1. Two Drugs Increase Breast Cancer Stem Cells

Avastin and Sutent which fight many types of cancer by preventing blood vessel growth, but increase the number of stem cell cancers in mice with breast cancer which likely explains the very temporary benefits in women who used it.

2. What Happens If You Only Eat Chicken Nuggets

Stacey Irvine, 17, collapsed recently from her 15-year-long diet consisting of mostly just chicken nuggets.

3. More Moms Are Giving Birth at Home

More mothers are choosing to give birth at home, says the National Center for Health Statistics.

4. Physician Weight Affects Obesity Diagnosis

Prevention (CDC) obesity affects more than one-third of the U.S. adult population, but a new study reveals those results might not be entirely accurate because your doctor’s own weight might also play a role.

5. Fight Alzheimer’s with an Active Brain

A new study indicates that keeping your brain active by doing things like reading, writing, and playing games can reduce the levels of protein that form amyloid plaque, which is used by doctors and researchers to identify Alzheimer’s Disease.

6. Bill Gates Pledges $750 Mil to Global Fund

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $750 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

7. Men Have Higher Rates of Cognitive Impairment

New research from the Mayo Clinic finds that men are more likely than women to develop a condition known as “Mild Cognitive Impairment,” or MCI, a confirmed risk factor for dementia. Education level is also a factor.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Two Drugs Increase Breast Cancer Stem Cells; What Happens If You Only Eat Chicken Nuggets is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

1. Odds of Depression Increased by Long Work Day

Working 11 or more hours each day doubled the odds of experiencing a major depressive episode compared to working just seven or eight hours, find researchers in Britain.

2. Sex Safe for Most Heart and Stroke Patients

Sex is safe for most heart and stroke patients says doc who adds it’s no more strenuous than golf.

3. Health Insurance No Benefit for Unemployed

Chalk up another strike against the recession because a recent study revealed that having health insurance really isn’t beneficial if you’re unemployed.

4. Pork Used As

The Detroit Medical Centre has successfully used the insertion of cured salt pork into a patient’s nostrils to quickly and effectively halt uncontrollable, life-threatening nosebleeds without drugs or surgery, reviving a dormant folk-medicine cure.

5. Fight Gout with Enriched Skim Milk

Gout, a form of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid in the blood, can be made more tolerable by drinking enriched skim milk, according to a recent study published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Odds of Depression Increased by Long Work Day; Sex Safe for Most Heart and Stroke Patients is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

(CC) Alaina Abplanalp Photography/Flickr

Eating Like You Had a Cab Waiting

Maybe you’re always running late, or impatient by nature, or get absolutely ravenous, but whatever the reason, you tend to bolt your food as fast as possible. Not a good idea, according to Japanese researchers, who found a relationship between rapid eating and overweight. And it won’t slake your hunger any quicker, since the brain doesn’t start registering fullness for about 10 minutes, whatever your eating pace.

So relax, take small bites, chew everything slowly and methodically, repeatedly take leisurely sips of a non-caloric beverage, especially if carbonated, and pause now and then just to experience the taste.

Eating to Feel Better

When events crank up our emotions, making us feel either celebratory or gloomy, we routinely respond by hitting the cupboard or fridge for something to consume. With all the ambient stress in everyday life these days, this response to pressure can wind up moving the numbers on your bathroom scale.

The solution here is to release that pressure in ways other than feeding it. Engage in some physical activity that will get your pulse up, for openers. Talk to someone about the situation, or about anything else, if only to keep your mouth occupied. Take a hot bath. Do a crossword puzzle. Play a musical instrument. Whatever takes you away from wherever the food is located.

Snacking the Day Away

Far too many of us don’t view a “few bites” of something whenever the urge strikes us as real food, and over the course of a day, we may stash away the equivalent of an actual meal, calorie-wise, a munchie at a time. This is because most things that fall into the “few bites” category also fall into the “junk food” one as well: sugary, salty, fatty, starchy snack items. If munch you must, follow these rules:

• Replace all snacks of the junk variety with healthy alternatives: yogurt, veggie slices, dried fruit, fat-free popcorn — Google “low-cal snacks” for several million suggestions.
• Make a list of “quicksand” snacks, the kind that you can’t stop eating once started, and don’t let them in the house.

Snacking the Night Away

The old saw that the later you eat, the more the food stays with you, may be right on the money. Test animals who are given high-fat meals when they’d ordinarily be sleeping gain considerably more weight than those fed the same diet during their normal waking hours.

