The Food and Drug administration today notified makers of botox that they need to strengthen warnings on product packaging, including "the risk of adverse events when the effects of the toxin spread beyond the site where it was injected."

So, what can happen when the botox spreads?

Oh, just "breathing and swallowing" problems.

Gee, who would've thought injecting a toxin into your face could have risks? 

Read the FDA update here

There are two big marathons this Sunday in which many locals will run -- the Avenue of the Giants up in Redwood country and the Eugene, Ore. Marathon, where runners will run by 26 statues of "running giants," such as Steve Prefontaine and Bill Bowerman.

Not too late to enter. Click here for the Avenue of the Giants and here for Eugene.

For only half the fun (and the effort), you could run the Parkway Half Marathon Saturday morning on the American River Parkway. Hurry, though: As of Thursday afternoon, only 248 spots were left in the half. Click here for details.

For you wacky ultra runners, the Miwok 100K race is Saturday in Sausilito. Details here.

For cyclists, there's the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure in Roseville on Saturday. Details here.

Then, of course, there's the ever-popular Wildflower Triathlon in Monterey on Saturday and Sunday (there are different courses.) Details here.

At last, here's a run for a good cause that we all can get behind.

On May 16, Roseville High School's journalism program will hold the Tiger Fast Break 5K, which starts at 9 a.m.on the school's football field and "meander(s) through the local community." It costs $15 for students, $20 for adults. Call (916) 782-3753. They'll have the usual awards, T-shirts and age divisions, plus a raffle and free breakfast.

Our copy editors were impressed by the J-program's press release, which spelled "benefiting" correctly. Bravo.

Note to bosses: Think "Run to Save The Bee." It could work. You never know.   

Marge need not worry. Maggie Simpson, the "Simpsons" cartoon character whose pacifier seems permanently attached to her face, still will be able to successfully brestfeed.

A University of Virginia review of literature, conducted by Dr. Fern Hauck and published in the April edition of the Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, found that the highest level of evidence on pacifier use and breastfeeding shows no adverse relationship between the two.

""Mothers who breastfeed are often advised not to use a pacifier. This recommendation needs to be corrected. However, if a baby refuses a pacifier, it should not be forced upon him or her," Hauck says in a press release. "Physicians, nurses and others who advise parents on infant care issues do need to be educated about the potential benefit of using a pacifier for SIDS prevention, and further, now need to be reassured that using the pacifier should not interfere with breastfeeding."

Hey, in two decades on the TV, have we ever seen Marge breasfeed baby Maggie? Just askin'. 

Put down your cigarette, pal, and pick up your iPhone.

Yeah, it seems as if there's an application for everything now on the iPhone. There's now a free app doanloadable from iTunes and iPhone to the National Cancer Institute's "quitline" service. You can talk to a coach or, if you'd rather, text with one.

The app was developed by the George Washington University's School of Public Health and Health Services and the National Tobacco Cessation Collaborative, with support from the National Cancer Institute.

For more information, click here.

The American Lung Association today released a report on the best and worst cities for air quality.

And, well, Sacramento rates high on the worst list, up down there  with Los Angeles. In the ozone category, the Sacramento valley ranked sixth among the "at risk" cities, just two down from Fresno. Los Angeles, of course, topped that list. The good news: Sacramento didn't make the list of bottom 25 "at risk" cities for year-round particles.

Taking a closer look at the charts, which you can find here, Sacramento, Yolo, Placer and El Dorado counties all received an "F" for number of ozone days. For particle pollution, Sacramento received an F grade, Yolo a D and Place a C. El Dorado didn't make the list.

Now, you mgiht be thinking, our air quality in't nearly as bad as in Southern California, and you're right. But the ozone and particle pollution we do have are a bane to the 109,920 pediatric and adult asthma sufferers in the county, as well as the 16,063 with emphysema, according to ALA data.  

Many of the top runners in the Sacramento area are age 30-plus, but it was the young-uns who turned in swift performances in last Sunday's Run Rocklin 5K and 12K.

The youngest competitor to place was 13-year-old Brynn Sargent of Folsom, who finished second in the 5K at 17 minutes 21 seconds, just five seconds behind 20-year-old winner Juan Aguirre of Rocklin. In the women's 5K, another teenager, 18 year-old Kimberly Spencer of Rocklin, finished one second behind winner Corrisa Jacomini of Lathrop, who covered the 3.1 course in 20:50.

