Brenda Adderly / L’Observateur / March 15, 2000

There’s an old notion that, after a number of years together, married people start to look alike. Now a team of researchers from three universities hasdiscovered a new twist on that theme. Apparently, husbands and wivesalso gain weight together.

The study looked at couples over a seven-year period and found that while they gained weight in different places on their bodies, couples did tend to put on pounds at the same rate. The researchers blame “sharedenvironmental factors,” the scientific way of saying that they might be spending more time snacking together than striding down the street. Ifyou’re among the happily but heftily married, try reversing the pattern so that you can still spend time together and gain health benefits, too.

A Little Bit Goes a Long Way On the subject of weight management, here’s a tip that might help. Buyingin bulk may balance the budget, but it could be your downfall in the battle of the bulge.

According to a new study from the University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign, when food was presented in jumbo containers people ate anywhere from 7 to 43 percent more than when containers were small. My solution: buy thelarge, economy sizes, then re-package at home and put snacks, etc..,into small, “leftover-size” plastic containers that hold only a few ounces.

Not only will foods stay fresher, but you can eat the container’s entire contents, relatively guilt free.

The Magic Touch The first few days of a baby’s life may be a marvel to parents, but they can be stressful for a newborn since babies often have to undergo medical tests and procedures that create anxiety and pain. Now researchers at BostonMedical Center have found a way to reduce those negative feelings.

In a study of 30 1- to 2-day-old infants, physicians performed a standard procedure known as the heel stick, which involves a tiny puncture to the baby’s heel to collect a blood sample. Half the infants were held bymothers so that they were in skin-to-skin contact while the other half remained in their crib. Crying levels among the babies who were held werean astonishing 82 percent lower than for babies in their cribs. For moreinformation on the benefits of maintaining close physical contact with infants, take a look at my book, Brighter Baby, which details the many benefits of infant massage.

Don’t Be Fitness Foolish If you think a new exercise machine or diet program might help you keep your New Year’s resolution to get fit, you could be right. But before taking theplunge, check out the Federal Trade Commission’s website at www.ftc.gov for guidelines that will help you tell what’s hype and what’s hot.

The sections titled “Avoiding the Muscle Hustle” and “Pump Fiction’ offer advice on exercise equipment. Other areas detail diet and weight lossprogram winners and losers. All in all, a resource well worth looking into.

BRENDA ADDERLY writes this column every Wednesday in L’Observateur.

She is the author of 13 books about health. If you have questions, visitBrenda at www.stayhealthy.com.Back to Top

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