After posing the question, the caller suddenly asked me to wait so he could answer his other phone while driving. I could hear him manically talking about stress at work.
Nutrition and exercise are the low hanging fruits on maintaining an ideal weight. If we can honestly say those boxes are check, and we still cannot lose weight, then stress and the gut microbiome need to be looked at. Then there is the environment. Look up the word OBESOGENS. They are chemicals that disrupt our metabolism, such as plastics, artificial sweeteners, heavy metals and pesticides.
Then we have cellphones. Perhaps the radiation they involve disturb our metabolism. But I believe cell phones increase the risk of obesity because of the behavioral issues associated with them.
Cell phone addiction, social media obsessions and the overall overuse of technology point to a mindset that undervalues the occasional retreat from the maddening world for reflection and medication on health and character development. This inexorably leads to poor diets and less exercise as we get caught up in mundane concerns that further distance us from close, personal relationships that seldom need technology to thrive.
Remember that Skywalker turned off his computer to find the Death Star’s Achilles heel.
References
Smartphone use for at least five hours a day may be associated with an increased risk of obesity.
Newsweek (7/25, Gander) reports, “Using a smartphone for at least five hours a day has been” associated with “an increased risk of obesity in a study” involving “1,060 students.” The study revealed that “people who use their phones at such levels had a 43 percent higher risk of becoming obese” due to the fact they “were twice as likely to be inactive and eat food of low nutritional quality, such as fast food, sugary snacks and drinks.” The American College of Cardiology Latin America Conference.
Social media use increases risk of depression
MedPage Today (7/15, Hlavinka) reports, “In a group of 3,826 adolescents, those with high levels of social media use had a 0.64-unit increase in depression symptoms (95% CI 0.32-0.51) on a scale of 0 to 28, and on the individual level, each hour of increased social media use within a year was associated with a 0.41-unit increase in depressive symptoms,” the study revealed. The findings were published online July 15 in JAMA Pediatrics.
Five lifestyle habits may reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 60%
The Washington Post (7/14, Natanson) reports researchers “found that combining five lifestyle habits…can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by 60 percent.” The researchers “assessed study participants’ lifestyles on five metrics,” including eating, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, “and their ‘engagement in cognitive stimulation activities.’” The research found that those who “pursued four or five healthy behaviors over the period studied – were 60 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s” than those who pursued one or none of the behaviors. The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. The AP (7/14, Marchione) reports the findings were also published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers also found that “a healthy lifestyle can cut your risk of developing Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia even if you have genes that raise your risk for these mind-destroying diseases.”
