Britain’s defense ministry says two lawmakers from Northern Ireland have been barred from visiting troops in Afghanistan until they can find flak jackets big enough to fit their bellies.
The Associated Press: NIreland lawmakers deemed too fat for Afghan trip
Regular exercise can improve your mood, help you lose weight, and add years to your life. Still need another reason to hit the gym? A new study suggests that working out regularly helps ward off colds and flu.
Daily exercise helps keep the sniffles away – The Chart – CNN.com Blogs
Fat Thanks to Sunita K. for the tip!
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors yesterday voted to crack down on Happy Meals.
The legislation puts certain restrictions on fast-food meal packages that include free toys. There’s a 600-calorie cap on such meals, with no single item containing more than 200 calories. The meal must include fruits and veggies, and there are limits on sodium and fat. The sugar content of the accompanying beverage is also restricted.
The bill passed yesterday by a preliminary vote of 8 to 3, and because of that margin could override any mayoral veto. SF Mayor Gavin Newsom opposed the bill.
San Francisco Cracks Down on Happy Meals (and Their Ilk) – Health Blog – WSJ
A panel at Cleveland Clinic’s Medical Innovations Summit focused on five companies developing innovative obesity-fighting medical devices that have yet to hit the market.
* BaroSense — The TERIS cup-like device “partitions” a patient’s stomach to create a feeling of satiety.
* IntraPace — The “abiliti” device uses gastric stimulation to create a feeling of fullness in patients.
* ReShape Medical — Balloons are placed in the stomach using an endoscope and are designed to create a feeling of fullness in patients.
* Satiety — The “TOGA System” involves stapling the tissue at the top of the stomach to create a “sleeve” that restricts the stomach’s size.
* ValenTx — The company’s device aims to mimic gastric bypass surgery without surgery.
Top 5 anti-obesity medical devices at Cleveland Clinic summit « MedCity News
Fruit flies that eat high-fat diets get fat, according to a new study. More important, fruit fly obesity looks much like human obesity, with symptoms including high cholesterol and blood sugar imbalances.
Low-income African American girls who participated in weight loss programs over two years showed little improvement, according to two new studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers found little change in the girl’s body mass index (BMI), which is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.
In the first study from Stanford University girls, were offered dance classes and other opportunities to get active. One group was offered hip-hop and other types of dance classes five time a week. Researchers also went to their homes and helped them find activities they could do instead of spending time in front of the TV or computer. The other group just received newsletters with activities focusing on health and nutrition. Researchers also met quarterly with their parents.
Obesity program little help for low-income girls – The Chart – CNN.com Blogs
While the USDA prohibits schools from selling soda and other not-very-healthful foods in the actual cafeteria during mealtimes, there aren’t any hard-and-fast rules on sales at student stores, vending machines at any time or on cafeteria à la carte sales outside of mealtime. And pledges by the beverage industry to limit availability of those drinks don’t include vending machines not covered by exclusive contracts, or drinks purchased from third-party suppliers or someplace like Costco.
Researchers with Bridging the Gap, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program, found that despite industry efforts — and a 2007 Institute of Medicine report recommending limitations on the availability of beverages at school — almost 45% of public elementary school students had access to higher-fat milk or sugary drinks at school in the 2008-09 academic year. That’s up from about 39% in 2006-07.
Study: Elementary Schoolers Have Access to High-Fat, Sugary Drinks at School – Health Blog – WSJ
Babies born during the brief but intense Biafra famine in Nigeria 40 years ago have grown up to be more susceptible to obesity and its attendant maladies than those born on either side of it, scientists have found.
The researchers, from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu, said the finding added evidence to the argument that malnutrition in the womb causes greater susceptibility to such problems in later life.
More Obesity Seen Among Nigerians Born in Biafra Famine – NYTimes.com
A court in Brazil has ordered McDonald’s to pay a man who worked at McDonald’s for a dozen years an award of $17,500. What offense did the fast food chain commit? It offered free lunches to employees. It also hired people incognito to visit restaurants and report on food quality, which forced the plaintiff to sample the food to make sure that the quality was good.
As a result of this, the former franchise manager sued McDonald’s for his gain of 65 pounds over a 12-year period. This case is another stark reminder of why America must not accept “international law” as acceptable legal precedent in American courts.
McDonald’s Liable for Fat Employees
A large increase in the number of Americans with arthritis may be due to the country’s rise in obesity. Arthritis is already the most common cause of disability in the United States, limiting the activities of nearly 21 million adults.
Arthritis Now Impacting 50 Million Americans, Obesity A Key Factor – EmpowHER.com
