Carbs are like, good for your smartness!

Could a Low-Carb Diet Make You Ditzy? presents recent research from Tufts University about how low- to no-carb diets can affect cognition and memory.

Oh boy. Did you know that Glamour has a health blog? It's called Vitamin G (I already don't get it). Responding to mainstream crap like this is the reason I started this blog. So here we go!

The study consisted of 19 female participants who were allowed to choose between a low-carb diet and a low-calorie diet to adhere to for three weeks. The ScienceDaily press release explains how a lack of carbohydrates affects the body and brain:

While the brain uses glucose as its primary fuel, it has no way of storing it. Rather, the body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which is carried to the brain through the blood stream and used immediately by nerve cells for energy. Reduced carbohydrate intake should thus reduce the brain’s source of energy. Therefore, researchers hypothesized that diets low in carbohydrates would affect cognitive skills.

And the researchers were right. The participants' cognitive skills were impaired after just a three weeks on a low carb diet. On memory tasks, low-carb dieters had slower reaction time and their visuospatial memory was not as sharp and the low-calorie group. However, low-carb beat low-cal on attention vigilance tasks, which sounds fantastically primal, although I'm not entirely sure what it means.

But how does Vitamin G interpret this information? They dumb it down so that their non-carb eating readers can process it. There is no mention of the reason that carbs are essential for optimal brain performance--only that if you never eat any like, bread and stuff, your memory might not be great.

I hate the lack of information! By assuming that women won't care to know (or won't be able to understand) the scientific bodily processes involved, Glamour squashes curiosity and makes it easy for women to remain ignorant about their bodies. What if they just threw in a short sentence about how carbs turn into glucose, and glucose fuels your brain? That's not hard.

Bottom line reporting is informative to an extent, but ultimately it's irresponsible and promotes misinformation.

Exhibits A-G: Check out the reader comments. Yikes.

The Healthiest Grocery Store?

From Fox News.



Yeah, the results are not surprising.

However, why is there no discussion of the quality of produce?

Eating fruits and vegetables is a bigger part of healthy eating than whether or not you're consuming organic granola bars or whatever. I'm sorry, but in my mind, if it's processed food, it's processed food, regardless if 100% of the ingredients are USDA Certified Organic. A lot of the same corn- and soy-based preservatives that are used in regular cereals and snacks are also allowed in their organic counterparts. (Sustainable Table has a pretty good overview here.)

Sure, I suppose organic snacks are somewhat healthier, but I think the attention should be focused on REAL FOOD, i.e. fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, dairy products, etc.

For me, that is what would make or break the "healthiness" of a grocery store.

P.S. Furthermore, is it safe to say that Whole Foods would top the list of "Most Expensive Grocery Stores" also? I bet you five bucks.

P.P.S. I didn't insert this website I came across in the main text, so here it is: Food Additives, where they explain:

Food additives have become a necessity of all types of food products and food industry. Right from the aroma of the beverage, the texture of the food and its visual appeal, has to be enriched to make it acceptable. (my emphasis)

Hahahahaha. I think someone is taking themselves a little too seriously...

No money in the bank, no gas in the tank and no healthcare either

The National Women's Health Resource Center recently published their 4th annual Women T.A.L.K. survey, which showed that many women have opted to forgo medical attention in the past year because of financial issues.

Forty-five percent of women aged 18 and over reported that they failed to seek medical care because the cost was too high. This includes skipping doctors visits and recommended medical procedures, as well as failing to fill prescriptions for themselves or family members. Yikes.

To read the full report in pdf, click here.

Overall, I think the NWHRC survey is interesting on the surface but it doesn't go far enough. Respondents were aged 18 and up, and while the survey did ask demographic information, it never breaks down the results by age, ethnicity, education or income.

I emailed the Director of Marketing and Communications at the NWHRC, Marisa Rainsberger, because of that oversight, and she sent me this information:

Percent Who Skipped Care in Past Year
Aged 55+ - has skipped care: 31%; has not skipped care 69%
Aged 35-54 ­ has skipped care: 53%; has not skipped care 47%
Aged 18-34 - has skipped care: 51%; has not skipped care 49%

She explained that there weren't enough respondents to break it down any further than these three ages groups; the numbers were too small to be statistically significant.

As for ethnicity, I couldn't find any specific information in the full report, but the press release indicates:

Hispanic women were most likely to have skipped health care in the past year (58%) versus white (43%) or African American (42%) women.

And the other indicators, education and income? There was no information that I could find.

The survey also covered aging issues, you know, how women feel about getting older, whether they are prepared for aging, and who their favorite 55+ female celebrity was (Tina Turner). Ok then.

Included in the Women T.A.L.K. online press package, is a pdf called Tips for Minimizing Healthcare Costs. Despite a couple questionable suggestions (right after "Exercise" is "Cancel the gym membership": look people, I'm not made of steel. I refuse to run outside in freezing weather.), most of the advice is practical and not just another tirade on "healthy living," which is nice. Suggestions include:

• Read medical bills carefully.
• Use all the services you pay for.
• Wash your hands.
• When you're sick, stay home!
• Educate yourself about your health.
• Use safety equipment when required.
• And floss!

Alright then, will do. Thank you. I suspect that if the NWHRC had a bigger budget, they'd be all over a more thorough survey, including more publicity to attract more respondents. But alas, it is what it is.

Scare tactics no good?

Mark Lindstrom, author of Buyology: Truth and Lies About What We Buy, contributed an interesting op-ed to today's NY Times.

Inhaling Fear briefly relates the results of a study Lindstrom conducted using brain imaging techniques to test the cognitive response in smokers brains to extreme anti-smoking labels on cigarette packages and ads, like the one pictured or like you might find at TheTruth.com. He explains that although smokers agreed that the health information was concerning, their brains weren't "scared straight".

