Fitness Watch

Low cholesterol may be sign of undiagnosed cancer

2009-11-10T05:06:00.000-06:00

Just when you thought it was safe alert!

"Low total cholesterol may be a sign of cancer...

For years, researchers had noticed that people who have lower total cholesterol -- a combination of both low-density lipoprotein or LDL, the "bad" kind, and high-density lipoprotein or HDL, the "good" kind -- appeared more likely to have certain types of cancers than other people.

That was worrisome because having low cholesterol, and particularly low levels of 'bad' LDL cholesterol, has been shown to protect against heart attacks and strokes.

'Our study affirms that lower total cholesterol may be caused by undiagnosed cancer,' Dr. Demetrius Albanes, a senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, said in a statement."

Still think they have any idea what they are talking about?

Hint: These are the same people who cannot cure toenail fungus.

Child obesity 'is levelling off'

2009-11-10T05:05:00.000-06:00

A Pyrrhic victory, at best.

"Forecasts of a huge rise in obesity among children in England have been significantly downgraded following a new analysis of data.

The National Heart Forum found evidence that the rate of increase in childhood obesity may be starting to slow.
Its figures suggest that by 2020 the proportion of boys aged 2-11 who will be overweight or obese will be 30% - not 42% as previously predicted."

We'll see.

Eating Quickly Is Associated With Overeating

2009-11-10T05:04:00.002-06:00

Eat celery quickly and see if the weight comes on.

"According to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), eating a meal quickly, as compared to slowly, curtails the release of hormones in the gut that induce feelings of being full. The decreased release of these hormones, can often lead to overeating.

'Most of us have heard that eating fast can lead to food overconsumption and obesity, and in fact some observational studies have supported this notion,' said Alexander Kokkinos, MD, PhD, of Laiko General Hospital in Athens Greece and lead author of the study. 'Our study provides a possible explanation for the relationship between speed eating and overeating by showing that the rate at which someone eats may impact the release of gut hormones that signal the brain to stop eating.'"

The choice of what you eat makes a difference.

Speed is not the entire story.

It is a very small part.

The Pig Is Clever Like A Fox

2009-11-10T05:03:00.000-06:00

Oprah's participation in the weight loss debate is an Orwellian nightmare - the pig is in charge.

Well, the pig is clever like a fox.

Just in time to rollout the new version of the book she co-wrote with Bob Greene, AdipOprah, an IMHO whore-for-the-money and clear threat to people's health, devoted the cover and cover story of her O(bese), The AdipOprah magazine, to her weight woes.

In typical fatso style she basically blames her alleged mere 40-pound weight gain on her poor, defenseless, thyroid gland (again).

She is clearly spewing the slop in which she rolls.

The rollout of her “updated and revised” book together with the rollout of her personal story about why she cannot get the rolls out of her belly are an interesting coincidence.

I will bet, it was not “updated and revised” to tell people it is crap and that she and Bob are liars.

Personally, IMHO, it is nothing more than another attempt by a crooked person to rip-off money from desperate people. (According to the bovine billionaire herself, there are "more than 2.4 million" of them who read the magazine. Add to that the people who watch her TV show, listen to her radio programming, watch her TV network and visit her website and you have an awful lot of impressionable people being fooled.)

What she is talking about this 2008 holiday season is, IMHO, nothing more than another attempt at thievery. This is not new for them as Bob and Oprah, IMHO, have a history of using lies and falsified images to scam the public.

(IMHO, Oprah with Bob are every bit as crooked as Oprah is with her other boys, Mehmet and Michael, David and Jorge.)

Despite the fact that the IMHO whore-for-the-money admits that she was gaining weight beginning "in February 2007," she was too greedy to recuse herself from promoting the diet scheme concocted by her and Bob, instead averring how well it worked for her. Even to this day.

I just pulled this (12-14-08) from their diet website. The website is copyright, 2007. The hardcover edition of the book came out December 26, 2006. The paperback edition came out December 26, 2007. The "I" is fatso "O":

I lost weight in stages. First I became active, and I still work out even though I really hate it, but I know if I don’t I will end up 200 pounds again. Then I started working on my eating. I stopped eating past 7:30 at night. When Bob told me it would make a big difference in my weight, I resisted. I thought it was going to be too hard. But I was surprised to find that it wasn’t; even more surprised when it turned out to be one of the most effective changes I made.

