Health & Wellness Healthbeat MSG use linked to obesity According to a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health, people who use monosodium glutamate. or MSG, as a flavor enhancer in their food are more likely than people who don't use it to be overweight or obese even though they have the same amount of physical activ ity and total calorie intake. The school's study is pub lished this month in the journal "Obesity." Researchers at UNC and in China studied more than 750 Chinese men and women, aged between 40 and 59, in three rural villages in north and south China. The majority of study participants prepared their meals at home without commercially processed foods . About 82 percent of the participants used MSG in their food, TTiose users were divided into three groups, based on the amount of MSG they used. The third who used the most MSG were nearly three times more likely to be overweight than non-users. "Animal studies have indicated for years that MSG might be associated with weight gain," said Ka He, MX)., assistant professor of nutrition and epi demiology at die UNC School of Public Health. "Ours is the first study to show a link between MSG UK and weight in humans " f Because MSG is used as a flavor enhancer in many processed foods, studying its potential effect on humans has been difficult. He and his colleagues chose study participants living in rural Chinese vil lages because they used very little commercially processed food, but many regularly used MSG in food preparation. Alumnus returns to head UNCG's counseling department J. Scott Young, who earned an MEd and a PhD at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, has returned to UNCG as chair of the top-ranked Department of Counseling and Educational Development. Young, who specializes in spirituality in counsel ing, comes to UNCG from Mississippi State University, where he has taught since 1996. He began work Aug. 1, and follows Dr. L. DiAnne Borders as depart ment chair. He has been a practicing counselor in private practice, agency and hospital settings for more than IS years. His leadership in the field of coun seling includes service as pres ident of the Association for Spiritual Ethical and Religious Values in Counseling and as a the Governing Council and Executive i for the American Counseling received UNCG's Alumni 2003. He has also received die Service Award from the Association far! 1, Ethical and Religious Values in Counseling Mississippi Counseling Association's 2002 ; Research Award. is a National Certified Counselor and a| Professional Counselor. He is married to t- Young, a licensed counselor, registered ast and psychology instructor. "Hie Youngs : two daughters. Savannah and Sophie. JS. Army awards ^Carolina Donor Services Carolina Donor Services will be the first organ fmcorement organization (OPO) in the country to be recognized by the United States Army. The Army I will award OPO today (Aug. 21) for contributing organs since 2002 than any other organization I ~ w the Military Share Program. The Military Share Program is a Department of Defense Directive which requests voluntary participation from organ it organizations throughout the United 1 Carolina Donor Services' CEO and President I Jordan said he is honored to accept the com H"We, like all Americans, are indebted to the men who are either serving or have served in r. The Military Share Program is consis our mission to save and improve lives by g organ and tissue donation," said Jordan. . on to say, "Carolina Donor Services will ! to support the Military Share Program in an * aid our great nation's male and female , Airmen, Seamen, and their beneficiaries in plantation " i information about donation or register an organ and tissue donor, visit fenc.org. think that God's ition can revive the dying ZAGO (AP) - When it comes to uod trumps doctors for many Americans. ? 1 eye-opening survey reveals widespread belief intervention can revive dying patients. mcher8 said, doctors "need to be prepared to ; II families who are waiting for a miracle." 1 : than half of randomly surveyed adults ? 57 said God's intervention could save a fam jr even if physicians declared treatment be futile. And nearly three-quarters said I have a right to demand such treatment, ten asked to imagine their own relatives being y ill or injured, nearly 20 percent of doctors and " t workers said God could reverse a hope Losing It Winston Lake Y launching weight loss program next month CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT The Winston Lake Family YMCA is planning to show local folks how to adopt healthy changcs_ Y- Weigh, a 12- week weight management program, will start next month, but registration started Monday and will continue through Sept. 5. Available to Y members and non-mem bers, the program is open to those who are at least SO pounds overweight; Participant^ must have their doctors' consent. Through every thing from choles terol health screenings to nutritional lec tures and weekly group workouts, Y W e i g h ' s focus will be on healthy weight loss and education. "Y-Weigh will be a highly-focused yet highly-friendly pro gram," said Jolyn Roberts, > Membership Director at Winston Lake Family YMCA. "Everyone who participates will see benefits whether it's in weight loss, education in healthy eating tips or lifestyle changes. We'll be working together to make these changes, and coaches will be available throughout the week for questions, motivation and encouragement. Work out with your own peers who offer group support and build friendships with people who have similar goals and life experiences while you work your way to new, healthy habits." The program costs $60 for YMCA members and $195 for non-members. The Y does offer