Something Else That Makes Us Fat - Nightlights

Do Night-Lights Make You Fat?
Laura K. Fonken, BS
Ohio State University
Special from Bottom Line's Daily Health News
January 3, 2011


Falling asleep to the glow of a muted bedroom TV or night-light is a common practice that seems benign... but it might be making you fat! Researchers at Ohio State University (Columbus) compared a group of juvenile mice that spent their eight nighttime hours in dim light (the equivalent of having a TV on in a dark room) with a group on a normal dark-night schedule. After just one week, mice from the slight-light environment had gained much more weight -- and the extra weight piled on so fast that at the end of the eight-week study the mice that had slept in dim light had gained 50% more than those kept in nighttime darkness. Glucose tolerance (related to, and a common companion of, insulin resistance) was impaired in the light-at-night group as well.

A Circadian Upset

Laura K. Fonken, a graduate research associate in the school’s department of neuroscience and psychology, filled me in on the findings, which were recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. She speculated that dim light at night may have disrupted the normal circadian clock in the mice, affecting the genes that prepare the body for predictable events, including eating. She said that the dim-light mice did not ingest more calories than the other mice, nor did they become less active -- the problem was a result of eating more frequently at times when they were normally inactive, when their metabolisms burned fuel less efficiently. In a second experiment, the researchers withdrew access to food during inactive periods. The mice took in the same amount of daily calories overall, and this time the mice in a dim-light group did not gain weight.

While rodents are nocturnal and humans are not, Fonken told me that light affects both species similarly, which is why the study findings have implications for us. We know, for instance, that there is a correlation between shift work and higher body mass index. It may be because their schedules make it necessary for shift workers to eat when their metabolisms are at low points. But, said Fonken, it also may be that low light at night triggers the desire to eat at off-hour times -- which would also explain people’s propensity to reach for after-dinner snacks in front of the TV or to get up during the night to eat. At present, these are merely hypotheses, she said, further research is needed.

In the meantime, for our own bedtimes, Fonken advises turning off the TV, the computer and the light in the bathroom and avoiding night-lights and lighted clock radios. A darkened room may indeed dampen the desire to eat at the wrong times, and it may come with a bonus as well -- better rest.

Follow-Up on Doctor's Appointment

The Vitamin D was so low it didn't register on the instrument used at the lab, the official count written as "below 4." I'm to stay on the Vitamin D 5,000 iu daily and repeat lab work in 3 months.

Lipids, including triglycerides, were perfect, so the doc said NOT to add meat, dairy, fish or eggs back to my diet, that with the supplements I'll be just fine. No need to see a dietitian, because after talking to me he realizes I already eat better than any food plan they could give me, and I know the science behind everything I eat. I have to thank Dr. McDougall for that. :)

TSH was 0.5. Unbelievable, considering the way I feel, but the doc said all my complaints, including the bouts of hypoglycemia I get, could all be related to the Vitamin D. Time will tell.

He's now no longer concerned about my weight being what it is, but did add that I might lose a few pounds once the supplement kicks in. I already dropped 4 pounds since Saturday's weigh-in. At least my bones and muscles should stop aching so much so I can exercise more so I can be healthier if not lighter. I'm nursing some wicked shoulder and upper back aches right now.

He said once again that he knows I'm sticking to my food plan because of the excellent lab results, that if I was eating off-plan the cholesterol would be much higher.

NOW he believes me! Just like now he believes all the aches and pains I've been having all these years. He has something measurable, in black and white, and not just constant complaints from a human.

Stop the Madness!!

Or: "Oh, NO! Not AGAIN? Not ANOTHER Generation's Metabolism Ruined?!?"

Nearly one third of American babies are too chubby: study

BY Rosemary Black
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Originally Published:Monday, January 3rd 2011, 1:43 PM
Updated: Monday, January 3rd 2011, 4:11 PM

Chubby grownups aren’t the only ones tipping the scales at an unhealthy weight.

