Wellnews by Scott LaFee

If you knew just how much exercise you'd need to do to burn off that sundae, would you still eat the sundae? Odds are you wouldn't. Well, OK, maybe you wouldn't eat all of it.

A Texas Christian University study recruited 300 young adults and offered them typical fast food fare: hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fires, salads, desserts and a choice of sodas or water.

One-third of the participants chose from a menu with no calorie counts; one-third got a menu with calorie counts for each food selection, and the final third got a menu listing how many minutes of brisk walking would be required to burn off each menu item.

The result: There wasn't much difference in the choices made between the first two groups. It didn't really matter whether consumers knew the calorie counts or not. But participants who were informed that it takes, for example, more than an hour of brisk walking just to burn off a 400-calorie burger mostly opted for lighter fare.

BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

An infant's brain almost triples in size during the first year of life.

GET ME THAT. STAT!

A new cost analysis study by researcher at Brown University suggests that emergency care accounts for far more than the commonly accepted 1.9 percent of the nation's $2.6-trillion annual health care bill. They say a more accurate number is somewhere between 4.9 and 5.8 percent, perhaps as high as 6.2 to 10 percent.

LIFE IN BIG MACS

One hour of sitting and writing burns 68 calories (based on a 150-pound person) or the equivalent of 0.1 Big Macs.

COUNTS

64 — Estimated percentage of time on duty that hospital interns (doctors in first year out of medical school) spend, on average, on indirect patient care, such as placing orders, researching patient history, filling out electronic paperwork

12 — Estimated percentage spent actually examining or talking with patient.

7 — Estimated percentage spent walking from place to place during average work period on paperwork and computer time —Source: Leonard Feldman, Johns Hopkins University

PHOBIA OF THE WEEK

Sciophobia — fear of shadows

NEVER SAY DIET

The Major League Eating speed-eating record for beef brisket BBQ sandwiches is 34.75 in 10 minutes, held by Bob Shoudt.

Warning: Most of these records are held by professional eaters who are often paid to consume ridiculous amounts of food.

BEST MEDICINE

A group of senior citizens were exchanging notes about their ailments.

"My arm is so weak I can hardly hold this coffee cup," said one man.

"Hell, my cataracts are so bad I can't see to pour the coffee," complained another.

"I can't even turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck," opined a third, "and my blood pressure pills make my dizzy."

"Well I guess that's the price we pay for getting old," declared the first man. "On the plus side, at least we can all still drive."

OBSERVATION

"If your doctor's last name is Google, it's time to get a second opinion."—Toni Bernhard

CURTAIN CALLS

Having been wrapped in linen bandages soaked in brandy as a purported remedy for his frail and ailing body, the French nobleman Charles II of Navarre (1332-1387) was killed when a servant accidentally set him on fire while trying to burn off a lose thread.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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