July 6, 2006

Well, yeah



Originally uploaded by Citizen Rob.
(Cross posted from Diabetes Notes becaause it's more amusing than anything I am likely to write here today).

In a development sure to be covered in more detail in the next issue of The Journal of Duh, a study of overweight type 2 diabetics has found that increasing the amount of walking they do every day will result in significant improvements in heart and respiratory fitness. The study examined the exercise routine of eight subjects who were already walking more than the recommended 10,000 steps a day.

“The program used simple tools (pedometer and stopwatch) and a simple message to pick up the pace,” said Steven T. Johnson of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, along with colleagues in the journal Diabetes Care.

The “Pick Up the Pace” program measured the number of steps that test subjects were typically taking and increased them by ten percent. This increase led to improvements in heart rate response to exercise, as well as a decrease in blood sugar levels.

In an earlier study, Johnson and his colleagues found that type 2 diabetics typically walk at a speed that is slower than that necessary to derive health benefits, even when the number of steps taken daily were increased.

There’s no word on whether or not they uncovered any mysterious connection between slow walking and painful feet, but I can only hope that in the near future, these researchers can unlock the secrets of how not smoking or eating donuts can also increase the health of diabetics. Well played, Mister Science!

15 comments:

How do you know I'm not Liddy Wales? said...

You know, I hear that they're now saying that not being diabetic is actually preferable to being diabetic! Who knew? Also, vegetables are good for you, and you should avoid being bitten by vicious dogs.

Stephanie said...

This just in:
Water is wet

Anonymous said...

Is that photo a picture of you, Rob, when you were a lad? (I only ask because he's so cute!)

Robert Hudson said...

That's Spanky! Good lord, woman. Get in touch with your inner little rascal!

Anonymous said...

I bet next they'll say that a good diet and exercise help you live longer. Imagine that! :) Loved the Spanky pic.

Balancing Act; Jenn said...

Of course it's Spanky! But really you should have put a picture of the whole gang up there.....

Robert Hudson said...

Spanky had the appropriate expression, so Spanky it was.

Naomi said...

In the Yahoo headlines a few days ago was a study demonstrating that zoning out while reading can affect your ability to learn the material.

I clicked on the link because I couldn't believe they'd really studied something that freaking obvious, but they had.

I breathlessly await the study that shows that daydreaming during a lecture also affects comprehension.

Pegkitty said...

Naomi and/or ed, I read about that study too. well, I started reading about it anyway....

And Rob, I totally want to subscribe to The Journal Of Duh. Where can I sign up? :-)

Anonymous said...

I think that's known as Duhology - the science of restating the blindingly obvious.

grandefille said...

Being a journalistic refugee, I was a charter professional subscriber to the Journal of Duh. Except we weren't so kind. We referred to it as the "No-Shit Report." Often, and loudly. It's so frustrating to see common sense touted as novel while money's not being spent on useful research.

I'm awaiting our local news exclusive on how it hurts to be struck by lightning, since we've had several heinous thunderstorms here lately.

"Up next, a million volts of electricity shoots through your body! Vanderbilt Medical Center experts explain why that could be painful."

tiff said...

Part of the problem with this stuff being reported (because I see it from the scientists perspective), is that there's a good chance the study was designed to examine a lot of other interesting information and endpoints, but the other "stuff" isn't as easliy palatable or understandable to those who might pay attention to a headline touting that what they already know is true, so it isn't reported. (This run-on sentence brought to you courtesy of Sunday afternoon) Science reporting in the mass media is generally so far beyond lame it drops neatly into the bucket of "incorrect," and that's a shame because there are a lot of folks out there who'd gladly dip into some "interesting and correct" material if it were offered....

At least I'm HOPING the study was designed to do something besides look at the ovious. I really really am.

Anonymous said...

Oh God, now I'm feeling inadequate because I have no clue who "Spanky " is or was! I'm fron the UK, should I still know? Help!!!

Anonymous said...

Wow--there is a bit of resemblance between Spanky and Schuyler. He looks like he could be her brother, except for the fact that he's probably old enough to be Rob's grandfather.

Robert Hudson said...

I think he might be dead, actually.