We are all aware of type 2 diabetes, well there is a new study that suggests scientists already know the cure for type 2 and yet the government spends billions of dollars on research to figure it out. Type 2 diabetes is produced by high blood-sugar levels, which result from the pancreas failing to produce enough of the hormone insulin combined with insulin resistance, in which the body fails to respond to insulin normally (Reason.com). About 1/10 of the U.S. population has diabetes, and require insulin shots. Scientists have stated the cure for type 2 diabetes is to lose weight and eat better/healthier. This study consisted of a small group of 18 obese patients with type 2 diabetes that were given gastric band surgery, that started on a healthy low-calorie diet for 8 weeks. The results of the study had shown the participants had lost about 31 lbs each, and 0.6 grams of fat from their pancreas.

Its interesting because the scientists noted the pancreas fat loss as crucial. Excess fat in the diabetic pancreas is specific to Type 2 due to the pancreas fat loss. The non-diabetic obese patients had no decrease in pancreas fat when losing a similar amount of weight as those diabetic obese participants.

In this study, the hypothesis tested here is Type 2 diabetes and proving a cure. The putative variable is Type 2 diabetes and the putative response variable is the obesity, and fat. I believe in this case the mechanism measured here is the pancreas fat, due to changes in the control group and test group differ depending on this mechanism. I believe more studies could have been conducted for this topic, and in fact, so did the scientist, because they are planning an upcoming study involving a larger sample size of 200 participants, and a two-year study period.
Works Cited:

https://reason.com/blog/2015/12/02/diabetes-cured-by-losing-weight

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=194576&resultclick=1

googleimages.com

Its supposed to be Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner when people are supposed to eat, three times a day, but a new study finds people eat all the time. In fact, people eat constantly for almost 15 hours a day. This was discovered when scientists studied smartphone pictures participants took before eating or drinking anything every day. One of the scientists in particular, Satchidananda Panda had shown by limiting mice or fruit flies by what they ate, this could affect weight gain and heart health. However, his studies were challenged when compared to humans, because humans eat three meals a day within the 12-hour period. The researchers for this study recruited 156 people to use their smartphones and instructed them to photogragh everything they ate for three weeks, and a time stamp was unknowingly recorded from their device. This seems to be a common thing anyway, with instagram and foods being posted on the site so normally. A number of participants also wore a wristband that tracked how much light they were exposed to and tracked their activity. This was a way for researchers to analyze the eating patterns of these participants.

Researchers found that people started eating about an hour and a half after they awoke, and continued to eat until a couple hours before bedtime. There were no large breaks between meals and about 25% of calories were eaten before noon and 37.5% after 6pm (Student Society for Science).

If you look at the chart, there is data shown for 11 people that prove people eat frequently over a period of more than 14 hours.

The timing of these meals; however, can affect health and weight gain of a person. These researchers conducted another follow up study, and this study I strongly agree with. As 8 of the sample size agreed to eat within no more than a 10-hour span, when they cut back they were not eating high-calories foods. These participants lost 7.2 lbs, and reported getting a better sleep, and not feeling as hungry during the night time. This just blows my mind, that eating less can result in better sleeping patterns and no need for hunger headaches. The goal of this study was to track participants in hopes of understanding their eating habits and changing when they ate.

This would be considered an observational study and it is direct causation, and 3rd variables are involved. Its observational because the study consisted of scientists analyzing people’s eating patterns and habits. It is direct causation because when people ate more they are bound to gain more weight, eating causes weight gain. However there are more 3rd variables involves such as risk of diabetes, bad sleeping habits, and bad exercising habits.

Then I began to wonder if people have a heavy influence in eating habits. I can easily relate to this because there are times when I plan to eat at home or don’t plan to eat at all, and friends invite me to get food with them. According to Science Direct, an observational study was done of customers in three different lunch settings: work site cafe, fast food restaurant, and moderately priced restaurant and looked at the relationships between meal duration and the number of people eating together at a table. The results were to suggest a significant positive correlation between group size and meal duration. As expected, the meal duration was longer in moderately priced restaurants than at the fast-food restaurant. This makes a lot more sense after completing this further analyses and probing for this study.

