Weight loss

For diabetics, losing weight may delay kidney problems

Healthy eating, staying active and losing weight are already recommended for people with type 2 diabetes, and new research suggests these steps may also delay or prevent chronic kidney disease.

For diabetics, losing weight may delay kidney problems

About 35 percent of U.S. adults with diabetes have some degree of kidney disease, and diabetes is the major cause of kidney failure and dialysis, according to the study’s lead author Dr. William C. Knowler.

“This result along with many others tends to reinforce the value of weight loss interventions and hopefully motivates people with diabetes to lose weight,” said Knowler, who is chief of the Diabetes Epidemiology and Clinical Research Section of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland.

He and his co-authors reexamined data from an existing study of lifestyle modifications for people with type 2 diabetes.

For the original study, more than 5,000 overweight or obese Americans with type 2 diabetes ages 45 to 76 were divided into two groups. Half received diabetes support and education and the other half aimed to lose seven percent of their body weight through reduced calorie diets and increased physical activity.

People were recruited for the study between 2001 and 2004. For the first year or so, the weight-loss group met regularly with dieticians, case managers and physical activity experts to stay on track toward their calorie, activity and weight-loss goals.

The study continued, with encouragement to stick to diet and exercise programs, through 2012. As with many weight loss programs, the first year is the critical period for weight loss and later years are spent maintaining it, which can be difficult, Knowler said.

At the one-year mark, the diet and exercise group had lost an average of 8.6 percent of their body weight, compared to less than one percent lost in the support-and-education group.

Over the entire study period, people in the diet and exercise group were 31 percent less likely to develop very high risk chronic kidney disease, according to urine tests.

The study’s primary aim was to investigate the power of weight loss to reduce the risk of heart problems or stroke, and as the researchers published previously, no benefit was seen there.

Knowler emphasized, however, that the weight loss program did improve the outlook for kidney disease and many other aspects of health, including depression, knee pain, urinary incontinence and heart rate recovery after exercise.

Dr. Dick de Zeeuw writes in an accompanying editorial in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology that he found the kidney-health benefit with no heart benefit difficult to reconcile.

de Zeeuw, of the Hiddo Lambers Heerspink Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology at the University of Groningen in Germany, also writes that using very high risk chronic kidney disease as the marker of success or failure in the study doesn’t line up with what most trials like this would do if a drug were being tested instead of a lifestyle change.

Nevertheless, these results reinforce the existing recommendation that people with type 2 diabetes should maintain a healthy weight, he told Reuters Health.

“In one sense it doesn’t add anything to existing recommendations because for overweight people, weight loss and increased activity are recommended already,” Knowler said. “But we don’t really put a lot of force behind that recommendation.”

For most people, telling them to lose weight and handing out some pamphlets is not enough, he said. This study indicates that an intense program of major behavioral change, including counseling, group session and mutual reinforcement can work.

“Any approach that results in sustained weight loss should work just as well,” Knowler said.

Source: fox news

Health Benefits of Guava

The health benefits of guava include the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, constipation, cough, cold, skin care, high blood pressure, weight loss and scurvy.

Health Benefits of Guava

Many of you may have tasted this mouth-watering treat, or have at least seen or heard about it. Guava is very common in Asian countries, but is increasingly available in the western world, particularly as more of its health benefits are revealed. It is a somewhat round or pear-shaped seasonal fruit, and is light green, yellow, or maroon in color on the outside when it is ripe. Guava also has white or maroon flesh and lots of small hard seeds enveloped in very soft, sweet pulp. It is eaten raw (ripe or semi-ripe) or in the form of jams and jellies.

This popular fruit is a powerhouse of nutrients. If the traditional adage says that “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” in Europe and Americas, the phrase is probably changed to “A few guavas in the season keeps the doctor away for the whole year” in the Indian Subcontinent and places where guavas typically grow. Its scientific name is Psidium Guajava.

