Friday, March 29, 2013

Eating more fiber may lower risk of first-time stroke

Eating more fiber may lower risk of first-time stroke: AHA journal article of industry-funded study


Eating more fiber may decrease your risk of first-time stroke, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.
Dietary fiber is the part of the plant that the body doesn’t absorb during digestion. Fiber can be soluble, which means it dissolves in water, or insoluble.
Previous research has shown that dietary fiber may help reduce risk factors for stroke, including high blood pressure and high blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) “bad” cholesterol.
In the new study, researchers found that each seven-gram increase in total daily fiber intake was associated with a 7 percent decrease in first-time stroke risk. One serving of whole wheat pasta, plus two servings of fruits or vegetables, provides about 7 grams of fiber, researchers said.
“Greater intake of fiber-rich foods – such as whole-grains, fruits, vegetables and nuts – are important for everyone, and especially for those with stroke risk factors like being overweight, smoking and having high blood pressure,” said Diane Threapleton, M.Sc., lead author of the study and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Leeds’ School of Food Science & Nutrition in Leeds, United Kingdom.
Researchers analyzed eight studies published between 1990-2012. Studies reported on all types of stroke with four specifically examining the risk of ischemic stroke, which occurs when a clot blocks a blood vessel to the brain. Three assessed hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel bleeds into the brain or on its surface.
Findings from the observational studies were combined and accounted for other stroke risk factors like age and smoking.
The results were based on total dietary fiber. Researchers did not find an association with soluble fiber and stroke risk, and lacked enough data on insoluble fiber to make any conclusions.
The average daily fiber intake among U.S. adults is lower than the American Heart Association’s recommendation of at least 25 grams per day. Six to eight servings of grains and eight to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables can provide the recommended amount.
“Most people do not get the recommended level of fiber, and increasing fiber may contribute to lower risk for strokes,” Threapleton said. “We must educate consumers on the continued importance of increasing fiber intake and help them learn how to increase fiber in their diet.”
In the United States, stroke is the fourth leading cause of death, killing more than 137,000 people annually. Among survivors, the disease is a leading cause of disability.
In addition to following a nutritious diet, the American Heart Association recommends being physically active and avoiding tobacco to help prevent stroke and other heart and blood vessel diseases.

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Co-authors are: Darren C. Greenwood, Ph.D.; Charlotte E.L. Evans, Ph.D.; Christine L. Cleghorn, M.Sc.; Camilla Nykjaer, M.Sc.; Charlotte Woodhead, M.Sc.; Janet E. Cade, Ph.D.; Christopher P. Gale, Ph.D.; and Victoria J. Burley, Ph.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.
The U.K. Department of Health for England and Kellogg Marketing and Sales Company (UK) Ltd. funded the study.
Source

The Omni Diet

The Omni Diet: The Revolutionary 70% PLANT + 30% PROTEIN Program to Lose Weight, Reverse Disease, Fight Inflammation, and Change Your Life Forever


