Category: Health News
The IQ of a Twinkie
| November 12, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Health News, Nutrition |
I’m sure by now you’ve all heard the story about the nutrition professor who ate only junk food for 10 weeks and managed to lose 27 pounds in the process. Referred to as the “twinkie diet” or the “convenience store diet,” Mark Haub ate less than 1,800 calories worth of hostess snacks per day (which amounted to about 1 twinkie every 3 hours), rounding out his diet with doritos, oreos, and, for good measure, a can of green beans or three to four celery stalks. At the end of the month, not only did he lose weight, but he also lowered his bad cholesterol (LDL) and upped the levels of good cholesterol (HDL).
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Sounds like the experiment was a huge success, right? Here is living proof that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. It doesn’t matter what you eat. As long as you restrict your caloric intake and maintain a regular exercise regimen, you can eat whatever the heck you want and still lose weight. Great news for junk food enthusiasts everywhere!
Not so much. The problem with this situation is not the fact that he lost weight and improved his cholesterol by eating crap. The guy supposedly ate around 2,600 calories a day before starting the experiment (FDA recommends 2,000 for the average adult). Which means that he cut his calorie intake by at least 800 calories a day for 10 weeks. On top of that, he reports maintaining a regular exercise regimen, so was burning off a good chunk of those calories everyday. Basic math and science says that when calories in are less than calories out, weight loss will result. No big mystery there.
No, the problem with this situation is the message that it sends. Not only is Haub a professor of nutrition, but he conducted an experiment that basically perpetuates the warped thinking of our culture. Thinking that equates weight with health and glorifies extreme diets as a means to a weight loss end. In a society obsessed with quick fixes and easy solutions, what could be a better way to lose weight than eating sugar to your heart’s content?
Frankly the entire thing makes me sad. Regardless of Haub’s original intentions for this experiment, the reality is that the media is having a field day with it. Special interest groups are using this as fuel to their fires of opposition against public health officials (those evil people) who want to tax soda, ban junk food in schools, and do whatever they can to “control” the foods that people eat. Because really, why do all that when we have living proof that you can eat whatever you want in moderation? When even Twinkies, the epitome of all junk food, can help a person lose weight?
Ever since the results of this little experiment have been announced, I’ve seen things popping up all over the media that focus only on the fact that a man has lost weight by eating twinkies alone. Articles and tv personalities that bash public health efforts to regulate food in schools and help encourage more access to healthy food options.
Rush Limbaugh has been pretty vocal about his diet advice — and feelings about Michelle Obama
Articles such as this one in the Boston Herald that proclaim: Obesity Not by Twinkies Alone.
**It should be noted that this article was written by someone from the Center for Consumer Freedom, a coalition supported by restaurants & food companies.**
The article states:
“But in their extremes, they both prove the same point: Taking responsibility by watching what you eat and exercising is the best way to keep your weight down.
But responsibility is anathema to the cadre of public health busybodies, like the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which has convinced legislators that food, not lack of self control or exercise, is responsible for obesity.”
And
”But no matter what food they’re in, calories are just energy. Weight gain or loss is due to an imbalance between calories in and calories out. And more and more evidence is pointing to increasingly sedentary lifestyles as a big, fat reason our waistlines have expanded.”
And finally concludes:
“The next time anti-food activists propose we limit or ban foods for the public good, we should remind them that there are no good or bad foods, but there are fat-headed notions of how to fight obesity.”
The obesity epidemic in America is no joke. More than 1/3 of US adults and 17% of children are obese (source). Obviously we need to find ways to help Americans lose weight in a safe and effective manner in order to improve the health and wellbeing of our nation. But to suggest that simply losing the pounds in whatever way possible automatically makes a person healthier is ludicrous. Weight is not the only indicator of health — obesity is a health risk because of all the conditions that are associated with it. Filling your body with sugar and processed chemicals may help you lose the pounds, but will it really result in good health over the long term?
Eating well is about more than just weight loss. When you eat well, you are fueling your body; giving it energy to enjoy all the many great things in life. An extreme diet may help you quickly lose weight, but what about other indicators of health? Diabetes and cancer, cavities and vitamin deficiencies. Or even the unknown long-term effects of loading your body entirely with chemicals for months? (To see a cool photography project that deconstructs the Twinkie into all its 37+ individual ingredients, click here).
Furthermore, there are many Americans that live in food deserts — places that don’t have affordable fresh whole foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc. Like Haub, they could live on the twinkie diet, and maybe even lose weight doing it. But unlike Haub, they don’t have the option to just drop the diet after a few months when they get sick of all the junk. The reality is that these individuals face a lifetime of poor access to nutritional foods. What sort of effect will this have on them over the course of many decades? And don’t we, as a nation — as fellow people — have a responsibility to do everything that we can to ensure that everyone has an equal chance to buy fresh foods for themselves and their families?
I think so. Personally, I’m thankful for Michelle Obama and other efforts to help improve access to healthy foods for all people. Because it’s my hope that one day I will live in a nation where every person has a fair chance to eat healthy foods and live an active life.
“It’s the environment, stupid.”
| August 28, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Health News |
Okay, so I realize that starting off a post by calling you stupid isn’t exactly the best way to gain readers. But we all know I don’t really mean you. So just hear me out. And I promise I won’t call you stupid again!
Have you ever come across an article that so perfectly expresses everything you want to say, that you wish you wrote it yourself?
That’s what happened yesterday, when I found this article in the Business section of the New York Times. Now, I know what you’re thinking – this is a health blog. Why is this girl suddenly getting so fired up about business?? Well – I’m not. Not really, anyway. But the truth is that health affects all aspects of life. And even though being healthy makes you feel better and improves your personal quality of life, it has an economic impact as well. So a healthy world full of healthy people really benefits us all.
Anyway, the article, called Fixing a World That Fosters Fat, is all about how the environment is negatively impacting our health. This is what public health has been nagging people about for years…so you can imagine how exciting it was for me to see the same message appearing in the business section of a paper.
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I would highly recommend reading the entire article. It’s only 1 page long and is really, really good. Or you could just read the summary below, complete with a little HOTR-commentary.
A World that Fosters Fat
We all know that the general health of America is not very good. Chronic disease is on the rise, mostly due to a huge increase in obesity across the nation. The simple solution to this problem? Well, eat less junk and move more, of course!
Percent of Obese Adults (BMI >=30) in the US in 1994
Percent of Obese Adults in US 15 years later (2009)
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Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Anyone who has ever worked in the field of behavior change knows that it’s pretty tough to get people to change their habits, especially if they aren’t ready to make that change. To make the issue even more complicated, we live in an environment that is not very supportive of a healthy lifestyle. We only have to make a trip to our local grocery store (if we even have one!) to see this is true. What are the most expensive things in there? The fresh organic produce, and the whole, minimally processed foods. On top of this, we work longer hours, have longer commutes, are bombarded with unhealthy advertising and cheap fast food chains, and don’t always have a safe, affordable place to exercise.
Dr. Brownell, who is the director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale says:
“Everyone knows that you shouldn’t eat junk food and you should exercise. But the environment makes it so difficult that fewer people can do these things, and then you have a public health catastrophe.”
So then, what should we do? To put it simply — we need to stop relying solely on trying to change individual behavior. You can’t expect a person to stick with new, healthy habits if you put them back into the same unhealthy environment. In order to help people make these lifestyle shifts, we need to change the culture and the environment in which they live.
This is, in essence, what the course I attended last week was all about (for more info on that, click here). Putting the emphasis on fixing the environment so that healthy choices are made easier.
It’s important to note that I am not suggesting that we as individuals don’t need to take any personal responsibility for our own health. This isn’t an excuse to throw up our hands and say, “It’s not my fault. There’s nothing I can do!” But I am recognizing that there are lots of barriers that can get in our way. And depending on the social, economic, and physical environment you are in, those barriers can be pretty intimidating.
Two Potential Fixes
Obviously it’s going to take a lot to completely change our environment. But it’s all about the small steps, right? The article suggests two big fixes that could go a long way in changing America’s habits:
1.) Equalizing food pricing. A big reason that fast food is so cheap is because of the government subsidies of corn and soybeans – two crops that are hugely relied on by the industry. Just how big of an impact do these subsidies have? According to the article, the inflation-adjusted price of a McDonald’s quarter pounder with cheese went down by 5.44% from 1997 – 2003. On the other hand, from 1997 – 2003, the inflation adjusted price of fruit and veggies rose by 17%! Getting rid of the subsidies that support unhealthy food could fix this trend.
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2.) Involving the private sector. The health problems caused by obesity and its related chronic diseases cost employers a lot of money every year. Companies can help promote healthier lifestyles (and reduce these costs), by finding ways to lower work-related stress, building on-site fitness centers, including healthy snacks/drinks in vending machines, and offering wellness programs and incentives.
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These aren’t the only things that need to be done, but they do symbolize an overall shift in our culture. A culture that needs to start valuing equal access to healthy, affordable foods and safe places to exercise and play. And a culture that puts more emphasis on the joy of cooking and exercising and less effort into finding the quick, simple solution.
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The environment’s affect on us is a complicated one. To learn more, I would highly recommend watching the documentary Unnatural Causes, if you haven’t already. It’s a 7-part documentary put out by PBS that’s all about how the social and physical environments we live in impact our health. The entire series is pretty long (about 4 hours) but it is split up into 7 different episodes. You can learn more about each episode and see clips from the film here.
**In case you didn’t read it and now think I’m just an extremely rude person, the title of this post is a direct quote from the article.
How Do You Keep Yourself Healthy?
| July 8, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Health News, Motivation |
First of all, I want to thank those of you who commented for your thoughtful replies to my last post. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on this issue. If you haven’t read through the comments, I encourage you to do so! There are some really interesting points that are raised! And of course, please feel free to add in your own two-cents.
Ultimately, it seems as though people have more of an issue with PepsiCo funding research than the company giving money back to the community. And I agree – this definitely doesn’t seem like a recipe for good science. But at the same time, it can’t be denied that all of these campaigns (even if they appear to do good) are really just clever marketing for Pepsi. To quote Danielle:
If Pepsi really wanted to make the world a better place, then they would
1. Take HFCS and all the other crap out of their sodas
2. Replace the aspartame in their diet sodas with something that…idk…doesn’t cause cancer??
And I agree. Lately the public health world has been cracking down hard on sugar sweetened beverages (especially soda!), and no matter how much good these programs may be doing, it can’t be denied that these are really clever attempts to keep the company looking good.
So now you’ve all been given a little glimpse into my nerdy mind. These are the things I think about, and rant about discuss with EC (who usually doesn’t agree with everything I say – go figure). I love being able to have these discussions on the blog…and you’ve given me ideas for future posts {exciting for me…and your cue to run away and never come back…?? 
}
Anyway, to balance out my last novel of a post, tonight I leave you with something short and sweet. A simple question:
How do you keep yourself healthy?
I was recently at a meeting with a group of professionals from various health-related organizations. In addition to our name, etc, the facilitator asked us each to share what we did to keep ourselves healthy. As we went around the table, I noticed something interesting about everyone’s responses. Naturally, my first thought was whether the same thing would happen in the blog-world. So, I thought it might be fun to conduct a little experiment with all you readers who are clearly very interested in health!
I would love it if you’d just take a moment to share how you keep yourself healthy in the comments section – your response can be as short or as long as you like! I promise there’s no strange catch or anything here – I’m just curious to see what you all say.
I’ll talk more about this more in my next post, and of course, let you know my answer to the question.
Could Soda Make The World a Better Place?
| July 6, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Health News, Nutrition |
We drink a lot of soda in this country. On average, each person drinks about 190 calories a day worth of soda and other sugar sweetened beverages, and (even though we know it’s not good for us) today we drink twice as much soda as people did in 1971. Our habits have fueled a $72 billion industry; an industry that will do whatever it can to keep you sipping that carbonated liquid candy.
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Each year, soda companies spend millions of dollars on marketing, trying to frame their products in a positive light … and making sure their brands are everywhere you look. They write catchy jingles, give away fabulous prizes, and sponsor schools and get their names plastered on scoreboards. Anyone who has watched an episode of American Idol has probably seen the Coca-Cola logos all over the place — they’ve been a major sponsor of the show for every season.
The entire food industry spends a lot of money on marketing. But carbonated beverages make up a huge portion of that. Just how huge? Well, according to a recent report on media spending in 2006:
- Carbonated beverages had the highest marketing expenses related to children (ages 2 – 11) and adolescents (ages 12 – 17) compared to other industries — $492 million in just one year. The next highest was restaurant foods, which came in at $294 million.
- Carbonated beverage companies spend a lot of money on “new media” (i.e. the web, digital ads, word-of-mouth, viral marketing, etc) – more than any other food or beverage category, in fact. In 2006, they spent $21 million on these forms of marketing.
- That year, $117 million was spent marketing these beverages using product placements before or in video games and movies watched at home/in theaters, sponsoring athletes/sports teams, celebrity endorsements, and “product branding in conjunction with philanthropic endeavors.”
