Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

• Antibiotics, are they the be-all-end-all? Dr. Fuhrman believes they’re over-prescribed, especially when it comes to ear infections. And according to The New England Journal of Medicine they might not be needed for treating bronchitis either. January W. Payne of The Washington Post reports:

Doctors can't help patients recover more quickly by prescribing antibiotics, said Richard P. Wenzel, chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University. “There is probably some sense of a placebo effect, but that's short-lived,” he said.

• Here’s a heartfelt piece written for The New York Times by Dr. Kent Sepkowitz, the director of infection control at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Have hospitals grown so cold that doctors can’t shed a tear with patients during a time of grief? Read on:

Given the intensity and high-voltage anxiety of serious illness, public crying in hospitals — by patients or family or staff — is less common than one might expect. Sure, it goes on more frequently than, say, at a department store or a restaurant. But more often, people remain buttoned up, dry-eyed, determined to maintain composure.

• Africa, too, is facing an obesity problem.  Clare Nullis from the Associated Press has more:

Africa, a continent usually synonymous with hunger, is falling prey to obesity. It's a trend driven by new lifestyles and old beliefs that big is beautiful. Ask Nodo Njobo, a plump hairdressing assistant. She is coy about her weight, but like many African women, proud of her "big bum." She says she'd like to be slimmer, but worries how her friends would react.

• According to Dr. Fuhrman there are lots of good reasons to maintain healthy body weight, such as disease prevention and increased longevity. But, as Will Dunham of Reuters reports, keeping a healthy body weight is even more important for cancer survivors:

Staying slim and fit is especially important for cancer survivors, because obesity raises the risk of cancer coming back, the American Cancer Society said in new guidelines issued on Wednesday.

• Guess what? More bad news for smoking—don’t act so shocked, this happens all the time. Robert Preidt of HealthDay News reports pregnant mothers who smoke might actually be priming their kids to pick up the habit:

Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were nearly three times more likely to start smoking regularly at, or before, age 14 and about twice as like to start smoking after age 14 compared to children born to nonsmoking mothers.

• Okay, how many of you belong to a gym? I do. Have you ever really looked at some of the trainers? A lot of them could use a personal trainer themselves—they’re pumped up, but a little doughy. So this begs the question, how qualified are they? Rick Callahan of the Associated Press investigates:

Virtually anyone can become a certified trainer because there are no national educational standards for the field. Numerous Web sites offer personal trainer certification after just a few hours of online training -- and a few hundred dollars.

• Apparently leafy greens, like broccoli rabe and escarole, are gaining popularity in the United States—sounds good to me! Beth Fortune of The Los Angeles Times talks about this growing trend:

And at this time of year, bitter greens are calling from nearly every other stall or stand at the farmers market or the grocery store; they're a boon of winter. Until fairly recently, bitter greens have been popular in this country only in the South, but more of them have become more widely available, though their names still can be confusing. Greens in the chicory and endive family include Belgian endive (also called French endive and witloof), curly endive (sometimes called chicory or frisée), escarole and several varieties of radicchio. Then there are dandelion greens, mustard greens and turnip greens (yes, keep the tops of your turnips).

• There shouldn’t be any real surprise here—more negative press for smoking. According to Reuters tobacco-related illnesses will kill 50 percent more than AIDS by 2015. I wonder how obesity stacks up against these figures. More from the report:

The study by World Health Organization researchers projects global figures for mortality and the burden of 10 major disease groups in both 2015 and 2030.

"According to our baseline projection, smoking will kill 50 percent more people in 2015 than HIV/AIDS and will be responsible for 10 percent of all deaths globally," said their study in the Public Library of Science Medicine.

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Dr. Fuhrman’s radio show Nutritional Wisdom airs live Wednesdays at 11am EST with an encore presentation Thursdays at 3pm EST on VoiceAmerica. Here’s a peek at this week’s episode:

Without understanding food addiction and “toxic hunger” you can never win the battle of the bulge. If you have ever wanted to lose weight but couldn’t or gained back the weight you lost, then you must listen to this show! Dr. Fuhrman discusses the true cause of the obesity epidemic, why diets don’t work and how to get thin and stay thin – permanently!

Check out the Nutritional Wisdom category for previous episodes.

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• Get ready, here comes a big surprise—obesity is in the news again! Yup, you can pretty much bank on obesity always being in the headlines. Today The Chicago Tribune reports obesity has been linked to female infertility. Judy Peres has more:

"That association is pretty well established," said Dr. Roger Lobo, a reproductive endocrinologist at Columbia University. Heavy women often don't ovulate normally because their hormones are out of whack. If they lose just 5 percent of their body weight, he said, "some will ovulate and even get pregnant with no further intervention."

• Looks like CDC is trying to set a precedent. According to the Associated Press the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has completed a revamp of their employee fitness center and cafeteria. Mike Stobbe explains the organization is trying to become the optimal health model for government agencies:

The CDC also offers weight-management classes, healthy grocery shopping seminars, health assessments, walking programs and other activities.

The agency also has improved its cafeteria fare and expanded its salad bars. Three years ago, the CDC began bringing in produce vendors so employees could buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Now, the produce carts visit three CDC campuses and boast daily sales of $2,000 to $3,000.

• Now here’s some strange obesity news. A reports shows being overweight or obese can lower breast cancer risk in women prior to menopause. Will Dunham of Reuters reports on this unusual finding:

The researchers admitted they do not know why the extra pounds (kg) may protect premenopausal women from breast cancer, but noted obesity actually greatly boosts breast cancer risk after menopause, when the disease more often is diagnosed.

• Does spicy food increase metabolism? To be honest, I never assumed it does. Anahad O’Connor of The New York Times investigated, and believe it or not spicy food can actually give your metabolism a kick—coming soon, the hot-pepper diet! Here’s more from O’Connor:

One study by Canadian researchers this year looked at a group of adult men and found that those who were served hot sauce with appetizers before a meal went on to consume on average about 200 fewer calories at lunch and in later meals than their peers who did not have anything with capsaicin. The researchers suggested that capsaicin may work as an appetite suppressant. But take heed: spicy foods can also worsen symptoms of ulcers and heartburn.

• More bad news for smoking, according Emily Bazar of The Detroit Free Press many anti-tobacco groups are calling for a ban on smoking around children, even in private places; such as foster homes and cars. Is it a good idea? Or bordering on totalitarian? You decide:

At least six states and some counties prohibit foster parents from smoking when foster children are present, says Kathleen Dachille, director of the Legal Resource Center for Tobacco Regulation, Litigation & Advocacy at the University of Maryland School of Law. "There are times when it's appropriate to regulate what people can do in their home," she says. "The state is responsible for that child."

• Vitamins, they’re certainly some strong medicine. Reuters is reporting that Vitamin E can people protect against cancer and heart disease. More reason to eat plenty of dark-leafy greens and nuts. More from the article:

Men with the highest levels of vitamin E in their blood were 18 percent less likely to die than those with the lowest levels, the researchers found. They also had a 21-percent lower risk of death from cancer, a 19-percent lower risk of dying from heart disease, and a 30-percent lower risk of death from other causes.

• Dan Vierria of The San Diego Union-Tribune explains the color of your favorite fruits and veggies corresponds to their health promoting effects:

Blues and purples: Keep memory sharp and reduce risk of several kinds of cancer, including prostate. Plums, eggplant, blueberries, blackberries, purple grapes (and raisins).

Greens: Protect bones, teeth and eyesight. Kiwi, spinach, broccoli, Romaine lettuce, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, honeydews.

• This shouldn’t be too surprising, more bad news about smoking. A new study determined merely “cutting back” on the number of cigarettes smoked does not lower a smoker’s risk of dieing prematurely. Robert Preidt of HealthDay News reports:

Reporting in the journal Tobacco Control, a team from the National Health Screening Service in Oslo found that limiting the daily amount of cigarettes may be useful as a temporary measure when a smoker is trying to quit, but kicking the habit is the only real way of reducing the risk of smoking-related health consequences and early death.

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Now, I’m not exactly the most fashion conscious guy on the planet. So I had no idea that there was such a thing as a size zero—there’s even double-zero and sub-zero—again, all news to me! Megan Scott of the Associated Press explains that despite America being the land of the fat, many women are squeezing into smaller and smaller clothing sizes, or are they? Take a look:

The fashion industry gets a kick out of appealing to our wish to be thin — changing the size on the label without actually changing the size. We're on to them…

…Designer Cesar Galindo, who sells mostly 8s, 10s and 12s, says he is concerned that women place too much emphasis on a size label. (How many men do you know who buy something that doesn't fit?) And he is bothered that designers play into their insecurities. He hasn't changed his sizing, but his 1967 mannequin, a size 10 back then, is now a size 2-4.

I’m not sure how I feel about this—it’s probably because I’m a guy—but if clothing manufacturers are screwing with sizes so that heavier people can fit into smaller sizes, where is the incentive to lose weight (other than the long-term health benefits)? Because for me, snug jeans are the first indication that its time to slow down the avocado and speed up the treadmill. Ladies, since the article is mainly about women’s clothes, what are your thoughts on this?

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According to a recent article in the International Journal of Obesity, researchers from the University of Alabama have uncovered ten reasons why people overeat. The Detroit Free Press passes along the top three:

• We don't get enough sleep. Studies on animals and humans have shown that too little sleep increases appetite. Other studies have found that fewer hours of sleep at night are associated with being overweight.
• We have more air conditioning. As the temperature goes up, appetite goes down and we tend to burn more calories, say scientists (and people who live in the Bahamas). But when air conditioning keeps temperatures even, so the thinking goes, our bodies expend less energy (calories) to stay cool.
• Disrupted hormones. DDT, PCBs and other industrial chemicals can mess up our metabolism, say scientists. Maybe that's why we're too fat.

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I once heard a chubby comedian say, “Men are like lasagna, we dress in layers.” And for a longtime this was my dress code; two layers of t-shirts, polo-shirt with t-shirt underneath, button-down shirt over t-shirt. Yup, I seldom left the house wearing only one layer. So you can imagine how much I dreaded the warmer summer months. How I’d yearn for winter!

But winter does have its drawbacks. Sure you can cover up those extra pounds with a little more clothing, but for many snuggling into a turtleneck and sweater, also means gobbling up more calorie-rich comfort food, especially around the holidays. Jane E. Brody of The New York Times insists this can be the beginning of a continuous weight-gaining cycle:

Then there’s the coming holiday season, replete with the stress of too much to do, high-calorie temptations at every turn and, it seems, not enough time to expend those extra calories.


The inevitable result for many of us? A few extra pounds that we must struggle to lose when the weather warms up and the days get longer next spring. Unfortunately, though, too often those pounds remain, only to increase further the next winter, and the next, until they undermine our health as well as our psyche.

For help preventing the cold weather weight-gain Brody enlists the aid of Dr. Michael D. Ozner, who as it turns out is a major advocate of the Mediterranean diet. Now, while you won’t hear Dr. Fuhrman singing the praises of Mediterranean diet anytime soon, Ozner does make a couple useful suggestions that might help you avoid winter/holiday weight-gain.

For starters, Ozner is not big on red meat, claiming it contains too much saturated fat , which can lead to an increased risk of cancer, heart attack, and stroke. He also encourages people to avoid processed foods because many of them are loaded with saturated fat, sugar, salt, trans fat, and high-fructose corn syrup. Dr. Fuhrman would definitely agree. Dr. Ozner’s recommendation to get plenty of exercise is another sound piece of advice. Although I can’t say the same for his tip about adding whey to food, according to Dr. Fuhrman whey isn’t exactly a wonder-food.

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• You’ve got to hand it to the Brits. Lately they’ve been on a tear trying to stabilize their obesity crisis. Now they’re clamping down on television advertising. According to the AFP no junk food ads can run during programs aimed at children under sixteen. But some people say this isn’t enough:

Consumer and health groups protested that they did not go far enough -- saying that junk food ads should be banned from all programming before 9:00 pm, whether for adults or children.

• Sally Squires of The Washington Post investigates the recent claim that a compound in red wine can help protect against obesity and extend life. Don’t run out and buy your resveratrol supplements just yet:

Safe and effective doses in humans have not been established, and there could be downsides to taking resveratrol. Preliminary studies point to some cancer protection, but there's also evidence that it may increase the risk of breast cancer -- a reminder that tinkering with nutritional substances can be complex.

• In Eat to Live Dr. Fuhrman warns about the ineffectiveness of invasive cardiovascular procedures, well, it seems he may be onto something. According to Denise Gellene of The Los Angeles Times angioplasty may actually increase the chances of someone having another attack:

The study of more than 2,000 patients in 27 countries focused on the outcomes of angioplasties performed more than 24 hours and up to 28 days after the patients first developed symptoms of a heart attack.

• Blogging about smoking is easy—bad, bad, bad, bad, bad! Robert Preidt of HealthDay News reports a new study shows smoking can quadruples children’s asthma risk. Here’s more:

"The results of our study provide clear evidence that regular smoking increases the risk for asthma and that important chronic adverse consequences of smoking are not restricted to individuals who have smoked for many years," Dr. Frank D. Gilliland, of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, said in a prepared statement.

• Another thing Dr. Fuhrman talks a lot about is making sure you get adequate sun exposure, that way your body produces vitamin D. Seems like a good idea because according to Reuters woman living in sunnier regions of the world have less risk of developing ovarian cancer:

The theory is that vitamin D explains the link. Sunlight triggers vitamin D synthesis in the skin, so a person’s stores of the vitamin depend, in part, on where he or she lives. Moreover, a growing number of studies have linked vitamin D intake and vitamin D levels in the blood to cancer risk.

• Now, I don’t know about this next item, but a new study finds chocolate milk works best in helping athletes recover. I’m not sure Dr. Fuhrman would agree. Eddie Pells of the Associated Press reports:

The test was repeated three times -- once with each kind of drink -- and the data showed that the cyclists were able to go between 49 and 54 percent longer on the second stint after drinking chocolate milk than when they drank the carbohydrate drink. The difference between the milk and the fluid-replacement drink was not significant.

• I know I say it a lot, but mercury contamination is a hot-button issue here at DiseaseProof. So I’m always eager to read what’s being done about it. Sandy Bauers of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports Pennsylvania is taking measures to lower mercury emission by 90% over the next nine years:

The plan, vigorously debated for two years and heavily opposed by power plants and mining companies, trumps a weaker federal rule. Pennsylvania would join Illinois as the first major coal-producing states to move beyond the federal limits and make them tougher - if measures to do so in both states become final.

• Have you noticed the newcomers in the pear-market? You haven’t? Well get ready the Asian pears are coming. David Karp of The New York Times reports:

In recent decades Chinese government policy and market reforms have encouraged farmers to sharply increase pear production, which is expected to reach 12.5 million metric tons this year, more than two-thirds of the world’s supply. Virtually all are Asian pears, crunchy and ripe off the tree, not the European kind, such as Bartlett and Bosc, which develop their desired buttery texture and rich flavor after harvest.

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From the September 2006 edition of Dr. Fuhrman’s Healthy Times:

If you already have an overweight child, make some changes in your family life. To solve the problem of childhood obesity, we first need to change parental behavior. This will require you adopt a new way of thinking. As Albert Einstein said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

1. Don’t make the major interactions with your child be about body weight. Interact about other issues.


2. Set up weekly family discussion meetings. Make an agenda for the meeting. All members can present topics for discussion. Discuss health issues as a family each week. Give each family member equal attention and equal concern and discuss the reasons for the new family health initiative and how all members will benefit. Do not focus more attention on the overweight family member. Study and discuss parts of my book Disease-Proof Your Child or other valuable health sources at family meetings. Have the children participate.

3. Parents tell me that when they listen to the audio book of Disease-Proof Your Child as they ride around in the car, it rubs off on the kids and spurs discussion on dietary issues.

4. Plan fun, physical activities for the family. Devise solutions for more exercise for the whole family. Get involved with some type of physical activity, taking up a sport, hiking, running, climbing, or any other activity that involves movement. All must participate, not only the overweight child. Parents cannot just watch; they must model a healthy attitude about fitness and physical fun.

5. Make dietary goals that the entire family understands and can agree to adopt. Lay out an eating plan for dinners and school lunches that promotes long-term health.

6. Praise your child for issues not related to weight loss or gain. Make other issues as important, such as school work, ethics, care for others, attitude towards learning, and development skills.

7. Don’t reward behavior with unhealthful food. Show your kids and others that treats on special occasions can be healthful and still taste good. Set a good example at birthday parties. Get junk food out of the house, and try to have the entire family supportive of this action. Creatively try to get the whole family to make the promise to “say NO to junk food.”

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You don’t need to be a doctor to know that obesity and carrying excess weight isn’t healthy. Read the news, you’ll see diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure, all risks of being overweight, but, it can also be pretty expensive—and I’m not talking about all the pricey junk food. According to Emma Ross-Thomas of Reuters obesity can really wallop a country’s gross domestic product:

Dr. Meera Shekar, senior nutrition specialist with the World Bank, says malnutrition slices 2 to 3 percent off gross domestic product in the hardest-hit countries, and obesity could cost the same.


"We suspect that these estimates will be just as high," she said at a WHO-sponsored conference on obesity in Istanbul.

Dr. Shekar notes obesity cost France $12.1 billion in 1992 and California $22 billion in 2000. Kind of amazing, don't you think?

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• The people of Crete were once known for their lean builds and no heart disease, but as Dr. Fuhrman puts it, today they are fat just like us—of course the Western diet has something to do with it. And now it seems mainland Greece has joined the Cretan’s plight. Janet Nester of Associated Press has more:

Greek health agencies issued the warning on World Diabetes Day. Dozens of people lined up Wednesday at Athens' central Syntagma Square to have their blood sugar levels tested and to speak with doctors at information stands.

The Mediterranean diet, often hailed as a model for calorie-counters worldwide, has lost many of its classic features. The consumption of meat and cheese is increasing, while the Greek staples of bread, potatoes and olive oil have been vanishing from the daily diet, Maria Hassapidou secretary general of the Hellenic Medical Association for Obesity said.

• The war against obesity is making some strange bedfellows. Junk food makers, like Coca-Cola and McDonalds, have announced plans to promote healthier foods and exercise. Sounds weird to me, so these companies are going to spend money to encourage people NOT to eat their products? Geoff Mulvihill of the Associated Press reports:

The companies, which account for two-thirds of child-targeted food and drink commercials on TV, agreed to reduce the use of outside characters — such as Shrek and the Little Mermaid — to pitch unhealthful foods. They also said they would not advertise in elementary schools and would ensure that their online "advergames" either promote good health or healthful products, among other measures. Half their ads will focus on foods that qualify as healthful or on nutrition and exercise issues.

• Cola, and other high-fructose beverages, aren’t really my cup of tea—neither is tea for that matter. But Anahad O’Conner of The New York Times takes a look at the claim that sugary drinks increase energy. The bottom line is a little surprising:

Besides having only short-lasting effects on energy, the sugar high of soft drinks can ultimately work against you, decreasing attention span, slowing reaction times and putting you to sleep.

• I’ve never been fat, but I do go to a gym regularly, and I can tell you first hand that unless you’re in dynamite shape, working out in front of a bunch of people can make you really self-conscious. Jacqueline Stenson of MSNBC explains many overweight people don’t work out because of this fear:

Lack of time, motivation and money are frequently cited reasons for not exercising. Embarrassment is another that seems to be increasingly common, especially as the nation's waistline expands, fitness experts say.

• As a Jersey guy I was pretty pleased to read this article. According to the Associated Press my home state is launching a statewide campaign to combat obesity. “Get Moving, Get Healthy New Jersey,” is intended to change diet and exercise habits of New Jerseyans. Angela Delli Santi explains:

The program hopes to show parents how to cook nutritionally but quickly, teach children to cut back on empty calories found in sugar-laden sodas and to encourage children and adults to become at least moderately active.

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• There’s some major irony here. It seems one acetaminophen manufacturer has got a major headache on its hands. According to the Associated Press metal fragments were discovered in a batch of pain relievers sold by Wal-Mart, CVS, and Safeway. Prompting a huge recall:

The contaminated pills included metal fragments ranging in size from "microdots" to portions of wire one-third of an inch long, the Food and Drug Administration said. Perrigo discovered the metal bits during quality-control checks after realizing the equipment it uses to make pills was wearing down prematurely, the FDA said.

• Smoking, these days it’s impossible to defend—and rightfully so! Most people could probably rattle off at least a dozen reasons not to smoke. Well, here’s one more. New research reveals heavy smoking interferes with pregnancy by compromising the fetus’s ability to implant in the uterus. Amanda Gardner of HealthDay News has more:

"Tobacco consumption reduces your pregnancy probability, not only due to the already known ovarian effects but also due to impaired uterine receptiveness," said Dr. Sergio R. Soares, lead author of the study and director of the IVI Clinic in Lisbon, Portugal.

• If you keep up with all the health news you’ll soon realize one of the biggest dangers associated with obesity is the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. One Miami social studies teacher was all too afraid of this. According to The Miami Herald he created an annual free diabetes screening for young students. Desonta Holder reports:

Since the program began in 2004, about 1,500 students -- 500 each year -- have been screened for risk factors that could lead to diabetes -- obesity, high blood pressure and elevated blood glucose levels. Many of these high school students -- 80 percent Hispanic and 13 percent black (non-Hispanic) -- in this middle-class area were already beginning to show signs of diabetes.

• Here’s some more obesity news for you. Recently the European Union praised several food companies for their promise to help Europe control its growing obesity crisis. Although I find it odd that the companies receiving the adulation include Pepsi, Coca Cola, and McDonalds. More from the Associated Press:

At a press conference with top executives of these companies, he said it was crucial food and drink companies cooperate in the fight against flab because the EU cannot legislate against products that are not dangerous.

If Europe wants to curb overweight, "we have to form public-private partnerships. We are all part of the problem — industry, parents, consumers, the authorities, doctors — and will have to be part of the solution."

• One thing’s for sure, exercise is a good thing. I doubt you’ll ever see a surgeon general's warning on physical activity. Especially since according to a new study exercise might lower children’s risk of developing hay fever. Reuters explains:

According to the researchers, their findings are unlikely to be a case of "reverse causality," where hay fever caused some children to avoid outdoor activities. For one, the study followed the children over time, documenting new cases of hay fever. In addition, sedentary children were inactive year-round, not only during pollen season.

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Do you know what toxic hunger is? No, it’s not a comic book villain or a professional wrestler. In Disease-Proof You Child Dr. Fuhrman explains toxic hunger results from feeding children so much calorie-rich food so frequently that children learn to disconnect eating from hunger. Guilty! How many of you, in the past, have gone out for Chinese food at two in the morning?

Dr. Fuhrman believes toxic hunger contributes to obesity and causes people to become bona fide food addicts. From Disease-Proof Your Child:

After enough time goes by continually consuming more calories than they need, children will feel discomfort when they do not have food constantly in their stomach. They must keep their digestive tract going all the time, because the minute it empties, they feel uncomfortable. By the time they become an overweight adult, they are true food addicts.

And the symptoms of food addiction sure smack of drug withdrawals—not that I know what those are like! Here’s more from Dr. Fuhrman’s book:

A few hours after eating, feeling weak, headachy, tired, mentally dull, and stomach cramping or discomfort is not true hunger! These symptoms of stomach cramping and fluttering, headaches and fatigue that begin when digestion is completed I call “toxic hunger” because these symptoms only occur in those who have been eating a toxic diet. These are withdrawal symptoms from an unhealthful diet, and this discomfort is mistakenly interpreted as the need to eat more frequently and take in more calories. Continual eating stops the discomfort, just like frequent coffee drinking stops the headaches from caffeine withdrawal. Your body can’t withdraw from (detoxify and repair) your toxic dietary habits and digest a meal simultaneously. By eating, this detox process is stopped. When we consume a toxic, disease-promoting, our body reacts in an attempt to remove or deal with the damage this unhealthful diet could cause. This concept is called withdrawal. The body attempts to detoxify from a harmful, low-nutrient diet and we feel the symptoms of toxic hunger. We build up more waste products in our cells when we eat unhealthfully, and when the body is not busy digesting, it can attempt to withdraw from or initiate repair mechanisms that result in these uncomfortable symptoms. The disease-building diet most Americans eat drives these symptoms, and these symptoms promote overeating.

So, with all this in mind, get a load of this new report. Researchers found that overweight children are more likely to binge eat than other kids, and, these hefty eaters are hungry again more than an hour sooner than their peers. Reuters has more:

"Children who report binge-eating behaviors appear to have deficits in appetite regulation that put them at risk for the development of obesity," write Margaret C. Mirch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues.

Mirch explains the key to changing this behavior is to teach them to recognize and respond to only true hunger. Not sure what true hunger is? Let’s check back with Disease-Proof Your Child:

True hunger is felt in the neck and throat; where thirst is felt, hunger is a subtle sensation, and when you feel it, almost any food tastes food and satisfies you. True hunger is not felt in the head or belly. When you eat when you are truly hungry, your ability to taste is maximized and food truly tastes better. True hunger marks the time when the digestive juices are ready to be released and the enzyme-secreting glands have had time to refill and are ready for action. Healthy digestion, no indigestion, results. When we eat only when hungry, we also prevent ourselves from becoming overweight and maximize our chances for a long, disease-free life.

Now, if you need help getting your own kids to eat better, check out this podcast: Dr. Fuhrman on Getting Children to Eat Well

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• Want your pet mouse to live longer? Put it in the freezer—just kidding! Although scientists have discovered that mice with genetically engineered lowered body temperatures have longer lives. I wonder if this means anything for human longevity. Jia-Rui Chong of The Houston Chronicle reports: Thanks for the tip Elijah!

Scientists engineered mice to have body temperatures 0.5 to 0.9 degrees lower than normal mice. Female experimental mice lived a median of 662 days — about 112 days longer than normal female mice. Male mice survived a median of 805 days — 89 days longer than their normal counterparts.

• China, lots of people—lots of fat people. According to the Associated Press 60 million Chinese are now obese. What’s to blame?
  

"An increasing number of Chinese are eating more fat and junk food but less grains and vegetables, leading to a high number of cases of high blood pressure and diabetes," Pan was quoted as telling a conference on food consumption and health in Beijing.

• Does where you live increase your chance of being fat? Probably, if you live above a pastry shop, but new research shows people who live in sparse/sprawling neighborhoods are more likely to be overweight. Ben Harder of The Los Angeles Times explains:

Matthew Turner, author of a new and controversial study on the topic, acknowledges that in the last three years, roughly a dozen studies have taken statistical snapshots of where people live and how heavy they are — most reporting that people who live in sprawling neighborhoods tend, on average, to be fatter.

• Okay, they found it! Tomatoes served in restaurants were the source of the short-lived Salmonella outbreak from last week. Amanda Gardner of HealthDay News has more:

"We've done standard interviews with people who've become ill with this organism and with well people in the same communities, and we've identified tomatoes eaten in restaurants as the cause of this outbreak," Dr. Christopher Braden, chief of outbreak response and surveillance in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Foodborne Branch, said during a teleconference.

• David B. Caruso of The Washington Post reports New York City wants restaurants to provide calorie content of food on their menus. Naturally many of the fast-food companies have a problem with it. After all, the menus will be too cluttered—feel free to roll your eyes:

John Whipple, president of the National Council of Chain Restaurants, called the proposal costly and unconstitutional. He also said it would penalize eateries for providing nutritional information voluntarily.

"Restaurants should be encouraged in their health education efforts, not dissuaded from such effort by misplaced regulatory policies," Whipple said in written testimony to the New York City Board of Health.

• This really says a lot about the state of health in this country. According to Reuters more and more teenagers have fat bellies. Researchers discovered that belly fat in teenagers has increased 65 percent since the 1990s. Not good, because tummy fat is bad news:

Belly fat is more dangerous than general weight gain, because abdominal and visceral fat — found surrounding the internal organs — is more clearly and strongly linked with disease than general body fat.

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