The Skinny Kid

Family meal seen as way to reconnect families | Health | Reuters

A national study of kids between 3 and 12 found that more meal time at home was the single strongest predictor of better achievement scores, ahead of time studying or in church.Researchers found a strong link between eating at least five dinners a week with a parent and children who are less likely to use drugs and develop good eating habits.

I must admit, my family has come to consider it a “family meal” if we eat simultaneously in different parts of the house.

Refrigerator Raid: Cut Your Health Care Bill

According to a recent AP News article, health care costs will only continue to climb during the next decade. In fact, the article reports that ten years from now, $1 of every $5 spent will be for health related expenses.

However, there is one simple way to help keep your health care costs low: stay healthy for as long as possible.

And to do that, Refrigerator Raider suggests, you should:

• Maintain a healthy weight
• Exercise
• Eat fruits and veggies
• Socialize
• Enjoy everything in moderation

Those sound like solid tips whether they end up reducing the healthcare bill or not.

We hear so much about what we shouldn’t do its good to see the fun things we should do to live a longer, healthier life. You’ve probably heard of most of these, so we’ll just list them. You can see the full article for more.

Top Fun Ways to Live Longer : RISMedia

1. Drink Red Wine
2. Eat Dark Chocolate
3. Smile
4. Relax
5. Make Exercise Play
6. Sleep
7. Spend Time with Loved Ones
8. Solve Puzzles and Play Brain Games
9. Be Positive

Now get out there and start doing them.

Heavy men may be less apt to commit suicide | Health | Reuters

As body weight increases in men, the risk of death from suicide falls markedly, new research hints.Given that previous studies have linked obesity with depression, obesity might be expected to raise the risk of suicide, but the few studies that have addressed this topic have largely found just the opposite, Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues note.

Alternative Hypotheses: 

1. The jolly fat man is not a myth
2. The very obese want to commit suicide but their weight impedes their ability to aim at themselves
3. Too lazy to actually do it

Heavy men may be less apt to commit suicide | Health | Reuters

As body weight increases in men, the risk of death from suicide falls markedly, new research hints.Given that previous studies have linked obesity with depression, obesity might be expected to raise the risk of suicide, but the few studies that have addressed this topic have largely found just the opposite, Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues note.

Alternative Hypotheses: 

1. The jolly fat man is not a myth
2. The very obese want to commit suicide but their weight impedes their ability to aim at themselves
3. Too lazy to actually do it

Heavy men may be less apt to commit suicide | Health | Reuters

As body weight increases in men, the risk of death from suicide falls markedly, new research hints.Given that previous studies have linked obesity with depression, obesity might be expected to raise the risk of suicide, but the few studies that have addressed this topic have largely found just the opposite, Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues note.

Alternative Hypotheses: 

1. The jolly fat man is not a myth
2. The very obese want to commit suicide but their weight impedes their ability to aim at themselves
3. Too lazy to actually do it

Why Omega-3s Seem To Improve Mood

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish like salmon, are associated with increased grey matter volume in areas of the brain commonly linked to mood and behavior according to a University of Pittsburgh study.

We knew it was brain food. Now we know which part of the brain.

Weight loss tip: Think you are thin! : Scientists, body mass index, weight : IBNLive.com : CNN-IBN

Researchers made the discovery after monitoring 84 women hotel housekeepers who cleaned about 15 rooms a day.Even though they exceeded daily recommended exercise levels to stay in trim they were “less healthy” than expected.

Half of them were told that their work gave them enough exercise to lose weight and keep fit.

They were told how many calories their daily tasks burned off every 15 minutes such as 60 for cleaning, 50 for vacuuming and 40 for changing beds.

The rest were not told about the health benefits of their work. Four weeks on the first group had lost 2lb on average, cut body fat by about 0.5 per cent, body-mass index by 0.35 and blood pressure by 10 per cent.

The others saw no improvement in health or physique. All the women were aged 18 to 55.

So if you think you’ll lose weight, you will? Sounds like shoddy science to me.  Could telling them that their work was exercise possibly have motivated them to eat less or get a little additional exercise after work compared with their peers? The article is silent on that, but if you are going to claim the weight loss is due to the thought process it seems you would want to control for such factors.