Works Cited:

https://student.societyforscience.org/article/if-you%E2%80%99re-awake-you%E2%80%99re-probably-eating

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666303001090

googleimages.com

As the brain sleeps it clears out the harmful toxins in our brain and may even reduce the risk of alzheimers disease. During sleep a fluid in the brain known as cerebrospinal fluid increases dramatically and essentially acts as a “dishwasher” washing away all harmful waste proteins that usually build up between brain cells when awake.

Scientists discovered the brain cleaning itself while studying the brains of sleeping mice. The scientists discovered there was a increased flow of cerebrospinal fluid circulating through the brain and nervous system. With mice, when they sleep their brain cells shrink, facilitating the fluid to circulate. When the mice was awake, the brain cells enlarged, and the flow between cells decreased. This could explain our reason for not being able to think as clearly after a night of no sleep, and explains why prolonged lack of sleep has the ability to kill both an animal or human. Nedegarrd, one of the scientists states, “Isn’t it interesting that Alzheimer’s and all other diseases associated with dementia, they are linked to sleep disorders.”

This study was particularly interesting to me because when you think about it, as college students we don’t get much sleep. Currently sleepless nights, and lack of sleep could be increasing our risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This is a huge phenomenon, and one to be fully aware of the consequences.

Although in the study the researchers didn’t actually observe humans brains, but instead conducted an experiment with mice and analyzed the mice brain activity, this brain cleaning process could lead to a new way of understanding human diseases. According to an additional study, normal tissue in the brain in comparison to brain tissue affected by Alzhiemer’s disease are from the frontal lobe of both hemispheres of the brain. Brain samples were conducted, 25 samples were taken and 18 participants with an average age of 73 years old with confirmed alzhiemers disease and 26 samples from 15 participants with no signs of alzheimers disease. Those with no disease were known as the “normals”, and those with disease were the variable to scientists were trying to control (Elemental analysis of the frontal lobe). The findings were scientists noticed significant differences in concentrations between concentrations in normal and Alzheimer tissue.

Since one of the waste products removed from the brain during sleep changes depending on sleep and whether a person is awake, the mechanism measured here can be identified as the beta amyloid. Beta amyloid concentrations increase when a person is awake, and decrease when a person is sleeping. This raises a strong chance that someone who controls their sleep pattern can improve sweeping out the beta amyloid from the brain and preventing amyloidosis which scientist believe can lead to Alzheimer disease.

Works Cited:

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/10/18/236211811/brains-sweep-themselves-clean-of-toxins-during-sleep

http://www.akademiai.com/doi/abs/10.1007/BF02034435

http://journals.lww.com/alzheimerjournal/Abstract/1998/06000/Silicon_Reduces_Aluminum_Accumulation_in_Rats_.5.aspx

googleimages.com

As the weather gets much colder and there is less of a need to go out for the night, many turn to Netflix or Hulu, and watch tv shows or movies for the night. Some even enjoy the show so much they begin to watch episode after episode and find themselves binge watching. Young adults or millenials should be careful when doing this, there was a study that linked cognitive impairment with young adult binge watching. Researchers analyzed data from a 25-year-long study of more than 3,200 18-to 30-year-olds and found that those who reported doing less physical activity and watching the most TV (more than 3 hours a day) had the worse cognitive functioning before reaching mid age.

Participants of the study with the most TV viewing, and less exercise were more likely to perform badly on brain performance assessments compared to their peers. Researchers expanded this study even further, by taking a look at different types of screening behavior and not limiting the study to just television. They looked at the time spent using computers, hand held devices, and videogames.

Looking at this study, I found this quite interesting and a bit alarming, just because many young adults watch Netflix, and many binge watch their favorite shows. I remember watching more than 10 episodes of “Breaking Bad” in one day just because it was such a good show and new at the time. However, I did not realize the damage I was causing to my brain and neutral functionality. Binge watching is indeed making us dumber according to science.

This would be considered a correlational study/observational study. This would be direct causation, but not reverse causation and there are third variables involved. There are possiblities that binge watching and not exercising can cause other conditions such as obesity, poor heart health, and depression. It is not just an effect on the brain. In summary, if you binge watch, remember to excersise and not binge watch shows often because unhealthy behaviors in young adulthood could lead to more serious behaviors or results in actual adulthood.

