November 24th, 2009 by KerriSparling in Better Health Network, True Stories
No Comments »
BSparl is getting bigger. (And so am I.)
I spent a lot of time planning this pregnancy, starting from back in 2003 when I decided to go on an insulin pump. And even though preparation didn’t begin in earnest until Chris and I were married, having a child has always been something I’ve wanted with my whole heart. So I read up on what to expect, and what to do to help improve my diabetes control, and what prenatal vitamins to take.
What I didn’t do much research on was the actual pregnancy itself. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
November 20th, 2009 by admin in Better Health Network, Research
No Comments »
As if we haven’t seen enough bad press for low carb diets, check this out: a study just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that dieters who followed a low carb diet for a year were more depressed, angry, and confused than people following a higher carb diet.
The researchers studied two groups of people for one year. Both were on a reduced calorie diet and both lost an average of 30 pounds. However, the group on the low carb diet had detrimental effects on their mood.
I know I am pretty angry when I don’t have chocolate for a long time! 😉 Seriously, other smaller studies have not shown changes in mood with low carb diets, but we will have to see if future studies show a similar affect. It makes sense…we know that carbs cause release of serotonin, the feel good hormone. There is a reason people say they are “addicted” to carbs. One is because they are our body’s preferred source of energy, so we need them for energy and we can “crave” them. The other is that they literally make us feel good (and they taste great!) Read more »
This post, Do Low Carb Diets Make People Angry?, was originally published on
Healthine.com by Brian Westphal.
October 16th, 2009 by admin in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News
No Comments »
The city of New York is at it again…they were the first to ban trans fat and lead the fight for restaurant labeling of calories on menus. Now they have an ad campaign that is grossing some people out. Read more »
This post, Pouring on the Pounds: NYC’s New Anti-Obesity Campaign, was originally published on
Healthine.com by Brian Westphal.
October 1st, 2009 by Dr. Val Jones in Humor, True Stories
1 Comment »
I was hanging out with my friend and fellow blogger, Dr. Ted Eytan this evening. We were talking about the problem of overweight and obesity in America and he showed me this iPhone image of a small and large ice-cream cone that he and his friend bought at McDonald’s recently. He asked me to try to figure out which was which.
Sometimes a picture’s worth 1000 words…
September 7th, 2009 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, News
No Comments »
Finally, a study that many women can like. The British Medical Journal published a study out of Denmark that looked at the association between thigh circumference and the incident of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Why anyone would even think of thigh circumference being of importance is beyond me, but the Danes seem to think it was important. They found people with thin thighs had more risk of developing heart disease or premature death.
The study looked at 1436 men and 1380 women and examined them for height, weight, hip, thigh and waist circumference. The results showed that small thigh circumference (below 60cm or 23 inches) was associated with more cardiovascular disease and mortality. They did not find the same association with waist size and the findings were independent of percentage body fat mass or obesity. Small thighs were a disadvantage to health and survival for both sexes.
Twenty three inches is not a very small thigh, and in fact, more than half of the men and women aged 35-65 have thigh circumferences below that size. Maybe it has to do with muscle mass (less exercise, less mass). I can’t imagine any other reason this strange finding should occur.
I think this study will probably not hold up to analysis and further investigation. There are just too many variables and I don’t think people with large thighs should feel they are immune to heart disease.
But the idea that, for once…the skinny models and actresses don’t have the advantage is kind of heart warming.
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
