Author Archives: pey5011

Does ‘Fat But Fit’ Exist?

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      All throughout our lives, we are told weight doesn’t determine if you are over or underweight, and it’s more about how you feel as a person.  For the most part, this is true because if you have a high body mass index, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are fat.  Having said this, the majority of people who are overweight but still consider themselves fit, are in fact not healthy.  According to this CNN article, “fat but fit” does not exist, and healthy obesity is a myth.fitandfat.jpg

      As stated above, scientists have discovered that some people who are considered overweight can still be metabolically healthy, meaning that although their BMI is above average, they have normal blood pressure, cholesterol levels and no signs of diabetes, yet the opposite is also true for those who are too thin.  To figure out if someone was actually healthy while disregarding their weight, eight studies were done with more than 60,000 participants.  The studies recorded each patients BMI and metabolic status and categorized them into 5 groups.
1.  Metabolically unhealthy and normal weight
2.  Metabolically unhealthy and overweight
3.  Metabolically unhealthy and obese
4.  Overweight but metabolically healthy
5.  Obese but metabolically healthy

Results showed that people with normal weight and metabolism had fewest cardiovascular problems, and that being metabolically unhealthy puts you at greater cardiovascular risk, regardless of your BMI.  The results also showed that the metabolically healthy obese group had the highest mortality rate compared to all of the other groups.  The moral of this study is that excess weight will effect your body, regardless of if you see the results now or not.  
      Contrary to this study, a study done by Jacque Wilson of CNN states that you CAN be fat and fit.  He feels that although obesity is linked to many diseases and complications, there is a number of obese people who obesity related problems.  Researchers studied 43,265 people from 1979 to 2003, and measured their fat content.  29% of the subjects were considered obese, and more than half of them were considered metabolically healthy.  The study showed that the metabolically healthy obese patients had a 38% lower risk of dying than those who were metabolically unhealthy.  They also found that there was no risk difference in the metabolically healthy normal weight patients and the metabolically healthy obese patients.  
      In conclusion, some researchers feel strongly that fat but fit is a myth, while others believe it is a possibility.  Science shows that both can be true, but regardless of that, exercise is found to be a great tool for fighting obesity and increased happiness.  Personally, I think that regardless of your metabolic status, being obese increases your chances of health complications, therefore there is no way that could be considered healthy.  Obesity is a term used for when someone is extremely over weight, implying that their weight is not where it should be.  This site here lists many complications that can stem from obesity, and I feel that is enough evidence to point us in the direction that it can’t be healthy. 

A Salty Situation

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      Salt is one of everyones favorite condiments.  Whether its on french fries, mashed potatoes, or even caramels, it makes everything taste just that much better.  Salt is one of the cheapest ways to enhance foods flavor, but just like everything that tastes good, it comes with it’s downsides.  Unknown.jpeg

      Despite its great flavor, too much salt can really effect ones health.  Although it’s not something us salt lovers want to hear, salt is one of the most overly used condiments out there.  According to Discovery Health, the body requires only 500 miligrams of sodium a day, yet most Americans consume more than 4,000.  Too much sodium can eventually lead to hypertension, which is defined as high blood pressure.  Who knew that such a small grain could eventually effect your health. Hypertension may sound rare and complicated, but in fact more than 50 million Americans, or 1 in 4 people have high blood pressure, and most of the time they don’t even know it.  High blood pressure is something that you can live with, but when ignored, it can lead to heart, kidneys disease, and strokes.  
      Having said this, some ways to cut back on salt intake is stay away from processed and canned foods, which account for more than 75 % of our salt intake.  According to Arthur of CNN, one serving on canned food has about 1000 milligrams of sodium, so by sticking to fresh fruits and veggies, you will save both money and increase your health. The tricky thing about sodium is that most of the time we can’t even taste it.  Salt is also known as a “hidden” ingredient, because most of the time we don’t even know we are consuming it.  Here are several foods that have a high amount of salt, yet the consumer would never know. 
      1.  Blended coffee drinks-220 mg
      2.  Tomato sauce-410 mg
      3.  Plain bagels-500 mg
      4.  Cereal-220 mg
      5.  Canned veggies-400 mg
Although salt has it’s downsides, Lauren of Empowered Sustenance actually feel that salt has many benefits to the human body, and it goes beyond being a tasty condiment.  Contrary to what was stated about, Lauren states that a low sodium diet can actually be unhealthy.  A study done by the College of Medicine states that subjects who consumed less than 2300 mg of salt a day had a higher mortality rate.  Secondly, increased salt intake helps regulate insulin levels, while low salt diets cause insulin resistance.  Lastly, salt helps the body maintain its natural stomach pH known as hydrochloric acid.  Proper stomach acid levels are necessary for good digestion.  
      After hearing these two contrasting views on salt, you may be asking yourself “how much salt should it eat?”  The answer may be more simple than you think; listen to your body.  There really is no universal amount of salt that one should consume.  Be aware of your personal health, and simply listen to your body.   
            

