Health A-Z

Study: Eat 7 servings of fruit, veggies daily

You know the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”? Turns out eating one apple isn’t enough. A new study suggests people who eat up to seven servings of fruit and vegetables a day can cut their risk of death by 42% – and that vegetables may be more important than fruit to your overall health.

The study, conducted by scientists in the United Kingdom, was published online Monday in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The study

Researchers looked at data from more than 65,000 adults over age 35 who participated in the Healthy Surveys for England study between 2001 and 2008.

HSE surveyors had asked participants about their fruit and vegetable consumption during a 24-hour time period. Portion sizes were defined by the UK’s Department of Health to be about 80 grams (equivalent to just under 3 ounces). The new study authors compared this nutrition information to mortality data for the group over the following eight or so years.

The results

The participants ate an average of 3.8 servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Older, non-smoking women tended to eat more than other demographic groups. Produce consumption was also linked to participants’ body mass indexes; those who ate more fruit and vegetables tended to have a lower BMI.

The researchers found that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables can be protective against cancer, heart disease and all other causes of death. Eating at least seven servings was best, but each serving increase was associated with a lower risk of death.

To make sure they weren’t counting people who were seriously ill at the time of the survey, researchers excluded deaths that occurred in the year following the data collection. When they did so, they found that people who ate at least seven daily servings of fruit and vegetables had a 42% lower risk of death from all causes than those who ate less than one daily serving.

When researchers broke it down by cause of death, veggie lovers had a 25% lower risk of dying from cancer, and a 31% lower risk of dying from heart disease or stroke.

Vegetables seemed to provide a greater health benefit than fruit. Eating more than three or four servings of fruit daily didn’t increase a study participant’s chance of survival, the study authors concluded.

Study limits

HSE surveyors only recorded one day of each study particpant’s fruit and vegetable consumption. On that day, the participant could have eaten more or less produce than they would normally consume.

Researchers also did not include participants’ total caloric intake, salt consumption or fat consumption in their analysis.

As the study authors say, their data shows a “strong association, but not necessarily a causal relationship.”

Takeaway

Eat more vegetables. Even if you, like many of the study participants, believe you’re eating an overall healthy diet, you “need to aim higher,” according to an editorial accompanying the study.

This study follows previous research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s annual session last week. Dr. Michael Miedema and his colleagues found that women who ate eight to nine servings of fruit and vegetables in their 20s were 40% less likely to have dangerous plaque in their arteries in their 40s.

“There is value in knowing how the choices we make early in life have lifelong benefits,” Miedema said in a press release.

So fill up on salad. Snack on raw carrots. And yes – eat that apple.

Sorce: CNN

Nasal spray nanovaccine promises no pain, more gain

Vaccines save lives, but sometimes they fail to reach the people who need them most, in parts of the developing world. A research team from Iowa State University is currently developing a new generation of vaccines that uses nanotechnology, and is delivered in spray form. One of the advantages of this new type of vaccine is that is can increase access to people living in remote areas because it requires no refrigeration and is simpler to administer.

Current vaccines typically work by introducing part of a virus or bacteria into the body, to trigger what is known as humoral response – the immune system’s ability to produce antibodies that prevent future infections. But more recently, science has started to focus on the use of T cells (white blood cells that monitor abnormalities and infections) to fight viral and bacterial infections, a possibility that these new spray vaccines also explore.

The formula of the vaccine includes protein sampled from the target virus or bacteria, covered in biodegradable polymers. Once sprayed or shot into the body, it will activate the immune system and trigger either the T cells or the humoral response to create specific immunological defenses, depending on the chemical composition of the vaccine.

Research so far has shown that the nanovaccine is effective to produce immunity with T cells on rodents. The next phase of the research will assess how it works with larger mammals.

The new type of vaccine offers practical advantages as it can be safely stored at room temperature for up to 10 months without compromising its efficacy. Additionally, the nasal spray format makes application, as well as follow-up shots, easier, even paving the way for self-administration. With no needles involved, it should be easier for parents to take their children through a pain-free procedure, an idea that has been explored by MIT researchers as well.

The findings of the research were recently presented at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), which was held at the Dallas Convention Center in the US.

