To recap the story: Phillies pitcher J.C. Romero was suspended in January for testing positive for androstenedione, a banned prohormone, last season.  He insisted he wasn’t trying to cheat: the positive test was due to an OTC bodybuilding supp, 6-OXO Extreme, which he believed was ok to take.  Romero is now suing the stores he purchased it from (GNC and Vitamin Shoppe), as well as the manufacturer(s) (Ergopharm and its parent company, Proviant Technologies).

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No, it’s nothing to do with weight loss, fitness, nutrition or supps – but it’s a major health concern at the moment.  Thus, I thought I’d post a link here to the Centers For Disease Control web site, which contains the latest updates.

http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

For what it’s worth, this is info straight from the horse’s mouth, and beats reading/watching panicky (and often sensationalized) news reports.  The more you know in advance, the better you can protect yourself (and others) from infection.

…It’s 9:25 AM on August 8, 2009

In just 5 minutes time, Tom Venuto, will swing by the W. to escort you, your fellow Contest Winner and Adam Waters on a “road trip” you’ll never forget.

That’s right! Over the next 10 hours you will be living the dream with two online fitness icons. Your “Winner’s Itinerary” for the day includes a one-on-one training session in New Jersey, a professional photo shoot, a private dinner with Tom and Adam in New York City, and a “Broadway Show” in Manhattan’s famed “theatre district.”

I’d like to title this, “My Dream Date with Tom Venuto” – except there’s no way I’d win this contest!  All I can do is be insanely jealous of the actual winners.

Of course, anyone who sees the “Real Time Physique” Transformation contest through will BE a winner, even if they don’t walk off with the top prize.  The deadline for signups is April 30.  Check out the details at http://www.rtp-system.com/ (terms and conditions here).

Yesterday, I wrote an extended post about MSN.com exercise “expert” Martica Heaner…and how she punted on a reader question on whether an “older body” could get “lean and hard.”  She used the question as a springboard to discuss the effects of exercise on aging (good), but utterly failed to seriously address the reader’s actual concern.  So I filled in the blanks for her.

Lo and behold, I encountered a virtually identical, “fitness Q & A” scenario on a visit to the LA Times this morning. 

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I happened to read Martica Heaner’s column, “Expert Advice” on MSN.com this morning.  It wasn’t bad at all… In fact, I thought her article, ”Do Exercise and Nutrition Affect How Old You Look?“, was a pretty decent rundown on the effects of exercise (and secondarily, nutrition) on the aging process.

Nonetheless, it reminded me of a line I recall from Babylon 5: “Unfortunately, while all answers are replies, not all replies are answers.”  As usual, Heaner led off with a reader’s question..but her reply was definitely NOT an answer.

Here’s the original question:

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Never heard of him?  Neither did I…until this morning.

He’s the world’s smallest bodybuilder.

He’s an inspiring young man (wish I could do wide-grip pull ups that easily!).  Here’s hoping that his fame will give his family the kind of financial stability needed to help him live as long – and as healthy a life – as possible.

OMFG.

I’m amazed that anyone would even ask that question.  The woman belongs in a hospital, not a beauty pageant.

Literally…

In an effort to rationalize the use of dietary manipulation on detainees, Bush administration officials turned to Slim Fast and Jenny Craig.

In a footnote to a May 10, 2005, memorandum from the Office of Legal Council, the Bush attorney general’s office argued that restricting the caloric intake of terrorist suspects to 1000 calories a day was medically safe because people in the United States were dieting along those lines voluntarily.

“While detainees subject to dietary manipulation are obviously situated differently from individuals who voluntarily engage in commercial weight-loss programs, we note that widely available commercial weight-loss programs in the United States employ diets of 1000 kcal/day for sustained periods of weeks or longer without requiring medical supervision,” read the footnote. “While we do not equate commercial weight loss programs and this interrogation technique, the fact that these calorie levels are used in the weight-loss programs, in our view, is instructive in evaluating the medical safety of the interrogation technique.”

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Yesterday, a member of the “Bodybuilding Revealed” forum asked a question about Rilose… specifically, whether it was “worth the money” or not.

At this point, a lot of you might be wondering: what the heck is Rilose?  So before I go on, let me explain…

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Yeah, I know…it’s a real eye-roller.  Nonetheless, people do fall for gimmicks like this, especially when the products are attractively packaged and the ad spiels are dressed up with sciency-sounding explanations about transdermal absorption of “clinically proven” ingredients.

Thus, I was prepared to high-five an article in the L.A. Times: “A Little Lip Gloss, a Little Weight Loss” by Alexandra Drosu.  I clicked on the link the minute I saw it…under the assumption that an article printed in a major American newspaper would take a skeptical approach.  After all, reporters are supposed to do some investigative leg work, and provide some analysis…right?

More fool me…

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I’m currently wrapping up a review on Muscle Asylum Project’s “Freak Fix Muscle Whey.”  For those of you who don’t already know, MAP is owned by Iovate Health Sciences – the parent company of Muscletech.  Now MAP is a separate label, but it’s really a distinction without a difference. The way the MAP stuff is designed and marketed, it might as well BE Muscletech.

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I’m proud of my food tech training and background.  Nonetheless, there are times when the food industry makes me want to scream.

Like today, after reading this industry article…

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It’s funny, now that I think back on it: throughout my entire reproductive life, I’ve spent only…four, maybe five years – tops – on the pill. Sure, oral contraceptives have their obvious charms w/respect to spontaneity, and – with the exception of one, college-era prescription - I never had any problems with it…

Yet there was always something about taking the pill that…bugged me. Simply put, I just never liked the idea of messing around with my hormones.  Thus, I opted for other forms of birth control most of the time: diaphragm or IUD. I’d cycle oral contraceptives in for a year or so (mostly for John’s sake, lol), then return to somewhat more awkward, but also less (psychologically) bothersome, forms of protection. Finally, John had a vasectomy right after Nick was born and that was that…birth control became a total non-issue for me.

Until I got into bodybuilding, that is.

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Paul forwarded a reader comment to me yesterday, and I thought the subject was worth exploring in depth:

I’m curious to know your opinion on the negative effects of Rutaecarpine? There are a lot of reliable (!?) anecdotal reports of liver enzyme issues. A quick search finds multiple studies, including human, of this compound inhibiting liver  microsomes.

Rutaecarpine is in products like BSN No Xplode (which many of the anecdotal evidence is against).

I’d be really interseted in your thoughts/comments and could provide an interesting article.  Most people will never come across this information, but we need supp companies to omit ingredients if dangerous.

I certainly don’t disagree with that last sentence!  Of course, therein lies the problem that many pro-regulation-types have with the industry.  Simply put, a lot of supplement ingredients have virtually no track record w/respect to health and safety, let alone efficacy.  So we’re treading into murky water, both scientifically AND philosophically. 

Let’s take care of the science part first…

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Scarlett Johansson tells it like it is:

Since dedicating myself to getting into “superhero shape,” several articles regarding my weight have been brought to my attention. Claims have been made that I’ve been on a strict workout routine regulated by co-stars, whipped into shape by trainers I’ve never met, eating sprouted grains I can’t pronounce and ultimately losing 14 pounds off my 5′3″ frame. Losing 14 pounds out of necessity in order to live a healthier life is a huge victory. I’m a petite person to begin with, so the idea of my losing this amount of weight is utter lunacy. If I were to lose 14 pounds, I’d have to part with both arms. And a foot. I’m frustrated with the irresponsibility of tabloid media who sell the public ideas about what we should look like and how we should get there.

…I’m someone who has always publicly advocated for a healthy body image and the idea that the media would maintain that I have lost an impossible amount of weight by some sort of “crash diet” or miracle workout is ludicrous. I believe it’s reckless and dangerous for these publications to sell the story that these are acceptable ways to looking like a “movie star.” It’s great to get tips on how to lead a healthier lifestyle, but I don’t want some imaginary account of “How She Did It!” I get into and stay in shape by eating a proper diet and maintaining a healthy amount of exercise. The press should be held accountable for the false ideals they sell to their readers regarding body image — that’s the real weight of the issue.

It’s not that you can’t find good diet and fitness info in ”lifestyle” mags, but it’s like dumpster diving: you have to be dedicated to sifting through piles of garbage to find the (comparatively few) items of value.  And – needless to state – you have to know the difference upfront, which makes them virtually useless as sources of valid information.

As far as I’m concerned, the only thing these mags are good for, is a laugh or two while I’m standing in the supermarket checkout line.

