Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Fat, Coughing, Douchebags
New research suggests that high fat diets may contribute to Type 2 diabetes by interfering with the enzyme glycosyltransferase (GnT-4a), which helps the pancreas sense (and consequently regulate) blood sugar levels. This could be bad news for many people, particularly on the Atkins Diet and its various descendents, but also a hopeful prospect for future treatments.
The thing is, I don't buy it. If this was the whole story, or even, frankly, a large part of it, the US would not be so far ahead of places like France and Germany and Japan (where they like their fried foods with mayonnaise on top) in diabetes incidence. Yes, our ever-expanding national waistline and general unhealthiness help too, but still. This could just be a small factor.
While getting fatter and diabetic, Americans are also managing to get whooping cough. The disease (against which you ought to have been vaccinated) is resurging around the nation. Is this a new strain, unaffected by vaccine, or is it just that there are that many people who can't/dont get it?
Is there no good news? There is! Educational programs encourage girls to stop douching. No word yet on whether education can stop them from dating douchebags.
The thing is, I don't buy it. If this was the whole story, or even, frankly, a large part of it, the US would not be so far ahead of places like France and Germany and Japan (where they like their fried foods with mayonnaise on top) in diabetes incidence. Yes, our ever-expanding national waistline and general unhealthiness help too, but still. This could just be a small factor.
While getting fatter and diabetic, Americans are also managing to get whooping cough. The disease (against which you ought to have been vaccinated) is resurging around the nation. Is this a new strain, unaffected by vaccine, or is it just that there are that many people who can't/dont get it?
Is there no good news? There is! Educational programs encourage girls to stop douching. No word yet on whether education can stop them from dating douchebags.
