2306 children starting school in Augsburg, Germany had their age, sex, weight, and height recorded. Their parents had to answer a questionnaire covering sporting activity, amount of television watched, and eating behavior. 13% suffered from overweight and 5% were obese. This is a marked increase in the prevalence of overweight in children. Almost two thirds of Turkish and Russian speaking children watched one to three hours of television per day about twice as many as Germans. The eating habits of the Turkish children were particularly striking. Only 12.4% had five meals a day the lowest of any group.
New research in an animal model suggests that a diet high in inorganic phosphates, which are found in a variety of processed foods including meats, cheeses, beverages, and bakery products, might speed growth of lung cancer tumors and may even contribute to the development of those tumors in individuals predisposed to the disease. This is more bad news for processed meats. See also http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/134041.php or http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/news/20081230/phosphates-may-raise-lung-cancer-risk or http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081229080851.htm
Vreeman and Carroll from Indianapolis compled the following myths for your entertainment and wisdom: 1) Sugar causes hyperactivity in children 2) Suicides increase over the holidays 3) Poinsettia toxicity 4) Excess heat loss in the hatless 5) Nocturnal feasting makes you fat 6) You can cure a hangover. They were published in BMJ 2007;335:1288-9.
Treadmill Desk
Jan 3
TrekDesk is manufacturer of the first affordable full sized, adjustable treadmill desk designed to fit an existing treadmill, allowing walking while working. The company claims that consistent daily walking is very effective in both long term weight loss and also offers significant increases in brain function. A study by the University of Illinois recently showed that memory can be increased by as much as 15% in just 6 months, due to increased blood flow to the brain and that the production of small blood vessels in the brain can be boosted as much as 43%.
America’s fixation on low carb diets has been shown to be ineffective over the long term for dieters however study results released on the last day of 2008 suggests it may have harmful effects on brain function as well. The study out of Tufts University focused on women aged 22 to 55 engaging in low carb diets similar to the Atkins Diet. Participants were found to have significantly diminished memory scores than the control groups consuming a normal diet.
The Australian Medical Association is calling on the hospitality industry to do their bit in reducing drink-driving this season by offering designated drivers free or discounted non-alcoholic drinks. See also the AMA’s Draft guidelines for low-risk drinking on http://www.ama.com.au/node/4190
The Australian Medical Associations comments to the Preventative Health Taskforce.
This 10-year longitudinal study is from Norway. 630 subjects who responded to questionnaires at age 13 + 7 follow-ups over 10 years. Jogging and cycling, skiing and hiking, and ball games, showed a high degree of tracking from age 15 to 23. The findings indicate low associations between participation in specific types of activities during adolescence and global leisure-time physical activity in young adulthood, while participation in several adolescent physical activities simultaneously was moderately related to later activity. Thus, being involved in various types of physical activity may offer good opportunities for establishing lifelong involvement in physical activity, independent of the specific type of activity.
11 male university students participated in three types of sessions. In one, they ran for 60 minutes on a treadmill. In another, they did 90 minutes of weight lifting. In the third session, they did no exercise. During the treadmill session hormone levels changed and suppressed appetite. Both types of exercise suppressed hunger, but aerobic exercise (treadmill) resulted in greater suppression of hunger. The U.K. researchers say these findings may lead to more effective ways to control weight.
Senest er den klassiske Guld Barre fra Toms, en nøddeblanding fra Kims og en chokoladebar fra Nestlé blevet anmeldt af Forbrugerrådet, der anklager virksomhederne for vildledende markedsføring efter at have sat det nye såkaldte GDA-ernæringsmærke på produkterne. Den konkrete brug af mærkningen nærmer sig manipulation og får produkterne til at fremstå sundere, end de rent faktisk er.