ICYMI

Fried potato consumption is associated with elevated mortality: an 8-y longitudinal cohort study

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Source: Fried potato consumption is associated with elevated mortality: an 8-y longitudinal cohort study

Results: Of the 4400 participants, 2551 (57.9%) were women with a mean ± SD age of 61.3 ± 9.2 y. During the 8-y follow-up, 236 participants died. After adjustment for 14 potential baseline confounders, and taking those with the lowest consumption of potatoes as the reference group, participants with the highest consumption of potatoes did not show an increased risk of overall mortality (HR: 1.11; 95% CI: 0.65, 1.91). However, subgroup analyses indicated that participants who consumed fried potatoes 2–3 times/wk (HR: 1.95; 95% CI: 1.11, 3.41) and ≥3 times/wk (HR: 2.26; 95% CI: 1.15, 4.47) were at an increased risk of mortality. The consumption of unfried potatoes was not associated with an increased mortality risk.

Conclusions: The frequent consumption of fried potatoes appears to be associated with an increased mortality risk.

The abstract indicates the researchers controlled for “14 confounders”.  Note the increased mortality impact was from a subgroup analysis.  Since I’m unwilling to pay $40 USD for the full study I’ll never know if the researchers controlled for triple cheeseburgers, eggs, bacon, sausage, fried fish,  or any other foods commonly consumed with fried potatoes.

Poutine???

Are friends better for us than family? – Michigan State University

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In a pair of studies involving nearly 280,000 people, William Chopik found that friendships become increasingly important to one’s happiness and health across the lifespan. Not only that, but in older adults, friendships are actually a stronger predictor of health and happiness than relationships with family members.

Source: Are friends better for us than family? | MSUToday | Michigan State University

Hell yes.

Orthorexia Nervosa: When ‘Healthy’ Eating Turns Dangerous

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The condition also overlaps with obsessive compulsive disorder, obsessive compulsive personality disorder, and somatoform disorders. During the session, two case reports were presented. The first patient was a 72-year-old white Buddhist nun who presented with extreme weight loss. “You get afraid of eating because you don’t know what it’ll do to you,” said the patient in a video clip. “Eventually I was afraid to do anything, so I did nothing.”

Source: Orthorexia Nervosa: When ‘Healthy’ Eating Turns Dangerous

Some time ago I developed a fear of what would happen to me if I stopped drinking alcohol.  So I did nothing.

Lunch Traffic Lowest in Four Decades: Out for Lunch a Dying Tradition? Demise of the “Gourmet” Burger? — MishTalk

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“I like Five Guys, but I can buy ground beef and one onion and get pretty close to the same burger for half the cost,” said Mr. Cockerline, who rarely goes to Five Guys anymore. “A hamburger, to me, is not a luxury,”

Brian Cockerline 20 years young Rutgers University student

Source: Lunch Traffic Lowest in Four Decades: Out for Lunch a Dying Tradition? Demise of the “Gourmet” Burger? | MishTalk

Clearly what we have is the End of Affluence.  When I was a kid going out to eat at a restaurant was the occasional treat.  Not many families could afford eating out more than once a week.  The family cooked and ate most of our meals at home.  I’ve lived in Oklahoma for a while now.  We have basic burger platters for around $10.  But when you add in drinks and tip the cost starts to add up.  Eat out five days a week and you’re incurring substantial expense.

I’m hardly surprised at the traffic numbers.  Despite government statistics the economy is anemic.  Today’s kids are graduating from college with massive debt and a job market that is unkind.

What’s next?  Car sharing?  Multiple roommates?  Tiny homes?

Schistosomiasis (or Death by Snail) – Science Friday

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Another creature belonging to the “small but deadly” category is the freshwater snail, which is responsible for more than 200,000 deaths a year — more deaths than sharks, lions and wolves combined. Freshwater snails carry a parasitic disease called schistosomiasis, which infects nearly 250 million people, mostly in Asia, Africa and South America.

Source: A Creative Approach to Controlling a Deadly Snail – Science Friday