NYC Plans Large Soda Ban Posted on May 31, 2012 by Brian Jacob Reply Bottles of Coca-Cola larger than 16 oz. would be banned in NYC dining establishments under a new ban proposed by Mayor Bloomberg Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images. New York City plans to ban the sale of large-sized sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters and similar single-serve locations as part of Mayor Bloomberg’s quest to reduce obesity. The New York Times reports that Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal would limit soft drink cup and bottle sizes to 16 ounces or less, a size that’s larger than a typical can of Coke—but smaller than many of the 20-ounce bottles that are currently sold by the city’s street vendors and only a fraction of many of the sizes found on fast food menus. Sodas and drinks sold in convenience stores or grocery stores would not have to abide by the ban, and diet sodas, fruit juice, alcoholic beverages, and dairy-based drinks would also remain fair game. (The Times has a handy chart posted that covers what will and won’t be affected by the ban.) The city has been on an anti-soda kick recently, as Gothamist notes, with gross-out “this is your brain on drugs”-style PSAs about obesity and sodas plastered in subway cars. The mayor needs the city’s Board of Health to approve the plan, which is likely. Assuming they do, the plan could go into effect as soon as next March. At first glance, the ban appears to have plenty of loopholes for any calorie-drinking enthusiasts. A 16-oz bottle of Coke contains about 200 calories and 54 grams of sugar, according to thecompany’s nutrition information. By comparison, a 16 oz. Grande Starbucks Mocha (with whipped cream and 2% milk), which according to the information reported by the Timeswouldn’t be limited by size under the ban, has 330 calories and 44 grams of carbs. By Abby Ohlheiser | Posted Thursday, May 31, 2012, at 11:42 AM ET via Slate.com
Youth diabetes, pre-diabetes soar! Posted on May 23, 2012 by Brian Jacob Reply Diabetes and pre-diabetes have skyrocketed among the nation’s young people, jumping from 9% of the adolescent population in 2000 to 23% in 2008, a study reports today. The findings, reported in the journal Pediatrics, are “very concerning,” says lead author Ashleigh May, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “To get ahead of this problem, we have to be incredibly aggressive and look at children and adolescents and say you have to make time for physical activity,” says pediatric endocrinologist Larry Deeb, former president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association. May and colleagues examined data on about 3,400 adolescents ages 12 to 19 from 1999 through 2008. They participated in the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, considered the gold standard for evaluating health in the USA because it includes a detailed physical examination, plus measures of blood pressure, blood sugar levels, height and weight. May notes that the diabetes findings should be interpreted “with caution” because the fasting blood glucose test was used and there are disadvantages associated with this test. Instead, many physicians use the A1C test, which looks at a person’s average blood sugar levels for the past three months. “I wouldn’t be surprised if pre-diabetes and diabetes went up some, but how much it may have gone up is still an open question because of the way they measured it,” says Stephen Daniels, chairman of the department of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a spokesman for the American Heart Association. Still, about one-third of adolescents in the USA are overweight or obese, which increases their risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and other problems. Deeb says other research suggests there will be “a 64% increase in diabetes in the next decade,” which is even higher than the predicted increase in obesity, “because stress on the pancreas and insulin resistance catches up with people. We are truly in deep trouble. Diabetes threatens to destroy the health care system.” (c) Copyright 2012 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. Copyright USA TODAY 2012
A New Waitsup Promo video for Brandon Todd! Posted on May 11, 2012 by Brian Jacob Reply Check out Brandon’s new video highlighting his dunking ability, some of his excercices, and his website content.