In the 12K, Tim Tollefson, a 24-year-old Roseville resident, was the easy winner at 39:03, an impressive 5:14 pace. The top woman was Lindsay Nelson, 23, of Roseville at 46:39.  

For complete results, click here.  

Dr. Lynn Silver is my new hero.

Silver, an assistant commissioner in the New York City Health Department, is spearheading an effort to regulate the salt content of foods such as pasta, sauces and such. Read the Associated Press story here.

High sodium levels in foods is killing us. Nearly half the daily recommended allowance for sodium (2,300 milligrams) is in one Big Mac. Eat that with a Super Sized fries and watch your blood pressure go skyrocketing.

Now, I know that many will sneer at a governmental agency wanting to interfere with our God-given right to shake salt on entrees, but study after study shows that high sodium intake is bad for our hearts. And most of the sodium we get come from prepared foods, not from the shaker.

Attention, teachers: You might want to rethink that ban on chewing gum in the classroom.

A new study by Baylor College of Medicine researchers suggests that gum chewing in class can help improve students' test scores.

In research sponsored by the Wrigley Science Institute (yeah, big potential conflict there) and presented at the Annual Meeting of Experimental Biology 2009 in New Orleans, 108 students ages 13 to 16 in math classes were assigned to either chewing or non-chewing groups while doing homework and taking quizes.

After 14 weeks came the big math test.

Results: a 3 percent increase in test scores and better overall grades.

Theories put forth by the Baylor researchers: Gum chewing decreases anxiety and increases blood flow in the brain.

Yet another study has linked the benefits of eating "fatty" fish (salmon, herring, mackerel, etc.) with helping to prevent heart failure. Once again, it's those valuable omega-3 fatty acids that do the trick.

In the largest study yet looking at heart disease and fish consumption, reported in today's on-line issue of the European Heart Journal, researchers followed nearly 40,000 Swedish men (ages 45 to 79) with no history of heart problems for six years. It found that men who consumed approximately 0.36 grams of omega-3 fatty acids a day from fish were 33 percent less likely to develop heart failure than the men who consumed little or no marine omega-3 fatty acids.  

"We divided the men into five groups based on their intake of fatty fish," lead researcher Emily Levitan at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center explained in a press release . "The first group consumed little or no fatty fish; at the other end of the spectrum, the fifth group consumed significant quantitities, three or more servings per week. We found that while the 'middle group' - who ate one serving per week - had a 12 percent reduced risk of heart failure, the next two groups, who ate either two servings a week or three or more servings a week, had nearly the same heart failure risk as the men who ate no fish at all."

Can't stand fish?

Researchers report they had similar findings with subjects who consumed fish oil supplements.

The news last week that United Airlines will start charging obese passengers for two seats has understandably touched a nerve in the size-acceptance community. (Read a Chicago Tribune story here.)

But large airline travelers do have an option: Move to Canada.

Air Canada has announced that it will give obese passengers a second seat for thier girth, gratis. But only on domestic (that is, within Canada) flights.

My fam loves Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal. (Yeah, yeah, I know: The frosting part is bad for you. I'm a terrible parent.) 

Anyway, I always got a little chuckle over the claim on the box that it's been "clinically shown" Mini-Wheats improves children's attentiveness in school by 20 percent.

Well, today, the Federal Trade Commission announced it had reached a settlement with Kellogg so that it will stop the "false advertising" that violates federal law. 

Says FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz in a statement: "We tell consumers that they should deal with trusted national brands. So it's especially important that America's leading companies are more 'attentive' to the truthfulness of their ads and don't exaggerate the results of tests or research. In the future, the Commission will certainly be more attentive to national advertisers."

Read the FTC's entire press release here.

Sacramento runner Jenny Hitchings (pictured) completed this morning's Boston Marathon in 3 hours 57 seconds, placing fourth in the women's 45-49 age group.

Hitchings was the 75th woman.

Among top local male runners: Robert Peterson, 28, of Folsom at 2:49:43; Michael Fadling, 40, of Roseville at 2:55:57; Kevin Nugent, 50, of Fair Oaks at 2:58:06; Chris Pollack, 31, of Sacramento at 2:58:35 and Kurt Mellick, 42, of Elk Grove at 3:00:45.

To search for other local runners competing today in the Boston Marathon, click here.

Jeff Piland (pictured), a 35-year-old professional triathlete from the Bay Area community of San Carlos, was the easy winner Sunday in the Icebreaker Sprint Triathlon at Granite Beach on Folsom Lake.