The Messier The Smarter…?

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      We have all seen babies play with their food, throw it all over their face, and paint the table with it, but besides being slightly unsanitary and a pain to clean up, it actually says a lot about that kid.  Studies have shown that there is a correlation between messy babies eating, and intelligence.      

       Researchers at the University of Iowa conducted a study of more than 70 kids at 16 months old, to see how well children could learn the names of non-solid foods.  The kids were split into two groups, where the first was placed in a height chair, and the second was placed at a table.  The height chair kids were allowed to play with their food, while the kids at the table were only able to look at it.  The food was then taken away and brought back in different containers, and the kids were tested on how many foodsmessy-baby-eating-in-high-chair250aaol-lifestyle-uk111010.jpg they could correctly name.  Research shows that the kids who sat in their natural environment of the height chair and were able to play with the food scored much better than those at the table.  This shows that putting a toddler in a familiar setting while being able to interact with the food, dramatically increases their memory and recognition skills.  

      Having read about this experiment, I feel that it is actually unfair to test the children’s 
knowledge in this way because interacting with the food will only help increase their chances of recognizing it.  All of the human senses such as smell, taste, hear and touch tremendously increase ones memory, and in addition to this they were placed in different seating environments. A more accurate way to test if messier kids are smarter is by only changing one variable, thus having both sets of kids in height chairs which is their natural environment where they feel comfortable being messy, but only allow half of the kids to touch the food.  I think this is a much fairer experiment because it only changes one variable, so seating location will not effect the outcome, therefore the results will be specific to the food.  
      Contrary to all of this,  one thing that I found really interesting is the correlation between messy adults and ADD.  ADD stands for attention deficit disorder, which makes it extremely difficult to focus and stay organized.  According to this site here, one of the main symptoms of ADD is being messy and unable to focus.  The study above stated that the messier the kids are, the better they were at focusing on which foods looked alike and belonged in which containers, but for people suffering with ADD, they experience the oppisite.  I wonder how being “messy” can mean such different things.  For the children, the messier they were the easier it was to focus on the task at hand, but for those with ADD, it’s the opposite.  Obviously ADD and food recognition are not linked, but I found it very interesting that the term messy can mean such different things for different age groups!  This site here talks about ADD in more detail if you are interested!

Early Bird VS. Night Owl

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      They say early bird catches the worm, but what about those night owls out there?  Everyone has their preferred hours of the day, whether it be early in the morning or late at night.  For me, I always feel most alive in the morning hours, but for many other people in my life, they strongly feel the opposite.  What is it specifically that causes certain people to function theUnknown.jpeg best at different hours of the day you may ask?

      The answer lies in each persons circadian rhythm, or their internal clock.  The average human clock is 24 hours, but everyone has a slight variation of this, meaning some can be longer or shorter than others.  If your clock is slightly longer, then you will most likely be a night owl, and if it’s shorter, you are most likely an early bird.  Just like your body, your circadian rhythm can actually change over time, thus changing your sleeping pattern several times throughout your life.  Those in their teenage years tend to have a longer clock, therefore they tend to be night owls, while elders are usually the opposite.  Regardless of what hours you prefer to be awake during, there are both advantages and disadvantages to both.  Professor Colleen Oakley states that night owls have a higher frequency of depression, as well as a higher dependence on caffeine and alcohol.  Contrary to this, a recent study in Belgium states that night owls are able to concentrate more and focus on a single task.  Despite the pros of being a night owl, there are several positive aspects to being an early riser.  A recent study from the University of Toronto states they have better sleeping patterns, deeper sleeps, and tend to be overall happier and healthier.  
      Although Oakley feels that a person can be defined as either a night owl or morning person, Charles Fergus of Penn State states that no one is specifically a morning or night person.  Fergus states, “even though someone will swear he is a morning person or night owl, that is often a false perception.  Approximately 15 to 30 percent of people do not run on the 24 hour cycle, therefor their sleeping patterns would be adjusted to morning or night.  Regardless, the human body is wired on a schedule, and people function better based on different times 
throughout the day, not necessarily just morning or night. 
      Although sleep patterns sound very complicated, we in fact have the power to slightly alter what type of sleeper we are.  Sleeping patterns are based off of our genetically determined rhythm, so if we are used to pulling all-nighters in college, then we may be prone to staying up late.  For elders who are used to going to bed early, their sleep schedule adjusts to that as well. Having said this, the majority of our circadian rhythm is biological, and therefore out of our hands, but we do have the ability to adapt our body to our daily habits, so put the computer down and get to bed. 

