Ten movie ideas for screenwriters.
A biopic of Norman Borlaug could be good, too.
Category Archives: Health
Life Extension In Mice
By giving them a protein from the blood of young mice.
Faster, please.
A “Magic Bullet”?
A potential replacement for chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer.
Faster, please.
Meatless Burgers
Of course they aren’t any healthier, but this article (as is generally the case) is malinformed on nutrition:
Part of the appeal for diners is that eating less red meat can cut the risk of heart disease and other health risks. But nutritionists and registered dietitians say ordering a meatless burger at a chain — especially one where you can get fries with it — might not be that much better for you. “Are they healthier as far as sodium, calories and fat content? Definitely not,” Sharon Zarabi, a registered dietitian and bariatric program director at Lenox Hill Hospital, told MarketWatch.
There is zero scientific evidence that red meat increases your risk of heart disease (or any other health risk). And there is nothing wrong with sodium, calories (per se) or fat (at least saturated fat, though transfats and seed oils are terrible, nutritionally).
“It’s almost the same amount of calories as the regular burger. The fat is slightly lower, but the saturated fat is still pretty high,” notes Zarabi of the saturated fat, which is almost the same exact amount in each. Consumers can expect to pay at least 10 cents more for the Impossible Whopper ($4.29), with prices varying by location. In the Bay Area, the meatless Whopper is selling for $6.19 before tax, compared to $4.89 for the original version. (Burger King did not respond to a request for comment.) Zarabi urges consumers to look at the weight in grams for each menu option. At White Castle, the Impossible Slider is 90 grams in weight, compared to the Original Slider, which is 55 grams. If you don’t look at the nutrition facts, it could easily seem like the Impossible Slider is worse for you, but they’re actually almost on par with each other. The Impossible Slider is 210 calories with 11 grams of fat, and 4 grams of saturated fat, compared to the Original Slider’s 140 calories with 7 grams of fat and 2.5 grams of saturated fat. The Impossible Slider costs $1.27 more. White Castle did not respond to a request for comment.
This is all junk science. Calories aren’t the issue, saturated fat isn’t the issue, weight in grams isn’t the issue. And sliders are terrible, regardless of what the patty is made of, because they’re mostly bread. But at least this nutritionist gets it right:
Dr. Lisa Young, a registered dietitian and author of “Finally Full, Finally Slim,” says meat alternatives become even more unhealthy when you factor in the bread, condiments and French fries that typically round out a fast food meal.
Not to mention the sugary soft drinks. There may be sound ethical reasons for being a vegan, but don’t delude yourself that it’s a healthy diet.
Cialis
Can it reverse heart failure in addition to its on-label use? That would be a nice bonus. I wonder what its effects on blood pressure are?
Disasters In Deep Space
Aging Brain Decline
Thwarting a protein reverses it in aged mice:
The team used two techniques to block VCAM1: One of them genetically deleted the protein from the mice’s brains. Another injected an antibody that binds to it to stop anything else attaching. Both methods prevented signs of brain aging in young mice infused with old plasma and reversed existing markers in elderly mice brains. The researchers then gave the mice learning and memory tests. In one, which involves remembering which of several holes is safe to drop through, treated elderly mice performed as well as youngsters once fully trained. “The aged mice looked like they were young again in terms of their ability to learn and remember,” Dubal says. “It’s remarkable.”
Faster, please.
Cholesterol
Everything we’ve been told about it and fat is wrong.
I quit listening to them years ago, but this is criminal.
The Second Colorado Shooter
This isn’t good for the narrative:
There is a mental health crisis among American kids that is fueled by prescription drugs and the fake news media that thrives on fear-mongering. Until that is addressed, these kinds of events will continue. It’s clear that Erickson held deeply bigoted assumptions about Christians “hating gays” which is constantly repeated by the media and fuels this kind of violence.
The scientific community should be hanging their heads today too. Further research should be done to discover if artificially changing the hormonal structure of human beings increases aggression or psychosis. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and puberty blockers are given to children who think they are the opposite sex as young as 8 years old. Testosterone is known to be the hormone that regulates aggression. What studies have been done on the safety of administering testosterone to females during puberty? Are there any? According to a PBS report, the studies are few and the long term effects are unknown.
“The bottom line is we don’t really know how sex hormones impact any adolescent’s brain development,” Dr. Lisa Simons, a pediatrician at Lurie Children’s, said. “We know that there’s a lot of brain development between childhood and adulthood, but it’s not clear what’s behind that.”
We’re living in the crazy years.
[Thursday-morning update]
When will we start to deal with the Columbiner subculture? As Glenn notes, it’s blowback in the war on boys.
Dementia
A new type has been discovered, which was previously mistaken with Alzheimer’s. Hope this can help lead to a breakthrough.