The Myth of Individual Responsibility Regarding Obesity

When mining jobs disappeared in the 1970s and 1980s, communities were left with neither industrial employment nor the agricultural infrastructure that had once sustained them. Into this vacuum stepped corporations like Dollar General, which has explicitly targeted rural communities with limited retail options. The company now operates over 17,000 locations nationwide, becoming the primary food retailer in many Appalachian communities while offering primarily processed foods with long shelf l...

 What Can You Do to Keep Your Metabolism High?

Although metabolism does tend to shift with age, decades of research demonstrate that such changes are not set in stone. By regularly checking the key biomarkers that reveal your muscle mass, mitochondrial health, thyroid function, inflammatory status, and glucose regulation, you can detect subtle signs of slowdown and respond with precisely targeted interventions. Below are several evidence-based approaches that, when integrated thoughtfully, can preserve—and even enhance—your metabolic ...

 A Brief Primer on TEE, BMR, RMR, and the Thermic Effect o...

When discussing human metabolism, four concepts often arise: total daily energy expenditure (TEE), basal metabolic rate (BMR), resting metabolic rate (RMR), and the thermic effect of food (TEF). Energy expenditure science can feel alphabet-soup–heavy, so let’s clarify these key terms in more depth: Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TEE): TEE is the total energy (calories) you burn in 24 hours. It encompasses every energy-demanding process in your body—from keeping your heart pumping to...

 Exercise Prevents Spending Calories on Fat Storage and Ot...

The reason for that is because exercise causes stress and that stress turns on a whole raft of beneficial effects. And there are really two kinds of this stress. Now, the first kind is energetic stress. Like I went for a run this morning, I spent probably about 500 calories running and I can only do so many things with the calories my body has. And if I spend 500 extra calories exercising, that means I'm not gonna spend 500 calories on other activities that my bother body might engage in. An...

 Nicotinamide riboside (NR) Increases NADP

In the first controlled clinical trial of nicotinamide riboside (NR), a newly discovered form of Vitamin B3, researchers have shown that the compound is safe for humans and increases levels of a cell metabolite that is critical for cellular energy production and protection against stress and DNA damage. Studies in mice have shown that boosting the levels of this cell metabolite—known as NAD —can produce multiple health benefits, including resistance to weight gain, improved control of bl...

 Using Feedback to Control Weight

Recent research has shown that exhaust from lungs (part of excretion) is a major factor in weight loss. Burning 10 kg human fat requires inhalation of 29 kg oxygen. This produces 28 kg carbon dioxide and 11 kg water. As food and drinks are temporarily stored in the human stomach and bowels, the body weight is instantaneously increased with the weight of any food or drink consumed. Metabolism is usually divided into catabolism and anabolism, where catabolism is the process of breaking down ...

 Exercise Releases Brain-Healthy Proteins

We all know that exercise is important for a strong and healthy body. Less appreciated is that exercise seems also to be important for a strong and healthy mind, boosting memory and learning, while possibly delaying age-related cognitive decline [1]. How is this so? Researchers have assembled a growing body of evidence that suggests skeletal muscle cells secrete proteins and other factors into the blood during exercise that have a regenerative effect on the brain. Now, an NIH-supported study...