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)

HOW MANY VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS ARE THERE IN THE USA – 2022?

6% (including vegans)

HOW MANY VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS ARE THERE IN THE USA?https://www.vrg.org/blog/2022/10/12/how-many-vegetarians-and-vegans-are-there-in-the-usa-2/

Quick link to the full survey on PDF – https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/CulturedMeatYouGov2022.pdf

I’ve always found this annual survey fascinating because the mainstream media leads you to believe the percentage is higher.

Convenience Stores and Obesity

One of the few prospective longitudinal studies examining the influence of key elements of a comprehensive set of food outlets, both large and small, the study followed two groups of 3 to 15 year-old children in four New Jersey cities — Camden, New Brunswick, Newark, and Trenton. These cities were known to be initiating policy and environmental changes aimed at childhood obesity prevention. The first group was studied from 2009-10 to 2014-15, the second from 2014 to 2016-17.

Less healthy changes were found in children when their exposure to convenience stores increased over time. For example, exposure to an additional convenience store within a mile of a child’s home over 24 months resulted in 11.7 percent greater likelihood of a child being in a higher body mass index range compared to other children of the same sex and age at the end of the study. In contrast, exposure to an additional small grocery store within a mile over 24 months resulted in 37.3 percent lower odds of being in a higher body mass index category. No consistent patterns were found for changes in exposure to supermarkets, restaurants, or pharmacies.

Elsevier. “Kids gain weight when new convenience stores open nearby.” ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201210074725.htm (accessed December 12, 2020).

Journal Reference

  1. Punam Ohri-Vachaspati, Francesco Acciai, Kristen Lloyd, David Tulloch, Robin S. DeWeese, Derek DeLia, Michael Todd, Michael J. Yedidia. Evidence That Changes in Community Food Environments Lead to Changes in Children’s Weight: Results from a Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2020.10.016

The only thing I buy at the 7-11 is gas.