Actually, the study is about the use of homeopathic “medicines” alongside conventional cancer treatments, but same difference.

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I’ve discussed regulatory issues briefly before, although I might as well put my own feelings out here, for the record:

1. I am firmly against regulatory measures that would pull supplement compounds off the market until they can pass through some sort of draconian, bureaucratic testing/review process to prove they’re 1,000,000.995% safe and wholesome.
2. I am, however, perfectly amenable to holding manufacturers/retailers accountable for false or misleading claims about their products.  This shouldn’t require any new regs, however – just better funding and enforcement of existing ones.

This is why I often groan and roll my eyes when various self-appointed consumer advocates whinge about how DSHEA should be repealed and the FDA unshackled.  And it’s also why I wave my pom-pons and cheer wildly when the Feds finally crack down on companies like Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals. 

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This is the title of a chapter missing from Ben Goldacre’s new book, “Bad Science.”  Why is it missing?  I’ll let the author tell the story:

This is the “missing chapter” about vitamin pill salesman Matthias Rath. Sadly I was unable to write about him at the time that book was initially published, as he was suing my ass in the High Court. The chapter is now available in the new paperback edition, and I’ve posted it here for free so that nobody loses out.

Although the publishers make a slightly melodramatic fuss about this in the promo material, it is a very serious story about the dangers of pseudoscience, as I hope you’ll see, and it was also a pretty unpleasant episode, not just for me, but also for the many other people he’s tried to sue, including Medecins Sans Frontieres and more. If you’re ever looking for a warning sign that you’re on the wrong side of an argument, suing Medecins Sans Frontieres is probably a pretty good clue.

(Note: Medicins Sans Frontieres is better known in the US as “Doctors Without Borders.”)

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As I mentioned back at the end of February, I bought a weighted hula hoop…to add to the collection of “toys” I use to break up the day (writing is a pretty sedentary activity).  It arrived right before we took off to the Arnold, so – needless to state – I didn’t bother breaking it out of the box.

Unfortunately, I didn’t bother breaking it out right after we got back, either.   In fact, I didn’t open it up until yesterday! Life was a little chaotic after we returned from Columbus, so I more-or-less forgot about the thing until the kids were out of school for Spring Break…and then I decided to wait until they went back, so I could be hopelessly uncoordinated in private. It’s only been…oh, something like 35 years since I last played with a hula hoop.

But I’m not as uncoordinated as I thought – wasn’t difficult to get it going or keep it spinning, at all.  Damn thing is big – much larger than the plastic Wham-O hoops I used to play with as a kid - and it certainly has some heft to it.  It was fun, though – I got a kick out of twirling the thing around for 10 – 15 minutes.  I got some ”hoop time” in this morning, too – in between bouts at the keyboard.

I think it’s gonna be a keeper…I certainly didn’t have any trouble working up a sweat or getting my heart rate up.

It’s quite rugged and well constructed – looks like it will last for a long time, so I don’t have any hesitation about recommending the company I bought it from, Canyon Hoops, should anyone be interested in picking one up.

An editorial published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine lays out the “Public Policy Case for Taxes on Sugared Beverages.”  The piece, by Kelly Brownell, Ph.D. and Thomas Friedan, M.D., M.P.H.  makes several salient points:

Sugared beverages are marketed extensively to children and adolescents, and in the mid-1990s, children’s intake of sugared beverages surpassed that of milk. In the past decade, per capita intake of calories from sugar-sweetened beverages has increased by nearly 30% (see bar graph)³; beverages now account for 10 to 15% of the calories consumed by children and adolescents. For each extra can or glass of sugared beverage consumed per day, the likelihood of a child’s becoming obese increases by 60%.⁴

Taxes on tobacco products have been highly effective in reducing consumption, and data indicate that higher prices also reduce soda consumption. A review conducted by Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity suggested that for every 10% increase in price, consumption decreases by 7.8%. An industry trade publication reported even larger reductions: as prices of carbonated soft drinks increased by 6.8%, sales dropped by 7.8%, and as Coca-Cola prices increased by 12%, sales dropped by 14.6%.⁵ Such studies — and the economic principles that support their findings — suggest that a tax on sugared beverages would encourage consumers to switch to more healthful beverages, which would lead to reduced caloric intake and less weight gain.

Naturally, the soda industry doesn’t like the idea…

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