Would You Eat Genetically Modified Salmon?
image: AquaBounty
- Genetically Modified Salmon are fit for the tummies of American consumers, and
- If producers of GMO Salmon will be required to label GMO Salmon as GMO Salmon.
image: AquaBounty
Imagine that you’ve let your diet slip over the past few months. Too many chalupas and not enough….real food.
Imagine that you’ve really started to pack the weight on.
Muffin top, love handles, saddle bags…all that stuff.
Luckily for you, medical science is working hard to provide you with an iron-clad excuse for your extra adipose.
An Obesity Virus.
And believe it or not, this may turn out to be a real thing.
When I first wrote about it, the science behind the obesity virus was pretty sketchy.
But now, we have research that shows that children who tested positive for adenovirus36 antibodies weighed almost 50 pounds more, on average, than children who were AD36-negative.
The Research
Dr. Jeffrey B. Schwimmer (UCSD) examined 124 children, ages 8 to 18, for the presence of antibodies specific to adenovirus 36 (AD36).
Results
So, what does this mean to you?
According to Dr. Schwimmer,
“Many people believe that obesity is one’s own fault or the fault of one’s parents or family. This work helps point out that body weight is more complicated than it’s made out to be. And it is time that we move away from assigning blame in favor of developing a level of understanding that will better support efforts at both prevention and treatment. These data add credence to the concept that an infection can be a cause or contributor to obesity”.
According to Health Habits,
This means absolutely nothing…..until the day that researchers develop an anti-viral that can block the effect of AD36.
We all know people who can eat whatever they want and never gain a pound. Lucky them.
Whether it’s a virus, hormonal imbalance, malfunctioning hypothalamus or simply bad eating habits learned at your parent’s kitchen table, we are ultimately responsible for our actions.
And if you’re one of those unlucky people infected with AD36, and you want to stay lean & fit, you’re just going to have to work a little harder than your buddy with the hollow leg.
Sorry.
.
For 23 days, KSU nutrition professor Mark Haub has been eating Little Debbie Pecan Spin Wheels for breakfast, Hostess Twinkies for lunch, birthday cake for supper and Doritos for dessert.
As of yesterday, he’s lost 13 lbs.
And according to the prof, not only has he lost weight during this experiment, his health has improved by eating a reduced calorie (under 1800 kcal) diet of twinkies, swiss cake rolls, blueberry muffins, cinnamon rolls, peanut butter oreos, hot dogs & a glass of milk to wash it down.
After 3 weeks on this anti-diet diet, the Prof is sleeping better, is snoring less, has lowered his LDL cholesterol, has raised his HDL cholesterol and has maintained his RDA level of nutrients by taking vitamins and eating low cal veggies like celery.
So, is this diet healthy?
That’s the question Professor Haub wants people to ask themselves. He wants us (and his students) to question the idea that eating fruits, vegetables, low-fat protein and whole grains is the only way to lose weight.
According to Haub, “It’s unrealistic in some areas of society to expect that you can find fresh broccoli, tomatoes at a price that is affordable. If somebody can get their nutrients from a supplement and then they get their fuel from whatever is available, does it matter that they’re not getting fruits and vegetables and whole grains?
Haub believes that “it doesn’t matter where the macronutrients are derived from as long as essential nutrients are consumed at the recommended levels, and the fuel is consumed at a level at or below energy expenditure.”
And this is where I have to call B.S. on Prof. Haub’s Twinkie Diet.
His belief that a handful of vitamins can replace the nutrients found in a diet of actual food is a total crock of twinkie goo.
However, before people start swarming their local 7-11 to get the last box of Diet Twinkies, the Nutrition Professor should remind us (and the media) this is a short term experiment that is limited in scope & depth.
It will not measure:
In short, Professor Haub has shown us that when you eat less food, you lose body-fat.
Of course, a 15 year old anorexic teenager could have told us that.
Panorama Theme by
Themocracy