Nearly a third of American babies are too fat, according to a new study reported on Msnbc.com. Some 32% of 9 month olds in the study were deemed overweight, and by the age of 2, the number had grown to 34%.

“It definitely raised eyebrows when we saw how early it was showing up,” Wayne State University adjunct professor Brian Moss, author of new research in the American Journal of Health Promotion, told Msnbc.com.

In babies under age 2, overweight is typically defined as a weight in the 85th to 95th percentile, explains Sessions. Babies who are above the 95th percentile are considered obese.
While a 9-month-old chub may not face imminent health problems, if he carries the extra weight into adulthood, he faces a higher risk of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, Sessions explains.

Overweight children also tend to snore more than kids of average weight, she notes, and may have sleep apnea, which can contribute to poor performance in school. "They may also face teasing from their peers," Sessions says.

Parents of chubby babies should look at their own diets, advises Dr. Jessica Sessions, director of pediatrics at the William F. Ryan Community Health Center. “We tend to give our kids what’s on our table,” she says. If the parents have a weight problem, that doesn’t bode well for the baby, she notes. “When both parents or even one is obese, that chubby baby probably is not going to thin out,” she says.

Interestingly, a high birth weight did not predict with accuracy whether a baby would grow up to be overweight or obese, according to the study, which focused on children born in 2001. Some very large babies thin out, but tiny newborns can become overweight, in some cases because parents offer them too much or the wrong kind of food.

Fruit juice is often implicated in the development of overweight babies, experts say. “If your baby is chubby and is drinking 18 ounces of fruit juice a day, it’s time to stay away from the fruit juice,” says Dr. Stephen Turner, chairman of pediatrics at Long Island College Hospital.

White flour and French fries are also to blame for the high rate of obesity in kids, says pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene, author of “Feeding Baby Green.”

“The third most common vegetable that a 9 month old gets is French fries,” Greene says. “By 18 months old, French fries are the number one vegetable for kids. “

And, he adds, “Babies get more calories from white flour than from any other solid food.” White flour, Greene says, is linked both to obesity and diabetes. “The body handles it like a spoonful of sugar,” he explains. “Switching to whole grains doesn’t cost any more, and if you do so when your baby is young, it’s a really easy switch.”

Parents should keep their baby’s weight in perspective, too. “”Don’t take their weight out of context with their length,” advises Dr. Henry Bernstein, chief of general pediatrics at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York. If your baby’s weight is in the 95th percentile and the height is in the 25th percentile, “Look at the quality of what he is eating,” Bernstein advises.

And keep in mind that many kids will slim down naturally. “Between 9 months and 2 years, a lot of babies thin out as they start to walk and are less interested in eating,” Turner says. “If you’re feeding your child healthy foods, I wouldn’t worry. But they should not be eating high fat fast food.”

* * * * *
Back in the early 1950's when I was born they went through this foolishness, too. My doctor had the hospital's newborn nursery staff water down my formula because I was too chubby at the ripe old age of 24 hours. I was kept on 1000 calorie diets all through my toddlerhood, young childhood, teen years, and young adulthood. Even now my doc keeps advising I go on 1000 calories. Guess what? I'm still fat! Most of my family of origin are fat - both sides.

My brothers and cousins are scattered all around the world, brought up on different foods, in different economic groups, different weight loss diets. Some of us are fat, have been since childhood, and of the fat group, most of us (not all) had been on restricted calories since early childhood. Some are thin and were since childhood, put on extra calorie food plans by their doctors. Some of the fat ones are the most active and healthy, including eating the healthiest diets (such as low fat vegan, whole grain, or the rich cousin who dines on gourmet foods); some of the thin ones never get off the couch and live on fast food hamburgers and shakes.

It's genetics, docs!!!!!

PLEASE don't recommend parents start starving their 9 month old babies in the name of "health"! Look at all the dead babies the past 5 years, starved to death by parents who were afraid their baby was getting too fat. This number will only increase if society keeps this hatred of fat people up. It's going to be Hitler and eugenics all over again.

