of inflammation with subjects having a 5% weight loss.

Nine individuals reached the succeeding targets having reached an approximate weight loss of 11% in about seven months and a 16% weight loss at about 10 months. The decreases in fat mass, blood plasma insulin, leptin, and triglyceride concentrations continued in concert with the weight loss. Continued improvements in beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity in muscle were seen in these individuals. Insulin sensitivity in the liver and fat tissue was not significant with weight loss greater than 5%.

“Our findings demonstrate that you get the biggest bang for your buck with 5% weight loss,” Klein says. “If you weigh 200 pounds, you will be doing yourself a favor if you can lose 10 pounds and keep it off. You don’t have to lose 50 pounds to get important health benefits.”

This study did not ascertain whether these effects are maintained for further periods. More research is needed to determine if individuals with diabetes have the same types and patterns of metabolic adjustment following increasing weight loss as in this study.

 

 

Torgan, C. (2016, March 3). Benefits of moderate weight loss in people with obesity. Retrieved March 17, 2016, from NIH RESEARCH MATTERS: http://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/benefits-moderate-weight-loss-people-obesity

Effects of Moderate and Subsequent Progressive Weight Loss on Metabolic Function and Adipose Tissue Biology in Humans with Obesity. Magkos F, Fraterrigo G, Yoshino J, Luecking C, Kirbach K, Kelly SC, de Las Fuentes L, He S, Okunade AL, Patterson BW, Klein S. Cell Metab. 2016 Feb 22. pii: S1550-4131(16)30053-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2016.02.005. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 26916363.

 

 

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

THE BRIGHT AND DARK SIDE OF CALORIC RESTRICTION FOR AGING AND HEALTH

It is old news that diet may have a life-extending effect. Researchers from Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena, Germany, show that on the one hand stem-cell function is improved in mice by caloric restriction, but also leads to a fatal weakening of their immune system. This fatal weakening contracts the life-lengthening effect of diet delete. The results are published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

A few years ago, scientists were successful in extending the life span of a worm, fruit fly, and rats by approximately 50% by initiating a simple caloric restriction. This finding immediately gave hope of having found one key to a longer life for humans. When these results were transferred, to long-lived primates shortly after, it was not equally successful

Karl Lenhard Rudolph, Scientific Director at the Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)

and enthusiasm waned. A scientist on aging Karl Lenhard Rudolph, Scientific Director at the Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena, Germany, and his team went on to show, “that caloric restriction even has a severe downside. In feeding experiments, the stem cells of mice, which were set on a diet, were found to age slower – but the murine immune system was almost completely cut down. Outside of optimal, sterile laboratory conditions, this could lead to severe live-shortening infections” (Kästner, 2016). The results of the study are published in the March 7, 2016, issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

This study specifically focused on the effects of calorie restriction on blood stem cells. The stem cells are responsible for making red blood cells or lymphocytes (immune cells). As in any other adult stem cell, blood cell functionality decreases with every single cell division, the stem cells age. This is why they stay in a resting phase called quiescence most of the time. Stem cells are only activated when a massive cell reproduction is required, for example after great blood loss.

In this study, researchers investigated how only a 30% food restriction affects stem cell aging in mice. One main result was that the red blood stem cells remained quiescent even as simulated stress would have required their activation. Diet duration had no effect. The upside of all this was that blood stem cells did not age in their functionality to make new blood cells remain as strong as ever even one year after diet.

The downside of the long-term diet evidenced the mice’s immune system was almost completely shut down. The diet had no strong effect on the overall blood cell count but the production of lymphocytes (immune cells), needed for immune defense and decreased by up to 75%. Consequently, the mice were severely prone to bacterial infections.

Prof. Dr. Michael Bauer
Principal Investigator
Center for Sepsis Control and Care and Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Jena University Hospital

“The study provides the first experimental evidence that long-term caloric restriction – as intervention to slow down aging – increases stem cell functionality, but results in immune defects in the context of prolonged bacterial infection, too. Thus, positive effects of a diet are not transferable to humans one to one,” Rudolph sums up the study results. Even if – under laboratory conditions – aging of single cells or tissues may be slowed down through a diet, the immune suppression may have fatal consequences in real life. To benefit from caloric restriction or medicinal mimetika aiming at increasing health in the elderly, possible risks of such interventions to come down with life-threatening infections remain to be elucidated. “In sepsis patients, we see a higher survival rate for those with a higher body mass than for patients who are very lean,” Prof. Dr. Michael Bauer, Director of the Center for Sepsis Control and Care at University Hospital Jena (UKJ), concurs (Kästner, 2016).

 

 

Dietary restriction improves repopulation but impairs lymphoid differentiation capacity of hematopoietic stem cells in early aging, Tang D, Tao S, Chen Z, Koliesnik IO, Gebert N, Calmes PG, Hörr V, Löffler B, Morita Y, Rudolph KL, Journal of Experimental Medicine, doi: 10.1084/jem.20151100, published 7 March 2016.

