*** Warning - Spoilers ahead! ***

Pixar’s Wall-E is cautionary tale; not just of the environment and planetary stewardship, but personal stewardship as well. Although a work of fiction, the film is scattered with reminders of how lack of movement and poor diet (and lack of self-responsibility) can lead to obesity and early death in real life.

Some takeaway lessons from the film:

1) Use it or lose it:
Over the course of 700 years (and many generations) of overfeeding and sloth, the nomadic human race has not only grown fat, but has lost most of its bone and skeletal structure. In fact, the average person has lost the ability to stand (which makes for a funny scene when Wall-E accidentally knocks “John” over).

All’s not lost, however; humans regain their ability to stand and walk (somewhat unbelievably, but hey, it is an animated film) and farm and fish - more on this later.

2) Drinking your calories is a bad strategy:
A perennial in top ten fat loss tip lists is not to drink your calories; i.e., don’t drink caloric beverages as it’s all too easy to consume hundreds of calories (and sugar) without realizing it. The future humans in Wall-E take this to the extreme with drinkable meals (pizza?) served up in 7-11 Big Gulp-sized cups.

3) The less you move, the less you’ll move:
The human body, made up predominantly of third-class levers, is designed for movement. Often, pain (and immobility) occur from disuse. The classic example?

Your job becomes all-encompassing and you forego exercise, thinking, “I don’t have the time or energy.” Over time, the muscles in your back begin to atrophy and you start to experience back pain. This new development makes you less inclined to move around at all (much less exercise) since even bending over causes discomfort, so subtly, you begin to curtail your general activity. All the while, of course, your lower back muscles continue to deteriorate (the pain increasing accordingly). Before long, it hurts to walk. You begin to walk differently, placing more stress on your knees. Then, one day, you start to notice a painful ache in the lateral side of your right knee…

Physical therapists call this “The vicious cycle of pain.” Pain from disuse atrophy makes you less inclined to move, which further exacerbates the atrophy, which further exacerbates the pain. The solution? Use your body. Better yet, lift heavy things.

4) There is a silver lining:
The humans eventually return to Earth, harkening a return to subsistence farming and the consumption of real food - and progressively get skinnier and skinnier (according to the credits). It’s notable that the skinniest incarnation of human is the one depicted as fishing for subsistence. Is it possible Andrew Stanton recognizes the impact of food selection on obesity?

Mr. Stanton’s motives aside, the point still rings true: If you go back to eating real food and moving around once in awhile, there’s still hope, no matter how far overfat you are. Hey, if Manuel Uribe can lose 55% of his body mass (about 670 lbs) through diet and exercise alone, I’d say there’s hope for everybody.

P.S. - While I hate to admit it, I liked Wall-E a great deal, and not for the reasons listed above (my wife always says I’m a sucker for great design).

Or do they? (Check out Dr. Eades‘ great post on this study)

Most of the China studies I’ve read deal with rural Chinese and appear to show that their low-fat, high-grain diet is superior for health. This, of course, flies in the face of all Western research, which clearly shows a link between carbohydrate consumption and diseases of civilization.

I’ve often heard this criticism from peers and clients alike:

“If carbs are so bad, why aren’t the Chinese all fat? Don’t they eat a lot of rice? And shouldn’t there be a tremendous diabetes epidemic in China?”

There are generally two responses I give:

1) Traditionally, the amount of rice/grain eaten in China (and Asian cultures as a whole) is slight - generally a cup or two a day. This is the equivalent of roughly 45-90 grams of carbs, which is a far cry less than the daily carb consumption of the average American.

2) There is a diabetes epidemic in China.

If only they’d seen pictures of my extended family in Malaysia. Or my Taiwanese godmother, who is obese and has Type 2 diabetes (and has been forbidden by her doctor from eating a mere grain of rice - smart guy).

During my trip to China last summer, I was struck by the number of diabetes treatment clinics we passed by on the 20 minute drive from the airport to my parents’ apartment in Shanghai (three, if you were curious).

The bottom line: China has a BIG public health problem on its hands; one that will cost them dearly if they don’t manage to get it under control. But how?

• Place greater emphasis on real food instead of manufactured foods (say, yu choy vs. prawn chips).
• Given China’s improved economic status, deemphasize grains for more nutritionally dense fare, i.e., meats, cruciferous veggies, etc.
• Educate Chinese on what constitutes “healthful eating” (for example, not yu tiao).

What are your thoughts? Got any stories? Post to comments.

Tip of the day:

My client Joanne passed along a neat-o Jedi magic trick for defeating the night time leg cramps so prevalent in older folks (I’ve no doubt many of you out there over the age of 50 know what I’m talking about).

The Cure:

Press your thumb into the little divot under your nose (the infranasal depression) as hard as you can stand for about a minute or so.  Amazingly, this should bring you instant relief.

What’s the science behind it?  I’m afraid I’ll have to content you with an Eastern Medicine explanation.  There’s an acupressure point located right smack dab in the infranasal depression called “Ren Zhong“.  It’s used (not surprisingly) to relieve cramping, as well as treat shock and abdominal conditions.  According to a bibliography review on the Medical Acupuncture page, it’s the most widely used emergency point in acupuncture.

Hope this helps.  Post stories to comments.

edit 6/26: I just realized Ren Zhong means “person center” (your center).  Heh.

Congratulations to Australia; you’ve outdone us Americans.

Australia Now World’s Fattest Nation.

Barely nudged out the win - by one percent!  Australia also sadly holds the distinction of having the fastest growing rate of childhood obesity in the world.

