Obesity

How healthy foods could lead to overeating

Is your New Year’s resolution to eat more healthily? If so, watch out: foods portrayed as healthy may lead to overeating and contribute to weight gain, according to new research.

In the cookie experiment, researchers found that participants who consumed the “healthy” cookie reported greater hunger after eating than those who consumed the cookie portrayed as unhealthy.

What is more, in the real world experiment, the team found that participants ordered larger portion sizes before watching the film and ate more food during the film when food was portrayed as healthy, compared with when food was portrayed as unhealthy.

Interestingly, even individuals who did not believe in the theory that unhealthy foods are less filling – as determined by the Implicit Association Test – reported greater hunger after consuming the “healthy” cookie and ordered and consumed more food when it was portrayed as healthy.

In the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, investigators found that if we perceive a certain food to be healthy, we are likely to consume more of it.

According to study coauthor Jacob Suher and colleagues, from the University of Texas-Austin, their findings support the “healthy equals less filling” theory – the idea that we consume healthy foods in larger amounts because we consider them less filling than unhealthy foods.

The researchers conducted three experiments on three groups of participants to reach their findings.

Firstly, the team enrolled 50 undergraduate students to complete the Implicit Association Test, which was used to assess whether they believed healthy foods to be less filling than unhealthy foods.

Next, the researchers asked 40 graduate students to consume a cookie; one cookie was presented to them in packaging with nutritional information that represented it as unhealthy, while the other cookie was portrayed as healthy.

After consuming the cookie, participants were asked to report their hunger levels.

In a third “real world” experiment involving 72 undergraduate students, the team assessed how health portrayals of food affected the amount of food participants ordered prior to watching a short film, and how such portrayals impacted the amount of food consumed during the film.

Source: medical news today

Beware: Working for more than 55 hours a week can trigger diabetes

People who work over 55 hours every week in blue collar jobs are at a 30 percent increased risk of developing type II diabetes, according to research published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

Working for more than 55 hours a week can trigger diabetes

Type II diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, and affects 90 to 95 percent of the 26 million Americans with the disease. Mika Kivimäki, Professor of Epidemiology at University College London, UK, and colleagues analyzed data from four published and 19 unpublished studies involving 222,120 adults from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan. For an average of 7.6 years, these individuals were followed.

The researchers found that those who worked more than 55 hours per week at low socioeconomic or manual jobs were about 30 percent more likely to develop type II diabetes, compared to those who worked no more than 40 hours per week.

Although additional research is needed to further identify the link between long working hours and the onset of type II diabetes, other possible explanations need to be explored, including disruptive schedules that interfere with sleep, relaxing, and exercising.

“The pooling of all available studies on this topic allowed us to investigate the association between working hours and diabetes risk with greater precision than has been previously possible. Although working long hours is unlikely to increase diabetes risk in everyone, health professionals should be aware that it is associated with a significantly increased risk in people doing low socioeconomic status jobs,” said Kivimäki in a statement.

Source: daily digest

Yoga can fight off obesity!

Most of us are suffering from health risks due to the sedentary life style and the busy daily routine that allows us to dedicate very less or no time for physical activity. The most common problem that we see today is obesity.

yoga prayer

Obesity refers to weight gain in which excess of body fat has been accumulated to an extent that it may have a negative effect on health. It could also lead to reduced life expectancy or increased health problems. While obesity is most commonly caused by wrong dietary and lifestyle patterns, it can also be caused by endocrine disorders, genes, medications, or psychiatric illness.

It is said that yoga can be very beneficial for obese people as it can help them to lose weight effectively. Exercises of yoga require movements such as stretching, twisting, bending and balancing,
which helps us to lose extra calories.
It also stimulates the heart and lungs, increasing intake of oxygen, which leads to enhanced energy for physical activity and in turn can result in greater weight loss.