Don’t Panic!

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      Your head starts spinning, your heart feels like it’s going to beat out of your chest, and your throat quickly closes up, as sweat begins to drip down your fear-stricken face.  The second you feel as if you are going to die, the fear slowly begins to fade away, and you become one with reality again.  Ladies and gentlemen, you just suffered from a panic attack. stop-panic-attacks.jpg

      Panic attacks are symptoms of an anxiety disorder that effect about 60 million Americans at some point in their life.  Contrary to a heat attack, panic attacks can effect people of all ages, starting mainly at age 15, and escalating up to adult years.  Similar to a heart attack, panic attacks hit you instantly, while being unexpected and disabling. Panic in general often occurs twice as often in women as men, but boys and girls tend to experience it equally.  For us women out there, this sounds completely unfair and unfortunate, and in fact, it is.  According to a Times of India article, exact reasoning behind this is unclear, but there are connections that could explain it.  Research states that more women suffer from migraines and headaches than men, and head pain has been linked to the onset of panic attacks.  To prove this, one study was done specifically targeting women who suffer from panic attacks, and it was shown that all of these women also suffer from migraines, resulting in their attacks being more frequent and longer lasting.  Another study was done focusing on post-menopausol women and women with tragic life events, which also resulted in common and long-lasting panic.  A third study focused on older women with cardiovascular complications, and concluded that this category of women were also prone to panic attacks.  
      Contrary to these women focused studies, other researchers feel that the fundamentals of panic attacks are based off of serotonin levels which play a role in the “fight or flight” response. Due to the fact that people of all genders have serotonin levels, this researcher is implying that both men and women could equally suffer from panic attacks, and that menopause and cardiovascular complications do not necessarily play a role.  
      Another aspect of panic attacks is the fear of them recurring.  This term is known as agoraphobia, or “the unrelenting fear of a situation, activity, or thing that causes one to want to avoid it.”  Regardless of gender, a percentage of those who suffer from panic attacks can also suffer from agoraphobia, thus increasing the severity of their attacks.  
      Regardless of your age, gender, or whether or not you suffer from agoraphobia, everything boils down to what exactly is a panic attack?  According to Discovery Health, when the body experiences fear, the sympathetic nervous system causes muscles to tense, adrenal glands swell, production of sweat, and an increased heart rate.  In conclusion, Dr. Sikora states that although men and women can face panic attacks at different frequencies and for different reasons, they can occur in all body types, shapes and forms, even in those you would least expect.  In the wise words of Kobe Bryant, “If I panic, everyone else panics,” so please, everyone breathe. 

Winter Blues

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      Spring and Summer and commonly the most loved seasons out of all.  For some of you it may be because of the beach trips, lack of school, or backyard barbecues, but for others, it may be the increase of sunlight that grabs our attention.  Not only does the lack of sunlight fade everyones tanned skin, but it also has the ability to strongly affect your mood.  As beautiful as State College Spring and Summer’s are, the Winter is not everyones favorite.  

      Being affected by the lack of sunlight is called seasonal depression, or more formally known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).  SAD is a mild form of depression brought of by a decrease of sunlight, as well as unstable amounts of Melatonin and Serotonin.  Melatonin is a hormone responsible for one’s sleep, while serotonin is responsible for mood, energy, hunger, and sleep.  Due to the fact that SAD is brought on by the lack of sunlight, it is not a long-term depression, but has the ability to effect people in similar ways.  The symptoms found in SAD and depression are very similar such as 
      – Increased exhaustion

