Health study: Stop couch surfing and you’ll eat less junk food
Simply getting your butt off the couch means you’ll munch fewer cookies.
That’s the finding of a new Northwestern Medicine study, which shows that simply changing one bad habit has a domino effect on others. Knock down your sedentary leisure time and you’ll reduce junk food and saturated fat intake because you’re no longer glued to the TV and noshing. It’s a two-for-one benefit because the behaviours are closely related.
The study, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, investigated the most effective way to spur people to change common bad health habits: eating too much saturated fat and not enough fruits and vegetables. And spending too much leisure time in sedentary activity while not getting enough physical activity.
It found that the most effective way to rehab a delinquent lifestyle requires two key behaviour changes — cutting time spent in front of a TV or computer screen, and eating more fruits and vegetables.
“Just cutting two lifestyle changes has a big overall effect and people don’t get overwhelmed,” said lead author Bonnie Spring, a professor of preventative medicine.
Women over 30 more likely to have sex after first date
If you are over 30, there is a better chance he is going to get lucky after your first date, according to new research.
Half a unit of alcohol a day best for health
(Medical Xpress) — Cutting the amount we drink to just over half a unit a day could save 4,600 lives a year in England, according to a modelling study by Oxford University researchers published in the journal BMJ Open.
Half a unit of alcohol is as little as a quarter of a glass of wine, or a quarter of a pint. That’s much lower than current government recommendations of between 3 to 4 units a day for men and 2–3 units for women.
The researchers set out to find the optimum daily amount of alcohol that would see fewest deaths across England from a whole range of diseases connected to drink. Previous studies have often looked at the separate effects of alcohol on heart disease, liver disease or cancers in isolation.
“Although there is good evidence that moderate alcohol consumption protects against heart disease, when all of the chronic disease risks are balanced against each other, the optimal consumption level is much lower than many people believe,” says lead author Dr. Melanie Nichols of the BHF Health Promotion Research Group in the Department of Public Health at Oxford University.
The team used a mathematical model to assess what impact changing average alcohol consumption would have on deaths from 11 conditions known to be at least partially linked to drink.
STUDY : Regular Exercise May Raise Risk for 1 of 10
Regular exercise may increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes in some people, potentially uncovering a group of individuals genetically predisposed to suffer from working out, researchers said.
While most benefit from physical activity, 8 percent to 13 percent of individuals had a worse level of blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides or insulin after exercise, according to the study published by the journal PloS. All of the body indicators measured are risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.
“The causes of the phenomenon are unknown,” the study authors wrote.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults log 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week for “substantial health benefits,” according to its 2008 guidelines.
“Being physically active is one of the most important steps that Americans of all ages can take to improve their health,” the department said on its website.
Daily ‘Dose’ of Dark Chocolate Might Shield the Heart
There’s more sweet news about chocolate and your health: A new study suggests that eating a bit of dark chocolate each day may cut the odds of heart attack and stroke in high-risk people.
Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids, antioxidant substances known to have heart protective effects. Until now, the potential benefits of dark chocolate on heart health have only been examined in short-term studies.
In the new study, Australian researchers used a mathematical model to predict the long-term health effects of daily consumption of dark chocolate among more than 2,000 people who had high blood pressure and what’s known as the “metabolic syndrome” — a group of conditions that increase a person’s risk of heart disease and diabetes.
STUDY : Kids Boost Activity Level When Around Active Friends
Children with more-active friends tend to raise their own levels of physical activity, according to a new study.
Experts say the finding could help create interventions to curb the growing rates of childhood obesity.
To conduct the study, researchers interviewed 81 children ages 5 to 12, who were enrolled in after-school programs, and asked about their friendships. The kids also wore devices called accelerometers to monitor their activity at three points in time over the course of the 12-week study.
“By far, the greatest influence on how active kids are is what their friends are doing,” said study author Sabina Gesell, a research assistant professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “In our study, they were six times more likely to adjust their behavior to be like their friends than they were not to.”
Study: Snacking on Raisins Controls Hunger, Promotes Satiety in Children
New research recently announced at the Canadian Nutrition Society annual meeting in Vancouver, B.C., suggests eating raisins as an after-school snack prevents excessive calorie intake and increases satiety – or feeling of fullness – as compared to other commonly consumed snacks.
