Latest news with #nutritionresearch
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists Find that Hosing Glizzies Is Basically a Death Sentence
As millions of Americans stock up on hot dogs ahead of Independence Day, researchers have some bad news: those franks are deadly — no tails, snouts, or butts about it. The tragic news comes from a survey published in Nature Medicine, an esteemed biomedical research journal. Combing over 60 previous nutrition studies on processed foods — specifically cured meat, sugary drinks, and trans fatty acids, all staples of the North American diet — researchers determined there's "no safe amount" of processed food humans can eat. The survey established an iron-clad link between the consumption of those three foodstuffs and chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and colon cancer. For example, the data showed that even eating one hot dog a day leads to an 11 percent greater risk of type 2 diabetes, and a seven percent increased risk of colon cancer, compared to non-glizzy guzzlers. "This current research has shown, yet again and consistent with prior research… that to achieve health gains it is best to avoid or minimize the habitual consumption of each of processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, and industrially produced trans fatty acids," Dr. Nita Forouhi, head of nutritional epidemiology at the University of Cambridge, told CNN. While the science seems sound, decoupling America from the humble frankfurter may be easier said than done. According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) — arguably a biased source — the US collectively consumes anywhere between 9 and 20 billion hot dogs per year. It's estimated that some 150 million of those are eaten on the 4th of July alone. Meanwhile, a 2021 survey reported by BEEF Magazine — seriously, who else has this kind of data? — found that 73 percent of Americans believe hot dogs are "essential to a cookout." Of course, hot dogs are just one of many things consumed around the world that aren't necessarily "good" for you. But for Jamie Loftus, the author of "Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs," the glizzy is the perfect avatar to represent everything wrong with the industrial meat industry. In her book, Loftus follows the frank along its entire lifecycle, detailing the depression-era roots of the hot dog, the role of hot dog eating competitions, the horrors of factory farming, and the lack of federal oversight over meat industry labor conditions. It's not a pretty story, to put it mildly, but it is an important reflection on the state of food in the United States — especially in light of the fact that glizzies are literally killing us. Joey Chestnut did not respond to a request for comment. More on Food: Famous Chef Boasts That He's Using AI to Invent New Recipes
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
How to Build Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time, According to a Fitness Researcher
One of the biggest misconceptions about fitness, especially for people trying to change how their body looks, is that losing weight is the key to getting the body of your dreams. And while reaching a healthy weight can help you look better and lower your risk for a variety of diseases, it won't give you that toned, muscular look many people are after. The only way to achieve that is by building muscle and losing—specifically—fat. Old-school lifters might say you can't gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, but the concept of body recomposition proves otherwise. Simply put, body recomposition is the process of transforming your physique by reducing body fat and gaining muscle at the same time (this might not result in a lower weight, but it will lead to a healthier, more-toned body). While many people believe this requires a strict calorie deficit, long thought to be the gold standard for fat loss, renowned nutrition researcher and fitness expert Alan Aragon says that's a common misconception. "Like 10 years ago, we thought, okay, you need a caloric surplus to gain muscle and you need a caloric deficit to lose fat," he said in a recent interview with Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. "But what happened in these a lean-mass-gain-dominant recomposition. In other words, more lean mass was gained than fat was lost. So there were net gains in body mass by the end of these trials, which would very strongly imply that fat was lost in a caloric surplus."And this process isn't just for competitive athletes. According to Aragon, the average person can successfully recomp their body, too. The key? Research shows that slightly increasing your calorie and protein intake can support muscle growth. Pair that with three to four strength training sessions per week and a bit of cardio, and you'll be on your way to transforming your physique. "I would say sort of the simple and direct answer is you try to keep the caloric surplus pretty judicious," Aargon said. "So 10 percent above maintenance conditions, which could be somewhere between 200, possibly 300 calories above what you see as maintenance. And the common thread amongst these recomposition studies was that protein was very between a gram to a gram and a half per pound of body weight." Eating roughly your bodyweight in protein grams is a solid benchmark, but according to Aragon, bumping that number even higher can accelerate results. When people increase their protein intake beyond the basics, that's when the real shifts in strength, muscle, and physique tend to happen. "There's a series of studies done by Joey Antonio and colleagues where they fed the subjects 400 to 800 calories above and beyond their habitual intakes, just in protein," he says. "And either recomposition happened, or no significant change in body composition happened." How to Build Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time, According to a Fitness Researcher first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 15, 2025
