Corey’s Blather Blog

Unlike Alcohol Studies...

... this study on pregnant women consuming caffeine seems to have legitimately covered the spectrum from very small doses up to normal and high doses.

http://www.physorg.com/news144928057.html

The conclusion is that there is a correlation between birth weight and caffeine intake, even if the intake is well below the level of one cup of coffee per day. The recommendation is to restrict intake as much as possible.

What I don't see discussed is whether this study checks for confounding effects like... do mothers who consume a small amount of caffeine per day stay more active, and is the baby thus lighter because he's not overweight? I feel like any discussion of birth weight is complicated by the fact that averages are usually used, and at least in Western countries and the US, averages reflect the increasingly obese population. (Witness the fact that our child is in the 5th percentile by weight but seems completely healthy and "right" sized. Are we blind or is America just really fat?)

I'm not scientist but that's probably a question that has to be answered.

Comments [0]

Cool!

http://www.rationalmoms.com/2008/11/12/our-visit-to-the-solar-system/

A solar system you can walk around in!

That was my first reaction...

Then I went "Well crap! It's in Switzerland!"

*sigh*

I guess we'll go to the creationist museum instead.

Comments [0]

Here's hoping this catches on...

http://twistedphysics.typepad.com/cocktail_party_physics/2008/11/the-universe-ma.html

Science can use more fans. This was a fun read.

Comments [0]

Cough Medicines Don't WORK!?

http://www.physorg.com/news144063817.html

OK, I confess to finding this a bit surprising. Modern analysis of most cough medicines seem to indicate that they don't do anything. I have always felt I can tell when they work, but the theory here is that by the time you take one you're already getting over the cough. It's a very old and very well established logical fallacy. Huh...

They do say that other drugs (newer drugs, essentially) that target other symptoms of the common cold (like stuffy noses, sneezes, aches and pains) are real.

Cough medicines were approved by the FDA in the 50's and 60's, and modern methods don't show efficacy. How insane is that?

Comments [1]

No surprise here.

The FDA appears to have been in bed with the industry that makes Bisphenol-A when it said the stuff was perfectly safe.

http://www.physorg.com/news143987110.html

I am not sure if congress got anywhere with their investigation though. What does the momma-blogo-sphere say?

Comments [1]

I say "coincidence".

http://www.physorg.com/news143977010.html

Based on the story of how I ended up working where I did... I've decided I'm in the 8 out of 9 people that just coincidentally work for a company whose first letter matches my first initial.

But still... that was... weird.

Comments [0]

Yes, yes... but look who is in FIRST place!

... and also SECOND place!

http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2008/11/larry-vindicated.html

Major in Math, Minor in Physics, planning a Physics PhD with a computational aspect... jeeze, I wonder what my GRE score is gonna be like?

Comments [1]

Ahhh... good!

I am apparently immune to heart disease.

http://www.physorg.com/news143867361.html

Comments [0]

This is News?

I have always associated the rah-rah Aggie thing with low self-esteem.

http://www.physorg.com/news143738894.html

I'm sure Jaime's dad would also be quick to point out that anyone that isn't a Longhorn can't possibly have anything other than low self-esteem. *grin*

Comments [0]

Some Actual Science About Fructose

It's just one study, but the study seems to show a possible causality between over-consumption of fructose and eventual obesity.

http://www.physorg.com/news143350658.html

The idea is that fructose increases triglycerides, and that stops an appetite hormone (leptin) from being taken up by the brain. The brain becomes resistant, and then stops telling the body to stop eating.

The cool part of the study is that they did the fructose thing to two groups of rats, and kept diet normal, THEN, after six months of this, they switched the rats to a typical American diet. The fructose rats gained a lot more weight. So the consumption of the fructose didn't directly lead to weight gain, it was some kind of aftereffect on the regulation of their appetite that made them more susceptible to bad diet.

My interpretation of this is that if we keep Niall away from wasted calories of sugar as much as possible, and if we keep him active and interested in sports and activity and exercise, then when he's an adult setting his own diet, and accessing the high-fat, high-calorie options, he might have better appetite control.

One can hope.

Comments [0]