America has about the highest proportion of overweight and obese on Earth, but the rest of the world is hot on our heels. A massive meta-analysis of global data indicates that between 1980 and 2015 the prevalence of obesity doubled in more than 70 countries.
Food & Nutrition
Multiplying an estimate with another estimate leaves you with imprecise information, no matter what the number. And naturally, using those imprecise numbers to drive policy is a bad idea. It's time to recognize that.
One way to motivate people to exercise is for them to get a dog. After all, unless you live in the outback and let the animal run free, having a dog means walking it — except in a few circumstances. Australian investigators described the owner- and pup-associated reasons for a person to increase their walking level.
Does getting food assistance from the federal SNAP program mean that people improve their diets? Not so much — at least according to recent nutritional research. Is it even reasonable to expect it to do so?
Reducing sodium consumption to ward off hypertension, stroke and heart disease has been the goal of nutritionists for many years. They warned that much of the sodium intake comes not from the salt added at the table, but from processed foods. But a new study indicates that the sodium content of such foods has decreased over a recent 15-year period.
Orthorexia — "straight eating" — is the latest entry on the list of eating disorders that can afflict us. But so far it hasn't been acknowledged as a separate entity by the psychiatric professionals. Is it really something new, or an offshoot of an older type?
EWG warns the public about pesticide residues on produce, and tell people to buy organic instead. What they leave out is all of the organic pesticides, some even sprayed on the day food gets on the truck.
A team of Spanish researchers believes it's discovered a fruity concoction that reduces muscle soreness. The formula is a combination of watermelon and pomegranate juice enriched with citrulline and ellagitannins, ingredients that are linked to beneficial metabolic effects and performance enhancement.
So how's your sex life?
If not to your liking, then thinking differently about it will likely help improve it, and perhaps your health as well. That's according to a new study which found that enjoyable perceptions and participation regarding sex will make middle-aged adults feel better – and younger – than their actual age.
However, while adults 40-years-old and up were included in the research, the participant group of just over 1,000 skewed heavily towards those who were white, married and employed. So while these findings are interesting and potentially important, it's not certain that they also apply to single adults, and those of other races. (Future research with a wider participant pool would likely produce better insight on this topic.)
An important question is what type of exercise — aerobic, such as walking, swimming or bike riding; or resistance, such as weight lifting — would help the older obese person who's looking to lose weight? The answer is both, particularly when done in tandem.
As a busy working parent, I admit that I sometimes (ok, frequently) grab a granola bar as a substitute for lunch... and breakfast.
I am not saying that it is the healthiest choice. But, in today's world of running from work to school to the gym to everything else - sometimes there is no time to sit down and prepare a well balanced meal - or any meal at all.
This is exactly the space that Soylent, a full time meal replacement product, is trying to fill.
What is Soylent? Just in case there was any doubt, the informative video on the soylent website states right away that "soylent is food" and "although it it not intended to replace every meal, it is able to replace any meal."
Many things in life invite skepticism, but the safety of pasteurized milk is not one of them. In fact, the CDC's new report states that unpasteurized dairy products cause 840 times more illnesses and 45 times more hospitalizations than pasteurized products. But guess what? Raw milk sales are rising as people (falsely) believe it's healthier.