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///////////////////Dieting An Evolutionary Phenomenon?
; Press Trust of India
WASHINGTON, 22 MAY: Dieting may be in vogue now, but it’s perhaps an evolutionary phenomenon.
A new study has revealed that monkeys take to dieting to shed flab in a similar way to people, a major finding which researchers claim suggests the human susceptibility to obesity might have much earlier evolutionary origins than thought.
In fact, the researchers have based their findings on an analysis of the dietary habits of around 15 Peruvian spider monkeys in the Bolivian rainforest over a period of one year, the Behavioral Ecology reported.
Dr Annika Felton of Australian National University said: “We found that the pattern of nutrient intake by wild spider monkeys, which are primarily fruit eaters, was almost identical to humans, who are omnivores.
“Spider monkeys appeared to aim for a target amount of protein each day, regardless of whether they only ate ripe fruit or mixed in other vegetable matter as well. This result was unexpected because, previously, ripe fruit specialists were thought to be energy maximisers.
“In other words, they would aim to maximise their daily energy intake. Our findings show this is not the case.”
According to the researchers, the consequence of tight protein regulation is the same for monkeys and humans ~ if the diet is poor in protein but rich in carbohydrates and fats (energy dense food) then individuals will end up ingesting a great deal of energy in order to obtain their protein target, which can lead to weight gain.
This “protein leverage effect” is thought to play a significant role in the human obesity problem found in modern western societies.
//////////////////Dying At Home: A Trend That Could Make Hospitals More Efficient
ScienceDaily (May 22, 2009) — It's a common tale: a grandparent's health begins to fail and, realistically, their death is imminent. Often those older patients are rushed to hospital, taken out of their homes for treatment that will likely only extend their life by a few days.
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Today's Healthcare
Elder Care
Healthy Aging
Science & Society
Public Health
Disaster Plan
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Cardiac arrest
Physical trauma
Stillbirth
Therapy dog
University of Alberta researcher Donna Wilson is hoping this can change and already has seen some drastic changes in where Canadians are choosing to die.
Wilson looked at mortality data of Canadians dating back to 1950. Up until 1994, 80 per cent of Canadians were choosing to pass on in a hospital bed. But since the mid-'90s there's been a drastic change in the number of people going to hospital to die. The number is now down to 61 per cent.
"So after years of [the numbers] going up, we have completely reversed that and are now at the 1960 level, before there was free hospital care in Canada," said Wilson, who adds the decrease in numbers of people dying in hospital has happened without direct health policy or government planning.
Her next study she wants to find out why this trend is happening. But she already has some ideas on the huge swing.
"My guess is that a lot of it has to do with the fact that death is no longer unexpected," said Wilson. "A lot of people are dying at an advanced age and you begin to accept that fact that it's going to happen and it [can be] a dignified event. If you take the person to the hospital . . . care is by strangers rather than family members."
This study, published in Social Science & Medicine, comes at a good time as Canadians watch the population age. Wilson predicts the number of people dying each year will double, maybe even triple, in the next 10-20 years because of the aging baby-boomer population.
"This study can help government plan for the future," said Wilson, who added that, about 250,000 people die per year in Canada. If death rates in hospital were to rise to 80 per cent when the baby boomers begin to die, every single hospital bed in Canada would be taken up for three days of the year. Wilson would like to see only 40 per cent of Canadians dying in hospital in the years to come, so as to take stress off the health-care system.
"The fact that every year we're going to have more and more people passing away, and needing a bit of help at the end of life scares me when you're not building anymore hospitals and you're not making hospitals any better," said Wilson.
She's calling on government to help support the trend of people dying at home.
"We need to start putting more money in to home care and develop some hospices, have some courses for families and maybe build a few more nursing home beds," said Wilson, who adds this not only helps the health-care system but also can provide a more dignified and potentially less painful death for the patient.
"All the drug therapies that keep people comfortable in hospital can be used at home," said Wilson. "You've got much more choice. You're not going to be force-fed; you're not going to have an intravenous drip started on you that is painful.
"I think we have a very healthy population who can look after dying people."
//////////////It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them."
– Alfred Adler
///////////////////Health News
Shop 'Til You Drop: You May Feel Better
5/21/2009
Print E-mail
THURSDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- When dealing with financial worries, some women may actually overspend to try to cheer themselves up, a British survey shows.
The poll of 700 women found that 79 percent said they'd go on a shopping spree to give themselves an emotional boost. About 40 percent listed "depression" and 60 percent listed "feeling a bit low" as reasons to go shopping and overspend. Many of the women said shopping has the power to make them feel better.
"This type of spending, or compensatory consumption, serves as a way of regulating intense emotions," survey author Professor Karen Pine, of the University of Hertfordshire, said in a university news release.
///////////////////1927:
By the Treaty of Jeddah, the United Kingdom recognized the sovereignty
of King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, which later merged
to become Saudi Arabia.
////////////////// Man's Best Friend
Is Heart's Best Friend
From helping heart attack patients
live longer to lowering triglycerides,
a pet can improve overall health.
////////////////////You can't shake hands with a clenched fist.
Mahatma Gandhi
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