Gambling Skull

Danger: Liquid Nicotine for E-Cigarettes

Selling a Poison by the Barrel: Liquid Nicotine for E-Cigarettes By MATT RICHTEL "E-liquids" used to refill e-cigarettes are potent, unregulated neurotoxins. Evidence of the potential dangers is already emerging.

For more top news, go to NYTimes.com »

QUOTATION OF THE DAY

"It's not a matter of if a child will be seriously poisoned or killed. It's a matter of when."

LEE CANTRELL, director of the San Diego division of the California Poison Control System, on the dangers of liquid nicotine, a key ingredient in e-cigarettes.

 

Medical marijuana: No Advertisng Billboards

 

Medical marijuana: Don’t expect to see clever ads

Licensees are only allowed to lobby doctors and other health practitioners and forbidden to market to the general public.

Proponents of Canada’s new medical marijuana program promise patients will eventually have an abundance of choices. Even now, with just 11 commercial entities licensed so far, there’s pot worth bragging about.

Toronto’s Bedrocan Canada is bringing in strains of marijuana its Netherlands affiliate has spent nearly a decade perfecting. And Markham’s MedReleaf Corp.’s offerings will originate with a respected Israeli producer.

Meanwhile, Vancouver Island’s ThunderBird Biomedical Inc. is proud to offer a homegrown solution. “It’s called BC Bud worldwide because we know what to do,” said a representative by email. “Why on Earth would we import it? Do the French import Australian Champagne? ... We have Grand Cru here.”

Under Canada’s new Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR), which roll out completely on April 1, the government appoints and oversees producers. The old guidelines allowed users to grow their own medical marijuana or purchase it from the government.

But don’t expect to see any clever ads for their product.

Licensees are only allowed to lobby doctors and other health practitioners, since Health Canada prohibits the promotion of marijuana, defining it as a narcotic, along the lines of OxyContin.

The Narcotic Control Regulations stipulate: “No person shall…publish or cause to be published or furnish any advertisement to the general public respecting a narcotic”

“You are not allowed to advertise in any way which could be perceived as generating demand for the product,” said Bruce Linton, chairman of Smith Falls-based Tweed Inc. “But being credible and visible is different than advertising. We can educate doctors as group, or at their offices. We have our websites; and we can build our brand through media relations.”

However, with Health Canada forecasting a $1.3-billion medical marijuana industry by 2024, competition for patients is bound to be fierce. Some licensees have gone further than others to get their name out in front of the public.

Since the ratio of Cannabidiol (CBD, the plant’s major non-psychoactive component) to Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the ingredient that makes users ‘high’) seems to determine marijuana’s therapeutic potential, there’s good reason for suppliers to make their wares known.

One strain may be more suited to glaucoma, for example, while another might work best for inflammation. Patients might pester their physicians for certain brands.

The Star Googled “medical marijuana Canada” over several days this week and found the top paid ad was for Toronto’s Mettrum Ltd. The company did not respond to requests for comments by press time.

The Star also received a scan of a letter which Saskatoon’s Prairie Plant Systems Inc. sent to a user encouraging them to transfer their prescriptions to Prairie’s “distribution affiliate” CanniMed Ltd.

Prairie, which provided medical cannabis to patients under the outgoing system on behalf of Health Canada, is now operating as the manufacturing arm of CanniMed, which is “basically the online pharmacy that interacts with the patients under the new regulations,” said CEO Brent Zettl.

“The form letter that we sent was only for individuals who had been in contact with PPS over the last period of time. We know that we can’t advertise. We know that we can’t solicit.

“Patients who are dependent on a product of a specific Cannabidiol profile, nobody’s been informing them of where they can get their very specific medicine under the new program.

Health Canada hasn’t offered that because they’re afraid of promoting one LP over another, or whatever their reason would be,” said Zettl.

Health Canada spokeswoman Sara Lauer would not address the Star’s specific questions about Mettrum and Prairie activities but said in an email “licensed producers who disregard the requirements of the Narcotic Control Regulations may be subject to compliance and enforcement action by Health Canada which could include revocation of their licence.”

