"risk factors" news and stories

CalorieLab has just released a list of the fattest states in the country for 2006. Their research reveals that Mississippi is the fattest state, where approximately 29.5% of the population is obese based on a three year statistical average. If the statistics are extended to include the overweight population, as well as those who are obese, the results show that over 2/3 (67.3%) of the state's residents are either overweight or obese; Mississippi is the only state to have that dubious honor. Following close behind in the obesity count are Alabama, West Virginia, Louisiana and Kentucky. Colorado is the leanest state, followed in no particular order by Hawaii, Montana and a handful of the New England states.

The data was gathered from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System database from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which reveals some very interesting information about some of the factors that contribute to obesity, such as diet, nutrition and physical activity levels. For example, only 16% of adults in Mississippi eat the recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, compared to 29% in California and 30% in Vermont.

Fruit and vegetable intake is not going to turn the tide against obesity, especially considering that every state except one (Nevada) saw an increase in the percentage of the obese population over the last year. Diet does, however, play a large role in health and gradual changes in daily eating habits, as well as physical activity patterns, could change some of these numbers over time.

Source

A Canadian study showed a link between beer drinking and an increased risk of lung cancer. Non-beer drinkers had no increased risk, while wine drinkers actually had a decreased risk of lung cancer. The researchers, who did their work in the province of Quebec, obtained "very good smoking information on subjects, so [they] were able to filter out cigarette smoking [as a cause]."

The problems with the study as it is presented are twofold. The first is that the researchers noticed that wine drinkers had a healthier diet than beer drinkers, something other studies have shown. Diet could play a large role in overall health, including the likelihood of developing cancer.

The second problem is that even if the beer drinkers who smoked cigarettes were accounted for, they did not account for the amount of second-hand smoke that the drinkers might have been exposed to. Quebec does not have a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, though one may take effect as early as May 31st, 2006, and beer tends to be a more popular drink than wine in bars and nightclubs. All subjects would have to be exposed to the exact same amount of smoke for conclusive evidence that it was the beer alone that raised their risk.

Source

Despite the fact that study results were released this week indicating that eating a strictly low fat diet will not lower the likelihood of developing cancer or heart disease, companies do not anticipate a decrease in the demand for low fat products.

All that the 8 year study of over 40,000 women proves is that there is no link between a strictly low fat diet and the onset of these diseases. By strictly low fat, I mean that the diets of the study participants did not take into account anything other than the fact that they followed a diet made up of less than 30% calories from fat. They could have had higher than the daily recommended number of calories, never exercised or simply been genetically predisposed to the diseases. In other words, while the low fat diets were not shown to lower the risk factors, they did not raise them.

So, should you still watch the amount of fat you eat?