Piland, sponsored by Team Sport Beans, finished the half-mile swim, 15-mile bike and 4-mile run in 1 hour 10 minutes 47 seconds. Second place went to Elk Grove teenager Joshua Olmstead, at 1:14.15. Another teen to do well was 13-year-old Caton Avilla, 20th at 1:21.16.

The top women's finisher was 36-year-old Lori Olsen, who completed the course in 1:22.34. That placed Olsen 24th overall.

Complete results are here. 

To read more about Piland, click here for his Web site.

In Sunday's other big race, the Zoo Zoom 5K and 10K, the %K proved to be very competitive, with Reno's Jeff Huxhold (15:42) beating Sacramento's Chad Worthen (15:58) for the victory. In the women's race, Folsom's Midori Sperandeo (17:27) beat Elk Grove's Mary Coordt (17:39). The 10K winners: Men: Paolo Castiglioni of Davis (35:13). Women: Elissa Briggs of Sacramento (38:27).   

The Associate Press reports:

"The Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled three million fitness balls, made in China and manufactured by EB Brands, of Yonkers, N.Y., because the balls can unexpectedly burst during use if they are overinflated, which could cause the user to fall to the floor.

The company has received 47 reports of fitness balls unexpectedly bursting, including reports of a fracture and multiple bruises. The recalled balls were sold in 55-, 65- and 75-cm diameter sizes. The rubber balls come in various colors and have either a Bally Total Fitness, Everlast or Valeo logo printed on them. Department stores and fitness retailers nationwide sold the balls from May 2000 to February."

Details: Call 800-624-5671; on the Web here.

There's plenty going on for fitness-lovers.

The two big events in these parts are the Icebreaker Triathlon and the Zoo Zoom 5K and 10K, both on Sunday.

The Icebreaker, held at Granite Beach, is the unofficial opening of sprint/Olympic distance triathlon season in the Sacramento area. It's a sprint event (1/2 mile swin, 12 mile bike, 4 mile run) but there also is a "baby icebreaker" at a shorter distance. The race may not live up to its name this year, since the weather is expected to be balmy. And that's a good thing. At last weekend's Icebreaker Swim, the water temperature was said to be in the 60s. Cold, but not icy. Click here for more details on the race.

The Zoo Zoom is part of the Buzz Oates Racing Series, which is a culmulative event in which runners earn points in a number of various of various lengths. So expect some speedy runners. But this event is really geared toward the whole family and plodders. Plus, there's a cool T-shirt with zoo animals trotting all over the front. Details here.

If you feel like traveling to the Bay Area for races, there's the Marin County Marathon at McNears State Beach on Sunday. Details here.  Or head farther south for the Santa Cruz Half Marathon/10K on Sunday. Details here.

And, finally, for you crazy ultra folks, there's the Mt. Diablo Marathon and Endurance Run at Mitchell Canyon Trailhead in Clayton (at the foot of Mt. Diablo) on Sunday. Details here.

The Bee recently profiled Jamie Whitmore, the former XTERRA triathlon world champion, whose career was cut short because of an aggressive form of cancer.

Whitmore's blog chronicles her struggles. I dare you to read the following posting and not get motivated to go out and exercise:

"I often think about that last day I ran and the day I rode my bike. I ran for only for 10minutes in Tucson, Arizona. Courtney and a couple friends from the camp were with me. The upper part of my left calf hurt like crazy but I was determined to keep going. By the time we finished I could barely walk without limping let alone stretch. It was at that point I knew something was seriously wrong.

"A week later was my last ride on the road bike. For a week my leg was becoming more and more uncomfortable but on this particular day it was too much to handle. I was supposed to go for an easy 1hr spin but 5minutes into the ride I was in agony. I kept thinking it would go away but it only got worse. I started crying and by 15minutes I knew I had to turn around. The entire ride back to my car I could barely turn the pedals. The pain was indescribable.

"With the amount of pain I was in for both of those days I couldn't truly enjoy either one. Instead the memory of agony is embedded in my brain. If only my last run could have been on my favorite trail in Sly Park, with rolling single track around a lake. I spent most of my winters on that nine mile loop smelling the fresh cedar and damp air. If only my last ride could have been battling it out in Salmon Falls with Courtney and Cliff in 90degree weather trying to avoid the poison oak. The first time I ever rode that trail I crashed over and over. I walked almost all of the technical, steep descents. Months later I was able to ride everything on that trail. It became my favorite place to ride and drop the hammer on all the guys. It has just the right amount of hill climbs and technical difficulty. There are tight single track sections with rocks all over the trail and a cliff to one side. Every once in a while you run into cows or skunks and a handful of other riders but most of the time I felt like it was my own personal trail and I had it all to myself.