Kästner, D. E. (2016, March 14). THE UP AND DOWNSIDE OF CALORIC RESTRICTION FOR AGING AND HEALTH. Retrieved March 15, 2016, from fli Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute: http://www.leibniz-fli.de/nc/institute/public-relations/detailpage/?tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=2510&cHash=7d5cbe951317dc513959534631b4def2

 

 

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

 

 

 

 

JUNK FOOD STILL PREVAILS, REGULAR BRANDS TRIUMPH OVERALL IN A RECENT SURVEY.

It is noted that consumers are making choices that are more healthful at the grocery store in ever-increasing numbers. The caveat is that they tend to buy healthful as well as less healthful foods according to a new study from the University of Buffalo School of Management.

The study, which is published in the Journal of Retailing, finds individuals are concerned about eating a healthful diet but still throw junk food into the shopping cart.

“There is a disconnect between what people say they want to eat and what they actually purchase.”
Minakshi Trivedi, Professor of Marketing
University at Buffalo School of Management

“There is a disconnect between what people say they want to eat and what they actually purchase,” says study co-author Minakshi Trivedi, Ph.D., professor of marketing at the University at Buffalo School of Management. “Each group we studied made tradeoffs on healthy and unhealthy food to varying degrees.”

Researchers scrutinized two years’ worth of scanner data consisting of more than 70 stores of a U.S. major retail chain. They gathered 400 responses from the chain’s shoppers investigating whether or not consumers deliberately balance their health concerns with the food that they actually buy.

The study grouped consumers into three segments using a mathematical model based on their attitudes and concerns: the first group was made up of health-driven buyers, the second took a more moderate approach to purchasing healthy products, and the third group was indifferent to the healthier versions of products (Manne, 2016).

Faced with healthful or unhealthful choices, which the research evaluated using the level of fat, sugar, or salt as markers, the individual segments showed marked differences in characteristics, buying behavior, and acknowledgment to price and discounts.

Price, not surprisingly, had the smallest effect on the health-driven group. 92% of those concerned the most with health bought the healthful options. The more moderately health-driven group was more concerned and most likely to strike the balance between healthful and regular versions of the products. About 50% of the buyers in this group chose healthful options. The third group of consumers was mostly affected by price and discounts. They chose the regular versions of products in opposition to their healthful alternatives.

Retailers can use these findings to design different strategies that meet the demand for and encourage the purchase of healthier products, according to the authors. The study guides retailers about which products to bundle for promotions and which element of the bundle to promote (Manne, 2016).

As for public policy, “If government agencies are to have any impact in promoting healthy consumption, they need to tailor their strategies to specific behavioral segments,” says Trivedi.

 

 

Manne, K. (2016, March 10). Double cheeseburger and a diet soda, please. Retrieved March 14, 2016, from University at Buffalo The State University of New York School of Management: http://mgt.buffalo.edu/about/news.host.html/content/shared/mgt/news/double-cheeseburger-and-a-diet-soda-please.detail.html

 

 

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

DEMYSTIFYING THE HOLY GRAIL OF POPULAR DIET FACTOIDS!

Multitudes troop in droves to the Internet in search of the Holy Grail of a healthful lifestyle. A plethora of popular diet factoids and misnomers are bandied about with such regularity in the media that it is hard to know which horse to bet on. Below the surface of pop deluxe fact and opinion, the truth about healthful eating may shock you. A registered dietitian, Lisa Mallonee, from the Texas A&M Health Science Center, attempts to separate the factoids from fact when it comes to diet.

Gluten-free desserts are healthier

Lisa F. Mallonee, BSDH, MPH, RD, LD, Associate Professor
Caruth School of Dental Hygiene at Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry

“Gluten-free desserts are not healthier than ‘normal’ desserts,” said Lisa Mallonee, a registered dietitian with the Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry. “Gluten substitutes may actually increase calorie content and contribute to weight gain. With that being said, gluten-free food is great to consume by those diagnosed with celiac disease or who are gluten-intolerant—but gluten-free desserts should be eaten in moderation and with a balanced diet.”

Sugar-free and fat-free foods lead to fat-free bodies

When the words ‘sugar-free’ or ‘fat-free’ are splashed across a box of chocolate it is probably easy to feel less guilty about eating the entire box in one sitting. “Fat-free and sugar-free do not mean foods are calorie-free,” Mallonee said. “It doesn’t matter what type of food you are eating, if you are consuming more calories than you’re expending, you will gain weight.”

While browsing fat-free or sugar-free treats it is essential to be a conscious label reader. The fat content in many of these ‘sugar-free’ items can be extremely high. Similar to gluten-free desserts, when nutrients like fat are removed from food, artificial ingredients may be added back to the food to account for taste. This filler may lead to more calories (Shive, 2016).