Source: gizmag

6 Energy-Boosting Daily Habits That Don’t Rely On Caffeine

Many of us have a love-hate relationship with caffeine because we love the energy it gives us to start our day, but we hate the exhaustion it makes us feel at night. Although we have intimately familiarized ourselves with the stimulant drug during our mornings, mid-afternoon slumps, and in between errands, it masks the symptoms of fatigue and dehydrates the body. To avoid the highs and lows in this caffeine energy rollercoaster, here are six daily habits that will naturally boost your energy all day long.

1. Drink H2O
Replace your juice, caffeinated beverage, or energy drink with some H2O. Drinking a glass or two of water as a quick pick-me-up can give you an energy boost, clearer skin, and better digestion as it flushes toxins from the body. Not drinking enough water can result in dehydration and cause several systems in the body to slow down, and therefore, make you feel tired and irritable. Harvard Health Publications says water is the only nutrient that has been shown to enhance performance for even the most demanding endurance activities. It’s time to drink up!

Tip: To add some flavor to your water, add a lemon to transform water into a natural energy drink with electrolytes that help the cells produce energy.

2. Eat Healthy Fats
Do not eliminate all fats from your diet. Healthy fats are essential for the body to absorb antioxidants and provide you with more energy. A 2012 study found people absorbed fewer antioxidants from veggies when they ate fat-free dressing compared to those who had low-fat and full-fat dressing. Some antioxidants need fat in order to be absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract into the blood where they can take effect. Moreover, they help fight free radicals and give you better focus and clarity.

Tip: Fats from avocado, olive oil, coconut, and fish are best to maximize the amount of energy in your body.

3. Take a Brisk Walk
Going on a brisk walk every day is a good start to increasing your level of physical activity while increasing your energy. Exercising causes the body to release epinephrine and norepinephrine, which are stress hormones that can make you feel energized. In a 2006 study, a team of researchers reviewed 12 large-scale studies on the association between exercise and fatigue. Each study measured the amount of physical activity that participants were doing and how much energy or fatigue the participants experienced. Overall, all of the studies found there was a direct link between a reduced risk of fatigue for those physically active compared to their inactive counterparts.

Tip: Perform aerobic exercises for 30 to 60 minutes, three to five days a week to increase your energy, and promote good heart health.

4. Listen to Your Favorite Song
To get a quick burst of energy, put on your favorite song, and start dancing. The sound of music can elevate your mood and energy level as it invigorates the body by activating several areas of the brain simultaneously leading to new nerve connections, according to a study published in the European Journal of Neuroscience. It’s time to put on your favorite song, sing out loud, and dance for an energy boost.

5. Massage Your Ears
Although this may seem unusual at first glance, massaging your ears increases blood circulation, and therefore increases energy instantly. Dr. Art Karno, a chiropractor in California, says the ear maps the entire body and contains acupressure points that can stimulate every area, organ, or system in the body. He suggests vigorously rubbing your ears from top to bottom, including the lobes, and take three breaths as you do this. Inhale, exhale, and a panting breath for every repetition.

Tip: Start at the lobe and massage up to the top of each ear.

6. Take a Cold Shower
While hot showers can make you feel relaxed, and at ease, cold showers stimulate your body and speed up circulation, which makes you feel more alert. Tim Ferris, author of The 4-hour Body, says freezing cold showers can increase your metabolism, boost your energy levels, bolster your immune system, kick your sex drive into high gear, and even lead to healthier skin and hair. Cold showers are typically 50 degrees and can offer your body a refreshing burst.

Tip: Take a regular shower, and cool it down for the last five minutes or so to ease your body into these cold showers.

Source: medical daily

 

Vitamin D deficiency risk to 84 % Indians: report

Changing lifestyle, increasingly odd-working hours and limited outdoor activities are leaving a bad impact on human health as 84 per cent of the country’s population was found vitamin D deficient, a recent study said here on Monday.

“In the face of present-day lifestyles, dominated by ungodly working hours and limited outdoor activities, inherent vitamin D deficiency is increasingly becoming an eyesore among a large number of people. (There is) Vitamin D deficiency risk to 84 per cent of Indians,” SRL Diagnostics said in its report.

The human body’s ideal dose of vitamin D ranges between 1,000 and 2,000 IU (International Units) per day.

“Vitamin D deficiency was found to be prevalent in around 69 per cent of the population, while 15 per cent more were found to be vitamin D insufficient, thus making around 84 per cent of Indians risk-prone to this, the study said.