Yoga is a tool that helps the body, mind and spirit. It has different types of postures set for individuals that fits all of age groups and health conditions. For better benefits of yoga to full extent, it is suggested to practise it under the guidance of professionals in the initial days until all the postures are known in right manner.Yoga is the best practice to lose weight slowly as losing weight in a short period damages your skin and makes it look saggy. Some of the yoga postures that help in your weight loss regime are sun salutations, dog pose, cobra pose, angle pose, squat and rise pose, the two alterations of bridge pose (face up and face down), spinal twist, tree pose and butterfly pose.

Meditation which is another form of yoga also helps us in losing weight. Practising of yoga regularly helps improve self control and hence, you can easily gain control over your food cravings and reduce your food intake. It also helps to strengthen and tone muscles, leading to greater physical activity.

Pranayama, a set of breathing exercises of yoga, has profound influence on our health.
It is a well known fact that most of the toxic elements which are eliminated from the body during breathing can help maintain good health.

Naturopathic, a treatment which involves the practice of regular yoga postures combined with treatment with things offered by nature. If yoga postures are used daily, correctly and consistently in combination with good food habits, then balance will return to the body and mind and the health of the practitioner will be restored quickly.

Source: zee news

Obesity in 30’s increases risk of dementia in later life

A new study has found that people who are obese in their early to mid-life face more risk of dementia in their later lives, with the ones in their 30’s facing triple the risk.

A new study has found that people who are obese in their early to mid-life face more risk of dementia in their later lives, with the ones in their 30's facing triple the risk.

The researchers used the anonymised data from hospital records for the whole of England for the period 1999-2011, and data in which obesity had been recorded were then searched for any subsequent care for, or death from, dementia.

During the study period, 451 232 of those admitted to hospital in England were diagnosed with obesity, 43 percent of whom were men.

The analysis revealed an incremental decrease in overall risk of hospital admission for dementia the older a person was when a diagnosis of obesity was first recorded, irrespective of gender.

For those aged 30-39, the relative risk of developing dementia was 3.5 times higher than in those of the same age who were not obese. For those in their 40s, the equivalent heightened risk fell to 70 percent more; for those in their 50s to 50 percent more; and for those in their 60s to 40 percent more.

People in their 70s with obesity were neither at heightened or lowered risk of developing dementia, while those in their 80s were 22 percent less likely to develop the disease, the findings indicated.

There were some age differences between the risk of developing vascular dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, with those in their 30s at greater risk of both. A diagnosis of obesity in the 40s through to the 60s was associated with an increased risk of vascular dementia, while the risk of Alzheimer’s disease was lower in those diagnosed with obesity from their 60s onwards.

The researchers concluded that while obesity at a younger age was associated with an increased risk of future dementia, obesity in people who had lived to about 60-80 years of age seemed to be associated with a reduced risk

Source: yahoo news

Encouraging healthy diet among toddlers can help curb childhood obesity

A new study has revealed that promoting healthy eating habits from infancy can help prevent childhood obesity and the onset of chronic disease.

Encouraging healthy diet among toddlers

Rebecca Byrne from QUT, said that the toddler years are a critical age in the development of long-term food preferences, but this was also the age that autonomy, independence and food fussiness begins and childhood obesity in Australia has doubled since 1986, with about 21percent of children aged 2-3 years now classified as overweight or obese.

She further added that liking a nutrient-dense diet that incorporates all five food groups was important, as evidence suggested that food preferences develop at this early age and persist into adulthood and iron deficiency also remained an issue for toddlers in both developed and developing countries.

It was also revealed that most toddlers were consuming a diverse diet, the amount and type of meat or meat alternatives was poor. Almost all children were consuming foods we would consider completely unnecessary at this age, such as sweet biscuits.

The study is published in the issue of Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

Source: ani news

Soon ‘therapeutic bacteria’ to help win ‘battle of bulge’

Researchers have discovered a probiotic that could help prevent obesity.Researchers have discovered a probiotic that could help prevent obesity.

Vanderbilt University investigators have found bacteria that produce a therapeutic compound in the gut inhibit weight gain, insulin resistance and other adverse effects of a high-fat diet in mice.

Sean Davies, Ph.D., said that although it’s hard to speculate from mouse to human but essentially, they have prevented most of the negative consequences of obesity in mice, even though they’re eating a high-fat diet.

He further explained that regulatory issues must be addressed before moving to human studies but the findings suggested that it might be possible to manipulate the bacterial residents of the gut, the gut microbiota, to treat obesity and other chronic diseases.

Other studies have demonstrated that the natural gut microbiota plays a role in obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The researchers also observed effects of the compounds in the liver, suggesting that it might be possible to use modified bacteria to deliver therapeutics beyond the gut.

The investigators are currently working on strategies to address regulatory issues related to containing the bacteria, for example by knocking out genes required for the bacteria to live outside the treated host.

The findings will be published in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation

Source: business standard

Stress eating could pack on 11 extra pounds a year

Stress eating could pack on 11 extra pounds a year

Researchers sure know how to take the “comfort” out of comfort food.

It seems that experiencing one or more stressful events the day prior to eating just one single high-fat meal — the kind we’re most likely to indulge in when frazzled — slows the body’s metabolism so much that women could potentially experience an 11-pound weight gain over the course of a year, according to a new study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

Participants included 58 healthy women, 38 of whom were breast cancer survivors and 20 of whom were similar in terms of demographics.The average age of participants was 53. During two visits with the research team, participants received either a meal high in saturated fat, the so-called “bad fat,” or a meal high in sunflower oil, a monounsaturated fat that is associated with various health benefits. The meal itself was a whopper: 930 calories with 60 grams of fat — about the same as a double-deck burger and medium fries. The researchers used standardized clinical tools to rank stressors and to assess major depressive disorder.

After the participants indulged, metabolic rate, or how efficient these women were at burning calories and fat, was measured. Blood sugar levels, triglycerides, insulin and the stress hormone cortisol were also assessed.

Results showed that on average study participants who reported one or more stressors, such as arguments with co-workers or spouses, disagreements with friends, trouble with children or work-related pressures, during the previous 24 hours burned 104 fewer calories than non-stressed women in the seven hours after eating the high-fat meal.

That difference, say researchers, could result in an 11 pound weight gain in one year. And they also experienced less fat oxidation in which so-called large fat molecules are converted into smaller molecules used as fuel.

“The question we were asking is whether stress affects metabolism, and I was so surprised at the magnitude of the effect,” says Dr. Jan Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychiatry and psychology at The Ohio State University and lead author of the study.

It’s no secret that stress makes many of us turn to these high-fat-high-sugar comfort foods. And other studies do show that people who experience stress and other mood disruptions are at higher risk of obesity. The primary reason is overindulgence on high-fat, high-calorie comfort foods.

“We know from other data that we’re more likely to eat the wrong foods when we’re stressed, and our data say that when we eat the wrong foods, weight gain becomes more likely because we are burning fewer calories,” says Kiecolt-Glaser.

Researchers did find that a history of depression alone did not affect metabolic rate, but depression combined with previous stressors led to a steeper immediate rise in a form of fat called triglycerides. High triglyceride levels are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

How stress makes us pack on the pounds is indeed a complicated and still poorly understood process. “The relationship between stress and eating is really complex both from a biological view as well as from a psychosocial view, and there is no nice clear pathway that explains everything that is happening,” says Dr. Leslie Heinberg, Director of Behavioral Services for the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute of the Cleveland Clinic. “But what this study does is give us more information on other potential pathways.”

The study is small and there are limitations. “This was a very controlled, one-time thing, and I do think the 11 pounds a year goes beyond the data,” she says, since people may compensate for their indulgences at later meals in the real world. And self-reported stressors can be squishy, despite efforts to control the differences between say the angst of having to give a speech or having a fight with a co-worker. Another complication was the fact that most study participants were breast cancer survivors, which can add even more stress.

Obesity is still at crisis levels both here in the U.S. and globally. It doesn’t help that humans “. . . are biologically set to put on weight and keep on weight and even with diets, exercise or surgery, we are fighting a big biological tide,” says Heinberg.

“What this (study) and other lab studies show is that there’s more to obesity than a lack of willpower, it’s a complex biological problem.”

If you’re looking for a bright side, TODAY Diet and Nutrition Editor Madelyn Fernstrom notes that the impact of stress is a small fraction of the picture: Most weight gain is caused by overeating, plain and simple.

“The good news is that the 100 calories a day extra can be offset by a 30 minute walk,” she says. “This can mean the difference between weight stability and weight gain.”

Source: today

Lack of exercise to blame for rising obesity, study says

Lack of exercise to blame for rising obesity, study says

A lack of exercise rather than diet is to blame for the obesity crisis, experts have warned.

A new study in the U.S. found activity levels have fallen dramatically in the last 20 years as average body mass index (BMI) increased and calorie intake remained the same.

Scientists said a drop in exercise and leisure time, especially among young women, may be responsible for rising obesity rates. It is recommended adults do 150 minutes of moderate exercise – brisk walking, cycling or gardening , for example – each week.

But studies have shown around two in three adults in the UK fail to achieve the guidelines. Fewer manual jobs, more cars and home entertainment technology mean most people get much less exercise now than their parents or grandparents did.

Two thirds of men and almost six in 10 women in the UK are overweight or obese. In Western Europe just Iceland and Malta have higher numbers of obese or overweight people.

By analysing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) researchers found the number of U.S. women who reported no physical activity jumped from 19.1 per cent in 1994 to 51.7 per cent in 2010.

For men, the number rose from 11.4 per cent to 43.5 per cent. During the period, average BMI has increased across the board, with the most dramatic rise found among young women between 18 and 39.

Professor Uri Ladabaum, of Stanford University, California, said: ‘These changes have occurred in the context of substantial increases in the proportion of adults reporting no leisure time physical activity, but in the absence of any significant population level changes in average daily caloric intake.

‘At the population level, we found a significant association between the level of leisure time physical activity, but not daily caloric intake, and the increases in both BMI and waist circumference.’

The study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, looked at the escalation of obesity in terms of both exercise and caloric intake. While the researchers did not examine what types of foods were consumed, they did observe total daily calorie, fat, carbohydrate, and protein consumption have not changed significantly over the period, yet the obesity rate among participants continued to rise.

Researchers also tracked the rise in abdominal obesity, which is an independent indicator of mortality even among people with normal BMIs. This is defined by a waist circumference of at least 34.65sin (88cm) for women and 40.16ins (102cm) for men.

The average increased by 0.37 per cent and 0.27 per cent respectively, per year. Just like the rise in average BMIs, the group most affected by increased rates of abdominal obesity was women.

Prof Ladabaum said: ‘The prevalence of abdominal obesity has increased among normal weight women and overweight women and men.

‘It remains controversial whether overweight alone increases mortality risk, but the trends in abdominal obesity among the overweight are concerning in light of the risks associated with increased waist circumference independent of BMI.’

While increased calorie intake is often blamed for rising rates of obesity, no association between the two factors was identified in the study.
In contrast, an association was found between the trends over time for lack of physical activity and high BMI numbers.

Prof Ladabaum said: ‘Our findings do not support the popular notion the increase of obesity in the United States can be attributed primarily to sustained increase over time in the average daily caloric intake of Americans.’

Identifying the link between the drop in physical activity and increased BMIs, as well as the groups particularly affected, can assist public health officials to develop targeted, effective interventions against the obesity epidemic.

Journal editor Pamela Powers Hannley said: ‘If we as a country truly want to take control of our health and our health care costs, the Ladabaum et al paper should be our clarion call.

‘From encouraging communities to provide safe places for physical activity to ensuring ample supply of healthy food to empowering Americans to take control of their health, we must launch a concerted comprehensive effort to control obesity.’

Source: daily mail

Suffering from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)? Don’t lose hope

Suffering from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Don't lose hope

Are you experiencing irregular periods, weight gain, hair growth on the body and face, thinning of the hair on the head? Don’t ignore the symptoms as chances are you may be suffering from a condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).

What is PCOS?

PCOS is an endocrine disorder which is associated with an excess of androgens or male hormones in the body. It leads to the formation of small cysts in the ovaries. According to experts, nearly 40% percent of teenagers today suffer from PCOS due to sedentary life or consumption of high calorie, high carb diet.

It is more commonly found in women living in urban areas than women residing in rural places as it is majorly a lifestyle disease. The exact cause of the disease is not known.

Symptoms of PCOS

Symptoms of PCOS include irregular, missed or scanty menstruation cycle, weight gain, excessive hair growth on chin, lower abdomen, thighs, facial hair and thinning of hair on your head.

Why worry if you have PCOS?

One of the major effect that PCOS have on a female body is that it leads to imbalance of hormones which may again interfere with the growth and release of eggs from the ovaries, thereby preventing ovulation and may lead to infertility in some cases.

Also, since the body becomes resistant to insulin, a women is at risk of obesity, hypertension, cholesterol and uterine cancer.

Is it possible to have a baby with PCOS?

The good news is that one need not be depressed as PCOS can be managed with medicines to some extent. A women can easily conceive by adopting a healthy lifestyle, eating right and maintaining healthy weight.

Treatment of PCOS

Treatment of PCOS depends partially on the woman’s stage of life. For younger women, treatments can include inducing exercises in daily routine, diet modifications and medication. Experts also prescribe the usage of birth control pills to control the menstrual cycle thereby decreasing androgen levels in the female body.

Some other treatments like Progesterone therapy is also adviced by doctors.

Source: zee news

Home Remedies for Obesity

home remedies for obesity

Obesity, which is excessive accumulation of fat in the body, is determined by measuring a person’s Body Mass Index (BMI). Generally, a BMI between 18.5 and 25 is considered desirable. If your BMI is 30 or more, you are considered obese.

You can calculate your BMI using the following:

BMI=(Weight in lbs / (Height in inches x Height in inches)) x 703, or if you measure with the metric system use BMI= Weight in kg / (Height in meters x Height in meters)

This problem is mostly attributed to poor lifestyle choices, such as eating processed foods high in fat, oversized food portions, overeating, excessive drinking, lack of physical activity, lack of sleep, and other similar habits. Genetic factors and hormonal problems also tend to increase the risk of developing obesity.

Obesity is a great concern not merely because of the excess weight, but also because it makes you susceptible to a number of serious health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and others.

It is important to adopt healthy lifestyle changes to combat this problem. In addition, you can use some easy yet effective natural remedies to help with your weight loss efforts.

Here are the top 10 home remedies for obesity.

1. Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is one of the best home remedies for fighting obesity. It helps improve digestion and aids in detoxification. Healthy digestion is an essential pre-requisite for weight loss as it helps your body get the nutrients required to burn fat. Furthermore, it helps remove toxins from your body that slow down your metabolism.

Mix three teaspoons of lemon juice, one teaspoon of honey, and one-half teaspoon of black pepper powder in one cup of water. (If you use freshly ground black pepper, then just add one-quarter teaspoon.)
Drink it in the morning on an empty stomach.
Do this daily for at least three months.
Alternatively, you can simply have a cup of warm water mixed with a teaspoon of lemon juice.

2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is another popular home remedy to reduce excess weight. Though the actual weight loss benefits of it are still unknown, preliminary research has shown that it can help protect against obesity. It helps breakdown fat and hence prevents the accumulation of body fat.

Mix two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. Drink it daily in the morning and preferably before meals.
You can also drink a cup of water mixed with one teaspoon each of apple cider vinegar and lemon juice.

You can have up to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a day. Do not exceed this amount, as it may reduce your blood potassium levels over time and lower your bone mineral density.

3. Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is useful in treating obesity because it stimulates the metabolism, increases energy consumption, and mobilizes unused fat in the body. It contains natural collagen proteins that make the body work harder in order to absorb the proteins. In addition, it helps remove toxins from the digestive system and colon.

Take two fresh aloe vera leaves, peel them, and scoop out the pulp.
Put it in a blender along with one cup of citrus juice, such as orange or grapefruit juice, or simply water. Blend it for two to three minutes. Drink this daily for at least a month.

4. Green Tea
Green tea is another popular natural remedy to promote weight loss. A study at Penn State revealed that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a compound found in green tea, helps slow down weight gain by limiting fat absorption and increasing the body’s ability to use fat.

Furthermore, green tea is packed with nutrients such as vitamin C, carotenoids, zinc, selenium, chromium, and other trace minerals.

Drink about three to four cups of green tea daily to combat obesity. You can also combine it with ginger tea or cayenne pepper.

5. Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper helps control obesity and aids in weight loss. It contains capsaicin that stimulates your body to burn fat and increase energy expenditure. In addition, it stimulates digestion and suppresses excess appetite caused by malabsorption of nutrients in the body.

Make cayenne pepper tea by pouring a glass of hot water over cayenne pepper (start with one-tenth of a teaspoon or just a dash of cayenne pepper and gradually increase its quantity to one teaspoon). Squeeze the juice from half a lemon in it. Drink this tea regularly at least for a month.
Mix two tablespoons each of lemon juice and maple syrup in 10 ounces of water (one glass contains 8 ounces). Stir in a dash of cayenne pepper and drink it.
Use cayenne pepper and other spices, such as ginger, black pepper, and mustard seeds, generously in your meal preparations.

6. Curry Leaves
Eating 10 fresh curry leaves daily in the morning works as a great Ayurvedic remedy to deal with obesity and diabetes caused by obesity. Continue this treatment regularly for at least three to four months.

Research shows that curry leaves contain mahanimbine, an alkaloid that has anti-obesity and lipid-lowering effects. Thus, it helps lower body weight and reduces total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

7. Tomatoes:

Eat a couple of tomatoes every morning on an empty stomach. Make sure you eat the peels and seeds as well because they contain dietary fiber. Tomatoes contain compounds that tend to alter the levels of hormones that affect your appetite.

Furthermore, being rich in vitamins A, C, and K, and magnesium, manganese, choline, folate, and other nutrients, they are good for your health. Also, they are packed with antioxidants that protect against cancers.

8.  Cabbage:

Make raw or boiled cabbage an integral part of your weight loss diet. It contains tartaric acid that inhibits the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat. Moreover, it is rich in vitamin C and low in calories but high in fiber and water content.

Being a cruciferous vegetable, it contains phytochemicals that help improve the imbalance of estrogen metabolism that not only causes your body to store fat but also promotes breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and others. Other cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and Swiss chard are also beneficial in this regard.

9. Fennel seeds

Fennel seeds are believed to be useful in weight loss because of their diuretic properties. Diuretics help you lose weight quickly by reducing water retention. They do not cause long-term weight loss though.

Slightly dry roast and grind fennel seeds. Sieve the powder. Take one-half teaspoon of this powder twice daily with warm water. This remedy will also help relieve abdominal gas, indigestion, and constipation.
You can also drink fennel tea 15 minutes before meals.

10. Honey and Cinnamon

Include honey and cinnamon tea in your diet to boost your metabolism, increase your energy, and detoxify your body. All of these effects support weight loss. Honey fights obesity by promoting fat metabolism. Cinnamon helps you avoid overeating by fighting insulin resistance and also reduces oxidative stress associated with metabolic syndrome.

Pour a cup of hot water over one-half teaspoon of cinnamon powder (you can also use cinnamon sticks). Let it steep for half an hour. Mix in one teaspoon of organic honey.

Drink half of it in the morning on an empty stomach, about half an hour before breakfast. Store the rest in the refrigerator and drink it at night before going to bed.

Along with these remedies, make sure you drink eight glasses of water throughout the day to flush toxins out of your body.

Studies have found that plant-based foods can help fight obesity becausethey contain phytochemicals that prevent oxidative stress, which contributes to obesity. So, opt for more plant-based foods rather than processed, fast foods. Plus, include grapes, peaches, figs, carrots, and blueberries in your diet.

Another very important yet ignored tip to fight obesity is to have a proper breakfast. Research shows that those who have a big breakfast are more likely to lose weight and even a few inches off their waistline compared with those who eat a large dinner.

Source: top 10 home remedies