Soda has become so much a part of our everyday lives that we barely even stop to think about it anymore.
But recently, there have been two pretty major developments in the soda-PR world that have got me thinking – just how far will these companies go?
The company behind both initiatives – Pepsi.
Pepsi Refresh
Forget fancy giveaways for new “stuff.” Pepsi has now taken it a step further with their Pepsi Refresh Project, a campaign that encourages you to submit (and vote on) grant proposals in the fields of health, culture, food & shelter, the planet, neighborhoods, and education. Their promise in return? Awarding millions of dollars to projects that will make a positive impact in the world.
The campaign asks, “Could a soda really make the world a better place?” And when you take a look at the list of funded and proposed projects, it’s hard to argue. Many of the currently funded initiatives sound amazing – saving babies from spinal muscular atrophy; building a new playground and community garden for a boys & girls club; bringing youth together to help build a cottage for severely abused foster children; helping to save dogs at a no-kill shelter by building a new indoor shelter – and the list goes on and on.
Honestly, I’m not sure how to react to this campaign. On the one hand, I think it’s great that Pepsi has promised so much money to so many worthy causes. But on the other hand – this is a company that is contributing to a rise in obesity and chronic disease across the country (more about this below). Obviously each and every one of us have a choice about whether or not we want to drink soda, but Pepsi isn’t exactly an innocent bystander in all of this. Their marketing techniques are getting more creative (and more pushy) by the minute.
Case in point –
Pepsi Funds Obesity and Nutrition Research
Apparently PepsiCo recently announced funding for a graduate fellowship at Yale School of Medicine’s MD-PhD program. The topic of this fellowship? Nutritional Science Research. Or, more specifically, work that focuses on metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and obesity (ironic, no?). Not only that, but the company has just opened a research lab in Science Park (i.e. right next to Yale) to develop “healthier food and beverage products.”
The Dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Robert Alpern, has been quoted as saying:
PepsiCo’s commitment to improving health through proper nutrition is of great importance to the well-being of people in this country and throughout the world.
Excuse me — what?? I’m sorry, I must have missed something. You say Pepsi is committed to improving health through proper nutrition?? I understand that they are doing a commendable thing by donating millions of dollars to various organizations, but to say that a soda company supports proper nutrition is stretching it a little too much. Especially when the latest data clearly shows that soda consumption is very very bad for our health. So should we really be happy to have Pepsi’s money funding nutrition research? Is that truly a recipe for honest science?
The {Negative} Impact of Sugar Sweetened Beverages on Health
I’m sure you’ve all heard someone say that lost “x” amount of pounds, just by cutting soda out of their diet. Well the evidence for this is more than anecdotal. There have been many studies that connect soda consumption with weight gain and poor health. For example, a recent article published by scientists at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity (at Yale University, no less – which makes me even more uncomfortable about this new Pepsi-Yale partnership, since this center has been a leader in nutrition research for some time) reviewed 88 different studies that looked at the connection between soda consumption and nutrition and health outcomes. The results of this analysis were pretty clear. Not only did they find that soda drinkers consumed more calories overall (meaning people don’t compensate for the calories they drink by eating less), but they also found a connection between drinking soda and increased body weight, drinking less milk, consuming less calcium and other important nutrients, and a higher risk for developing diabetes.
Another study found that the increased consumption of sugar sweetened beverages in this country has contributed to an estimated 130,000 new cases of diabetes, 14,000 new cases of coronary heart disease, and 50,000 additional life-years burdened by coronary heart disease in the US – just between the years of 1990 and 2000. This has led to at least 6,000 excess deaths from any cause and 21,000 life years lost.
Pretty scary stuff, if you ask me.
Ok…great…so the point is…
So what exactly is my point in ranting writing about all of this? I’m not trying to paint soda as the scapegoat for all the world’s health problems. And I’m certainly not saying that drinking a soda every once in awhile is going to kill you – or even have any long term consequences. Even though I don’t drink it on a regular basis, I have to admit – sometimes a Coke sounds really refreshing (especially when it’s mixed with a little coconut rum! ).
My goal is to point out that these companies are trying new angles when it comes to advertising – angles that make them look really good on the surface, but upon closer examination, seem a bit more sinister. I think that corporate responsibility and giving back to the community are great things. In this case, however, it just makes me a little uncomfortable.
But — I’m interested to hear your thoughts. What do you think of the Pepsi Refresh project? And of soda company-funded research? Does it outweigh the health problems caused by drinking soda? And is it really the company’s responsibility to care?
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For further reading:
PepsiCo Opens New Haven Research Lab To Develop Healthier Products
Sugar Water Gets a Facelift: What Marketing Does for Soda
The Food Industry Follows Big Tobacco’s Playbook
Effects of Soft Drink Consumption on Nutrition and Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Local Spotlight: Shape Up RI
| June 28, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Fitness, Health News |
We live in a society that values long workdays, a thousand and one commitments, and being as busy as humanly possible. When life gets stressful because every waking minute is packed with obligations, eating healthy and getting enough exercise are among the first things to go out the window.
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It’s not a stretch to say that after a long day of work, you may not think you have the time — or energy – to exercise. But would that change if you had team members who were not only counting on you to get out there, but were encouraging you along, every step of the way?
Let’s face it, sometimes we need a little motivation to get moving – an extra incentive that encourages us to get out that door and start walking (or running). Being a member of a team can provide that. It can encourage you to try things you wouldn’t normally do, and to work harder, knowing there are people you don’t want to let down. Unfortunately, many adults don’t belong to any sort of team outside of the one they do work with. So what’s a person to do? Well…you could join up with a bunch of crazy friends to spend your entire weekend running, or you could do something simpler – and join a friendly competition.
This is the premise behind Shape Up RI, a local nonprofit started 5 years ago by Brown Medical Student Rajiv Kumar. The founder believes that we can use the power of team work and peer support to start pursuing healthier lives.
The concept behind the campaign is simple – you team up with 5 – 11 friends, family, or coworkers (most teams I know are through worksites) for a statewide competition. For the 12-week spring challenge, you can choose to compete in one (or all) of the following categories: steps walked (measured by the digital pedometers provided by the program), hours exercised, and/or weight loss. You then report your values in an online tracker every week, and Shape Up tracks the team standings. While a huge part of the program is the encouragement and competition it generates that can motivate you to be active, they do offer prizes to participants along the way, and honor the winners at the end.
I’ve participated in the spring challenge with a group of coworkers in the past, choosing to compete in the steps walked and hours exercised divisions. Besides the camaraderie it creates among team members, it was also fun to track where I stacked up with other participants throughout the course of the challenge.
Now… I realize that I’m not exactly the program’s target audience. But I think it’s important to show support to those organizations whose mission you believe it. And with less than half of all Rhode Islanders (and only 3 in 10 adults across the United States) getting the recommended levels of physical activity, I think more organizations should follow this example to encourage Americans to be more active – in whatever way they can. Last year alone, Shape Up RI helped over 13,000 people lose 45,106 (point 7!) pounds, exercise 375,780 hours, and walk over 6.1 million steps! (And we’re a small state – so 13,000 is a lot! 
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Summer Shape Up RI
Because I truly believe in the mission of this organization, I was excited to find out that it is now in it’s second year of hosting a summer challenge: The Summer Shape Up RI (not to be confused with the little shape up summer challenge I’m having through the blog – speaking of which, have you tried The Core yet??)
There are 3 divisions in the Summer Shape Up RI challenge: weight loss, fruit and vegetable tracking, and pedometer steps. Just like their spring challenge, you can choose which categories you would like to compete in and Shape Up will give you the tools you need to succeed. Over the course of the 8-week challenge, you are provided with a pedometer, online fruit and vegetable, weight loss, and step trackers, health information and other educational resources, and access to many free community events happening all over the state – like group walks, yoga, rock climbing, and nutrition seminars. Finally, you can also choose to participate in 2-week bonus challenges that help you focus on calories and nutrition, stretching, sleep tracking, and/or stress reduction.
The competition is only open to people who live and work in Rhode Island (sorry to all of you out-of-staters!). It kicked off last Monday the 21st and will run through mid-August.
I realize that many of you reading this are unable to participate in the challenge. But my point in writing about this organization is to highlight an example of a community-based effort that aims to help individuals become more active and lead healthier lives. Five years ago, a medical student had an idea to help change the habits of Rhode Islanders, and to do something to reverse the obesity epidemic that is sweeping our entire nation. In that short time, he has already helped 40,000 people across the state, and the numbers grow larger every year. I think what he has done should serve as an inspiration – individuals can make a change. And if we all work together, we can make huge strides toward a healthier world.
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What do you think of these types of community-based exercise and weight loss programs? Is there anything like this where you live?
(Pictures courtesy of shapeupri.org)
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