If the problem is nocturnal hunger, limit yourself to raw fruits and vegetables. If you’re just antsy, try the hot bath or crossword gambit. If it’s simple insomnia, have a glass of warm nonfat milk or bouillon, curl up and read a book. I would suggest my own eBook, “115 Reasons Why It’s Not Your Fault If You’re Fat,” but that would more likely make you laugh out loud than nod off. Go with a history book, the more obscure the better. A biography of Calvin Coolidge — that should do it.

(By Robert S. Wieder for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News):

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4 Types of ‘Bad Eating,’ and How to Avoid Them is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

1. Embryonic Stem Cells Improve Vision Loss

Results from a new study involving two women with different diseases that led to vision loss demonstrated that an embryonic stem cell transplant was safe and improved their vision.

2. Grieving to Become Depression?

Is grieving a part of depression? The answer is no, according to the current definition, which is now being reviewed by the American Psychiatry Association as they work on the 5th edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

3. Men Are More Likely to Get 32 of 35 Cancers

Men are at much greater risk of developing 32 of 35 cancers, and the reason may be biological, finds an international study by American and Swedish researchers.

4. Magic Mushrooms Could Help Depression

People that attend certain types of parties are probably already familiar with the effects of magic mushrooms but one study indicates those happy ‘one with the universe’ feelings could help fight depression in a clinical setting.

5. Acid Reflux Drug Doesn’t Help Asthma in Kids

While doctors frequently prescribe the gastroesophageal reflux drug lansoprazole for children with asthma, a new study shows that the addition of the drug with standard inhaled steroid treatment doesn’t improve asthma symptoms.

6. Women Feel Pain More Acutely Than Men

Women report feeling pain more acutely than men, but is this a matter of perception or biology?

7. Black Tea Can Help Lower Blood Pressure

A study has found that drinking black tea can help lower blood pressure. In a study of 95 volunteers, those drinking black tea had a lower 24-hour systolic and diastolic blood pressure of between 2 and 3 mmHg over those drinking a placebo.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Embryonic Stem Cells Improve Vision Loss; Grieving to Become Depression? is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

1. Abortion 14 Times Safer Than Giving Birth

Results gathered from government information on pregnancy show that abortion is significantly safer than giving birth and challenge the reasons behind state laws the regulate what a doctor can tell a woman about having an abortion.

2. Starbucks to Sell Wine, Beer in Atlanta

Some Starbucks stores in Atlanta and Southern California will begin offering wine and beer along with premium foods, such as hot flatbread sandwiches.

3. Man Wants Legal Right to Be Killed

Tony Nicklinson had it all – a successful career and an active life that included playing rugby and skydiving. Then, seven years ago, he had a paralyzing stroke. Now, he wants to die and he doesn’t want anyone that helps to be charged with murder.

4. Health Insurance Has to Cover Contraception

The Obama administration has decided that most health insurance plans must cover contraceptives for women free of charge, and it’s a rule that even Catholic hospitals, colleges, and charities must follow.

5. Hospital Care for the Wealthy

When you think of hospitals, you probably think of sterile environments, shared rooms, and bland food, but many hospitals are now focusing on a trend known as hospital tourism and catering to an elite group that believes in living in comfort.

6. Pomegranate Seed Oil of No Menopause Benefit

Pomegranate Seed Oil is marketed as an alternative remedy for menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, but a study appearing in the journal Menopause finds that the supplement has no more benefit than a placebo filled with sunflower oil.

7. Many with Cancer Still Smoke After Diagnosis

Many cancer patients continue to smoke after diagnosis finds a new study.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Abortion 14 Times Safer Than Giving Birth; Starbucks to Sell Wine, Beer in Atlanta is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

A psychological defense mechanism is a mental process — usually unconscious — that protects the person from shame, anxiety, conflict, loss of self-esteem, or other unacceptable feelings or thoughts.

Many of these defense mechanisms are learned behaviors from our vulnerable childhood, when, because of our perception of various, often-difficult experiences, we needed to protect our innocent, developing selves.

When these emotions became too overwhelming for us, we sought safety by employing psychological defense mechanisms.

A defense mechanism becomes pathological when using it causes the physical or mental health of the individual to be adversely affected. This should not be confused with healthy, conscious coping strategies or skills, which can minimize or tolerate stress or conflict while functioning to solve personal and interpersonal problems.