"The desire to get back to riding my bike and running is highly driven by these memories. I want to feel the wind blowing in my face and my heart rate sky rocket when I am attempting a difficult section. I want to feel the endorphins from running 10 miles at a steady pace. It is hard to get on an elliptical trainer inside 4-5days a week and not miss what I used to do. I am thankful I can at least workout but the longing to do something more doesn't go away. There is no "fix" from an hour of elliptical or 30minutes on a stationary bike. There is no sun that beats down on my neck as I lift weights. There is nothing that smells like the outdoors. There are only TV monitors and florescent lights while the top 40 plays over the speakers.

"Two weeks ago I had a mold of my bad leg made. One week later Kenneth made a prototype brace for me to try out on the bike. Yes, one week. It is in San Francisco waiting for me to pick it up and try it out. I have been waiting for my kidney drain to be removed before I get back on a bike but I don't think I can wait that long. I need to get out on the open road. The sun is shining and the outdoors is calling my name. We have a borrowed tandem, we have the brace . . . Courtney just needs to make some modifications to my pedal and shoe along with some special custom bike shorts and I will be able to attempt a ride on the road.

"I have a hard time sleeping these days because of the excitement. I didn't expect all of this to come so soon. I didn't expect so many people to jump at helping me get back on the bike. The possibility is right at the tip of my fingers. If only we could solve this kidney problem right now I would be riding tomorrow.

"Two weeks ago Total Body Fitness and Bobby McMullen held a fund raiser for me. It was the premier of Bobby's movie "The Way Bobby Sees It!" The film is about how he rides blind . . . On his own bike off-road with a guide. He is a good friend and inspiration. I look at all that he has accomplished and I know I will be able to overcome similar obstacles. It's the kind of movie that motivates you to get off the couch. This movie has inspired one of my best friends, Kacey to do a triathlon in honor of me. I told her I would get her through this and have started training her. Even though she is incredibly sore and her lungs burn every time she jogs she has that desire and determination. I find it inspiring.

"As the racing season approaches I encourage you to enjoy the ride. Take in everything life has to offer. And if you are sitting on a couch doing nothing get out and walk. Smell the fresh air!"

If you've been a runner long enough, you probably have scores of old, smelly shoes moldering in the back of the closet.

You can't wear them all to mow the lawn, buddy.

So why not recycle your old shoes with the Sole Patrol, a Sacramento group that makes good use of your discards? The Sole Patrol will have a booth at Sunday's Zoo Zoom 5 and 10K races in Sacramento. Or, you could turn in your old shoes when picking up your race packet at Fleet Feet Sports on 23rd and J streets Friday or Saturday.  

Yes, we said free.

Of course, you've got to be either a student, staff member of faculty member of Sacramento State to participate in the first annual 5K Fun Run on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Serna Plaza. Alumni must shell out $20. 

Check out the details here on Sac State's Wellness Blog.  

It may be too late to help you in Sunday's Icebreaker Triathlon at Granite Beach, but the Swimstitute, a new swimming facility in Rancho Cordova, will be hosting a two-hour technical swimming clinic on Saturday at 9 a.m., featuring Tim Elson, former Pepperdine University head swim coach and vice president of swim equipment maker Finis.

Stroke technique will be the focus of the clinic, which costs $40 and includes a swimmer's snorkel. Call 916-851-0840 to reserve a spot. The Swimstitute is located at 11335-B Folsom Boulevard in Rancho Cordova.

We received an email today from the California International Marathon -- never too early, we suppose, to start trawling for 2009 entrants -- but the big news was buried near the bottom of the fact sheet:

"In 2008, USA Track & Field (governing body for distance running, race walking and track & field events) modified its rule banning electronic devices at road racing events. Each event's management team may now determine whether or not to allow these devices. USATF and the Road Runners Club of America continue to recommend that particpants do not use electronic devices (NOTE: That's the CIM's bold face, not mine) during the event. The CIM wholeheartedly agrees with this recommendation, but has not instituted a rule banning them. Be aware that using electronic devices during the race could compromise your safety and that of other runners."