They Said This 30 Years Ago

Boozers' kin more likely to be obese and lap up food instead of alcohol: study

Reuters

Sunday, January 2nd 2011, 4:00 AM

CHICAGO - People with a family history of alcoholism are much more likely to be obese - and researchers think it's because their brains make them binge on junk food instead of booze.

"Much of what we eat nowadays contains more calories than the food we ate in the 1970s and 1980s, but it also contains the sorts of calories - particularly a combination of sugar, salt and fat - that appeal to what are commonly called the reward centers in the brain," said Richard Grucza of Washington University in St. Louis.

"Alcohol and drugs affect those same parts of the brain and our thinking was that because the same brain structures are being stimulated, overconsumption of those foods might be greater in people with a predisposition to addiction."

His team found that people with a family history of alcoholism - who may be predisposed to addiction - were almost 50% more likely to be obese.

The alcoholism-overeating link might help explain rising obesity in the United States, which has doubled from 15% of the population in the late 1970s to 33% in 2004.

* * * *

ACOA - Adult Children of Alcoholics - and Overeaters Anonymous have been saying this for decades now. In its heyday back in the 1980's you could find as many ACOA 12-step meetings as AA or OA ones. Many people in OA arrived there via AA or NA or other 12-step groups. In my own family, most of my parent's generation and before were alcoholics and over-eaters. In my generation you also have alcoholics and over-eaters but also gambling addicts, shoppping addicts, hoarders, drug addicts, and sex addicts.

57 in 2011; 500 in 52

I now have a goal of losing just a bit over a pound a week for a total of 57 (and a half) pounds by this time next year. I splurged a bit this holiday season, and was unable to exercise as much as I needed to.




I also have a goal of getting the equivalent of 10 miles per week of exercise, too. I know that some weeks I'll get in more, but I'm a realist and realize that due to circumstances I may not get in even half that on some weeks, especially if an injury occurs. My exercise will be a combination of Leslie Sansone and Richard Simmons aerobics, the treadmill, the exercise bike, and qigong.

I might continue the McDougall food plan when it comes to food choices, but, again as a realist, I know I have to calorie count if I want to lose any weight.

I might just eat a wider variety of foods, including meat and dairy, and just keep the unhealthier choices, like hamburgers and peanut butter cups, to a minimum. I might use the Richard Simmons Foodmover to keep track of it all.

I also realize that I may do all of the above and not lose another ounce, thanks to my still uncontrolled hypothyroid condition, ravages of age that contribute in injuries, and decades of dieting that have left me with the metabolism of a sea sponge.

Or a large rock. Sure, it will reduce its mass, but only after a few millenia of constant pounding on it by running water.

I don't have a few millenia, only a few decades left. In my first 24 hours of life my family was told I was too big, to cut my food in half. And for the majority of my time on this planet I was eating less than my body required for optimal health, yet my size remained about twice that the BMI charts says I should weigh. I have a list of medical problems that can be proven to be caused by these food restrictions, from the thyroid woes, through all the musculo-skeletal problems, and now various nutritional deficiencies.

The doc phoned to say my Vitamin D level is lower than any patient he ever saw, that the lab phoned him to say they ran it twice, it's not a mistake, that even they never saw a level that low. He couldn't wait until my office visit next Monday - he wanted me to start supplementation immediately. If you do a web search for Vitamin D deficiencies you'll find that everything I've complained of the past few years could have been caused by it, including my heart thing from September 2009 AND the lack of weight loss AND the inability to find the right dose of thyroid replacement meds.

When I have that vitamin level retested in a few weeks he's also going to test me for a few other vitamin and mineral deficiencies that usually go along with the Vitamin D one.

I'll find out Monday how the rest of my lab work went - liver profile, lipid levels, thyroid. He said on the phone that a few other things were not normal but they could wait until we spoke in person.