The report pointed out that skin exposure to the sun is natural, intended, and most effective source of vitamin D, yet the most neglected. Tests that estimate the level of vitamin D have become increasingly common, pan-Indian.

Testing for vitamin D deficiency has been known to protect a majority of the Indian population from joint pains, muscle weakness, cardiovascular disorders and other more serious problems that could be permanently detrimental to one’s health.

While research on the impact of vitamin D on ailments is ongoing, doctors believe it is clearly associated with diabetes, high blood pressure, bone weakness, nerve-related disorders and obesity.

Doctors also point out that vitamin D directly benefits patients with diabetes and cardiovascular ailments. A sizable body of evidence proves the link between vitamin D and people with diabetes and heart ailments.

After pregnancy, women are at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis due to high demands of calcium and vitamin D, it added.

There are diagnostic tests to determine vitamin D levels in the body. It is extremely essential to keep a check on the levels of deficiency in the body as it helps retain calcium,” SRL Diagnostics President-Research & Innovation, Dr B R Das said.

“Sufficient vitamin D levels assist the body in reducing bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol, besides helping in the essential repair and maintenance activities in the body. It is directly linked to knee pains and osteoporosis,” Das said.

The study reveals that the differences between deficiency and insufficiency are conspicuous. Vitamin D deficiency manifests itself as a bone disease, which is mostly either rickets or osteomalacia. Whereas insufficiency may be associated with milder disease outcomes, including muscle weakness and fatigue.

Another outcome of this study draws attention to males between the ages of 30 and 60, while adolescent girls and women of child-bearing age (those belonging to the 16-30 age group) are more likely to develop vitamin D deficiency, as they require vitamin D in the form of extra supplements for growth, it said.

Source: Deccan chronicle

Carrots – Health Benefits And Nutrition Facts

Carrots are rich in nutrients with beneficial impact on the organism, especially on the eyesight. Raw carrots can be difficult to consume, so it is recommended to shred or dice them before eating. Taking in consider carrots grow in soil, it is important to remove (peel) the outer layer.

Nutrients

  • Vitamin K
  • Beta-carotene
  • Folate
  • Calcium
  • Chromium
  • Zinc
  • Iron
  • Fiber

Carrots Nutrition Facts

Carrots are one of the richest natural sources of beta-carotene, important provitamin, which after consuming, turns into one of the most powerful antioxidants in the body – vitamin A.

Vitamin A helps cells strengthen and fight against viruses, supports the fight against cancer and prevents cardiovascular diseases.Vitamin A also takes part in the processes of producing eye pigment, so it is generally known that carrots are good for the eyesight.

As part of the nutritive group found in carrots we will also mention vitamin K, which has influence on blood coagulation and wound healing. Fiber help digestion, and also prevent colon cancer.

Fiber and chromium, contained in this healthy root vegetable play important role in stabilization of glycemia. This combination is particularly necessary when it comes to dealing with hunger attacks and diabetes control.

Health Benefits Of Carrots

  • Sweet and juicy, carrots are extremely rich in antioxidants, vitamins and fiber, and 100 grams contain only 41 calories, negligible amounts of fat and no cholesterol .
  • Carrots are extremely rich source of vitamin A and carotene. 100 grams of fresh carrots contain 8285 micrograms beta-carotene and 16,706 international units of vitamin A. Studies have shown that flavonoid compounds in carrots help preventing skin, lung and oral cavity cancer.
  • Carotenes are transformed into vitamin A in the liver. Beta-carotene is the main carotene contained in these roots. Beta-carotene is one of the powerful, natural antioxidants that protect the body from the harmful effects of free radicals.
  • Additionally, it has all the functions of vitamin A, and the most important are: maintaining healthy eyesight, maintaining reproductive health (sperm production), maintenance of epithelial integrity, growth and proper development.
  • Carrots are rich in polyacetylene antioxidant falcarinol. Scientific research conducted at the University of Newcastle on laboratory animals showed that falcarinol in carrots may help in the fight against cancer, destroying pre-cancer cells in tumors.
  • Fresh roots also contain a certain amount of vitamin C, ie provide about 9 percent of the recommended daily intake. Vitamin C is a water soluble antioxidant.
  • It helps the body to maintain the health of the connective tissue, teeth and gums. Its antioxidant properties help the body protect itself from diseases and cancers, collecting harmful free radicals
  • This root vegetable contains a solid amount of B vitamins, such as folic acid, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), thiamin, pantothenic acid, etc. These substances are important because they function as cofactors of enzymes in metabolic processes in the body.
  • Carrots also contain a healthy amount of minerals, including copper, calcium, potassium, manganese and phosphorus.
  • Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids and helps controlling the rhythm of the heart, by neutralising the effects of sodium. The body uses manganese as a cofactor for the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase.