I’ve now taken most of the bad foods out of my diet and replaced them with good. I eat smaller portions and I eat healthy foods as a way of life, not a diet to go on and off.

Liar.

And the picture used on the website to promote the diet is:

Double liar.

(Here are real images of Oprah on her/Bob's diet.

Triple liar.)

Which is the same picture (the background was changed) she and Bob used to rip people off in 2008, on their website:

Quadruple liar.

And other places on the web:

Quintuple liar.

And at a "discount":

Sextuple liar.

And they promoted her and still promote her (12-24-08) as a "success" on their diet (enlarge the image if you have to or just click on it to get to the page):

Septuple liar.

Scummy Oprah and Bob are all talk about integrity as if it means something to them. This is from the complaint to the FTC about Bob and Oprah and their false and deceptive advertising:

"As will be seen in Exhibits A, B and M, there is much made of 'truth' and 'truthfulness' by both Mr. Greene and Ms. Winfrey. Likewise, they speak of accepting responsibility for one’s actions. In fact, 'truthfulness' and 'responsibility' appear in the General Index on pages 272 and 271, respectively, in the hardcover edition.

I submit that in the FTC’s taking of its responsibility it has the opportunity to not only protect consumers from what I contend (and what I posit a reasonable consumer would contend if he/she were aware of them) are clearly false and deceptive advertising practices, but also to provide Ms. Winfrey and Mr. Greene with opportunities to accept responsibility for and the consequences of their dishonesty and untruthfulness."

You can check out the Exhibits here.

Here is their chance to stop the talk and do the walk, which, incidentally, Oprah claims is a big part of the fatso "cure":

"All you have to do is work out harder and eat less! Get your 10,000 steps in!"

What to do?

Give back all the money they took under clearly false pretenses (plus interest earned and any damages), apologize to the world, do some jail time for being the IMHO crooks they are, shut their mouths for good (and the mouths of Oprah's other experts), stop publishing/writing on topics at which they are failures, slither off into the sunset and just go away for good.

That is integrity.

Incidentally, there is one truth among all this drivel of hers.

"All you have to do is…eat less!"

If this means fewer Calories in than out, then she is right.

And what is most important is that you do not need their sh**ty book in order to do that.

Complain to the FTC about her, Bob, Mehmet, Michael, David and Jorge, so it will get these IMHO parasites out from the broadcast media.

The sooner the better. Stop them before they harm again.

You can make a difference.

Oprah and Bob Greene Scamming The Public - Again

2009-11-10T05:02:00.000-06:00

The headline links to the Oprahcide or Death By Oprah website.

This link will take you to the Jail For Oprah website where you will find FTC complaints filed re:

Oprah and Bob and
Oprah and her diet expert's books and
Oprah, Jorge Cruise and David Katz.

Here is a picture of Bob and an Oprah that never existed in reality:

I am clear that, IMHO, Oprah and Bob are two of the leaders in the nutritional homicide movement. There are others, like Mehmet Oz, IMHO.

But what is so grossly apparently dishonest, is the Photoshopped image of AdipOprah.

Her entry into the fitness/weight loss domain is like the book Animal Farm.

The pig is in charge.

She claims to be all about integrity, but it is clear to me that she is a dishonest person who has a profit-motivated integrity of convenience that is basically the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help her Photoshop.

This is how Oprah really looks.

Big and fat and with chinny chin chins.

And big thighs and fat ass.

To see more images of AdipOprah and how she really looks following Bob's and Oprah's Best Life Diet, go:

here
here
here
here
here
here

The images above cover the period of time from around the release of their book, December 26, 2006, until just about the present.

But when you are a whore for the money, well, truth in extra-large packaging goes out the door.

However, "Sale Pricing" does not.

Here is a new "deal" Bob and The Killer Queen of Daytime TV are offering.

One look at the real Oprah - same faked image.

One look at the real Oprah - same doomed to fail advice.

One look at the real Oprah - same guaranteed to make you poorer and them richer scam.

This is how The Best Life Diet is described at amazon.com:

"From the bestselling author of Get With the Program! and Bob Greene's Total Body Makeover comes The Best Life Diet, a lifetime plan for losing weight and keeping it off. Bob Greene helped Oprah achieve her dramatic weight loss, and he can help you too. You'll eat the same delicious food that Oprah enjoys, and, just like Oprah, you'll have Bob to encourage you at every step."