Some stats for your perusal (from the article):

• About 4 million adult Australians are obese.
• The “fat bomb” is ticking loudly, with 72% of middle-aged males and 58% of middle-aged females overweight or obese.
• About 1.5 million middle-aged Australians are obese and therefore at high risk of a heart attack or stroke in the longer term.
• Based on the best available evidence, our (Australians’) expanded middle-aged waistlines will result in an extra 700,000 cardiovascular-related hospital admissions in the next 20 years.
• These highly preventable admissions will cost Australia, conservatively, an extra $3 billion in health expenditure and $6 billion overall.
• An estimated 122,500 men and women will die, many prematurely, from heart problems related to their excess weight in the next 20 years.

Let’s examine the diet of your typical Australian (courtesy of foodbycountry.com) and see if we can find any clues as to why the obesity rate is so high:

A typical breakfast may consist of fruit, toast with Vegemite (a salty yeast spread), fried eggs and bacon, and juice. Lunch may be an apple or a salad (such as Grated Carrot, Apple, and Raisin salad), a sandwich filled with tuna or deli meats, and an ANZAC biscuit for a treat. (ANZAC is the acronym for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. No one knows for sure, but many people think these biscuits were first prepared for troops—and for Australian and New Zealand families—around 1915 during World War I.) Dinnertime often brings leg of lamb or barbecued prawns (shrimp), roasted vegetables, a salad, and a custard or tart for dessert. Damper, a simple homemade bread, and billy tea, named for the pot it is heated in, both remain a staple for any meal.

Australians, like the English, call cookies “biscuits.”  Every household has a biscuit tin, a decorative round tin with a lid, to keep the supply of biscuits handy. (emphases mine)

It sounds like the Aussies eat a lot like us Yanks.  And since we’re having an obesity epidemic…

And the childhood obesity problem?

Children normally enjoy snacks during the day, such as fruit, a beverage, or a small sandwich. Milo, similar to instant hot chocolate mix, is often used as an ingredient in snacks or drunk alone. Lamingtons, Chocolate Crackles (similar to crispy rice cereal treats in North America), ANZAC biscuits, or just a simple fruit salad, are also popular among children.

I’m betting that the problem isn’t in the fruit salad.

The obesity problem in Australia (and the US, for that matter) is a crying shame.  But the way authorities choose to deal with it (similar to US public health policy) is worse still.

Beginning in the 1980s, Australian adults (like adults in many developed countries) began to improve their eating habits, according to a 1995 Australian Bureau of Statistics study. Meat, a source of saturated fat, is being consumed less. Chicken and seafood are eaten more frequently. Fruits, vegetables, and grains (emphasis mine) are also consumed more often. There is, however, also an increase in the purchase and consumption outside of the home of foods and beverages that are generally higher in fat.

Note the writer’s bias towards blaming obesity on high fat consumption. 

“…an increase in the purchase and consumption outside of the home of foods and beverages that are generally higher in fat…”

Beverages that are higher in fat?  Like a 16 oz bottle of veal gravy, perhaps?  Ahh, you protest that a milkshake is high in fat - and indeed it is, but fat is not all a milkshake contains.  There’s fruit, and milk, and…

…oh yeah (although it would more likely be high fructose corn syrup).

My advice for Australia would be the same as is for any other human:

1. Minimize grains, sugars, and starches
2. Eat meat, leaves, berries, nuts, and seeds
3. Drink non-caloric beverages
4. Lift heavy things once in awhile

How’s about it?  Any Aussies out there?  What do you typically eat?  Post to comments.

First off, my sincere condolences to Mr. Russert’s family and friends.  May he rest in peace.

On to the lesson (warning: links to studies and media ahead):

Tim Russert’s recent passing is (to my eyes, anyway) another example of how doctors with the best intentions doing everything they’re “supposed to” do end up not being able to help a person avoid premature death.  In fact, by following medical orthodoxy but not directly applying what the research says, they may even have done Mr. Russert a grave disservice. 

Let’s look at some key points in Mr. Russert’s health profile:

• First, he was overweight, with a majority of that overweight round his middle (visceral fat).  But he exercised everyday (by riding on an exercise bike).
• He had “good cholesterol“, because he was taking statins.  But he still had high triglycerides and low HDL.
• According to some reports, he was a type 2 diabetic.
• Finally, he likely had a high-stress job and lifestyle.

Are you thinking what I’m thinking?  No?  Ok - I’ll put the pieces together for you.

Russert was insulin-resistant (Type 2 diabetic).  This put him at far greater risk for all cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke, etc.)  Russert was probably prescribed a cardio-protective diet, which translates to “low-fat.”  A low-fat diet (as Gary Taubes, Mike Eades and others have pointed out) is by definition a high-carb diet.  This constant consumption of carbs further exacerbates Russert’s already high insulin, which him at even greater risk. 

Worse still, the typical diet recommended for diabetics limits Russert’s intake of protein and fat, which will cause his HDL to decrease.  HDL levels are inversely associated with mortality from heart disease; the higher your HDL level, the less chance you have of dying from heart disease.

The high carbs also cause his triglyceride levels to increase.  High triglyceride levels are positively associated with mortality from heart disease; the higher your triglycerides, the greater chance you have of dying from heart disease.

Don’t even get me started on the statins.  Or his work stress. 

All in all, it didn’t look good for poor Tim. 

Mr. Russert’s doctors, acting in good faith, saw that he was at risk for a potential cardiac event and put him on a so-called cardio-protective program.  They gave him the best treatment and care possible within the guidelines of medical orthodoxy.  But what if medical orthodoxy is wrong?

What if eating a low-carb diet comprised mostly of real foods like meats, eggs, vegetables, some fruit, nuts, and seeds was the best way to promote health and avoid disease?

Just an opinion.