UN I V E R S I T Y D A I L Y K A N S A N
Tuesday, December 6, 1994
5B
Panel suggests publishing dieting successes, failures
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Americans spend over $33 billion a year to lose weight, most only to regain it quickly, scientists said yesterday. They urged the weight-loss industry to disclose the true effectiveness of everything from diet guidebooks to Jenny Craig programs.
"The current system is chaos," said Dr. Arthur Frank of George Washington University, a co-author of the guidelines. "None of these programs gives any information."
The prestigious Institute of Medicine assembled a panel of experts to study obesity. The conclusion: 35 percent of women and 31 percent of men are obese. The few who complete weight loss programs every year lose 10 percent of their body weight, a small but still helpful amount, yet they regain two-thirds of that within one year and almost all within five years.
"We have an epidemic of obesity in this country among adults and children," said panel chair Judith Stern of the University of California-Davis.
The panel called on weight-loss programs to issue comprehensive data about who they serve and what results they achieve, so dieters can pick the best program for them.
"They need tools for making better decisions about how to lose weight. And all weight-loss programs should be encouraged to better serve the consumer."
But Frank, who wants such programs to go a step further and be accredited, acknowledged the request is purely voluntary because the weight-loss industry is largely unregulated.
Jenny Craig, one of the largest weight-loss organizations with 820 centers worldwide, labeled the report a call to action but said it would do no good unless every weight-loss company complied.
Jenny Craig wouldn't say if it would release the type of success data the Institute of Medicine wants but noted that it already carefully screens patients' health to ensure it enrolls the people in proper programs, under a doctor's supervision if necessary.
LOS ANGELES—Just as lawyers selected the final people for the alternate jury pool in the O.J. Simpson case, the judge disclosed yesterday that at least one juror may have to be excused for misconduct.
Juror misconduct slows Simpson case
The nature of the concern wasn't disclosed yesterday, but a hearing on the matter was set for Thursday. The jury of 12 was impaneed Nov. 3 and is under strict orders to avoid news reports about the Simpson case.
"Each side has to take into account the fact that we may lose some of the originals. We may not," Superior
The revelation came as alternate jury selection neared conclusion. Three people were added to the alternate jury pool after in-depth questioning, bringing the total to 44. It had previously said he wanted 15 alternates because of the length of the trial, but said yesterday he would settle for 12.
Court.Judge Lance Ito said.
A recess was ordered for today, and the final phase in the process of selecting jury alternates, peremptory challenges, is set to begin tomorrow. Peremptory challenges allow lawyers to remove panelists without stating a cause.
Simpson, 47, has been pressing for
a speedy trial on charges of murdering his ex-wife and her friend.
A critical DNA hearing appeared headed for postponement because one of Simpson's lawyers, Peter Neufeld, can't get out of another trial in New York. It, however, juggled the schedule so a delay would not necessarily affect opening statements.
Simpson's defense asked the judge to postpone the DNA admissibility hearing, set to begin Dec. 12, until Jan. 3. The judge didn't rule on the request, but did schedule a hearing on a defense motion to dismiss evidence of domestic violence for Dec. 12.
New spinal therapy works on rats, hopefully people too
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Rats with spine injuries were able to stand and walk after treatment with a combination of drugs, researchers report.
Eugene Roberts of the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope in Duarte, Calif. said yesterday that the research showed that it may be possible to prevent the permanent
damage that often occurs in spinal injuries by quickly treating patients with drugs that halt damaging inflammation and promote healing.
In the study, to be published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Roberts and his colleagues caused a compression injury to the spinal cords of a group of laboratory rats.
Some of the rats were then treated
with one drug, others with two, still others with no drugs, and 16 were treated with a combination of drugs.
After 21 days, Roberts said, 11 of the 16 rats treated with three drugs were able to stand and walk, with four nearly completely recovered. Those rats treated with no drugs were not able to walk or stand. Those treated with one or two drugs had some recovery, but none could walk.
Underfunding cuts pension payments The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The shortfall in money that companies set aside to pay for Americans' pensions climbed to $71 billion last year.
"Millions of Americans still are in danger of not getting their pensions," Labor Secretary Robert Reich said yesterday. "Underfunding has gone up to $71 billion from $53 billion in 1992 and $27 billion in 1987."
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. said underfunded single-employer pension plans at the end of 1993 had assets of just $316 billion to pay $387 billion in benefits.
The announcement came four days after Congress approved legislation requiring companies with pension deficits to reduce their underfunding by more than two-thirds within 15 years. Reich said President Clinton will sign the bill on Thursday.
"This is not yet a crisis," Reich said of the gap. "But if it had not been addressed, somewhere down the line ... it would have been another savings and loan crisis."
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