Lessons From Ötzi, the Tyrolean Ice Man. Part III

There are two reasons why I chose this time to write about Otzi.  The first is that I've been looking for a good excuse to revisit human evolutionary history, particularly that of Europeans, and what it does and doesn't tell us about the "optimal" human diet.  The second is that Otzi's full genome was sequenced and described in a recent issue of Nature Communications (1).  A "genome" is the full complement of genes an organism carries. ...

The Spoils of a "Scorched-Earth Defense" - Merck CEO Got $13.3 Million in 2011

Last week, Bloomberg reminded us of the legal baggage that pharmaceutical giant Merck is carrying. The company had announced yet another settlement of legal actions pertaining to its ill-starred but very profitable sales of now withdrawn Vioxx (rofecoxib) in 2011 (see post here). Now the settlement, including a guilty plea was accepted by a judge. A unit of Merck & Co. (MRK), the second- largest U.S. drugmaker, pleaded guilty to a criminal misdemeanor...

Random Thoughts: Obesity, Weight loss, Metabolism, Diet & Exercise

In the interests of saving a bit of time and gathering thoughts, I thought I'd jot down some would-be comment replies in a blog post instead.  First, so we're all (newer readers especially) on the same page, I did no formal exercise during the active weight loss phase and long plateau from sometime summer 2007 through spring 2009.  This was not really by design, but more out of fear as the last time I low carbed I experienced the racing...

Perednia: "Starting Over With Healthcare Reform Is, Unfortunately, a Matter of Religion"

Over at "The Road to Hellth" blog, Douglas Perednia MD has written an excellent piece entitled "Starting Over With Healthcare Reform Is, Unfortunately, a Matter of Religion."The use of the term "religion" is not literal but figurative:... In deciding what to do [in recent years], political leaders stopped dealing in experience, evidence and compromise, and began dealing in faith-based – almost religious – healthcare decision-making. Of course in...

#communitysport blog: Jamie Turley

Our latest blog in our Community Sport series comes from Jamie Turley. In his role as a Young Ambassador, 19-year-old Jamie from Ffynongroyw, has been responsible for inspiring, leading and coaching hundreds of young people in his community to get involved in sport. The Sports Science and Outdoor Activities student freely gives up countless hours of his spare time to motivate othersto take part in...

#communitysport blog: Ainsley Richards

Our latest blog in our Community Sport series comes from Ainsley Richards. In her role as a Young Ambassador, the teenager from Swansea has been responsible for inspiring, leading and coaching hundreds of young people in her community to get involved in sport. A London 2012 Young Ambassador for the City and County of Swansea, she has been a busy volunteer with her school, the feeder primary schools...

Karya-Karya sang Legendaris, Iwan Fals !

Unik Informatika - Sepanjang hidupnya Iwan Fals, sangat banyak mengabdi kepada bangsa Indonesia salah satunya adalah menciptakan seni di Indonesia menjadi salah satu yang terbaik di dunia. Seni musik yang sudah ditekuninya sejak kecil menghasilkan banyak karya seni, baik itu dalam dunia film atau musik itu sendiri, dalam dunia film Iwan Fals berhasil bermain di 3 film anak bangsa yaitu Damai Kami...

Does a "calorie not in" equal a "calorie out"?

Apparently not!According to this study, how one creates a caloric deficient can make a difference.The Impact of Exercise Training Compared to Caloric Restriction on Hepatic and Peripheral Insulin Resistance in ObesityContext: It has been difficult to distinguish the independent effects of caloric restriction versus exercise training on insulin resistance.Objective: Utilizing metabolic feeding and supervised exercise training, we examined the influence...