Editor’s Note
We have no idea whether this new book, or any of the books that we mention, has any merit.
We do not have the time or the staff to read them, vet them, or check them out in any way.
We just find them and present them.
However, we will make this one observation concerning titles such as this. These longramblingchiefcook&bottlewasherthisisthesolutiontoalloftheworld’sproblems titles do no one any good. They demean, in many cases, lots of good work by the people who wrote the book and they lay bare, in most cases, the weakness and defensiveness of the publishing houses, who should trust their authors more (or don’t hire them, for crying out loud). Seriously, these titles are like the Saturday Night Live commercial for that liquid goop that was everything for everybody, including a floor wax.
Memo to the marketing department: find a key concept in the book, somwehere. The one that says it all. (An old professor mine. John D. Post, once said that every book ever written contans that one sentence.) MAKE THAT THE TITLE.
That way, you stand out a little from the crowd. And if you really have something that is good, the word will travel, and it will sell.
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By the time she had reached her mid-30s, Tana Amen had nearly given up on good health. Through a lifetime of chronic medical ailments, including severe digestive issues, recurrent infections and, most devastatingly, a battle with thyroid cancer, there was never a point when Tana felt consistently healthy. Doctors ascribed her poor health to genetics, bad luck, and a family history of obesity and heart disease. But even when Tana committed to a standard fitness and eating regimen, her health failed to improve.That’s when she realized that she needed to make a real change. She needed to figure out how to improve her health . . . for good.
The Omni Diet is the culmination of a decade-long quest by Tana Amen to study the relationship between food and the body, and to understand how proper nutrition not only impacts weight loss, but actually holds the key to reversing chronic disease, decreasing inflammation, healing the body, and dramatically improving quality of life.
So what is The Omni Diet?
It’s an easy-to-follow plan based on a 70/30 plant-to-protein model. This is not a restrictive diet or another page in the high-protein vs. vegetarian diet wars, but a universal map to better health, one that Tana has distilled into a lean six-week program. It offers a simple plan that provides an abundance of illness-fighting nutrients from plant-based foods and high-quality protein to keep the brain sharp and muscles and organs functioning at peak condition. The balance of 70% plant-based foods and 30% protein restores energy, slashes risk of disease, optimizes brain and hormone functioning, produces dramatic weight loss, and promotes health from the inside out.
With delicious and satisfying recipes, easy-to-follow exercises, and important advice and tips, you will see results — in your weight and overall health – immediately. Follow this revolutionary, paradigm-shifting plan and experience its life-changing results as you unleash the healing power of food.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Easter sugar-overload avoidance strategies

 


Newswise — As Easter approaches, many parents may not want their children indulging in candy-filled eggs and Easter baskets full of sugary treats. Too much sugar can pose serious risks to children’s dental and behavioral health, risks that can be minimized by some careful thought and planning, Vanderbilt experts say.
“Generally, we recommend not having too much sugar in the mouth—the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gingivitis use sugar to survive in our mouth,” said Richard Shin, D.D.S., assistant professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery .
And because some children may not have as diligent tooth brushing habits as adults, they tend to have significantly more plaque—where bacteria makes its home—on their tooth surface. So eating too much Easter candy and not brushing will cause candy debris and plaque to linger around and expose the teeth to bacterial byproducts which can be very damaging, he said.
Shin advises supervising teeth brushing in children so that they aim the toothbrush bristles around the gums where the plaque is most common, making sure that they brush the whole mouth, including the insides of teeth, and that they spend at least seven to eight seconds going back and forth per tooth.
Not only can the candy consumed on Easter and in the weeks after be detrimental to dental health, but sugar overloads can pose issues for children’s general health and behavior.
Vanderbilt’s Lindy Fenlason, M.D., MPH, assistant professor of Pediatrics, warns that allowing too much sugar can cause children to act aggressively, have difficulty focusing, and be generally hyperactive. And once children experience large sugar loads, they tend to crave increasing amounts of sugar, resulting in an unpleasant cycle for parents and children.
Fenlason said some candy is fine, “as long as it is given in moderation.” She advises that variety might be the key to keeping children happy without going overboard. “For example, instead of giving an entire bag of jellybeans, give them a smaller amount but with several different flavors. This will make them feel as if they are eating several different candies, while keeping their sugar intake relatively low.”
Fenlason also suggests that parents focus on not making candy the center of the holiday. They might consider including bright and fun toys, like jump ropes or playground balls, in their Easter baskets. That way, in addition to limiting sugar consumption, they’ll feel encouraged to do something active.

A new way to lose weight, from Harvard, MGH, involves microbe transplant?

 


