Losing Snacking Weight

It was a story we could not ignore. We don't believe it and it's not so much research as it was a single person trial. Unfortunately its much todo about nothing because as wonderful as all the stories make it appear.

"PROFESSOR USING SNACK CAKE DIET TO COUNTER POPULAR HEALTH BELIEFS - His special four-week diet started Aug. 25. It includes products like peanut butter-chocolate bars, chocolate cake rolls, breakfast pizza, donuts and sugared cereal. Within the first four days of the diet, Mark Haub, associate professor of human nutrition, had lost seven pounds by eating foods high in saturated fats and sugar while maintaining his calorie goal of 1,800 kilocalories a day. "It's portion controlled. I'm eating foods that are deemed by many to be unhealthy; we will see if they are," he said." - Kansas State University (News Services)

You're hooked and ready to jump on the trial and be test subject number two (2) understand that it includes vegetables by the can, a fresh tomato and the dreaded exercise of over an hour to actually result in actual weight loss. Just when you thought you could eat your weight in snacks and actually lose weight. It is more like a commercial for eating snack food using the right portions. For how unreasonable that is read the back of your snack package and determine how many serving are actually in the pack.

"Many think increased weight gain leads to diabetes, heart disease, mortality and more. But associate professor Haub said research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found overweight people have lower mortality rates and health care costs. Haub said his diet also is easy on a budget. "It's very inexpensive and I get all of my calories for about five bucks a day," he said. "I am not promoting this or recommending it; it's just an exercise in nutrition." - Kansas State University (News Services)

The story was more a come on than an actual fact based account. Not that the associate professor is being dishonest or that the story isn't true - actually the headline from all the news services and Kansas State University is misleading. It's not so much the foods that you eat as it is in the calories you burn when you eat whatever you eat. Less calories and more burning of the whatever is left results in weight loss. Thankfully the YouTube video fills in all the gaps in the both the news stories and KSU website.

"Deakin in the news - a new snack food developed by Dr Keast who also happens to be a qualified chef. Consisting of a parmesan cheese cracker and organic mashed potato, the snack also contained natural additives – such as an antiinflammatory agent, oleocanthal, and omega 3 fatty acids – and a natural appetite suppressant. Dr Keast said it was the first time oleocanthal had been included in a manufactured food and research was continuing into its flavour and health promoting properties. ‘Overall, the snack is a vehicle for these health promoting compounds ... while it is not a natural food it is an innovative food,’ he said. A senior lecturer in the area of sensory science, Dr Keast’s research has also helped reduce bitter taste in pharmaceuticals with particular emphasis on paediatric formulations." -  Media buzz PDF (April 2, 2008)

The magical properties of oleocanthal was going to make snack food more tasty and better for us. The miracle ingredient was going to allow us to eat all the junk food we wanted as cheesy, greasy and tasty as we love and have been so far unable to resist. Oleo, the olive oil based ingredient (that makes us think of Oreo) would make our weaknesses palatable, pleasurable and make portion control possible. We could eat the whole container and our bodies would tell us that its time to stop.

"The SENECA (Survey in Europe on Nutrition and the Elderly: a Concerted Action) study, developed from 1988-89 to 1999, showed that the food pattern of southern European elders appeared to be the healthiest, since it was rich in grain, vegetables, fruit, lean meat and olive oil; however, a sufficient energy intake seemed to be necessary for an adequate micro nutrient intake. ...Nutritional status of free-living people in Palma de Mallorca is defined by a high prevalence of overweight and obesity and a low risk of undernutrition. This elderly population showed an imbalanced dietary intake, mainly characterized by low energy intake, too much energy derived from fats and proteins and poorly derived from carbohydrates, low dietary fibre intake, risk of atherogenic potential, and inadequate mineral and vitamin intake. An increased risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures may be expected, due to their high animal protein intake and low calcium and vitamin D intake. An increase of dietary complex carbohydrate and fibre, a decrease of fats, mainly SFA, and a balanced intake of animal/vegetable proteins and fats is recommended. Dietary supplementation, especially with calcium, vitamin C and E, and occasionally vitamin D, may be useful to improve nutritional and health status of freeliving elderly people in Palma de Mallorca." - University of Navarra (05 TUR e/c/7)

Why is this Spanish research important? We want you to live longer, stronger and better lives. We also think to be successful you should first see who is and emulate them which is the what the European Survey did. We'll admit that less than two hundred and fifty (250) people aren't a substantial population. We don't dismiss their findings. The "freeliving elderly people" from the now Palma, Spain are apparently "fat and happy." Since they have long life and health even they could have better lives with some supplementation. When science helps us to enjoy our lives of excess we're all for that kind of research.

Mediterranean "Life-t" not Diet

The research results was first released last year. Staying on the right track and on the right trail has gotten the Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) to the couch crowd with it's to be released in full study: "Mediterranean Diet May Lower Risk of Brain Damage That Causes Thinking Problems"

"The Mediterranean diet includes high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereals, fish and monounsaturated fatty acids such as olive oil; low intake of saturated fatty acids, dairy products, meat and poultry; and mild to moderate amounts of alcohol. For the study, researchers assessed the diets of 712 people in New York and divided them into three groups based on how closely they were following the Mediterranean diet. Then they conducted MRI brain scans of the people an average of six years later. A total of 238 people had at least one area of brain damage." The American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

We think that the link between diet and health benefits is more than just a link. We think the entire idea behind medication is finding the right chemicals to restore your health to balance. While excess is admittedly a bad thing as too much is too much. We're not looking for a instant bullet to make a "couch potato life" the only life. We think of it like a "snow emergency." Or like a natural disaster except it's anything but natural.