What makes guava special is that protecting the fruit does not require excessive use of chemical pesticides as in the case of grapes, apple, and other so-called “exotic” fruits. It is one of the least chemically treated and sprayed fruits.

Health Benefits of Guava

Some of the surprising and brilliant health benefits are listed below.

Weight loss: Guava is very helpful for those who want to lose weight without compromising their intake of proteins, vitamins and fiber. Guava is very high in roughage and rich in vitamins, proteins and minerals, but it has no cholesterol and a low number of digestible carbohydrates. It is a is very filling snack and satisfies the appetite very easily. Guava, especially raw guava, also has far less sugar as compared to apples, oranges, grapes, and other fruit. Adding a medium-sized guava to your lunch and you will not feel hungry again until the evening. Ironically, it can also help with weight gain in lean, thin people. This is probably due to its wealth of nutrients, which keep the metabolism regulates and helps to promote the proper absorption of nutrients.

Diabetes: In a related benefit to blood pressure mentioned above, an intake of guava can also help those patients who suffer from diabetes. The high level of dietary fiber in guava helps to regulate the absorption of sugar by the body, which decreases the chances of major spikes and drops in insulin and glucose in the body. Studies have shown that consuming guava can help prevent the appearance of type-2 diabetes.

Eyesight: Guavas are extremely good sources of vitamin-A, which is well known as a booster for vision health. It can help slow down the appearance of cataracts, macular degeneration, and general health of the eyes. It can not only prevent degradation of eyesight, but even an improvement in eyesight once it has begun to degrade.

Cancer Prevention: One of the most celebrated and important benefits of adding guava to your diet is its ability to inhibit the growth and metastasis of cancerous cells. There have been numerous studies done in recent years on guava’s effects primarily on prostate cancer, breast cancer, and oral cancers. Guava leaf oil is extremely successful as an anti-proliferative substance, and has actually been shown to be more effective than some leading modern medicines in reducing cancerous growth. Guavas are also rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to be wildly successful in reducing prostate cancer risk. That same antioxidant has also shown to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells, although further human trials need to be done.

Finally, the naturally high levels of vitamin-C in guavas, which are four times higher than the levels found in oranges (the traditional vitamin-C powerhouse), provides the immune system a huge boost in antioxidants. Antioxidants are the major lines of defense against the proliferation of free radicals in the body, which are one of the main causes of serious conditions like cancer and heart disease. Therefore, adding guava to your diet has numerous ways in which it helps you stay health and cancer-free.

Scurvy: Guava can outdo many other fruits, including orange and other citrus fruits, in terms of its concentration of vitamin-C. A deficiency of vitamin-C can cause scurvy, and proper intake of vitamin-C is the only known remedy for that dangerous disease. In fact, guavas contain 5X more vitamin-C than oranges, which are often heralded as the absolute best source of that beneficial vitamin.

Diarrhea & dysentery: Guava is very rich in astringents (compounds that make your gums feel tighter and fresher). After you chew guava leaves, eat a raw guava, or use some guava-based toothpaste), your mouth feels healthier, and the astringent qualities also add substance to loose bowels and reduce symptoms of diarrhea. These astringents are alkaline in nature and have disinfectant and anti-bacterial properties, thus helping to cure dysentery by inhibiting microbial growth and removing extra mucus from the intestines. Furthermore, other nutrients in guava such as vitamin-C, Carotenoids and potassium, strengthen and tone the digestive system while simultaneously disinfecting it. Guava is also beneficial in treating gastroenteritis for the same reasons stated above.

Thyroid Health: Guavas are a good source for copper, which is an important part of regulating thyroid metabolism by helping to control hormone production and absorption. The thyroid gland is one of the most important glands in the body for regulating hormones and organ system function, so guava can help balance your health in many ways.

Constipation: Guava is one of the richest sources of dietary fiber in terms of fruit. Its seeds, if ingested whole or chewed, serve as excellent laxatives. These two properties of guava help the formation of healthy bowel movements, and aid the body in retaining water and thoroughly cleaning your intestines and excretory system. It is said that constipation alone can lead to 72 different types of ailments, so any help with constipation is beneficial. Your total health is undeniably affected by proper digestion, and more importantly, proper excretion. Frequent consumption of guava can ensure both.

Brain Health: Another of the tremendous positive benefits of guavas is the presence of B3 and B6 vitamins. B3 (also known as niacin) can increase blood flow and stimulates cognitive function. B6 is a great nutrient for brain and nerve function. Therefore, eating guava can help you increase brain function and sharpen you focus.

Cough & cold: Juice of raw and immature guavas or a decoction of guava-leaves is very helpful in relieving coughs and colds by reducing mucus, disinfecting the respiratory tract, throat and lungs, and inhibiting microbial activity with its astringent properties. Guava has one of the highest quantities of vitamin-C and iron among fruits, and both are proven to be preventive against colds and viral infections. In some areas of India, roasted ripe guava is used as a remedy against extreme cases of cough, cold, and congestion. Ripe guava should be avoided by people who are suffering from cough and cold, as it can exacerbate the problem, and one should also avoid drinking water immedaitely after eating guava as it can lead to a soar throat.

Skin care: Guavas can improve the texture of your skin and help you to avoid skin problems more than even the highest ranked beauty creams or skin toner gels. This is chiefly due to the abundance of astringents in the fruit (more astringent is present in immature guavas) and in its leaves. Your skin can benefit from either eating the fruits (this helps tighten your muscles apart from your skin) or by rinsing your skin with a decoction of its immature fruit and leaves. It will tone up and tighten the area of loosened skin where you apply it. In addition to the astringents, guava is very rich in vitamin-A, B, C and potassium which are good antioxidants and detoxifiers, which keep your skin glowing and free from signs of premature aging, wrinkles and other dermal disorders.

High blood pressure: Guava helps reduce cholesterol in the blood and prevents it from thickening, thereby maintaining the fluidity of blood and reducing blood pressure. Studies have shown that food lacking fiber (such as refined flour) add to blood pressure, due to its quick conversion to sugar. Guava, being very rich in fiber and hypoglycemic in nature, helps reduce blood pressure.

Other benefits: There are so many health benefits of guava, it is hard to know where to begin. It is important to know that guava helps control diabetes and protects the prostate. The juice of guava leaves has been known to cure toothaches, swollen gums & oral ulcers, and the juice speeds up the healing process of wounds when applied externally. Finally, it reduces the frequency of convulsions, epilepsy, and bacterial infections.

As with many alternative foods and supplements, there is little risk in eating them in natural form, but you must do your due diligence when taking it in medical forms. Be cautious when adding any new medicinal form of guava into your diet, and it is better to stick to eating guava in its natural form as a raw fruit.

Source: organic facts

A Recipe For Fat Flush Water (It Literally Flushes Fat)

A Recipe For Fat Flush Water (It Literally Flushes Fat)

You may have heard some of the hype about “Fat Flush Water.” But how exactly does water flush fat out of your system? Clearly, water is not some kind of magic diet supplement. Your body needs enough water everyday to keep hydrated and cleanse itself of unwanted materials. Fat deposits that form on the body can be tough to break down and eliminate, but proper nutrition and exercise can help greatly with this.

Fat is broken down when the body uses its fat deposits to produce energy, the triglycerides in the fat cells are removed. Then, these are broken down into fatty acids and glycerols and are then absorbed into your muscle tissue and internal organs where they are then broken down even further through various chemical processes. If the products leftover from these chemical processes are not used by the body as energy, they are then considered waste products and need to be removed from the body. This is where the role of water comes in.

