Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Pour a Little Sugar on It, Baby
In my first post back on August 7th "Fructose and Cancer Linked in Study", I talked about an August 2nd study in Cancer Research that showed that fructose (as opposed to glucose) was utilized differently by pancreatic tumor cells, and that the tumor cells essentially used fructose as a form of fuel to divide and proliferate. The long and short of it was to say that we should start avoiding fructose as much as possible, right away. (By the way, this is not so easy. I've been finding high fructose corn syrup in so many of the foods currently in my kitchen.)
In that blog post, I noted that U.S. consumption of high fructose corn syrup went up 1,000 percent between 1970 and 1990. I also said that this new study will likely have implications for the food industry over time. Today, the Wall Street Journal published an article (Corn Sweetener Desires a More Palatable Name) about something I did not forsee, which is that the Corn Refiners Association has petitioned the FDA to allow them to change the name of high fructose corn syrup to "corn sugar". And they say they are doing this to "erase customer confusion".
The WSJ article makes some other interesting points. Notably that Kraft Foods has removed high fructose corn syrup from "its Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce, the majority of Kraft salad dressings, and most varieties of Wheat Thins crackers, Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs and Premium Saltines, among other things", and that ConAgra has removed high fructose corn syrup from Hunt's Tomato Ketchup.
Somewhat ironically perhaps, for health-conscious individuals, the greatest hope for the FDA not granting the name change to the Corn Refiners Association comes from the sugar lobby. As the WSJ article notes,
In that blog post, I noted that U.S. consumption of high fructose corn syrup went up 1,000 percent between 1970 and 1990. I also said that this new study will likely have implications for the food industry over time. Today, the Wall Street Journal published an article (Corn Sweetener Desires a More Palatable Name) about something I did not forsee, which is that the Corn Refiners Association has petitioned the FDA to allow them to change the name of high fructose corn syrup to "corn sugar". And they say they are doing this to "erase customer confusion".
The WSJ article makes some other interesting points. Notably that Kraft Foods has removed high fructose corn syrup from "its Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce, the majority of Kraft salad dressings, and most varieties of Wheat Thins crackers, Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs and Premium Saltines, among other things", and that ConAgra has removed high fructose corn syrup from Hunt's Tomato Ketchup.
Somewhat ironically perhaps, for health-conscious individuals, the greatest hope for the FDA not granting the name change to the Corn Refiners Association comes from the sugar lobby. As the WSJ article notes,
"It's far from clear whether the FDA will go along with changing the name of high fructose corn syrup to corn sugar, however. The change proposed by the corn refiners is more controversial in part because it faces stiff opposition from the politically astute sugar-farming lobby."With this type of maneuvering going on, it isn't easy to stay healthy. But I'm thankful we live in a world where this type of activity makes the news so people are aware of it. And thanks to the internet and the ability to follow whatever your interests may be along with others (like health and fitness), you now know to keep your eyes open for "corn sugar" if the Corn Refiners get their way, and you'll know it's high fructose corn syrup.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Thoughts From the Zoo
I took my kid to the zoo today, and pondered a couple of interesting things while at the tiger exhibit. When you go into the tiger exhibit, you are in an enclosed room with a lot of other people. The room has big glass windows. Outside the windows is a beautiful hillside with a pond and a lot of nice places for a tiger to relax. And of course there is the sleek, powerful, beautiful tiger. And he's out there on the hill, in his element (or at least a small version of his element), looking in at this crowded roomful of humans. All of a sudden I got this upside down feeling - who is in the zoo right now, the tiger, or us?
And then the zoo worker was explaining things to us about the tiger over the loudspeaker. And she said that tigers in the wild typically only live until the age of seven, on average, when their lives are cut short by poachers. But that here at the zoo, the tigers live out their normal life span of 14 to 16 years, similar to domestic cats. And that as the tigers get old, they get diseases and other issues of old age, just like every other creature. And that its really important to for the zookeepers to keep the tigers' diets in check, because if they don't, the tigers will develop all kinds of problems that they don't get when they don't become overweight. Hmmm.
Sounds familiar... But the problem for us as humans is that no one can control our diets except for us. And to the extent our diets are "controlled" by other people, corporations, or whatever your viewpoint is on the food that is most easily available, those people/corporations are not benevolent like the zookeepers and looking out for our best interest and optimal health.
And then the zoo worker was explaining things to us about the tiger over the loudspeaker. And she said that tigers in the wild typically only live until the age of seven, on average, when their lives are cut short by poachers. But that here at the zoo, the tigers live out their normal life span of 14 to 16 years, similar to domestic cats. And that as the tigers get old, they get diseases and other issues of old age, just like every other creature. And that its really important to for the zookeepers to keep the tigers' diets in check, because if they don't, the tigers will develop all kinds of problems that they don't get when they don't become overweight. Hmmm.