Just like he did for Oprah! (see images and image links above, in case you have forgotten how good Bob is and/or how fat Oprah is)

Shame on her.

She should be ashamed but I suspect she is not.

If she ever had an ounce of shame, it has likely been replaced by pounds of fat.

In Oprah's own words:

"Excerpt from The Best Life Diet (sic) - by Oprah Winfrey

You cannot ever live the life of your dreams without coming face to face with the truth. Every unwanted pound creates another layer of lies."

Right.

And Oprah is the multi-layered liar.

Laughing all the way to the bank with your money.

To find out more about what I believe is going on, read the FTC complaint filed regarding her and Bob. It is available here.

Consumer Reports - Profile In Incompetence (Update)

2009-11-10T05:01:00.000-06:00

Today is November 10, 2009. No response from CR since June 11, 2007.

Here is a chronicle of my communications with Consumer Reports re: their June 2007 cover story on "Rating the Diets."

The quality of their work is, IMHO, shamefully shoddy and their analytical skills fatally flawed - just like diet programs.

Of particular interest is CR's response, via a Mr. Harzewski speaking for the Editors.

Read it all.

Then, you decide.

To me, these folks are dangerously incompetent.

Caveat subscriber.

To access all the Fitness Rants, click here.

Obese 'struggle to earn living'

2009-11-09T05:06:00.000-06:00

Spend less on Calories, have more for other things.

"Obese people are struggling to earn above the national average income, according to a survey...

The overweight or obese said their weight had a negative impact on their ability to take part in leisure activities - 23% mentioned cycling, swimming and running and 14% said it affected their sex lives.

They also described some of the ways their weight had held them back in their careers...

Another admitted they had taken too many days off because of illness.

'This report makes for particularly disturbing reading as it highlights the worrying link between poverty and obesity...'"

And the link?

Obesity causes poverty, i.e., poveresity. (see here, here, here and here)

Want to get hired? Earn more money?

Don't be sicker and more expensive than intended-size employees.

Don't cost your employer more.

Don't be less productive than intended-size humans.

That will work for you just fine.

Flu Mask Recommendations Based on Flawed Study, Authors Say

2009-11-09T05:05:00.000-06:00

Oops.

"In a surprise twist, authors here retracted findings of a study that found N95 respirators were better than surgical masks at preventing flu.

After a re-analysis prompted by questions from reviewers, the findings were no longer significant, said Holly Seale of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

The original study, presented earlier this year, formed the basis of some recommendations on the use of masks in a health care setting.

The retraction -- near the end of a presentation at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America -- prompted a "rush to the microphones" by those involved in flu prevention, one expert said.

The findings appeared to differ -- not only from previous reports, but also from the abstract submitted to this meeting, said Dr. Andrew Pavia of the University of Utah.

Seale acknowledged those differences and agreed that the original results no longer stand. She was not immediately available for additional comment."

One word you prefer not to hear associated with research is "surprise."

Still think they have any idea what they are talking about?

Weight Training Boosts Breast Cancer Survivors' Body Image And Satisfaction With Intimate Relationships

2009-11-09T05:04:00.001-06:00

Another reason to train.

"In addition to building muscle, weightlifting is also a prescription for self-esteem among breast cancer survivors, according to new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine research. Breast cancer survivors who lift weights regularly feel better about bodies and their appearance and are more satisfied with their intimate relationships compared with survivors who do not lift weights, according to a new study published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

Survivors' self-perceptions improved with weight lifting regardless of how much strength they gained during the year-long study, or whether they suffered from lymphedema, an incurable and sometimes debilitating side effect of breast surgery."

Self-esteem.

Aspirin 'only for heart patients'

2009-11-08T05:06:00.001-06:00

And how many times have you heard that you should take a baby aspirin a day to prevent heart problems?

"The use of aspirin to ward off heart attacks and strokes in those who do not have obvious cardiovascular disease should be abandoned, researchers say.

The Drugs and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB) study says aspirin can cause serious internal bleeding and does not prevent cardiovascular disease deaths."

Still think they have any idea what they are talking about?

Well, they don't.

More insurers paying for alternative remedies

2009-11-08T05:05:00.002-06:00

More stupidity leading to increased sick care insurance costs.

"Acupuncture, not pain pills that 'make me loopy,' is what Cynde Durnford-Branecki wants for her aching back, and a treatment costs her only a $20 copayment.

'If I didn't have insurance, there's no way I could afford to go,' said the 51-year-old graphic designer who lives in San Diego.

After years of being lobbied for more choice, insurers and employers increasingly are covering alternative therapies. There are even alternative 'HMOs' — networks of nontraditional providers that sell services to big employers and individuals."

Cynde is loopy with or without pain pills.

And appropriately named "Dumb-ford." (hat tip to Oscar Wilde)

After more than 10 years and $2.5 billion spent, no one has found an alternative therapy that worked.

Except to enrich alternative care "practitioners."

"Choice may sound like a good idea, but it can lead more people to use remedies they may not realize are of unproven value. It also can mean the people who use those treatments will wind up paying for them, rather than have their insurer pay for proven remedies."

Good.

Serves them right.

The rest of us should not pay for the loopiness of the others.

Deer penis, anyone?

Breast feeding may not alter older kids' health

2009-11-08T05:04:00.001-06:00

Likely.

"Exclusive breast feeding for up to 6 months, though beneficial for an infants' immunity and mothers' weight, may not alter children's health risks over the long term, study findings hint...

n the current study, which assessed the children's outcomes through the age of 6.5 years as reported by their pediatricians, mothers, and teachers, the only observed between-group differences were slightly higher measures of body mass, hip circumference, and thickness of the skin at the upper arm - all indicators of greater overall body fat."

Overfatness is caused by one thing and one thing only - more Calories in than out.

Breastfeeding will never prevent that (past a certain age).

The whole breastfeeding and obesity thing is, IMHO, inflated by groups/persons with an agenda.

Concern yourself with the Calories.

That will always work.

Exercise Keeps Dangerous Visceral Fat Away A Year After Weight Loss

2009-11-07T05:06:00.004-06:00

It has got to be a lie.

"A study conducted by exercise physiologists in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Human Studies finds that as little as 80 minutes a week of aerobic or resistance training helps not only to prevent weight gain, but also to inhibit a regain of harmful visceral fat one year after weight loss...

In the study, UAB exercise physiologist Gary Hunter, Ph.D., and his team randomly assigned 45 European-American and 52 African-American women to three groups: aerobic training, resistance training or no exercise. All of the participants were placed on an 800 calorie-a-day diet and lost an average 24 pounds. Researchers then measured total fat, abdominal subcutaneous fat and visceral fat for each participant."

First, this is Nazi-level dieting, impossible for normal people and should never have been approved for research, IMHO. (see here, here, here and here)

"Afterward, participants in the two exercise groups were asked to continue exercising 40 minutes twice a week for one year. After a year, the study's participants were divided into five groups: those who maintained aerobic exercise training, those who stopped aerobic training, those who maintained their resistance training, those who stopped resistance training and those who were never placed on an exercise regimen.

'What we found was that those who continued exercising, despite modest weight regains, regained zero percent visceral fat a year after they lost the weight,' Hunter said."

It cannot be true since there is no way to measure fat content without a standard error, even using the best techniques.

It is a virtual impossibility to gain weight without some of it being as fat.

They MUST have gained some fat if they gained weight.

I am all for training (not exercise) but this report is unbelievable.

For Some Of Canada's Teens Puberty Is A Gateway To Heart Disease

2009-11-07T05:06:00.000-06:00

Nutritional child abuse - Canadian style.

"A seven-year ongoing study examining over 20,000 Canadian grade 9 students shows most already have at least one major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, Dr. Brian McCrindle told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. 'This study is further evidence of an accelerating decline in the heart health of Canada's teens,' says Dr. McCrindle, a cardiologist at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. 'Children shouldn't have these profiles.'...

The study found that, between 2002 and 2008, the rates of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity in these teens were alarmingly high and, even more worrisome, increasing over time."

Stop the abuse.

Blood Clot Risk Higher In Apple-Shaped Men And Pear-Shaped Women, Danish Study

2009-11-07T05:04:00.000-06:00

Really, "Blood Clot Risk Higher In FAT People."

"New research from Denmark suggests that where middle-aged men and women carry excess body fat affects their risk of developing blood clots like deep vein thrombosis (DVT) , with apple-shaped men who carry excess fat mainly around the waist and pear-shaped women who carry excess fat mainly around the hips having the highest risk."

Focusing on shape is meaningless and a waste.

Just don't be fat.

Obesity causes 100,000 US cancer cases: report

2009-11-06T05:06:00.002-06:00

More reasons not to pay for the sick care of the fat and their diseases of choice.

"Obesity causes more than 100,000 cases of cancer in the United States each year -- and the number will likely rise as Americans get fatter, researchers said on Thursday.

Having too much body fat causes nearly half the cases of endometrial cancer -- a type of cancer of the uterus -- and a third of esophageal cancer cases, the American Institute for Cancer Research said.

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease. The American Cancer Society projects that 1.47 million people will be diagnosed with cancer this year and 562,000 will die of it.

More than 26 percent of Americans are obese, defined as having a body mass index of 30 or higher. BMI is equal to weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. A person 5 feet 5 inches tall (165 cm) becomes obese at 180 pounds (82 kg).

Additionally, nearly a third of Americans are overweight, defined as having a BMI of 25 to 30.

The study combined findings from AICR research linking diet, physical activity and fatness with cancer risk with national surveys on obesity and cancer incidence.

"We then worked out the percentage of those specific cancers that would be prevented if everyone in the United States maintained a healthy weight," the group said in a statement.

Here are some of its estimates of cancer types that could be prevented annually if Americans stayed slender:

* Esophageal - 35 percent of cases or 5,800 people

* Pancreatic - 28 percent or 11,900

* Gallbladder - 21 percent or 2,000

* Colon - 9 percent or 13,200

* Breast - 17 percent or 33,000

* Endometrium - 49 percent or 20,700

* Kidney - 24 percent or 13,900

In July, federal and other researchers estimated that obesity-related diseases account for nearly 10 percent of all medical spending in the United States or an estimated $147 billion a year."

Kudos, fatsos.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Decreases Mortality In Younger Postmenopausal Woman

2009-11-06T05:05:00.000-06:00

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is good again.

"Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat menopausal estrogen deficiency has been in widespread use for over 60 years. Several observational studies over the years showed that HRT use by younger postmenopausal women was associated with a significant reduction in total mortality; available evidence supported the routine use of HRT to increase longevity in postmenopausal women."

Or is it still bad?

"However, the 2002 publication of a major study, the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), indicated increased risk for certain outcomes in older women, without increasing mortality. This sparked debate regarding potential benefits or harm of HRT. In an article published in the November 2009 issue of The American Journal of Medicine, researchers conducted a meta-analysis of the available data using Bayesian methods and concluded that HRT almost certainly decreases mortality in younger postmenopausal women."

Still think they have any idea of what is going on?

Too Much TV Time Bad For Muscular Fitness Levels

2009-11-06T05:04:00.000-06:00

How much TV time is good for muscular fitness?

"Obesity isn't the only negative side effect of excessive television watching. A new study from the American College of Sports Medicine suggests that young adults who tune in to two hours or more of TV per day have poor muscular fitness.

Researchers Niko Paalanne and Tuija Tammelin of Finland studied more than 870 Finnish young men and women around 19 years of age. Subjects' muscular fitness was measured using trunk rotation, trunk flexion, press strength and jumping height. Those who watched the most television - at least two hours per day - performed significantly worse in the tests."

The researchers failed to address that.

Diabetes can be delayed with diet, exercise

2009-11-05T05:06:00.001-06:00

Another reason not to pay for care of the overfat.

"People on the brink of developing diabetes who get a lot of support and encouragement to diet and exercise can turn things around and avoid the disease, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday...

People in this group lost an average of 15 pounds (6.8 kg) in the first year, but they gradually regained all but about 5 pounds...

After 10 years, the group that started off in the diet and exercise group has sustained a modest weight loss and cut their risk of developing diabetes by 34 percent..."

Such a small effort is all it took and so many fat people are unwilling to do even this minimal amount to make a difference.

If they care so little for themselves, we should respect that, leave them alone and let them develop and pay for their diseases of choice.

More People Rely On Alternative Medicine

2009-11-05T05:05:00.001-06:00

More people are reliably stupid.