We found that the warnings prompted no blood flow to the amygdala, the part of the brain that registers alarm, or to the part of the cortex that would be involved in any effort to register disapproval.

To the contrary, the warning labels backfired: they stimulated the nucleus accumbens, sometimes called the “craving spot,” which lights up on f.M.R.I. whenever a person craves something, whether it’s alcohol, drugs, tobacco or gambling.

The study was relatively small (only 32 subjects), but the results are pretty interesting. I wonder if the same would hold true for other kinds of addicts.

Also, I saw Mr. Lindstrom on the Today show awhile ago when his book came out and I was eating cereal in bed, being unemployed. Anyway, he was rather enjoyable to watch in the 3.5 minute segment devoted to him. Specifically, I remember he explained how product placement only goes so far to inspire us to want a similar product--not necessarily the brand name product we see. So, for example, if you saw one of those insanely annoying commercials for the Coke Side of Life, you might think, "Gee, that commercial was so terrible that I'm really thirsty... for a root beer!" Or something like that. I don't know really... read the book.

I checked out the comments because I've found that people tend to sound off more on the NY Times than other websites and it can be entertaining, if nothing else. Most of the comments were non-smokers saying how much that hated smokers blah blah blah join the club. But one from an ex-smoker seemed insightful to me:

I have not smoked in two years after 15 years of up to, ah, multiple packs a day. Now, the only time I truly crave a cigarette is not after a meal, or when drinking coffee or alcohol or even when around other people smoking but when those inane and insulting anti-smoking advertisements come on the television. Part of the joy of smoking (and there are many!) is the counter-culture aspect of the habit and these pro-conformity visual escapades make me want to stick a smoldering brown tipped finger up in the air. You tell me not to do something, or worse government tries to compel me to adapt my behaviour to its norms, and the 15 year old in me wants to do it even more!

— AFW, Greenwich, CT

You know, I'm no expert, but I think this guy is on to something. Isn't that how it is sometimes? The second someone tells you not to do something (without providing an immediately horrifying consequence) you want to do it!

Well, no. Not all the time. From that perspective though, it's interesting that people will resist conformity to the extent that they injure themselves, significantly and permanently. It's a completely passive response to whatever injustices smokers see and experience in the world.

Obviously, a lot more research is needed, which Lindstrom readily admits. If this phenomena checks out, though, this could have some interesting consequences for smoking prevention and cessation. Do smokers just need a forum to bitch about their issues? Would that help a person to quit? Can you tell I've been reading a book about psychoanalytic theory?

Bon digestif!

I've got some Big Things to blog about, but instead of working on those Things, I've been distracted by a new book I found at the library called The Experts' Guide to Doing Things Faster: 100 Ways to Make Life More Efficient. Generally speaking, I try not to buy into BS self-help books with a specific numbers of ways to make your life better (i.e. 12 easy steps, 8 secrets, etc.), but this one is entertaining.

Number 46 on the list? "Cure a Stomachache" by Crazy Legs Conti, Competitive Eater (pictured).

The following three methods are Conti's suggestions to get you "back to the table fast."

Digestives

Dense or rich foods you’ve regretted ingesting respond well to the digestive treatment. Skip drugstore tablets and grocery store biscuits. Also, ginger ale is good for neither stains nor stomachaches because these days it’s mostly corn syrup. Fake sugar will only ferment your agony. The carbonation will cause burping, which feels good, like a pressure valve releasing, but stick to seltzer, not soda, to enable short-term belching relief. Early versions of the golden soda contained ginger, the plant, hence the common beliefe in the ale’s restorative powers. What you actually need is fresh ginger, sliced, boiled,, and then served as tea. Digestives derived from roots, herbs and mints have long been a remedy for overindulgence.

Additionally, many are mixed with alcohol. The French digestif (Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados) is the most common; however I favor the Italian Fernet-Branca, which has a vague medicinal taste, hints of root beer, and overtures of dirt. Limiting your intake to three ounces won’t get you inebriated, but will alleviate your gurgling belly. Simply quaff, sit comfortably, and wait. After twenty minutes, you should notice your stomach settling. If not, drink another three ounces and continue to do so until you are pain-free (or drunk). One July Fourth, I maws musketball-loaded with twenty-three and a half Nathan’s hot dogs and buns when a beautiful woman asked me to ride the Cyclone roller coaster. I sipped Fernet-Branca until my stomach found the courage.

Fluids

We take for granted the advantages of modern plumbing, but would be wise to acknowledge the flushing mechanism in the human body. Get your system moving with lots of water. Drink a half gallon of water and the stop-and-go-rush-hour traffic of one’s lower intestines will find log-flume-like speedy relief in no time. If peristalsis (muscle contractions in your digestive tract) is the culprit, expulsion can be the hero and water the catalyst. I spent an evening in Alaska, my stomach wrestling with eighteen reindeer sausages. However, after the water method, by morning, I was able to mush on to pancakes and bacon (four and half pounds in ten minutes).

The Mind

Even if your eyes are bigger than you stomach, your mind is bigger still. Your stomach has the storage space of a small puddle, but your mind, with a great capacity than the Grand Coulee Dam, can never fill up. Putting all your mental energies toward something else, getting distracted, and ignoring the physical pain will often make it go away. It’s mind over stomach matter (I often daydream of salad) and it works for pro eaters and casual diners alike.

I usually go straight for the ginger ale or Tums, but I might invest in some Cognac if Crazy Legs swears by it.

In any case, expect more excerpts from The Experts'... I'm picking up quite a few nifty tidbits.