I, personally, don't use my iPod during races or long training runs. But, yes, on days I don't feel motivated, I'll strap them on.

Many races frown on headphones (for insurance, if not aesthetic, reasons) but allow them because so many runners these days are dependant on them. The reason I don't wear them in races is two fold: (1) I want to hear my breathing and stay intune with my body during the race; (2) It just seems so anti-social.

I mean, if it takes blaring rock music in your ear buds to motivate you during a race, you must not be that motivated to race. I'm just sayin'.   

I feel vindicated!

See, I've been feeding my brood a steady stream of broccoli until they nearly scream in protest. Turns out, I was helping the kids' peptic ulcers and helping to prevent stomach cancer.

The April issue of the Cancer Prevention Research reported that Johns Hopkins reserchers found that broccoli helps eliminate the the germ -- Helicobacter pylori -- in the same manner as antibiotics. But broccoli sure is more tasty.

Caveat: It was a relatively small study (50 people infected with the germ, half given broccoli, half alfalfa as a placebo.) 

What color is your fat?

Apparently, it matters. Research reported in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that those adults with more "brown" fat -- as opposed to the evil white fat around our midsection, hips and thighs -- burn more calories and expend more energy.

Previously, it was thought that only babies and children had the so-called "good" brown fat. But now researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center report that it can stick around in adults. The researchers see brown fat as a way to treat obesity and type-2 diabetes.

The study found that younger patients were more likely to have larger amounts of brown fat and brown fat is more plentiful in the body during colder weather to burn energy to generate heat. Brown fat was also more common in adults who were thin and had normal blood glucose levels.

"Not only did we find active brown fat in adult humans, we found important differences in the amount of brown fat based on a variety of factors such as age, glucose levels and, most importantly, level of obesity," said lead author Aaron Cypess, M.D., Ph.D., a Research Associate and Staff Physician at Joslin.

Added Dr. Ronald Kahn, senior author and Head of the Joslin Section on Obesity and Hormone Action at Harvard University: "What is of particular interest is that individuals who were overweight or obese as measured by higher Body Mass Index (BMI) were less likely to have substantial amounts of brown fat. Likewise, patients taking beta-blockers and patients who were older were also less likely to have active brown fat. For example, individuals both over age 64 and with high BMI scores were six times less likely to have substantial amounts of brown fat."

As if Sacramento's inferiority complex with regard to neighboring San Francisco weren't entrenched enough, here comes Prevention magazine to make it worse.

Prevention, in association with the American Podiatric Medical Association and Sperling's Best Places, has released the Top 25 Walking Cities in the U.S.

Number 1: San Francisco.

Numbner 24: Sacramento.

Ouch!

Now, I've worked in both cities and I much prefer walknig in Sacramento. For one thing: It's flat. Another thing is -- and let's be brutally honest here -- you aren't hit up quite as much for economic bailouts by street people as you are in San Francisco.

The magazine says it used 19 criteria to evaluate walking cities, stuff such as square miles of parks, population density per square mile and use of mass transit.

Read the list here.  

Hey, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center says that vacations are good for one's health.

So, your humble health & fitness blogger is taking some time off, returning April 15. Not to worry, blog fans: Staff writer John Schumacher will be checking in his blog positings from time to time.

In the meantime, why don't you take a vacation yourself. It just mgiht save your sanity, according to UTS shrinks.

"We typically think of a vacation as a period of rest and relaxation," says Dr. Ann Matt Maddrey, assistant professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "But if you look at the word 'vacate,' it means to 'leave' or 'empty out' - as in empty one's mind of your normal routine, to make way for other things. Sometimes we get so stressed that we don't take time to recharge. When a battery runs down, there's no energy left; it needs to be recharged. That's exactly what happens to people."

And the folks at the Harvard Medical School provide a list of 10 health-related things to take with you on vacation:

1. Your prescription medications. Take at least a week's supply in your carry-on (in case your luggage is lost). Anything beyond a week's supply can be packed in your checked luggage.

2. Other prescription medications. Depending on your destination and personal medical history, consider asking your doctor about taking along antimalarial medications and an antibiotic for self-treatment of moderate to severe diarrhea.

3. Gastrointestinal medications, such as antidiarrheal medication (for example, bismuth subsalicylate or loperamide), a mild laxative, and an antacid.

4. Allergy medications, such as antihistamine and 1% hydrocortisone cream for mild allergic reactions. If you or a traveling companion has a history of severe allergic reaction, bring an epinephrine auto-injector (such as EpiPen). (This is a prescription item, so if you don't already have one, talk with your doctor.)