New research, conducted in collaboration with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, has found that the gut microbes of mice undergo drastic changes following gastric bypass surgery. Transfer of these microbes into sterile mice resulted in rapid weight loss. The study is described in a March 27 paper in Science Translational Medicine.
“Simply by colonizing mice with the altered microbial community, the mice were able to maintain a lower body fat, and lose weight – about 20% as much as they would if they underwent surgery,” said Peter Turnbaugh, a Bauer Fellow at Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Center for Systems Biology, and one of two senior authors of the paper.
But as striking as those results were, they weren’t as dramatic as they might have been.
“In some ways we were biasing the results against weight loss,” Turnbaugh said, explaining that the mice used in the study hadn’t been given a high-fat, high-sugar diet to increase their weight beforehand. “The question is whether we might have seen a stronger effect if they were on a different diet.”
“Our study suggests that the specific effects of gastric bypass on the microbiota contribute to its ability to cause weight loss and that finding ways to manipulate microbial populations to mimic those effects could become a valuable new tool to address obesity,” said Lee Kaplan, director of the Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition Institute at MGH and the other senior author of the paper.
“We need to learn a good deal more about the mechanisms by which a microbial population changed by gastric bypass exert its effects, and then we need to learn if we can produce these effects – either the microbial changes or the associated metabolic changes – without surgery,” Kaplan, an associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, added. “The ability to achieve even some of these effects without surgery would give us an entirely new way to treat the critical problem of obesity, one that could help patients unable or unwilling to have surgery.”
While the results were exciting, Turnbaugh warned that it may be years before they could be replicated in humans, and that such microbial changes shouldn’t be viewed as a way to lose those stubborn last 10 pounds without going to the gym. Rather, the technique may one day offer hope to dangerously obese people who want to lose weight without going through the trauma of surgery.
“It may not be that we will have a magic pill that will work for everyone who’s slightly overweight,” he said. “But if we can, at a minimum, provide some alternative to gastric bypass surgery that produces similar effects, it would be a major advance.”
While there had been hints that the microbes in the gut might change after bypass surgery, the speed and extent of the change came as a surprise to the research team.
In earlier experiments, researchers had shown that the guts of both lean and obese mice are populated by varying amounts of two types of bacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. When mice undergo gastric bypass surgery, however, it “resets the whole picture,” Turnbaugh said.
“The post-bypass community was dominated by Proteobacteria and Proteobacteria, and had relatively low levels of Firmicutes,” he said. What’s more, Turnbaugh said, those changes occurred within a week of the surgery, and weren’t short-lived – the altered gut microbial community remained stable for months afterward.
While the results may hold out the hope for weight loss without surgery, both Turnbaugh and Kaplan warned that future studies are needed to understand exactly what is behind the weight loss seen in mice.
“A major gap in our knowledge is the underlying mechanism linking microbes to weight loss,” Turnbaugh said. “There were certain microbes that we found at higher abundance after surgery, so we think those are good targets for beginning to understand what’s taking place.”
In fact, Turnbaugh said, the answer may not be the specific types of microbes, but a by-product they excrete.
In addition to changes in the microbes found in the gut, researchers found changes in the concentration of certain short-chain fatty acids. Other studies, Turnbaugh said, have suggested that those molecules may be critical in signaling to the host to speed up metabolism, or not to store excess calories as fat.
Going forward, Turnbaugh and Kaplan hope to continue to explore those questions.
“We think such studies will allow us to understand how host/microbial interactions in general can influence the outcome of a given diet,” Kaplan said. “To some degree, what we’re learning is a comfort for people who have an issue with their weight, because more and more we’re learning that the story is more complicated than just how much you exercise and how much you eat.”
Source

Mindfulness may lower the stress hormone cortisol

 


