Category: In the News

Wolfing Down Your Food Can Trigger Weight Gain

Are you someone who’s a fast eater? Well, it’s time to slow down, savor your food and take lots of bites. That’s advice you can glean from this intriguing new study from the Journal of Clinical Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Essentially, eating quickly may trigger weight gain, because it curtails the release of hormones (you need) that help regulate your appetite, which could cause you to overeat, according to the researchers, headed up by Alexander Kokkinos, MD, PhD, of Laiko General Hospital in Athens, Greece.
As MedPage reveals, patients who ate a meal in 30 minutes had higher levels of two peptides that signal satiety — peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) — than those who wolfed down their food in five minutes.
In nother words, this study suggests that there’s truth to the “old wives’ tale” that eating quickly leads to weight gain.
“Our findings give some insight into an aspect of modern-day food overconsumption, namely the fact that many people, pressed by demanding working and living conditions, eat faster and in greater amounts than in the past,” Kokkinos says in the news release.
“The warning we were given as children that ‘wolfing down your food will make you fat’ may in fact have a physiological explanation.”

Doctors Group Gets Intimate With Coke

Have you heard yet that the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) — which is dedicated to helping everyone attain "optimal health" […]

Halloween Tricks Kids Into Sugar Overload: Op Ed Piece

Are you re planning on passing out sugar-filled candies for Halloween tomorrow night?
If so, you should know that every time you hand out candies, you’re tricking kids into sugar overload.
Halloween isn’t just one night. It paves the way for bad eating habits year-round.
Read more about this in our opinion piece in today’s Newark Star-Ledger.

Non-Drinkers More Depressed?

From time to time, findings from research studies make me marvel in disbelief. Such was the case when I recently discovered that scientists in Norway found that those of us who are non-drinkers are more depressed, AOL News alerts us.
Wait a minute? Even though alcohol has been linked to health hazards galore, from car crashes to alcoholism, if you don’t drink, you may get blue more often?
Although I was tempted to dismiss the results, I quickly learned that this is not a study at which you should sneer. The scientists, headed up by Jens Christopher Scogen of the University of Bergen looked at a whopping 38,000 people. (It’s always a good sign when thousands of folks participate in research.) What’s more, their conclusions were published in the medical journal Addiction.
So why the startling results?

Michael Jackson: Did Drugs Do Him In?

Like millions of fans, I’m filled with sadness about Michael Jackson’s sudden death.
What caused his cardiac arrest and untimely death at age 50?
Speculation now abounds that daily Demerol injections of other drugs led to his demise.
For instance, People delves into the topic, as does Fox, which reports about his daily injections.
Dr. Kevin Pho also talks about the drug connection on his KevinMD blog.
Thankfully, some nice tributes also are popping up all over, such as this one on the Huffington Post from Deepak Chopra, who was a friend.

Sneaker Saturday: Join Us & Spread the Word on Twitter, Facebook & Beyond in this Fun, Worldwide Exercise Event

Do you work out regularly or are you one of those who neglects to move your wonderful body even though you know that it’s good for you?
Well, the weekend is almost here, and a group of us are starting a fan new exercise event, which you can do wherever you live.
It’s almost time for the first ever Sneaker Saturday!
What’s that, you’re probably wondering.
Sneaker Saturday — which I encourage you to promote on your blogs, on Twitter and Facebook using this #SneakerSaturday — is about whatever you want it to be.
It’s your choice as to how you celebrate Sneaker Saturday. The only recommendation is that you slip on a pair of your favorite sneakers and get out and exercise. Your body needs physical activity, and if you’ve been a couch potato all week, it will will be grateful to get out and about!
So what do you plan to do on Sneaker Saturday? Share what you’ll do. That’s what this is about — for us to inspire, excite and encourage each other to get out there.
For me, Sneaker Saturday will mean hopping on my bike (wearing my New Balance Sneakers — love those shoes!) — and riding down to the Statue of Liberty, weather permitting.
On Sneaker Saturday, I’ll also probably pop by the gym to do some weights and working out on the elliptical machine. I’m excited, because I’ve been sick for over a week and finally have my energy back.
How did Sneaker Saturday come about?
Well, earlier this week, after attending day one of this amazing 140 Characters Conference, the idea hit me while having dinner with a bunch of amazing people, including Renowned blogger and social media expert Robert Scoble, #140conf organizer Jeff Purcell, “Adventure Girl” Stephanie Michaels, PR whiz Candice Best, comedian Heather Gold, Ari Rabban of Phone.com and other hip tweeters.
That night (Saturday), I rushed home to reserve the domain, www.SneakerSaturday.com and www.SneakerSaturdays.com (site to come), and by Sunday, I became even more excited.
So will you join me in spreading the word and in helping to evolve this fun fitness event, which you can do anywhere around the world?
Just share what you’re planning for Sneaker Saturday. Or talk about what it means to you.
Please help me to make this a fun, worldwide 52-week phenomenon.

Lakers’ Lamar Odom: Is His Candy Habit Triggering His Uneven Performance on the Basketball Court?

Why does the Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom have an uneven performance on the basketball court such as this flagrant foul?
In a blog post, entitled “The Lakers’ Lamar Odom, Sweet Tooth and Erratic Play,” Dr. Daniel Amen, a Lakers fan since a child, presents a compelling theory — the basketball player’s compulsive candy habit is to blame.
After interviewing hundreds of experts for my book SUGAR SHOCK! and suffering my own horrific, sugar-induced nightmare, the physician’s concept makes perfect sense.
Dr. Amen, author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Life and Magnificent Mind at Any Age, writes that Odom “is unbelievably talented, but often acts like a space cadet during games.
“He can play great, and be worth his 14 million-dollar salary, or he can act like he is `missing in action.'”
Indeed, acting like a space cadet or have brain fog is clearly a manifestation of low blood sugar, which can be triggered by eating too many sweets.
Kudos to Dr. Amen for pointing out that “Odom’s massive consumption of candy leads to a sugar high and then a crash, evidence of which can be seen on the basketball court.”