Eideard

A reasonable alternative

New research suggests that consuming between 2,100 and 6,000 calories per day may double the risk of memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), among people age 70 and older. The study…will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012. MCI is the stage between normal memory loss that comes with aging and early Alzheimer’s disease.

“We observed a dose-response pattern which simply means; the higher the amount of calories consumed each day, the higher the risk of MCI,” said study author Yonas E. Geda, MD, MSc, with the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona…

The study involved 1,233 people between the ages of 70 and 89 and free of dementia residing in Olmsted County, Minn. Of those, 163 had MCI. Participants reported the amount of calories they ate or drank in a food questionnaire and were divided into three equal groups based on their daily caloric consumption. One-third of the participants consumed between 600 and 1,526 calories per day, one-third between 1,526 and 2,143 and one-third consumed between 2,143 and 6,000 calories per day.

The odds of having MCI more than doubled for those in the highest calorie-consuming group compared to those in the lowest calorie-consuming group. The results were the same after adjusting for history of stroke, diabetes, amount of education, and other factors that can affect risk of memory loss. There was no significant difference in risk for the middle group.

“Cutting calories and eating foods that make up a healthy diet may be a simpler way to prevent memory loss as we age,” said Geda.

The sharpest commentary I’ve heard about this study — “they should adjust for the amount of time participants spent sitting on their butts watching American Idol and snacking”…

Magically Delicious!  Unicorns may manage their elusiveness but they left behind some fanciful evidence of their existence and I was able to recreate their leavings.  

This unicorn poop, in reality, has a funny story.  I told my mom that I was making some “Unicorn Sneezes” and she said “when are you going to make your unicorn sh*t?”  And then it hit me…Great idea, Mom!  It will take a dirty spin and become unicorn poop, instead!  She doesn’t want the credit for encouraging me,  but I still thank her…

The real deal – it’s made of sugar cookies, rainbow dragees, rainbow star sprinkles, white sparkle gel, and rainbow disco dust.

Thanks, Ursarodina – who, AFAIK, has never made or consumed any of these.

If this is your goal…?

A milkshake containing 2,010 calories — equivalent to eating 68 strips of bacon or 30 chocolate chip cookies — has topped a list of the 20 worst drinks in America compiled by Men’s Health magazine.

The Cold Stone PB&C milkshake, made with peanut butter, chocolate icecream and milk, contains 68 grams of saturated fat and 153 grams of sugar, according to nutritional details on the company’s website.

“In terms of saturated fat, drinking this Cold Stone catastrophe is like slurping up 68 strips of bacon,” the magazine said.

The second worst drink in America was listed as the Peanut Power Plus Grape from Smoothie King with a large cup packing 1,498 calories and the same amount of sugar as 20 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups chocolate and peanut butter snacks.

McDonald’s large Triple Thick Chocolate Shake came in third with 1,160 calories or the equivalent of 13 of the fast food chain’s hot apple pies.

I can feel my arteries clogging up just reading about this.

Reducing what you eat by nearly a third may improve memory, according to German researchers.

They introduced the diet to 50 elderly volunteers, then gave them a memory test three months later. The study…found significant improvements…

There is growing interest in the potential benefits of calorie restricted diets, after research in animals suggested they might be able to improve lifespan and delay the onset of age-related disease. However, it is still not certain whether this would be the case in humans – and the the levels of “caloric restriction” involved are severe.

The precise mechanism which may deliver these benefits is still being investigated, with theories ranging from a reduction in the production of “free radical” chemicals which can cause damage, to a fall in inflammation which can have the same result.

The researchers from the University of Munster carried out the human study after results in rats suggested that memory could be boosted by a diet containing 30% fewer calories than normal…

They also showed other signs of physical improvement, with decreased levels of insulin and fewer signs of inflammation. Care was taken to make sure that the volunteers, despite eating a restricted diet in terms of calories, carried on eating the right amount of vitamins and other nutrients.

A spokesman for the British Dietetic Association said that people, particularly those already at normal or low weight, should be “extremely careful” about attempting such a diet. “It could even be dangerous if the person is already underweight.”

“It could even be dangerous if the person is already underweight.” Har! That’s not a problem for me.

Spaghetti-shaped noodles made of tofu and yam flour – and packed in water in a refrigerated plastic bag – have rather suddenly started showing up in U.S. grocery produce aisles.

They smell sort of odd and look a bit curious (at least to American eyes), yet there has been a rise in demand. It traces directly to a small but growing diet franchise run by Lisa Lillien, better known to calorie-counters as the obsessive food lover behind the Hungry Girl Web site, recipe book and e-mail newsletter.

With only 40 calories in a bag weighing 8 ounces, or 225 grams, Tofu Shirataki noodles are a favorite product of Lillien, who has put her Hungry Girl seal of approval on the bag, at no charge to the Japanese company that makes them, House Foods. She calls them “crazy-low in calories but a bit slippery” and suggests serving them with various low-fat cheeses as a kind of faux pasta Alfredo.

Though she is neither a professional nutritionist nor a dietitian, Lillien’s endorsement has become a brass ring for manufacturers of healthy foods. Her logo and recipes grace the packages not only of Tofu Shirataki, but also items like Fiber One and Vitalicious Vita Tops, a type of muffin that comes in several flavors developed by Lillien.

I don’t know if this qualifies for Web 2.o or not. After all, Lisa Lillien hasn’t yet sold out her site for a bushel basket of money. But, she certainly has done a professional job of developing a money-making web presence.

“Monetizing” is a geek Shangri-la.