Carbs make you fat

Carbs alone do not cause weight gain. Instead, it is the type of carbs we choose to consume that lead to more fat cells in the body. “We need carbs because they are the body’s main source of fuel,” Mallonee said. “The real problem with carbohydrates lies in the American diet rich in refined carbs and processed foods. Binging on these carbohydrates will contribute to weight gain.”

Mallonee recommends eating a balanced diet higher in complex carbs and lower in simple or processed carbs. “The average American needs to be consuming more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and less processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and white flour products,” she said.

Healthful food is more expensive

“Indeed, eating fresh may cost more than loading up your shopping cart with processed foods or fast food from restaurant value menus, but, in the big picture, it will likely cost you more in medical bills to maintain an unhealthy lifestyle,” Mallonee said. “You have to look at the long-term health impact.”

According to Mallonee, it is possible to eat clean at an economical price. “When it comes to fruits and vegetables my word of reason is to always buy in-season. We all have favorites but when we buy them year-round when they’re not in season, we will see a price increase. You should always vary your palate—don’t be afraid to try the eggplant or cauliflower when it’s in season over broccoli or asparagus,” she said.

You’ll gain weight if you eat late at night

‘Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, and dinner like a pauper.’ Have you ever heard this saying?

Mallonee said it doesn’t matter what time you’re eating as much as what you are eating. “This is more about portion control and how you’re expending calories,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what time of day you eat as long as you are eating a balanced diet, consuming foods in moderation, and burning off more calories than you consume.”

Fasting is important to cleanse the body

Mallonee stressed she doesn’t recommend fasting unless it’s for religious purposes. “We already have a built-in cleansing system: our kidneys and liver,” she said. “Simply fasting to ‘cleanse’ where you don’t eat for a certain number of days can be dangerous. I recommend consulting a physician prior to any extreme diet that encourages fasting for an extended period of time”

“Having a diet that’s fiber-rich is what moves toxins out of your body naturally,” she added. “The more fiber you consume the more it’s able to move food and the related toxins out of the body. Unfortunately, most Americans have a refined diet that is too low in fiber. This is what allows toxins to thrive inside our bodies. It’s important to know we all have cells with the potential to turn into cancer cells. The way we fuel our body determines if these are transformed into cancer cells or are terminated.”

Energy bars are good for weight loss

Our busy lives often don’t allow for adequate meal preparation and many Americans turn to energy bars as a quick and easy meal replacement. Mallonee stressed that while energy bars are convenient, they need to be consumed along with a balanced diet, and we should be wary of their ingredients (Shive, 2016).

“Most of the time I refer to energy bars as glorified candy bars,” she said. “They can be extremely high in fat and sugar content. While they may be a good way for athletes to consume extra calories, I wouldn’t recommend them for a person trying to boost fat loss.”

You can’t always trust the internet

The internet is an excellent resource for diet tips and healthy living, but it can be untrustworthy. It’s always best to talk to your health care provider or a registered dietician to get the most up-to-date and factual nutrition advice (Shive, 2016).

 

 

Shive, H. (2016, February 4). Popular Diet Myths Debunked. Retrieved March 14, 2016, from newswise: http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/647410/?sc=sphn/?ad2f=1&aid=647410/?ad2f=1&aid=647410

 

 

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

FULL DISCLOSURE OF OBESITY AFTER ACHIEVING A NORMAL WEIGHT

 

A qualitative study¹ from North Carolina State University suggests that most individuals who have lost a great deal of weight do not look at themselves as being judged because they were big or beefy, meaty or bouncy, which contradicts earlier studies that individuals were still stigmatized even after reaching a normal weight.

Prior research concluded that people judge thin individuals more severely if they know that those individuals used to be overweight e.g., judging them to be less attractive or lazy.

Lynsey Romo, assistant professor of communication at NC State

“I wanted to know whether people who have lost weight did experience this sort of residual stigma, and how they navigated that issue,” says Lynsey Romo, an assistant professor of communication at NC State and author of a paper describing the work. “Specifically, I looked at how and what these people chose to share about their weight loss” (Shipman, 2016).

For this study, Romo directed in-depth interviews with 17 men and 13 women. All of the study individuals self-identified as having a normal weight, but these participants had been overweight or obese. The weight loss of these individuals who participated in the study hovered around 76.4 pounds.

“I found that an overwhelming number of participants had not perceived any residual stigma related to their weight loss; most felt the response to their weight loss was very positive,” Romo says (Shipman, 2016).

“Most study participants were extremely open about their weight loss, for different reasons,” Romo says. “Some wanted to try to inspire others who were trying to lose weight, some disclosed their experience in order to build relationships by sharing personal information, and others felt that talking about their weight loss publicly made them feel more accountable and helped them keep the weight off” (Shipman, 2016).

However, a few individuals involved in the study were rather closed-mouth about their weight loss.

