Entries by Chet Zelasko

Is Obesity a Disease?

In a podcast about GLP-1 receptor agonists and several new medications that are under development, the expert was a researcher on the cutting edge of what these peptides can do for weight loss. A couple of things she said didn’t sit right. One was that obesity is a disease of genetic tendencies to store fat […]

I Can See Clearly Now

I left you with some questions I had to ponder and have gotten a couple more. Then I’ll leave you with the answer I posed to my ocular surgeon. Glaucoma Glaucoma is not just a single ocular disease; there are several types. Some are related to how well the eyes drain fluid; some drain slowly […]

My Eyes!

No, it’s not like when Phoebe saw Monica and Chandler kissing on Friends—but it is rather dramatic. Let me recap my vision story. My dad died at 41, so I have no info from him or his family. My grandmother had cataracts removed when she was about 70. It led to a decline in her […]

Again with the BMI?

I got an email from a long-time reader about a recently published study comparing BMI calculated from height and weight with percent body fat calculated via Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry commonly called DEXA. The objective of the study was to see if BMI was accurate in predicting the differences between underweight, normal weight, and several […]

A Longer Healthspan

I’m back! The cataract surgery on the second eye was successful; there’s one more exam to make sure everything is healing properly. Then it’s a matter of the full recovery to get my reading vision back to normal. But for everything besides that, it’s a whole new world. The colors are more vivid and I […]

Hamburger Cereal?

Paula mentioned in passing that she had read about a hamburger cereal. I just shook my head, and then it really hit me: a hamburger cereal? I had to check it out. Turns out there is a “cereal” out there that contains 20 grams of protein from dehydrated ground beef per ½ cup serving. The […]

Does Whole Milk Reduce Obesity?

The second research paper that was included in many news articles that talked about the potential benefits of full-fat dairy products was a study from the Women’s Health Study (1); researchers collected dietary data and self-reported weight and height from over 39,000 women. The analysis included only about 18,000 middle-aged and older women who had […]

Your Questions Answered

Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes; Paula has been doing great in her recovery from shoulder-replacement surgery. She’s abiding by all the restrictions on trying to use the arm and looks forward to beginning rehab. If you were looking for the Super Bowl Webinar this past Sunday, it wasn’t held—yet. I forgot […]

Physics and Movement

Did you know that in the ancient games held when the Olympics began, long jumpers were allowed to carry one-kilogram rocks in each hand? That gave them extra momentum as they leapt into the air while thrusting their arms forward. Then they thrust their arms backward before landing to gain extra distance as they pushed […]

Hold on to Hope

Basic science research is critical to finding cures for degenerative conditions and diseases; a recently published study illustrates how that happens. Researchers identified a cell receptor that regulated muscle and bone cell metabolism called GRP133 about 15 years ago. Recent research has shown that a protein called AP503 can be a receptor agonist for GRP133, […]