Posted: May 13, 2012 at 12:14 pm
The Diet kicked off deliberations Friday on the contentious bill to double the 5 percent consumption tax by 2015, and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is urging the opposition camp to help ensure its passage by the end of the Diet session in June.
During the afternoon Lower House plenary session, opposition parties blasted Noda's Democratic Party of Japan for seeking the sales tax hike after promising during the 2009 Lower House poll campaign not to pursue raising the levy during the elected lawmakers' four-year term.
Noda countered that the DPJ did not violate its election platform because the tax hike will not begin until after the current Lower House members' term ends in summer 2013.
"Our party made statements during the previous Lower House election campaign that were lame or went too far, and I must earnestly reflect on the past and apologize that the DPJ lacked discussions on the (platform) during our time in the opposition camp," Noda said.
But he once again reiterated the need to reform the social security and tax systems amid the snowballing national debt and rapidly aging society.
"We are at a crucial point where the sustainability of Japan's social security system and finances is on the line," Noda said. "We cannot run away from this social security and tax system reform, and the ruling and opposition forces must hold constructive discussions and implement the reform for the country and its people."
The outlook for the tax bill remains gloomy because the main opposition force, the Liberal Democratic Party, is more bent on pressing Noda to dissolve the lower chamber and call an election first.
Many DPJ members, particularly allies of kingpin Ichiro Ozawa, also strongly oppose the tax hike.
LDP lawmaker Takeshi Noda meanwhile pointed out that the LDP itself was not against a 10 percent tax but said various obstacles standing in the way of tax hike talks.
"Look around carefully. Do you really think the environment (is ready) to move the discussions forward?" he asked Noda. "There are many major hurdles, including seeking the support of the people, the DPJ's internal political situation and the party's policy principles. These matters need to be dealt with before beginning talks (of the tax hike)."
Continued here:
Diet finally starts deliberations on tax hike bill
Posted: May 13, 2012 at 12:14 pm
Like most men across the country, I have been jealous of Tim Tebow's chiseled physique since the photos of him in a "Gator Charity Challenge" tank top popped up on the internet in 2009.
In those pictures from three years back, his muscular shoulders, tight abs and rippling biceps are clear for all to see, and I hoped to work for a similar body frame for myself.
Obviously one of the main reasons why he has such a big, mobile body is because he has a vigorous workout routine, but I felt like his diet was an equally important component.
I found myself constantly searching online for diet tips that would help me have Tebow's body, and it wasn't until an ABC News report on May 10 that I was able to find my answer.
I always imagined in the past that Tebow just lived on a low-carb diet of lean meats and organic juices, as he hadn't really divulged his daily regimen until the ABC News report came out.
In the past, he has provided fairly generic answers to dieting questions, like his response in a muscleprodigy.com interview where he said "It all starts with your diet, so I always eat a great breakfast because that's giving your body fuel."
In the ABC News report, Tebow finally revealed what gave him all that muscle, all that mass and all that strength: "pizza pie" and "ice cream pie."
Not the answer you were expecting? I was shocked, myself.
"I just like normal food. I mean, you have to go to so many, like, rubber chicken dinners and you put on the face and you're like, 'Oh, thank you, it's so good,' and you're like, 'Man, I just can't wait to go home ... and have pizza pie,'" he said.
Pizza pie includes fairly unhealthy ingredients like ground beef, baking powder biscuits and fattening mozzarella cheese.
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Is Tim Tebow's Diet Healthy? Fan's View
Posted: May 13, 2012 at 12:14 pm
PHARMACEUTICALS FDA panel endorses weight-loss drug
Arena Pharmaceuticals jumped the most ever Friday after the company's weight-loss pill gained the backing of an advisory panel, putting two obesity drugs in line for U.S. approval almost two years after regulators rejected them as too risky.
Arena rose 74 percent to $6.36 at 4 p.m. New York time, the biggest increase since the company's shares began trading publicly in July 2000.
Food and Drug Administration advisers voted 18-4 Thursday that the benefits of Arena's pill, known as lorcaserin, outweigh the risks. The FDA is scheduled to decide by June 27 on lorcaserin, and doesn't have to follow the panel's advice.
Arena, based in San Diego, is competing with Mountain View's Vivus Inc. and Orexigen Therapeutics, based in La Jolla, to introduce the first weight-loss drug since Roche Holding AG's Xenical in 1999. The FDA previously turned down all three drugs. Panel members raised concerns that lorcaserin provides a modest benefit while potentially raising heart risks.