When we are attempting to make a change in our lives, it can often be useful to look back at our past behavior patterns. This can offer us significant clues as to why we have failed and why we have succeeded.

Patterns that lead to success are usually easier to identify, and for most of us, working to improve them will not be as useful as identifying and overhauling patterns that continually cause our failures.

Individuals tend to fail in the same ways, for the same reasons, over and over again, while at the same time being unaware of that pattern of behavior that results in that failure.

Two of the More Common Defenses

Rationalization is one type of dysfunctional psychological defense. With rationalization, behaviors or feelings can be justified and explained in a logical manner. By doing this, we can avoid any true explanation, and the behaviors or feelings are made tolerable or even admirable to our distorted thinking.

In the movie “The Big Chill,” the Jeff Goldblum character discusses rationalization:

By using rationalization, we can encourage our irrational or unacceptable behavior, motives or feelings. This can be done consciously or subconsciously. Either way, we create a barrier between ourselves and the truth.

Denial is another common defense mechanism. With denial, when we are faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept, we just reject it, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence to the contrary. It’s sort of a “my mind is made up, don’t confuse me with the facts” mentality. We may either deny the facts altogether, or admit them but deny or minimize that they are really serious.

These two can be combined into a pattern in people that might be called the Goal-Rationalization-Denial Cycle.

A goal is initially set, followed by rationalization as to why we did not reach our goal, followed by denial of the failure. This pattern is then continually repeated.

How do we make sense out of the extremely complicated and confusing dynamics that influence our attempts to make a change?

We must find the simplicity on the other side of the complexity.

With the proper perspective, we may be able to observe our thought pattern and the behaviors that come from that. Understanding and addressing these patterns (thoughts and behaviors) can help us make order out of our chaos.

Remember, defense mechanisms are most often learned behaviors, most of which we learned during childhood. That’s a good thing, because it means that, as an adult, you can choose to learn some new behaviors and feelings that may be more beneficial to you in your life. Many psychotherapists will help you work on these things, if you’d like. But even becoming more aware of when you are using one of the less-primitive types of defense mechanisms, such as denial and rationalization, can be helpful in identifying behaviors you’d like to reduce.

Whether it is losing weight, improving our fitness, finding a needed job, enabling those around us, overcoming an addiction to any of the myriad of human addictions, or just living a better life, we all use denial and rationalization to avoid dealing with the pain, shame and anxiety of our failures. Facing that truth may be the hardest struggle of our lives. It takes tremendous effort and honesty, and it often requires professional help.

When Paula Deen was interviewed last week about her diagnosis of diabetes, her statements, in my opinion, illustrated her complete denial of the seriousness of her condition.

Since that interview, there has been a significant negative response to her statements, her cooking and eating of high-calorie, unhealthy meals, how she is a paid promoter of a diabetes medication — which is very expensive and has been carcinogenic in animal studies — and that her main lifestyle change will be drinking less sweet tea.

In all fairness, I feel the huge public response was an example of another psychological defense mechanism, projection. Projection is when we attribute traits, qualities and motivations that actually belong to oneself to others because we do not want to face or admit them. This verdict would not be surprising, as recently released statistics show that obesity in the U.S. has risen to 36 percent of men and 39 percent of women.

We are all drinking a little too much sweet tea, I guess.

To read more about psychological defense mechanisms, see this article.

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Psychological Defense Mechanisms 101: The Dysfunctional Patterns of Our Lives is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

1. Gabrielle Giffords to Resign from Congress

AZ rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who suffered a brain injury in a shooting rampage that killed six people and injured 13 others, says that she will resign from Congress to concentrate on her recovery.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Gabrielle Giffords to Resign from Congress is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

1. Saturated Fats Increase Diabetes Risk

The consumption of saturated fats, especially the kind in lard, butter and margarine, has been shown to increase insulin resistance and impaired blood sugar uptake, leading to Type 2 Diabetes and obesity.

2. Redefining Autism Could Reduce Services

The definition of autism is being reconsidered and proposed changes could cut state-funded assistance for people with autism that are considered higher functioning

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Saturated Fats Increase Diabetes Risk; Redefining Autism Could Reduce Services is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

1. Statins Inhibit Mutant Gene Tied to Cancer

Laboratory experiments demonstrate that statins, a popular class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, inhibit a pathway that is activated by mutated p53 which plays a role in many cancers.