carrot juice

Surprise your partner and prepare the following fresh recipe for two.
You need:

  • 8 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 4 green apples, chopped into pieces
  • Some fresh ginger

Source; Healthy food house

Polluted air linked to 7 million deaths in 2012: WHO

Air pollution killed about 7 million people in 2012, making it the world`s single biggest environmental health risk, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday.

The toll, a doubling of previous estimates, means one in eight of all global deaths in 2012 was linked to polluted air and shows how reducing pollution inside and outside of people`s homes could save millions of lives in future, the United Nations health agency said.

Air pollution deaths are most commonly from heart disease, strokes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is also linked to deaths from lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.

“The evidence signals the need for concerted action to clean up the air we all breathe,” said Maria Neira, head of the WHO`s environmental and social public health department.

“The risks from air pollution are now far greater than previously thought or understood, particularly for heart disease and strokes,” she said.

Poor and middle-income countries in southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region had the largest air pollution-related burden in 2012, with 3.3 million deaths linked to indoor air pollution and 2.6 million deaths to outdoor air pollution.

Indoor pollution is mostly caused by cooking over coal, wood and biomass stoves. The WHO estimates that around 2.9 billion people worldwide live in homes using wood, coal or dung as their primary cooking fuel.

Flavia Bustreo, a WHO family health expert, said women and children – especially those living in poor countries – often bear the brunt of the risks from indoor pollution “since they spend more time at home breathing in smoke and soot from leaky coal and wood cooking stoves.”

Outdoors, air is mainly polluted by transport, power generation, industrial and agricultural emissions and residential heating and cooking.

Research suggests outdoor air pollution exposure levels have risen significantly in some parts of the world, particularly in countries with large populations going through rapid industrialisation, such as China and India.

The WHO`s cancer research agency IARC published a report last year warning that the air we breathe is laced with cancer-causing substances and should be officially classified as carcinogenic to humans.

Carlos Dora, a WHO public health expert, called on governments and health agencies to act on the evidence and devise policies to reduce air pollution, which in turn would improve health and reduce humans` impact on climate change

“Excessive air pollution is often a by-product of unsustainable policies in sectors such as transport, energy, waste management and industry,” he said.

“In most cases, healthier strategies will also be more economical in the long term due to healthcare cost savings as well as climate gains.”

Source: Zee news

Avocado – Fruit With Amazing Health Benefits

Scientists claim avocado, or alligator pear, is a fruit with highest nutritive value.

This irresistible tropical fruit can be found in more than 80 types, divided in three groups: Mexican avocado, Guatemalan avocado and west Indian avocado. In this article we present you all the health benefits avocado provides.

There are numerous legends and stories related to avocado. In ancient times this fruit had been named as “Great”, “royal” or “magic”. It originated in Middle and South America, where people believed it has magical power, and served it on royal feasts, and every princess had to consume it.

Nutritive Value Of Avocado

  • 100 g avocado have 160 kcal (669 kJ) energy value, including:
  • 2% protein
  • 14.6% fat
  • 8.5% carbohydrates
  • 0.6% sugar

Avocado is an excellent source of copper, calcium, magnesium, and it contains small amounts of sodium. It is an excellent source of vitamin C, and it contains some of the B vitamins, mostly pantothenic acid. Avocado also contains small amounts of riboflavin, niacin and vitamin E.

Health Benefits of Avocado

  • Before anything, we must mention that avocado provides powerful protection for heart and blood vessels. It regulates blood pressure and heart function, and it also has power in reducing blood cholesterol and triglycerides.
  • Nutritionists claim avocado is on the top of anti-cancer products, because of the many antioxidant nutrients it contains and it is proven to have effective impact on reducing the risk of developing breast and prostate cancer.
  • Numerous studies have proven that avocado provides amazing protection for prostate, and besides being double effective in reducing the risk of developing prostate cancer, avocado has great effect in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia.
  • Avocado has positive effect on almost every body system, but mostly on the digestive system, because researches showed that avocado improves digestion, stool formation, protects against colon cancer and hemorrhoids. After listing all the above, we must get to a conclusion that avocado has a royal value for our organism.
  • Speaking of avocado we must not forget about avocado oil. It is as healthy as olive oil and can be used in preparing various delicious salads and other specialties. Avocado oil is ideal for massages, wound treatments and other treatments. It has antibacterial effect, goes deeper in skin, and makes it young and soft.
  • Masseurs and cosmeticians which have been using avocado oil in their massages and cosmetic treatments for years say their clients believe that massaging skin with avocado oil makes it smooth and moisturized.

