Fast Food, Weight Gain and Insulin Resistance

CarbSane just posted an interesting new study that fits in nicely with what we're discussing here.  It's part of the US Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, which is a long-term observational study that is publishing many interesting findings.  The new study is titled "Fast-food habits, weight gain, and insulin resistance (the CARDIA study): 15-year prospective analysis" (1).  The results speak for themselves, loud and clear (I've edited some numbers out of the quote for clarity):
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A Tryst by Typo

One of my email accounts is spelled in a very similar way to another person's, so sometimes I get their mail. We share a name. (Let's say it's "Ada").  

A few weeks ago, I got a letter that looked something like this:

Hey Dr. Ada,   

I know its prolly not appropriate to be writing this, but I cant wait to see u nekkid, covered in chocolate. 

Happy Easter,
Sam

My first thought was, "OMG! Did I have a student named Sam? What the heck?!?" Then I realized I was not the intended recipient and ignored it.

I got another email about a week later asking why I hadn't replied to the first one.  

Yesterday I received one about coordinating a morning "meeting", and that although we'd said 9:30, Sam would be ok with starting at 8 to "get things moving". Then today he sent an email describing some rather graphic details of what transpired. (These details are left as an exercise to the reader.)

I can't tell you how amused I am by all this. I keep debating how I might reply to Sam, or how I can contact the other Dr. Ada. I wonder if she's a PhD or an MD, and I wonder if Sam is her student. Then I wonder if he is her student and they are having a tryst, how on earth does she tolerate his egregious grammar and spelling errors?

In any case, I'm glad they're not using .edu addresses to conduct their rendezvous, as I'm pretty sure that's discoverable.

Kit Heath talk about the increase in silver price

Kit Heath talk about the increase in silver price
The 1980's saw an increase in the price of silver to $50 an ounce, what the industry retailers and consumers want to is; will it happen again?
It looks like it might.....

As is well documented the price of silver has risen significantly over the last 12 months. 

It was just $18 this time last year and at the end of 2010 was “only” $28 an ounce. The last four months, however, have seen an even steeper silver price rise culminating in the recent 30 year peak of $49. 

 

As a business, at Kit Heath we continue to work hard with our suppliers to maximise design value. 

We hope the silver price increases are short lived, but the general economic climate seems to support a “high” silver price trend for the foreseeable future and not just a temporary supply curve like we saw in the 80's. 

Silver is now an investment vehicle, at least whilst global interest rates are kept low and whilst demand outstrips supply. As a result the silver price is expected to remain high, volatile and at the mercy of speculators.

We will continue to carefully monitor the silver price on a regular basis, as we remain wholly committed to our strategy of offering excellent value for money to our retailers and consumers.

Further reading on the subject:

Silver outshines gold and platinum as an asset in 2010

Kit Heath: We must re-educate shoppers on silver

see y'all next week :)

Food Reward: a Dominant Factor in Obesity, Part III

Low-Fat Diets

In 2000, the International Journal of Obesity published a nice review article of low-fat diet trials.  It included data from 16 controlled trials lasting from 2-12 months and enrolling 1,910 participants (1).  What sets this review apart is it only covered studies that did not include instructions to restrict calorie intake (ad libitum diets).  On average, low-fat dieters reduced their fat intake from 37.7 to 27.5 percent of calories.  Here's what they found:
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