The Role Of Water
Water is the vehicle used to remove these waste products from the body. The leftover materials from the fat breakdown are then filtered out of your organs by the water that you drink. The water carries the waste to your bladder where it is then expelled from your body through your urine! Our bodies truly are amazing! It is important to drink enough water each day to keep you hydrated and facilitate the breakdown and elimination of fat cells. Many sources claim that you should be consuming around 8 glasses of water per day, but this number can largely vary depending on your size, how often you are exercising and even how hot it is outside. Try and keep drinking water consistently throughout the day and consider water before soda, fruit juices or other sugary drinks as these can actually dehydrate your body even more. Often a lack of energy and even headaches throughout the day are simply caused by mild dehydration. It is a good idea to make a conscious effort to drink more water. A little extra is definitely better than not enough!

The Fat Flush Water Recipe -And How It Works

  • 2 Liters (64 oz.) Purified Water
  • 1 Tangerine, sectioned
  • 1/2 Grapefruit, sliced
  • 1 Cucumber, sliced
  • 4 Peppermint or Spearmint Leaves
  • Ice, (made from purified water) optional

Mix in a pitcher before bed and drink throughout the entire next day. Please consider using organic produce for this, if it is unavailable to you, thoroughly wash the produce before adding it to the water.

  • The tangerine increases your sensitivity to insulin, stabilizes blood sugar and because they are high in vitamin C, you increase the fat burning during exercise
  • The grapefruit will increase metabolic energy, burn fat and increase energy
  • The cucumber helps you to feel more full, and acts is a natural diuretic which means less bloating and water retention
  • The mint leaves aid in digestion

There you have it! Please be advised that drinking water alone or even this recipe for the water provided above is unlikely to burn fat on its own. This is considered a fat flush, meaning that you will still need to do the exercise that is required to break down the fat, so that it can then be eliminated by the body. Proper nutrition also plays a huge role, its not about restricting calories, but making sure to get enough calories for your body from healthy, lean, whole foods. At the very least, this tasty water recipe will give you some added nutrients throughout the day, and help to ensure that you are drinking enough water.

Source: Collective Evolution

Recipe for Quick Weight Loss, Must Try

Recipe for Quick Weight Loss, Must Try and Share

This red drink, whose basic ingredients are cranberry juice, ginger and lemon, will breath in new life to your liver, cleaning it from toxins and thereby improve the performance of the whole organism. The liver is the largest internal organ that purifies the blood, supports the digestive system, regulate blood sugar and eventually helps for fat deposition and protein production.

Ingredients:

  • Cranberry And Lemon2 liters of cranberry water
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Stevia (1-3 packages)

Preparation:
Boil the cranberry water and reduce the heat to be able to add the spices.
Cook for another 15 minutes and allow to cool to room temperature.
Dilute the juice of oranges and lemons and add stevia. Then store in refrigerator.

The secret in this miracle potion is hidden in the cranberries juice – effective antioxidants and herbs that reduce hunger and juice from oranges and lemons that are real vitamin bomb providing fast weight loss.

 

Stress Slows Metabolism

Stress Slows Metabolism

If you crave chocolate cake or Ben and Jerry’s after a stressful day, you could gain over 10 pounds in a year, warns a new study.

The research, published in Biological Psychiatry, suggests that women burn fewer calories when under stress. The study participants who reported stress also had higher insulin levels.

“This means that, over time, stressors could lead to weight gain,” said Jan Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychiatry and psychology at The Ohio State University and lead author of the study, in a press release. “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.”

Researchers questioned 58 middle-aged women about their stress levels, and then served them a 930-calorie meal, complete with biscuits, gravy and 60 grams of fat. The researchers then measured how long it took the women to burn those calories (their metabolic rate). The stressed-out burned 104 fewer calories than the care-free women.

The researchers also noted that women with a history of depression combined with stress had a bigger rise in triglycerides after the meal. High levels of triglycerides are associated with cardiovascular disease.

“With depression, we found there was an additional layer. In women who had stress the day before and a history of depression, triglycerides after the meal peaked the highest,” Kiecolt-Glaser said. “The double whammy of past depression as well as daily stressors was a really bad combination.”

While it’s unclear whether the effect would be the same in men, it’s probably safer for everyone to reach for a green smoothie after a long day.

Source: discovery news

Do you suffer from the most common eating disorder?

Do you suffer from the most common eating disorder

Have you ever done that thing with food? You know, that thing where you’ve been dieting all day, and you’ve been doing awesome… not one carb, drinking nothing but water with lemon squeezed in, even power walking on your lunch break… and then comes the night

You’re ready to go to sleep. You’ve had an awesome day, you stayed on your diet all day long. The only problem is you can’t sleep. You lay there listening to your stomach grumble, feeling tired, very, very tired. But you’re also wired and your eyes are wide open. You’re staring at the ceiling, obsessing about food and trying really hard not to get out of bed. Finally you get up and go to the fridge. Just a slice of turkey will kick this. Maybe a bite of cereal. Maybe a bowl of cereal. Maybe another bowl of cereal. Maybe the rest of the pint of ice cream. Maybe a peanut butter sandwich or two. And this all happened in front of an open refrigerator in just under 30 minutes. Been there? Been there a lot? If so, you might be dealing with Binge Eating Disorder.

Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder, affecting 5.5 percent of the adult population. So, if you are doing this, you are not alone. You feel alone because you do these behaviors in secrecy, but so are millions of other people. When you suffer from binge eating and emotional eating attacks, food is your drug. You try to stop using by going on diets, but inevitably you wind up back on the streets… or in the Oreos.

But there is hope and it is totally possible to be free from this. Here are some tips to break free from binge eating, stress eating, compulsive eating and emotional eating.

1. Stop dieting right this instant

Diets give you a false sense of control. You’re feeling bad about yourself and you vow to go on a diet. The diet makes you feel as though you have some control but inevitably you don’t. Every time you go on a diet, you set yourself up for bingeing. The 20-billion-dollar weight-loss industry thrives when you mess up your diet and sign up for a new one. Instead, vow to leave the industry behind and get off the hamster wheel of bingeing and dieting.

Do you suffer from the mos2

2. Learn intuitive eating

It’s a little more complex than “eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.” Someone who has been a chronic dieter doesn’t quite know when they are hungry because they have fought to push their hunger away for so long. The best thing to do is to is to start just by paying attention to what is going on in your body. Remember that your body is constantly looking for a fuel source to run on. When it is digesting food, it has fuel. When you are no longer digesting, you are hungry and you need fuel; you are running on empty. Take a few moments out of your day, several times a day, to check in with your body and notice how it’s feeling. When you begin to feel empty in your belly, but before you get to the point of really having your fuel light on, check in with your body and ask it what it needs. Just close your eyes, put your hand over your heart, let your mind sync up with your heartbeat and ask “what do I need?”; your body will tell you.

3. Let go of black-and-white thinking

Chronic dieters tend to have an all-or-nothing approach to food. They talk about “good” days and “bad” days. Like if you were to have a day where you ate ice cream or cookies it would be a bad day, if you had a day where you ate salads and drank water, it would be a good day. Food does not hold a moral value. A cookie doesn’t make you a bad person and a salad doesn’t make you a good person. When a chronic dieter goes off her diet by eating a couple of cookies, it can make her feel like, “Oh well, the whole day is ruined, I might as well finish off the bag now.” When you feel as though you’ve behaved in an unhelpful way with food (unintentionally eating an entire box of cookies), rather than spending the rest of the day bingeing ask yourself, “what’s the next right thing that I can do?” It might be going out and taking a walk, it might be brushing your teeth, it might be calling a friend or making your bed. Rather than making it worse for yourself, make it better. Do the next right thing. Get right back on your bicycle and ride rather than spending the rest of the day laying on the ground.