“The regulations surrounding the marketing of this product at this time we’re finding to be a little bit ambiguous or vague”, said MedReleaf CEO Neil Closner whose company is focused on overcoming reluctant “I don’t know how to prescribe a plant” doctors.

Bedrocan Canada CEO Marc Wayne, who like Closner will offer one of the high-CBD, low-THC marijuana combinations that has been mentioned often in connection with the treatment of childhood epilepsy, is also bent on winning over the healthcare sector.

“The way you differentiate yourself in this field is with high level thought leadership projects that are outside of the scope of advertising yet kind of develop a name for ourselves in the industry; for example, put out scientific papers that speak to the science and the research of medicinal cannabis, not necessarily your product,” he said.

“The last thing you want is billboards advertising cannabis and marijuana all over the city. In my opinion, it’s appropriate that it shouldn’t be advertised and it shouldn’t be promoted, but rather just money invested in educating stakeholders, physicians, along with the responsible community programs that also speak to the dangers and the safety issues of the drug.”

 

MORE ON THESTAR.COM

Financing abounds for medical marijuana startups

Colorado reports $2 million in recreational pot taxes in first month of sales

Jamaica looks at the marijuana market

 

 

 

Link:  http://www.thestar.com/business/2014/03/14/medical_marijuana_dont_expect_to_see_clever_ads.html

 

 

Anti-Inflammatory Food - Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid

    It's how Dr. Weil eats! Achieve and maintain optimum health while enjoying delicious foods. A lifetime of optimum nutrition is just a click away!


What Does An Anti-Inflammatory Diet Do?
The anti-inflammatory diet is a blueprint for a lifetime of optimum nutrition. Simple changes in how you eat can help counteract chronic inflammation, a root cause of many serious diseases, including:

• Heart disease
• Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases
• Age-related disorders, including many cancers
• Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus

HEALTHY SWEETS How much: Sparingly Healthy choices: Unsweetened dried fruit, dark chocolate, fruit sorbet Why: Dark chocolate provides polyphenols with antioxidant activity. Choose dark chocolate with at least 70 percent pure cocoa and have an ounce a few times a week. Fruit sorbet is a better option than other frozen desserts. RED WINE How much: Optional, no more than 1-2 glasses per day Healthy choices: Organic red wine Why: Red wine has beneficial antioxidant activity. Limit intake to no more than 1-2 servings per day. If you do not drink alcohol, do not start. SUPPLEMENTS How much: Daily Healthy choices: High quality multivitamin/multimineral that includes key antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E, mixed carotenoids, and selenium); co-enzyme Q10; 2-3 grams of a molecularly distilled fish oil; 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 Why: Supplements help fill any gaps in your diet when you are unable to get your daily requirement of micronutrients.  Click here to learn more about supplements and get your free recommendation. TEA How much: 2-4 cups per day Healthy choices: White, green, oolong teas Why: Tea is rich in catechins, antioxidant compounds that reduce inflammation. Purchase high-quality tea and learn how to correctly brew it for maximum taste and health benefits. HEALTHY HERBS & SPICES How much: Unlimited amounts Healthy choices: Turmeric, curry powder (which contains turmeric), ginger and garlic (dried and fresh), chili peppers, basil, cinnamon, rosemary, thyme Why: Use these herbs and spices generously to season foods. Turmeric and ginger are powerful, natural anti-inflammatory agents. OTHER SOURCES OF PROTEIN How much: 1-2 servings a week (one portion is equal to 1 ounce of cheese, 1 eight-ounce serving of dairy, 1 egg, 3 ounces cooked poultry or skinless meat) Healthy choices: High quality natural cheese and yogurt, omega-3 enriched eggs, skinless poultry, grass-fed lean meats Why: In general, try to reduce consumption of animal foods. If you eat chicken, choose organic, cage-free chicken and remove the skin and associated fat. Use organic dairy products moderately, especially yogurt and natural cheeses such as Emmental (Swiss), Jarlsberg and true Parmesan. If you eat eggs, choose omega-3 enriched eggs (made by feeding hens a fl ax-meal-enriched diet), or organic eggs from free-range chickens. COOKED ASIAN MUSHROOMS How much: Unlimited amounts Healthy choices: Shiitake, enokidake, maitake, oyster mushrooms (and wild mushrooms if available) Why: These mushrooms contain compounds that enhance immune function. Never eat mushrooms raw, and minimize consumption of common commercial button mushrooms (including crimini and portobello). WHOLE SOY FOODS How much: 1-2 servings per day (one serving is equal to ½ cup tofu or tempeh, 1 cup soymilk, ½ cup cooked edamame, 1 ounce of soynuts) Healthy choices: Tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy nuts, soymilk Why: Soy foods contain isoflavones that have antioxidant activity and are protective against cancer.  Choose whole soy foods over fractionated foods like isolated soy protein powders and imitation meats made with soy isolate.  FISH & SEAFOOD How much:  2-6 servings per week (one serving is equal to 4 ounces of fish or seafood) Healthy choices: Wild Alaskan salmon (especially sockeye), herring, sardines, and black cod (sablefish) Why: These fish are rich in omega-3 fats, which are strongly anti-inflammatory. If you choose not to eat fish, take a molecularly distilled fish oil supplement that provides both EPA and DHA in a dose of 2-3 grams per day. HEALTHY FATS How much:  5-7 servings per day (one serving is equal to 1 teaspoon of oil, 2 walnuts, 1 tablespoon of flaxseed, 1 ounce of avocado) Healthy choices: For cooking, use extra virgin olive oil and expeller-pressed organic canola oil. Other sources of healthy fats include nuts (especially walnuts), avocados, and seeds - including hemp seeds and freshly ground flaxseed. Omega-3 fats are also found in cold water fish, omega-3 enriched eggs, and whole soy foods. Organic, expeller pressed, high-oleic sunflower or safflower oils may also be used, as well as walnut and hazelnut oils in salads and dark roasted sesame oil as a flavoring for soups and stir-fries Why: Healthy fats are those rich in either monounsaturated or omega-3 fats.  Extra-virgin olive oil is rich in polyphenols with antioxidant activity and canola oil contains a small fraction of omega-3 fatty acids.  WHOLE & CRACKED GRAINS How much:  3-5 servings a day (one serving is equal to about ½ cup cooked grains) Healthy choices: Brown rice, basmati rice, wild rice, buckwheat, groats, barley, quinoa, steel-cut oats Why: Whole grains digest slowly, reducing frequency of spikes in blood sugar that promote inflammation. "Whole grains" means grains that are intact or in a few large pieces, not whole wheat bread or other products made from flour. PASTA (al dente) How much: 2-3 servings per week (one serving is equal to about ½ cup cooked pasta) Healthy choices: Organic pasta, rice noodles, bean thread noodles, and part whole wheat and buckwheat noodles like Japanese udon and soba Why: Pasta cooked al dente (when it has "tooth" to it) has a lower glycemic index than fully-cooked pasta. Low-glycemic-load carbohydrates should be the bulk of your carbohydrate intake to help minimize spikes in blood glucose levels. BEANS & LEGUMES How much: 1-2 servings per day (one serving is equal to ½ cup cooked beans or legumes) Healthy choices: Beans like Anasazi, adzuki and black, as well as chickpeas, black-eyed peas and lentils Why: Beans are rich in folic acid, magnesium, potassium and soluble fiber.  They are a low-glycemic-load food.  Eat them well-cooked either whole or pureed into spreads like hummus. VEGETABLES How much: 4-5 servings per day minimum (one serving is equal to 2 cups salad greens, ½ cup vegetables cooked, raw or juiced) Healthy Choices: Lightly cooked dark leafy greens (spinach, collard greens, kale, Swiss chard), cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, bok choy and cauliflower), carrots, beets, onions, peas, squashes, sea vegetables and washed raw salad greens Why: Vegetables are rich in flavonoids and carotenoids with both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.  Go for a wide range of colors, eat them both raw and cooked, and choose organic when possible. FRUITS How much:  3-4 servings per day (one serving is equal to 1 medium size piece of fruit, ½ cup chopped fruit, ¼ cup of dried fruit) Healthy choices: Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, oranges, pink grapefruit, red grapes, plums, pomegranates, blackberries, cherries, apples, and pears - all lower in glycemic load than most tropical fruits Why: Fruits are rich in flavonoids and carotenoids with both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.  Go for a wide range of colors, choose fruit that is fresh in season or frozen, and buy organic when possible. Additional Item: WATER How much: Throughout the day Healthy choices: Drink pure water, or drinks that are mostly water (tea, very diluted fruit juice, sparkling water with lemon) throughout the day. Why: Water is vital for overall functioning of the body.