Works Cited:

http://time.com/4130883/tv-sitting-cognitive-decline/

http://hellogiggles.com/binge-watching-making-us-dumb/2/

Google images

As many know, the future is full of innovations, new ways of thinking and doing things. 3D-printing has become more and more popular within this century, people have started even printing cars! With 3D printing we should be aware or take precaution. A new study finds that some newly printed plastics may emerge with traces of dangerous chemicals.

A bio-engineer at the University of California, wanted to measure tiny zebra fish eggs and newly hatched baby fish, when she used a 3D-printer, many eggs did not hatch and the fish that did were sick. The bio-engineer Shirin Oskui, was aware her regular plastic lab ware never has harmed her fish before, suggesting it has the be the 3D-printer.

William Grover and Shirin Oskui both further investigated and found that processes inside some of the 3-D printers actually leave traces of toxic chemicals on the finished/final object. This was a huge discovery, because there are no strict rules for safety when comparing 3-D printing to a manufacturing plant. The product could be successfully printed out but that does not mean it is deemed safe.

The researchers performed an experiment and made three small disks with each 3-D printer, they placed each disk into its own dish along with 30 newly laid zebrafish eggs. As a control they placed zebrafish eggs in dishes with no plastic disks. Once the team monitored both the control group and testing group, they found that about 80% of fish in the control groups survived but fish in the testing group had some health problems and only 60% survived. Also every fish in the remaining dishes died. Those in the test group that died off, were eggs and fish hatched exposed to plastic made by stereolithography 3-D printing (Society for Science). The researched went as far to clean the finished object after it was printed, but the toxins remained which they have believed poisoned and killed the fish.

Thankfully the researchers found a cure to the problem. They recognized light made the ink into a hard plastic, and reasoned the more light applied should transform any ink leftover into a safe solid. The researchers tested this theory, and came to the conclusion that since 60% of fish survived at least a week when light was applied, that the light should get rid of the toxins.

This was definitely an interesting read, and does require additional research. I looked for more research on this topic, but could only find this article. In the future, more studies should be done on this topic. It truly raises the question of what regulations have we put on 3-D printing? Has technology moved so quickly and changed so fast that we still have yet to set concrete safety procedures and rules when using 3-D printers? This still remains unknown. Little is known about to toxicity of 3-D printed objects.

Works Cited:

https://student.societyforscience.org/article/some-3-d-printing-can-leave-toxic-taint

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.estlett.5b00249

http://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/tuljtip17&div=10&g_sent=1&collection=journals

googleimages.com

As you know, smartphones and mobile devices are widely used and quickly changing the way we can access information, reach audiences, and impact the mobility space.

I found this article particularly interesting because apparently when comparing an iphone 5 to an iphone 6, or even an iphone 6 to an iphone 6 plus, if there were advertisements displayed on both, the iphone 6 plus user will be more likely to be persuaded to purchase the product than the iphone 6. We can infer from the study, that people who viewed video ads on larger screens tended to experience feelings of trust. This study sheds some light on how people may be processing information on slightly larger screens and in fact, people who viewed video advertisements on slightly larger screens had the “feeling of immersion” as if they were inside actually experiencing this virtual reality. As the researcher stated, “If you feel like you’re there, you may be more inclined to trust things more, You feel like you’re almost in the environment, so it must be real.”

The researchers who released their findings in an issue of Human Communication Research, explained how the study suggests consumers want to reflect on how the screen sizes and types of media are affecting them before they buy a product or sign up for a service. Essentially this could be the reason why companies like AT&T, Verizon and Sprint continue to push new (larger) phones on customers when they are in the store.

Researchers recruited 120 undergraduate students in Korea assigning one group an Android smartphone with a 3.7-inch screen and another group an Android smartphone with a 5.3-inch screen. These participants used the smartphones to view a bus schedule, and had to watch an advertisement before shown the bus schedule on the mobile devices. Once the session was finished, participants had to fill out a questionnaire that determined the depth of information processing, the level of trust, and buying intentions.

This article i believe would be considered an experimental study, because out of the 120 recruited undergraduate students in Korea that were used for this study, researchers assigned one group an Android smartphone with a 3.7-inch screen and another group with an Android smartphone with a 5.3-inch screen. The researchers then measured the way people process information/ads on the two different sized smartphones to figure out if buying intentions varied depending on size of mobile device.