A federal appeals court has turned down a Freedom of Information Act request to disclose National Security Agency records about the 2010 cyberattack on Google users in China.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center, which focuses on privacy and civil liberties, sought communications between Google and the NSA, which conducts worldwide electronic surveillance and protects the U.S. government from such spying. But the NSA refused to confirm or deny whether it had any relationship with Google. The NSA argued that doing so could make U.S. government information systems vulnerable to attack.
A federal district court judge sided with the NSA last year, and on Friday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the ruling.
Nordstrom on Friday dropped the most in more than eight months after the department-store chain posted quarterly profit that trailed analysts' estimates, hurt by expenses for e-commerce investments.
Nordstrom fell 4.8 percent to $50.96 in New York, the most since Aug. 18. The shares have gained 2.5 percent this year.
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FDA panel backs Arena weight-loss pill lorcaserin
Posted: May 13, 2012 at 12:14 pm
Got a success story of your own? Send it to us at success.stories@huffingtonpost.com and you could be featured on the site!
Name: Ellen Olstein Age: 33 Height: 5'6" Before Weight: 247 pounds
How I Gained It: I was never a "skinny" person. As a child, I always carried a bit of extra weight on my frame compared to the other children in my neighborhood and at the small, Catholic school that I attended. I was always very conscious of the fact that I was "heavier" than the other girls, and this realization bothered me a great deal until I went to college.
During my college years, I lost a bit of weight, but not through healthy means. I ate sporadically, never got enough sleep and generally kept very odd hours. I also worked, attended classes as a full-time student and was a tireless social butterfly. Thanks to this busy lifestyle, combined with still having the metabolism of a young adult, I was able to maintain a fairly healthy weight of approximately 150 pounds throughout my college career. It wasn't until I graduated with my bachelor's degree in May 2000 and began working at my first full-time desk job that I began to pack on the pounds.
After college, I continued to eat like a college student. I never cooked or prepared homemade meals. I ate out for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and I watched my waistline quickly expand past the "regular" women's clothing section and into the plus-sizes. As I continued to gain weight, I repeatedly asked myself how I could've let myself go in such a way. I would regularly beat myself up about the excessive amount of weight that I gained, but would never take the necessary steps to improve my situation and try to lose it. I continued to eat my favorite foods, which included gyros, French fries and pizza. I joined a gym located only one block away from my apartment, but I rarely went. When I would go, I would quickly become frustrated and would end my workout prematurely.
Breaking Point: My husband and I moved to Philadelphia in 2005 when I luckily found a new job in the Center City area. We had been trying to move from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia for a two-year period of time, and I decided to use the opportunity as a new beginning not only career-wise, but also health-wise.
How I Lost It: Before making the move to Philly, I immediately got rid of my car. I decided that I would take public transit everywhere that I needed to go in the city. This led to the habit of walking. At first, walking for even 30 minutes was incredibly difficult. My feet would swell, and I hated the feeling of "huffing and puffing" everywhere I had to go. However, after only a few months of walking, I found myself enjoying the act of walking anywhere that was within walking distance. After one year of this newfound habit, I bought a bike and used it as my main form of transportation for one full year. I lost 20 pounds during that year of cycling my way to-and-from work, the grocery store and anywhere else that I needed to or felt like going.
The following year, inspired by my husband, I joined a neighborhood gym and immediately fell in love with it. I discovered that the gym was a place where I could constantly challenge myself, and I continue to view it in this positive way. These days, I am constantly looking for new ways to raise the bar. I have become addicted to Spinning, and take three classes per week. I have also started taking a boot camp class once a week. On Sundays, I take my morning three-mile run into the city. Every single day, I try to do something that gets me up and moving. I still have a desk job, but I am constantly dreaming about exercise. I look forward to my regular gym trips.
Additionally, I have done a great deal of online research about diet and nutrition. I am a pescatarian, and I believe that eating a healthy, balanced diet is best. My favorite foods now include fruit, vegetables, salmon, whole grain breads, Greek yogurt and dark chocolate (in moderation, of course). I have learned that you can still love food while getting and staying healthy. I absolutely love to cook these days, and I look forward to coming home and making a wholesome meal after work. Some regular dinner staples in our house are tofu-and- veggie stir-fry dishes and vegetarian tacos and various other Mexican dishes. For breakfast, I make myself a homemade smoothie or an English muffin with sliced hard-boiled egg or peanut butter. I make sure that lunch is my biggest meal of the day and dinner is my smallest. I also count my calories using the Lose It! app for my IPhone.