5. Cold-symptom medications, including a decongestant and throat lozenges.

6. Motion sickness medication.

7. Pain relievers like acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen.

8. Antifungal and antibacterial ointments.

9. Lubricating eye drops.

10. First-aid items like adhesive bandages, gauze, an elastic bandage, antiseptic, tweezers, scissors, cotton-tipped applicators, and a first-aid book.

I love running in rural Yolo and Solano counties, just a blessed few miles outside of Davis' city limts. I especially like the outskirts of Dixon, where cows, sheep and other unidentified livestock (hey, I'm a city boy) stare at you as you puff by.

So I was a little distressed to read a story in the Davis Enterprise about a cyclist who claims a cropduster plane purposely sprayed him on a road near the old Milk Farm site (you can see it off I-80). The comment by an unnamed Solano County law enforcement official -- "'Maybe he has seen 'North By Northwest' one too many times" -- was a little too flippant for my taste.

We cyclists and runners have put up with a lot on the roadways, from motorists swerving at us for kicks, to dogs with teeth bared to the freakin' wind that always seems to be in our faces, without pesticides raining down on us.

Read the story here.   

Yeah, each week, I'm the guy who nags you about exercising and perhaps participating in a run/cycle or other fitness event.

But I'm here today to recommend being a spectator at this Saturday's American River 50 Mile endurance race. Staff writer John Schumacher this morning tells the story of a paratriathlete, Amy Dodson (pictured), with prothesis who will compete. (Read John's story here and go out at various viewing points along the river trail to cheer her on.)

Oh, and take note of this update: If you haven't already signed up for the off-road Golden Gate Headlands Marathon, Half Marathon and 7-Mile run starting in Sausalito on Saturday, you're out of luck. The event is sold out.

Still, it might be a good wekend to get in that long training run or 100-mile bike ride you've been putting off.

Hey, just sayin'.

The results are in from judging of the 5 worst packaged lunchbox meals for your kids, and it's a landslide win for Oscar Meyer's Lunchables franchise, garnering three of the five spots.

The winner, chosen by dieticians with the nonprofit Cancer Project, was Lunchables Maxed Out Cracker Stackers, weighing in at 660 calories, 22 grams of fat and a whopping 1,600 grams of sodium. It features yummy treats such as processed ham and cheese, candy bars and a sugared "juice" drink. Looking for fiber? Ha!

Cancer Project dietitian Krista Haynes said in the organization's press release: "Most Lunchables and other packaged lunch meals are packed with saturated fat and cholesterol. The only way to get significant fiber from these products would be to eat the box."

No doubt, some young kids have eaten the box.

Click here for more information on the results.

Here's an idea, parents: Why not make your kid's school lunch to ensure it's balanced. Or, better yet, have them do it. (But check on the contents before they leave; We learned that the hard way around our house.)

Coke or Pepsi?

Uh, try water or unsweetened iced tea instead.

Beverages, not necessarily food, are what can really lead to packing on the pounds.

That's the result of a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study released today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers found that sugar-sweetened beverages (regular soft drinks, fruit drinks, fruit punch, or high-calorie beverages sweetened with sugar) are the main culprits, not the diet drinks.

As Johns Hopkins researcher Dr. Benjamin Caballero said in the journal, "A reduction in liquid calorie intake was associated with a weight loss of 0.25 kg at 6 months and 0.24 kg at 18 months. Among sugar-sweetened beverages, a reduction of 1 serving was associated with a weight loss of 0.5 kg at 6 months and 0.7 kg at 18 months. Of the seven types of beverages examined, sugar-sweetened beverages were the only beverages significantly associated with weight change."

Those seven beverage types included the aforementioned sugar-sweetened and diet drinks, plus milk, juice, coffee and tea with and without sugar and alcoholic beverages.

The result: At 37 percent, sugar-sweetened beverages were the leading source of liquid calories.

Fleet Feet Sacramento is staging its "Nike April Fools Run" tonight at 5:30 at the store on J and 23rd streets in Midtown.

What's it it for you?

Well, in addition to going on a nice, noncompetitive run with lots of people, Fleet Feet says it will give away commemmorative T-shirts in the first 25 male and 25 female runners. (Shirts won't be handed out until 5 p.m., so don't go staking out Fleet Feet on your lunch hour.)

More information: (916) 442-3338 or click here.