The putative causal variable measured in this study would be how people may be processing information on these slightly larger smartphone screens. The putative response variable measured would be the change in buying behavior, and those with the larger screen devices becoming more inclined to purchase a product than those with the smaller screen devices. I found this very interesting and intriguing. Next time you purchase a new larger phone possibly for the holidays, think about the science that goes into the way we process information and the different depths of thinking and the effect it may have from looking at an advertisement.

Works Cited:

http://news.psu.edu/story/382346/2015/11/24/research/bigger-smartphone-screens-can-change-customers-buying-intentions

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nIG_DAGHJQ4/maxresdefault.jpg

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mar.20080/abstract?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+have+be+unavailable+on+Saturday+5th+December+from+10%3A00-14%3A00+GMT+%2F+05%3A00-09%3A00+EST+%2F+18%3A00-22%3A00+SGT+for+essential+maintenance.+Apologies+for+the+inconvenience.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378720606000899

googleimages.com

After hearing the news and conversations about the most recent mass shooting at a community college in Oregon, I wanted to hone in on mass shootings, and look at studies of shooters, and try to investigate this scientifically. Does mental illness cause people to commit mass shootings? Specifically are those who develop schizophrenia at a higher risk when compared to the general population to engage in violence towards others?

Many studies have shown a relation between mental illness and the criminal population. Mental illness may increase the likelihood of violence. In 1998- 283,000 people who were diagnosed with some sort of mental illness were placed in the United States penal system (Treatment Advocacy). Surveys concluded that 16% of state prison inmates had self-reports of previous mental health issues or that they have been previously committed to a psychiatric facility. This is the same for 16% of local jail inmates as well as 7% of the federal prisons population (Treatment Advocacy).

Researchers found that mental illness is 3 times higher than the general populations in a study of 627 male arrestees (Royal Society). The most common reason for mental illness was found to be substance abuse disorders and personality disorders. It is not uncommon for patients who are untreated for their mental illness, to develop paranoia as a symptom from their untreated illness ultimately causing them to commit these heinous acts of crime.

People who have a preexisting family history of antisocial personality disorder have higher risk for developing antisocial behavior, high levels of aggression, and disorders in conduct especially in children. In this case of the two aspects of risk, the exposure would be the people that have a preexisting family history of antisocial personality disorder and hazard, is the risk of developing antisocial behavior, high levels of aggression, and disorders in conduct especially in children.

There is now evidence demonstrating that both men and women with schizophrenia are at a high risk when compared to the general population to be convicted of non-violent criminal offenses, at higher risk to be convicted of violent criminal offenses, and at even higher risk to be convicted of homicide (Wallace et al. 2004). This makes sense, because pictured above in the center, James Holmes, the shooter of the 2012 Aurora Colorado movie theatre, had his parents and two psychiatrists explain Holmes had schizophrenia and if he wasn’t mentally ill, the chances of him committing that shooting would be less likely.

Results of the epidemiological investigations are consistent in showing that the proportions of persons with schizophrenia who commit crimes vary from one study to another, while the elevations in risk among those with schizophrenia when compared to the general population are similar (Hodgins 1998). People with schizophrenia are commonly perceived as unpredictable and dangerous (Crisp et al. 2005), with public fears outweighing the actual risk of being injured by an individual with severe mental illness (Steadman et al. 1998). Public perceptions of dangerousness, regardless of their accuracy, play a central role in fostering stigma (Link et al. 1987). This is very interesting to me and important. It is clear there is evidence that shows those with this mental illness present a elevated risk of engaging in violent behavior. If we understand and study this, we can find more ways of treating the mental illness and hopefully reduce violence.

Citations:

http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/363/1503/2505

Googleimages.com

http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/storage/documents/final_jails_v_hospitals_study.pdf

Us, Penn State Students love to exercise, that’s mainly what you see when on campus, are many people walking around, jogging or in workout clothes. Many work out for different reasons, to stay fit, to relieve stress, to loose weight but whatever the reason may be, have you ever thought about how you felt before working out in relation to after? Does exercising have an effect on your mood?

There is scientific literature suggesting regular exercise can actually improve one’s mood and fight anxiety. To prove this statement, German researchers placed running wheels in the cages of laboratory mice and let them exercise at their own pace. The mice spent hours averaging a total of about 7 miles per mouse per day (The New York Times). Scientists placed these mice in unfamiliar situations, and noticed the mice froze and quickly fled to dark corners, also considered anxiety. The researchers conducted contradicted the earlier experiments by different researchers. Researchers found that too much running makes an animal nervous. This experiment may even suffer from the Texas Sharp Shooter issue, since many things are being measures yet only the positive hits could be reported. This time around, specifically these German researchers were trying to determine whether the formation of new brain cells, also known as neurogenesis, was making lab animals nervous (The New York Times). They found that high volumes of running and the large amounts of neurogenesis in the hippocampus can produce anxiety. In this study, the researchers radiated the mice’s brainds to prevent neurogenesis and then let them exercise (The New York Times).

In this case, there were third party variables such as the behavior they deemed as anxiety in the mice, could be a different experience in comparison to humans. In addition, the exercise schedule mice were on, did not compare to a regular human fitness training schedule, since mice workout every hour of the day almost (The Help Guide). Another study was done by Princeton researchers who concluded “running may reduce anxiety-like behavior” because the areas of the brain that normally shoot stimulating messages to the hippocampus during and after stress were much quieter in exercised mice (The New York Times). However, it is still being tested, and more studies are emerging. Therefore, the scientists are assuming exercise does affect the mood of a person, but there are many other factors involved and meta-analyses being conducted, so they are unable to reach a verdict.

Citations:

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/exercise-fitness/emotional-benefits-of-exercise.htm

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/10/24/exercise-natures-mood-enhancer/

I have worn glasses since I was in preschool, and as I got older I began to get comfortable wearing contacts; however, they become dry and uncomfortable at times so I have been thinking about LASIK surgery. LASIK surgery has always been a controversial thing, many admit to having good experiences with it, while other disagree. This is similar to the example in class when the professor spoke about this friend who had to decide if she should have the brain operation or not based on the risks and it turned out she had a high risk of dying, but had less of a risk of dying by getting the operation done. In my case, since I don’t like contacts, I can either deal with them, or improve my circumstances depending on the risk and get it done! So is LASIK surgery good or bad? Worth it or a waste of money?

LASIK surgery is the process of a laser used to permanently change the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye (Public Citizen). Some patients report they were happy with the results of the LASIK surgery but others are disappointed they still have to wear glasses even after getting the procedure done. In 2009, the Consumer Reports National Research Center surveyed almost 800 adults who had undergone laser vision-correcting surgery over the prior eight years. While most patients were satisfied with their results overall, nearly two-thirds said they still had to wear glasses or contact lenses at least occasionally (Public Citizen).

Therefore the next question to ask is, how could LASIK eye surgery be completely safe if many people are reporting bad outcomes, and if someone had a bad experience, how well would he/she be able to personally adjust?

There has been an increase in the use of marijuana. College students are more likely to use marijuana in comparison to the rest of the population in general. Could stress be the reason why many college students, especially freshmen chose to experiment with drugs or are more likely?

College students are one of the largest populations of drug abusers nationwide. Young adults ranging from ages 18-24 are at most risk of addiction. Young adult full time college students are twice as likely to abuse marijuana. One contributing factor is that marijuana makes socializing easier. Stress causes students to use marijuana, because they are in a transitional phase of moving from home to college, while trying to adjust to a new social life on top of achieving high standards of academia (Addiction Center).

51% of full time college students have used marijuana at some point in their lives. In 2006, 30% of college students in the united states admitted to using marijuana within a 12 month time span (MichiganNews).

Approximately 36% of college students indicated usage of marijuana. As of 2013, the record for the highest rate of daily marijuana use among college students reached its peak since 1981. 1 out of 20 college students smokes marijuana on a daily basis in contrast to 1994, when there were fewer than 1 out of 50 college students that smoked marijuana on a daily basis (MichiganNews). As you can see, the rate of marijuana use continues to increase, along the years. Many should be aware that the more students involved in marijuana use, the more addiction and usage of the drug. Students are twice as likely to abuse marijuana, which is an example of relative risk. Through my research I found that the numbers have increased of usage, but relative risk does not tell you very much compared to absolute risk.

Citations:

https://www.addictioncenter.com/college/

http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/22362-college-students-use-of-marijuana-on-the-rise-some-drugs-declining

As college students, we are known for consuming huge amounts of alcohol, and having heavy drinking habits when socializing or going out with friends. However, how much is enough and when should we stop? Are those that consume huge amounts of alcohol at risk of mortality and morbidity? Are college students that heavily drink more likely to drive drunk?

(Google images)

First lets define “heavy” drinking, the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Surveys monitored college students heavy drinking patterns and indicated five or more drinks in a single drinking session for males and four or more for females is considered heavy consumption. In fact, in 1999 about 4,138 full-time students were randomly selected at 128 4-year universities/colleges and 44% reported at least one heavy drinking episode (Annual Review of Public Health). About 40% of 1440 full-time 2-and-4-year college students reported to consuming 5 or more drinks on a single occasion at least once in the previous 2 weeks (Annual Review of Public Health).  In 1998 it has been estimated that more than 1400 students ages 18–24 enrolled in 2- and 4-year colleges died from alcohol-related injuries including car crashes. Further, of the 8 million college students in the United States more than 2 million drove under the influence of alcohol and over 3 million rode with a drinking driver. More than 500,000 full-time 4-year-college students were unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol (Annual Review of Public Health).

A significantly greater percentage of 18–24-year-old college students compared with same-age noncollege respondents drank 5 or more drinks on a single occasion in the past month (41.7% versus 36.5% in 1999 and 43.2% versus 39.8% in 2002) and drove under the influence of alcohol in the previous year (26.5% versus 19.8% in 1999 and 31.4% versus 23.7% in 2002) (Annual Review of Public Health). The percentage in both groups of 18–24-year-olds who drank 5 or more drinks in the past 30 days did not significantly increase from 1999 to 2002. However, the percentage of college students who drove under the influence in the past year increased significantly [RR = 1.18 (95% CI 1.13, 1.25)] (Annual Review of Public Health)

In addition, another self-administered questionnaire asked students to report on their alcohol use, driving practices and demographic characteristics. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 3,360,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 drive under the influence of alcohol and are more likely to drive a car after drinking.

Citations:

http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/statssummaries/snapshot.aspx

http://archive.sph.harvard.edu/cas/Documents/drinkingdriving/drinkingdriving912.pdf

http://www.annualreviews.org/eprint/vcvaePUAKVDCcRnieMGH/full/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144652?select23=Choose&

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306460307003127

Many of us strive to lose weight, many want to lose a couple of pounds and feel better about his or her bodies. However, I am of the select few that are trying to gain weight. I eat four times a day instead of three, and eat junk food or snacks during the day. In addition, I drink a protein shake in the morning and after I work out, hoping that will make a difference. I have always had a fast metabolism, and will eat as much as possible and not gain a thing. So I always tend to burn off the fat naturally. Many would envy me or be jealous, but that’s beside the point. The reason I am telling you this is because who would have thought something as simple as house dust could actually make us gain weight? According to Society For Science, dietary fats and other materials that make up indoor dust can send a signal to human fat cells, telling them to grow and slow down the body’s metabolism (Society For Science). I found this interesting because something you would not normally think of, or what would be defined as a “soft end point”, something we would not care about may be correlated to gaining weight, something we do care about.

https://student.societyforscience.org/article/can-house-dust-make-us-fat

In fact for the first study researchers collected dust samples from both homes and offices and found that the materials in the dust could activate a protein called PPAR-gamma1. Activating the protein can trigger the fat cells to grow, and there is spectuation as to if this protein could be involved in obesity (Society For Science). However, the second study explained certain fats are to blame for weight gain, and one of them is the oleic acid, also in steak. Essentially chemicals that are found in flame retardants, lubricants, hydraulic fluids, and plastics are sitting in our house dust and when ingested are activating our PPAR gamma receptor (EpicTimes). Through the experiments researchers have conducted, something as simple as cleaning the floor and eliminating house dust could make a difference for someone trying to lose weight.

