2008 Woodie Awards
SCIENCE BRIEFS
Alexander Tingey
Issue date: 10/26/06 Section: Health
- Page 1 of 1
FRESHMAN 15: MORE MYTH THAN TRUTH
The stereotypical "Freshman 15" is more myth than fact according to the Associated Press. In a report released this Monday, researchers at Brown Medical Center in Rhode Island, claim that the actual figures for freshman weight gain fall somewhere between 6 and 8 pounds over the course of their first year.
Previous studies involved a predominantly female body of students, and were limited to first semester rather than freshman year, weight gain.
The current study, however, fills the gaps between the prior trend of inadequate numbers.
"Over the year, we found that males gained 5.6 pounds and females gained 3.6 pounds, with the large majority of that weight gained in the first semester," said Elizabeth Lloyd-Richardson, the Brown researcher who led both studies reported by the AP. During the second year of the study, males gained an additional 3.5 pounds on average, and were tending to gain more weight each successive year.
Something about the freshman year and the sophomore year is putting these kids at risk," said Thomas Wadden, president of the Obesity Society and director of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
"I suspect part of this is they now have access to large amounts of food they can eat freely," without anyone at home saying enough is enough, he said. Other experts have speculated that the change in sleep schedules and additional late nights during the week can also contribute to students drastic weight gains.
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH SEAFOOD
ARE LARGELY MISUNDERSTOOD
The average American consumes 16 pounds of fresh seafood each year, and with so many controversies over the risk associated with seafood consumption. Threats of mercury poisoning and heavy metal contamination amongst farmed fish have raised awareness about the somewhat misunderstood risks.
"The benefits of cardiovascular health from eating seafood, including farm fish, far outweigh the risk of cancer from environmental contaminants," said Dr. William Hogarth of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the group that commissioned the report said CNN.
Larger fish inherently contain more mercury than smaller fish and people are advised to eat fewer quantities of fish such as mackerel and kingfish and more smaller species such as trout and canned tuna.
Women who are pregnant and young children should avoid eating large oceanic fish more than 2 times a month. "Other fish are much lower in methylmercury and provide benefits to the mother and to the child because of their content of the omega-3s that they provide, so there's a balance between risks and benefits," said Malden Nesheim, the chair of the Institute of Medicine committee, reported CNN.
The stereotypical "Freshman 15" is more myth than fact according to the Associated Press. In a report released this Monday, researchers at Brown Medical Center in Rhode Island, claim that the actual figures for freshman weight gain fall somewhere between 6 and 8 pounds over the course of their first year.
Previous studies involved a predominantly female body of students, and were limited to first semester rather than freshman year, weight gain.
The current study, however, fills the gaps between the prior trend of inadequate numbers.
"Over the year, we found that males gained 5.6 pounds and females gained 3.6 pounds, with the large majority of that weight gained in the first semester," said Elizabeth Lloyd-Richardson, the Brown researcher who led both studies reported by the AP. During the second year of the study, males gained an additional 3.5 pounds on average, and were tending to gain more weight each successive year.
Something about the freshman year and the sophomore year is putting these kids at risk," said Thomas Wadden, president of the Obesity Society and director of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
"I suspect part of this is they now have access to large amounts of food they can eat freely," without anyone at home saying enough is enough, he said. Other experts have speculated that the change in sleep schedules and additional late nights during the week can also contribute to students drastic weight gains.
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH SEAFOOD
ARE LARGELY MISUNDERSTOOD
The average American consumes 16 pounds of fresh seafood each year, and with so many controversies over the risk associated with seafood consumption. Threats of mercury poisoning and heavy metal contamination amongst farmed fish have raised awareness about the somewhat misunderstood risks.
"The benefits of cardiovascular health from eating seafood, including farm fish, far outweigh the risk of cancer from environmental contaminants," said Dr. William Hogarth of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the group that commissioned the report said CNN.
Larger fish inherently contain more mercury than smaller fish and people are advised to eat fewer quantities of fish such as mackerel and kingfish and more smaller species such as trout and canned tuna.
Women who are pregnant and young children should avoid eating large oceanic fish more than 2 times a month. "Other fish are much lower in methylmercury and provide benefits to the mother and to the child because of their content of the omega-3s that they provide, so there's a balance between risks and benefits," said Malden Nesheim, the chair of the Institute of Medicine committee, reported CNN.
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