SAD.jpg

      – Difficulty concentrating
      – Anxiety
To learn about several more symptoms, check out this site here.
Although SAD and generic depression have many similarities, there is one big difference.  The general realm of depression is brought on by an in-balance of hormones, but unlike SAD, the most common way to recover from depression is through medication and therapy.  The good thing about SAD is that you actually have the ability to lessen your depressed emotions by focusing on positivity.  This positive emotion can act similarly to sun light, thus brightening your emotional outlook and mood.   
      If you do not suffer from SAD then it may sound very odd to you, but according to clevelandclinic, approximately half a million of the U.S. population suffers from SAD, while 3/4 of them are women.  It typically occurs in young adulthood, but can also occur through childhood and old age.  Although SAD can effect people of all ages, you may be asking what about it effects people differently.  The exact cause of SAD is actually unknown.  As stated before, lack of sunlight and hormone levels play a large role in this disorder, but there is more to it.  One theory states that a lack of sunlight throws off your “internal biological clock,” which regulates hormones, when you sleep, eat, etc.  When sunlight comes back, it is said that the internal clock is reset back to it’s original timing.  Contrary to this, another theory states that a lack of sunlight can alter the neurotransmitters in the brain, while when there is sunlight, the    in-balance of the brain is fixed.  
     According to Dr. Pace of mentalhealth.gov, SAD is still not very well understood, but one remedy that is proven to aid it’s side effects is known as Light Therapy.  The recommended dose of light is 10,000 lux for 10-15 minutes a day over a period of 4-6 weeks.  Light therapy is a great alternative to prescribed drugs, but SAD does effect each person differently, so the perfect remedy is still being studied.  SAD is surely not something you want to deal with, but if you are effected by it just remember, it is temporary, and sunnier days are just around the corner!

Are you afraid?

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Have you been terrified of snakes your whole life? is it a fear unexplainable but terrifying nonetheless? Well, genetics may be to blame for your fear of these reptiles. A new study is showing that the human brain may actually be programmed to be afraid of snakes!This study says that ALL humans may have this genetic fear of snakes due to our long evolutionary history that involved snakes preying on us humans.

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The study comes from a tribe called the Agta 
Negritos in the Philippines. The author of the 
study, an anthropologist from Southern Methodist University, spent over 20 years with the tribe and was able to document their rivalry with the local pythons in their area. He uses his knowledge of the area to describe the history of humans and snakes. The study found that this fear is universal among humans but also a different type of fear compared to that fear gained when a robber holds a gun up to us. 
So next time you think its illogical for you to be afraid of snakes remember that it isn’t! Because of evolution, history, and genetics none of us can help it we are all afraid of snakes. 

Dogs can communicate like a human baby?

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It’s been said that dogs can tell when you are sick, sad, or happy; well, now a study has given reason to why this is. A recent study has shown that dogs are a lot like infants in the way that they are sensitive to our cues to communicate with them are our equally receptive to them as a “pre-verbal infant”. 

In this study, eye-tracking technology was used to show how dogs reacted after they were given communication cues. It was found that the dogs gaze followed the person just as often as a 6 month old baby’s would. This fact shows that dogs have evolved over time and become attuned to human signals. 
The only question that is still up in the air with this study is which part of communication is more important; eye contact, or directed speech? Personally I think it’s all about eye contact. What do you think, can dogs really understand what we are saying or do they just follow what we are looking at?
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Celebraties Aren’t Perfect?

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      No. No they are not.  Believe it or not, celebrities may have more problems than you and I combined.  You may be thinking paparazzi, privacy, or weight may be the extent of the average celebrities problems, but did you know that some of your biggest idols may suffer from mental disorders? celebrities-with-eating-disorders.jpg

