An estimated 1.3 million Americans smoke, snort or inject methamphetamine. Methamphetamines stimulate the central nervous system, increasing heart rate and elevating blood pressure and body temperature. Chronic use can lead to hallucinations, temperature regulation problems, heart failure and stroke. America is in the midst of a meth epidemic that’s accompanied by an increased crime rate, broken families and violence. Unlike cocaine or heroine, which come from foreign crops, producers make meth in homegrown labs from ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is attempting to fight the epidemic by controlling ephedrine and pseudoephedrine sales. In December 2000, the DEA prohibited a company called PDK from importing ephedrine because its products were turning up in illegal meth labs. PDK countered that the percentage of its product used for illegal drug manufacture was extremely low. The case should be settled in Federal Appeals Court by early 2006. (The Tan Sheet, Oct. 3, 2005)

Is There a Fat Gut in Your Future?
Obesity rates have increased by more than 100 percent in the last three years in several states. A paper published by Boston University scientists led by Dr. Ramachandran Vasan reported that nine out of 10 men and seven out of 10 women will become overweight during their lifetimes. The data came from the famous Framingham study, which began in 1948. Thirty-three percent of women and 25 percent of men who made it to middle age without becoming overweight eventually become obese. Most studies use cross-sectional methods (the snapshot technique) to determine obesity rates in different age groups: they look at the body compositions of people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, etc. and attempt to draw conclusions about long-term changes from differences between age groups. These studies found that 60 percent of Americans are overweight and 33 percent are obese. The results of the Boston University study showed that the obesity problem in America is more serious than we thought. (Ann Intern Med, 143: 473-480, 2005)

Improved Fitness Program for Military
Most people have the impression that drill instructors like R. Lee Ermey (from the film “Full Metal Jacket”) keep our fighting men and women in top shape. While our soldiers and sailors are physically fit when they leave boot camp, many lose fitness rapidly when faced with day-to-day life in the military. Every year about 3,000 men and women are discharged because they can’t meet fitness and body fat standards. The armed services can’t afford to lose that many people, so they’ve established formal fitness programs to get armed service members into shape. They found that people couldn’t do it on their own. The programs promote healthy diet and exercise habits that will carry over into their daily lives and make them less likely to fail physical performance tests in the future. People do much better when they have direction in their diet and exercise programs. Soldiers and sailors are no different. (The New York Times, Sept. 29, 2005)

Expensive Steakhouses: Buyer Beware!
Mainstream Americans are flocking to upscale steak restaurants and paying upscale prices. Buyers beware: many very expensive restaurants have cut back on quality steaks and serve dog meat quality cuts at sirloin and porterhouse prices. Filet mignon was seldom USDA prime or dry aged in the majority of steak restaurants surveyed by The Wall Street Journal. Truly memorable beef is corn fed, aged at least 40 days and designated as USDA prime. A run-of-the-mill steak lacks flavor and texture. Some steakhouses use deceptive language and describe their steaks as prime, but leave off the USDA. If you want to insure you’re getting a top-of-the-line steak, check its marbling before it’s cooked. Lines and pockets of fat within the steak will make it taste moist, flavorful and tender. Top steakhouses charge premium prices and you deserve to get what you pay for. (The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 8-9, 2005)

Bill Bans Supplements for HS Athletes
Anyone can legally purchase and use DHEA, ephedrine and bitter orange at the local health food store— but not California high school athletes. A bill introduced by California State Senator Jackie Speir (D-San Francisco) and signed into law by Govenor Arnold Schwarzenegger requires that high school athletes and their parents sign a pledge not to use them. Also, supplement manufacturers may not sponsor any school events and high school coaches must complete a coaching education program dealing with supplements and performance-enhancing drugs. This bill is another nail in the coffin for high school sports. Most high schools pay non-faculty, part-time people to coach many of their sports because they can’t afford full-time professionals. The $1,000-$5,000 stipend part-time coaches receive barely covers the cost of driving to practice. Requiring additional state mandated education on supplements siphons precious resources away from financially strapped athletic programs. (The Tan Sheet, Oct. 17, 2005)

The Benefits of Unilateral Training
Unilateral training— exercising one side of the body at a time— is a very effective and alternative training method. Unilateral training creates more muscle involvement because of bilateral deficit. This means that the total weight you can lift with each limb working independently is greater than two limbs working together. An example is the leg press. Adding up the weight you can lift with each leg will often be greater than the total weight you can lift with both legs. Because the weight you lift with both legs is less than each leg lifting a weight independently, you have a strength deficit. You’ve also overloaded your muscles more than you could have using both legs at the same time. Unilateral training also increases the strength of the inactive side. This is a little known fact of neurophysiology. If you do knee extensions with your right leg, your left leg gets a small training effect— without doing anything. Australian researchers found that fast unilateral training had a greater effect on the untrained limb than slow training did. Unilateral training is a good change of pace, which may boost you to the next level of performance. (J Appl Physiol, 99: 1880-1884, 2005)

Men Have Nipples Too
Any high school kid who has made it to “first base” knows that women have sensitive nipples and that fondling them can trigger sexual arousal, which can lead to extra bases. Researchers Roy Levin and Cindy Meston from the University of Texas found that nipple and breast stimulation were important for sexual arousal in young men and women. A questionnaire answered by more than 300 college students showed that 82 percent of women and 59 percent of men were sexually stimulated by nipple stimulation, while 7 percent in both genders said that it depressed arousal. While nearly 40 percent of women ask to have their nipples stimulated during sex, only 17 percent of men did so. The study showed the nipples are important erogenous zones in men and women and sources of sexual pleasure for most people. (Journal Sexual Medicine, 3: 450-454, 2006)