Female fat prejudice persists even after weight loss, study finds

ScienceDaily (May 29, 2012) — Overweight women may never escape the painful stigma of obesity - even after they have shed the pounds, new research suggests.

See Also:Health & MedicineObesityDiet and Weight LossMind & BrainDieting and Weight ControlNutrition ResearchScience & SocietyPublic HealthSportsReferenceBody mass indexOverweightGeneral fitness trainingNutrition and pregnancy

The study, by the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, The University of Manchester, and Monash University, examined whether anti-fat prejudice against women persisted even after they had lost significant weight and were now thin.

The researchers asked young men and women to read vignettes describing a woman who had either lost weight (70 pounds/32 kilograms) or had remained weight stable, and who was either currently obese or currently thin. Participants were then asked their opinions about this woman on a number of attributes, such as how attractive they found her, and their overall dislike for fat people.

The team found that participants in the study - published in the journal Obesity - expressed greater bias against obese people after reading about women who had lost weight than after reading about women who had remained weight stable, regardless of whether the weight-stable woman was thin or obese.

"We were surprised to find that currently thin women were viewed differently depending on their weight history," said Dr Janet Latner, study lead at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, US. "Those who had been obese in the past were perceived as less attractive than those who had always been thin, despite having identical height and weight."

One of the more disturbing findings from the study, the researchers noted, was that negative attitudes towards obese people increase when participants are falsely told that body weight is easily controllable.

Co-author, Dr Kerry O'Brien, from the University of Manchester's School of Psychological Sciences and Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, said: "The message we often hear from society is that weight is highly controllable, but the best science in the obesity field at the moment suggests that one's physiology and genetics, as well as the food environment, are the really big players in one's weight status and weight-loss.

"Weight status actually appears rather uncontrollable, regardless of one's willpower, knowledge, and dedication. Yet many people who are perceived as 'fat' are struggling in vain to lose weight in order to escape this painful social stigma. We need to rethink our approaches to, and views of, weight and obesity."

The findings, say the authors, demonstrate that residual obesity stigma persists against individuals who have ever been obese, even when they have lost substantial amounts of weight. Obesity stigma is so powerful and enduring that it appears to even outlast the obesity itself.

Dr Latner added: "Descriptions of weight loss, such as those often promoted on television, may significantly worsen obesity stigma. Believing that obese people can easily lose weight may make individuals blame and dislike obese people more.

"The findings demonstrate that residual obesity stigma persists against individuals who have ever been obese, even when they have lost substantial amounts of weight. Obesity stigma is so powerful and enduring that it may even outlast the obesity itself. Given the great number of people who may be negatively affected by this prejudice, obesity discrimination clearly needs to be reduced on a societal level."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

View the Original article

Fatty acid found in fish prevents age-related vision loss, study suggests

ScienceDaily (May 30, 2012) — An omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, known as DHA, prevented age-related vision loss in lab tests, according to recent medical research from the University of Alberta.

See Also:Health & MedicineHealthy AgingEye CarePersonalized MedicineMind & BrainPerceptionSchizophreniaDementiaReferenceOily fishVisual fieldVitreous humourPeripheral vision

Yves Sauvé, a researcher in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, and his team discovered that lab models fed DHA did not accumulate a toxic molecule at the back of the eyes. The toxin normally builds up in the retina with age and causes vision loss.

"This discovery could result in a very broad therapeutic use," says Sauvé, whose work was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.

"In normal aging, this toxin increases twofold as we age. But in lab tests, there was no increase in this toxin whatsoever. This has never been demonstrated before -- that supplementing the diet with DHA could make this kind of difference."

The team recently started another study, looking at people who have age-related macular degeneration, a condition that results in loss of central vision and is the main cause of blindness in people over the age of 50. The researchers will look for DNA markers in the blood of study participants. The team wants to determine whether participants with certain genetic markers will respond better to increasing amounts of DHA in their diet, and if so, why.

Sauvé is a researcher in the departments of ophthalmology and physiology at the U of A.

Various organizations funded the research; the primary funder was the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

View the Original article

Health benefits of vitamin D dependent on type taken

ScienceDaily (May 31, 2012) — New research funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has shown that vitamin D3 supplements could provide more benefit than the close relative vitamin D2. The findings published in the June edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition could potentially lead to changes in the food industry when it comes to fortification.

See Also:Health & MedicineVitaminVitamin DDietary SupplementVitamin CVitamin BVitamin AReferenceB vitaminsEssential nutrientMicronutrientFood groups

Vitamin D is important for bone and muscle health and there is concern that we don't get enough of the 'sunshine' vitamin through exposure to sunlight or through diet. As a result, some foods are fortified with vitamin D. Fortification is usually with vitamin D2, as this is not derived from animals. However this new research, carried out by scientists from the University of Surrey, suggests that vitamin D3 is the more beneficial of the two types of vitamin D in raising the vitamin D levels in our blood when given as a supplement.

The research clearly showed that vitamin D3, the type of vitamin D found in foods including eggs and oily fish, is more effectively converted by the body into the hormone responsible for health benefits in humans.

Dr Laura Tripkovic, who led the study, explains: "We know that vitamin D is vital in helping to keep us fit and healthy, but what has not been clear is the difference between the two types of vitamin D. It used to be thought that both were equally beneficial, however our analysis highlights that our bodies may react differently to both types and that vitamin D3 could actually be better for us."

The researchers analysed the results of 10 separate studies, involving over 1,000 people in total, comparing the health benefits of vitamin D2 and D3, and found "a clear favouring" of vitamin D3 supplements raising vitamin D serum levels in humans.

The researchers are now conducting a further study to see if the same results are found when using lower doses of vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 added to foods, rather than given as stand-alone supplements. Dr Tripkovic and her team will look at over 300 people to find out if vitamin D3 is better, and if so why this is the case. They will also look at how gender, ethnicity and genetic make-up may play a role in how our bodies use both types of vitamin D.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

View the Original article

Healthy habits can prevent disease

ScienceDaily (June 4, 2012) — Five new studies provide evidence to support simple steps we can take to prevent illness and improve our overall health. In the June issue of The American Journal of Medicine, researchers report on fish consumption to reduce the risk of colon cancer; the effectiveness ofhypnotherapy and acupuncture for smoking cessation; regular teeth cleaning to improve cardiovascular health; the effectiveness of primary care physicians in weight loss programs; and the use of low-dose aspirin to reduce cancer risk.

See Also:Health & MedicineColon CancerDiet and Weight LossBreast CancerDiseases and ConditionsCancerOvarian CancerLiving WellReferenceHealth benefits of teaMetastasisColorectal cancerTumor suppressor gene

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the Western world. Research linking fish consumption and the risk of colorectal cancer has been inconclusive, although people who live in countries with high levels of fish consumption are known to develop the disease less frequently. Now, scientists from Xi'an, China, have reviewed the literature and find that eating fresh fish regularly reduces the risk of colorectal cancer by 12%. They evaluated 41 studies on fish consumption and colorectal cancer risk published between 1990 and 2011 and tracked cancer diagnoses. The protective effect of fish consumption is more prominent in rectal cancer than in colon cancer. The risk reduction for rectal cancer was as much as 21%, whereas the reduction for colon cancer was 4%.

"Despite the fact that colon and rectal cancer share many features and are often referred to as colorectal cancer,' they tend to demonstrate many different characteristics," notes lead author Daiming Fan, of the Fourth Military Medical University. "One possible reason for the difference may be because colon cancers are generally more molecularly diverse, whereas rectal cancers mostly arise via a single neoplastic pathway."

Mark J. Eisenberg, MD, MPH, of McGill University, in Montreal, Quebec, and colleagues report that the use of unconventional smoking cessation aids, including acupuncture and hypnotherapy, results in substantial increases of smoking cessation. A meta-analysis of 14 trials found that smokers who underwent hypnotherapy were 4.55 times more likely, and those who underwent acupuncture were 3.53 times more likely, to abstain from smoking than those who did not. Aversive smoking may also help smokers quit; however, there were no recent trials investigating this intervention.

Regular tooth scaling is associated with a decreased risk for future cardiovascular events. A study by H-B. Leu, MD, of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan, and colleagues examined 10,887 subjects who had undergone tooth scaling, and 10,989 subjects who had not received tooth scaling. During an average follow-up period of seven years, the group that had undergone tooth scaling had a lower incidence of myocardial infarction, stroke, and total cardiovascular events. Increasing frequency of tooth scaling correlates with a higher risk reduction.

A study by William C. Haas, MD, of East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, and colleagues finds thatphysicians in primary care practices can be as effective as weight loss clinics in helping the moderately obese lose weight. Patients received behavioral modification sessions and a diet plan partially or fully supplemented by meal replacements at either a primary care clinic or a weight loss center. Primary care clinics were as effective as weight loss centers at reducing weight, and better at reducing body fat. Regardless of location, participants completing 12 weeks of treatment lost an average of 11.1% of their body weight. Participants who selected full meal replacement had better results.

