Fat Rats Give Us The Skinny on Ghrelin

The Scripps Research Institute released a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences earlier this month touting the positive effects of a vaccine that inhibits the protein ghrelin (which is linked to weight gain) in its test rats. Once vaccinated, the rats ate normally, yet gained less weight and less body fat than non-vaccinated rats.

Why should we care about skinnier rats? Because humans have this same protein, which means the vaccine may work for them too.

But before you run out the door to your local research lab and beg for ghrelin-inhibiting shots, read the whole article. Turns out that the vaccine works best when the rats ate low-fat, low-energy, ‘less palatable’ diets.

Hmm …

This begs the question in my mind: How much work does the vaccine actually do? As the Trafon blog always points out, healthier diets can curb excessive weight gain at the very least; stimulate weight loss at the very most; and prevent a whole host of other GI-related issues in between.

Incidentally, how did the researchers reach that odd, undefined ‘less palatable’ conclusion? Did they ask the rats? Sample the food themselves? Contrary to popular belief, healthier cooking can be quite tasty, even indulgent. Bon appetit, and please … don’t pass the ghrelin or the vaccine.

Saturn's Moon Emits Titanic Fart

Last week, scientists discovered lakes on the surface of Titan, the largest moon orbiting Saturn, and the second largest in our entire solar system. But before you put on your bathing suit and gear up for a cannonball, read the warning sign: These lakes aren’t made of water.

NASA's Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, which is orbiting Saturn as we speak (type?), has helped to confirm scientists’ long-held theories about Titan’s atmospheric makeup. Titan’s atmosphere has a high percentage of methane and ethane gases, which together create a dense, smog-like cover that rains these chemicals in liquid form. The result: lakes and tributaries that don’t invite swimming.

Methane, by the way, is one of the odorless gases the produces flatulence. Just in case you still were thinking about dipping a toe in …

Another Load of IBS

Just in case you didn’t believe me the first time around … here’s additional proof that drugs aren’t the only answer to IBS symptoms. Researchers reaffirm that most of the agita really does start in your mind, with strong emotions and stress listed as the most powerful triggers for IBS discomfort.

Faithful Trafon readers know that I’ve long asserted the brain/gut connection, and I’ll keep saying it until I get it into your—what else?—heads.

A Whale of a Fart

We may finally have an answer to the age-old debate: Do fish fart? A new study reveals that, yes, some fish do omit gas—and that in some cases it can save their lives!

The findings suggest that herring escape the deadly grip of Norwegian killer whales by forming a wall of fart bubbles, then dashing off to safety.

According to Discovery News:

“The (herring) bubbles are released through the anal duct when the air expands as the fish ascend,” explained Malene Simon, who worked on the research. “We do not know if the fish release air when staying at one depth as a reaction when meeting a predator. However, it is very likely that the bubble will confuse or scare the predator in such a way that the herring will have a better chance of escaping.”

So there you have it: underwater farting as a survival tool. As for humans, I doubt fart bubbles will do much to ward off predators in the backyard pool, though they may create some unexpected tensions at the YMCA.

Eat Enough Limp Noodles ... Get Your Own

Note: Obviously, this sensitive issue is targeted at the male population—after all, it is literally hitting below the belt. But women, take note too. You may be able to lend a helping hand to point your man in the right direction.

Is it hard for you to get a hard-on? It may because of your weight.

Not only does obesity increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, it also increases the risk of erectile dysfunction.

A recent study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and published in the Journal of Urology found that men who were both overweight and physically inactive had a two-and-a-half times greater risk of ED than men who were active and of normal weight.

The reason? Obesity causes chronic stress and inflammation of the cells lining blood vessels, which impairs their performance and the flow of blood. This in turn impairs cardiovascular health and erectile function.

ED affects over half of American males between the ages of 40 and 70. Experts say that 90 percent of ED is physical in origin. That means the link between obesity and ED is very strong (as opposed to the limp result). In large-scale studies, nearly 80 percent of men who reported having ED were also overweight or obese.

However, there is an ‘up’ side to all this: Previous research has shown that overweight men who start losing weight mid-life have a 70 percent less risk of ever having ED than those who remain sedentary.

Even more arousing, a study conducted last year determined that weight loss could also reverse the ED that had already set in. So while hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on Viagra and other ED pills, there is a natural solution that can take care of your wooing-woes: weight loss.

This is further proof that there is no chronic degenerative disease on planet earth that is caused by a drug deficiency. If you want to help your doctor help you, take more responsibility for your own good health. Eat low-fat, low-calorie foods—as unprocessed as possible. And just taking regular 15 minute walks every day will help your weight loss efforts. (Read more of my posts about making a healthy diet yours.)

For more personalized sexual health advice, talk to your doctor. If you want to hear input from your peers, check out some online forums, but remember, your doctor’s guidance is always best!

You’ll know it’s all working when … well … let’s just say when things start looking up!

Thank You For Not Farting

Imagine getting fined $200 for farting in the workplace. Apparently that’s the new law in Arkansas, which recently passed an act to “ban the emission of flatulent gases” within all office buildings and public spaces in the state.

Be sure to read the whole thing. Governor Huckabee’s closing remarks are quite a gas.

(NOTE: The 'Otus the Head Cat' column delivers 'humorous fabrication' every Saturday for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. So if you believed this article, look up--'gullible' is written on the ceiling!)

Why You Need Health *AND* Fire Insurance

Though curiously popular with college students and bored pranksters, lighting one’s farts on fire is never a good idea. In fact, it’s downright dangerous. That’s because the combination of methane and oxygen can cause huge flare-ups, resulting in severe, long-lasting burns—not to mention fire damage to surrounding properties.

Don’t believe me? Then read this article about doctors at Southern Cross Hospital in Invercargill, New Zealand, who faced a fiery end to a routine hemorrhoid operation in March, proving once again that fart plus fire equals a prescription for disaster.

The Whole Truth About Whole Grain Bread

I recently got a comment from reader Trint Ladd, who heard me on PowerFM in Dallas a month or so ago. He had a few questions about the new “whole grain white breads” popping up at supermarkets across the nation—specifically, why they all have a gooey, spongy texture, as opposed to the course, crumbly texture of wheat bread.

Trint also noticed that the first ingredient on the label of his favorite whole grain white bread was enriched bleached flour, not the typical whole wheat flour found in most wheat breads. Plus, his bread didn’t mold for two months! (Always cause for suspicion.)

Let’s break this mystery down. That soft, yummy, nostalgic bread texture Trint mentions comes from gluten, a natural component of wheat material (and the same stuff that makes bagels feel so chewy in your mouth). However, to enhance that gooey, spongy feeling, bread makers add extra gluten, which is already hard to digest because of its proteins. In fact, gluten’s digestive challenges are probably the biggest reason why most people develop wheat allergies.

Confusing, yes, but here are some tips to keep you from scratching your head in the bread aisle. Always look for some sort of “whole grain” as one of the FIRST ingredients on the bread label. Likewise, avoid any breads with extra added gluten if you’re trying to get the best from your processed grain products. This means your bread will have a coarser and drier mouth feel, and be easier than gluten for your GI tract to tackle.

Lastly, whole grain bread shouldn’t last many too many weeks at room temperature. It will probably need at least some refrigeration to survive even two weeks. If it lasts two months on the counter, with nary a moldy hair, that means there are a lot of preservatives, and not near enough nutrients in that loaf.

Now you know the truth, the whole wheat truth, and nothing but the truth.