News on Vioxx replacements

Two years ago there were problems found with arthritis medications that contained Cox-2 inhibitors and both Vioxx and Celebrex were pulled off of the market. If you remember the problem was that users of these products had a higher inciednce of cariac problems compared to a control group that took a placebo. Now Merck, one of the largest drug manufacturers worldwide is trying to create a new drug called Arcoxia that also uses Cox-2 inhibitors as a painkiller to tackle arthritis pain.

Merck wants FDA approval to sell Arcoxia, also known as etoricoxib, to treat the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis. The Whitehouse Station, N.J. company said its drug should be an option for the estimated 21 million Americans who suffer from osteoarthritis.

The FDA is at this point against this new drug although Merck says that the results are the same as an older Arthritis drug called Diclofenac which although older is apparently safe.

The reason that I bring this all up today is because it seems that after the initial hype and banning of Cox-2 based pain control there have not been many studies and it would be nice to see more info on the good or the bad of these Cox-2 based drugs

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Fast rise in hyper obesity in the US

We all know how bad the obesity problem is but I found this article on MSNBC that is saying that the growth is people more than 100 pounds over – the Hyper Obese – is growing at an alarming rate.

People who are 100 pounds or more over are the fastest-growing group of over people in the United States, researchers reported on Monday.

They found the proportion of the severely obese was 50 percent higher in 2005 than it had been in 2000 — a startling rate of growth.

“The proportion of people at the high end of the scale continues to increase at a brisk rate despite increased public attention on the risks of obesity and the increased use of drastic loss strategies such as bariatric surgery,” said Roland Sturm, an economist at Rand Corporation, a nonprofit research institute.

“The explosion in the use of bariatric (-loss) surgery has made no noticeable dent in the trend of morbid obesity,” Sturm added in a statement.

Fast rise in hyper obesity in the US

The researchers found that based on self-reported height and , which tends to underestimate the part, 3 percent of Americans are already severely obese — defined as having a body mass index of 40 or higher.

Body mass index is calculated by dividing in kilograms by the square of a person’s height in meters.

The researchers, whose report will be published later this year in the journal Public Health, found that the proportion of Americans with a BMI of 30 or more increased by 24 percent between 2000 and 2005.

The proportion of people with a BMI of 40 or more increased by 50 percent and the proportion of Americans with a BMI of 50 or more increased by 75 percent.

The number of bariatric procedures, which include stomach stapling and stomach bypass surgery, rose to an estimated 200,000 in 2006 from 13,000 in 1998.

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Glycemic index and Glycemic load

I looked through the archives of this blog and am surprised that I have not mentioned the glycemic index before. The glycemic index is basically the measure of how quickly a carbohydrate will be burned and metabolized by your body.

Take this example, one person eats a pack of sugar and one person eats a potato.

You would expect that the sugar would quickly raise your blood sugar and then a half hour later or so your blood sugar would drop back down where with the potato your blood sugar would rise a bit for a couple of hours and then drop slowly after that time (I am only guessing at the numbers to point out the idea).

Looking at this example we would say that the sugar is a high glycemic food and the potato is a low glycemic food.

Low Glycemic Index Carbs

One of the decision points that I make when I eat is to try to make sure as many of the carbohydrates that I eat are low glycemic carbohydrates.

By taking in low glycemic foods I will have lower spikes in my blood sugar and should have a much more consistent energy level throughout the day.

This is a very tough thing to figure out initially but as you get the hang of the numbers it becomes easier.

Here are some foods and their Glycemic index values:

Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values for Selected Foods (Relative to Glucose)
Food	Glycemic Index (Glucose=100)	Serving size	Carbohydrate per serving (g)	Glycemic Load per serving
Dates, dried	103	2 oz	40	42
Cornflakes	81	1 cup	26	21
Jelly beans	78	1 oz	28	22
Puffed rice cakes	78	3 cakes	21	17
Russet potato (baked)	76	1 medium	30	23
Doughnut	76	1 medium	23	17
Soda crackers	74	4 crackers	17	12
White bread	73	1 large slice	14	10
Table sugar (sucrose)	68	2 tsp	10	7
Pancake	67	6″ diameter	58	39
White rice (boiled)	64	1 cup	36	23
Brown rice (boiled)	55	1 cup	33	18
Spaghetti, white; boiled 10-15 min	44	1 cup	40	18
Spaghetti, white; boiled 5 min	38	1 cup	40	15
Spaghetti, whole wheat; boiled	37	1 cup	37	14
Rye, pumpernickel bread	41	1 large slice	12	5
Oranges, raw	42	1 medium	11	5
Pears, raw	38	1 medium	11	4
Apples, raw	38	1 medium	15	6
All-Bran™ cereal	38	1 cup	23	9
Skim milk	32	8 fl oz	13	4
Lentils, dried; boiled	29	1 cup	18	5
Kidney beans, dried; boiled	28	1 cup	25	7
Pearled barley; boiled	25	1 cup	42	11
Cashew nuts	22	1 oz	9	2
Peanuts	14	1 oz	6	1

Zone Diet uses the Glycemic Index

So now that you see this Glycemic index info what exactly is the Glycemic load? The amount of carbohydrate consumed affects blood glucose levels and insulin responses.

The glycemic load of a food is calculated by multiplying the glycemic index by the amount of carbohydrate in grams provided by a food and dividing the total by 100.

In essence, each unit of the glycemic load represents the equivalent blood glucose-raising effect of 1 gram of pure glucose or white bread. Dietary glycemic load is the sum of the glycemic loads for all foods consumed in the diet.

The concept of glycemic load was developed by scientists to simultaneously describe the quality (glycemic index) and quantity of carbohydrate in a meal or diet.

Where to find more on Glycemic Index and Clycemic Load

There are many books and websites that will give you numbers for Glycemic index and glycemic load of foods and I think that the best book for Glycemic index information is the GI Diet, a book that can be purchased just about everywhere.

There are a few diets that really concentrate on this info most notably the Zone diet and the GI Diet but I just look at this information as a guideline on how to eat not only focusing on the GI level or glycemic load level of a certain food but looking at my whole diet to decide how well I am eating on a daily basis.

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Walking To Lose Weight -A Simple But Effective Method

Walking to lose weight is a simple but powerful method that can help with your long-term weight loss goals. Walking is a natural, safe and enjoyable exercise that can be done in almost any environment.

While it doesn’t burn up calories as quickly as strenuous activities such as running, jogging or riding a bicycle, it can be surprisingly effective.

Walking is perhaps the most natural physical exercise you can do.

Walking Use To Be Super Popular

Long before there were automobiles or bicycles, and even before humans domesticated horses to ride on, walking was the way people got around.

In recent years, the sad fact is that many people only walk when they absolutely have to.

They may see walking as something you do to get from your car to the store, or from your driveway to the house.

If this describes you, and your goal is to lose and get healthier, it may be a good idea to change the way you see walking.

Get Started Walking Right Now!

The great thing about walking is that you can easily start at your own pace and gradually speed up. You can also practice walking almost anywhere.

If you live in the city, you can walk on sidewalks or in a park. If you live closer to nature, you can walk on wooded or mountain trails. If you live in the suburbs, you can still find either sidewalks or a public track.

You can, of course, get a treadmill, this will allow you to walk in place indoors. This can be good for bad weather, in winter, or for people with physical limitations that make it hard to leave the house.

Otherwise, it’s best to also walk outside when you can. The surroundings make it more interesting and it’s good to get fresh air as well (unless you live in a badly polluted city).

Consistency is Key

The key to getting the most benefit from walking is to do it consistently. Walking, unlike many other forms of exercise, can be done daily with no ill effects.

You may want to find a partner or group to make it more interesting and sociable. If you walk alone, you can carry an iPod or another device that allows you to listen to music. Just make sure you are alert to your surroundings at all times.

Walking is also something you can do as it was originally intended, as a way to get from Point A to Point B. You can get into the habit of walking to the store instead of driving.

If you go to a large mall or a downtown area, you can park your car once and walk to all of your destinations rather than driving to each one. Even if you work in an office you can take more walks around the building during breaks or lunch.

Losing weight is an equation with two main variables -calorie intake and calorie burning. Walking can help with burning calories, but you also have to pay attention to your intake.

You don’t have to go on an extreme starvation diet, but if you are taking in more calories than you need, you can gradually cut back. If you do this while also increasing your metabolism by walking regularly, you should start to see some results fairly quickly.

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