Archive for July 8th, 2010

China Study Problems of Interpretation

The China study was an observational study that collected a massive amount of information about diet and health in 65 different rural regions of China. It’s been popularized by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, who has argued that the study shows that plant foods are generally superior to animal foods for health, and even a small amount of animal food is harmful. Campbell’s book has been at the center of the strict vegetarian (vegan) movement since its publication.

Richard from Free the Animal just passed on some information that many of you may find interesting. A woman named Denise Minger recently published a series of posts on the China study. She looked up the raw data and applied statistics to it. It’s the most thorough review of the data I’ve seen so far. She raises some points about Campbell’s interpretation of the data that are frankly disturbing. As I like to say, the problem is usually not in the data– it’s in the interpretation.

One of the things Minger points out is that wheat intake had a massive correlation with coronary heart disease– one of the strongest correlations the investigators found. Is that because wheat causes CHD, or is it because wheat eating regions tend to be further North and thus have worse vitamin D status? I don’t know, but it’s an interesting observation nevertheless. Check out Denise Minger’s posts… if you have the stamina:

The China Study: Fact or Fallacy

Also, see posts on the China study by Richard Nikoley, Chris Masterjohn and Anthony Colpo:

T. Colin Campbell’s the China Study
The Truth About the China Study
The China Study: More Vegan Nonsense

And my previous post on the association between wheat intake and obesity in China:

Wheat in China

Vitamin E and Alzheimer’s disease

There has been a lot of interest in the links between Alzheimer’s disease and diet over the last few years and now a new study from Sweden suggests that vitamin E could have a protective effect against the condition. A team of researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm studied 232 people who were all over 80 at the start of the study – none of the participants had Alzheimer’s at this point. The levels of Vitamin E in the participants’ bloodstreams were measured at the start of the study and they were followed over the next six years in which time 57 of them had developed the condition. The participants with higher blood levels of vitamin E at the start of the study had a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to those with lower levels.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100707102439.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Therapist competence and patient improvement

Many studies have shown that cognitive therapy is an effective treatment for depression but it can be hard to tell how much of this is down to the effectiveness of the therapy per se and how much of it is down to the competence of the individual therapist. Researchers from Ohio State University studied videotapes of therapy sessions involving 60 adults with moderate-severe depression and their six therapists. The researchers rated the therapists’ skills and the patients completed a questionnaire after each session to measure their depression; the researchers didn’t know how the patients were getting on when they assessed the therapists’ skills. Patients with high levels of anxiety and early-onset depression benefitted most from the highly-rated therapy sessions. Higher levels of therapist competence were related to more symptom improvement during the first four sessions. After 16 weeks the association between therapists’ competence and patients’ improvement was still there although it was not quite as strong.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100706161803.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Want to make teenagers happy? Let them have a lie-in

Giving teenagers a bit more of a lie-in on a school morning could have significant benefits for their mood and health. Researchers from the Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence studied 201 children in Years 9 to 12 who all went to a private high school in Rhode Island. Over the course of the study the start of the school day was put back from eight until half past eight. After putting the start of the school day back the pupils said that they slept much better and were more motivated. Daytime sleepiness, fatigue and depressed mood were all reduced and class attendance improved. The percentage of students getting less than 7 hours sleep fell by 79.4% and those reporting at least 8 hours of sleep rose from 16.4% to 54.7%. Despite having reservations to start with both the students and the teachers voted overwhelmingly to continue with the later start. It is now thought that although teenagers sleep cycle changes so that they get up later and go to bed later they still need the same amount of sleep as children – about 9 1/4 hours a night.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100705190532.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Bolthouse Farms Review And Giveaway

I am always on the lookout for anything that is healthy. So, when my mom and I discovered bolthouse farms we were so pleased. The first beverage I tried from bolthouse farms was their mocha cappuchino, and I was hooked ever since. I always pride myself on being not addicted to anything, but that went out the window once I tried bolthouse farms. The above pictures are some of my favorite bolthouse farms beverages, since I couldn’t get a picture of all of them at once. Everyone that I have tried I have liked. They are so delicious, and they are healthy. I could drink one every single day. The whole family can enjoy these drinks. There are so many drinks on the market that contain loads and loads of sugar. With bolthouse farms drinks you don’t have to worry about that. I feel confident that when I drink bolthouse farms drinks I am truly getting the best. The taste reflects that. Before, I tried mocha cappuchino I admit, I really wasn’t into coffee products, but I liked mocha cappuchino so much I decided to try starbucks. Let me tell you there was no competition. Starbucks cappuchino didn’t even come close to bolthouse’s mocha cappuchino.

Bolthouse Farms is coming out with new products. They now have salad dressings and I noticed that they have two new drinks out. One is called, passion orange guava and 100% pomengranate. If you haven’t tried any of bolthouse farms products I highly recommend you do. Especially if you are looking for great nutritious and natural products. You can check them out at their website at Bolthouse Farms.

Bolthouse Farms is offering one of my lucky readers coupons for their Bolthouse beverage products.

How To Enter This Giveaway!- Please leave individual comments for each of the following below. Also, be sure to leave your email address so that I can contact you if you are the winner.

1. Tell me what you liked about this product or if you haven’t tried it what reason that you would like to try this product.

Bonus Points:

2. Subscribe to this blog and leave a comment telling me you have done so.
3. Following me on twitter.
4. Retweeting this post.
5. Share this blog post with your facebook friends.
6. Blog about this giveaway linking to this giveaway.
7. Follow me on google connect.
8. Comment on any other post on this blog. Leave link where comment can be found.

This giveaway will run through July 7, 2010 to July 25, 2010. I will choose a winner from all the valid entries that were submitted. The winner will be notified via email and have 48 hrs. to contact me with their mailing information before another winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only ages 18 yrs. or older.

Thanks for reading and entering this review and giveaway!


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