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7173. jexster - 9/14/2007 1:29:59 AM San Francisco Maps Unique Course to Universal Care 7174. thoughtful - 9/17/2007 5:38:41 PM Very interesting article in this week's nyt about what really makes us healthy and why so often the data is conflicting or the scientists seem to change their mind so frequently. I found this list amazingly short. Note to that high fat and cholesterol/heart attack link is NOT on the list.
Indeed, if you ask the more skeptical epidemiologists in the field what diet and lifestyle factors have been convincingly established as causes of common chronic diseases based on observational studies without clinical trials, you’ll get a very short list: smoking as a cause of lung cancer and cardiovascular disease, sun exposure for skin cancer, sexual activity to spread the papilloma virus that causes cervical cancer and perhaps alcohol for a few different cancers as well. 7175. thoughtful - 9/17/2007 5:41:44 PM The author of the above article, gary taube, has a new book coming out which is described as follows:
Starred Review. Taubes's eye-opening challenge to widely accepted ideas on nutrition and weight loss is as provocative as was his 2001 NewYork Times Magazine article, What if It's All a Big Fat Lie? Taubes (Bad Science), a writer for Science magazine, begins by showing how public health data has been misinterpreted to mark dietary fat and cholesterol as the primary causes of coronary heart disease. Deeper examination, he says, shows that heart disease and other diseases of civilization appear to result from increased consumption of refined carbohydrates: sugar, white flour and white rice. When researcher John Yudkin announced these results in the 1950s, however, he was drowned out by the conventional wisdom. Taubes cites clinical evidence showing that elevated triglyceride levels, rather than high total cholesterol, are associated with increased risk of heart disease-but measuring triglycerides is more difficult than measuring cholesterol. Taubes says that the current U.S. obesity epidemic actually consists of a very small increase in the average body mass index. Taube's arguments are lucid and well supported by lengthy notes and bibliography. His call for dietary advice that is based on rigorous science, not century-old preconceptions about the penalties of gluttony and sloth is bound to be echoed loudly by many readers. Illus. (Oct. 2) 7176. Magoseph - 9/17/2007 7:18:51 PM Very interesting article, thoughtful--thanks much! 7177. arkymalarky - 9/20/2007 3:37:38 AM Brief update: I'm still on my program and I've lost ten pounds since school started. Considering I'd gained back most of what I lost in CO, it's not as great as it sounds, but I'm walking 2 miles a day on the treadmill, shooting for at least five days a week. We set up our bay room for exercise and tv and so far it's working well. I had a cold/bronchitis last week and that slowed me down, but I'm back on track now. 7178. thoughtful - 10/9/2007 2:44:17 PM I've started jogging again. Finally. I had to quit many years ago because of the 2 herniated disks in my neck. I had surgery and walking was no problem after that, but jogging still caused pain down my left arm. I've been taking glucosamine for months which is supposed to help rebuild cartilage and perhaps it's working. Now when I jog, no pain. So I'm up to jogging about half of my walking route and the rest I still walk. I'm gradually adding more running and less walking. Once I start running the route, I'll start extending it. I want to keep my exercise time in the a.m. to about 30 min. 7179. thoughtful - 10/9/2007 2:57:16 PM Gary Taubes' new book, good calories, bad calories is out challenging the role of cholesterol and fat in the diet. The big beast for heart disease and stroke is triglycerides which are impacted by sugar/carb intake, not fat intake. There's more information about this coming out all the time. It will take years for the medical establishment to catch up. In the meantime, pay more attention to carb and sugar intake, avoid refined carbs and eat whole grains. Avoid eating just sweets, fruits alone...instead balance them with protein and fats. Try for a balance of fats in the diet. Do not eat low or no fat diet foods...most often, to make up for the lost flavor of fat, they add more sugar. Do not eat artificially sweetened foods. Avoid processed foods which are loaded with fat and sugar. Instead eat real food. You'll feel more satisfied and be healthier for it.
Drink water. Don't drink your calories as your body doesn't register them for satiety. Instead eat your calories. Skip the orange juice and have an orange. Skip the apple juice and eat an apple. More nutrition, more fiber, more filling.
And please, please, please, don't smoke.
7180. thoughtful - 10/9/2007 3:05:46 PM some sweet stats:
The average American consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds of sugar each week
In the last 20 years, we have increased sugar consumption in the U.S. 26 pounds to 135 lbs. of sugar per person per year
Prior to the turn of this century (1887-1890), the average consumption was only 5 lbs. per person per year
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) surveys show that sugar consumption has increased almost every year since 1982. Most of that sugar came from cane and beet sugar and corn syrup and corn sugar. Much of the increase was due to the consumption of soft drinks. 7181. thoughtful - 10/10/2007 3:22:23 PM More on the flaky evidence upon which the push to low-fat diets was based.
And this counterintuitive study that shows a key to good health is don't eat too much and exercise.
