Diabetes, Obesity, Superhero Workouts Top Internet Health Searches of 2011

What do obesity and pin-thin Ryan Gosling have to do with each other? Well, a lot, according to Google. Seems "obesity", and "Ryan Gosling workout" are among the top two topics among Internet searchers in 2011.   

With more than two-thirds of the population overweight, and one third obese, America is flabbier than ever. But that may be about to change, if the search topics of 2011 are an indication:  among the most searched terms were "high protein diet" the "Thor" workout, the “Ryan Gosling workout,” the “Chris Hemsworth workout,” and the “Captain America workout.”

The most searched diet term: the “Dukan diet” (also known as the Kate Middleton pre-wedding diet, and also also known (by the British Dietetic Association) as one of the top 5 worst celebrity diets to avoid).  The “four-hour diet” and “17-days diet" were also in the top three.

With more than two-thirds of the population overweight, and one third obese, America is flabbier than ever. But that may be about to change, if the search topics of 2011 are an indication. 

Other top health-related search terms include:

• diabetes symptoms
• obesity
• gall bladder symptoms
• diet
• poison ivy 
• sunscreen
• sinusitis
• bipolar disorder

The most popular search terms at Health Travel Guides: obesity, diet, diabetes, joint replacement, and fertility treatment.   Our most popular articles include:

• Is American Medicine Losing It's Edge?
• Why Ginger Grant Would Never Marry a Dentist 
• Woman Refuses to Cash IRA for Hip Replacement Surgery

Popular New York Times Health Searches 
The New York Times reports the most highly searched health topics include alternative therapies, the brain and mental health, and happy relationships.  Below are some links to the Times' most searched articles of the year:

“How Meditation May Change the Brain”
People who meditated 30 minutes a day for eight weeks had changes in parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress.

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“Go Easy on Yourself, a New Wave of Research Urges”
A new area of psychological research suggests that self-compassion, a measure of how kindly people view themselves, may be the first step toward better health.

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“One Sperm Donor, 150 Sons and Daughters”
As the number of children born through artificial insemination increases, concern is growing about having many children fathered by the same donors.

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“Can Exercise Keep You Young?”
A new study finds that exercise reduced or eliminated signs of aging in mice genetically programmed to grow old at an accelerated pace.

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“Expert on Mental Illness Reveals Her Own Struggle”
Across the country, people with severe mental illness live what appear to be normal, successful lives. Now, a small number of them are openly discussing their struggles.

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“Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated”
The newest findings on what specific foods people should eat less often — and more importantly, more often — to keep from gaining pounds as they age.

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“Alzheimer’s Therapy Focuses on Care”
Science is weighing in on many aspects of taking care of dementia patients, applying evidence-based research to what used to be considered subjective and ad hoc.

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“Left-Handedness Loses Its Stigma but Retains Its Mystery”
Over the centuries, left-handers have been accused of criminality and dealings with the devil; today, the riddle of handedness remains.

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“Talk Doesn’t Pay, So Psychiatry Turns Instead to Drug Therapy”
Many psychiatrists, in large part because of how much insurance will pay, no longer provide talk therapy.

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“Calcium and Vitamin D – Who Needs It, and How Much”
New recommendations for calcium and vitamin D have left many people wondering whether they are getting enough, or perhaps too much, in their diets and supplements.

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“The Hazards of the Couch”
Increasingly, research is focusing not on how much exercise people get, but how much of their time is spent in sedentary activity, and the harm that does.