Category Archives: Uncategorized

From the Land Down Under: 

A morbidly obese man dying of liver cancer has been awarded more than $350,000 from his doctor because the GP failed to refer him to a weight-loss clinic or send him for lap-band surgery.

Medical experts say the case of Luis Almario is a legal landmark and will force doctors to ensure overweight patients shed kilos or risk being sued.

Read the rest.

…according to a link I found in an article at Huffington Post.  An excerpt:

A 2011 Ohio State study found that weight gain of about 20 pounds is average among people who get married (especially for women), and according to Texas healthcare professional Judy Gaman, there are lot of good explanations for the increase. In the video above, she explains that after the wedding, lifestyle patterns change, leading to more food consumed and less activity.

One major culprit is television. Gaman said married people tend to watch more T.V., since they’re not just watching the shows that they personally want to watch.

Read the details at the Washlngton Post.

h/t Weight Maven Beth Mazur

For many, supplements are a way to make expensive urine.  Gavura writes:

Aside from sporadic vitamin D in winter, I don’t take any vitamins or supplements routinely, nor do I give any to my children. Your reasons may be close to mine: There is little to no evidence suggesting that dietary deficiencies are widespread, nor is there good evidence to suggest that vitamin supplements are beneficial in the absence of deficiency. I don’t have any need for an other supplements, nor am I confident in the scientific evidence for many of them.

 

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…according to an article at MedPageToday.  I remember a research report from a couple years ago noting this link between calcium and premature death, but it only applied to women not taking a vitamin D supplement.  It’s complicated.

…according to a study out of Finland.  Researchers looked at mid-life alcohol consumption and dementia signs and symptoms 20 years later.  I quote from DementiaToday.com: 

The study, conducted at the University of Turku, University of Helsinki and National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland based on subjects from the Finnish Twin Cohort, shows that midlife alcohol consumption is related to the risk of dementia assessed some 20 years later. The study indicates that both abstainers and subjects consuming large amounts of alcohol have a greater risk for cognitive impairment than light drinkers.

Judicious alcohol consumption, primarily wine, is a component of the traditional Mediterranean diet that is probably protective of dementia.

Melanie at Dietriffic has put lots of thought into the Weight Watchers weight-loss program.  Some excerpts from her recent review: 

As I’ve said in the past, while I agree Weight Watchers isn’t the worst diet plan out there (far from it!), I don’t believe they teach people enough about sustaining their weight loss long-term, which is probably why a lot of members find the pounds slipping back on, when they stop counting points.

And this…

Remember, it really doesn’t matter what diet plan you choose to follow, it won’t continue to work if you stop following it.

So, that means you need to find something you can do for life, and stick with it.

Read the rest.