A reason for this revolved around seeming conceited or putting on airs of being holier than thou are. For a small group of individuals in the study, there was a concern of lingering rapprochement; that they would be placed in a negative light if others discovered they had been overweight.

“Based on this work, the residual stigma discussed in earlier research may be overstated,” Romo says. “Or, at least, most people who have lost weight don’t perceive a biased response in their day-to-day interactions” (Shipman, 2016).

“Everyone needs to make his or her own decisions, but this research suggests that most people should feel comfortable talking about their weight loss experiences” (Shipman, 2016).

 

The paper, “How Formerly Overweight and Obese Individuals Negotiate Disclosure of Their Weight Loss,” is published in the journal Health Communication.

 

________________________

¹ Qualitative research is aimed at gaining a deep understanding of a specific organization or event, rather than a surface description of a large sample of a population. It aims to provide an explicit rendering of the structure, order, and broad patterns found among a group of participants. It is also called ethnomethodology or field research. It generates data about human groups in social settings (PPA 696 RESEARCH METHODS).

 

PPA 696 RESEARCH METHODS. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2016, from Qualitative Research Methods: https://web.csulb.edu/~msaintg/ppa696/696quali.htm

Shipman, M. (2016, February 17). Study Finds Stigma Regarding Weight Loss May Be Overblown. Retrieved March 13, 2016, from NC STATE NEWS: https://news.ncsu.edu/2016/02/romo-weight-loss-2016/

 

 

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

WEIGHT GAIN AND HEALTH COMPLICATIONS, THE PALEO DIET STRIKES AGAIN!

A new study has recently shown following a low carbohydrate high-fat diet, for example, the Paleo diet can cause rapid weight gain and health complications in just eight short weeks.

The unexpected findings explained in a paper in a nature journal, Nutrition and Diabetes, have led University of Melbourne researchers to come out with a warning concerning putting confidence in bogus fad diets with little or no scientific evidence.

University of Melbourne, lead author, associate professor Sof Andrikopoulos.

Lead author, associate professor Sof Andrikopoulos states that the Paleo diet is not recommended, in particular for individuals who are ready overweight or lead sedentary lifestyles.

He goes on to blame the mass media hype around these diets, by celebrity chefs, celebrity weight loss stories is the tabloids, and reality TV shows, are leading individuals to try fad diets back by little or no scientific evidence. Especially in individuals with pre-diabetes or diabetes, the low carb, high fat (LCHF) diet could be very risky, he said.

“Low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets are becoming more popular, but there is no scientific evidence that these diets work. In fact, if you put an inactive individual on this type of diet, the chances are that person will gain weight,” Associate Prof Andrikopoulos, President of the Australian Diabetes Society, said.

“There is a very important public health message here. You need to be very careful with fad diets, always seek professional advice for weight management, and always aim for diets backed by evidence.”

University of Melbourne researchers’ original intent was to test the benefit of eating high fat, low carbohydrate foods with pre-diabetics.

The scientists took two groups of overweight mice with pre-diabetic symptoms and put one group on the LCHF diet. The other group was put on a normal diet. The diet was changed from a 3% fat diet to a 60% fat diet. After eight weeks, the mice on the LCHF gain more weight, glucose intolerance worsened, and insulin levels increased. The Paleo diet group gained 15% of their body weight fat mass increased from 2% to less than 4%.

“To put that in perspective, for a 100 kilogram/220-pound person, that’s the equivalent of 15 kilograms/33 pounds something in two months. That’s extreme weight gain,” Associate Professor Andrikopoulos said.

“This level of weight gain will increase blood pressure and increase your risk, someone who is already overweight, this diet would only further increase blood sugar and insulin levels and could actually predispose them to diabetes.

“We are told to eat zero carbs and lots of fat on the Paleo diet. Our model tried to mimic that, but we didn’t see any improvements in weight or symptoms. In fact, they got worse. The bottom line is it’s not good to eat too much fat.”

Professor Andrikopoulos states that the Mediterranean diet is the preferred diet for people with pre-diabetes or diabetes.
“It’s backed by evidence and is a low refined sugar diet with healthy oils and fats from fish and extra virgin olive oil, legumes, and protein.”

Dear readers, if you have read this far, the Captain would be most heartened if you would rate this and future articles and/or leave a comment at the top of the blog posts whether positive or negative. In this way, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” may better serve you and our entire readership.

 

A low-carbohydrate high-fat diet increases weight gain and does not improve glucose tolerance, insulin secretion, or β-cell mass in NZO mice, B. J. Lamont et al., Nutrition and Diabetes, doi:10.1038/nutd.2016.2, published online 15 February 2016.

University of Melbourne news release, accessed 19 February 2016, via EurekAlert.

Additional source: BHF, Is the paleo diet a good way to lose weight?, accessed 19 February 2016.

Additional source: The Paleo Diet, What to eat on the paleo diet, accessed 19 February 2016.