We can write about avocado as much as we can and we will not find any negative effect for both avocado and avocado oil as its product. Avocado is a tropical fruit, but you can find it in any bigger market. So hurry up and buy avocado today and enjoy its benefits!

Source: Health care above all

Texas Girl Recovering After Obesity Surgery Switch

Texas pre-teen with rare, medically induced obesity was sedated and on a ventilator late Friday after Cincinnati doctors suddenly had to switch plans during her weight-loss surgery.

Alexis Shapiro, 12, was stable and comfortable but expected to remain in the intensive care unit at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center at least through the weekend, said Dr. Thomas Inge and colleagues monitoring the child whose metabolism went haywire after brain surgery two years ago.

“Ultimately, I don’t think this will change her prognosis,” said Inge, who expects Alexis to lose weight and resolve many health problems such as type 2 diabetes and pulmonary issues caused by the condition that sent her weight past 200 pounds on her 4-foot-7 frame.

Instead of the gastric bypass operation and procedure to cut part of her vagus nerve they expected to perform, Inge and his crew had to adjust their plans because Alexis’ liver was bigger and fattier than anticipated. Instead, they performed a sleeve gastrectomy to remove up to 80 percent of her stomach.

He said it wasn’t a medical complication, but a clinical decision to alter plans. Doctors knew her liver was large, but couldn’t tell how difficult it would be to manipulate it until they got into surgery.

“It’s not disappointing at all,” Inge told reporters. “Our goal is do to a safe operation under circumstances that are not always 100 percent predictable.”

Alexis’ parents, Jenny and Ian Shapiro, agreed.

“Yes, unexpected. But it’s OK,” Jenny Shapiro told NBC News in an email Friday. “We are OK with it. And it was what’s best for her.”

The Cibolo, Texas, couple backed out of the press conference Friday because they had signed a contract with the television show “The Doctors,” which plans to air a segment about Alexis in April.

In a statement, they expressed gratitude to the thousands of people who have sent cards and emails and raised more than $84,000 for the family since NBC News first reported the story in December.

“We are appreciative of all of the prayers and thoughts of all of the people who have shown support of us over recent months and we will continue to be focused on Alexis getting better,” they wrote.

“We have an exclusive contractual relationship with the guest and her family which is being honored by the family,” Marc Grossmann, a senior publicist with The Doctors, said in an email. Show officials would not disclose whether or how they compensated the family to stop talking to other media.

Inge said doctors will wait to see how Alexis responds to the surgery before deciding whether to go ahead with the gastric bypass and vagus nerve operations. Patients sometimes lose less weight with the sleeve procedure than with gastric bypass, Inge said. However, it’s very common to perform bypass surgery after a sleeve gastrectomy, he added.

“I think she will have a new normal,” Inge said. “The new normal for her will be at a healthier weight perhaps with less damaging conditions.”

Alexis will remain hospitalized for about a week and could return to Texas in two weeks.

Source: NBC news

 

E-Cigarettes Won’t Help You Quit, Study Finds

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Contrary to some advertising claims, electronic cigarettes don’t help people quit or cut down on smoking, a new study says.

Users of e-cigarettes inhale vaporized nicotine but not tobacco smoke. The unregulated devices have been marketed as smoking-cessation tools, but studies to date have been inconclusive on that score, the study noted.

“When used by a broad sample of smokers under ‘real world’ conditions, e-cigarette use did not significantly increase the chances of successfully quitting cigarette smoking,” said lead researcher Dr. Pamela Ling, an associate professor at the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at University of California, San Francisco.

These findings — based on nearly 1,000 smokers — are consistent with other studies and contradict the claims frequently found in e-cigarette advertising, she said.

“Advertising suggesting that e-cigarettes are effective for smoking cessation should be prohibited until such claims are supported by scientific evidence,” Ling said.

