15 March 2012

Walking Off The Influence of "Thrifty Genes"

"I can't help it, it's my genes" is a familiar phrase among frustrated dieters and gym goers who feel they can’t make the scale budge despite all efforts to reduce calories and exercise more. There may be something to their justification. After all, weight can depend partly on genetic makeup (among several other factors).

Luckily, the genetic revolution continues to churn out exciting news giving us hope that, no, we're not completely left at the mercy of the wrong kind of genes. The latest example is a study presented March 14 at the American Heart Association meeting in San Diego. The study found that people could keep their obesity genes under wraps by doing as little as turning off the tube and taking a brisk walk.

06 March 2012

Blogging the ASN Meeting at EB 2012


Welcome new followers!

I'm excited to report that I've been selected as official blogger for The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) 76th Scientific Sessions and Annual Meeting in conjunction with Experimental Biology 2012 (EB 2012) on April 21 through 25 in San Diego, Calif.

Click here for a peek at the preliminary program.

What exactly is EB 2012? The conference is a highly anticipated annual event where six scientific societies hold their joint scientific sessions and annual meetings. Besides ASN, other societies represented are: the American Association of Anatomists (AAA), the American Physiological Society (APS), the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology(ASBMB), the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), and the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).