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Wednesday, 4 June 2014

Princess Health and Calorie Intake and Body Fatness on Unrestricted High-fat vs. High-carbohydrate Diets. Princessiccia

Princess Health and Calorie Intake and Body Fatness on Unrestricted High-fat vs. High-carbohydrate Diets. Princessiccia

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In recent posts, we've explored the association between calorie intake and the US obesity epidemic, and the reasons why this association almost certainly represents a cause-and-effect relationship. I also reviewed the evidence suggesting that carbohydrate and fat are equally fattening in humans, calorie for calorie.

One valid objection that came up in the comments is that calorie-controlled diets in a research setting may not reflect what happens in real life. For example, in a context where calorie intake isn't tightly controlled, diet composition can impact calorie intake, in turn affecting body fatness. This, of course, is true, and it forms one of the central pillars of our fat loss program the Ideal Weight Program.

Some low-carbohydrate diet advocates argue that the obesity epidemic was caused by US dietary guidelines that emphasize a carbohydrate-rich diet*. The idea here is that the increase in calorie intake was due to the diet shifting in a more carbohydrate-heavy direction. In other words, they're hypothesizing that a carbohydrate-rich eating style increases food intake, which increases body fatness**. According to this hypothesis, if we had received advice to eat a fat-rich diet instead, we wouldn't be in the midst of an obesity epidemic.

Fortunately for us, this hypothesis has been tested-- many times! Which eating style leads to higher calorie intake and body fatness when calories aren't controlled: a carbohydrate-rich diet, or a fat-rich diet?

Short-term Studies

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Princess Health and Princess Health andStudy: Banning sugary drinks from SNAP would reduce obesity and Type 2 diabetes; subsidy would boost fruit consumption.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andStudy: Banning sugary drinks from SNAP would reduce obesity and Type 2 diabetes; subsidy would boost fruit consumption.Princessiccia

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A measure preventing people from purchasing sugar-sweetened beverages through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, would significantly reduce obesity and Type 2 diabetes in adults under 65, and adding a subsidy for fruits and vegetables would more than double the number of SNAP participants who meet federal vegetable and fruit consumption guidelines, says a new study published in Health Affairs.

Research has shown that people on food stamps suffer diabetes, heart disease and obesity at higher rates than people who are in the same tax bracket but not on food stamps, Diane Jeanty reports for PBS Newshour. In 2013, these findings prompted 18 mayors from major U.S. cities to write to Congress with a push to ban the use of food stamps to purchase sugar sweetened beverages.

The American Beverage Association pushed back, saying "sugared beverages were being targeted and were not the only causes for obesity," Jeanty writes.

A research team led by Dr. Sanjay Basu, an assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, conducted the study to determine how banning sugared beverages could affect the SNAP population�s level of risk for these diseases, Jeanty reports. They used a survey by the federal Centers for Disease Control, which assesses the nutritional status of adults and children, and combined it with current information on SNAP.

The study had two models, one that banned sugary beverages�excluding 100 percent fruit juice�and another that offered an incentive for SNAP participants to receive a 30 cent credit for each dollar spent on fruit and vegetable purchases. The study factored in metabolism rates and demographics such as race, age, gender and income to test the effects of the proposed measures, Jeanty reports.

They found that with a simulated ban, a person would reduce his or her calorie intake by 24 per day. They also found that obesity rates decreased 2.4 percent and type 2 Diabetes rates dropped 1.7 percent�or 240,000 people�Jeanty reports. The simulated subsidy, did not, however, have a significant impact on overall diabetes and obesity.

The study also found that by adding a simulated subsidy on fruits and vegetables, SNAP participants increased their consumption from 1/4 cup to 3 cups per day. However, increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed is not enough to influence the reduction of diabetes and obesity on a national scale, according to Basu. �There would also have to be further reforms to also reduce the consumption of sugary beverages,� Basu told Jeanty.

The Illinois Public Health Institute, addressing a proposed ban in Illinois, found that SNAP participants would still purchase sugared beverages with their own money, even if they were banned, Jeanty reports. But Basu says that his study accounted for this consideration. Basu said it is time to perform a controlled study instead of a simulation model, Jeanty writes.

Tuesday, 3 June 2014

Princess Health and Princess Health andHealth foundation chief objects to bill that would allow school districts to get waivers from recent nutrition standards.Princessiccia

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The president of Kentucky's public-interest health foundation is objecting to legislation recently approved by the U.S. House Appropriations Committee to allow waivers from the school nutrition enacted by the Department of Agriculture in 2010.

Susan G. Zepeda, Ph.D.
Susan G. Zepeda of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky says in a statement sent to Kentucky news media that the foundation's polls show that Kentuckians "want healthier foods in the schools," but fewer than one in four Kentucky adults "described the meals at their children's school or daycare as 'very nutritious'."

Zepeda notes that the Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health showed that 35.7 percent of Kentucky children were either overweight or obese in 2011-12, that children living in poverty are more likely to be obese, and that polls show Kentucky adults think childhood obesity is a serious issue, and 78 percent of them approved of the new USDA meal standards, Zepeda notes.

The legislation would allow school districts that have lost money on meals for six months to ask for a waiver from the standards. Zepeda said "the major voice" for the bill was the School Nutrition Association, "a trade group of school food officials backed by such food companies as Coca-Cola, Domino�s Pizza and PepsiCo," but "19 of the association�s former presidents have called on Congress to reject the waiver. We add our voice to this call."
Princess Health and Princess Health andUK awarded $1.9 million to improve recruitment, preparation and retention of science, tech, engineering and math students.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andUK awarded $1.9 million to improve recruitment, preparation and retention of science, tech, engineering and math students.Princessiccia

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The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has awarded the University of Kentucky a five-year, $1.9 million grant to improve retention of students in the STEM disciplines: science, technology, engineering and mathematics, through a collection of initiatives dubbed "STEMCats."