For the study, Ling’s team analyzed data reported by 949 smokers, 88 of whom used e-cigarettes at the start of the study. One year later, 14 percent of the smokers had quit overall, with similar rates in both groups.

“We found that there was no difference in the rate of quitting between smokers who used an e-cigarette and those who did not,” Ling said. There was no relationship between e-cigarette use and quitting, even after taking into account the number of cigarettes smoked per day, how early in the day a smoker had a first cigarette and intention to quit smoking, Ling added.

However, the researchers noted that the small number of e-cigarette users may have limited the ability to find an association between e-cigarette use and quitting.

The report, published online March 24 in JAMA Internal Medicine, also found that women, younger adults and people with less education were most likely to use e-cigarettes.

One expert said the study is flawed and shouldn’t be taken seriously. “It’s an example of bogus or junk science,” said Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor of community health sciences at Boston University School of Public Health.

“That’s because the study does not examine the rate of successful smoking cessation among e-cigarette users who want to quit smoking or cut down substantially on the amount that they smoke, and who are using e-cigarettes in an attempt to accomplish this,” Siegel said. “Instead, the study examines the percentage of quitting among all smokers who have ever tried e-cigarettes for any reason.”

Many of the smokers who tried e-cigarettes may have done so out of curiosity, Siegel said. “It is plausible, in fact, probable, that many of these 88 smokers were not actually interested in quitting or trying to quit with electronic cigarettes,” he said. “These products have become very popular and have gained widespread media attention, and it is entirely possible that many of these smokers simply wanted to see what the big fuss is all about.”

Calling that a “fatal flaw” in the research, Siegel said it “destroys the validity of the authors’ conclusion.” It would be a tragedy, he said, if policy makers use the study to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation purposes.

Erika Ford, assistant vice president for national advocacy at the American Lung Association, said the study confirms what is already clear — “e-cigarettes are not associated with quitting among smokers.”

Ford noted that most e-cigarette companies no longer make claims that their products help smokers quit. “But there is a need for the FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to begin their oversight of these products. It’s time for the FDA to find out which products are making no smoking claims and which ones might be in violation of current law,” she said.

The FDA plans to introduce regulations for e-cigarettes, but hasn’t yet. In the past, the agency has warned companies about making false claims and for poor manufacturing practices.

Source: webmd

Can drinking water lead to weight loss?

Drinking water is often advised as a way to quicken the weight loss process. However, a nutrition expert from the University of Alabama in Birmingham says water isn’t the ‘magic bullet’ for losing weight. ‘There is very little evidence that drinking water promotes weight loss; it is one of those self-perpetuating myths,’ said Beth Kitchin, Ph.D., R.D., assistant professor of nutrition sciences. ‘I’m not saying drinking water isn’t good; but only one study showed people who drank more water burned a few extra calories, and it was only a couple of extra calories a day.’

Kitchin says another ‘water myth’ is the old advice to drink eight 8 oz glasses per day. ‘Yes, people do need to get fluids; but it does not have to be water,’ Kitchin said. ‘There’s no evidence that it melts away fat or makes you feel fuller, so if you don’t like water it’s OK.’ She notes that water is the best hydrater, but in terms of fluid replacement other options will work, including green tea or mineral water/juice combinations.

Caffeinated beverages such as coffee also provide hydration. ‘People think coffee doesn’t count, but actually it does,’ Kitchin said. ‘When you drink coffee, your body is retaining much of that fluid — especially for people who are habituated to drinking caffeine, as the body adapts, resulting in a reduced loss of fluids.’

The idea that cold water burns more calories, as the body has to work to raise the temperature, is also a myth, according to Kitchin. ‘You will hear that ice-cold water helps burn extra calories,’ Kitchin said. ‘While there may be a few extra calories lost, it won’t be nearly enough to make a dent in your weight-loss endeavours.’ The professor recommends following a long-running, research-based weight management program such as Eat Right by UAB or Volumetrics.

‘These plans were built on the premise that if you eat lower-calorie, ‘heavier’ foods, you’re not going to magically lose 25 more pounds than somebody on a different diet, but it might help you feel fuller and not hungry,’ Kitchin said. ‘While drinking water may not help you lose weight, a focus on eating foods with high water content like fruits, veggies and broth-based soups can.’

Source: The Health site: