Diet Soda Problems
In a recent blog entry Gout and Soda frequent commenter Abdulaziz speculated that there is also a link between diet soda and over eating. Today I found an article in the New York Times that substantiates his gut feeling.
From The New York Times in an article entitled Symptoms: Metabolic Syndrome Is Tied to Diet Soda
. . . Over all, a Western dietary pattern — high intakes of refined grains, fried foods and red meat — was associated with an 18 percent increased risk for metabolic syndrome, while a “prudent” diet dominated by fruits, vegetables, fish and poultry correlated with neither an increased nor a decreased risk.
But the one-third who ate the most fried food increased their risk by 25 percent compared with the one-third who ate the least, and surprisingly, the risk of developing metabolic syndrome was 34 percent higher among those who drank one can of diet soda a day compared with those who drank none. . . .
“Because No One Wants to Know”
There is a chilling article on today’s BBC Health News on the silent epidemic of male suicide. Suicide, says the article, is outstripped as the leading cause of death among young men only by road deaths. I have often wondered how many road deaths are also a silent cry of despair?
The silent epidemic of male suicide
By Dan Bell
BBC News
Young men are taught not to talk about their problems
Whatever the individual reasons that drive people to suicide, the one thing that puts you most at risk is being a man under the age of 35.
Of the 13 people who killed themselves in South Wales over the past year, all but one were men aged under 27.
John Hogan, the father who threw himself off a hotel balcony in Greece, was aged 32. When his two brothers Stephen and Paul killed themselves, they were aged 17 and 35.
Suicide is the second most common way for a man between the ages of 15 and 34 to die. It is outstripped, only just, by road deaths.
Suicide ‘epidemic’
About 900 young men take their own lives each year, and they account for about 75% of all suicides in this age group.
“You’ve had what is effectively an epidemic of young male suicide,” says the National Director for Mental Health in England, Professor Louis Appleby. Between 1970 and 1998, the rate more than doubled. At its peak, five men were dying for every woman.
‘It was worse than we knew’
Yet according to Prof Appleby, less than 20% of young men who commit suicide have had any contact with either their GP or mental health services in the previous year. Quite simply, he says, “they don’t seek help when they have problems.”
If suicide is the second most serious public health issue for young men, why don’t we know about it?
According to Jane Powell, coordinator of the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), the only national organisation that specifically reaches out to young men at risk of suicide, it is because no-one wants to know.
You can read the rest of the article HERE
Gout and Soda
I used to drink Diet Coke, and every now and then, like once every six months, I might have a small Coke, a real coke, a classic coke, but for the most part, I haven’t missed drinking soda.
AdventureMan gave up sodas in November, and hasn’t touched one since. Not only are they full of empty calories, they also make you burp. They can give you heartburn. There are studies that show they may be related to the epidemic of obesity we are seeing, and they may tip vulnerable people into diabetes.
In today’s Kuwait Times, there is one more reason to give up sodas. Studies have shown a connection between drinking sodas and gout (Wikipedia:
Signs and symptoms
The classic picture is of excruciating, sudden, unexpected, burning pain, swelling, redness, warmness and stiffness in the joint. Low-grade fever may also be present. The patient usually suffers from two sources of pain. The crystals inside the joint cause intense pain whenever the affected area is moved. The inflammation of the tissues around the joint also causes the skin to be swollen, tender and sore if it is even slightly touched. For example, a blanket or even the lightest sheet draping over the affected area could cause extreme pain.
Gout usually attacks the big toe (approximately 75 percent of first attacks); however, it also can affect other joints such as the ankle, heel, instep, knee, wrist, elbow, fingers, and spine. In some cases, the condition may appear in the joints of small toes that have become immobile due to impact injury earlier in life, causing poor blood circulation that leads to gout.)
I found a link to the full length Reuters article Sugary drinks raise risk of gout in men, which you can read by clicking on the blue text.
Can’t Breathe!
There is no sunrise today, only a diffuse brightening of the yellow/orange colored cloud enveloping my part of Kuwait. I don’t know if it is enveloping all of Kuwait, because I can only see my own little area. Even though I am not outside, even though I don’t have asthma, I can feel the heaviness of the air. My nose feels stuffy and I feel like I am not getting enough oxygen to my brain. If I am feeling like I need more air, I can’t imagine what it must be like for someone who has asthma.
Last night, going out for date-night dinner, I wished I had a big scarf with me to cover my mouth and eyes from the blowing grains of tiny gritty sand. We had to wash our hands and faces at the restaurant before we could eat. It was as bad when we came out.
When I think sandstorm, I think hot, and desert, and The English Patient. Not so here. It is 46°F/8°C at 7:00 in the morning. Brrrrr and Gaaaassssp!
Tips for an Exceptional, Superb and Powerful Life
I was at an utter loss for a blog entry today, when I was blessed to receive this from a wonderful friend in Qatar. Many thanks, Grammy!
Tips for an Exceptional, Superb & Powerful Life!
1) Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate antidepressant.
2) Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
3) Buy a Tivo (DVR), tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
4) When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, ‘My purpose is to________ today.’
5) Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6) Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did last year.
7) Always pray and make time to exercise.
8) Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of Six.
9) Dream more while you are awake.
10) Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured in
plants.
11) Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli , almonds
& walnuts.
12) Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13) Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14) Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative
thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15) Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class….but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
16) Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
17) Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.
18) Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
19) Life is too sho rt to waste time hating anyone.
20) Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21) You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22) Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
23) Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24) Ladies – Go on and burn those ‘special’ scented candles, use the 600 thread count sheets, the good china and wear our fancy lingerie now. Stop waiting for a special occasion. Everyday is special.
25) No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26) Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’
27.) Forgive everyone for everything.
28) What other people think of you is none of your business.
29) Time heals almost everything. Give time, time!
30) However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31) Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch with them.
32) Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
33) Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. God provides remember?!
34) The best is yet to come. (in Heaven)
35) No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
36) Do the right thing!
37) Call your family often.
38) Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: ‘I am thankful for __________.’ Today I accomplished _________.
39) Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
40) Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don’t want a fast
pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
Please share with friends!
Morning Coffee: Meal in a Cup
Some very very bad news from BBC Health News.
Morning coffee is ‘meal in a cup’
Milk is one of the reasons some cups of coffee had so many calories
*Counting the calories
The coffee you grab on the way to work may contain up to a fifth of your daily recommended calories, a study says.
Some of those tested topped the scales at almost 400 calories.
Researchers said lashings of full-fat milk, cream and chocolate are the culprits with a skimmed milk cappuccino weighing in at fewer than 30 calories.
The consumer group also found that a burger would be a healthier option than some coffee house snacks after testing products from three leading chains.
Most of the big chains do have information about the nutritional value of their products on their websites, but we’d like to see this displayed prominently in their shops.
They found that one mocha coffee made with full-fat milk added up to 396 calories, and the same coffee with semi-skimmed milk – but topped with whipped cream – contained 326.
You can read the rest of this dismal article HERE.
How Work Stress Changes Your Body
From yesterday’s BBC Health News:
Work stress ‘changes your body’
Stress seems to produce biochemical changes
A stressful job has a direct biological impact on the body, raising the risk of heart disease, research has indicated.
The study reported in the European Heart Journal focused on more than 10,000 British civil servants.
Those under 50 who said their work was stressful were nearly 70% more likely to develop heart disease than the stress-free.
The stressed had less time to exercise and eat well – but they also showed signs of important biochemical changes.
The studies of Whitehall employees – from mandarins to messengers – started in the 1960s, but this particular cohort has been followed since 1985.
As well as documenting how workers felt about their job, researchers monitored heart rate variability, blood pressure, and the amount of the stress hormone cortisol in the blood.
They also took notes about diet, exercise, smoking and drinking.
Then they found out how many people had developed coronary heart disease (CHD) or suffered a heart attack and how many had died of it.
Lead researcher Dr Tarani Chandola, of University College London, said: “During 12 years of follow up, we found that chronic work stress was associated with CHD and this association was stronger both among men and women aged under 50.
“Among people of retirement age – and therefore less likely to be exposed to work stress – the effect on CHD was less strong.”
You can read the rest of the study HERE,
Scary Sunrise 20 January 2008
When I got up this morning, the sky was all pink, the water was all pink, it was a world of pink haze, very beautiful. Within moments, the light had shifted, the pink haze was gone and the sun began to rise, very dramatically, lighting up the clouds like you see on the ceilings of Renaissance chapels.
But wait! What is this? The sky is lit, the clouds are illuminated, but the brilliance of the sun is having a hard time breaking through the sludge hanging just over the horizon. I have a bad feeling, whatever it is that is strong and thick enough to block the sun, we are also breathing it.
It’s about 5°C warmer at 0800 than the last few days, with forcast of clouds and possible rain through Wednesday.
Get Moving!
We all know that we need to get more exercise. This report from excerpted from BBC Health News tells us that if we don’t get moving, we are more subject to depression and later, to dementia. Get moving!
Inactivity link to mental decline
A lack of physical activity leads to depression and dementia, evidence presented at the British Nutrition Foundation conference shows.
It comes as new research from the University of Bristol found that being active cuts the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by around a third.
Currently only 35% of men and 24% of women reach the recommended weekly amount of physical activity.
Professor Nanette Mutrie, an expert in exercise and sport psychology at the University of Strathclyde, told the conference that mental health was not a trivial issue.
“It’s only recently that people have begun to see the link between physical activity and mental health,” says
Professor Nanette Mutrie.
“It’s important for increasing people’s self esteem, general mood, coping with stress and even sleeping better.
“And we now have very strong evidence that physical activity can prevent depression.”
She said inactive people had twice the risk of becoming depressed and there was also very good evidence that exercise is a useful treatment for depression.
Dementia risk
Researchers at the University of Bristol carried out an analysis of 17 trials looking at the effects of physical activity on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
They found that in both men and women physical activity was associated with a 30-40% drop in the risk of Alzheimer’s.
It is unclear why there is such a great effect but it could be associated with benefits to the vascular system as well as release of chemicals in the brain.
Professor Mutrie added: “It could be a simple case of use it or lose it.
. . . . . .
“There has already, justifiably, been a lot of emphasis on good nutrition but we must also find ways of helping people to be more physically active to ensure that they maintain health and quality of life in later years.”
Department of Health figures show the majority of adults do not do the recommended 30 minutes of moderate activity at least five times a week.
Read the entire article HERE.
Virus and Blonde
There was a time, this is a true story, when we had a friend who was both very beautiful, blonde, and also kind of dumb. We were at dinner one night and she told us you could catch the flu or a cold from a computer. She had been in her aerobic class and had heard people talking about it. They’re called “computer viruses”, she told us.
Her husband quickly diverted the conversation into another direction and we knew he would be explaining things to her in their car on the way home.
Here is what I feel like today:
moar funny pictures
A big croaky frog.
I have not caught this virus from anyone, I have caught it from visiting Swair’s Blog, I swear! It came over me the same day as the dust storm.
Oh? What? It might have been the dust?
*blonde moment*
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