Bookworm

Novice Male in Oxford American magazine

Novice Male
in Oxford American by Michael Parker, No. 59: The Sports Issue

The title of this lengthy essay could be seen to refer not only to the competitive level of fiction writer Michael Parker's first triathlon, but also to his (seemingly) limited success in romance and as a father. He details how, newly sober, he developed a laserlike focus on learning to ride a road bike -- the one leg of the triathlon in which he had no experience. The reader can vicariously ride along with the first time triathlete during his first race, the harrowing Bandits Challenge, and rejoice with him in an even more important accomplishment -- his strengthened relationship with his daughter.

Cinnamon Improves Glucose and Lipids of People With Type 2 Diabetes

"The results of this study demonstrate that intake of 1, 3, or 6 g of cinnamon per day reduces serum glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes and suggest that the inclusion of cinnamon in the diet of people with type 2 diabetes will reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases." [Link: Cinnamon Improves Glucose and Lipids of People With Type 2 Diabetes -- Khan et al. 26 (12): 3215 -- Diabetes Care]

N.B.: This study is from a few years ago and I didn't look at the methodology to see if it held up scientifically. 

Leafy Green Sewage

"Farmers and food safety officials still have much to figure out about the recent spate of E. coli infections linked to raw spinach. . . this epidemic, which has infected more than 100 people and resulted in at least one death, probably has little do with the folks who grow and package your greens. . . [T]he villain in this outbreak, E. coli O157:H7, is far scarier [than more common strains], at least for humans. Your stomach juices are not strong enough to kill this acid-loving bacterium, which is why it’s more likely than other members of the E. coli family to produce abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever and, in rare cases, fatal kidney failure.  Where does this particularly virulent strain come from? . . . O157 thrives in a new — that is, recent in the history of animal diets — biological niche: the unnaturally acidic stomachs of beef and dairy cattle fed on grain, the typical ration on most industrial farms. It’s the infected manure from these grain-fed cattle that contaminates the groundwater and spreads the bacteria to produce, like spinach, growing on neighboring farms.  . . [In an experiment,] when cows were switched from a grain diet to hay for only five days, O157 declined 1,000-fold.  This is good news. In a week, we could choke O157 from its favorite home — even if beef cattle were switched to a forage diet just seven days before slaughter, it would greatly reduce cross-contamination by manure of, say, hamburger in meat-packing plants.  . . The United States Department of Agriculture does recognize the threat from these huge lagoons of waste, and so pays 75 percent of the cost for a confinement cattle farmer to make manure pits watertight, either by lining them with concrete or building them above ground. But taxpayers are financing a policy that only treats the symptom, not the disease, and at great expense. There remains only one long-term remedy, and it’s still the simplest one: stop feeding grain to cattle. . . [T]housands of acres of other produce are still downstream from these lakes of E. coli-ridden cattle manure." [NY Times; emphasis mine]

I don't eat a lot of spinach, but I had a bag of baby spinach in my refrigerator when this story broke and, even though it was probably fine, I'm very grateful I didn't eat it or feed it to my family.

Change What You Can; Be Realistic

"Both women and men experience a metabolic slowdown that begins somewhere around the age of 25.  Over time, your ability to burn fuel diminishes, regardless of how much you exercise and diet. In fact, severe calorie restriction slows your metabolism even further.  At some point, our metabolism slows to a point where additional exercise will not compensate and maintain a level of slimness we once enjoyed. . . Scale weight is also not a good indication of how fit you are, especially if you are approaching age 40 and beyond. This physiological fact should not be any reason to quit exercising and eating well. Good muscle tone, cardiovascular efficiency, bone integrity and joint flexibility will serve you well for the rest of your days on this planet. . In the 1970s, the average body-fat percentage of women on the cover of our country's major tabloids was 21 percent to 28 percent.  In the year 2000, these same magazines seldom promoted any woman who exceeded 10 percent to 12 percent body fat. Women in that category are genetically predisposed to be lean, regardless of their lifestyle. . . A recent Family Circle poll says the average American woman looks like this: Height: 5 feet, 5 inches.Weight: 174 pounds Size: 14 (42 percent are 16 and up) . . . Focus on things you can change, such as blood pressure, resting pulse, cholesterol, strength, endurance and joint flexibility. As we age, beauty becomes something that originates on the inside and works its way to the surface. It's in how we feel and how well we treat others. Life is to be lived and enjoyed, regardless of our external appearance and percent of body fat." [Jim LaFountain]