Losing weight is one of the most difficult endeavors that I have ever taken on in my life. As a woman, I feel that I am constantly being judged by my weight and my looks. However, it is important to remember that I am the same loving, caring, friendly person that I was when I was 247 pounds. The difference is that I have grown mentally and emotionally throughout this journey. I love the mind/body connection that is associated with weight loss and physical exertion. For years, as far back as my childhood, I was made to feel that I was never "good enough" or worthy of respect and happiness. Pushing myself and dedicating every ounce of my being to my weight loss journey has proven those assumptions and negative thoughts wrong. My goal is to lose 15 more pounds, and I hope to one day become a certified Spin instructor. I want to inspire others to put their health first, and to communicate the message that they are also worthy of self-respect and happiness.
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Weight Loss Success: Ellen Olstein Committed To Change And Lost More Than 80 Pounds
Posted: May 13, 2012 at 12:14 pm
Feeding tube diet: Would you do it?
Lanell Fagan was never someone who could be called fat, but the 46-year-old Singer Island woman wanted to lose about 20 pounds. She said the excess weight was causing health problems.
"After so many failed attempts at dieting and going away to different centers -- 'sprinkle this, eat at this time,' -- I couldn't do it."
That's when a friend told Fagan about a Miami doctor named Oliver DiPietro, who told Fagan he could help her quickly lose the weight with something called the K-E diet. It stands for ketogenic nutrition, and it's simple. It lasts 10 days and for that time, you don't eat. You get everything through a feeding tube.
"You feel nothing," Fagan said. "Honestly."
The feeding tube is hooked up to a bag which supplies a constant drip of protein and fat. It's 800 calories per day with zero carbohydrates.
"Your hunger and appetite go away completely so patients are absolutely not hungry at all for the whole 10 days," DiPietro said.
Fagan said that's the truth.
"On the third day, I woke as if nothing had happened, no tube, no nothing," she said. "And I felt so sharp, so on. My energy was through the roof."
Fagan lost 14 pounds in the 10 days and said she's never felt better. But not everybody is enamored with the K-E diet.
Read the rest here:
Feeding-tube diet: 'Quick fix' or legit weight-loss move?
Posted: May 13, 2012 at 12:14 pm
THURSDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday recommended approval of the weight-loss medication lorcaserin, even though concerns remain about cardiovascular side effects.
If the agency were to give the nod to the drug, lorcaserin would become the first new weight-loss pill made available to Americans in a decade. The FDA is not bound to follow the advice of its expert panels, but it typically does.
The panel of experts voted 18 to 4, with one abstention, for approval, saying the drug's benefits "outweigh the potential risks when used long term" for people battling excess weight, the Associated Press reported.
Lorcaserin has not always received such a favorable reception. According to the AP, in 2010 scientists voiced concern that the drug might come with health risks, citing tumors that had developed in animal testing involving the drug.
However, Arena Pharmaceuticals, the San Francisco-based company that makes lorcaserin, has since submitted additional data in hopes the FDA might look more favorably on the drug.
According to a review of the available research posted by FDA staff online on Tuesday, that new data suggests that lorcaserin carries only a "negligible risk" of cancer in humans, the AP said. But concerns over the potential for cardiovascular risks -- hypertension in people with diabetes, for example, or injury to heart valves -- remain.
According to the AP, lorcaserin is one of three experimental weight-loss drugs that the FDA is taking a second look at after first saying no to the medications in 2010 or early 2011 because of concerns about significant side effects.
In February, another new weight-loss drug, Qnexa, was endorsed by an FDA advisory panel. The agency is expected to make a final decision on Qnexa in July.
More information
Find out more about healthy weight loss at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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FDA panel gives blessing to new weight-loss drug
Posted: May 10, 2012 at 5:13 pm
A child receives an oral polio vaccine in Ivory Coast. Improved vaccines are helping save children's lives globally.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Editor's note: Jeffrey D. Sachs is director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University and the author of "The Price of Civilization."
(CNN) -- There is a hidden revolution at work that can transform the lives of a billion of the poorest people on the planet.
The dream of health for all, even the poorest of the poor, can become a reality because of recent breakthroughs in technology and health systems. Scientific results that our Millennium Villages Project team published this week in The Lancet, coupled with broader trends around the world, should be a wake-up call: We can end the deaths of millions of young children and mothers each year by building on recent innovations.
In 2006, the Millennium Villages Project and impoverished communities around Africa jointly embarked upon the fight against extreme poverty, hunger and disease. The idea was to use low-cost, cutting-edge technologies to overcome ancient scourges like malaria and mothers dying in childbirth. Today, there is no deep mystery about what to do to stop these deaths, since the diagnostic tests, medicines and procedures are known. The challenge is to scale up these life-saving approaches.
Jeffrey D. Sachs
In three short years, starting from conditions of massive death tolls and a lack of health services, the Millennium Villages were able to reduce the deaths of children under 5-years-old by around 22%, roughly three times the rate of improvement of the countries at large. The progress is continuing as low-cost health services expand. The lessons extend far beyond this specific project.
Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter and Facebook.com/cnnopinion
Poor children die of three main categories of disease: infections, nutritional deficiencies and conditions around childbirth. The technologies and procedures to fight all these causes of death are improving dramatically. Therein lies a great hope.
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Global health within our grasp, if we don't give up
Posted: May 10, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Details Published on Friday, 11 May 2012 00:00 Written by PHILIP CHUA
While meat has to be properly cooked to be safe, burning the meat is to be avoided.
IN a previous column, we wrote A diet high in processed meat (sausages, luncheon meats, etc.) may increase the risk of carnivores developing pancreatic cancer by almost 70%, following the release of a major study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The study showed an average of 41 cases of pancreatic cancer were diagnosed per 100,000 people each year among those who ate the most processed meat compared with 20 cases among those who ate the least.
This research, which included 180,000 individuals, also found that individuals who ate even non-processed, fresh, red meats, including pork, beef, and any other red meats, had a 50% higher risk of having cancer of the pancreas. While this is 20% lower compared to those who ate processed meats, 50% increase in the risk is still too high for comfort, since pancreatic cancer is a very painful and fatal disease, with no known cure.
In 2005 alone, 32,180 Americans and 60,000 Europeans were found to have pancreatic cancer, a disease that is often diagnosed late because they are not readily obvious clinically. Less than 5% of these patients live for more than five years after the cancer is first detected.
Scientists think the culprit-carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) may not be the saturated fat in red meats but the nitrate-based preservatives and the cooking method, like charcoal-grilling and broiling. Apparently, the cooking method and the nitrate preservatives each play a great role as carcinogens.
The burnt part of the meat, the black charcoal-like portion of the barbequed meat, is suspected to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing). While meat has to be properly cooked to be safe, burning the meat is to be avoided.
While the saturated fat in fresh (no preservative) red meat appears not to be linked to pancreatic cancer in this study, other studies have shown that people who eat red meat regularly have a higher risk for developing cancer of the colon, breast, and other cancers in general, compared to those who minimize eating red meat or not at all. Red meat also causes a quick rise in the cholesterol blood level, a condition that increases the risk for the development of diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and Alzheimers.
New alarming studies
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Malaya Business Insight
Posted: May 10, 2012 at 5:13 pm
PLEASANTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Welcome relief for millions of men and women dealing with one of the most exercise and diet-resistant problem areas belly fat as CoolSculpting, developed by ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZLTQ - News), a medical technology company, is now cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the non-surgical reduction of fat for the abdomen area. This is the latest clearance for the company, which received FDA clearance for non-surgical reduction of fat for the flank area (or love handles) in September 2010.
Securing FDA clearance for fat reduction of the abdomen is a significant event for ZELTIQ, said Mark Foley, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer. This achievement underscores the companys commitment to expanding current treatment opportunities, Mr. Foley continued.
In the battle to look ones best, CoolSculpting has been clinically shown to reduce fat in the treated area without surgery or the downtime. In a recent study of CoolSculpting physicians, 95 percent of patients who had just one CoolSculpting treatment were satisfied with the reduction of fat in the treated area, and because it is so effective patients have been very keen on returning for additional CoolSculpting treatments in other areas or for a more pronounced reduction in the same area. In a nationwide survey of adults, 59 percent reported the abdomen is the area of the body they are most interested in having treated with CoolSculpting. 1
A problem area for men and women alike, the midsection of the body is the most common area people want to change about themselves. According to a body image study in Fitness Magazine, 48 percent of men and 36 percent of women chose abs as being the body part they are most unhappy with almost three times more than any other trouble zone. While men are more likely to gain weight around the waistline2, many women have to contend with accumulated belly fat, known as a post pregnancy pooch, after having babies. In both scenarios, exercise alone is often not sufficient to get the desired results.