Source:
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02995/Dr-Weil-Anti-Inflammatory-Food-Pyramid.html

Dangerous Behaviors

 

The Opinion Pages|Contributing Op-Ed Writer

Rethinking Our ‘Rights’ to Dangerous Behaviors

FEB. 25, 2014

Mark Bittman

In the last few years, it’s become increasingly clear that food companies engineer hyper-processed foods in ways precisely geared to most appeal to our tastes. This technologically advanced engineering is done, of course, with the goal of maximizing profits, regardless of the effects of the resulting foods on consumer health, natural resources, the environment or anything else.

But the issues go way beyond food, as the City University of New York professor Nicholas Freudenberg discusses in his new book, “Lethal but Legal: Corporations, Consumption, and Protecting Public Health.” Freudenberg’s case is that the food industry is but one example of the threat to public health posed by what he calls “the corporate consumption complex,” an alliance of corporations, banks, marketers and others that essentially promote and benefit from unhealthy lifestyles.

It sounds creepy; it is creepy. But it’s also plain to see. Yes, it’s unlikely there’s a cabal that sits down and asks, “How can we kill more kids tomorrow?” But Freudenberg details how six industries — food and beverage, tobacco, alcohol, firearms, pharmaceutical and automotive — use pretty much the same playbook to defend the sales of health-threatening products. This playbook, largely developed by the tobacco industry, disregards human health and poses greater threats to our existence than any communicable disease you can name.

All of these industries work hard to defend our “right” — to smoke, feed our children junk, carry handguns and so on — as matters of choice, freedom and responsibility. Their unified line is that anything that restricts those “rights” is un-American.

Yet each industry, as it (mostly) legally can, designs products that are difficult to resist and sometimes addictive. This may be obvious, if only in retrospect: The food industry has created combinations that most appeal to our brains’ instinctual and learned responses, although we were eating those foods long before we realized that. It may be hidden (and borderline illegal), as when tobacco companies upped the nicotine quotient of tobacco.

Sometimes, as Freudenberg points out, the appeals may be subtle: Knowing full well that S.U.V.’s were less safe and more environmentally damaging than standard cars, manufacturers nevertheless marketed them as safer, appealing to our “unconscious ‘reptilian instincts’ for survival and reproduction and to advertise S.U.V.’s as both protection against crime and unsafe drivers and as a means to escape from civilization.”

The problems are clear, but grouping these industries gives us a better way to look at the struggle of consumers, of ordinary people, to regain the upper hand. The issues of auto and gun safety, of drug, alcohol and tobacco addiction, and of hyperconsumption of unhealthy food are not as distinct as we’ve long believed; really, they’re quite similar. For example, the argument for protecting people against marketers of junk food relies in part on the fact that antismoking regulations and seatbelt laws were initially attacked as robbing us of choice; now we know they’re lifesavers.

Redefining the argument may help us find strategies that can actually bring about change. The turning point in the tobacco wars was when the question changed from the industry’s — “Do people have the right to smoke?” — to that of public health: “Do people have the right to breathe clean air?” Note that both questions are legitimate, but if you address the first (to which the answer is of course “yes”) without asking the second (to which the answer is of course also “yes”) you miss an opportunity to convert the answer from one that leads to greater industry profits to one that has literally cut smoking rates in half.