2. New Extremities MRI Ends Claustrophobia

A new MRI machine designed for arms and legs produces images as detailed as full-body MRIs but eliminates stress and claustrophobia.

3. Hospital Noise Exceeds Recommendations

WHO recommends that hospital rooms not exceed noise levels of 30-40 decibels, but University of Chicago researchers found sound levels averaging 50 and spiking as high as 80, almost as loud as a chainsaw, with negative implications for patients’ sleep.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Statins Inhibit Mutant Gene Tied to Cancer; New Extremities MRI Ends Claustrophobia is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

1. Experimental Hepatitis C Drugs Successful

Two new drugs, along with conventional treatment, used in individuals with hard to treat hepatitis C virus successfully cleared the virus and results indicate that the two standard therapies, interferon and ribavirin may no longer be necessary.

2. The Choking Game Is Popular with Texas Teens

The Choking Game, where blood flow is deliberately cut off to the brain in order to achieve a high, is popular at Texas colleges. Several deaths have resulted for the activity.

3. Transplant Denied for Mental Delays?

The Web is buzzing since Chrissy Rivera wrote in the blog wolfhirschhorn.org that her 3-year-old daughter was rejected for a kidney transplant because she suffers from Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome.

4. Vitamin D Reduces Effect of Aging on Eyes

New research has found that vitamin D could reduce age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration. Study authors noted also that vitamin D supplements may also reduce amyloid beta build up in the blood vessels.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Experimental Hepatitis C Drugs Successful; The Choking Game Is Popular with Texas Teens is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

(CC) Nina Matthews/Flickr

Unsurprisingly and somewhat unfortunately, new reasons did not suddenly and conveniently stop appearing with the release of the book. They continue to pop up. For example, the December issue of the Journal of Consumer Research contained a report which made the case that the color of your dinnerware may be as connected to the amount you eat as is the size of your plates (Reason No. 80).

Specifically, it seems that the closer in color one’s plate is to the color of whatever one is eating, the more one will eat of it. Researchers believe that the similarity of colors effectively blurs the diner’s perception of the amount of food that has been served and eaten.

Red, yellow and orange are the worst in this regard, not only because so many sauces and starchy food items share those colors, but because those hues have been found to encourage eating in general, which is why the decor of fast food outlets is awash with them. Browns are probably not diet-friendly either. If your plates are, say, the color of bacon or french fries, you’re just asking for love handles the size of satchels.

By contrast, researchers say the most diet-friendly plate color is blue, followed by white, since relatively few foods are blue or colorless. Purple would seem to qualify on that basis as well, and it strikes me as logical that green would get a favorable rating simply because it might finally induce your kids to finish their vegetables.

(By Robert S. Wieder for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News):

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Reason No. 116 Why It’s Not Your Fault If You’re Fat: Your Plates Are the Wrong Color is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

1. Burger King Delivered to Your Front Door

Burger King is trying out home delivery in the Washington, D.C. area with plans to expand testing to 16 restaurants before February.

2. Herceptin and Tykerb Shrink Breast Cancers

A new study found that combining Tykerb and Herceptin to treat women with early stage HER2 positive breast cancer before surgery has been shown to be more effective at shrinking the tumor and stopping its progression that using either drug alone.

3. New Treatment to Remove Gallstones

Scientists in China have developed a new endoscope that locates and removes gallstones without removing the gallbladder.

4. It’s Dangerous to Walk with Headphones

Serious injuries and deaths are becoming more common among pedestrians using headphones.

5. Hormone-Based Gum May Suppress Appetite

Researchers at Syracuse University are working on a chewing gum that could suppress the appetite, leading to weight loss. Previous studies show that injections of the hormone can lead to a 30 percent reduction in calories consumed.

6. Paula Deen Has Diabetes

Food Network star Paula Deen has come forward and announced that she has Type 2 diabetes, but she’s not letting the news she received 3 years ago during a routine checkup slow her down.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Burger King Delivered to Your Front Door; Herceptin and Tykerb Shrink Breast Cancers is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

1. FDA Fines American Red Cross $9.59 Million

The FDA has fined the American Red Cross $9.59 million for failure to correct blood-safety violations.

