The Obesity Society's 28th Annual Scientific Meeting is scheduled for the 8-12 October 2010, in San Diego California.

Further information can be found by clicking here.

The first official Sarcopenia Day is scheduled for the 21st June 2011. 

To show support and help spread the word, please 'like' our Sarcopenia Day Facebook page or retweet this post... :-)

About Sarcopenia

Coined in the 1980's to help focus funding from the United States congress, sarcopenia (pronounced Sarko-peen-Ya) describes the gradual erosion of lean muscle and weakening of the human body.

Despite being named by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as one of the top five biggest health risks facing the US population and healthcare costs estimated to be $11.8 - $26.2 billion in the USA alone, sarcopenia still remains widely unknown outside of professional medical circles. 

Proposed as a global event, Sarcopenia Day will help raise awareness of a condition whose impact will be felt by every man and women and provide advice on how best we can delay its onset by preserving our strength and ability to exercise through the physical and dietary choices we make today.

Should anyone wishing to offer direct assistance, then please email us at support [@] sarcopeniaday.org

Argentina's C5N news channel has broadcast an eight minute segment on Sarcopenia.

Marking the first major coverage of sarcopenia by a national broadcaster, Argentina's obesity specialist Dr Cormillot took viewers through what sarcopenia is and how best they can delay its onset through a series of resistance training exercises.

For the complete broadcast see below:

Following the announcement from the United Nations that we should move towards a meat and dairy free diet, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is also recommending a shift towards a plant based diet of vegetables, beans, grains, nuts and seeds.

Developed in the 1980's the food pyramid has provided American's with their principal dietary guidelines, leading some to argue that it has been the over promotion of a carbohydrate based diet that has helped fuel the obesity crisis. 

In its first major overhaul in 30 years the USDA is demonstrating an immediate desire to stem its populations soaring obesity levels, which the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) recently estimated could be costing as much as $147 billion per year.

"With two-thirds of U.S. adults overweight or obese, the aim is to help people cut calories while getting the right nutrients," Rear Admiral Penelope Slade-Sawyer of the Health and Human Services Department told reporters in a telephone briefing. 

"This report is unprecedented in addressing the obesity epidemic... and the obesity epidemic is the single biggest threat to public health," Slade Sawyer said.

Some food for thought:  

·      Over 10 billion animals are killed each year in the USA alone. 

·      It takes 10000 gallons of water to produce just one pound of meat. 

·      Meat production generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars, trucks, planes and ships in the world combined.

It seems, that with the concept of going green now permeating our food choices the message is becoming increasingly clear... Go-green-or-go-bust!

The USDA guidelines, which are due to be published at the end of the year, are now open for public consultation until July 15th. Anyone wishing to contribute may do so by clicking here. 

Previous USDA food pyramids. 

Here is a cross sectional electronic resonance image (MRI) of a 25 and 65 year old with a similar BMI. 

While both thighs look volumetrically similar, note the increased level of fat in the lower image of the 65 year old.

When looking at these images I can't help thinking of comparing cuts of meat at the local butchers and seeing one as the potentially unhealthy choice? 

This image depicts the eroding lean muscle of a right leg as it erodes and weakens due to the gradual impact of sarcopenia.