Similarly, we need to be asking not “Do junk food companies have the right to market to children?” but “Do children have the right to a healthy diet?” (In Mexico, the second question has been answered positively. Shamefully, we have yet to take that step.) The question is not only, “Do we have a right to bear arms?” but also “Do we have the right to be safe in our streets and schools?” In short, says Freudenberg: “The right to be healthy trumps the right of corporations to promote choices that lead to premature death and preventable illnesses.

Protecting public health is a fundamental government responsibility; a decent society should not allow food companies to convince children to buy food that’s bad for them or to encourage a lifetime of unhealthy eating.”

Oddly, these are radical notions. But aren’t they less “un-American” than allowing a company to maximize its return on investment by looking to sell to children or healthy adults in ways that will cause premature mortality? As Freudenberg says, “Shouldn’t science and technology be used to improve human well-being, not to advance business goals that harm health?” Two other questions that can be answered “yes.”

Eat up!

 

Chia Seeds

Chia Seeds- 10 Benefits

1. Lose Weight Without Starving

The Chia Seed is a dieter’s dream come true. The tiny, healthy seeds can be made to taste like whatever you want, and their unique gelling action keeps you feeling full for hours. Hunger is a main enemy of real weight loss, and you don’t want to fight it with jittery expensive pills. When a chia seed is exposed to water, it forms a coating of gel, increasing its size and weight. Since the gel made of water, it has no calories. It’s also difficult to remove from the seed, meaning that it helps your body think it is full, without adding calories!

2. Balance Blood Sugar

Keeping balanced levels of blood sugar is important for both health and energy. Blood sugar may spike after meals, especially if you eat high-starchy foods or sweets. This can lead to ‘slumps’ in your day where you feel tired and out of energy. By balancing your blood sugar, you not only lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, but you also ensure steady, constant energy throughout your day. But how does the Chia Seed help with this? Both the gelling action of the seed, and it’s unique combination of soluble and insoluble fibre combine to slow down your body’s conversion of starches into sugars. If you eat chia with a meal, it will help you turn your food into constant, steady energy rather than a series of ups and downs that wear you out.

3. Help Prevent Diverticulitis / Diverticulosis

With all the over-processed foods like white flour on the market today, rich sources of fiber are needed. These foods of convenience have contributed to the rise of diverticulitis. Irregularity is a big factor in this risky condition. To help ensure regularity, you need plenty of soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet. If you don’t want to eat celery, and whole-grain everything…or piles of bran flakes, the Chia Seed is here to help. Each seed is coated with soluble fibers which aid its gelling action. The exterior of the seed is protected by insoluble fibre. The insoluble fiber is unable to be digested (it does not contribute any calories, or break down) so instead, it helps keep food moving smoothly through the digestive process. Soluble fiber, and the gel coating of the seed keeps the colon hydrated and ensures the easy movement of food.

4. Add healthy omega-3 oil to your diet Omega-3 oil is usually thought of as “that healthy stuff in fish”. But, what if you don’t want to eat fish every day? What if you’re a vegetarian, or simply worried about pollution adding harmful substances to your fish dinner?  Chia is the richest plant-source of this healthy oil. By weight, chia contains more omega 3 than salmon, and it still tastes like whatever you want! Omega 3 oil is important in heart and cholesterol health. It’s also recently been targeted as a weight-loss helper. USA Weekend magazine also reports on a study where overweight dieters who included omega 3s in their eating plan lost 2 more pounds monthly than the control group, who did not.

5. Feel more energized all day long. Don’t want to feel like taking an afternoon nap? Your energy levels have a lot to do with what you eat. Chia is one of nature’s highest plant-based sources of complete protein. Usually protein from items like peanut butter and some beans are incomplete, meaning you have to combine them with other foods to get the full benefit. Not Chia though, it’s protein is complete to raise your energy levels. The combination of complete protein, vitamins, minerals and blood-sugar balancing gel all work together to make sure you have steady, never jittery energy.