 

 

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

COUPLES’ LIFESTYLE CHOICES EFFECT OBESITY RISK!

 

The lifestyle an individual share with their better half has a greater influence on one’s chances of becoming obese than one’s upbringing, research suggests.

By the time individuals hit their 40s, choices made by cohabiting couples, including those linked to diet and exercise, have a greater effect than the lifestyle they shared with brothers, sisters, and parents growing up.

Researchers go on to say the study will further help scientists understand the ties between obesity, genetics, and lifestyle habits.

Its findings bolster the message; lifestyle changes in adulthood can have a significant effect on tackling obesity, regardless of a person’s genetic makeup.

The research team reviewed data provided by 20,000 people from Scottish families. They compared the individual’s family genetics and home environment in childhood and adulthood and related these to measures tied to health and obesity.

The research encompassed 16 measures including, waist to hip ratio, blood pressure, body fat content, and body mass index.

The information originally collated as part of the Generation Scotland project is a national resource of health data and helps researchers to investigate you know who links to health conditions.

Professor Chris Haley of the medical research council’s human genetics unit at the University of Edinburgh led this research study published in the journal PL OS Genetics.

Professor Haley stated; “Although genetics accounts for a significant proportion of the variation between people, our study has shown at the environment you share with your partner in adulthood also influences whether you become obese and this is more important than your upbringing. The findings also show that even people who come from families with a history of obesity can reduce their risk by changing their lifestyle habits.”

Dear readers, if you have read this far, the Captain would be most heartened if you would rate this and future articles and/or leave a comment at the top of the blog posts whether positive or negative. In this way, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” may better serve you and our entire readership.

 

 

Pedigree- and SNP-Associated Genetics and Recent Environment are the Major Contributors to Anthropometric and Cardiometabolic Trait Variation. Charley Xia, Carmen Amador, Jennifer Huffman, Holly Trochet, Archie Campbell, David Porteous, Generation Scotland, Nicholas D. Hastie, Caroline Hayward, Veronique Vitart, Pau Navarro, Chris S. Haley. PLOS Genetics. DOI.10.1371/journal.pgen.1005804. Published online February 2, 2016.

Source: University of Edinburgh

Additional source: EurekAlert!, the online, global news service operated by AAAS, the science society

 

 

Captain Hank Quinlan, Owner, and Publisher, Chief Curmudgeon with Sam Borsalino, Assistant Publisher

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue-in-cheek jocularity.

“Great Booboisie.” Nor shall we ignore the wide assortment of shirkers, layabouts, and slugabeds.

Latest office staff confab at Fat Bastard HQ.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?”  Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know who you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room.

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public. 

 No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“THE FAT BASTARD GAZETTE” BIG FOODS, PIG PROCESSING VOL.1 NO. 19

Big foods outraged over declining profits, oh boo-hoo. There are will always be a small coterie of fatties and fatsos who will remain loyal to them. We at the “Fat Bastard Gazette” are not against big foods per se. We do take umbrage with mistreatment of animals in processing on mega-farms and the not so benign qualities of food additives used in their products. However, have you tasted any of the non-adulterated ready-to-eat health food organic products now on the market? They taste terrible. The only two passable products that have reasonably good flavor at least to the staff members of “The Fat Bastard Gazette” are Morningstar and Loma Linda products. Morningstar and Loma Linda owned by Kellogg are accused of using GMO soy products. We say so what! If you are going to feed, the masses comrades you need to keep production up and that means pest resistance. At these points in time we cannot have it both ways, can we. Morningstar has a good flavor and if you use a little imagination tastes very similar to meat and poultry products. Loma Linda however is an acquired taste and was one of the first meat substitute products offered to the modern mass market. Loma Linda was started by the Seventh Day Adventists, a sect promoting a healthful eating vegetarian lifestyle.

The second article packs a punch, it deals with mega processing plants one, in particular, Hormel. Although Hormel is singled out in this article, we are certainly sure that all the other processing plants can be accused of the same lack of sanitation. Pilot program or not, these appalling procedures and conditions probably exist on an ordinary day-to-day basis in all major processing plants around the world.

The Captain is an on-again-off-again vegetarian.

After exploring this article, the Captain will try to remain a vegetarian because of the animal mistreatment and unsanitary processing conditions in the plants of these mega-corporations.

Is the Junk-Food Era Drawing to a Close?

—By Tom Philpott

|Wed Feb. 25, 2015, 6:00 AM EST

Not long ago, the great processed-food companies like Kraft and Kellogg’s towered over the US food landscape like the high hat that adorned the head of Chef Boyardee, the iconic canned-spaghetti magnate whose empire is now owned by ConAgra.

