Does Short-Term Weight Loss Reduce Cardiovascular Risk?
If you believe recent media headlines describing the findings of a paper published in The Lancet last week, you may be convinced that any weight loss – even if you don’t keep the weight off – reduces your risk for cardiovascular disease. The study, reports on the relationship between lifelong patterns of BMI and cardiovascular risk a 60-64 year-old British birth cohort born in 1946. Participants were classified as normal weight or overweight or obese based on heights and weights measured during childhood (at ages 2, 4, 6, 7, and 11 years) and adulthood (at ages 36, 43, 53 and 60–64 years). As may be expected, various measures of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors were positively related to extent and duration of adiposity. There were, however, two findings that may seem rather unexpected: Firstly, adiposity in childhood did not seem to matter as a predictor of CV risk in adulthood. Secondly, it appeared that individuals who dropped at least one BMI category at any time during adulthood, irrespective of whether or not this weight loss was maintained, had lower cardiovascular (but not diabetes) risk than did those who never lost weight. From these findings the authors conclude that, “…cardiovascular benefit might arise from weight loss in adulthood, irrespective of when this weight loss is achieved, and support public health policies for lifestyle modifications for prevention and management of overweight and obese individuals at all ages.“ While it is easy to see why sustaining weight-loss as an adult (particularly if you have risk factors for cardiovascular disease) may well be beneficial, it is hard to imagine a plausible biological pathway that would link a “short-term” weight loss to long-term improvements in cardiovascular risk. Indeed, the authors provide no explanation for their findings. They also provide no further information on the people who lost weight compared to the people who did not. My first response would be to look for biological plausible confounders – were people who lost weight at anytime as adults perhaps more conscious or concerned about their health than those who did not? Or, were they more metabolically healthy to start with? Let us also not forget that this was merely an observational study – association does not prove causality. This is not to say that the findings are entirely implausible. There is some literature on the long-term “legacy effect” of lifestyle interventions on metabolic risk factors – but… Read More »
Join The Crowd: Support Pom Pom – A Flightless Bully Tale
This week, my daughter’s crowdsourcing campaign to fund her second children’s book Pom Pom – A Flightless Bully Tale (her first one was Our Canadian Lovestory) is in its final stages – only 5 days left to meet her funding goal (over 85% there). Please visit her site and join the “crowd” of 250 supporters to secure your very own personal copy(s) of this delightful anti-bullying children’s book (will make a great Christmas gift for your kids or grandkids – there are also school packages available for your local school library). To visit the crowdsourcing site click here. To hear Linnie read her story click here. Thank you for helping her cross the finish line! @ProudDad Saskatoon, SK
Help Stop Fat Bullying
Today’s post is a personal request in support of my daughter’s new children’s book project aimed at addressing anti-fat bullying. Launched on Feb 26, World Anti-Bullying day, this Indigogo campaign is aiming to raise money to self-publish, “Pom Pom – A Flightless Bully Tale“, the story of a little slightly rotund penguin, Pomeroy Paulus Jr III, whose friends and family call “Pom Pom”. But Pomeroy hates his nickname and would prefer to be called by his real name. And, like any boy his age he’s busy trying to impress ‘the birds’, particularly one bird: Pia. This is why Pomeroy dreams of owning a pair of orange swim trunks; the ones that Pete, Pucker and Piper own. The same ones Pia said she loved. There’s just one little hiccup. The antAmart doesn’t carry his size. Your support can help this story get published so that readers will learn how mom helps Pomeroy get his orange swim trunks, see that Macaroni penguins are not made of mac’n’cheese, and watch Pia save the day when she puts bullies in their place. Here is how Linnie puts it: FOUR GREAT REASONS TO SUPPORT OUR PUBLISHING DREAM (because four are better than three) ♥ You’ll help us stand up against bullies and lend your voice to someone so big that his voice has become small: Fat jokes are not funny and they hurt! ♥ You’ll allow us to produce (illustrate, edit, scan, post produce, book design & print in Canada) every part of Pom Pom – A Flightless Bully Tale ♥ You’ll own a copy of the book you helped us publish (and maybe even your own custom arctic character) ♥ You’ll help fund Rebecca’s 2nd year of Art School. By paying Rebecca (21) real market value for her art work we were able to fund her first year of Art School with “Our Canadian Love Story” (Linnie’s 1st book) without her having to bag groceries. How cool is that? To join Linnie’s campaign and reserve your own personal copy(s) of “Pom Pom – A Flightless Bully Tale” (and perhaps even your own arctic character) CLLICK HERE! Your support is much appreciated. @DrSharma Banff, AB
Results Not Typical: FTC Clamps Down on Fraudulent Weight-Loss Claims
Once of the big news items this week was the announcement of a $34 million settlement with four marketers of weight-loss products that made misleading claims (L’Occitane, which claimed that its skin cream would slim users’ bodies but had no science to back up that claim, and HCG Diet Direct, which marketed an unproven human hormone that has been touted by hucksters for more than half a century as a weight-loss treatment, LeanSpa, LLC, an operation that allegedly deceptively promoted acai berry and “colon cleanse” weight-loss supplements through fake news websites). According to the US Federal Trade Commission, this is part of its “Operation Failed Resolution” to stop misleading claims for products promoting easy weight loss and slimmer bodies. The FTC will make these funds available for refunds to consumers who bought these allegedly fraudulent products (although it appears that some of these companies may not have enough funds to pay up). The agency also announced that additional charges have been made against the marketers of two other products. The FTC is also calling upon broadcasters and other media outlets to stop promoting weight-loss products that promise results that defy science (and common sense) and has release a new guidance document to help spot such fraudulent weight-loss claims. In a letter to be sent to US publishers and broadcasters, the FTC states that, “Every time a con artist is able to place an ad for a bogus weight loss product on a television or radio station, in a newspaper or magazine, or on a legitimate website, it undermines the credibility of advertising and does incalculable damage to the reputation for accuracy that broadcasters and publishers work hard to earn.” Here is the “business” rationale that the FTC has to offer to publishers and broadcasters for refusing to running such ads: No legitimate media outlet wants to be associated with fraud. Accuracy is your company’s stock in trade. Why sully your good name by being known as a publication or station that promotes rip-offs? If scammers are willing to cheat consumers, there’s a good chance they’ll cheat you by not paying their bills. By the time fly-by-nighters have made a quick killing, they’ve disappeared – and left you holding a stack of worthless receivables. You want to protect loyal readers, listeners, and viewers from bogus products that can’t possibly work as advertised. Reputable advertisers don’t want to associate their brands with… Read More »
The Health Benefits of Coriander – and Other Stories
While in India, I have plenty of time to read the Indian newspapers and magazines, that have circulations Western publications can only dream of. Not surprisingly, “health and beauty tips” are a staple feature with articles proclaiming the benefits of everything from yoga to bariatric surgery. And of course, when it comes to traditional Indian herbs or spices, almost every ingredient is offered as a panacea. Here, for example, are the virtues of using coriander (dhanya or cilantro), a commonly used spice and garnish (taken from a recent article in the Times of India): – It lowers blood sugar levels – Coriander helps in digestion; helps settle an upset stomach and prevent flatulence- Coriander shields you against the Salmonella bacteria – Coriander being an anti- inflammatory helps in easing symptoms of arthritis – It protects against urinary tract infections – Coriander avoids nausea [sic] – Coriander alleviates intestinal gas – Coriander lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) and raises good cholesterol (HDL) – It is a great source of dietary fibre, iron and magnesium – Coriander is rich in phytonutrients and flavonoids – In case of women suffering from a heavy menstrual flow, boil six grams of coriander seed or dhanya in 500 ml water, add a tbsp of sugar and consume while warm. – Arthritis patients can boil coriander seeds in water and drink the concoction. – Use a paste of coriander and turmeric juice treat pimples and blackheads. – Coriander is also used in detox diet. So there we have it – to summarize, the “super food” coriander is apparently good for the following illnesses and complaints: diabetes, dyslipidemia, indigestion, flatulence, arthritis, salmonellosis, urinary tract infections, nausea, menorrhagia, pimples, blackheads and of course “detoxification” (whatever that means). These types of claims are of course are by no means particular to Indian media – similar articles with similar laundry lists of unsubstantiated or exaggerated claims abound in publications around the world – pandering to an audience that is happy to indulge in “magical thinking”. Thus, according to Naturaltherapypages.co.uk, coriander also acts as a sedative, anxiolytic, anti-allergic, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-cancer, analgesic, relieves hemorrhoids and venous stasis, enhances libido, relieves headaches and water retention. For me, any one of those statements are like a nail scratching a black board (When did boards turn white?). Take the first statement – “Coriander lowers blood sugar.” If we assume this to be true, my first question would be, “By… Read More »
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