Community Forum - July 2002

August 12th, 2002, 19:42

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July 2002

Wednesday, July 31, 2002

Chinese Herbal Weight-Loss Aids Can Be Deadly
There is growing concern in Japan that herbal dietary weight-loss aids are dangerous. With a reported 4 people killed and 158 others experiencing liver and thyroid disorders due to the supplements, the Japanese health and welfare ministry has issued warnings about the products. The primary concern is the Chinese imports Yuzhitang Health Products' Jieanfeijiaonanf and Xiazhisa. Other products being looked at are Qianbairan and Qingehisa. [ article ] posted at 10:11 AM comment on this article

Tuesday, July 30, 2002

Folic Acid Possibly Helpful in Weight Loss
According to a report in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2002;56:585-92), folic acid may be beneficial in weight-loss programs. It is not thought to help a person lose weight, but rather protects against heart disease by preventing increases in homocysteine, an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Comment: here is more evidence that multivitamin supplementation may be beneficial. posted at 4:44 PM comment on this article

Monday, July 29, 2002

As Expected, Lawsuits Against Fast-Food Companies Have Started
As reported previously in the Internet Medical Journal, there has been high anticipation that lawyers are now going to target fast-food companies. The first case in the US has just happened, and was filed in New York. The targets of the lawsuit are McDonald's, Wendy's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Burger King. Comment: are we now going to have warning labels on food stating that "eating in excess will cause weight gain" ? This is likely to be a class action suit, where each of the plaintiffs may get a quarter (at most) and the lawyers will rake in several million. But, given the sorry condition that the US's tort system is in, the lawyers undoubtedly figure that they are fairly likely to take in millions of dollars, with the chances of winning much better than a lottery. [ article ] posted at 9:24 AM comment on this article

Ephedrine Suspected to be Related to Football Deaths
The use of ephedrine is suspected to be the cause of several deaths from heatstroke among professional football players, according to a report in the journal Neurosurgery. Comment: These supplements are basically herbal speed (ma huang). They have also been associated with strokes. [ article ] posted at 9:17 AM comment on this article

Tuesday, July 16, 2002

Nutritional Supplements Improve Inmate Behavior
This double-blind, placebo controlled study looked at whether or not nutritional supplements would affect the behavior of prison inmates. A total of 231 young adults were studied. Those taking the nutritional supplements (vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids) committed an average of 26.3% fewer offences compared to placebo. Those taking the placebos did not experience a reduction in offences compared with baseline rates. [ article ] posted at 9:07 AM comment on this article

Friday, July 12, 2002

Idealized Women in TV Ads Make Girls Feel Bad
This research from Australia focused on how high school students felt after watching commercials that focussed on "idealized thin and attractive" women to sell the product advertised. After watching the commercials, the female students had an increase in their body dissatisfaction and a decreased level of confidence. Comment: if the students watching the commercial were morbidly obese, perhaps a little bid of body dissatisfaction would be a positive motivator. The problem is that this study (as reported) does not comment on the fitness level of the students. It automatically assumes that "body dissatisfaction" is bad. This goes against the words from Earl Nightingale in his famous Lead The Field program that "constructive discontent" is a positive emotion. [ article ] posted at 6:27 PM comment on this article

Wednesday, July 10, 2002

Fruit and Vegetable Intake Linked to a Reduced Risk of Alzheimer's Disease
Two recent studies have found a reduced risk of Alzheimer's Disease among people consuming a diet rich in the antioxidant vitamins C and E. The use of dietary supplements was not beneficial. Comment: this is more evidence that a diet rich in vegetables and fruits is good for your health. [ article ] posted at 8:05 AM comment on this article

Saturday, July 06, 2002

Study Shows That Vitamin E Does Not Prevent Macular Degeneration
This study of 1193 volunteers showed that supplementation with 500 IU of vitamin E daily for 4 years did not prevent the development or progression of age related macular degeneration. Comment: vitamin E supplementation has shown mixed results for many conditions. It's effect on heart disease is unknown, since research has shown different results. My current strategy is to take a balanced multivitamin daily. I used to -- but no longer -- take a vitamin E supplement. [ article ] posted at 5:35 PM comment on this article

Ten Tips for Healthier Fast-Food Dining
This article from the journal Patient Care lists some excellent ways to eat better when going to a fast-food joint. For example, they recommend that you never order anything labelled "big" or "large" and that you never "super-size" your meal. Comment: best idea yet is to not eat out at fast-food places more than once every couple of weeks, or imagine this- don't eat out at those places ever until they start offering more healthy meals. Currently, only Subway seems to be taking our health into consideration. [ article ] posted at 9:43 AM comment on this article

Exercise Important in Lowering Cholesterol
This study from the American Journal of Cardiology concludes that moderate exercise for an average of 30 minutes a day--combined with a low cholesterol, low fat diet--increases the chances of achieving good blood cholesterol levels. One of the most important findings was a re-affirmation that weight-loss is one of the most important ways to lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol. Comment: increased activity (perhaps by turning off the TV and doing something active) combined with a low-fat diet (perhaps by cutting out fast food) and moderate exercise will have many more benefits than just lowering your cholesterol. It will also decrease your risk of cancer, improve your mood, increase your energy, and make you live longer. [ article ] posted at 9:38 AM comment on this article

Friday, July 05, 2002

More Americans Report Dietary Changes
Nearly 40% of Americans self-report that they have made significant improvements in their diet recently according to a survey of 700 American adults conducted by the American Dietetic Association. Comment: Americans are getting more obese- not less obese. This self-reported improvement in dietary habits clearly is not resulting in an improvement in the rates of obesity. The problem is one of increased inactivity combined with fat filled fast food. A simple, workable prescription for Americans (and people world-wide, given the alarming increase in obesity globally) would be to watch less television (this results in more physical activity) and to cut down on the fast food. [ article ] posted at 7:10 AM comment on this article

Monday, July 01, 2002

Eating Fish May Help Curb Your Hunger
This study of neighboring tribes in Africa found that those that ate fish had lower levels of leptin. The researchers believe that when the body's level of leptin gets too high, the body ignores the signal that leptin sends to stop eating. Comment: how this pertains to those wishing to lose weight is unclear. [ article ] posted at 8:11 PM comment on this article