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The study, funded by a grant from the California Raisin Marketing Board, was conducted among 26 normal-weight boys and girls ages 8 – 11 during a three-month timeframe. Study participants were randomly assigned to eat raisins or other snacks, including grapes, potato chips or chocolate chip cookies, until they were comfortably full. Additionally, each child received the same standardized breakfast, morning snack and lunch on test days. Subjective appetite was measured before and immediately after snack consumption at 15-minute intervals. Key study findings include:
Food intake following raisin consumption was lower and satiation greater compared to the other snacks
When eating raisins, children consumed significantly fewer calories when compared to the other snacks in the study
Grapes, potato chips and cookies resulted in ~ 56 percent, 70 percent and 108 percent higher calorie intake compared to raisins, respectively
Cumulative calorie intake (breakfast + morning snack + lunch + after-school snack) was 10 percent – 19 percent lower after raisins compared to other snacks
Although all snacks reduced subjective appetite, desire-to-eat was lowest after consuming raisins
Study justifies optimised spray drying for enzymes and probiotics
Research into the optimisation of single droplet spray drying could aid the production of powdered formulations containing heat-sensitive ingredients such as enzymes and probiotics, according to a new review.
The study – published in Trends in Food Science & Technology – noted that while spray drying methods could be applied to heat sensitive ingredients, such as enzymes and probiotic bacteria, in industrial practice freeze drying or other freezing processes are often preferred.
“The reason is that optimum drying conditions and tailored matrix formulations are required to avoid severe heat damage leading to loss in enzyme activity or reduced survival of bacteria,” said the researchers.
However the team, led by Maarten Schutyser of Wageningen University in The Netherlands, noted that optimisation of the spray drying process, including use of a single droplet drying process and utilisation of stabilisation mechanisms such as carbohydrate-rich formulations could help to provide a better spray drying process for enzyme and probiotic bacteria.
Improve your quality of life with Mediterranean diet
While it’s been well-established that the Mediterranean diet is good for the heart and body, a new study has found it’s also good for the soul.
Published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition and released May 29, the study found that a diet based on fish, olive oil, fruits, vegetables, pulses and nuts is positively linked to mental health and quality of life.
For their research, Spanish scientists tracked the lives of more than 11,000 university students over four years. Dietary intake of the participants was taken at the beginning of the study and self-perceived quality of life was measured after the four-year monitoring period.
The results showed that those who stuck to a more Mediterranean diet scored higher on the quality of life questionnaire in categories of physical and mental well-being, compared to those who followed non-Mediterranean diets.
Meanwhile, a Swedish review of four studies last year concluded that a diet rich in vegetables and fish can also lengthen a person’s lifespan by two to three years.
Want to include more Mediterranean elements to your diet? Follow the Mediterranean pyramid based on cereals, fruits and vegetables, and dairy products. Fish, lean meats and eggs should be the main source of protein, while olive oil should be the principal fat used in cooking.
Followers should drink 1.5 to 2 liters of water daily, and moderate consumption of wine or other fermented beverages.
At the top of the pyramid are sugar, sweets, cakes, pastries and sweetened beverages, which should be kept to a minimum.
Canned Foods Offer Needed Nutrients for a Greater Return on Investment
When looking to get the most nutrient bang for your buck, look no further than the canned food aisle of your local grocery store. A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, May 2012, found that not only are most canned foods less expensive than their fresh, frozen and dried counterparts, but many also offer a more convenient way to get much-needed nutrients. For example, when purchase price, waste and preparation time are considered, canned tomatoes cost 60 percent less than fresh tomatoes to get the same amount of fiber.
The study, commissioned by the Canned Food Alliance (CFA), looked at the total cost of commonly used canned food and compared it to fresh, frozen and dried fruits, vegetables, beans and tuna. The research factored in not only actual grocery dollars spent, but also the value of the time required to prepare the food (cleaning, chopping, cooking, etc.) and the cost of the waste (pits, stems, cobs, seeds, etc.). Building on that information, the study authors analyzed the cost-per-nutrient of several key nutrients including protein, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and folate.
“Canned foods contain the same important nutrients as fresh, frozen and dried varieties do,” says lead study author Dr. Cathy Kapica, adjunct professor of nutrition at Tufts University and science advisor to the CFA. “The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans calls for an increase in fruits, vegetables, fiber, and seafood. This study shows families can help meet their dietary goals and often get the nutrition they need at a lower cost when they purchase canned foods. This is especially true when price, waste and the value of preparation time are considered. Recommendations for achieving a healthy diet, particularly for those with interest in saving time and money, should include all forms (canned, fresh, frozen and dried) of fruits, vegetables, beans and seafood.”
Soy Formula Safe For Babies, But Breastfeeding Still Best
Despite theoretical concerns about brain development in babies fed soy protein-based formula, a new report says they do just as well as babies given milk-based formula.
Breastfed infants still have an advantage over both groups of formula-fed babies in terms of cognitive development.
“While we feel there are significant benefits to breastfeeding, parents who cannot or do not breastfeed should not feel guilty or worried that their children will have adverse growth and development outcomes,” said report author Thomas Badger, director of the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center. (Badger is also a member of the science advisory board for the Soy Nutrition Institute.)
In the study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, researchers tracked nearly 400 babies at three-month intervals over their first year of life. They tested the babies’ progress using infant development and expressive communication scales, adjusting for such factors as the mother’s age, IQ and socioeconomic status.