"As consumers look to save money in a tough economy, many turn to alternative health care options. CBS 4 reports: "Health care costs are soaring. Thousands of people are without jobs and without the benefits afforded them. Now, those people are turning to preventative or alternative measures. ... The National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) shows 38 percent of adults and 12 percent of kids are now using alternative therapies to treat pain. In fact, Americans are now reportedly spending $34 billion a year on alternative therapies" (Demos, 10/26)."

Which clearly is not to suggest that relying on conventional medicine is any smarter.

Relying on fitness is smarter and effective.

Chuck the voodoo and do what works.

GI Dynamics' EndoBarrier™ Gastrointestinal Liner Demonstrates Safety And Efficacy In Pre-surgical Weight Loss

2009-11-05T05:05:00.000-06:00

More about the food/female condom you swallow. (see images below)

"GI Dynamics is defining a new class of metabolic treatment options that fit between pharmaceutical regimens and surgery, called non-surgical therapeutics. Non-surgical therapeutics are designed to eliminate or reduce the risks and side effects associated with pharmaceutical regimens as well as surgical options."

Gotta agree that pharmaceutical and surgical options are risky and IMHO malpractice.

Also gotta agree that these folks are defining the field of the throat condom since no one else appears to be doing it.

The food/throat condom:

The female condom:

Bad drivers? Blame their genes

2009-11-04T05:06:00.005-06:00

More hardwiring.

No need to curse that bad driver weaving in and out of the lane in front of you -- he cannot help it, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.

They found that people with a particular gene variant performed more than 20 percent worse on a driving test than people with a different DNA sequence.

The study may explain why there are so many bad drivers out there -- about 30 percent of Americans have the variant, the team at the University of California Irvine found.

Add this to the list together with:

hating mothers-in-law
psychopathic behavior
obesity
pedophilia
cocaine abuse
snake fear
fat women
hoarding

and also add it to the list of useless research crap.

Bariatric Surgery Fails to Reduce Risk of MI Long Term

2009-11-04T05:06:00.002-06:00

Oops.

"A long-term prospective study of bariatric surgery for weight loss in obese individuals showed the procedure has no effect on the rates of MI when compared with individuals who underwent conventional care.

While the rates of MI were equivalent in follow-up out to 20 years, investigators suggest there was a significant effect of surgery on fatal and nonfatal MI in subjects with elevated baseline glucose levels...

He cautioned, however, against making too much of the MI benefit with surgery in patients with elevated glucose levels, because the analysis was post hoc and needs to be confirmed in other studies."

Bummer, you big bummed bums.

Upping fiber intake could help defeat belly fat

2009-11-04T05:05:00.002-06:00

Fiber helps you take a dump, and fat people are full of crap, so...

"Eating just a little bit more fiber could have a big impact in trimming the waistlines of America's young people, new research shows.

Latino adolescents and teens who increased their fiber intake over a two-year period had significant decreases in the amount of fat around their waists, while young people whose fiber intake fell saw their bellies expand, Dr. Jaimie N. Davis of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and her colleagues found.

Davis and her team were looking at belly fat, which is the most dangerous type of body fat. Fatter waistlines increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease."

It just might work.

Chewing Gum Can Reduce Calorie Intake, Increase Energy Expenditure

2009-11-04T05:04:00.000-06:00

Now who would fund a study like this?

"A nutrition professor at the University of Rhode Island studying the effects of chewing sugar-free gum on weight management has found that it can help to reduce calorie intake and increase energy expenditure.

Kathleen Melanson, URI associate professor of nutrition and food sciences, compared gum chewing to non-gum chewing in healthy adult volunteers who came to her lab for two standardized tests in random order. When study subjects chewed gum for a total of one hour in the morning (three 20-minute gum-chewing sessions), they consumed 67 fewer calories at lunch and did not compensate by eating more later in the day."

A whole 67 Calories!

And a real-world test:

"In her study, 35 male and female subjects made two visits to the URI Energy Metabolism Lab after having fasted over night. During one visit, they chewed gum for 20 minutes before consuming a breakfast shake and twice more during the three hours before lunch. During both visits, participants remained as still as possible as measurements were conducted of their resting metabolism rates and blood glucose levels at regular intervals before and after breakfast and lunch. They also conducted periodic self-assessments of their feelings of hunger, energy and other factors during both visits."

Well, maybe not real-world.

As to the funding source...

"The study was supported by a $25,000 research award from the Wrigley Science Institute..."

$25K for two days work.

Good work if you can get it, eh, Prof. Melanson?