But now, Big Food has fallen on hard times. Conagra, which owns Hunts, Reddi Whip, Ro-Tell, Swiss Miss, and Orville Redenbacher, along with Chef Boyardee, recently slashed its 2015 profit projections and sacked its CEO. Kraft—purveyor of Oscar Mayer deli meats, Jell-O, Maxwell House coffee, and Velveeta cheese—also recently shook up top management and reported sluggish sales in 2014. Cereal titan Kellogg’s has seen its sales plunge 5.4 percent over the past year, Advertising Age reports.

There’s a “mounting distrust of so-called Big Food, the large food companies and legacy brands on which millions of consumers have relied on for so long,” said Campbell Soup’s CEO.

What gives? Part of the problem is currency fluctuations. Having conquered the US market, Big Food for years has looked overseas for growth. Recently, a strong US dollar has cut into foreign profits, because a pricier dollar makes overseas sales worthless when they’re converted to the US currency, as the Wall Street Journal recently reported.

Currencies rise and fall, but the real specter haunting the industry may be something less ephemeral than the dollar’s gyrations. Campbell Soup CEO Denise Morrison—whose company makes V8 juice and Pepperidge Farm baked goods along with soup—recently publicly declared that there’s a “mounting distrust of so-called Big Food, the large food companies and legacy brands on which millions of consumers have relied…for so long,” reports Fortune‘s Phil Wahba, in an account from a conference at which Morrison spoke. Morrison also cited the “increasingly complex public dialog when it comes to food” as a drag on Campbell Soup’s and its competitors’ sales, Wahba reports.

In other words, Big Food successfully sold a vision of cooking as a necessary inconvenience, to be dispatched with as painlessly as possible—open a soup can for dinner, unleash a squirt of artificial cream onto a boxed cake for dessert—that’s starting to lose its charm.

One reason is surely health. Over the past decade, there has been a bounty of research on the ill effects of highly processed food. And when Yale medical researchers David Katz and Samuel Meller surveyed the scientific dietary literature for a paper in 2013, they found that a “diet of minimally processed foods close to nature, predominantly plants, is decisively associated with health promotion and disease prevention.”

Interestingly, Katz and Meller found does okay. The authors conclude the “aggregation of that as long as you stick to the “minimally processed” bit, it doesn’t much matter which diet you follow: low-fat, vegetarian, and Mediterranean have all shown good results. Even the meat-centered “paleo” approach evidence” supports meat-eating, as long as the “animal foods are themselves the products, directly or ultimately, of pure plant foods—the composition of animal flesh and milk is as much influenced by diet as we are.” That’s likely because cows fed on grass deliver meat and milk with a healthier fat profile than their industrially raised peers.

Meanwhile, as Big Food flounders, sales of fresh food grown by nearby farmers continue to grow at a pace that would make a Big Food exec salivate. A recent US Department of Agriculture report found that there are now 8,268 farmers’ markets nationwide—a jump of 180 percent since 2006. Then there are regional food hubs, which the USDA describes as “enterprises that aggregate locally sourced food to meet wholesale, retail, institutional, and even individual demand”—the kind of operations that can move fresh food from local farms to, say, grocery stores, so you don’t have to show up at the exact right time at the farmers market to get your local collard greens. Food hubs, the USDA reports, have jumped in number by 280 percent since 2007.

Finally, there are schools—a site long dominated by Big Food, where little consumers learn eating habits before they emerge into the world as income-earning adults. According to the USDA, school districts with farm-to-school programs grew by more than 400 percent between 2007 and 2012.

For decades, “American cuisine” was an oxymoron, the punch line to a sad joke. Billions of dollars in profits have been made betting on the US appetite for processed junk. Those days may be drawing to an end.

USDA Whistleblowers Tell All–and You May Never Eat Bacon Again

—By Tom Philpott

| Fri Feb. 27, 2015, 6:00 AM EST

In 2004, Elsa Murano stepped down from her post as chief of the US Department of Agriculture division that oversees food safety at the nation’s slaughterhouses. Two years later, she joined the board of directors of pork giant Hormel, a company that runs some of the nation’s largest slaughterhouses. Murano received $238,000 in compensation for her service on Hormel’s board in 2014 alone.

Read “The Spam Factory’s Dirty Secret” and “Gagged by Big Ag.”Illustration by Tim O’Brien

This is a classic example of the “revolving door” that separates US government regulators from the corporations they regulate. It’s hardly the most shocking thing I gleaned from the whistleblower-protection group Government Accountability Project’s recent exposé of conditions at three hog slaughter facilities associated with Hormel. But it’s interesting to think about in light of GAP’s allegations, found in affidavits filed by four USDA inspectors stationed in Hormel-owned plants. Three of the inspectors chose to remain anonymous; the fourth, Joe Ferguson, gave his name.

Their comments focus on three Hormel-associated plants, which are among just five hog facilities enrolled in a pilot inspection program run by the USDA. In the regular oversight system, USDA-employed inspectors are stationed along the kill line, charged with ensuring that conditions are as sanitary as possible and that no tainted meat ends up being packed for consumption. In the pilot program, known as HIMP (short for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points-based Inspection Models Project), company employees take over inspection duties, relegating USDA inspectors to an oversight role on the sidelines.

