Author Archives: Jason

About Jason

Jason's career as a health journalist and researcher helps readers understand what they really need to know and use. This music buff loves a good record store and plays a mean bass.

Biggest Loser Season 13 Reveals Shocking Twist

Fresh on the heels of John Rhode‘s amazing win in season 12 of the Biggest Loser, the show has announced details about season 13, which begins airing January 3.

When season 13 kicks off, contestants arrive at the Biggest Loser Ranch and receive some pretty shocking news: while they get there in teams of two, which includes a mother/daughter, father/son, brother/sister and husband/wife combination, they will be split from their loved ones and will have to compete against them!

Dubbed the season of “No Excuses,” the competitors are taken out of their comfort zone to face both physical and mental challenges like they never have before in their lives. Not to mention, one team won’t even make it on the ranch. (more…)

Posted on December 14, 2025 by Jason

6 Health Benefits of Running

Why do runners do it? What makes them take a perfectly good day and decide to take an hour to run when you can get great health benefits from walking as well? There must be some reason they do it? There are actually many reasons, here are a few, including some that are a little less known:

Heart Health

The best known benefit to running is the cardiovascular boost runners get. Part of how it improves cardio health is that running lowers your blood pressure and helps maintain elasticity in your arteries. Since heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, do you need any other reason to go buy those new running shoes? (more…)

Posted on December 13, 2025 by Jason

500 Calorie Diet Good for Diabetics

Low-calorie diets have almost always shined bright in research studies, with favorable results for participants. When you start talking about extremely low-calorie diets, some new findings may surprise you.

Most dietitians do not recommend severely restricted calorie intake. So when you see a study that says their diabetic subjects saw improved heart function while on a 500-calorie-a-day regimen, it’s sure to raise eyebrows.

It should be noted upfront that the findings are not an endorsement of long-term extreme calorie restriction. Their positive findings were solely based on a short-term dietary change.

“Our results show that 16 weeks of caloric restriction improved heart function in these patients,” said lead author Dr. Sebastiaan Hammer, of Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands. “More importantly, despite regain of weight, these beneficial cardiovascular effects were persistent over the long-term.” (more…)

Posted on December 2, 2025 by Jason

Online Nutrition Course Offers Training to Fight Childhood Obesity

The plight of childhood obesity is well-known. The cost to the young people afflicted and to society as a whole is immeasurable, which makes the idea of child nutrition-specific training for health professionals all the more poignant.

The National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association (NESTA) offers an online, self-paced Kids Nutrition Specialist program. In some ways, nutritionists need to have special skills when it comes to children’s nutrition. Teaching kids their nutritional needs must be presented in a way that will engage their youthful minds, but is also appropriate for their special physiological needs. The health professional also needs to work with parents to make sure they approve of the methods. (more…)

Posted on December 2, 2025 by Jason

Underweight People at Greatest Risk for Post-Surgery Death

When we talk about healthy eating and dieting, our focuses is almost entirely on people who are overweight. Obesity-related diseases account for just about 10 percent of medical costs in the United States, which comes to an estimated $147 billion each year.

That said, according to recently released research, people who are underweight are 40 percent more likely to die in the first month after surgery than those who are overweight.

The researchers believe that a patient’s body mass index (BMI) can be used as a predictor for risk in recovery time after surgery. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines those who have a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 as normal weight, so anything below that range fits in the underweight category.

Previous studies showed mixed results, but since the new study examined nearly 190,000 patients undergoing various surgical procedures at 183 hospitals, it’s expansive enough to be taken seriously. (more…)

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Jason

Overweight Dads Have Overweight Kids

The phrase “like father, like son” now takes on a more serious meaning. According to an Australian study of more than 3000 families, four-year-olds who had fathers who were overweight or obese were at least four times more likely than other children to have weight problems by the time they reached eight.

The researchers investigated patterns in two-parent families, tracking their children  between the ages of four and eight. In each case, only one parent was overweight or obese. Interestingly, if the mother was overweight it did not seem to affect the weight of the children.

“We know that when both parents are overweight or obese, their children are more likely to also be overweight or obese,” said researcher Emily Freeman.

That part is logical, since parents are the providers and if they are buying unhealthy food, children have no choice but to eat what they are fed. While the study did not investigate the reasoning behind the troublesome link, it seems obvious that kids have some sort of special reverence to the way their fathers eat. (more…)

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Jason

P90X2 Makes its Long Anticipated Release

Fans of intense fitness rejoice! Today is the official release date for P90X2. Developed by fitness guru Tony Horton and Beach Body Fitness, the original P90X has been a wildly popular workout and nutrition program that advertises significant improvements in your physical fitness over a 90-day period.

The P90X series brings results with an emphasis on “muscle confusion,” a phrase the fitness community uses to describe a routine that involves constant change in exercises to avoid the body’s tendency to slow progress when it gets used to repetition.

Like P90X, P90X2 comes with a 90-day program that split up into three training packages, based on what the company states was two years of research and development. Here are your options: (more…)

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Jason

Gym Music Playlist of the Week: Post Turkey Day Mix

While I somehow managed to not gorge myself this past Thanksgiving, I know that most people can’t say the same. I say this not in judgment, since I’m usually just as guilty of being in a turkey and gravy coma by mid-afternoon. If you managed to ingest a few thousand extra calories, it’s time to start working them off.

Since it will take you about a week’s worth of exercise just to get back to where you started, let’s make this cardio workout playlist a wee bit longer. (more…)

Posted on November 30, 2025 by Jason

Pros and Cons of Weight Loss Surgery

Not everyone who struggles with their weight is a candidate for weight loss surgery. Let’s say you are considered a viable candidate. If so, you need to consider the pros and cons that come with each surgical option.

There are three primary “restrictive” weight loss surgeries, meaning those procedures that restrict the amount of food a patient can eat at one time: laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

Even though all three procedures are restrictive, there are significant differences, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. (more…)

Posted on November 25, 2025 by Jason

Smucker’s Peanut Butter Recall Due to Salmonella Risk

With a name like Smucker’s it has to be… recalled. Some of the company’s 16-ounce jars of Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter Chunky is being pulled from shelves due to possible salmonella contamination. The recall is only their chunky-style peanut butter.

During a routine sampling program it was revealed that some of the peanut butter could contain the bacteria. Luckily, there have been no reported illnesses associated with the recall.

The potentially dangerous jars can be narrowed down to certain regions of the country during a particular time range: (more…)

Posted on November 17, 2025 by Jason

4 Reasons to Lose Weight

Whether you have just a few pounds to lose or you are fighting a the battle against obesity, we all know the basic reasons being a healthy weight. We’re not going to talk about how if you lose weight, you will be thin and probably live longer. Those are both great reasons, but let’s take a look at some of the lesser known benefits of losing weight.

1. A Better State of Mind

While improving your self-esteem is certainly an amazing aspect of losing weight, it goes beyond that. If you find yourself in a bit of a slump or may even depressed, you could go to your family doctor and they may prescribe you an antidepressant. Or, if you exercise on a regular basis, the endorphins released may just do the trick naturally. If you are feeling depressed, this is not an endorsement of avoiding your doctor, so always contact a health professional if you feel it’s serious enough… you just may find the solution without a prescription. (more…)

Posted on November 17, 2025 by Jason