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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 11, 2007

Generation XL: How To Avoid The Freshman 15

College lore has it that students — especially women — pack on the pounds that first year away from home. But the "freshman 15" may be just a myth. Although studies have involved only small groups of students on individual campuses, most suggest the majority of students gain three to 10 pounds during their first two years of college, and some actually lose weight. One study found that males piled on significantly more pounds than females.

Still, doctors are concerned that students who gradually put on pounds are establishing a pattern of weight gain that could spell trouble. The propensity for the "freshman 5 to 7" to be followed by the "sophomore 2 or 3" prompted Brown University researchers to dub today's college students "Generation XL."

Small lifestyle changes can make a difference. A 2006 Rutgers study found that all it took for freshmen to gain 7 pounds over two semesters was about 112 extra calories a day. That's one soda or half a cookie a day, or 10 minutes less of exercise, the researchers pointed out. Another study found that food eaten between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. was a leading contributor to weight gain.

Other tips: Eat breakfast, keep an exercise routine and limit alcohol (a 12-ounce beer contains 150 calories).

Chartwells Dining Services, which provides the food services at 230 college campuses, maintains a Web site — www.dineoncampus.com — that lists the calorie and fat content of hundreds of foods. The site helps students calculate their body mass index and the number of calories they naturally burn each day. Students also can create their own food journal on the site, which will keep a running total of what's been consumed for the day, week or month.

The Miami Herald

Study: Women Overestimate Cancer-Savvy

Most women believe they are practicing scientifically proven ways to prevent cancer. The reality: They aren't, according to a new national poll by The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Prevention magazine.

The majority of women (81 percent) say they eat a healthy diet, but only 31 percent consume the recommended daily fruit servings (two per day). And only 12 percent consume the recommended daily servings of vegetables (3 per day). Also, 73 percent of women say they regularly exercise, but only 32 percent get 150 minutes per week, the minimum recommended for cancer prevention.

Sixty percent say they are more concerned about developing Alzheimer's than cancer — even though cancer kills nearly 10 times more people every year. Alzheimer's kills 65,829 a year, compared with 550,270 who die of cancer.

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center partnered with Prevention in the first national opinion survey of women's knowledge, fears, attitude and behaviors regarding cancer and cancer prevention. The survey, which polled 800 women, 18 to 93, is part of a Prevention November issue three-part report, "Winning the War on Cancer." Information can also be found at www.prevention.com/cancer and www.mdanderson.org.

Prevention.com

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