Odds and Ends

Ah now, what have I been holding onto this week?

FAT: I reviewed a study that I did not set aside, so you will have to trust me on this one. I hope my past use of valid resources will persuade you. With regard to heart disease risk and adverse outcomes, persons who eat little to no fat, have more heart related problems than those who consume mono and poly unsaturated fats. These fats are considered the good fats or the heart healthy ones and do include olive and canola oil as well as peanuts and peanut oils and omega three fatty acids like those found in fish, or PUFAs. Saturated fat continues to be a risk factor for atherosclerosis and heart disease. Remember however, that the good fats should be incorporated into your daily diet not just ADDED on top of whatever calories you now consume - unless you want to gain weight.

Physical Activity: A study that made press this week, and involved only women, could be somewhat overwhelming in that it calls for at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day - or 420 minutes a week instead of the 150 minutes previously promulgated. First note this - if you are a sedentary person, becoming active for any minutes on any number of days a week is going to give you a HUGE benefit. If you are however, doing the 5 days of 30 minutes and wondering if you are going to gain weight as you age, the answer is likely to be YES, unless you change things up. According to the research out of Harvard, women who are of normal weight going into middle age can avoid adding pounds with the 30 minutes of activity a day if it is vigorous (see friday's blog!) activity - this is usually described as running, swimming or cycling at a certain pace. If that intensity is too much, than 60 minutes a day is needed. Of course, if weight loss is the goal, calorie reduction AND activity increase is key. Here is the study summary.

Diabetes in China: Much of the time we consider our Western country to be the source of all evil - including, obesity and it's disease outcomes, among other things. When people emigrate to America - they eat our food and live our sedentary lifestyle becoming unhealthy just like us natives. The UK has similar problems, and they too are considered a Western country. Not long ago, I mentioned the very high rate of obesity in Mexico and this week a high rate of diabetes in China was disclosed in a NEJM study. With one out of ten adults in China diabetic, they are knocking at our door. In the USA it is just over that, perhaps 1.1 out of ten. It is all about eating high calorie foods and living low activity lives. Much of diabetes is preventable - by staying a normal weight.

Soda Sales: Yes! Soda sales have declined as have fruit and sports drinks, coffee drinks, bottled water and "supplement" water. Unfortunately energy drinks have gone up, but not by much. According to a WSJ story, the greatest bottled beverage increase ( of which energy drinks was the only other increase) was in ready to drink teas. ( I believe the analyses was only of non alcoholic beverages)

Sin Taxes: I am a supporter of taxes on alcohol, tobacco, junk food and soda. I buy alcohol. I think that these are things that we do not NEED and in some cases, things that are harmful to us. It is argued by some that raising the price of these items will dissuade people from buying them. At the same time, the money generated is used to support state and local economies - so there in lies a dilemma, doesn't it? Well, tobacco has no known identified safe use, so I think it should just be banned - and yes, the tobacco company employs many people, to which I think that they can be tapped for a new industry - perhaps biofuels. But this week I was intrigued by a legal suit in Texas where a hefty tax is levied on strip clubs. Because the politician pushing or supporting the fees stated that the establishments were associated with assaults on females, I considered that a public health issue, and thus blog appropriate. I just wonder why the article I read didn't suggest the validity or lack of - for that claim. I, at first, could care less about the clubs and the taxes, tax 'em! Or if they cause crime, close 'em! Then I have to consider that it is an industry - many people would lose jobs and income and the county - city budgets would lose revenue. It makes the politician look somewhat shallow in my opinion. If she really cared about the status of women, she would work to close the clubs, not to tax them and run a city from the profits - yes? Which does make me realize that if marijuana IS legalized anywhere this year - it is surely because of the state and local economic problems - and if it is legal and more people begin to use it - well I guess we will have to hire more cessation experts (create jobs!) because marijuana also causes lung problems and is apparently addictive. ( I seriously and strongly oppose the legalization for the same reason I oppose tobacco - health consequences. No amount of smoke inhaled into the lungs is considered safe - not from any source)

Peanut Butter: