Seaweed Bacon

Vegetarians and health fanatics around the world can rejoice to the familiar taste of bacon. Biologists in Oregon have created a strain of dulse seaweed that tastes like bacon once it is cooked. The red sea plant is a vitamin-rich super-food, and had twice the nutritional value than that of kale. With 16% of protein in dry weight and the various ways of preparing it, the super-food can potentially be a substantial nutritious substitution for the fatty and cholesterol-rich bacon. Many chefs in Portland, Oregon are testing the super-food in their recipes for both cooked and raw consumption. Although, full analysis on whether or not a commercial operation would be economically practical has yet to be pursued. Dulse can be grown quickly and in large quantities, which makes it very desirable. In fact, the biologists in Oregon are growing the plant in large tanks at about 20-30 pounds per week. They plan to increase production to 100 pounds per week. Further research is being conducted on the bacon flavored dulse to gain further knowledge of its chemical properties and potential uses. Since the plant grows in water, all that is need to produce the crop is seawater and sunshine. This makes it a somewhat cheap crop to produce and sell. I found this article interesting because, even though I love bacon, I rarely eat it because of its small nutritional value. The discovery of this "healthy bacon" is very appealing to me and I think other people would feel the same way.

Dulse Seaweed

7 Billion in 2011

Science Daily.com reports that soon this year we will reach 7 billion people in the entire world population. In 1999 there was 6 billion, this means that in 12 years we gained an extra 1 billion people.

The United Nations, expects around 10.1 billion people by 2100. At least these projected people will be occupying most of today's areas that are not as populated and Africa.

Still this insane amount of people that have not even been born yet are already causing problems for those of us who are already here. We now have to think about food supply, water supply, housing, and energy. This also means that with less space, everyone will be in closer distances of each other. This means that disease can go through populations a lot quicker. Health will be another top priority to worry about. David Bloom from the Harvard School of Public Health said "Those challenges are not insurmountable, but we cannot deal with them by sticking our heads in the sand. We have to tackle some tough issues ranging from the unmet need for contraception among hundreds of millions of women and the huge knowledge-action gaps we see in the area of child survival, to the reform of retirement policy and the development of global immigration policy. It's just plain irresponsible to sit by idly while humankind experiences full force the perils of demographic change."

Original Article from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110728144933.htm

Picture from: http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Population&hl=en&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=Scqn_74BBFFVZM:&imgrefurl=http://www.tradenewswire.net/2011/the-worlds-population-may-hit-10-billion-by-the-end-of-this-century/&docid=fFC1KZCS7-G3CM&w=420&h=272&ei=xEI0TuBAiOHRAZWs9N8L&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=714&vpy=337&dur=4592&hovh=181&hovw=279&tx=222&ty=109&page=1&tbnh=142&tbnw=189&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0&biw=1034&bih=630

Fat Substitutes Linked to Weight Gain

ScienceDaily (June 20, 2011) — Synthetic fat substitutes used in low-calorie potato chips and other foods could backfire and contribute to weight gain and obesity, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.

The study, by researchers at Purdue University, challenges the conventional wisdom that foods made with fat substitutes help with weight loss. "Our research showed that fat substitutes can interfere with the body's ability to regulate food intake, which can lead to inefficient use of calories and weight gain," said Susan E. Swithers, PhD, the lead researcher and a Purdue psychology professor. The study was published online in the APA journal Behavioral Neuroscience.

The study used laboratory rats that were fed either a high-fat or low-fat diet of chow. Half of the rats in each group also were fed potato chips that are high in fat and calories. The remaining rats in each group were fed high-calorie chips on some days and low-calorie chips on other days. The low-calorie chips are made with olestra, a synthetic fat substitute that has zero calories and passes through the body undigested.

For rats on the high-fat diet, the group that ate both types of potato chips consumed more food, gained more weight and developed more fatty tissue than the rats that ate only the high-calorie chips. The fat rats also didn't lose the extra weight even after the potato chips were removed from their diet. "Based on this data, a diet that is low in fat and calories might be a better strategy for weight loss than using fat substitutes," Swithers said. 