And when I see him Monday we're going to have a serious talk about my food plans. Obviously the low fat vegan one isn't working out as well as hoped. If eating this way leaves me with nutritional deficiencies and I'm still not losing weight, why continue with it? Remember Einstein's definition of insanity!

Richard Simmons's Christmas Message

Can't Wait Until This Year Is Over!

It hasn't been a good few weeks.

The elderly relative we care for, the one who lives an hour away, suddenly had no heat on the first day the outside temps stayed in the 20's. Twice that week we had to drive over after work and stay until 1am while the utility company did its thing. We still had to get up at 4:30am the next morning. Then my husband had to use his last vacation day of the year the next week when they came to remove the old, broken furnace and install a new one. They left at 9pm, leaving her with a new working furnace but also a clogged up sink and a broken radiator, the one they installed a new steam vent on hours before but was now spurting brown water like a deranged Old Faithful! They eventually told us to get a plumber, that it's no longer a utility company job. Since my husband used up all vacation days and won't be off again (not counting New Year's Eve, when the plumber isn't working) until January 17th for Martin Luther King Day, she is now without a sink or radiator in her downstairs half-bath. OK, she can live with that.

Then her kitchen phone starts breaking. It was a $100+ phone with special volume boosters for the ringer and handset, but now it's so low that even my husband, he of the animal-ears and can hear a mouse squeak 3 rooms away while the stereo is on, had trouble hearing anything. I ordered a new special phone from a company that specializes in items for the hard of hearing and deaf, but it won't arrive until next week.

Her hearing is getting worse and she not only can't hear her alarm clock, but she no longer hears the radio part of that alarm clock even though the volume is on full blast, nor does she hear the bedroom phone ring and it's mere inches from her head. I ordered one of those loud ringers with the strobe light flasher that attaches to the phone. We had bought one last year for her kitchen phone so now she does hear that ring if she's anywhere downstairs. We also bought an attachment for the new flasher that goes under the mattress and is supposed to shake her bed when the phone rings, but my tiny cell phone vibrates more than the shaker does so we're returning that. The ringer/strobe arrived at our house the other day, but we haven't been able to get to hers yet to install it.

Why the rush to get this thing installed? She's now gotten her days and nights reversed and stays awake until almost dawn, sometimes stays up 2 days in a row. She's asleep in bed when her homemaker is trying to get in at 2pm. So it's now my job to phone her and wake her up before 2 so she can let the homemaker in. But she doesn't hear the phone! I start dialing her number around 11 am and keep trying until she answers, and last week alone we had to send the homemaker home twice because I couldn't wake the aunt up after three hours of phoning her. Only one of those days was after a 1am furnace call. We're paying over $20 an hour (three hour minimum) for a homemaker who can't get in the house because the aunt is puttering around the house at 3 in the morning instead of sleeping.

At least once the ringer/strobe is installed she'll wake up on the first phone call. Why hasn't this ringer been installed yet?

Have you looked outside (or on the TV, if you don't live in the NY/NJ area)? We got 22 inches of that ugly white stuff the other night and our car is completely buried by the drifting snow. Nobody on our side of the street has been able to dig out yet. The other side of the street got less than 6 inches because the wind blew it all over this way. Everyone across the street has already been driving their cars since the morning of the blizzard.



The snow is up to his shoulders, and that's our car in the upper right corner there.

The homemaker phoned yesterday - she has no where to park her car. The aunt's city only plowed the main streets, streets that allow no parking on normal days. None of the side streets have been plowed, and the neighbor that uses the aunt's snowblower only makes a footpath from the back door to the garbage can and down the driveway to the sidewalk, and a path on the sidewalk. He doesn't clear her whole driveway - and we don't expect him to - because she no longer drives. Luckily her next door neighbor saw the homemaker's dilemma and told her to park in her cleared-out driveway for the 3 hours she was going to be there. Hopefully their city got around to clearing side streets since then so she has somewhere to park today. We're going to ask the neighbor around the corner from her if the homemaker can use his driveway if he's not going to be home. The only other thing to do is for her to find a space a few blocks away in the town's shopping district and walk over. The service's office is there and they have a parking lot. I don't know what else to do. We may wind up having to cancel the homemaker until that city finally clears its streets.