Fix the Problem, Washington

A recent Harvard study found that, of 1,771 people filing for bankruptcy across the U.S., half of them were doing so because of the fallout from illness and/or healthcare costs. 

". . . each year, 2 million Americans -- those who file and their dependents -- face the double disaster of illness and bankruptcy.  But the bigger surprise was that three-quarters of the medically bankrupt had health insurance."  [Washington Post]

According to the linked WaPo op-ed piece, Congress's response to this growing crisis is to make it harder for people to declare bankruptcy.  Talk about putting their collective heads in the sand.  Elected representatives: Tell us what you're going to do to make sure we all have adequate health insurance and good quality healthcare!  Do you think people really want to be declaring bankruptcy?  They've got their backs against the wall financially and need to provide the basic necessities for their families!

Feeling Overwhelming Sympathy

. . . for someone I've never met and his wife and daughter.  Go read this entry.  May God bless R, J, and S and be with them now and always.  Amen.

What We Eat

"Last spring, the W.H.O. and another United Nations group, the Food and Agriculture Organization, issued a report called "The Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases." It suggested a strategy of dietary changes for individuals, including limits on sugar consumption, as well as policies that might make it easier for people to eat more healthfully. . . The United States Department of Health and Human Services should have applauded, but instead it produced a 28-page, line-by-line critique centered on, of all things, what it called the report's lack of transparency in the scientific and peer-review process. Although the department framed the critique as a principled defense of scientific integrity, much evidence argues for another interpretation — blatant pandering to American food companies that produce much of the world's high-calorie, high-profit sodas and snacks, especially the makers of sugars, the main ingredients in many of these products." [NY Times]

"More than 60 percent of adults and 20 percent of children are now overweight or obese. . . [T]he soft drink industry alone spends upward of $600 million annually to promote its trash, compared with the National Cancer Institute's paltry $1 million budget for promoting fruit and vegetable consumption." [NY Times]

But instead of talking about this national health concern and allocating funds, the President would rather allocate $1.5 billion to promote marriage. Good grief.

And Baby Makes Three

I'm starting a new sub-blog today, called "And Baby Makes Three". Many people in my "real" life don't know this yet, but I am two months pregnant with our first child. :-)

You will see a link to the new blog in the left column. Posts on this topic will all be posted there. People who visit for book & movie reviews (more after the playoffs, I promise) or baseball news can still find that here on the main blog. And late April/early May next year, expect a hiatus, possibly without notice. ;-)

Don't Blame Your Genes

"Two sweeping studies released today appear to explode the long-held myth that half of heart attacks result from bad genes or bad luck. The studies, focusing on different populations totaling about half a million people, indicate that about 90% of people with severe heart disease have one or more of four classic risk factors: smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. That means the vast majority of the 650,000 new heart attacks each year could be prevented or delayed for decades by quitting smoking, reducing cholesterol and controlling hypertension and diabetes. . . The research has major policy implications. It suggests that doctors and patients should place even greater emphasis on prevention." [Yahoo News; emphasis mine]

High PCB Levels in Farm-Raised Salmon

"Americans consume so much salmon these days -- most of it farmed -- that it is now the third most popular fish in the country, after canned tuna and shrimp. It is one of those foods that nutritionists say is good for you, and the Food and Drug Administration says you can eat as much of it as you like. But a report released today by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental research and advocacy organization, says that 10 samples of farmed salmon bought at markets on the East and West Coasts were found to be contaminated with PCB's, or polychlorinated biphenyls, at an average level far higher than any other protein source, including all other seafood." [NY Times]