Low-dose aspirin, a common strategy for preventing cardiovascular disease, can also reduce nonvascular deaths, including cancer deaths. A meta-analysis of 23 randomized studies by Edward J. Mills, PhD, MSc, of the University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues offers conclusive evidence that low-dose aspirin offers cancer preventive effects, and showed significant treatment effects after approximately four years of follow up.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

View the Original article

Will a NYC supersize soda ban help obesity battle?

ScienceDaily (June 4, 2012) — In an effort to reverse the supersize citizens of his city, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed a ban on the sale of large sodas. Experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham say by focusing on one product we could be missing the big picture in the obesity battle.

See Also:Health & MedicineDiet and Weight LossObesityMind & BrainDieting and Weight ControlNutrition ResearchScience & SocietyPublic HealthEducational PolicyReferenceSoft drinkSugar substituteClinical trialHigh fructose corn syrup

In 2009, a team of researchers from the UAB School of Public Health and Purdue University reviewed five randomized trials that studied the effect of drinking sugar-sweetened beverages on body weight.

"We found no significant effect on overall weight reduction as a result of reducing intake of sugar-sweetened beverages," explains Kathryn Kaiser, Ph.D., instructor in the SOPH. "Since this was published, two other randomized trials have been published, and neither showed large effects on weight change."

"My hope for the public debate and our leaders' focus is that we direct energy and resources toward the design and conduct of randomized trials that will definitively answer the questions about actions that can significantly reduce weight. From this type of effort, policies may be better informed," Kaiser says.

Suzanne Judd, Ph.D., assistant professor of biostatistics in the SOPH, doesn't think limiting the sale of larger size sodas will do anything to combat the obesity epidemic.

"I think to say people drinking large sodas at events is the cause of obesity is short sighted and it is making a villain out of something that may not be the true villain," Judd says. "I think that while reducing consumption of sugar sweetened beverages is important, I don't think making it unavailable in certain settings is a way to accomplish that."

Judd adds that individuals are ultimately responsible for their own health and the actions they take related to it.

"People make their own choices and we can't force them into those decisions. A public health effort must be made so they can better understand the consequences of their choices," says Judd.

Kaiser and Judd have no financial interest in, nor have received payments from, any food or beverage company.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

View the Original article

Approved Viagra copies flood drugstores in Korea

"background-image:url('http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/mQJV4nwdMeftU7LqwWsqIA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTcwO3B5b2ZmPTA7cT04NTt3PTcw/http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/05/31/Indonesia-spontaneous-moments-jpg_141517.jpg');" width

View the Original article

Is Chagas the New AIDS?

UIG via Getty Images

Chagas disease, a parasitic infection spread to humans by insects, is not the new HIV/AIDS of the Americas, according to infectious disease experts who called the comparison “unrealistic” and “unfortunate.”

Responding to an editorial posted Monday in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases and the media attention that followed, Rick Tarleton, president of the Chagas Disease Foundation, said the diseases have little in common beyond disproportionately affecting poor people.

“I think it’s an unfortunate comparison,” said Tarleton, a distinguished research professor at the University of Georgia studying Chagas disease. “There are stigmas attached to HIV/AIDS that themselves are inappropriate, but it would be even more inappropriate to apply them to something like Chagas disease.”

About 300,000 people in the U.S. have Chagas disease, an infection transmitted to humans by blood-sucking insects. But almost all of them became infected before coming to the U.S. from Mexico, Central America and South America, where roughly 10 million people have the disease.

“It’s difficult to say whether the type of attention this is generating is going to be good or bad for people with the disease,” said Tarleton, describing how many people with Chagas disease face obstacles in getting care. “I don’t think the comparison to HIVAIDS is a realistic one, and I don’t expect it to serve the situation terribly well.”

But Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of Baylor College of Medicine’s National School of Tropical Medicine, said he penned the provocative editorial to rally resources for people with Chagas disease.

“I wanted to call attention to the disease; make people aware of it,” said Hotez, adding he had no intention to diminish the impact of HIV/AIDS. “I believe that Chagas disease is every bit as important as the AIDS problem, but no one’s ever heard of the disease.”

When asked whether drawing a connection to HIV would stigmatize people with Chagas disease, Hotez replied “I don’t think it can get any worse for them.”

“They already lack access to medical care and many governments are ignoring the problem,” he said. “They’re already treated as outcasts.”

The insects that transmit Chagas disease, nicknamed “kissing bugs” for their tendency to bite people’s lips, infest low-income housing in countries where the disease is endemic. They bite at night, allowing parasites from their feces to infect the itchy wound. Insecticide can kill them, but few can afford it.

“For most of the people affected, it’s not an avoidable infection,” said Tarleton. “It is totally preventable, but largely unavoidable in certain regions.”

