Dr. Jimmy Bell has coined this term - TOFI - for people who are thin outside, fat inside. The British researcher has been making fat maps of people since 1994, amassing data from about 800 subjects. His discovery? About 45... (Source: Health Check the Blog)

Filed under: ResearchScientists have found a way for mice to eat whatever kind and however much fat in their diets and still not run any risk of getting heart disease. They deleted the gene that produces the enzyme ACAT2, which usually works in the body by converting cholesterol and other fats into forms that stick more easily and sometimes end up causing blocked vessels.Of course, like all studies based on mice, there's no word yet if the same principles will hold true in people.

Filed under: Prevention, All Cancers, DietsMany cancer patients and survivors I've talked to are know a bit about nutrition if they've successfully battled cancer (from lymph node cancer to skin cancer). I like these discussions, and I use them as fuel to speak about the benefits of a good diet to those who may be undergoing (or about to undergo) chemotherapy.One of the more exotic diet choices for those just starting to study cancer diets is the "macrobiotic" diet.

Filed under: Diet, NutritionFor those looking to lower cholesterol through diet, you may not have heard yet about stanols and sterols. So what are they?

Here is the translation for calories on food packaging:Calorie free:   Fewer than 5 calories per servingLow calorie:  40 calories or less per serving.  If a serving is 30 grams or less or 2 tablespoons or less, it signifies 40 calories per 50 g of the foodReduced or fewer calories:  At least 25 percent fewer calories per serving than the reference foodThat means you can say something is "reduced in calories" if there are 25% fewer calories, but the food can still be very high calories.  75% of a big amount is still a big amount  (Source: T

Trying to lose a few pounds by avoiding certain carbs? It may not matter, according to a new study that suggests total calories are more important. The study found no difference in weight loss between people who ate diets with... (Source: Health Check the Blog)

Here is food for thought for the profit-oriented among us (yours truly included). Can you make money off of Obese America?Here are some facts: Sixty-six percent of Americans are obese or overweight Seven million are more than 100 pounds overweight. $33 billion in services are spent each year on health care for the obese.

There are a bunch of little things I have wanted to share…but they are all pretty brief, really not enough to justify a “whole post.” So, I am now inaugurating a new, occasional TDWI post (you get to do that when you are “in charge”). This post will give me a chance to capture some great, but brief, unrelated ditties, for your reading pleasure.

Is this the week for popping balloons or what? Because today we learn, courtesy of a study in the April issue of American Psychologist, that diets don't work! That's right -- what any fat person could have told you long ago, diets just do not work.

Many restaurant meals are heavy with calories, fat, salt and other potential pitfalls for the waistline. But the Center for Science in the Public Interest has taken a close-up look at Chinese restaurant food in a new report that found... (Source: Health Check the Blog)