Category: WTF?

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Persistent Metabolic Adaptation

Sunday 10/6

Straight to the point. My BMI is back in the overweight range. I was hoping for a random uptick with a gradual return to my 173-175 range but it has not happened. I now fluctuate between 177 and 178. Another pound or two and my skinny jeans won’t fit anymore. So the research geek in me took over. I wanted to know why I’m gaining weight after years of keeping my number down. Lack of enough exercise was an obvious reason. But I also felt my metabolism changed (again) so down the rabbit hole I went. The deeper I went the dots starting connecting.

I recall reading somewhere that successful weight loss maintainers changed their diets multiple times in their lifetimes. I found this to be true in my case. Remember The Biggest Loser television show? I found this fascinating study Persistent metabolic adaptation 6 years after “The Biggest Loser” competition – https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.21538. Fascinating because the participants with greater long-term weight loss also had greater ongoing metabolic slowing. It appears my metabolism is slowing down not just from age but also from the fact I’ve maintained my weight loss for a long time.

And if this wasn’t bad enough I stumbled upon Metabolic adaptation is associated with a greater increase in appetite following weight loss: a longitudinal study – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.10.010. Lose weight. Appetite increases!

The universe opened up her secrets to me. I need to change my diet (again).

Take Home Lesson

Long-term weight loss requires perpetual behavioral adaptation to offset persistent metabolic adaptation.

In plain English, I have to eat less or I’m screwed. Because I already know I’m in the one third category.

About 10 percent of older people living in their own homes do not eat enough and one-third of people over the age of 65 eat too much. More than half of older people in hospitals or nursing homes have malnutrition (poor nutrition or diet). – https://www.healthinaging.org/a-z-topic/nutrition/basic-facts

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Latest Tik Tok Trend – Eat Dirt

The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) defines pica as eating non-nutritive, non-food substances over a period of at least one month. Additionally, the behavior must not be in keeping with the child’s developmental stage and must not be socially normative or culturally acceptable behavior. The nature of ingested items is variable, including but not limited to earth (geophagy), raw starches (amylophagy), ice (pagophagia), charcoal, ash, paper, chalk, cloth, baby powder, coffee grounds, and eggshells. This activity describes the risk factors, evaluation, and management of pica and highlights the role of the interprofessional team in enhancing care delivery for affected patients. Pica –https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532242/

Yeah, I know. This is supposed to be a food blog. So why post information on pica?

The latest and strangest TikTok trend: eating dirt to reduce wrinkles – https://www.fastcompany.com/91194983/tiktok-trend-eating-dirt-to-reduce-wrinkles

Why does a social media site normalize eating disorders? Oh right, to reduce wrinkles in children! ATTENTION PARENTS – New Wrinkle Worry

OMG GET HELP. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-help/

Time to take the phone away. Seriously.

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ATTENTION PARENTS – New Wrinkle Worry

“When kids use anti-aging skin care, they can actually cause premature aging, destroy the skin barrier and lead to permanent scarring,” says Dr. Brooke Jeffy, a Scottsdale, Arizona, dermatologist who has posted her own social media videos rebutting influencers’ advice.

More than the physical harm, parents and child psychologists worry about the trend’s effects on girls’ mental health — for years to come. Extensive data suggests a fixation on appearance can affect self-esteem and body image and fuel anxiety, depression and eating disorders. ‘I didn’t want to get wrinkles’: The alarming effects of tweens using antiaging products — https://www.fastcompany.com/91183100/didnt-want-wrinkles-alarming-effects-kids-using-anti-aging-products

You’re welcome.

Reducing leisure screen time to just a few hours a week could decrease behavioral issues and increase positive social interactions for children and adolescents, according to a randomized trial of 89 families in Denmark. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, included 181 children aged 4 years through 17 years.

Less Screen Time Linked to Improved Sociability and Behavior in Children

JAMA. 2024;332(9):697-698. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.14875

And healthier skin in young girls.

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Drink More Water (another reminder)

Extreme heat is the number-one weather-related cause of death in the U.S., and it kills more people most years than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined. Yet research shows that compared with their thinking about dramatic events such as storm surges and wildfires, people tend to feel more uncertain about what to do under the threat of extreme heat and don’t perceive as much personal risk. This mismatch between the reality of the danger and the actions people take to protect themselves extends beyond individual perception to the policy level. Heat risks to human health are not often prioritized in climate mitigation and adaptation plans—if they are factored in at all.

Extreme Heat Is Deadlier Than Hurricanes, Floods and Tornadoes Combined — https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/extreme-heat-is-deadlier-than-hurricanes-floods-and-tornadoes-combined/

Remember The Death of Common Sense?

A 71-year-old Los Angeles man died in California’s Death Valley National Park on Tuesday, likely due to heat, as the afternoon high recorded in the park was 121 degrees, officials said.

Man featured in LA Times story dies in Death Valley amid 121-degree heat — https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/man-collapses-dies-in-death-valley-18211076.php

“It’s a dry heat.”

Steven Curry (the dead guy)
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The Death of Common Sense

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