financial assis tance for all of its programs, including the Y Weigh, to those can't afford the fee. The program fee includes full access to the YMCA for the duration of.the program. Registration can be completed by visiting the Winston Lake Family YMCA, 901 Waterworks Rd. For ques tions or more information about Y-Weigh, call 336-724-9205. Medical Center finds its CEO John D. McConnell will start Nov. 1 CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has found its first ever chief executive officer. Dr. John D. McConnell, 54, will oversee the clin ical, research and academic enterprise for Wake Forest Baptist, reporting to the Medical Center's board of directors. The Medical Canter restructured its leadership in March 2007 to a single overarching governing body with a single CEO. McConnell, who is expected to start at Wake Forest Baptist on Nov. 1, comes to Winston-Salem from Dallas, where he has been executive vice presi dent of health system affairs at University of Texas Southwestern since 2003. A noted urologist who joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 1984, McConnell has held a number of clinical as well as administrative posts at UT Southwestern, including urology department chair, prostate disease center director, vice president for clinical programs and executive vice president for administration. "We knew there was a John McConnell out there somewhere when we brought together the enormous resources of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences," said Steve Robertson, chair of the Medical Center Board. "Dr. McConnell is clearly positioned and experienced to lead us with an understanding that encompasses the evolution of physician practices, the prominent role of research in a medical center, administration and an abiding focus on patient care." McConnell will lead 11,000 employees at the Medical Center, which has a combined net annual revenue of $1.6 billion. He brings to Wake Forest Baptist a philosophy of balanced excellence which has guided his career for 25 years. WFUBMC Photo Dr. John D. McConnell with his wife, Melinda. "All components of the mission must be the best they can be," he explained. "We all think and act as one entity. The emphasis is on quality not quantity. McConnell and his wife. Melinda. a former med ical technologist with an M.B.^ degree, have been married for 30 years. Their daughter, Cara, is an English major at the University of Kansas. Spreading Yoga PHNewiFoto/Yofa Alliance Residents of West Palm Beach, Fla., participate in Yoga Day USA 2008. The Yoga Alliance has just announced that Yoga Day 2009 will be Saturday, Jan. 24. Events designed to increase awareness of the benefits of yoga and help make yoga more accessible to more people are expected to take place in cities throughout the nation. For more information, go to www.yogadayusa.org. Blacks and Acanthosis Nigricans What is Acanthosis Nigricans? Acanthosis Nigricans (AN) (sometimes called dirty neck) is skin disorder that has dark brown velvety plaques most commonly found on the skin of the underarms, neck, and knuckles, but can occur on the insides of the thighs and tops of fingers and hands as well. The discoloration is the result of thickened skin and not an increase in pig ment, as is commonly thought by patients. It does not usual ly have any symptoms, but can occasionally get itchy. Are there any diseases associated with AN? AN is associated with many syndromes and dis eases, both benign and malig nant. Insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus are the most common associations with AN. Other relationships have been shown with malignancy, while even more cases of AN occur without any known underlying disease, except perhaps, obesity. As the prevalence of obesity in adults and children today con tinues to rise, AN becomes an even more important finding to alert physicians of possible pathology and halt disease processes at earlier stages, thus decreasing morbidity and mortality. Who gets AN? There is a hereditary type of AN found in ^oung chil dren. There is a type that affects adults with insulin resistance/obesity. The last type, which is rare, typically affects an older population, and is associated with malig nancy. AN can affect males ' and females, but the type that affects adults tends to be more common in women. Regarding race, AN tends to have a higher prevalence among blacks than whites. Native Americans also have been shown to have an increased risk of AN, which correlates with their increased risk of diabetes. What is the mechanism of AN causing skin lesions? The darkened skin is not associated with a change or increase in melanocytes (cells that produce melanin, or skin pigmentation), but is due to thickening of the skin layers. As the levels of insulin in the See AN on All UNC report: Cheerleading causes most injuries for female athletes CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT ? ? 1 ? ? ? 1 ? ? . ? ; i , - The gracc and excitement of cheerleading is not without its dangers and risks. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill released a report earlier this month showing that the largest proportion of injuries to high school and college athletes occur in cheerleading. The annual report from the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, which is based at UNC, shows high school cheer leading accounted for 65.1 per cent of all catastrophic sports injuries among high school females over the past 25 years. Previously, the figure was believed to be 55 percent, but new data included in this year's survey indicates that the true number of checrlcading injuries appears to be higher. At the college. level, the new data shows cheerleading accounted for O See Cheering on All ?