Probably the most notable sports person (and comparable since he did a Bob Graham last year) is Scott Jurek. Veganism doesn't seem to do him any harm!
Probably the most notable sports person (and comparable since he did a Bob Graham last year) is Scott Jurek. Veganism doesn't seem to do him any harm!
Pete Shakespeare - U/A
Going downhill fast
Anyone listen to The Life Scientific on radio 4 this morning? Very interesting, to do with the causes of obesity and how some people crave different foodstuffs (like fat or sugar) which is genetically linked.
Don't roll with a pig in poo. You get covered in poo and the pig likes it.
I only heard part of it. They found some people who have no leptin - which tells us we have had enough to eat - these poor people are hungry no matter what they eat and become very obese early in life - I am pretty sure she said an 8 year old weighed 86 kg - but apparently such genetic anomalies only explain - so far - about one in a thousand cases of obesity and 1-2% of those who end up at specialist obesity clinics. Those who lack leptin will eat more fatty food rather than sugary food, even if the fat cannot be detected by taste. Interesting. And a genetic link to how much energy we burn at rest was mentioned, some burning much more than others.
Years ago I met a teenage girl who was "educationally subnormal" and had a genetic disorder associated with constant hunger - if left with free access to food she became morbidly obese and diabetic. She did reasonably well in a home for the disabled, where her access to food was closely controlled, but it was decided she was well enough to cope in the community - where she became grossly overweight and died from complications of the resultant diabetes. Very sad.
Leptin is a fascinating hormone and works with insulin in a way that was relevant in precivilized times, helping the body to store food in times of plenty for release in times of famine. Perfect for a stone age scenario of plentiful summers followed by fraught winters.
Now, with food available all the time, all it does is just drive continuing storage to abnormal levels i.e obesity.
For 99% of the obese population there is only one stark answer...eat less! (and cope with the withdrawal symptoms which are not nice but temporary)
Simon Blease
Monmouth
Processed food in particular can do the "wrong thing" to hunger/satiety hormone levels, making the body think it is starving despite the presence of obesity and excessive calorie intake - such people are hungry most of the time and willpower can only last so long. What is needed is a total change in the type of food eaten - less processed carbs and sugar, less saturated and omega 6 fats, more omega 3 fat, more fibre/vegetables/fruit. Easy to say, of course; I enjoy cake as much as anybody.
yah, what i meant was 'eat appropriately', i.e. less and more naturally
Simon Blease
Monmouth