But unlike HIV, Chagas disease is largely asymptomatic. Only 30 percent of those who get it develop serious health problems such as heart failure.

“An HIV infection without treatment is essentially a death sentence, but most people with Chagas disease live with the infection for many decades and some people live a perfectly long life without any treatment,” said Tarleton.

And unlike HIV, Chagas disease can be treated in three months.

“In Chagas disease, there are treatments that cure the infection,” said Tarleton.  Current HIV treatments are life-long. “The downside is there is toxicity associated with those drugs in a substantial number of people, and it’s difficult to determine how effective the drugs are. They can cure the infection, but they don’t always cure the infection.”

Those drugs also come at a cost upward of $11,000, according to the editorial, making them out of reach for most.

Dr. William Schaffner, chair of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., and president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, agreed there’s much to be done to improve care for people with Chagas disease.

“This might be called a forgotten disease of forgotten people — impoverished people in the developing world. And there have not been major efforts to find better drugs to combat this illness,” he said.

And while the comparison between Chagas and HIV may be alarmist, Schaffner said he hopes it will help rally resources.

“I was surprised, frankly, at the whole tone of the editorial,” he said. “But I hope it shifts the view from forgotten problems of forgotten people to newly recognized and appreciated problems of people who need help.”

SHOWS: World News 

View the Original article

India should tax air tickets to pay for AIDS drugs - U.N.

Reuters – 5 hrs ago NEW DELHI, June 5 (AlertNet) - Millions of the world's poorest people could have easier access to life-saving drugs if India introduces an air ticket tax to help fund purchases of cheap medicines for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, a senior U.N. official said.

UNITAID, a U.N. agency which negotiates for cheap medicines from pharmaceutical manufacturers to treat deadly diseases, is lobbying countries such as India to join its air ticket levy initiative which began in 2006.

Under the program, countries put a nominal amount on the cost of air tickets which funds UNITAID to buy drugs for patients in the developing world. Ten countries have imposed the levy, generating $200 million annually for cheap medicine.

"What we want in India is a similar system by which a very small contribution which is painless to the traveler can be applied to large numbers of travelers," UNITAID Executive Director Denis Broun told AlertNet in an interview.

"Since air traffic is very high in India, the small amount of levy makes a huge difference to the amount of drugs that we can purchase and the number of poor who can benefit from them."

HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis kill 4.4 million people each year, UNITAID says. Approximately 14.2 million people are in need of anti-retroviral drugs globally, yet more than half cannot afford them.

India's airlines are reeling under a debt load of $20 billion and lost $2 billion last year, as high fuel prices, a weakening rupee and competition kept fares low and costs high.

But the country boasts the fastest growing air passenger market of major economies with 61 million people traveling last year, and still growing.

"People are saying I am coming at the wrongest possible moment. You hear all these arguments, but they are absolutely bogus. It has no impact on government budgets, airline traffic or the economy."

WIN-WIN FOR INDIA

Broun, who met civil aviation and health officials, said he was proposing a tax of 10 rupees (18 U.S. cents) on domestic tickets and $1 on international flights. He said discussions were at a very early stage.

Chile charges $1 per ticket as their levy, while Brazil charges $2 for international flights, he said. French passengers pay one euro for domestic and four euros for international tickets.

Mali, Mauritius, Madagascar, Cameroon, Congo, Niger and South Korea had also implemented air-ticket levies, said Broun.

He said it was a win-win situation for India as 80 percent of the drugs bought by UNITAID are from Indian pharmaceutical firms and some of which were for Indian patients.

"It would be a good thing for India. First of all, Indian patients benefit - 35,000 Indian children are treated for HIV using drugs paid for by UNITAID," he said.

"We buy most of our drugs from India so in a sense what would the tax do? It would go back into the Indian economy into the pharmaceutical sector. So it's difficult to find arguments to say it would be bad."

(AlertNet is a humanitarian news service run by Thomson Reuters Foundation. Visit http://www.trust.org/alertnet)

(Additional reporting by Anurag Kotoky; Editing by Robert Birsel)

View the Original article

Improve your health with these five steps: journal

Regular consumption of fish has …

To stay healthy and disease-free, scientists suggest a five-pronged strategy that includes everything from increasing your fish intake to undergoing hypnosis and getting your teeth cleaned for heart health.

The studies appear in the June issue of the American Journal of Medicine.

Fish
One of the easiest ways to lower the risk of colorectal cancer, the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the Western world, is to increase fish consumption, according to a study out of Xi'an, China. After reviewing 41 studies, researchers concluded that eating fresh fish on a regular basis reduces the risk of colorectal cancer by 12 percent. The protective effects are more prominent, meanwhile, in rectal versus colon cancer, at 21 percent.