“USDA inspectors are encouraged not to stop the line for fecal contamination.”

What’s more, the HIMP plants get to speed up the kill line—from the current rate of 1,100 hogs per hour to 1,300 hogs per hour, a jump of nearly 20 percent. The five plants rolled out the new inspection system around 2002, USDA spokesperson Aaron Lavallee said. That’s when Murano, now on the Hormel board of directors, ran the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. If the privatization-plus-speedup formula sounds familiar, it’s because the USDA ran a similar experimental program for chicken slaughter for years. After much pushback by workplace and food safety advocates and media attention (including from me), the USDA decided not to let poultry companies speed up the kill line when it opened the new system to all chicken slaughterhouses last year (though it did green-light turkey facilities to speed up the line from 51 to 55 birds per minute).

All four affidavits offer blistering critiques of the hog version of the pilot program. Three themes run through them: (1) company inspectors are poorly trained and prepared for the task of overseeing a fast-moving kill line involving large carcasses; (2) company-employed and USDA inspectors alike face pressure from the company not to perform their jobs rigorously; and (3) lots of unappetizing stuff is getting through as the result of (1) and (2).

The testimony of Inspector 3, affidavit here, is full of choice nuggets, though not of the sort you want to sample before lunch. Here are a few:

• “Not only are plant supervisors not trained, the employees taking over USDA’s inspection duties have no idea what they are doing. Most of them come into the plant with no knowledge of pathology or the industry in general.”
• “Food safety has gone down the drain under HIMP. Even though fecal contamination has increased under the program (though the company does a good job of hiding it), USDA inspectors are encouraged not to stop the line for fecal contamination.”
• “HIMP was initially designed for the kill of young, healthy animals. This hasn’t always been the case. A lot of the animals the plant has killed were too old. Some also had different diseases. They didn’t even slow down the line for the diseased carcasses.”
• “The company threatens plant employees with terminations if they see them condemning too many carcasses or carcass parts.”

For its part, Hormel insists that “food safety is our top priority and we have been a leader in the production of safe, quality food for more than 100 years,” as Rick Williamson, Hormel’s manager of external communications, wrote in an email. “In addition to the USDA inspectors at the facility, there are Hormel Foods employees trained to the standards of the USDA conducting the additional inspections,” he continued. “We’ve found this allows the USDA inspectors better perspective and more flexibility to monitor activity and identify any issues.” As for food safety concerns, he added that “our facilities consistently meet or perform better than published USDA microbiological performance standards.” But he didn’t respond to my request for data to back that claim up, or for commentary on charges of poor training and intimidation of inspectors. But he did add a plug for the privatized inspection and faster kill lines enjoyed by three Hormel-associated plants: “The HIMP program places more accountability on the company, and we welcome that responsibility.”

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the agency that runs the inspection program, is standing behind HIMP too. USDA spokesperson Aaron Lavallee pointed to a November 2014 FSIS report that, he said, “shows that the food safety outcomes at the pilot facilities are on par with those operating under other inspection systems.” The report concluded that there’s “no reason to discontinue HIMP in market hog establishments.”

Meanwhile, the pilot inspection program will continue running as is, confined to five slaughterhouses and not expanding to include others, Lavallee said. Before expanding, he added, “the agency would first need to conduct a risk assessment to determine whether doing so would have a significant positive public health impact, and then engage in the rulemaking process, which can be lengthy.”

However, the USDA’s and Hormel’s rosy assessment of HIMP presents a stark contrast to a scathing 2013 report from yet another USDA agency, the Office of the Inspector General, which found HIMP plants—which it did not name—made up three of the top 10 US hog plants earning the most food safety and animal welfare citations in the period of fiscal years 2008 to 2011. Moreover, by far the most-cited slaughterhouse in the United States over that period was in the program—it drew “nearly 50 percent more [citations] than the plant with the next highest number.” The OIG also concluded that that the Food Safety and Inspection Service “did not provide adequate oversight” of HIMP over its first 15 years, and as a result,  “HIMP plants may have a higher potential for food safety risks.”

Not all company-employed inspectors “understand and have the ability to execute the proper procedures needed to make sure pathogens don’t spread to other carcasses” when “fecal matter or ingesta spills out of one of the animal’s organs.”

Ted Genoways, who in 2012 wrote a harrowing account in Mother Jones of what accelerated line speeds have meant for workers slaughterhouse workers, rejects Hormel’s sunny assessment. Genoways’ reporting, later expanded into the superb 2014 book The Chain, focused on the Quality Pork Processors plant in Austin, Minnesota, which supplies its meat solely to Hormel and is one of the three Hormel-associated plants among the five in HIMP. He recently told Food Safety News, “Yes, I think the line speeds [at the HIMP plants] are too fast. When you see the workers on the line say the speeds are too fast, the inspectors say the lines are too fast, the suppliers at the farm level say the lines are too fast, there’s such a unanimity of opinion that I don’t think you can come to any other conclusion.”

