“I’ve had smarter people around me all my life, but I haven’t run into one yet that can outwork me. And if they can’t outwork you, then smarts aren’t going to do them much good. That’s the way it is. And if you believe that and live by it, you’d be surprised at how much fun you can have.”
Woody Hayes 1913 – 1987
In a December Q & A, there was a questioin about a comparison between a vegan diet and the American Diabetes Associations diet for controlling diabetes. The question was raised after a reader read about a particular study advocating a vegan diet for controlling blood sugar levels. The study claims a vegan diet works as well, if not better than the standard diet for diabetics.
I think you will find the response very interesting. A case is made against eating a vegan diet for any reason. The reader is informed about the anatomy of herbivores as compared to omnivores which is what humans are. The following is a sample from the Q & A column:
Myth: You can obtain vitamin B12 from plant sources.
Fact: One can only obtain B12 analogues (similar structure) from plant sources. The problem with these analogues is they are not bioavailable, which means our bodies cannot use them.
Myth: Vegetarians/Vegans live longer.
Fact: There is no scientific proof of this whatsoever. The few studies that have reported a longer life span among vegetarians have been shown to be “misinterpreted” to support a politically correct view.
It is important to note that not too long ago a vegan diet was not even an option. Without modern day supplements and food enrichment it was not possible for a human to survive on such a diet. Too many essential nutrients are lacking
To see the entire column go here.
It?s been estimated that healthcare, or more accurately insurance, costs each American $8000.00 per year. The health-care we receive in the US is the best in the world by a long shot. It?s our insurance industry that our government has helped create through worthless regulation that needs reform. A majority of Americans agree in poll after poll, insurance reform is needed, but they do not want government run ?healthcare?. They are smart enough to understand what a disaster that would be. Every ?social program? from Medicare to social security is literally bankrupt. There are other answers.
Why don?t we hear anyone talking about is lifestyle and disease prevention as the key to affordable insurance? Because, it?s not PC to talk about the financial burden the unhealthy lifestyles many Americans put on the rest of the population. Although Americans have free will and choose their lifestyles, 100% of the blame is not theirs. A large portion of it belongs to the American Medical Association, American Dietetic Association, the pharmaceutical industry, the food industry, the edible oil industry and our government. The recommendations, treatments and products these organizations have bombarded society with using billions of dollars over the years wreak havoc even on the healthy. The end result, 100?s of billions of dollars wasted annually on treating highly preventable diseases.
The CDC reports that obesity related diseases have reached almost $150 billion. The cost of treating obesity has doubled over a decade due to increasing prevalence. According to the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)t he cost of cardiovascular diseases and stroke in the United States in 2009 is estimated to be $475.3 billion. This figure includes both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs include the cost of physicians and other professionals, hospital and nursing home services, the cost of medications, home health care and other medical durables. Indirect costs include lost productivity that results from illness and death. The American Cancer Society estimates total costs of cancer to be $228.1 billion. Those with diabetes in 2002 had more than double the healthcare costs than those without. This includes both direct and indirect costs.
It?s glaringly obvious that the medical, pharmaceutical and insurance industries need to move from being treatment oriented to disease prevention. Unfortunately moving from allopathic medicine to holistic medicine is about as likely as winning the lottery; these industries make a fraction of the money in disease prevention as they do in treating disease. There is just not a lot of money to be made in healthy lifestyles.
Low testosterone levels may boost the risk of fractures for men over 60, an Australian study finds.
The researchers tracked 609 men (average age 72.6) between 1989 and late 2005.
The University of Sydney researchers collected information about the men’s bone mineral density, lifestyle habits, and blood levels of testosterone and estradiol (an estrogen).
During the study period, 113 men suffered low-trauma fractures (caused by a fall from standing height or lower). Of those men, 25 suffered multiple fractures.
There were a total of 149 fractures, including 55 vertebral, 27 hip, 28 rib, six wrist and 16 upper- and 17 lower-extremity fractures.
The risk of fracture was much higher among men with low testosterone levels, the team found.
Even after adjusting for a variety of potential risk factors, low blood levels of the two hormones “were associated with overall fracture risk,” the study authors concluded. Fracture risk was associated “particularly with hip and non-vertebral fractures,” they noted.
The findings are published in the Jan. 14 issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
Vitacost.com’s Daily Health Tip
A study finds older men who suffer from chronic anxiety substantially increase their risk of having a heart attack. While stress has been linked to an increased risk of heart problems, this is the first time that chronic anxiety has been identified as a risk factor also.
“There is an independent contribution of anxiety that can predict the onset of a heart attack among healthy older men,” said lead researcher Biing-Jiun Shen, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
In the study, Shen’s group collected data on 735 men who participated in the Normative Aging Study, which assesses medical and psychological changes associated with aging. Each of the men completed psychological testing in 1986 and had no heart problems at the time. The men were followed for an average of 12 years.
The report appears in the Jan. 15 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
During follow-up, the researchers found men who had chronic anxiety had a 30 percent to 40 percent increased risk of heart attack. Those with the highest levels of anxiety on psychological testing had an even higher risk of heart attack.
The risk posed by anxiety remained even after the researchers adjusted their data to account for standard cardiovascular risk factors, health habits, and negative psychological and personality traits, Shen said.
Exaggerated response to acute and chronic stress in anxious individuals may trigger a number of pathways which increase the risk of developing coronary artery disease and being stricken with a heart attack, Fonarow said.
“Highly anxious individuals should be aware they may face an increased risk of a heart attack and take proactive steps under physician supervision to control those cardiovascular risk factors which are modifiable including blood pressure, lipid levels, activity level and weight,” Fonarow added. HealthDay News)
Moral of the story, don’t sweat the small stuff.
© 2026 BottomLineFitness.com
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