Scientists Working on Anti-Fat Pill

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Bike Ride

I’m not sure how good an idea this is… giving people the option to simply take a pill instead of controlling their diet and exercising will surely have unintended consequences. At any rate, if they can’t get a drug company to help develop it, I’m sure the fast food industry will be glad to step in and help! Seriously, the problem with a “pill” solution is that while it may help with weight loss, it does nothing for the other huge problem- lack of exercise. Exercise is the magic pill that everyone is looking for- and it has many benefits beyond weight loss. Exercise has been shown to change your body’s chemistry and hormones in a positive way. While there are still questions about how far reaching the benefits of exercise are, I suspect there are things that we will still be learning 20 years from now. So, the magic pill is already here- get out and exercise. Work in your yard or go to the park. Head to the gym. Ride your bike. Sit down and think of ways to add just 30 minutes of exercise to each day and you will look and feel better almost immediately.

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WASHINGTON – Researchers searching for a cure for obesity said on Thursday they have developed a drug that not only makes mice lose weight, but reverses diabetes and lowers their cholesterol, too.

Writing in the journal Chemistry and Biology, Salih Wakil of Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, Motonari Uesugi of Kyoto University in Japan and colleagues said the drug interferes with a suite of genes turned on by overeating.

Fired for Attacking Donuts-

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The Doctor in charge of the Bay County health department in Florida was fired for “attacking” Dunkin Donuts. The not so amazing truth is that several lawyers- 2 of which own Dunkin Donuts franchises were the power behind the firing. With 60-70% of Americans being overweight or obese, you would think campaigns like this would be applauded. But the reality is that junk food is a multi billion dollar industry that doesn’t want to be held accountable for anything they do. While is it very true that people need to be responsible for the choices they make, it is also true that advertisers are extremely good at what they do. Food porn is really as alluring as the other kind and people are just as weak or weaker to that temptation. Put down the donut and go for a jog! On a personal note- I love Dunkin Donuts coffee.

How To Live a Long Healthy Life

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Swimming

Well, as I always point out, it really is about living a healthy lifestyle and not one single thing. So, this article at MSNBC Health should be a big help to some of you. Most of these things are lifestyle choices but some are obviously genetic. But even genetic predispositions can be mitigated by diet, exercise and other choices. So, live healthy and live smart!
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Scientists in California found that middle-aged people who did just that — for a total of about 5 hours per week — lived longer and functioned better physically and cognitively as they got older; the researchers tracked runners and nonrunners for 21 years. “What surprised us is that the runners didn’t just get less heart disease — they also developed fewer cases of cancer, neurologic diseases, and infections,” says study author Eliza Chakravarty, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. “Aerobic exercise keeps the immune system young.” If you don’t like to run, even 20 minutes a day of any activity that leaves you breathless can boost your health, she says.

Diet Myths- True of False

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There are tons of diet, exercise and gym myths that are floating around on the internet that really confuse people and often times get them to do something stupid- or keep them from doing something smart. While there is nothing new or earth shattering in this segment from the Today Show, it is worth watching and passing on to your friends and family.

School Phys Ed Injuries

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School PE Class

MSNBC has an interesting article this morning about the huge rise in PE related injuries to school age kids. Since a lot of the numbers are extrapolations, there is some question as to what the actual causes are, but there is the possibility that larger class sizes and lack of supervision may contribute to the problem. But, I think there may be one other factor that should be looked at- the general physical condition of the kids now vs then. I’m willing to bet that kids in general are less active and in generally poorer health now than in 1997. That alone could contribute to the increase in injuries. It is kind of the weekend warrior syndrome affecting kids who now spend most of their time indoors watching TV and playing video games instead of playing outside. There is no way to prove that, but I suspect it is a factor.

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CHICAGO – Injuries to American children during physical education classes increased by 150 percent from 1997-2007, a new study finds, a possible drawback to a movement encouraging more vigorous exercise in schools.

Yet that may have less to do with lively gym programs than with lack of adult supervision, experts said. A decline in school nurses and larger class sizes could be to blame, said the study’s senior author Lara McKenzie of Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

“Children got hurt by running into equipment or having contact with structures or other persons,” McKenzie said. “They had heat stroke, fainting and heart palpitations.” Boys had more cuts and broken bones than girls. Girls were more likely to suffer strains and sprains.