When diet and exercise just are not enough to lose stubborn fat in the abdominal area of the body, CoolSculpting is a great option for patients to achieve the shape they want without the discomfort, expense and down time of more invasive procedures, said Dr. Jeffrey S. Dover, a board certified dermatologist, Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine, and Co-Director of SkinCare Physicians. Even if people lead generally healthy lifestyles, there are always going to be contributing factors we have no control over such as age, gender, body shape, hormones and genetics. Having a little extra help can be a much needed answer for many people.
Each CoolSculpting treatment typically results in an undeniable reduction of fat in the treated areas. Patients typically start to see results as soon as three weeks following treatment, with the most dramatic results occurring over a period of two to four months. As part of the clinical study submitted to the FDA, four out of five doctors correctly identified before and after photos in an independent, blinded photo evaluation.
Unlike most other methods of fat reduction that use heat, CoolSculpting cools fat cells to temperatures that trigger their natural death, shrinking the cells that are then eliminated naturally by the body over the following weeks and months. During the procedure, a non-surgical applicator delivers precisely controlled cooling to the treatment area to specifically target underlying fat, without damaging the skin. CoolSculpting does not involve needles, surgery, pain medication or downtime. Patients typically return to normal activities immediately following treatment, which lasts one to two hours.
Developed at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, the CoolSculpting breakthrough is based on extensive scientific research that demonstrates that fat cells are particularly susceptible to cold and are selectively and permanently destroyed. This process is known as Cryolipolysis (cold lipolysis). Starting several weeks after the procedure, cooled fat cells begin a process called apoptosis (natural cell death) and begin to shrink and disappear. Comprehensive multi-center clinical studies submitted to the FDA validated that CoolSculpting kills fat cells in the area treated based on independent blind photo reviews and ultrasound assessments.
CoolSculpting is available through an elite network of CoolSculpting Centers across the U.S., and more than 300,000 treatments have been performed worldwide.
Continued here:
Eliminate Unwanted, Stubborn Belly Fat: Revolutionary CoolSculpting® Procedure Receives FDA Clearance to Treat Abdomen ...
Posted: May 10, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Nick Watt dines with French nutritionist Patrick Leconte (Image Credit: ABC News)
I went all the way to Switzerland in search of the weight-loss holy grail: a diet that allows you to drink wine and lose weight at the same time. And when I got there I discovered Im 22 pounds overweight. Thats my headline.
I always thought I was buff. Im not. So how can I shift that holiday weight, which has been hanging around my middle since the holidays of 1997?
Well, according to the keepers of this apparently counterintuitive weight loss regimen: I can eat so much cheese for breakfast that it makes me feel sick; I can eat french fries for lunch; I can have a chunk of chocolate mid-afternoon; and I can have two glasses of red wine with dinner.
Ive been on this diet eight days, and Ive already lost nearly five pounds. By the time this story airs on 20/20 Friday night, Ill probably be even skinnier. How is all this possible?
Well, I learned all these secrets on the Slimness Goal Package at an absurdly swanky hotel, the Beau Rivage Palace, on the bonny, bonny banks of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. The place is money. Theres gleaming marble everywhere you look. A burger on room service costs $45. A little suite will run you $1,600 a night.
While checking in I eavesdropped on a conversation a fat man with monogrammed shirt cuffs was having with the concierge. Just have the car wait because Im not sure which flight Ill take to London, he said with nonchalance. Bear in mind that a simple airport transfer from the hotel to Geneva Airport (40 minutes) costs $500. This guy didnt even ask the price. He didnt care.
A suave French nutritionist named Patrick Leconte is the well-groomed centerpiece of the weight loss program. His favorite phrase is: It is no problemmm! spoken with a delicious French shrug.
The program is based on chrono-nutrition, so its more about when you eat than what you eat. You must eat certain food groups only at the same time of day as your body is producing the right chemicals to process them. You can eat fruit, but never for breakfast. You can eat bread, but never in the evening.
Well, I say never. My favorite part of Monsieur Lecontes program is that twice a week you can pull what he calls a Joker and eat whatever the hell you like. His diet is designed to make you lose weight as well as enjoy yourself. Its a diet you can stick to, he says. Its the diet that says to the wealthy women of Europe: You can look good on the Riviera in summer, and drink champagne.
Continue reading here:
The Wine and Chocolate Diet?