There are times in our lives when we can't get the things we need because of our circumstances. This does not mean that it'll always be this way only that something is wrong and we need to survive until our life gets back "in balance." Living life until balance is restored whether it's a "9/11/2001," excessive weather struggles (water, earth or snow) or involuntary unemployment. How do we get to tomorrow with having an ethnic heritage that contrary to healthy living?

This population-based study in a multi-ethnic community living in Northern Manhattan, observed 1880 elderly subjects, with an average age of 77. The participants were interviewed about their level of physical activity and dietary habits, and their responses were then summarized into two single scores. The study subjects were then followed to observe which subjects went on to develop Alzheimer’s over the course of approximately five and a half years. (Nikos Scarmeas, M.D., August 11 ) (CUMC)

“So it seemed that the more that they were doing in terms of both diet and exercise, the lower was their risk for the disease,” said Dr. Scarmeas. Dr. Scarmeas further noted that even low degrees of physical activity reported by these elderly study subjects seemed to be associated with having a protective effect against Alzheimer's. “This study is important because it shows that people may be able to alter their risk of developing Alzheimer’s by modifying their lifestyles through diet and exercise,” said Dr. Scarmeas. (CUMC)

Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow you will remember and live! CBS News reported: "Some people dislike the term "soul food," a phrase that was coined in the mid-1960s to describe the food developed by African-Americans of the southern US, because they think it is pejorative. But food historian and writer Donna Pierce embraces the term, saying that soul food is the one common factor that African Americans across the country have in common, and argues that there is a clear differentiation between soul food and Southern cooking."

The research conclusions were: "Higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with slower MMSE cognitive decline but not consistently with other cognitive tests. Higher adherence was not associated with risk for incident dementia." Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)

Our conclusions that soul food or southern cooking doesn't do enough to prevent what we know are the leading causes of death for not only Americans but for residents in our jurisdictions either. When we're dying from preventable factors and that these factors (hypertension as a risk factor for cognitive impairment - American Journal of Hypertension (AJH)) also contribute to a lower quality of life and lower quality of living.

Of course you could also ignore us and continue to eat the way you always have and the good news is you'll probably forget that you even knew better. When we die we'll be aware and in full control of our faculties - boy that'll suck!

Low Carb Blood Pressure

It hasn't worked for us but it might work for you. The headlines and stories all tout: "A low-carbohydrate diet like Atkins is better at cutting blood pressure than weight-loss pills, say US doctors." BBC News, LA Times, and Reuters.

Called a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet (LCKD) the results were especially pronounced for individuals with combination symptoms, high blood pressure and diabetes. For those of us with just high blood pressure the weight went down but not pressure. Nor was our results a part of a scientific study and we don't number one hundred and forty-six (146). We're what you would call real world experience. The study said:

(t)he mean age was 52 years and mean body mass index was 39.3 (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared); 72% were men, 55% were black, and 32% had type 2 diabetes mellitus. (Archives of Internal Medicine)

We love the Atkins logo and it probably should be noted that Atkins doesn't obviously appear to be funding the study by the Durham VA Medical Center. But we do love the logo, or rather someone of us do. It says: "Sweet, sexy science." Oh, yeah! If science is going to be anything we think it should be sweet and sexy. Unfortunately it's anything but sweet or sexy. We just like where their head is, well some of us do anyway!

Diet and Exercise - You Still Die!

Right after our live lazy and be happy complaint from yesterday comes another study pushing lifestyle changes and diet to live a healthier life. Our argument used to be that the evidence wasn't conclusive. We admit that Diet and Exercise is a better way to live a healthier life. It's not always easier or convenient but yes it is better. But that's just more blah, blah, blah! Tell us something that we don't know something that doesn't just point the finger at us. Blaming the victim isn't what the victim wants to hear. We weren't born not exercising. Lifestyle changes is how the latest research in THE LANCET puts it.

The US News and World Report examines the full report in todays edition and we were praying that they'd get it wrong. They didn't. Thanks reporter Steven Reinberg kids! Thanks Mr. Reinberg! Ignoring us they report: "(N)ew research, published in the Oct. 29 online edition of The Lancet, shows that losing weight and exercising can delay or prevent the onset of diabetes more effectively than the prescription drug metformin or a placebo."

What's the difference between exercise and sloth: "58% with intensive lifestyle intervention and by 31% with metformin" (a diabetic drug).

We like the idea of intensive lifestyle intervention because it doesn't just say exercise you fat lazy bum. For instance winning the lottery is an intensive lifestyle intervention. Vacations are intensive lifestyle interventions. Where are studies showing how working forty (40) hours a week or five (5) days is bad for your health? We've railed against diets in past articles and will probably continue to do so.

We've also shown how our jurisdictions aren't very well regarded in the areas of health. Even included in yesterdays articles is information showing that the things that are killing us other than accidents are largely preventable. We're rather think of the problem as ours rather than ours. Is that understandable? Rather than "me blaming you" and "you blaming us" that we all have a responsibility to create an arena where we all can tackle the problem and reach a mutually agreeable solution.

Maybe its the word "die" in the word diet that really gets our gall! Nawww. It's just that food that's bad for you just taste so good!

Diets Work on Diabetics

Dr Phil is known for saying "Diets Don't Work" but the Annals of Internal Medicine says that research on Italians and Rachel Ray EVOO followers would disagree with that for diabetics of type 2 after four (4) years. Good news and good video. (1:46)

"Compared with a low-fat diet, a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style diet led to more favorable changes in glycemic control and coronary risk factors and delayed the need for antihyperglycemic drug therapy in overweight patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes."

Diet or Drugs? The choice is eating a diet of italian style foods or take expensive drugs and make more trips to the pharmacy? Another very tough choice for us to make.