6. Bake with less fat

Do you enjoy making baked goods at home, but hate all the butter and oil that has to go into them? Chia gel can substitute for half the butter in most recipes! The food will bake the same and taste the same (or better) from the addition of the chia gel. All you need to do is divide the amount of butter or oil in half, and then use the same amount of chia gel to fill in. The anti-oxidants in chia can even help keep the food tasting fresh longer. Everything from cookies to cakes to muffins, pancakes and waffles can be made with chia gel as your butter replacement. Which recipe will become your new favorite?

7. Add age-defying anti-oxidants

Anti-oxidants have been in the news lately due to their super healthy benefits. You know that blueberries and several exotic fruits (that aren’t always in season) have them, but did you know that chia is extremely high in anti-oxidants too? These helpful substances are what makes the Chia Seed stay fresh for so long. At room temperature, they’ll stay fresh and ready to eat for over two whole years! And that’s all without a single chemical or preservative. This amazing ability is not found in other seeds like flax or sesame, because those seeds don’t have the same rich anti-oxidant content.

Anti-oxidants help prevent free-radical damage in your body. Free radicals lead to problematic conditions such as premature aging of the skin and inflammation of various tissues. Fight free radical damage by staying fresh and healthy with nature’s anti-oxidant powerhouse

8. Cut cravings for food

Being deficient in minerals or vitamins can create a craving for food. For example, if you’re low on calcium, you may feel compelled to eat lots of cheese and ice cream. This happens because your body knows that cheese is a source of calcium, and it hasn’t been getting enough. But what if dairy and whole milk are a “Diet don’t”? You can always add calcium to your food by sprinkling on the chia. By weight, chia has more calcium than whole milk. It also has magnesium and boron, essential trace minerals used in the absorption of calcium and other vitamins. By balancing your vitamins and minerals with chia, you can curb cravings that might tempt you.

9. You can pack in more flavorful punch

How can a seed with NO flavor help the foods you already like to taste better? First, because they have no taste of their own, chia seeds will never cover up or add to the flavor of your food. Second, when the seeds hydrate, they magnify the taste of whatever they were added to. Put them in pudding? Chocolaty! Swirl them into a smoothie? Fruity! The same thing goes with dressings, dips, salsas, sauces and more. These two factors combine to let chia seeds take on the taste of whatever you add them to. They distribute and never dilute, the flavors you love.

10. Save your money

Why should eating less cost you more? You already know diet pills are expensive, and ‘box meal plans’ can run up to $500.00 a month. If you’re buying ‘calorie counting packs’ or other individual portions in the store, you can also end up paying more because more preparation and materials go into these foods. More than enough chia for 1 month costs less than a dollar a day. You can use as much or as little as you want to achieve your own desired results. There are no preparations required for these simple seeds, not even pesticides need to be used to grow them. They’re always safe and 100% chemical free. A measuring spoon is all you’ll need when you’re ready to take advantage of chia for yourself. It doesn’t get any easier or more inexpensive.

Shamed for getting thin:

“Biggest Loser’s” weight-loss firestorm

How much is "too much" to win a reality show?

Mary Elizabeth Williams    

 

Rachel Frederickson (Credit: AP/Trae Patton)

How do you win at “The Biggest Loser”? By losing the most weight, of course. Unless you lose too much, in which case you’re also a loser.

Such is the fate of Rachel Frederickson, who triumphed on Tuesday night’s finale of the competitive weight loss show  after shedding  a dramatic 155 pounds from her starting weight of 260 pounds, nearly 60 percent of her original weight. 

It’s the highest percentage of weight lost by any contest in the show’s history.  And even the show’s trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels couldn’t contain their shock when she emerged, transformed and slender.

And from the moment Frederickson appeared in her slinky, silver dress the controversy and concern trolling began.

 “‘Biggest Loser’: Uproar as winner appears ‘too thin’ at 105 pounds” blared the LA Times.

