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Sick Of Being Fat Article:

Breaking Research: What's a Dieter To Do?

Every day, it seems, a new study pertaining to weight loss or nutrition is released to the public. These studies tout the latest and greatest trends, products or discoveries and then a willing public jumps on the bandwagon expecting mighty results.

Have you ever wondered about the reliability or efficacy of those studies? Do they stand the test of time or slip into obscurity only to be replaced or supplanted by another study?

Well, Greek researcher Dr. John Ioannidis decided to study the studies and he came to some very interesting conclusions. Dr. Ioannidis reviewed 45 studies published in one of three prominent medical journals (New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, and Lancet) between 1990 and 2003. Of the 45 studies, seven of them (16%) were contradicted by later research and another seven (16%) were found in subsequent studies to have effects that were lesser than initially thought.

At this rate, over three in ten studies released will report results that are either not as solid as originally reported, or are completely incorrect. Going six or seven for ten in baseball is a Hall of Fame-paced trend, but what does this mean for those of us who are relying on these studies to help us win the "Battle of the Bulge?"

Like choosing a new shirt or blouse, a haircut or hairstyle, or a paint color for a house or a room, there is inherently more risk in selecting an option that has not been time-tested than one that has. We've all come across a garment in our own closets that caused us to wonder just what we were thinking when we bought that horrible thing. Similarly, jumping on a scientific bandwagon that "promises" to be the road to success can leave you broken down on the side of the road.

When new studies are released, remember that there are members of the media and business people who stand to gain from over-promoting results that are too new to trust. Of the contradicted results, half were completely incorrect (or so it seems) and half were shown to be much less effective than originally reported.

From a practical standpoint, ask yourself if you are willing to set yourself back by gaining weight rather than losing it, or by spending time pursuing an option that simply doesn't produce the results you expected. Fighting the Battle of the Bulge successfully means that you need to have a positive attitude at all times. It is too easy to become discouraged and make destructive decisions and following advice from reliable sources that turns out to be bad can be just the kind of discouragement you don't need.

As with fashion and paint colors, if you are making decisions for the long haul, it is better to be conservative than to go with the latest trends. When you read or hear of new scientific studies whose advice you might be tempted to follow, the best decision would be to find out if the study is confirming earlier or previous work. If so, odds are that the advice is going to stand the test of time. In the meanwhile, eat fewer calories than you burn and drink lots of water and you'll continue to move in the right direction!

9th grade science projects get kids learning about science, yet they won't even realize they're "learning." Simple science projects are sometimes the best way to demonstrate scientific principles in a hands on way.

Astrobiologists at NASA and elsewhere are now seriously considering the possibility that life on Earth originated outside the planet and was brought into it by space debris impacting its surface over vast stretches of time. Do these space debris only contain ordinary matter? The scope of evolution will be considerably broadened if they also contain dark matter. Were the first cells a composite of dark and ordinary matter? Did dark matter bodies co-evolve with ordinary matter bodies?

Biologists are beginning to realize that co-operation was just as important as competition in the evolution of life's diversity and resilience. Every cell in the human body contains a mitochondrion which is thought to be a bacterial cell which invaded an early eukaryote. Instead of being digested, both cells tolerated each other and began to live with each other - a merger which provided synergies to both.

It seems saving the planet is a big deal, a world-wide goal, but, if we are truly going to save the planet we need to consider a few things first. For instance can 10 Billion people live on the surface of the planet and if so, will the planet sustain them all? How about 15 or 20 Billion? Well, at our current consumption levels most likely not. What if we reduce or consumption; can it be possible then?

Today, although it is somewhat uncommon many are living over 100-years of age. Each year more and more people make it to their centurion years. Have you ever wondered what the high-end of human life span might be in the future? Well, sorry for the delay in the reply to this question of your, I do believe it does deserve a legitimate answer. So, will it be possible for humans to live to be 250, 500 or even 1,000 years old?