Therapy Foundation, Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork, Society for Oncology Massage, Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals, American Massage Therapy Association and American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia. Read the rest of this article at massagemag.com/forgeapath M| News & Current Events New Report: 53 Million U.S. Adults Disabled JACK HOLLINGSWORTH/THINKSTOCK THINKSTOCK Leaders Forge a Path for Massage Education | www.massagemag.com | September 2015 | MASSAGE Magazine | 19 The first study to look at health care providers’ bias for or against gays and lesbians has found that just as in the general population, health care providers are biased toward people who share their own sexuality. Specifically, heterosexual providers held moderate-tostrong implicit preferences for straight people over lesbian and gay people, while lesbian and gay health providers expressed implicit and explicit preferences for lesbian and gay people over straight people. Bisexual providers were found to have mixed preferences, according to a press release from University of Washington Health Sciences. “Training for health care providers about treating sexual minority patients is an area in great need of attention,” said lead researcher Janice Sabin, University of Washington research associate professor in biomedical informatics and medical education. She said future research could be conducted to explore how providers’ preferences toward sexual orientation might affect health care delivery to gays, lesbians and bisexual people. “For health care organizations that aim to serve these populations, these data suggest an opportunity to examine methods likely to mitigate implicit biases, such as eliminating discretion from decision-making, use of clinical guidelines, awareness of personal bias as self-caution, organizational policies that promote objective decision-making, and inclusion of counter-stereotypical experiences in educational programs,” the study’s authors stated in the press release. “Health care providers’ implicit and explicit attitudes toward lesbian women and gay men” was published in the American Journal of Public Health. AEROGONDO/THINKSTOCK Health Care Providers’ Sexual Biases Studied Number of minutes per week of moderateintensity exercise recommended to postmenopausal women, to reduce total body fat. 300 Source: JAMA Oncology 20 | MASSAGE Magazine | September 2015 | www.massagemag.com | M| News & Current Events by Mary Purdy, R.D.N. You’ve probably heard the buzz around the negative health effects of sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. This news might have you reaching for the diet version of your favorite soda in hopes of avoiding excess sugar and staving off weight gain; however, diet soda may not actually be a healthier choice. Recent research, including a 2015 study in Physiology & Behavior, showed an association between diet soda and increased abdominal fat. Studies have also shown that some artificial sweeteners can have a negative effect on our ability to feel full, meaning that even if we have consumed a sufficient amount of calories for the day, after drinking diet soda our brain continues to send out signals that we need more. “Until recently, the general belief was that non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs) were healthy sugar substitutes because they provide sweet taste without calories or glycemic effects,” the Physiology & Behavior article’s abstract noted. “However, data from several epidemiological studies have found that consumption of NNSs, mainly in diet sodas, is associated with increased risk to develop obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.” When hunger kicks in, we often crave simple carbohydrates—sweet drinks, candy and other sugary snacks—since they tend to give us the energy we seek with the least amount of digestive effort. Simple carbs naturally raise blood sugar, simultaneously raising levels of the hormone insulin, which is meant to help shuttle energy to the cells that need it. However, when insulin is consistently and chronically elevated, the result is fat storage around the abdominal region. Additionally, when the body senses something sweet, it responds by producing insulin, even if the sweettasting substance is artificially manufactured and offers no real glucose to transport to cells, according to a 2013 Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism study. So although diet soda contains zero calories, the body may still respond to the sugary taste and produce the insulin it thinks is needed to do its job. Diet soda also contains phosphoric acid, which can disrupt the balance of the beneficial bacteria that reside in our digestive tract and help metabolize nutrients. Mess with them, and you’re potentially messing with your metabolism—which can also pack on the pounds. If the fizz is what draws you to soda, try some sparkling water with a twist of lemon or lime, a splash of juice or some fresh mint. If you want flavor, brew up some iced tea with the many tasty brands now available. Your thirst can also be quenched easily with a big glass of ice water that requires no money or packaging. Mary Purdy, R.D.N., is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a master’s degree in clinical nutrition from Bastyr University (bastyr.edu) in