Colleen Davis

Closing the Science Gap

March 27, 2012

Thank you so much for reading my posts this semester!  I didn’t really know what to expect from this class.  I’ve always loved writing, but I’m more of a creative writer, and I wanted to jump into the realm of scientific technical writing.  Crafting a blog post each week certainly pushed me out of my [...]

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Health Literacy and Mortality Outcomes

March 20, 2012

I struggled a few weeks ago while completing a homework assignment for my Tailored Health Communications class.  We were assigned to write a short health promotion message using plain language and an eighth grade reading level to demonstrate the difficulty of writing to a health illiterate population.  It turns out that that portion of the [...]

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Caffeine Inhaler Creates a Buzz

March 13, 2012

Need a caffeine boost but just don’t have the energy to drain a cup of coffee?  Breathable Foods invites you to take a drag of caffeine instead.  The company released its premier product, AeroShot, this January–a small inhaler packed with 100 milligrams of caffeine, similar to the amount found in a cup of coffee.  The [...]

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Just How Active Are Active Video Game Players?

March 6, 2012

I may be a 24 year-old graduate student, but that doesn’t stop me from jumping on the active video game bandwagon from time to time.  My current favorite is Kinect’s Just Dance, which invites players to turn the living room into a dance floor and bust a move.  Interactive games such as Just Dance and [...]

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Vitamin “D”-ficient?

February 28, 2012

Not a fan of liver, mushrooms or sunlight?  You may be deficient in vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin essential in the human diet.  Vitamin D is essential for bone health, as it functions as an active hormone to regulate levels of calcium in the body.  Vitamin D also prevents the occurrence of rickets, a painful [...]

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Beach Bums! Gastrointestinal Distress from Sand?

February 21, 2012

Winter break officially starts next week, but my mind is already at the beach.  I’m ready to relax by the water and trade in my textbooks for a stack of magazines.  After reading this study, however, I’m inclined to keep my hands out of the sand.

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Pretty NEAT–Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis

February 14, 2012

No time to hit the gym today?  Consider getting your NEAT on instead.  NEAT, or non-exercise activity thermogenesis, refers to the energy (calories) that a person expends by simply engaging in activities of daily life.  Shuffling a few steps from your desk to the water cooler is considered NEAT, as is standing up during the [...]

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Bittersweet–Scientists Propose Regulation of Added Sugars

February 7, 2012

If you have your cake, should you pay for it, too?  The authors of “The Toxic Truth About Sugar” published in Nature last Wednesday are inclined to say yes.   The article proposes that some type of regulation should be imposed on foods containing added sugars—specifically, fructose, a sugar presentin many processed foods.  As Suzy OGawa [...]

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The Buzz About Caffeine Consumption and Reproductive Hormones

January 31, 2012

I love my morning cup of coffee.  A little milk, extra hot, and I’m ready to face the day with a caffeine kick-start. It turns out that I’m not alone. 

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Flu Fighters Take a Break

January 24, 2012

Flu season ended early this year for 39 separate laboratories across the world when they collectively halted research on the pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza virus.  Effective immediately, the researchers’ statement explained that they would stop ongoing breakthrough research for 60 days to allow for public discussion and debate.  The biggest cause for concern?  In November, [...]

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Exercise and Diabetes Prevention and Treatment–A Newly Identified Hormone May Be the Link

January 17, 2012

I’ve been hitting the gym a little harder over past few weeks in an attempt to negate my holiday indulgences and take full advantage of the honeymoon period of that pesky New Year’s resolution to stick to a workout schedule.  If the mad hunt for a free treadmill at my local fitness club where unused [...]

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