4. Find support

Talk to a therapist who specializes in treating eating disorders, or find other people who are dealing with the same thing that you are. You can search for a binge eating support group either online or in person. You can do a 12-step group or go to ANAD to find free in-person groups. Because Binge Eating Disorder thrives in isolation, it suffocates when the light is shined on it.

5. Keep binge food out of your home

When you are beginning the process of letting go of binge eating, it is best to take the binge foods out of your house. Make your house a safe zone for a little while. If you were recovering from cocaine addiction, you wouldn’t keep cocaine in your cupboards. It’s the same thing. It’s okay to clear out your home to make it a more hospitable environment for your recovery. It’s not forever, it’s just until you are feeling stronger and more settled in your recovery.

6. Be gentle with yourself

This is a process. The dieting mentality will have you believe that you can lose 10 pounds in two weeks. It thrives on a quick-fix mentality. But let yourself take this process slowly and learn from it. You can recover and you can get through this. Just allow it to take time, and be kind to yourself. Food and diets have been your coping mechanism up to this point. Now it’s time for you to integrate loving kindness as a coping mechanism.

Source: sheknows

6 Snack Habits for Healthy Weight Loss

6 Snack Habits

Snacks, finger foods, tapas, amuse-bouche—however you term them, there’s something endlessly satisfying about munching on little hand-held bites of heaven. Problem is, America’s favorite snacks aren’t little; nor are they heavenly.

In fact, a recent study in the journal Hepatology found that 27 percent of kids’ diets come from high-fat, high-sugar snacks, and the frequent grazing is directly linked to belly fat accumulation. Fortunately, there’s also research to suggest we can snack smartly—and slim down.

Here are seven tips that will help you Eat It to Beat It! Snack-tastic!

Watch the clock

Having a bite to hold you over til lunch is common practice, but a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that mid-morning snackers tended to snack more throughout the day than afternoon snackers, resulting in hindered weight-loss efforts.

Afternoon snacking was associated with a slightly higher intake of fiber and fruits and vegetables.

Color code your snacks

A recent study suggests you can avoid a mindless binge by adding visual traffic lights to your snack.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University gave one set of students a bowl of uniform yellow chips, while another group had their regular snack layered with differently colored chips. Students who had their snack segmented ate 50 percent less than those with a uniform bowl.

Muscle up your munchies

Make sure your snack contains protein, which requires more energy to burn than carbs or fats and thus keeps you fuller longer.

But don’t take it from me: In a study in the journal Appetite, researchers from the University of Missouri compared the satiety effects of high-, moderate-, and low-protein yogurts on 24- to 28-year-old women, and found Greek yogurt, with the highest protein content, to have the greatest effect.

Swap hands

Want to snack less without going snackless? Try the left-handed diet (or right-handed…)

A study printed in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found moviegoers grabbed for less popcorn when doing so with their non-dominant hand.

I tested the hypothesis myself earlier this year with the ABC World News team and came to the same conclusion: Eating with your non-dominant hand makes you think about what you’re doing, and may help you eat less.

Use smaller bowls

Grabbing handfuls from the bag is never a good idea, but munching from a punch bowl won’t do much for weight loss either.

Research in The FASEB Journal suggests that overeating may be associated with the size of our serveware. Participants who were given larger bowls, served and ate 16 percent more than those given smaller bowls. Not only that, the big-bowlers underestimated just how much they were eating by 7 percent!

Take advantage of the visual illusion with belly-friendly bowls or ramekins.

Source: yahoo news

Weight loss at any age great for your heart!

weight loss

It’s never too late to lose weight because doing so improves the health of your heart – no matter how old you are.
Researchers found weight loss at any age in adulthood is worthwhile because it gives long-term heart and vascular benefits.

In contrast, the longer an individual is overweight, the more likely they are to have cardiovascular problems in later life, including high blood pressure and greater risk of diabetes.

Adults who went from being obese to overweight, or from overweight to normal on the BMI scale reduced the strain on their cardiovascular system, says the research published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

Experts recommend lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet and more exercise, to lose weight while stressing that preventing weight gain in the first place is still the best strategy.