 Zap2It, “Why was Rachel Frederickson allowed to lose too much weight?” 

... Twitter erupted into fretting over the “sickly,” “eating disorder” new version of the former competitive swimmer.

Frederickson described herself as now in maintenance mode...

There is no denying that dangling a quarter of a million dollars in front of overweight people as an incentive to get as thin as possible as quickly as possible is not the most practical or sensible plan ever invented for long-term health.

Nor is it the kind of thing most people can apply to their own experience. 

But a show about quietly making small changes over a lengthy period of time and preaching that changing your body takes hard work and discipline,  wouldn’t sell.

There are serious ethical questions to be asked regarding whether the rigors of the competition are putting the players in physical danger and whether the narrative is sending an unrealistic message to viewers. 


 



Read More @ Link:  http://www.salon.com/2014/02/06/shamed_for_getting_thin_biggest_losers_weight_loss_firestorm/

Mary Elizabeth Williams is a staff writer for Salon and the author of 
"Gimme Shelter: My Three Years Searching for the American Dream." 

Follow her on Twitter: @embeedub.

Rachel Frederickson wanted to Win Biggest Loser: But at what cost to her health?

 

 

 

 

 

 

NBC, Trae Patton February 5, 2014  

This image released by NBC shows contestant Rachel Frederickson from "The Biggest Loser." Fredrickson lost nearly 60 percent of her body weight to win the latest season of “The Biggest Loser” and pocket $250,000. A day after her grand unveiling on NBC, she faced a firestorm of criticism in social media from people who said she went too far. (AP Photo/NBC, Trae Patton)

Flabbergasted by155-pound weight loss:

Bob Harper admits he was flabbergasted by “The Biggest Loser” contestant Rachel Frederickson’s 155-pound weight loss. The trainer told Rachel Ray during a taping for an episode airing February 13 that he was astonished by the dramatic finale, reports US magazine.

“I was stunned,” he confessed. “That would be the word. I mean, we’ve never had a contestant at 105 pounds.” When the cook and talk show host asked him about fans criticism that the season 15 winner was emaciated he responded, s, when the contestants leave to go home…they’re in charge of themselves. I had not seen her until that night, and so when she walked out, I was just kind of like, ‘Whoa.’ And I’ve been on the show since the beginning, forever.”


However Dolvett Quince, her trainer on the show defended Frederickson’s dramatic weight loss on Facebook.

"Biggest Loser is a journey which has its ups and downs," he wrote. 

"Please try not to look at one slice of Rachel's journey and come to broad conclusions. 

Rachel's health is and always has been my main concern and her journey to good health has not yet ended!!"

Sugar Scare: Why Calories May Be the Least of Your Worries About Sweeteners

By Clare Leschin-Hoar | Takepart.com February 4, 2014 7:35 PM Takepart.com

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That sweet tooth won’t just add to your waistline or put you at risk for tooth decay—researchers say that too much of the sweet stuff may kill you.

Related Stories

• Added Sugar May Boost Risk of Heart Disease, Death LiveScience.com
• Beverage Industry Responds To Study On Added Sugar Intake And Cardiovascular Diseases Mortality PR Newswire
• Added sugars abundant In U.S. diets, linked to death Reuters
• Sugar tied to fatal heart woes; soda's a culprit Associated Press
• New JAMA Study Wrongly Magnifies Hysteria About All-Natural Sugar PR Newswire