For the longest time and like many people, celebrities continue to promote healthy living and eating. In fact, they encourage their viewers, followers to try or experiment with certain detox branded solutions that are known to change your lifestyle. On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and various other social media networks, celebrities promote a healthy life and longer life. Who wouldn’t want to be apart of that? Or purchase the product right away? Then I began to wonder, if detoxing is so great for the body, how come majority of people are not willing to do it? Is it really good for you? My former manager at my internship two years ago was on a detox diet. I remember suggesting we get lunch, and she would always claim she was full from her shake she drank earlier. Granted, her specific diet, allowed her to eat regular foods also, she was not just drinking shakes everyday, but it was interesting to me. I never thought about how common detox diets can be in major cities such as New York, or Los Angeles and how quickly people are willing to try something new to improve their lifestyle. Many truly believe if you eat healthier foods, you will feel better, have more energy, and live longer. However, is this just a normal belief or are there facts to back this up?

Therefore, I was interested and decided to do some research, and began to see mixed opinions about whether detox diets are a positive thing to do, or negative.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-8404/top-10-reasons-to-detox-when-you-do-it-right.html

According to the Mind Body Green article, there are ten positive reasons why detoxing could be good for you.

1. Remove toxins from the body: In fact, long term exposure to toxins can affect our immune system, metabolism, behavior and even lead to disease (MindBodyGreen).
2. Prevent chronic disease: Our bodies have a built-in detox function to deal with the danger of toxins, but sometimes those systems are overloaded. Detoxing improves what our bodies are trying to do naturally (MindBodyGreen).
3. Enhance immune system function: Regular detoxing helps strengthen the immune system so we aren’t susceptible to colds and flus or able to fight off infections (MindBodyGreen).
4. Lose weight: As many know, diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure are directly linked to weight issues. When choosing the detox, it gets rid of the body’s toxins stored in fat cells and increases metabolism; therefore the body loses weight (MindBodyGreen).
5. Slow premature aging: Detoxing gets rid of the body’s free radicals and heavy metals responsible for aging (MindBodyGreen).
6. Improve quality of life: Detoxing, reduces the amount of toxins in our body, allowing our body to improve its functionality (MindBodyGreen).
7. Increase energy: After detoxing, you will have more mental, physical and emotional energy (MindBodyGreen).
8. Improve skin quality: Detoxing improves acne, strengthens hair and nails, and give a healthy natural glow (MindBodyGreen).
9. Mental and emotional clarity: Able to make better decisions, analyze accurately and see things differently (MindBodyGreen).
10. Restore balance to our body’s systems: When our bodies are overloaded with toxins- our digestive, nervous and hormonal systems were designed to work together to achieve optimum health (MindBodyGreen).

After performing additional research and referring to another article by MayoClinic, detoxification diets are popular but it is not known that they eliminate toxins from your body (MayoClinicOrg). It truly depends on the specific detox diet you choose to do. For instance some diets require raw vegetables, fruit, juices and water; while others would like herbs and additional supplements. The reason many believe they feel better, healthier and have more energy after detoxing could be because majority of detox diets will eliminate highly processed foods (MayoClinicOrg). After looking at two different articles, one that stressed how beneficial detoxing could be on your body, and another that is opposed to detoxing, I have concluded there is not enough evidence to suggest everyone should do it. This also explains why the majority of the population is not involved in a detoxing diet, they mainly express how great it would be but are not willing to commit to a diet that may not change anything. According to a Science Based Medicine article, detoxing is not real and is just a medical term that has been manipulated and changed into a marketing strategy (ScienceBasedMedicine). This article made the most sense to me, because if you think about it, people on social media suggest healthy living and detoxing but it’s all to sell that idea of healthy living. Do we really know that detoxing creates that sense of healthy living, and removes toxins from the body? No, there is not enough evidence to suggest this. Therefore, the best thing if curious about this like I am would be to consult a doctor, they know the body more than most and can advise you to do the best thing for your body without a biased opinion.

Hi SC200! My name is Nicole Paul, and I am from Flemington, New Jersey. So yes, I am used to not pumping my own gas. Haha! I have lived in the suburbs my whole life, and am most comfortable there.

I am a senior Marketing major with a minor in Information Systems Management. I am excited to be approaching graduation this December, and begin working full time. I am still interviewing and exploring my options of work.

Science has always been of interest to me but not something I was passionate enough to pursue. I find Science as well as Chemistry so fascinating, and learning about different organisms, and reasons behind life existing. I am very excited for this class, and I hope to learn more and more as the semester continues. I am glad this class does not require any background knowledge of science, because it has been a long time since I have taken a science course. Nonetheless I am excited for whats yet to come!