2. Bacon, Sausage Linked to Pancreatic Cancer

Bacon, which currently seems to enjoy a goes great with anything status, has been found by a recent Swedish mega-study to increase one’s risk of pancreatic cancer, an especially deadly form, at a rate of about 10% for each slice when eaten daily.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: FDA Fines American Red Cross $9.59 Million; Bacon, Sausage Linked to Pancreatic Cancer is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

(CC) lifescript/Flickr

Her History

Ms. Deen came a long way from her simple Southern roots as a small-town Georgia girl. Her voyage has not been an easy one. After moving to historic Savannah with $200 and two teenage sons in 1989, she went on, through hard work and determination, to overcome agoraphobia, raise her children and publish four cookbooks, the first being self-published. She eventually reached both national and international recognition and appreciation for both her cooking and wonderful persona.

The Letter

Dear Paula:

First, let me say how sorry I am to hear of your recent diagnosis. As a doctor, I well know the serious implications of this disease. I also know that there are many others who, like you, are faced with the sudden realization that the lifestyle that they have enjoyed may have to be drastically altered because of their health concerns.

You may be wondering what the ramifications of your diagnosis might be for your very popular cooking show. You might be able to use what has happened to you to help those others who, like you, have appreciated a life filled with the joys of Southern cooking and eating those traditional recipes.

Why not invite your admiring fans to be your partners in learning and enjoying the foods they love in more healthy ways? You have the opportunity to be a wonderful role model for others!

I look at you and I see a smart, talented and beautiful woman who has built an empire out of something she loves and can obviously do so very well. You can turn the energy, love and laughter you project on your show into an enthusiastic embrace of new ways to plan, cook and serve the same delightful creations you have featured on your show and in your cookbooks. As you make important changes in your lifestyle, you will inspire your viewers to think about applying your ideas to their own cooking. Perhaps even the “Paula Deen & Friends: Living It Up in Healthy Ways, Southern Style” cookbook!

I look forward to watching the Paula Deen show in the future. I know millions of your fans will also.

Best of luck to you no matter what you decide to do.

Sincerely,

Dr. J

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An Open Letter to Paula Deen is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

1. Sesame Street Breast-Feeding Petition on Fire

The movement to bring breast-feeding back to Sesame Street is gaining steam as nearly 30,000 people have signed an online petition targeting the children’s show.

2. Moms’ Antidepressant Use Affect Babies’ Lungs

The use of selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors during pregnancy appears to slightly increase the risk of having a baby with pulmonary hypertension, according to the results of a long term study that gathered information from over one millions births.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Sesame Street Breast-Feeding Petition on Fire; Moms’ Antidepressant Use Affect Babies’ Lungs is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

1. Bath Salt Injection Costs Woman Her Arm

A New Orleans woman lost her arm after developing a flesh-eating bacteria caused by an injection of bath salts.

2. Retail Giant’s Radioactive Product Recalled

Bed Bath and Beyond has recalled their Dual Ridge Metal boutiqu tissue holders because they emit radiation.

3. Health Care Plan in Comic Book Form

MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, who consulted on the creation of the Affordable Care Act, explains its effect on the average citizen using a cartoon medium, with Health Care Reform, a comic book designed to explain the law in simple, graphic terms.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Bath Salt Injection Costs Woman Her Arm; Retail Giant’s Radioactive Product Recalled is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

1. Moms Want Breast-Feeding on Sesame Street

Bring Breastfeeding Back to Sesame Street, is the petition started by mothers on Care2.com.

2. Some Chemicals Tied to Miscarriages in Nurses

Continuous exposure to chemotherapy drugs, x-rays and disinfectants increase the risk of miscarriage early on in pregnancy in nurses who handle them on a regular basis, according to a new study.

3. Grapes May Prevent Age-Related Blindness

Antioxidants in grapes may help prevent the onset of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly.

4. High-Fat Diet Could Lead to Brain Scarring

A diet of high-fat foods may lead to the scarring of areas of the brain that control the appetite, altering their structure and causing the brain to interpret obesity as the body’s proper condition, thus making weight loss more difficult.

5. Boredom Leads to Overeating, Drinking Alcohol

Are you bored at work? A recent British survey suggests that 25 percent of office workers are affected by chronic boredom and that this causes them to eat chocolate, drink more coffee, and imbibe in after-hours alcohol.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Moms Want Breast-Feeding on Sesame Street; Some Chemicals Tied to Miscarriages in Nurses is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

1. High Vitamin D Levels Tied to Heart Problems

Vitamin D has been touted for its many benefits, including heart health, but new research shows that high levels still within the normal range may actually increase the risk of cardiovascular problems.

