the Natural Condition

Americans have long accepted the idea that caffeine acts as a diuretic, causing fluid excretion to exceed fluid retention. The New York Times: Health published an article yesterday (March 4th) that suggests otherwise, citing several studies conducted in the past few years. According to the report,

… research has not confirmed that notion. Most studies have found that in moderate amounts, caffeine has only mild diuretic effects — much like water. … Investigations comparing caffeine with water or placebo seldom found a statistical difference in urine volume

While a cup of coffee might be a fine way to start your morning, remember to consume a total of 2-3 liters of fluids each day to remain truly hydrated. Be well and drink up!

In my own investigation, I found these scholarly studies supporting this claim:
(1) Caffeine, Fluid-Electrolyte Balance, Temperature Regulation, and Exercise-Heat Tolerance. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews. 2007. [full article - limited access]
(2) Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 2003.

As I sat eating some potato chips off my sandwich plate this evening, I observed a curious phenomenon. And while I tell this story from only my own experience, I have collaborated with other quirky friends who concur that I am not alone in my habit. So here goes.

I noticed that, when given a portion of potato chips, all visible and available for consumption, I always choose the better-looking chip to eat first, thinking that I wouldn’t dare eat those nasty-looking ones. By “better” I mean the chips that aren’t transparent with oil. In a self-righteous attempt to convert the truly unhealthy nutritional value of potato chips into an edifying, “it’s full of potato,” attitude, I have myself think that the opaque chips aren’t going to lead to coronary artery disease nearly as quickly as the clear ones. And that might be true; the oily chips probably do contain much more unhealthy fats, and I might be marginally justified in my reasoning. So there I sit, eating only the “good” chips, one at a time.

But the funny part is, by the end of the meal, they’re all gone. By comparing each chip Read the rest of this entry »

A startling map of obesity in America, and how is has increased exponentially in the last 20 years:

CNN’s Map of Obesity in America

Epidemiologists set the bar for obesity at a BMI of 30. BMI stands for “body mass index,” and it is a measure of divergence from optimal weight. To calculate a BMI value, you divide an individual’s weight (kg) by the square of their height (m²).⁽¹⁾ To put a BMI of 30 into perspective, a 5′5″ female would weigh 180lbs, and a 5′10″ male would weigh 209lbs. I gave the average heights for adult men and women in the US, but, in fact, the BMI calculation is independent of sex, body frame, musculature, etc. It is, therefore, a rather crude metric for estimating obesity rates, as the only determining factors are height and weight. I.e., you could be super jacked, but have a BMI that technically places you in the overweight range.⁽²⁾ However, as the ratio of jacked:fat in America is approximately 0.0001, BMI is probably a reasonable indicator of America’s waistline, when averaged over a population.

Well enough about BMI. The bottom line is that America is getting extraordinarily fat, and the obesity epidemic is spreading Read the rest of this entry »

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is one of the most ubiquitous sweeteners in modern foods. While it receives much press for its prevalence in soft drinks, it also sneaks its way into some foods you might not expect: ketchup, dubious “juices,” pizza, yogurt, saltine crackers, and that overpriced vanilla latte you’re drinking.(4) Did you catch that I mentioned corn sweeteners in your saltine crackers? Gross? Well, at least a little weird. That one alone might make me think twice, but there’s more to the story.

Food manufacturers put HFCS in their foods because it is as sweet or a little sweeter than traditional sugar (sucrose), it extends shelf life of foods (1), and it is cheap. Anyone who has ever driven through the non-coastal US states and finds nothing but endless fields of corn might question where all that corn goes, because nobody eats the stuff 5 times-per-day. The answer is that, while most corn Read the rest of this entry »

After spending a day fasting this past weekend, I’m interested in learning more about the idea of a ‘calorie-restricted’ diet. Basically, the idea is that by cutting back the amount of calories one ingests — say, by reducing by 1/3 — while remaining nutritionally nourished, the organism will optimize bodily resources, which can lead to a longer, healthier life.

Sound too good to be true? … it probably is. Although, from the little that I’ve read, this concept has been tested in several organisms, among which are the housefly drosophila, yeast, and, most promisingly, primates. With the exception of the housefly, studies have demonstrated that the organisms tend to lead healthier, and thus longer, lives, which makes a very appealing case. Biologically, it is reasonable to think that Read the rest of this entry »