The research examined the impact of lifelong patterns of weight change on cardiovascular risk factors in a group of 1,273 British men and women, followed since their birth in March 1946.

It showed that the longer the exposure to excess body fat, known as adiposity, in adulthood the greater the chances of cardiovascular problems in later life.

These problems included thicker arteries, raised blood pressure and increased risk of diabetes.

But heart health markers improved for each drop in BMI, for example from the obese category to simply overweight, even if the weight loss was not sustained.

Lead author Professor John Deanfield, from University College London, said: ‘Our study is unique because it followed individuals for such a long time, more than 60 years, and allowed us to assess the effect of modest, real-life changes in adiposity.

‘Our findings suggest that losing weight at any age can result in long-term cardiovascular health benefits, and support public health strategies and lifestyle modifications that help individuals who are overweight or obese to lose weight at all ages.’

He added: ‘Weight loss at any age in adulthood is worthwhile because it might result in long-term cardiovascular benefit.’
In a commentary with the research, Elizabeth Cespedes and Frank Hu from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, US, said it was ‘encouraging’ that even transitory weight loss has benefits.
They said: ‘The results of this study affirm a continued emphasis on public health policies that enable lifestyle changes to achieve and to maintain a healthy BMI.’

The study was funded by the Medical Research Council and the British Heart Foundation.

People are most likely to gain weight in middle age, a survey has found. The danger year is 38 for women and 44 for men, according to diet firm Forza Supplements.

Source: daily mail

Weight-loss tamarind and anti-depressants a deadly mix

health-weight-loss-tamarind-and-anti-depressants-deadly-mix

Are you taking weight-loss supplements while on anti-depressants? Take caution because the popular weight-loss supplement garcinia cambogia — famously known as Malabar tamarind — could lead to toxicity in the body.

Previous studies have shown that garcinia cambogia may, in fact, increase the levels of serotonin — a neurotransmitter.

New research found that taking the supplement in combination with anti-depressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) — which also cause serotonin levels to rise — could lead to serotonin toxicity.

“People who are taking SSRIs should not use garcinia cambogia at least until further research is done,” said D. Robert Hendrickson, a toxicologist at Oregon Health and Sciences University.

In India, garcinia cambogia is better known as Malabar tamarind.

This fruit originated in Indonesia, but is grown and cultivated along the western ghats of Kerala. Sri Lanka and Malaysia are also well acquainted with the garcinia cambogia.

The hydroxycitric acid (HCA) compound in the fruit is touted as a fat-burning, metabolism-boosting, appetite-suppressing weight-loss product.

“If I had a family member or a patient who was considering starting Garcinia and they were on an SSRI, I would recommend that they do not do it for now,” a Live Science report quoted Hendrickson as saying.

The study appeared in the Journal of Medical Toxicrotonin toxicity, Serotonin, Toxic food

5 kitchen essentials for dieters

If you are hoping to shed some weight before summer these kitchen basics can help:

Non-stick pan

Cooking with a non-stick pan makes it easy to cut excess calories and fat because you don’t have to grease it with oil or butter.

Measuring tools

Measure out a one-cup serving of cereal and you may realize you’ve been filling your usual cereal bowl with about three cups! Using a measuring cup and measuring spoons makes portion control simple.

Food scale

A kitchen scale lets you gauge the proper portion of foods such as meats, poultry and fish based on their weight.

Spritzer bottle

Though olive oil is heart-healthy, the fact remains that one tablespoon contains 120 calories and 14 grams of fat. Instead of pouring oil directly on your food give it a spritz or two. You’ll still enjoy plenty of flavor while using a lot less oil at only 5 calories per spritz.

Tall glasses

Studies have shown that people tend to pour less into a tall, slender glass than they do using a short wide glass. A tall drink is apt to be more satisfying too, simply because it seems big.

Source: Pick news