2. High Heels Could Cause Painful Flat Feet

Flat feet (pes planus) is a painful condition caused by the stretching-out of the tibialis posterior tendon. Wearing high heels could contribute to the breakdown of the tendon, finds new research from the University of East Anglia.

3. Occasional Marijuana Use May Not Harm Lungs

Occasional marijuana may not harm lungs as much as smoking tobacco, finds a new study.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: High Vitamin D Levels Tied to Heart Problems; High Heels Could Cause Painful Flat Feet is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

1. Twinkie, Wonder Bread Live Despite Bankruptcy

In the junk food world, there’s no touching the Twinkie, and the iconic brand from Hostess is likely to survive the company’s bankruptcy.

2. Heart Attack Risk Up After Death of Loved One

Heart attack risk rises after losing a loved one and remains elevated for at least a month.

3. Coffee Lowers Diabetes Risk

Researchers from China have discovered that the consumption of coffee is related to a lowered risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. People who drink four or more cups daily have a 50 percent lower risk of developing the condition, the team found.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Twinkie, Wonder Bread Live Despite Bankruptcy; Heart Attack Risk Up After Death of Loved One is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

(CC) Emilio Labrador/Flickr

Just One More Thing to Irritate PETA

Right away, let me emphasize that the phrase, “big-butt saddles,” is not my invention. It’s a term used in the equine sports and tourism industry, which is to say your dude ranches and your trail ride operators and your mounted hunt organizers and the like: recreational activities involving people on horseback. It refers to one of the ploys those in this business have been resorting to in order to accommodate the increasing size and heft of their clientele: Significantly wider saddles, which have expanded since the 1980s, when a “plus-sized” width topped out at 16.5 inches, to as much as 22 inches across today, with sizes greater than 17 inches flying off the shelves of suppliers and outfitters.

Beyond that, some in the industry are increasing their stock of larger mounts, adding big plow-horse types with Budweiser-commercial bloodlines. And others, apprehensive about the physical well being of horses and humans alike, have bitten the bullet of decreased revenues and established a maximum rider-weight limit, typically under 300 pounds. Indeed, if you weigh more than that, you’re better off covering the distance on foot. Happy trails!

This is Why Deck Chairs No Longer Come With Arms

Meanwhile, our growing national poundage is similarly being felt at the opposite end of the tourist transportation spectrum: Charter boats, ferries and other group-oriented watercraft. Here’s the deal: The U.S. Coast Guard is charged with establishing an Assumed Average Weight per Person, so that a pleasure craft restricted to a load limit of, say, 5,000 pounds, can translate that into the number of passengers allowed on board. For about 50 years, the AAWP has been set at 160 pounds, which, given the 5,000 pound limit for example, would work out to 31 passengers.

But after an overloaded tour boat incident killed 20 passengers in 2005, the authorities began talking up a more accurate standard, and in December, the USCG issued the new Assumed Weight: 185 pounds. That’s not hay, a 25 pound difference; it represents a 15 percent increase in pounds per passenger, which to the pleasure boat people translates as 15 percent fewer passengers, and passenger revenues.

This hasn’t been a problem for the larger vessels, your ferries and harbor cruisers and the like, which even with the new AAWP, are built to carry far more passengers than they typically do. Nor does it bother the luxury boat operators, who generally limit their capacity in the name of passenger comfort to begin with. But it has been a thorn for smaller craft, generally those less than 65 feet long, where the loss of even a handful of passengers per trip can not only put a serious dent in one’s profits, but drastically reduce the resale value of one’s business, i.e. the boat.

There have, of course, been complaints that the new AAWP will financially cripple many boat operators, and that it doesn’t reflect actual conditions on the water. Children, for example, should not have to be counted as complete passengers under a certain age, some suggest. On the other hand, the new AAWP number may be unrealistic in the other direction. Consider: When you think the words “typical American tourist,” the person in your mind’s eye most likely is wearing Bermuda shorts the size of a topsail, is built like a snowman and pushes the scale well past 200 pounds. And that image is probably not far off the mark.

Bon voyage!

(By Robert S. Wieder for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News):

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Big-Butt Saddles and Coast Guard Assumed-Weight Revisions: More Signs America’s Getting Fatter is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog