There are more examples where that came from. The New York Daily News spotlights 36 of their favorite “fat-letes.” Here are a few interesting examples:

• Emanuel “Tiny” Yarbrough is a sumo wrestler from Rahway, New Jersey. He weighs about 800 pounds, and holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest athlete.

• Prince Fielder is the first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers, and son of another portly slugger, Cecil Fielder. He’s a vegetarian, so that does away with the myth that a meatless diet is a free ticket to thinness.

• Babe Ruth is the most famous heavy slugger of all time. When not downing hot dogs between at-bats in the dugout, he was adding to his heaping home run totals.

• Eddy Curry of the New York Knicks stands at a startling 6′11″. He’s got 285 pounds on that frame, and his fitness habits are questionable, which is why you’ll find him with a trainer this next off-season trying to get in shape.

• John Daly is a master at golf, but health he is not. Between a serious smoking habit and a love of bar food and drinks, this 300-pound pro is actually down about 40 pounds since his Lap-Band surgery this year.

Check out the other pudgy athletes in this pictorial at the New York Daily News.

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Male Athletes with Weight Problems

According to a new study, only low-fat diets will help with long-term mood improvement.

“This study looked at one factor, and prior studies haven’t focused on psychological factors,” says Dr. Ewald Horvath, interim chairman of psychiatry at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “This is a great study focusing on something very important.”

The key difference between low-fat diets and low-carb diets is the long-term effect on mood. Studies have previously found short-term improvements in the mood of people who chose a wide variety of different diets. This new study reaffirmed the evidence of improvements over the first eight weeks of dieting on various plans. But it’s after the initial two months that low-carb dieters tended to return to their depressed moods.

“The exact mechanism for the observed effects on mood still remains largely unknown,” says study author Grant D. Brinkworth, a research scientist with the food and nutritional sciences division of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Adelaide, Australia.

But, it is known that carbs can increase serotonin concentrations in the brain, whereas added fat and protein can reduce it. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is involved with controlling mood, anger, and aggression.

(via: Yahoo News)

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Low-Fat Diets Improve Your Mood

The company has steadfastly denied these claims, including a rebuttal published on this website by the former Kimkins PR director. Nonetheless, Kimkins has been investigated for fraud after many customers became seriously ill. And it’s no wonder why. The diet calls for a dangerously low-caloric intake – as low as 500 on a daily basis – and endorses the use of laxatives in place of fiber.

Side effects that have been reported by Kimkins followers include nausea, hair loss, fainting, heart palpitations, fatigue, bone and/or joint pain, and constipation.

This has all resulted in a class action suit against the company. Everyone who has purchased a membership through kimkins.com from January 1, 2006 to October 15, 2007 is being urged to learn more about the class action lawsuit that is being filed in the Riverside County Superior Court in Riverside, California.

In the meantime, Kimkins creator creator Heidi Diaz has pressed on despite the pending lawsuit and has even had the audacity to launch another diet called Simple Choices.

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Kimkins Diet Class Action Lawsuit Filed

The study was conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. They examined the effects of sodium and artificial sweeteners on kidney function among 3,256 women with a median age of 67. The women filled out a questionnaire about their soda drinking habits.

When the researchers compared the women’s kidney function, they found that 372 had a decline of 30 percent or more in kidney function. Further analysis revealed that the decline was associated with drinking two or more artificially sweetened soft drinks a day.

The researchers also took into consideration the person’s age, physical activity, high blood pressure, or if they had diabetes.

Diet drinks are “generally low in important health-promoting nutrients, so keeping them as a small part of your eating plan would be a smart step,” says Dr. Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition for Washington University, St. Louis.

In 2006, a panel of experts was assembled by Dr. Barry Popkin, director of the University of North Carolina Interdisciplinary Obesity Program. The group published a “Beverage Guidance System,” that recommended people drink more water and limit or even eliminate high-calorie beverages with little or no nutritional value. The panel emphasized that kids need to drink more milk. “Fortified soy milk is a good alternative for individuals who prefer not to consume cow milk,” the panel stated.

(via: HealthNews.com)

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Diet Soda May Cause Kidney Problems

A quarter of those surveyed who were unemployed said they didn’t get enough rest any night in the last 30 days.

The study seems to confirm the anecdotal belief that west coasters are more laid back than the east coast. Twelve of the 14 best-sleeping states were west of the Mississippi.

The report wasn’t very in depth, as they just asked people about their perception of how much sleep they got, not the actual hours.

The Health Consequences

Sleep problems can lead to other health problems, surprisingly maybe even diabetes. Researchers aren’t quite sure if lack of sleep directly causes diabetes or if it’s associated in some other way. But, even a remote piece of evidence should be enough to think twice about watching your favorite late night talk show.

Sleep Aids

Exercise is a great way to help your sleep problems… assuming you aren’t just staying up late by choice. The National Sleep Foundation reports that afternoon exercise can help with deeper sleep, and even cut down the amount of time it takes for you to fall asleep. Evening exercise may have the opposite effect, while morning workouts seem to get the best results.

Keep in mind that there may be occasions when prescribed sleep aids are appropriate, but they shouldn’t be seen as the long-term answer.

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Americans Aren’t Getting Enough Sleep

The government only gives minimal guidelines on how supplements are stored and coated. So, you need to do most of your own homework.

What’s in Your Supplement?

When manufacturers chelate, or coat, a supplement, they are making it more resistant to damage during digestion. Manufacturers use binders, usually vegetable gums, cellulose, and microcrystalline cellulose to hold the tablets together. Capsules can also use binders to help affect the speed of a product being released into the bloodstream.

Fillers are also used in supplements. They act as a dispersing agent and add extra bulk, as active ingredients are often too small to stand alone.

Lubricants are a mainstay with most supplements. They are used as a necessary part of the manufacturing process. Supplements are also coated to make it easier to swallow and to avoid the damaging effects of oxygen.

Watch Out For Some Fillers

If you have any dietary restrictions because of allergies or digestive issues, watch out for supplements that contain yeast, gluten, shellfish, sugar, and salt. They should all be listed on the ingredient list.

As is the case with anything you put in your body, it’s good to know a little about natural versus synthetic. Remember that if something is natural that does not mean it’s automatically safe to use.

It’s a good idea to discuss supplements with your doctor or nutritionist. This is particularly true if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or undergoing treatment for a chronic health condition.

It’s easy to assume when we walk into a store that everything on the shelves is equally safe and effective. Your best bet is to not take anything for granted. Instead, ask questions and do your research.

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Secrets of Supplement Manufacturing

Did you know that you can also fight asthma with your diet? Proponents of the raw food diet say that their way of life is a good way to treat asthma. A raw food diet is more about lifestyle than a weight loss program. It’s something that you dedicate your life to. About 75 percent of your dietary intake will be fruits and vegetables and things like alcohol, refined sugars, and caffeine are off limits.

Raw foodists often tend to be vegans, but some will eat cheese or eggs. All of them avoid cooking foods. The belief is that the cooking process depletes food of essential nutrients.

Raw Food as Asthma Treatment

While peer-reviewed research has yet to support any diet as an absolute cure for asthma, there are first-hand reports of following a raw food eating plan easing asthma symptoms. Whether you follow a raw diet or any other healthy eating plan, you can see improved asthma symptoms. That’s because being overweight often exacerbates asthma symptoms.

Here are a few other ways raw foods can help with your asthma:

According to James T. Li, M.D., avoiding saturated fats found in red meat and butter can help with asthma. That’s because saturated fats may cause an immune system response that triggers asthma symptoms. Foods with saturated fats are not included in a raw food diet.

A raw food diet will naturally be low in sodium. This is good for many reasons, including the fact that sodium levels may aggravate the immune response that causes asthma symptoms.

Acid reflux may possibly damage the airways in your lungs and worsen asthma symptoms. Besides medications, this may also be remedied by avoiding rich foods. A raw food diet rarely, if ever, includes items that would cause acid reflux.

Antioxidants Key to Fighting Asthma Symptoms

The cornerstone of a raw food diet is fruits and vegetables in their purest form. When you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, your body is inundated with antioxidants such as beta carotene and vitamins C and E. They also contain other nutrients that boost the immune system.

Studies show that antioxidants can reduce asthma symptoms. Antioxidants such as vitamins A, C and E can reduce lung and bronchial damage brought on by asthma. They can also reduce the risk of narrowing airways associated with asthma.

When it comes to keeping asthma under control, no diet is a substitute for diagnosis and treatment by your doctor. If you suffer from asthma, always consult a medical professional to consider your best options.

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Treat Asthma with the Raw Food Diet

One of Michelle Obama’s passions in the first year of her husband’s term is promoting healthy eating… something that has become a sort of national emergency. Now she’s concentrating on childhood obesity.

“Nearly a third of all children in this country are overweight or obese… and a third will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lifetimes,” Mrs. Obama said in a speech at the Department of Health and Human Services.

“It is a major public health threat right now, so just imagine what we’re going to be facing in 20 or 30 years if we don’t get on this issue.”

Mrs. Obama went over some of the public issues associated with the obesity epidemic that includes our children:

• Long work hours for parents
• Dirty or unsafe neighborhood playgrounds
• Unhealthy take-out food

Besides expressing how she could relate, that before her White House days she sometimes struggled with food choices for her kids, she warned the audience about the dangers associated with childhood obesity should the rates continue to rise.

“What does it mean that medical experts are now warning that for the first time in the history of our nation, the next generation may be on track to having a shorter lifespan than this generation, and their parents?” she asked the crowd. “None of us wants a future like that for our children.”

(via: CBSNews.com)

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Michelle Obama Spotlights Child Obesity Epidemic

My wife and I have been giving my three-year-old daughter gummy bear vitamins for a year or so now. We’ve found it an easy way to get her to supplement her very finicky diet. And I even find myself occasionally dipping into her stash.

Then, a few months back I see a commercial for gummy vitamins… marketed to adults! It must have gotten back to them that we parents like ‘em too. I don’t recall the maker, just that there was a guy acting child-like in the supermarket. A quick “Googling” only unearthed a company called Slice of Life that makes allergen- and gluten-free gummy vitamins for adults.

Not only do the Slice of Life vitamins come in a multi-variety, but there are ones for special needs such as Vitamin C, omega-3, B12, among other even more specialized nutritional needs.

Some people have a hard time remembering their daily vitamins, or just don’t look forward to them enough to make it a habit. If you have a soft spot for gummy candy like I do, maybe try one of these.

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Gummy Vitamins For Adults

It’s not just in the U.S. – this is a worldwide debate. A Scottish couple lost custody of two of their six children because they failed to reduce the kids’ weight following warnings from Scottish social services.

In another case, a South Carolina mother lost custody of her 14-year-old son in May – he was 555 pounds. Jerri Gray didn’t help her case when she missed a court date to examine whether she should retain custody. The boy is currently living with his aunt. His mother, who was arrested, is facing criminal child-neglect charges.

“It’s happening more than the public is aware of, but because these cases are usually kept quiet [due to child-privacy laws], we have no record,” says Dr. Matt Capehorn, who sits on the board of the U.K.’s National Obesity Forum.

Authorities insist that removing children from their parents is a last resort. And since childhood obesity can lead to a host of adult health problems (diabetes, hypertension, heart disease), there is merit to the idea of putting on par with child abuse.

“Children are vulnerable. If they’re given food and told to finish what’s on the plate, they’ll eat it, and without exercise get bigger and bigger,” says Tam Fry, chairman of Britain’s Child Growth Foundation.

But there is some support for the idea that it’s not a black and white issue.

“It’s unfair to blame solely the parents, when there’s a myriad of other factors influencing a child’s weight,” says Dr. Dana Rofey of the University of Pittsburgh. Rofey runs a weight-management clinic, which is often called on during custody battles where squabbling divorced parents blame each other for making their child obese.

(via: Yahoo)

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Is Childhood Obesity Abuse?