Hypnosis for smokers
Quitting smoking is one of the most surefire ways to drastically cut people's risk of cancer. And while a host of programs exist to help smokers snuff out the habit, a study out of Montreal has found that those who underwent hypnotherapy were 4.55 times more likely to stop from smoking, while those who underwent acupuncture were 3.53 times more likely to abstain.

Healthy teeth, healthy heart
According to a study out of Taiwan, regular teeth cleaning can help decrease the risk for cardiovascular events. For the study, researchers examined 10,887 subjects who had undergone tooth scaling, or a deep cleaning, compared to 10,989 participants who had not. In the seven year follow-up, scientists found that those who had undergone a deep clean had a lower incidence of heart attacks, stroke and total cardiovascular events. It's believed that poor dental hygiene adds to the inflammatory burden on individuals.

Doctor-supervised weight loss
Researchers out of North Carolina suggest asking your doctor for a weight loss plan rather than shelling out money at a private weight loss center, as primary care clinics were found to be just as effective. After 12 weeks, participants lost an average of 11 percent body weight.

An aspirin a day...
A study out of Canada suggests that in addition to preventing cardiovascular disease, low-dose aspirin can also reduce other diseases like cancer.

View the Original article

India should tax air tickets to pay for AIDS drugs - U.N.

Reuters – 5 hrs ago NEW DELHI, June 5 (AlertNet) - Millions of the world's poorest people could have easier access to life-saving drugs if India introduces an air ticket tax to help fund purchases of cheap medicines for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, a senior U.N. official said.

UNITAID, a U.N. agency which negotiates for cheap medicines from pharmaceutical manufacturers to treat deadly diseases, is lobbying countries such as India to join its air ticket levy initiative which began in 2006.

Under the program, countries put a nominal amount on the cost of air tickets which funds UNITAID to buy drugs for patients in the developing world. Ten countries have imposed the levy, generating $200 million annually for cheap medicine.

"What we want in India is a similar system by which a very small contribution which is painless to the traveler can be applied to large numbers of travelers," UNITAID Executive Director Denis Broun told AlertNet in an interview.

"Since air traffic is very high in India, the small amount of levy makes a huge difference to the amount of drugs that we can purchase and the number of poor who can benefit from them."

HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis kill 4.4 million people each year, UNITAID says. Approximately 14.2 million people are in need of anti-retroviral drugs globally, yet more than half cannot afford them.

India's airlines are reeling under a debt load of $20 billion and lost $2 billion last year, as high fuel prices, a weakening rupee and competition kept fares low and costs high.

But the country boasts the fastest growing air passenger market of major economies with 61 million people traveling last year, and still growing.

"People are saying I am coming at the wrongest possible moment. You hear all these arguments, but they are absolutely bogus. It has no impact on government budgets, airline traffic or the economy."

WIN-WIN FOR INDIA

Broun, who met civil aviation and health officials, said he was proposing a tax of 10 rupees (18 U.S. cents) on domestic tickets and $1 on international flights. He said discussions were at a very early stage.

Chile charges $1 per ticket as their levy, while Brazil charges $2 for international flights, he said. French passengers pay one euro for domestic and four euros for international tickets.

Mali, Mauritius, Madagascar, Cameroon, Congo, Niger and South Korea had also implemented air-ticket levies, said Broun.

He said it was a win-win situation for India as 80 percent of the drugs bought by UNITAID are from Indian pharmaceutical firms and some of which were for Indian patients.

"It would be a good thing for India. First of all, Indian patients benefit - 35,000 Indian children are treated for HIV using drugs paid for by UNITAID," he said.

"We buy most of our drugs from India so in a sense what would the tax do? It would go back into the Indian economy into the pharmaceutical sector. So it's difficult to find arguments to say it would be bad."

(AlertNet is a humanitarian news service run by Thomson Reuters Foundation. Visit http://www.trust.org/alertnet)

(Additional reporting by Anurag Kotoky; Editing by Robert Birsel)

View the Original article

Venus' Transits Through History

"_S":"7665140","intl":"US","ct":"a","pkg":"b8750d54-c23e-3259-a838-6025008efe9c","test":"","csrcpvid":"kLpcbbx9UhFr6KcTXO799wIUvBlei0_OLaUACXiD","sec":"share_btns","slk":"","lang":"en-US"

View the Original article

Do Plants Think?

by , director of the Manna Center for Plant Biosciences at Tel Aviv University. A plant, he argues, can see, smell and feel. It can mount a defense when under siege, and warn its neighbors of trouble on the way. A plant can even be said to have a memory. But does this mean that plants think

View the Original article