Prescription Medicine

This eFlux Media article by Anna Boyd summarizes the situation with a bill proposed by a Mississippi legislator that would prevent restaurants in Mississippi from serving those that are obese.  Apparently the legislator realized that the bill had no chance of becoming law but submitted the bill simply to draw attention to the huge problem that Mississippi has with obesity which the legislator contends is the state’s number one problem.  Over 30% of the state’s citizens are obese.

Understandably, pretty much everyone, particularly the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, whose website says, “We come in all sizes, understand it, support it, accept it,” was against the bill.  

The bill has no chance of being seriously considered by the Mississippi legislature.

So this latest attempt at Nanny Statism, extreme version, has been defeated.  No doubt we’ll see other similar attempts in the future as the obesity epidemic continues unabated in the US.

Here is a link to a story in the LAT concerning the growing interest in Triathlons.  And the article contains further links to other related LAT info on Triathlons.

These swim/bike/run treks confer the ultimate in bragging rights on athletes.  The current Olympic standard for Triathlons is a 1.5 kilometer swim, a 40 kilometer bike ride and a 10 kilometer run.  Some of the “ironman” triathlons have much longer distances in each category.  See a complete write up on the history and details of triathlons here in Wikpedia.

The LAT article suggests the following if you are interested in competing in your first triathlon:

            Watch a full triathlon first to cut the intimidation factor and to evaluate your mental and physical fitness for the event.

            The training schedule is rigorous so let your family and friend know what is entailed.

            Sign up.  This will motivate you to start training.

            Try an intermediate target such as 10K run to determine your fitness level and build your confidence.

            Learn everything you can about the race before competing including the specific physical features of your particular course.

Here’s a good update on skiing conditioning from LAT writer Jay Blahnik.  He recommends three different types of squat type exercises, all of which will help you on the slopes. See details here. Another point that the article makes is to take it easy in your first couple of days back skiing this season, which is definitely good advice.

Actually, all core conditioning is good for skiing.  For examples of good core conditioning on a fitness ball, check out this U-tube video from getfitsource.com This video shows just one set of core conditioning.  There are many, many more on the getfitsource.com site.  If you follow a dedicated core conditioning workout on a regular basis you will definitely notice the benefits the next time you go skiing.

This medpagetoday.com article recaps various studies that show conclusively that statins, one of the most widely prescribed anti cholesterol pharma, do not provide any benefit against Alzheimer’s disease.  Over a 12 year study period, those using statins were no more or less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those who did not use the drug.

This Businessweek article recaps the same results and indicates that the proof of ineffectiveness of statins against Alzheimer’s contradicts a widely reported 2000 study that claimed statin users were 70% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s.  It is now clear that the earlier study failed due to selection bias:  those concerned with their health take statins at higher rates than the general population and are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s but not because they take statins.

While statins may not help to stave off Alzheimer’s, general exercise has been found to provide some protection against dementia.  See our 2006 post on the subject here.  Money quote:  “People who exercised more than three times a week developed dementia at a rate of 13 per 1,000 patient-years, compared with 19.7 per 1,000 patient-years for those who exercised less.”

Bloomberg reports that obesity and smoking add $100 billion annually to health care costs in the US.  The obesity rate in the US is 33% compared to 17% in Europe.  “Health policy makers can't rein in medical costs in the U.S. unless they reverse obesity trends, said lead researcher Kenneth Thorpe, an Emory professor of health policy.”

Obesity threatens to reverse the years of gains in improved health and life expectancy that the US has been enjoying over the last several decades.  It also threatens the solvency of the health care system.  The huge difference in obesity rates between the US and Europe are a ready refutation of the theory that individuals can’t control their weight, or that it is genetically determined.