How could you not click on that? So of course I did.

And I found a funny blog post at the Center for Consumer Freedom summarizing criticism about the recent NEJM-published study on the spread of obesity in social networks:

The “second-hand obesity” study published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine is drawing criticism worldwide. New York Times columnist Gail Collins not only doubts the validity of the study, but goes as far as to question the reputation of any medical journal that would publish such a report: “There was a time when the New England Journal of Medicine did not come up that often in water-cooler conversation, but pretty soon it’s going to be all you need to read.”

Accompanying the excerpts from two other critical commentaries is a link to a so-called game wherein you can compare your weight to celebrities. So of course I had to click on that, too. And I’m amused to report that I’m “government approved.” I don’t know how that compared with celebrities, so I tried punching in a few other numbers to get into the “too thin,” “overweight,” and “obese” categories, and that’s where the celebs came in. I won’t ruin the surprise, though. :]

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Post from: Blisstree

Study Calling Obesity “Socially Contagious” Criticized

At first I thought, “Well, people tend to gather in like groups, so these must be faulty findings. But this quote in a press release from UC San Diego set me straight: “It’s not that obese or non-obese people simply find other similar people to hang out with,” said Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, a physician and a professor in Harvard Medical School’s department of health care policy. “Rather, there is a direct, causal relationship.”

Look after the jump for a summary of the findings and links to two more press releases.

Reported by Harvard Medical School:

“What we see here is that one person’s obesity can influence numerous others to whom he or she is connected both directly and indirectly,” says Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, a professor in Harvard Medical School’s Department of Health Care Policy. “In other words, it’s not that obese or non-obese people simply find other similar people to hang out with. Rather, there is a direct, causal relationship.”

…Gender played an important role in how these statistics broke down. In same-sex friendships, individuals experienced a 71 percent increased risk if a friend of theirs became obese. This pattern was also observed in siblings. Here, if a man’s brother became obese, his chances of becoming obese increased by 44 percent. Among sisters, the risk was 67 percent. Friends and siblings of opposite genders showed no increased risk. While the researchers note that correlations among siblings provide evidence for a biological, and possibly even a genetic, component to obesity, patterns seen among friends indicate that there’s more than biology at work.

Reported by the NIH and the National Institute on Aging:

A key participant’s chances of becoming obese increased by 57 percent if he or she had a close friend who became obese. In same-sex friendships, a close friend becoming obese increased a key participant’s chance of becoming obese by 71 percent. However, no such association was found in opposite-sex friendships.

The perception of friendship also was an important factor. When two people identified each other as close friends, the key participant’s risk of becoming obese increased by 171 percent if his or her friend became obese. In contrast, a key participant was not likely to become obese if someone claimed a close friendship with him or her but the key participant did not report the friendship.

Among pairs of siblings, one’s becoming obese increased the other’s chance of becoming obese by 40 percent. This finding was more marked among same-sex siblings than opposite-sex siblings.

In married couples, one spouse’s becoming obese increased the likelihood of the other spouse becoming obese by 37 percent. Husbands and wives appeared to affect each other equally.

Obesity spread across social ties, despite geographic distance from one person to another. Further, social distance–the degree of social separation between two people in the network–appeared to make more of a difference than geographic distance in the spread of behaviors and norms associated with obesity. An immediate neighbor’s becoming obese did not affect a person’s risk of becoming obese.

So what do you think? Does this study have merit? Do you see patterns around you that make you believe it’s legit or just a coincidence? Leave a comment!

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Post from: Blisstree

More Obesity News: Obesity Spreads Through Social Networks

Ivanhoe Newswire reported earlier this month that annual doses of zoledronic acid (brand name Reclast) have been clinically proven to demonstrate a 70% reduction in risk of vertebral fractures and a 41% reduction in risk of hip fractures over a 3-year period in postmenopausal women age 65-89 years. Other types of fractions were also reduced considerably.

In the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, participants received a 15-minute infusion of either Reclast or a placebo and were followed-up with quarterly phone interviews and clinic visits at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months.

But don’t think this means you can stop with your preventive measures! Keep a close eye on your calcium intake, even if dairy products may not actually help you lose weight.

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Post from: Blisstree

Once-a-Year Osteoporosis Prevention