Oreos are addictive? Yes, but not like cocaine

We feel compelled to weigh in on the recent "Oreo Study," which postulates that Oreos are as addictive as, or maybe more addictive than, morphine and cocaine. The Connecticut College researchers did get a few things right, but we've got to drop the study into the BS (Bad Science) bin.

It's true that high-fat/high-sugar foods stimulate brain pleasure centers in both humans and rodents (the experiments were done on lab rats). And Oreos contain powdered and granulated sugar, hydrogenated shortening, cocoa and high fructose corn syrup. So when researchers gave the rats the option of a rice cake or an Oreo, it wasn't surprising that lab rats went for the cookie.

But next, researchers compared how much Oreos stimulate the pleasure centers in the rodents' brain with the results of another study that measured the level of pleasure the rats registered from taking narcotics. Researchers discovered the cookies jump-started the rats' pleasure centers as much as or more than drugs did.

The Oreo study's conclusion? The cookies are as addictive as narcotics! But addiction in people involves much more than activation of pleasure centers - and shouldn't researchers have directly compared the rats' reactions in an Oreos-versus-cocaine experiment?

We do think Oreos are addictive (sugar cravings are real), but don't pick on rice cakes (we love 'em). And if the researchers want another test of the link between eating Oreos and addictive narcotics, they might see what choice the rats make when it's cocaine versus Oreos that are dunked in a glass of milk.

Mastering sex

In the opening episode of "Masters of Sex," the series detailing the research and personal life of 1950s sex researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson, Dr. Masters tells an uninhibited study subject: "Think of yourself as Sir Edmund Hillary leaving base camp."

Since then, we've learned a lot about what makes sparks fly and what dampens desire:

High heels can interfere with a woman's orgasm. While shoe designer Christian Louboutin may claim the arch of his heels replicates the arch of a woman's back in the throes … those sky-high perches actually trigger chronic contraction of pelvic floor muscles. That means there's less muscle motion during orgasm - and less sensation as a result.

A couple of drinks may loosen you up, but alcohol can dehydrate, and that dampens (how ironic) orgasms for women and men. Good hydration positively affects semen volume, vaginal lubrication, and muscle tone and contraction.

You may gobble bar food on date night, but what you need to keep blood flowing (essential for erection and orgasm) and to reduce inflammation (which can cause aches and pains that make intimacy difficult) is nutrition and muscle power. So take half a multivitamin twice a day; 900 international units of DHA fish or algal oil daily; and eat foods that deliver the recommended daily allowance for 19- to 50-year-olds of calcium (1,000 milligrams), magnesium (310-400 milligrams) and zinc (8-11 milligrams). And keep blood vessels flexible by taking 10,000 steps a day and getting 30 minutes a week of resistance exercises.

Now who's the master of sex?

Avoiding Zorro's mark

What daily risk do competitive high-school fencers face? It's "touché" that's perilous - but not because their opponent scores a point. Turns out contact with unsterilized equipment carries a serious risk of infection with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a nasty bacterium that can thrive on an unsanitized sensor wire worn underneath a fencer's protective gear and passed around from team member to team member.

Fencing isn't the only sport with this risk; MRSA is common on wrestling and football teams. It's ended many NFL careers. Currently Tampa Bay Buccaneers guard Carl Nicks and kicker Lawrence Tynes are off the field because of MRSA.

Any time there is a chance of skin abrasions, physical contact, and shared equipment and facilities, there's a threat of MRSA contamination. The first sign may be a painful boil that requires draining; unchecked, it can cause life-threatening infections in bones, blood, heart valves and lungs.

So here are tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to make all locker rooms more MRSA-resistant and protect athletes from an opponent who doesn't ever play by the rules:

Make sure adequate soap and hot water is always available.

Do not share towels, soap, clothes or jewelry.

Establish routine cleaning schedules for shared equipment.

Encourage athletes to report skin lesions to coaches. Ask coaches to assess athletes regularly for skin lesions.

Train athletes and coaches in first aid for cuts and abrasions, and recognition of areas/lesions that could become infected.