That’s according to a new study out in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine that found Americans who get 25 percent or more of their calories from added sugar are nearly three times more likely to die of heart disease than those who consumed less than 10 percent—the amount recommended by the World Health Organization.
The study is the first of its kind to link added sugar consumption to death.
Head researcher Quanhe Yang of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at 15 years' worth of data gathered from 31,000 people who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They found that 70 percent of adults exceed WHO’s recommendation that added sugar be limited to under 10 percent of daily calories, making them more likely to die of heart disease.
If you think getting 25 percent of your calories from sugar is a lot, it is—but getting there absentmindedly can be surprisingly easy. A sweet granola bar or two for breakfast; a supersized soda with lunch; a couple of chocolates at the office; and a slice of cake as a late-night snack can do it. Added sugars lurk in unexpected places too, including sweetened fruity yogurts, nonfat salad dressings, and spaghetti sauces.
Whether the added sugar comes from high fructose corn syrup, beet or cane sugar, or something as natural as honey doesn’t matter—the study included all foods that were sweetened.
“What’s tricky is the FDA does not require manufacturers to put added sugar on the label,” says Rachael Johnson, spokesperson for the American Heart Association and University of Vermont professor of nutrition.
To avoid listing sugar as the first ingredient on the ingredient panel, Johnson says food makers often list five or six kinds of sugar separately instead. The FDA has been petitioned to address the problem, she says, but no action has been taken. And of course, naturally occurring sugars in fruit aren't flagged either.
“What the study says is that eating too much sugar isn’t good for you. That’s hardly news,” says Marion Nestle, New York University professor of nutrition. But she says the study reinforces the benefits of limiting added sugars.
“Just about everyone would be healthier eating less sugar, but less is not the same as none. Ten percent of calories for most people means 50 to 80 grams of sugars a day, or 12 to 20 teaspoons. A bit more won’t raise the risk by much. Soft drinks have slightly under a teaspoon of sugar per ounce, so drinking less of them is a good first step,” says Nestle.
Indeed, the study found that 37 percent of added sugar in our diets comes from sugar-sweetened beverages, followed by grain-based desserts, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, and candy.
No surprise, the beverage industry responded swiftly to the new study. After taking credit for an overall decline in adult consumption of added sugars thanks to the industry's increased focus on providing more low- and no-calorie options, the American Beverage Association maintains the study is flawed.
“Heart diseases are a complex set of problems with no single cause and no simple solution. When it comes to risk for heart disease, there is nothing unique about calories from added sugars, or sugar-sweetened beverages for that matter,” says the group in a statement. “This is an observational study which cannot—and does not—show that cardiovascular disease is caused by drinking sugar-sweetened beverages.”
But Yang tells TakePart that the study isn't focused on only sweet drinks—it examines all added sugars, including hidden sugars that Americans consume.
"Most previous studies have focused on sugar-sweetened beverages but not total added sugar, and none of these studies have used national representative samples to examine the relationship between added sugar intake and cardiovascular disease mortality," says Yang.

 

 Link: http://news.yahoo.com/sugar-scare-why-calories-may-least-worries-sweeteners-003544281.html;_ylt=A0SO80j.3fJSFQcArh1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0NTNmNWw0BHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2dxMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDEzMV8x

 

 

Related stories on TakePart:

• Attack of the Sugar Zombies!
• Jane Says: It’s Sugar That’s Bad for You—Not Sugarcane and Its Byproducts
• Jane Says: 130 Pounds of Sugar a Year Is Way, Way Too Much
• Watch This Soda Exec Get Grilled About Coke's Sugar Content
• Jane Says: All Sugar Substitutes Are Not Created Equal

Original article from TakePart

Fat Chance: Fructose 2.0

Published on Oct 18, 2013

(Visit: http://www.uctv.tv/)
Dr. Robert Lustig, UCSF Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, updates
his very popular video "Sugar: The Bitter Truth." He argues that sugar
and processed foods are driving the obesity epidemic, which in turn
affects our endocrine system. Series: "UCSF Osher Center for Integrative
Medicine presents Mini Medical School for the Public" [10/2013] [Health
and Medicine] [Show ID: 25641]

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  Category
  

  Education
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  License - Standard YouTube License 

   

   

   

Link: http://youtu.be/ceFyF9px20Y

Cardiac Risks for Older Men Taking Testosterone

Well

Study Adds to Concerns About Cardiac Risks for Older Men Taking Testosterone

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

A large new study found that prescription testosterone raised the risk of heart attacks, prompting some experts on Wednesday to call for more extensive warning labels on the drugs. 

 


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