High fructose corn syrup: Worse than sugar?

According to a new Princeton University study, high fructose corn sugar may indeed be something to avoid.  Some background from the authors:

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) accounts for as much as 40% of caloric sweeteners used in the United States. Some studies have shown that short-term access to HFCS can cause increased body weight, but the findings are mixed. . . . . 

The authors of the present study found that

Over the course of 6 or 7months, both male and female rats with access to HFCS gained significantly more body weight than control groups. This increase in body weight with HFCS was accompanied by an increase in adipose fat, notably in the abdominal region, and elevated circulating triglyceride levels. Translated to humans, these results suggest that excessive consumption of HFCS may contribute to the incidence of obesity.

For an interesting discussion of the findings of the present study, check out Corante

As I blogged elsewhere, the obesity question aside, there is another excellent reason to prefer sugar over high fructose corn syrup sweetened beverages.

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How to run without shoes

Recent research suggests that shoes, and the running form they encourage, may be the prime source of so many knee and other running injuries. The solution may be to throw away your running shoes altogether.

This video provides some interesting advice on barefoot running:

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Can probiotic supplements help you to lose weight?

Maybe one day,  instead of being advised to hit the gym, the overweight will be advised to eat dirt. 

Some researchers now suspect that pro-biotic supplementation may be a means of preventing obesity and weight gain.   A group of French researchers spell-out the theory for us:

In humans, the intestinal microflora is inherited from our parents and from the environment. It has established an ecological mutualism with the host, allowing each organism to benefit from the symbiotic relationship. Based on recent evidence, some molecular mechanisms for the role of intestinal microflora on the control of energy metabolism have been proposed. During metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, it has been proposed that an imbalance between the two dominant groups of beneficial bacteria, the Bacteroidetes and the Firmicutes, generates signals controlling the expression of genes by the epithelial intestinal cells. Genes involved in lipid metabolism such as the Fast Induced Adipocyte Factor have been considered as putative targets. In addition, bacterial extracts such as the lipopolysaccharides control the tone of the innate immune system thus regulating the general inflammatory status, insulin resistance, and adipose tissue plasticity. Therefore, strategies aimed at controlling the ecological mutualism between intestinal microflora and the host should lead to a new era of therapeutic and health benefits.

The results of studies published in  recent weeks are exciting news for people struggling with overcoming weight gain and obesity -- and who isn't these days?  According to a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition on 10 March 2010:

The probiotic LG2055 showed lowering effects on abdominal adiposity, body weight and other measures, suggesting its beneficial influence on metabolic disorders.

Are children, in particular, getting fat because they are too clean?  It's an interesting hypothesis that scientists have just begun to research.    Dr. Cutler:

The study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that expectant mothers who eat probiotic foods while pregnant may help prevent their children from becoming obese later in life.

Researchers say women who consumed probiotics during their first trimester were less likely to suffer from gestational diabetes, which can result in delivering an overweight baby. Overweight infants may also suffer from excess insulin and be at risk for becoming obese or developing type 2 diabetes during adulthood, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Probiotics are healthy bacteria. They are available in supplement form as well as in foods like yogurt, cereals and some soy products.

Another study, published in the International Journal of Obesity found much the same thing:

 Early gut microbiota modulation with probiotics may modify the growth pattern of the child by restraining excessive weight gain during the first years of life. This novel observation calls for further epidemiological and clinical trials, with precise data on early growth patterns and on confounding factors influencing weight development.

The question as to whether probiotics might help adults lose weight requires further study.   Until such time, taking a pro-biotic supplement probably can't hurt anything but your bank account.  

What type of pro-biotic?   That's to be the subject of a future post.

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Health benefit of calcium for men

Men who consumed the most calcium were twenty-five percent less likely to die-- according to a recent study.  The high calcium consumers among the 10,000 men in a Swedish study consumed 2,000 mg/day -- almost twice the recommended RDA.  

The finding was not a surprise to researchers, as previous research had linked high calcium intake to lower mortality in both men and women.

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Is bluefin tuna healthy to eat?

The consumption of bluefish tuna is neither healthy nor ethical. Here's why -- and what is being done about it.

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Do today's products make any more sense?

This commercial is truly remarkable. Consider the possibility that in fifty years, some of today's popular beauty products might seem almost as ludicrous.

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Are treadmills just as good as running outdoors?

NY Times:

The most obvious difference with indoor exercise is a lack of wind resistance, Dr. Cavanagh said.

“The important variable here is speed relative to the air,” he said. For example, if you are running at 8 miles per hour into a 10-m.p.h. headwind, your speed relative to the air is 18 m.p.h. Dr. Cavanagh explained in an e-mail message: “Work done against air resistance can be extremely costly because the ‘drag force’ (force caused by air resistance) is proportional to the square of speed and the power required to overcome drag force is proportional to the cube of speed.”

One recent study, in fact, found that people can run 11.5 percent faster on treadmills than outdoors.

Many runners, including Dr. Thompson, set their treadmills at a 1 percent incline to make up for the lack of wind resistance. But that is not a complete solution because there are other aspects of outdoor running that a treadmill can’t mimic. For instance, the treadmill surface is just too smooth.

“If you run all the time on a smooth surface you are not training all muscles in your legs and feet that you need to run on the road,” Dr. Cavanagh said. “If you are going to race under certain conditions, you might as well train there.”

Safety may be the single best reason to opt for more treadmill training, particularly in the winter

Mr. Sell, an elite marathoner who ran in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, trains in Rochester, Mich. He bought a treadmill four years ago, after he had fallen a few times on icy roads, injuring himself so badly he could not train at all while he healed.

“I probably fall at least once a year here in Michigan,” he said. “My injuries ranged from a bruised hip to a pulled groin. That time it took three weeks to get back. I said, ‘If I was doing this on the treadmill, I wouldn’t have missed three weeks of training.’ ”

Mr. Sell continued, “If it’s really icy out or if it’s negative 10 degrees and you are doing an easy six-miler, it probably makes a lot more sense to do it on a treadmill than to risk hurting anything.”

Often I have worked out on treadmills when staying in neighborhoods characterized by pollution and traffic-congested streets.

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