Well, not quite unanimous. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, of course, continue to defend the pilot program. But then there are its cozy ties to industry—in addition to Murano’s leap to Hormel, FSIS’s then-chief of staff flew the coop to the National Turkey Federation in 2011, and another high official bolted to work for meat processor OSI Group just this month. Given the tasty meat industry opportunities that await the USDA’s food safety administrators, I take FSIS’s defense of the HIMP program in the face of these sworn statements with about as much salt as you might find in a slice of Hormel’s signature product, Spam.

TOM PHILPOTT

Food and Ag Correspondent

Tom Philpott is the cofounder of Maverick Farms, a center for sustainable food education in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. He was formerly a columnist and editor for the online environmental site Grist and his work on food politics has appeared in Newsweek, Gastronomica, and The Guardian.

 

 

 

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Melatonin supplement shows promise in small study of older adults

The body naturally produces the hormone melatonin, but among older people levels of the hormone are on the decline.
Iryna Imago/iStock

BY BWH Communications

DATEMay 18, 2022

In a small study of healthy adults aged 55 and older, 5 mg of melatonin increased total sleep time compared to a placebo.

Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital conducted the study in 24 healthy, older adults to evaluate whether a high-dose or a low-dose melatonin supplement could improve sleep. The team found that the higher dose had a significant impact, increasing total sleep time compared to placebo by more than 15 minutes for nighttime sleep and by half an hour for daytime sleep. Results are published in The Journal of Pineal Research.

“Sleep deficiency becomes more common as people age, and, given the drawbacks to many prescription sleep aids, many older adults report taking melatonin,” said senior author Charles Czeisler, chief of the Brigham’s Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders. “But we’ve had little evidence on the effects of melatonin on the sleep health of older adults. Our study provides new evidence and insight, and points to the importance of considering dosage and timing when it comes to the effects of supplements like melatonin, especially in older people.”

The body naturally produces the hormone melatonin, which helps regulate a person’s sleep-wake cycle with night and day. Melatonin levels peak at night. But among older people, levels of the hormone are often lower. Exogenous melatonin is sold over the counter and can be taken before bedtime as a dietary supplement, usually in the form of a pill or capsule.

To rigorously evaluate the effects of melatonin supplements, the study’s authors focused on healthy, older adults with no history of major sleep complaints. All potential participants were screened for sleep disorders. The study included 24 participants (13 women, 11 men) between the ages of 55 and 78.

During the monthlong study period, participants lived in individual study rooms with no windows, clocks, or other indications of time of day. Participants followed a forced desynchrony protocol — instead of experiencing 24-hour cycles of days and nights, they were on schedules of 20-hour cycles to disentangle the effects of rest-activity from the circadian clock. This allowed the sleep to be scheduled both at night and during the day, but with a similar duration of waking before each sleep. Participants were randomly assigned to receive two weeks of a placebo pill and two weeks of either a low (0.3 mg) or high (5 mg) dose of melatonin 30 minutes before bedtime. Researchers used polysomnography to record brain waves, eye movement, muscle tone, and other key sleep metrics.

The team found that the low dose of melatonin did not lead to a statistically significant change in overall sleep time and that the changes seen were when sleep was scheduled during the biological day. Participants taking the 5 mg dose had a significant increase in total sleep time and sleep efficiency regardless of whether sleep occurred during the day or night.

The authors note that their study needs repeating in larger trials and with other doses of melatonin to determine whether a dose between 0.3 and 5 mg may work as well. The study did not include participants who had a significant sleep disorder and the study’s findings may not apply to people who do.  “It’s exciting to see evidence that melatonin may have an impact on sleep at night for older adults because we know that so many older people have trouble sleeping,” said lead author Jeanne Duffy of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders. “But before taking a dietary supplement, it’s important for people to talk to their primary care physician and get a referral to a sleep specialist to rule out an undiagnosed sleep disorder.”Iryna

Disclosures:  Czeisler is/was a paid consultant to Physician’s Seal, Tencent Holdings, and Teva Pharma, and is a paid consultant and holds an equity interest in With Deep and Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., is/was an expert witness in legal cases, including those involving Vanda Pharmaceuticals; serves as the incumbent of an endowed professorship provided to Harvard University by Cephalon, Inc., which Teva Pharma acquired; and receives royalties from Philips Respironics for the Actiwatch-2 and Actiwatch Spectrum devices.

This supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants P01 AG09975, AG06072, and AG044416), the Brigham and Women’s Hospital BRI Fund to Sustain Research Excellence, and was conducted in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital General Clinical Research Center (supported by M01 RR02635).