My personal opinion is that if your goal is to lose weight don't eat potato chips! I never bought into any of those low fat snacks. I eat whatever I want but I do it in moderation. When I want to lose a few pounds I just limit or cut out junk food for a while. I feel like a lot of people eat low fat snacks and expect magical changes but it just isn't that easy.

The Truth About Toning Shoes Revealed

The new toning shoes that hit the market not too long ago claimed to tighten and exercise the buttocks, thighs and calves. In an article in the New York Times, this claim has been put to the test in recent studies. " Dr. Mercer’s study joins a small but growing body of science about toning shoes, much of which does not support the makers’ claims. A study conducted last year by exercise physiologists at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, for instance, found that muscle activation and calorie burning did not change whether people wore ordinary athletic shoes or any of three different models of toning shoes. “There is simply no evidence to support the claims that these shoes will help wearers exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone,” the authors concluded." There has been widespread disappointment with the shoes, and this year there has been several lawsuits filed against footwear companies claiming that the shoes did not fulfil their promise.

I am not all that surprised after reading this article in the New York Times. When these shoes first came out looking like Herman Munster gym shoes, I thought there was no way that these goofy looking shoes could help you lose more weight and tone the body. Many companies have since remodeled the shoe' look, making it less of an eyesore, but keeping the rocker-shaped sole. It seemed to be just another quick fix scheme for people to buy into, in hopes of a better looking body with fast results. There are no shortcuts when it comes to fitness, but if these shoes are helping people get out and exercise more than they would normally, then in a way they are doing their job.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/13/can-shoes-really-tone-the-body/

http://www.livestrong.com/

Pills that Prevent H.I.V

http://leesean.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/aids.jpg
Two new studies released on Wednesday add to the growing body of evidence that taking a daily pill containing one or two AIDS drugs can keep an uninfected person from catching the fatal human immunodeficiency virus.

One study released Wednesday, known as Partners PrEP and conducted in Kenya and Uganda by researchers from the University of Washington, showed that participants who took a daily Truvada pill had a 73 percent lower chance of getting infected. The study was done in 4,758 couples those in which one partner was infected and the other was not. Partners who took a Viread pill — which contains only tenofovir — had a 62 percent lower chance.

The second study, called TDF2 and done in Botswana by the C.D.C., found that those taking Truvada had a 63 percent lower chance of infection. The subjects were 1,200 sexually active young adults.

As it becomes ever clearer that modern antiretroviral drugs can not only treat the disease but prevent it, pressure is likely to increase on donors to find more money to supply them in places like Africa and on pharmaceutical manufacturers to either sell them cheaply or release their patents to companies that can.

“This is an extremely exciting day for H.I.V. prevention,” said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of AIDS prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. “It’s clear we’re not going to find a magic pill that prevents it, but this is adding more to the tool kit.”

11-Hour Work Days Can Harm Your Heart

According to MSNBC, Researchers in London have discovered that working 11 or more hours a day can increase your risk for heart disease by an astounding 67 percent.

"This study might make us think twice about the old adage 'hard work won't kill you'," said Stephen Holgate, chair of the population and systems medicine board at Britain's Medical Research Council, which part-funded the study.

It is not clear whether the long hours are the direct reason for the risk of heart disease rising. Many believe that the long hours attribute to bad eating habits, smoking, and lack of exercise which in turn lead to the higher risk.

For this study, men and women who worked full time and had no heart disease were selected, giving 7,095 participants. The researchers collected data on heart risk factors like age, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking and diabetes and also asked participants how many hours they worked (including work during the day and work brought home) on an average weekday.

During the 11-year study, 192 participants had heart attacks. Those who worked 11 hours or more a day were 67 percent more likely to have a heart attack than those with fewer hours.

I found this article pretty surprising. I am one of those people who work long hours (on the job and off). I can definitely agree that working long hours veers me off of the "healthy and active" path. I end up getting fast food and not working out at all. It's scary to think that these long hours can put me at risk for heart disease! I feel that everyone should get a chance to read this article and think twice about how they live their lives.