The STEMCats project will feature five key components, each aimed at improving the recruitment, preparation and retention of STEM majors: FastTrack courses for Math, Biology, Chemistry and Physics to better prepare incoming students; a STEMCats living learning community; a freshman STEM research course; a team-based summer research experience and an improved introductory STEM curriculum.

Fewer than half of all students who enter college with the intention of majoring in a STEM field leave with a STEM degree, according to the university's press release. Nationwide, 40 percent of students enroll in a STEM program when they enter college, and the rate drops to roughly 20 percent among historically under-represented ethnic groups.

Many first-year college students are not prepared for the rigors of college-level science and math, Professor Vincent Cassone, chair of the UK Department of Biology and STEMCats project director, said in the release. "They have no idea what to expect, and I think it comes as a shock to some of them just how much work is actually involved in passing an introductory-level STEM class," Cassone said in the release. "By the time they realize it, they may already be in trouble. It's not that they can't do the work. They just are not mentally and psychologically prepared for the challenges they face at the university level. The STEMCats initiatives are designed to help students get ready to succeed."

UK is partnering on these initiatives with Bluegrass Community and Technical College, which will allow these students "to work in UK research facilities, live in STEM-designated communities at UK and be part of a FastTrack student cohort designed to remove barriers of success while enhancing STEM opportunities and knowledge," Tammy Liles, associate STEMCats project director, said in the release.

UK is one of 37 research institutions to receive an award, from among 170 institutions competing for a share of $60 million in total funding, according to the release. (Read more)

Monday, 2 June 2014

Princess Health and Princess Health andDanville is latest Ky. community to ban indoor use of e-cigarettes, following new law that classifies them as tobacco product.Princessiccia

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The Danville City Commission has approved an ordinance that bans the use of e-cigs in enclosed places, placing the same restrictions on them that already exist on traditional tobacco cigarettes, though the health risk of e-cigs has not yet been determined, Todd Kleffman reports for The Advocate-Messenger.

Kleffman notes that Danville is among a few Kentucky communities leading the way on placing restrictions on e-cigs, which are battery-powered devices that emit vaporized nicotine, but not tobacco.

"Bardstown, Manchester and Madison County have placed an outright ban on public use of e-cigs, while Kenton County prohibits their use in the workplace, and Glasgow bans them in bars and restaurants, according to attorney Chris Johnson of the Kentucky League of Cities," Kleffman writes.

E-cigs have become increasingly popular as an alternative to smoking, and because the amount of nicotine can be adjusted in the vapor liquid, many use it as a means to quit smoking, although this claim has not been proven.

�Generally, it�s people who are trying to quit smoking or are looking for a cheaper, healthier, less offensive alternative,� Blayne Hogue, operator of Vapor Visions in Danville, told Kleffman. �With the younger crowd it has appeal because of the taste and because it�s kind of the new thing.�

Speaking to the concern that vaporizing products with a "candy store array of flavors carrying names like Skittles, Pluto, Mother�s Milk and John Wayne" is designed to appeal to an underage crowd, Eric Griffiths, proprietor of the e-cig store Juice Box, asked,  �Why is that we have to be marketing to kids because it has flavors? Just because it�s an adult product doesn�t mean it has to taste bad.�

Neither store allows minors.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last month that it will begin regulating e-cigs in the future, Kleffman notes, and the Kentucky General Assembly passed a law this year that puts
vapor products in the same class as tobacco cigarettes, prohibiting their sale to those under 18.

The state law, not complaints from local business owners or residents, is what prompted the Danville City Commission to enact its own ordinance banning e-cigs in enclosed public places, City Manager Ron Scott told Kleffman.

�The state now classifies them as a tobacco product. What makes them different? By our ordinance, there is no distinction,� Scott said to Kleffman. �You can�t have it both ways. We had to clarify it for our businesses as to where they can be used. Vapor products contain nicotine, and from a public health point of view, there is an unknown amount of nicotine in the exhaled vapor that could affect others, like second-hand smoke. . . . Do you err on the side of caution, or do you just disregard the potential public health risks?"

The commission vote was 3-2, with Mayor Bernie Hunstad and Commissioner Kevin Caudill voting against the ban after two citizens argued that the prohibition was premature because no reliable research has proven that the devices create a public health concern.

Princess Health and#TeamMike vs. #TeamDave.Princessiccia

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The team draft has finally come and gone!  If you don't know what the #MikeVsDave team challenge is, click here to learn more.



Here's how it went down!

(1) Rock, paper, scissors
This was used to determine who gets to call the coin toss.  Mike took down Dave's paper, and thus got to call the toss.

(2) Coin Toss
At 6:45pm, the coin was tossed at practice.  Mike called tails, and the coin landed tails up.  Mike opted to go second in the draft.

(3) Draft
Here is a review of how the draft went as shown on our live twitter feed starting at 9:00pm.

Pick #1: Team Dave takes RunnerRob
Pick #2: Team Mike takes Sean Delanghe
Pick #3: Team Mike takes Brendan Hancock
Pick #4: Team Dave takes Ahmed Ahmed
Pick #5: Team Mike takes IronLuke
Pick #6: Team Dave takes Greg Dyce
Pick #7: Team Mike takes Pat Mulherin
Pick #8: Team Dave takes Chris Goldsworthy
Pick #9: Team Mike takes Nick Burt for his sub
Pick #10: Team Dave's pick is TBA

Who do you think has the better team?

Stay tuned for full info on the rosters! 

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