On top of all this, my son has been sick. It started out as the sniffles and went into a full blown ear infection and strep throat. He's 27, and has been sick for all but 2 Christmasses in his life. This is the first time he's ever had an ear infection though. Even as a baby he never got them. I'm the one who always had the ear problems, which is why I'm partially deaf since childhood. Anyway, he was glum enough at the lack of employment opportunities around here and being unemployed since he graduated 2 years ago, then his best friend went away to Thailand with his family for the holiday season and won't be back for a few more weeks, then he had to get sick at at time I had to be out of the house and at the aunt's place playing with the furnace. Poor baby! He's got me now - I can't get out of the house with all this snow!

All these mini-catastrophes have upset my food and exercise routines. It's hard to get an hour of exercise in when you had only 3 hours sleep and have to drive to the aunt's place again at 6 in the morning during rush hour traffic near the Holland Tunnel. I didn't have any leftover healthy food to bring with me on those days so we relied on fatty, salty fast food to sustain us, for all three meals on a few of those days. Then comes all the holiday goodies my husband brought home from work or we got for the aunt/kid. We bought for them but they both kept waving those boxes of butter cookies under our noses. After not having any for 5 years, who can say "No?" Not me.

Luckily I insisted we hit the grocery store on Christmas Eve, when we heard the first rumors of getting more than an inch or 2 of snow. "Snow showers" is what the forecasters were saying up until then. Suddenly it was now up to "a foot or more" in a forecast an hour later. I have a freezer stocked with veggies, a pantry and extra boxes filled with all kinds of beans, tomatoes, pasta and grains. I have enough TP to last us a month. If I need anything else, my husband walks right past a grocery store every day in his journey home from work, and between our house and the light rail station he passes not just that store but about 5 mom & pop delis, a Walgreen and 7-11 if I get desperate.

My lab work was drawn the morning the aunt's furnace went out. I was supposed to get the results this past Monday, but with the doctor stranded in his home city and the office workers stranded in their homes in this one, the visit has been rescheduled for next Monday. Even if my car is still buried I can walk over there. If my B-12 is low he can give me an injection right there and I can increase the amount I'm taking at home. If my Vitamin D is low I can order a vegan version of supplementation from on-line. If the thyroid med needs to be increased the office can phone it in and my husband can pick it up on the way home from work (Since he already walks past Walgreen, anyway). Any other prescription changes will get mailed in to our long-term pharmacy, but I don't foresee anything else changing. It took a long time to get the right combo of asthma meds and I'm sure he's not going to mess with them.

One good thing about being snowed in - I have no excuse not to do my exercises, and have done my workouts every morning since the furnace business was finished, including Christmas morning. My meals have been back on plan, but with those cookies still in the house, well, a few always find their way into my tummy. There aren't that many left and I told my son last night to keep them in his room and enjoy them, NOT to try share them with us any more. They lasted this long because of his sore throat. We'll probably get him more when he's feeling better and I'm back on plan for a while and strong enough to resist them again.

After all this, I only gained one pound this month. That is a miracle in itself. With diligence and sticking strictly to my food plan, that pound will be gone before I hit the doctor's on Monday. Unfortunately I'm up 7 pounds since my last visit to him 3 months ago. I'm sure the thyroid med is going to need to be increased again.

I know I'm hoping 2011 will be better, but know it won't. Already my husband had to use one of next year's vacation days because none of the trains, busses, or light rail were running yesterday so he couldn't get to work. And with the aunt getting more and more confused she's going to need care a lot longer than for 3 hours a day. During the furnace fiasco (started because she forgot it needed to get flushed and have water added) she asked "Where does the coal go in?" even though she has had a gas furnace for over 60 years, and most days when I call and wake her she can't remember who I am. So it looks like this is the year we'll be moving in with her. God help us all!