The Light Might Make You Heavy 138
Rambo Tribble writes: "Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers have found that sleeping with high ambient light levels may contribute to obesity (abstract). In a survey of 113,000 women, a high correlation was found between higher bedroom light levels and increased propensity to be overweight or obese. Excess light in the sleeping environment has long been known to adversely affect melatonin production and circadian rhythms. It is posited that such an interference with the 'body clock' may be behind these results. Although there is not yet enough evidence to call this a smoking gun, as one researcher put it, 'Overall this study points to the importance of darkness.'"
Re:Or maybe, you know... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:the obesity smoking gun (Score:2, Interesting)
Citation for your 'common sense' which is actually not true?
People have different bodies, shocker!, different metabolisms, and even different preferences for fuels. Truth is stranger than what your feeble intellect has come up with.
It's simple math. Consume less than you burn. That applies for 95% of the population to manage weight properly, so let's drop the excuses already pointing to metabolism and fuel.
On top of that, proper diet is only HALF of the issue, which most ignorant people feel it is the only thing to focus on.
The other half of the problem is an utter refusal to exercise. Our bodies are machines. They need to be worked properly to maintain proper function. Food is merely the fuel for that activity.
And that has been proven time and time again, and does follow "common sense", so again, knock it off with the excuses already.
Re:Poverty and city living. (Score:3, Interesting)
$50? What are you, rich??
very, but hardly my point...
$20/week is enough to buy fresh food.
For 1 person. Oh and remember the closest store is about 15 miles down the road. As you can not afford to live in the city.
For a family of 4 you can get 500 a month in food stamps if you are under a particular income level.
With a well stocked larder of cheap staples, grains, rice, beans,
You are well prepared and thought it thru. Most people have 0 clue what they are buying and look strictly at the convenience of pre-preped food. Presold to them on the TV. You are also eating a mostly vegan diet. Most people do not want that. They could eat better if they did, but they will not change.
I knew by putting a price point I would draw someone like you out. You seem to think that because you have an excellent plan it works for everyone. I know *many* families who live hand to mouth, and used to be there myself. I teach them how to do better. But rarely can they take my advice. Because it is not always good practical advice. Say... you just pulled a double shift at below min wage (not enough tips tonight) at the local diner and your kids are hungry. Do you spend the next 40 mins cooking something or pop something in the microwave and crash out on the couch and try to get 6-7 hours sleep before the next shift? Oh and you have no time to pre-prep it because its saturday and you have to trek the 2 kids across town to the ex who wont pick them up and have to be at work by 4 and you are doing double shifts for the next week. Rinse and repeat for 18-20 years.
I am glad you found a way to eat cheap. There are plenty of ways to do so. But at the big box stores like walmart (where the majority of 'poor' people shop) you do not get the high quality you need. They want to sell you cheap preprocessed box dinners. I know walmart is the place for 'the poor' to shop. I had to look no further than when congress cut food stamps a few months ago. Walmart had one of the first declines in revenue in 20 years. I shopped there every week when I had little money too.
You know the saying time is money? You trade time for money and money for time. People do the same by buying preprocessed food. They trade a bit of money to get time. When you are poor you have less of both. Time is usually the more important one. You almost always end up overpaying to buy time especially when you are poor as you over pay when you can least afford it but need it the most.