      Elton John for example, famous for his successful music career, and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, may not have the glamour life that us outsiders tend to believe.  To help deal with the pressure of the spotlight, Elton John turned to substance abuse and bulimia.  AZCentral.com talks about his daily struggles with cocaine, alcohol, and bulimia, and how he nearly ended his life on numerous occasions.  John states, “I would have epileptic seizures and turn blue, and people would find me on the floor and put me to bed, and then 40 minutes later I would be smoking another line.”  After so many near death encounters you may think that he learned his lesson, but in fact, nothing would stop him.  
      Another popular idol, David Beckham, portrays a picture perfect life, with a beautiful wife and thriving career.  But deep down is not as pretty as you may think.  Beckham suffers from Obsessive Compulsive disorder, which is becoming more prevalent today than ever.  According to this article, OCD effects one in 60 people, ranging from mild to a severe need for order and cleanliness, and Beckham thrives off of the need for everything to be perfect.  
      Another common face, Drew Barrymore, paints a picturesque picture to the public, while her acting career grows each day.  Although she may look perfect, Barrymore suffers from Claustrophobia which is defined as a fear of closed spaces.  With all the red carpet events, flashing cameras, and crowded rooms, Barrymore suffers on a daily basis.  
      As stated above, all of these celebrities live different lives and suffer from different diseases, but regardless of their differences, they do have one thing in common.  Whether it be OCD, substance abuse, or claustrophobia, all of these diseases are due to a lack of serotonin in the brain.   Lacking serotonin can effect ones cognitive, mental, behavioral, and emotional factors.  This site explains that those are are very intelligent are more likely to suffer from mental illness’s such as Abraham Lincoln and depression.  Believe it or not, there is not necessarily a direct correlation to celebrities and mental illnesses, but drugs, genetics, and overstimulation can be contributors, which could help explain why so many celebrities are suffering from these diseases.  
      So the next time you want to get out of your suburban lifestyle and hit the red carpet, just think, their life isn’t nearly as perfect as you may think.  

Junk Food Is For Losers

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We all know the freshman 15 is real.  Whether your going through it right now, have already gone through it, or know someone going through it, everyone can agree it’s definitely not a myth.  While everyone is in the midst of gaining weight, the only advice we hear is go to the gym and eat healthy.  But what is healthy?  Personally, if I need to eat spinach, water, andimages.jpeg kale for the rest of my life, Im simply not doing it.  But what if there was an alternative to eating healthy foods that actually taste good?  Well, there is, and thank the heavens for it because kale and I do not get along.  

      To my surprise, there are actually many great tasting foods that have amanzing health benefits to them.  Now, if I knew this my freshman year then my body would have been a lot happier.  MagForWoman.com talks about several surprisingly healthy foods, that are both good for the taste buds and the body.  
  1. Dark chocolate—now this is definitely no Twix bar, but it’s something I can work with.  Dark chocolate not only tastes pretty good, but it has several health benefits that every college student should check out.  Dark chocolate has to ability to cleanse to body, due to its rich flavors that can also serve as a detox.  It is extremely rich in antioxidants which can help lower blood pressure and improve the heart.  Generally, when eaten in small amounts, dark chocolate serves as a super food, and a pretty good tasting one.  
  2. Avocado—this is something that doesn’t appeal to everyone, but personally, I could eat avocados whole.  With a little salt and pepper you have a great snack that is rich in vitamins.  Avocado contains a lot of folic acid and vitamin B, which helps regulate the heart and lower cholesterol.  It is also very rich in potassium which helps lower cholesterol, and improver overall health.  
  3. Blackberries—I am personally not a huge fan of blackberries, but becasue of their amazing health benefits, they are hard to resist.  They are especially important for woman becasue they are packed with ellagic acid which helps fight wrinkles and aging skin.  Blackberries are packed with calcium to improve bone strenght, as well as antioxidents to reduce the risk of cancer.  
      One of the reasons eating healthy is so hard is the lack of motivation.  Sure an avocado a day is good for me, and maybe a few blackberries here and there, but why is eating healthy so important.  As a lazy college student I can agree that eating healthy is one of the harder things to do, but this website looks at the general picture of healthy eating.  Tracii Hanes of Livestrong.com states that “Food is the source of energy for all of our bodily functions and directly effects how our bodies and minds function in every stage of life.”  So maybe it is worth skipping out on Canyon Pizza, and trying a healthier option.  Not only is healthy eating good for our bodies, but it also contributes to weight management, energy, and mood, which are three imperative factors in every students life.  
  1. Weight management—most of the foods that I would consider yummy are filled with empty calories, which begin to stack up in more ways than one.  You never become full, and your body starts to get used to the poor foods you are intaking
  2. Mood—a healthy diet can lead to improved mind and body performance.  Foods rich in antioxidants improve cognitive functioning, and help decrease the chances of depression and anxiety.  
  3. Energy—good proteins, carbs, and fats are considered to be the fundamentals of energy.  The energy provided by junk food is very minimal, and can cause you to be tired and groggy.  The better you eat, the better you will feel and perform.  

If eating healthy is hard for you, then just remember, almonds and peas are not your only option.  And if your lacking motivation, then think of all the positive effects healthy eating has on your body.  The freshman 15 is avoidable, and I hope this makes it a lot more manageable.