Sounds familiar... But the problem for us as humans is that no one can control our diets except for us. And to the extent our diets are "controlled" by other people, corporations, or whatever your viewpoint is on the food that is most easily available, those people/corporations are not benevolent like the zookeepers and looking out for our best interest and optimal health.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Mid-Life Crisis or Mid-Life Renaissance?
I prefer to think of it as a Mid-Life Renaissance. At the young age of 49, I have purchased a RipStik. You can see what they are here. I got a great deal on a red one at Amazon (I don't know why the red one was cheaper, but it was).
Here's what it looks like:
Basically, it is very much like a skateboard, except instead of having four wheels, it only has two. This enables you to power the board without pushing your foot on the ground like you do with a regular skateboard. Instead, you use a back and forth hip motion to make the board pick up speed. I have no idea how I'm going to learn to ride this thing, but I know that I am. I will report back with video when I can do it.
Here's what it looks like:
Friday, August 27, 2010
Brazil is on ABSOLUTE RED ALERT Over Weight Crisis
There's a Reuters story out today called "The Chubby Girl From Ipanema? Brazil Puts On Weight". It's about how almost half of Brazil's adult population is now overweight, and 15% are obese. This is a dramatic change from a study done in Brazil in 1974.
Here's what I love best about this story - Brazil's health minister tells reporters:
Here's what I love best about this story - Brazil's health minister tells reporters:
"We are in a situation of absolute red alert. If we stay at this pace, in 10 years we will have two-thirds of the population overweight (or obese), as has happened in the United States."You have to love it. Brazil is on ABSOLUTE RED ALERT at the prospect of getting to the place in the next ten year where we in the U.S. ALREADY ARE. Where is our red alert here in the U.S.??
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Healthcare Costs 101
There's an excellent article out today on the Health Affairs GrantWatch Blog by Rosemary Gibson. You can read the full article here. Here's a quote,
"The mantra in health care today is volume, volume, volume. In this highly caffeinated system, many doctors are required to meet productivity targets for diagnostic tests, surgeries, and office visits. As payers ratchet down payment per unit of service, the incentive exists to increase volume, and the cycle perpetuates itself."Gibson talks about several studies and ongoing research efforts that track disparities in healthcare practice, and provides some links that are key for anyone who wants to gain an understanding of why healthcare costs in the U.S. have been spiraling out of control. Here are the links:
The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care
New Yorker article on health costs in McAllen, Texas
The Perfect Storm of Overutilization (full article requires $, but free introduction makes the point)
Commonwealth Fund Survey about the U.S. healthcare system which finds, among other interesting points, "that 32 percent of Americans say they have had medical care they thought was unnecessary or had little benefit." As Gibson understatedly observes, "This remarkable finding merits greater understanding."Gibson's article is focused on how foundations can spend money to improve healthcare. She draws three key conclusions:
- Foundations can fund the development of new payment models [and] delivery models that help organizations learn how to reduce waste in care delivery processes and curb overuse of tests and treatments that don’t benefit a patient,
- Support research that sheds light on patient experience of overtreatment, and
- Accelerate the adoption of shared decision making [between the healthcare system and the patient]
Her final point is worth thinking about, because as individuals we can do more to become informed on our own without any funding:
"When patients are informed of the risks and benefits of treatment options, they tend to shy away from the storm of overutilization. It’s always a good thing to stay out of the path of a storm."
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Dealing With Desk Posture
I spend a lot of time sitting. And I've been spending the majority of time sitting for many years. I came across this "simple" exercise to combat the effects of prolonged sitting, from the guys at bodyweightcoach.com. It looks easy, but I couldn't even get close to the starting position. I'll work on it and report on my progress. Check it out in this video below.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Is Fat Putting Your Health at Risk?
By Chaze Funjon
Carrying excess weight has become so common in recent years, especially in the United States, that people have become somewhat complacent about it. No wonder, because according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fully two thirds of the U.S. population is overweight or obese. That's clearly a majority. But if you need to lose weight, your health could be at risk, according to a major new study by the American Cancer Society published a few days ago in The Archives of Internal Medicine.
I'm always looking for ways to help motivate others and myself to be fit and stay fit. Some ways are "positive" motivators, like being inspired by things you would do if you were fitter (for me surfing is one example), while others are "negative" motivators, like the thought that you might lose years off your life if you don't get fit soon. The American Cancer Study is a powerful negative motivator.
The crux of the study is that size of your belly or waist has been linked to a meaningful increase in the risk of dying from cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease. What's really important as a revelation in this study is that this risk holds true regardless of whether or not the person's body mass index falls into the normal weight, overweight or obese category. In other words, even for people who are not at all overweight, if their waist size is large (and the belly is usually the first thing to gain weight), they are at the same risk of dying from these conditions as people who are overweight or obese (and happen to have the same waist size).
The study found that men who's waist sizes were 47 inches or larger, and women who's waists were 42 inches or larger, were at about two times the risk of dying compared with people with small waists (35 inches for men, 30 inches for women). The issue, as stated by the study's author, Eric Jacobs, is that waist size is "strongly correlated to fat tissue in the abdomen, which is the most dangerous kind of fat issue."
If the thought of increasing your risk of dying of cancer, heart disease, or respiratory disease by up to two times isn't a motivator to lose your gut, belly fat, or whatever you want to call your excess abdominal fat and gain that six-pack you've always wanted, then maybe you are more motivated by positive motivators. If you're motivated by scary, negative motivators, read this article again! The implications are scary indeed.
For more tips, ideas, solutions and methods for and about losing weight, see http://yourbestweightlosssecrets.com For more articles on health and healthcare, see http://chazefunjon.blogspot.com/
Article Source: Is Fat Putting Your Health at Risk?
Carrying excess weight has become so common in recent years, especially in the United States, that people have become somewhat complacent about it. No wonder, because according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fully two thirds of the U.S. population is overweight or obese. That's clearly a majority. But if you need to lose weight, your health could be at risk, according to a major new study by the American Cancer Society published a few days ago in The Archives of Internal Medicine.
I'm always looking for ways to help motivate others and myself to be fit and stay fit. Some ways are "positive" motivators, like being inspired by things you would do if you were fitter (for me surfing is one example), while others are "negative" motivators, like the thought that you might lose years off your life if you don't get fit soon. The American Cancer Study is a powerful negative motivator.
The crux of the study is that size of your belly or waist has been linked to a meaningful increase in the risk of dying from cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease. What's really important as a revelation in this study is that this risk holds true regardless of whether or not the person's body mass index falls into the normal weight, overweight or obese category. In other words, even for people who are not at all overweight, if their waist size is large (and the belly is usually the first thing to gain weight), they are at the same risk of dying from these conditions as people who are overweight or obese (and happen to have the same waist size).
The study found that men who's waist sizes were 47 inches or larger, and women who's waists were 42 inches or larger, were at about two times the risk of dying compared with people with small waists (35 inches for men, 30 inches for women). The issue, as stated by the study's author, Eric Jacobs, is that waist size is "strongly correlated to fat tissue in the abdomen, which is the most dangerous kind of fat issue."
If the thought of increasing your risk of dying of cancer, heart disease, or respiratory disease by up to two times isn't a motivator to lose your gut, belly fat, or whatever you want to call your excess abdominal fat and gain that six-pack you've always wanted, then maybe you are more motivated by positive motivators. If you're motivated by scary, negative motivators, read this article again! The implications are scary indeed.
For more tips, ideas, solutions and methods for and about losing weight, see http://yourbestweightlosssecrets.com For more articles on health and healthcare, see http://chazefunjon.blogspot.com/
Article Source: Is Fat Putting Your Health at Risk?
Just in Case You Needed It - Two More Good Reasons to Lose Weight
By Chaze Funjon
Men and women each have a new good reason to lose weight. According to two recent studies, obesity is linked to lower sperm count in men, and for women, obesity may increase the likelihood of birth by cesarean section. For many people, creating the sustained motivation to lose weight is a stumbling block. It is fairly easy to get motivated for a brief period of time, but much harder to stay motivated for the long term. So I am constantly on the lookout for reasons that people can use to stay motivated to lose weight and to stick with it. These two studies appear to fit the bill, so let's take a look at why these findings are important.
Giving birth by cesarean section is a godsend if it is in fact the only way that a baby is going to be born. It can save both the baby and the mother's life if it necessary, and it is great that we have the medical capability to safely perform the procedure when it is necessary. But according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of cesarean births in the U.S. today is about 50% higher than it was during the mid-1990's. And if any surgical procedure can be avoided, overall risk is reduced.
According to the new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the risk of a cesarean birth rose by 4% for every one unit increase in body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight versus height. The study examined data on approximately 125,000 births between 2002 and 2008, from the National Institute of Health.
Real motivation for men to lose weight should come from a new study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility. This study showed that men between the ages of 20 and 30 who were obese typically had a lower sperm count than men in the same age group who were not obese. The study looked at data from just over 2,150 men who had visited a fertility clinic between 1995 and 2005.
There has been a lot of recent discussion about the drop in testosterone that occurs in men as they age. It is not clear how this study might play into that, but it stands to reason that being overweight is definitely not good for the testosterone level.
So here are two good motivational reasons, one for men, one for women, to lose weight. Keep at it, and I will continue finding reasons for us all to keep at it.
For more tips, ideas, solutions and methods for and about losing weight, see http://yourbestweightlosssecrets.com. For more articles on health and healthcare, see http://chazefunjon.blogspot.com/
Article Source: Just in Case You Needed It - Two More Good Reasons to Lose Weight
Men and women each have a new good reason to lose weight. According to two recent studies, obesity is linked to lower sperm count in men, and for women, obesity may increase the likelihood of birth by cesarean section. For many people, creating the sustained motivation to lose weight is a stumbling block. It is fairly easy to get motivated for a brief period of time, but much harder to stay motivated for the long term. So I am constantly on the lookout for reasons that people can use to stay motivated to lose weight and to stick with it. These two studies appear to fit the bill, so let's take a look at why these findings are important.
Giving birth by cesarean section is a godsend if it is in fact the only way that a baby is going to be born. It can save both the baby and the mother's life if it necessary, and it is great that we have the medical capability to safely perform the procedure when it is necessary. But according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of cesarean births in the U.S. today is about 50% higher than it was during the mid-1990's. And if any surgical procedure can be avoided, overall risk is reduced.
According to the new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the risk of a cesarean birth rose by 4% for every one unit increase in body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight versus height. The study examined data on approximately 125,000 births between 2002 and 2008, from the National Institute of Health.
Real motivation for men to lose weight should come from a new study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility. This study showed that men between the ages of 20 and 30 who were obese typically had a lower sperm count than men in the same age group who were not obese. The study looked at data from just over 2,150 men who had visited a fertility clinic between 1995 and 2005.
There has been a lot of recent discussion about the drop in testosterone that occurs in men as they age. It is not clear how this study might play into that, but it stands to reason that being overweight is definitely not good for the testosterone level.
So here are two good motivational reasons, one for men, one for women, to lose weight. Keep at it, and I will continue finding reasons for us all to keep at it.
For more tips, ideas, solutions and methods for and about losing weight, see http://yourbestweightlosssecrets.com. For more articles on health and healthcare, see http://chazefunjon.blogspot.com/
Article Source: Just in Case You Needed It - Two More Good Reasons to Lose Weight
Friday, August 13, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Here's One Way to Do It
This isn't me, of course, but was so cool a thing to be able to do I have to post it so I'll always see it until I'm able to do it! This one takes place on the traveling rings in California, but you could do the same thing on the rings in Riverside Park NYC...
Monday, August 9, 2010
Rings at Riverside Park
These are the rings at Riverside Park in New York city.
You're supposed to grab a ring with one hand, and swing and catch the next ring with your other hand. Then repeat until you get to the end. There are smaller versions of these for kids in a lot of places, but there's only a couple like this one for adults. Believe me, its a lot harder for adults. I'll post a video when I've mastered it.
Why do I find these rings important? Two reasons. One is that, like surfing, it inspires me. I think it will be really cool when I can do this. The second is that as humans, we should all be able to do this. But most adults can't. We've lost something as a species, a physical capability that is our birthright, and is important.
Being able to perform the rings requires a basic level of functional strength, something many people no longer possess, even if they work out. As for myself, I've got shoulder issues from sitting hunched over at a desk for too many years with poor posture. So I need to address the shoulder issues. There are a few good methods for doing so, and the one I'm going to start with is by doing the exercises in Pete Egoscue's book Pain Free.
Think about this... If no one could graduate high school without being able to go back and forth one time on a set of rings like this, how would that change our society for the better?
Sunday, August 8, 2010
The must-have maneuver for pro surfers in 2010
Don't know how to surf, yet, but I find the thought of being able to do it inspiring, and good motivation to stay healthy and in shape. How cool would it be to be able to do this?
The must-have maneuver for pro surfers in 2010
The must-have maneuver for pro surfers in 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
A Humpty Dumpty of a Healthcare System
In a recent presentation at the Seventh Annual Healthcare Unbound Conference held mid-July in San Diego, health management company Alere's (NYSE:ALR, Market Capitalization = $2.5 billion) Chief Innovation Officer Gordon Norman, MD, made some interesting comments (see press release here).
In addition to using the analogy that the U.S. healthcare leaders are like "all the King's men" in Humpty Dumpty (...all the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again...), Dr. Norman noted that:
1) U.S. Medical cost inflation is two to three times that of general inflation,
2) Chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease are proliferating for adults, and for the first time in history, children and adolescents may have a shorter lifespan than their parents (emphasis added), and
3) Two-thirds of the U.S. population is overweight or obese; poor habits and lifestyle choices account for 60% of all deaths (citing a September 2008 article in the BMJ).
Dr. Norman had some suggestions for the healthcare industry, including providing people with "empowering technologies like remote monitoring...(and) home diagnostics" (the provision of which is part of Alere's business), and paying care teams for outcomes as opposed to discrete services, and "linking patient out-of-pocket costs to healthy decisions and actions."
And while I think Dr. Norman is on the right track, I don't think the solution to the health care problem in the U.S. is going to come from the "system" itself in any way; I don't think the "system" is really the problem and therefore is not going to be the source of the solution. Diabetes and heart disease are not accelerating because of the U.S. healthcare system, they are accelerating because over 66% of Americans are overweight or obese. The healthcare system can't solve this problem and we shouldn't expect it to.
But I think the internet can help. The access to information that the internet provides, some of which I will put forth in this blog, has the power to spur a cultural revolution of sorts whereby individuals take charge of their own health as much as humanly possible. And by doing so, unburden the "healthcare system" and enable us to stop spending what are really ridiculous amounts of money and time on the provision of healthcare. I'm aware that this is a little bit of a radical idea, although from my perspective it is a lot less radical than living lifestyles that require us to obtain expensive "healthcare" treatments, drugs and procedures that are really completely avoidable.
I'll step off my soapbox, for now...
In addition to using the analogy that the U.S. healthcare leaders are like "all the King's men" in Humpty Dumpty (...all the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again...), Dr. Norman noted that:
1) U.S. Medical cost inflation is two to three times that of general inflation,
2) Chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease are proliferating for adults, and for the first time in history, children and adolescents may have a shorter lifespan than their parents (emphasis added), and
3) Two-thirds of the U.S. population is overweight or obese; poor habits and lifestyle choices account for 60% of all deaths (citing a September 2008 article in the BMJ).
Dr. Norman had some suggestions for the healthcare industry, including providing people with "empowering technologies like remote monitoring...(and) home diagnostics" (the provision of which is part of Alere's business), and paying care teams for outcomes as opposed to discrete services, and "linking patient out-of-pocket costs to healthy decisions and actions."
And while I think Dr. Norman is on the right track, I don't think the solution to the health care problem in the U.S. is going to come from the "system" itself in any way; I don't think the "system" is really the problem and therefore is not going to be the source of the solution. Diabetes and heart disease are not accelerating because of the U.S. healthcare system, they are accelerating because over 66% of Americans are overweight or obese. The healthcare system can't solve this problem and we shouldn't expect it to.
But I think the internet can help. The access to information that the internet provides, some of which I will put forth in this blog, has the power to spur a cultural revolution of sorts whereby individuals take charge of their own health as much as humanly possible. And by doing so, unburden the "healthcare system" and enable us to stop spending what are really ridiculous amounts of money and time on the provision of healthcare. I'm aware that this is a little bit of a radical idea, although from my perspective it is a lot less radical than living lifestyles that require us to obtain expensive "healthcare" treatments, drugs and procedures that are really completely avoidable.
I'll step off my soapbox, for now...
Fructose and Cancer Linked in Study
A very interesting study came out on August 2 in the journal Cancer Research that will likely have implications for the food industry over time, and should have implications for intelligent individuals immediately. The study showed that pancreatic tumor cells utilized two types of sugar (fructose and glucose) differently. The tumor cells consumed both types of sugars, but utilized fructose to "divide and proliferate." See Reuters article here.
The article's authors, Dr. Anthony Heaney and colleagues from UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center stated, "These findings show that cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose to increase proliferation." They also said, "They have major significance for cancer patients given dietary refined fructose consumption, and indicate that efforts to reduce refined fructose intake or inhibit fructose-mediated actions may disrupt cancer growth (emphasis added)."
The Reuters article notes that "U.S. consumption of high fructose corn syrup went up 1,000 percent between 1970 and 1990." Astounding.
As made widely known by the illness and death of Patrick Swayze, pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed late (Swayze's cancer was already at stage four and had spread to the liver when he was initially diagnosed). Which means that by the time a person knows they have pancreatic cancer, it is often too late.
So we can wait for the day when government and/or business catch up and high fructose corn syrup and other products are not so ubiquitous in the food supply. Or we can all begin now to pay more attention to what's in the food we eat and do our best to avoid it on our own. Starting NOW.
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