Cuba’s economic crisis in the 1990s had a silver lining, scientists are reporting: a decrease in the rates of obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke.
And no wonder. Average calorie consumption dropped more than a third, to 1,863 calories a day in 2002 from 2,899 in 1989. Cubans also exercised more, giving up cars for walking and bicycling.
Using national vital statistics and other sources, the researchers gathered data on energy intake, body weight and physical activity in Cuba from 1980 to 2005. In Cienfuegos, a large city on the southern coast, obesity rates decreased to less than 7 percent in 1995 from more than 14 percent in 1991. As more food became available, obesity increased to about 12 percent again by 2002.
Nationwide, coronary heart disease mortality declined 35 percent from 1997 to 2002. Diabetes mortality was down to less than 10 per 100,000 in 2003 from 19 per 100,000 in 1988. The death rate from all causes declined to 4.7 per thousand in 2002 from 5.9 per thousand in 1982. 7182. wonkers2 - 10/27/2007 9:08:44 PM MRSA 7183. judithathome - 11/5/2007 6:40:42 PM Well, my son has been keeping in touch really well, calling a lot and coming over once in awhile...which he shouldn't be doing since he's not been cleared to drive. But his mood has been excellent and he's doing exceptionally well with his PT. He's just bored...wants to go back to work and get on with his life.
He just called from the therapy place and said he'd talked to the neurosurgeon's assistant...evidently the tests they ran last week have shown more involvement than they first thought and he said she gave him a list of almost 10 different things,rather than the three they knew of before the test, then said he could probably have the surgery on the 20th. He nearly lost it and asked if there was any possible way it could be scheduled sooner...he's going crazy waiting for this to be over. She said she MAY be able to get him in this week.
I hope they CAN do it earlier because he will go mad if he has to wait that long...two more weeks of worrying about it. He's done really well but I can see how he might get depressed if he has to brood about this for weeks.
I knew this would happen, though...that his surgery would be scheduled for while Keoni is in Hawaii.
7184. arkymalarky - 11/6/2007 2:59:08 AM Oh man. I hope all goes well. 7185. wonkers2 - 11/6/2007 4:25:05 AM We're keeping our fingers crossed, Judith. 7186. robertjayb - 11/28/2007 6:33:48 AM Cancer-resistant mice?
ScienceDaily (Nov. 28, 2007) — A mouse resistant to cancer, even highly-aggressive types, has been created by researchers at the University of Kentucky. The breakthrough stems from a discovery by UK College of Medicine professor of radiation medicine Vivek Rangnekar and a team of researchers who found a tumor-suppressor gene called "Par-4" in the prostate.
The researchers discovered that the Par-4 gene kills cancer cells, but not normal cells. There are very few molecules that specifically fight against cancer cells, giving it a potentially therapeutic application.
Lab mice will inherit the earth. 7187. judithathome - 11/29/2007 1:22:28 AM And share it with cockroaches. 7188. arkymalarky - 12/8/2007 2:11:31 AM I simply must preen a little. My doctor now sends numbers home when we have bloodwork. Bob put mine on the fridge. Last April my cholesterol was 239. Now it's 148. My "bad cholesterol" was 147. Now it is 76. My triglycerides were 107. Now they're 81. I did this with a significant diet change and inconsistent (about to get more consistent) exercise, and losing about 17 lbs since school started. I'm plateaued on that and want to start dropping some more, but I haven't gained any back, and my BMI is now in the "normal" range, if you put much stock in that.
Now if I can straighten out the insurance company and get this artery thing worked out before Jan 1, I hope to really feel good and enjoy 2008--the presidential possibilities notwithstanding. 7189. arkymalarky - 12/8/2007 2:12:59 AM And my blood sugar was 79, but it's always been on the low side of normal. 7190. arkymalarky - 12/8/2007 2:15:39 AM One more factor: Dramatic reduction in stress. 7191. judithathome - 12/9/2007 3:42:06 PM What artery thing? If you don't want to say anything publicly, write or call...I've been meaning to ask in email since you mentioned de-stressing in the Cafe last week. 7192. arkymalarky - 12/9/2007 5:31:24 PM Nonono, no problem. I had a stress test that indicated blockage at the bottom of my heart and they suggested an angiogram and I wanted the less invasive CTA (CT scan inside the artery). My angry insurance story is in politics. I'm getting the CTA and paying for it myself tomorrow, and if I need a stent I'll have to have the angiogram to put it in. But if I don't, I've had a much less invasive and stressful procedure. I had a hope the company turned down the procedure because they didn't think I needed it, but NOOOO. They call it "experimental" which is idiotic for a procedure that looks at images. Images are images. This procedure takes about 20 minutes and I leave. An angiogram is an out-patient procedure that will require an iv of pain medication and sedative and four hours of bedrest.
So I will repeat what I said in Politics: Insurance companies are EVIL.
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