Focusing on the present rather than letting the mind drift may help to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, suggests new research from the Shamatha Project at the University of California, Davis.
The ability to focus mental resources on immediate experience is an aspect of mindfulness, which can be improved by meditation training.
“This is the first study to show a direct relation between resting cortisol and scores on any type of mindfulness scale,” said Tonya Jacobs, a postdoctoral researcher at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain and first author of a paper describing the work, published this week in the journal Health Psychology.
High levels of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland, are associated with physical or emotional stress. Prolonged release of the hormone contributes to wide-ranging, adverse effects on a number of physiological systems.
The new findings are the latest to come from the Shamatha Project, a comprehensive long-term, control-group study of the effects of meditation training on mind and body.
Led by Clifford Saron, associate research scientist at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain, the Shamatha Project has drawn the attention of both scientists and Buddhist scholars including the Dalai Lama, who has endorsed the project.
In the new study, Jacobs, Saron and their colleagues used a questionnaire to measure aspects of mindfulness among a group of volunteers before and after an intensive, three-month meditation retreat. They also measured cortisol levels in the volunteers’ saliva.
During the retreat, Buddhist scholar and teacher B. Alan Wallace of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies trained participants in such attentional skills as mindfulness of breathing, observing mental events, and observing the nature of consciousness. Participants also practiced cultivating benevolent mental states, including loving kindness, compassion, empathic joy and equanimity.
At an individual level, there was a correlation between a high score for mindfulness and a low score in cortisol both before and after the retreat. Individuals whose mindfulness score increased after the retreat showed a decrease in cortisol.
“The more a person reported directing their cognitive resources to immediate sensory experience and the task at hand, the lower their resting cortisol,” Jacobs said.
The research did not show a direct cause and effect, Jacobs emphasized. Indeed, she noted that the effect could run either way — reduced levels of cortisol could lead to improved mindfulness, rather than the other way around. Scores on the mindfulness questionnaire increased from pre- to post-retreat, while levels of cortisol did not change overall.
According to Jacobs, training the mind to focus on immediate experience may reduce the propensity to ruminate about the past or worry about the future, thought processes that have been linked to cortisol release.
“The idea that we can train our minds in a way that fosters healthy mental habits and that these habits may be reflected in mind-body relations is not new; it’s been around for thousands of years across various cultures and ideologies,” Jacobs said. “However, this idea is just beginning to be integrated into Western medicine as objective evidence accumulates. Hopefully, studies like this one will contribute to that effort.”
Saron noted that in this study, the authors used the term “mindfulness” to refer to behaviors that are reflected in a particular mindfulness scale, which was the measure used in the study.
“The scale measured the participants’ propensity to let go of distressing thoughts and attend to different sensory domains, daily tasks, and the current contents of their minds. However, this scale may only reflect a subset of qualities that comprise the greater quality of mindfulness, as it is conceived across various contemplative traditions,” he said.
Previous studies from the Shamatha Project have shown that the meditation retreat had positive effects on visual perception, sustained attention, socio-emotional well-being, resting brain activity and on the activity of telomerase, an enzyme important for the long-term health of body cells.
Source

For type 1 diabetics, dietary fat can affect insulin requirements

 


Newswise — BOSTON – March 27, 2013 – In a study of patients with type 1 diabetes, Joslin researchers found that dietary fat can affect glucose levels and insulin requirements. These findings, which appeared in the April edition of Diabetes Care, have major implications for the management of type 1 diabetes.
Research has shown that dietary fat and free fatty acids (FFAs) impair insulin sensitivity and increase glucose production. Most studies have focused on the role of fat in the development of type 2 diabetes. However, studies of people with type 1 diabetes have shown that higher-fat pizza meals cause hyperglycemia hours after being consumed.
In reviews of continuous glucose monitoring and food log data from adult patients with type 1 diabetes, Joslin clinicians observed that “several hours after eating high-fat meals, glucose levels went up,” says study lead author Howard Wolpert, MD, Senior Physician in the Joslin Clinic Section on Adult Diabetes and the Director of the Insulin Pump Program at Joslin. “We wanted to determine the underlying cause of these unexplained fluctuations.”
Seven participants (adults with type 1 diabetes with an average age of 55) successfully completed the study. They spent two days at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center eating carefully controlled meals and having their glucose and insulin levels monitored.
All breakfasts and lunches featured identical low-fat content. The two dinners had identical carbohydrate and protein content but one was low-fat and the other high-fat. For two 18-hour periods beginning before dinner, participants had their insulin automatically regulated by a closed-loop system and their glucose and plasma insulin levels tested at frequent intervals.
Study results showed that participants required more insulin after eating the high-fat dinner than the low-fat dinner (12.6 units compared to 9 units). In contrast, the two breakfast meals required similar insulin doses. Despite the increased insulin, participants had greater hyperglycemia after the high-fat dinner with insulin levels elevated five to ten hours after the meal. The average increase in insulin was 42 percent with significant individual differences.
“These findings highlight the limitations of basing mealtime insulin dosing for type 1 diabetes solely on carbohydrate intake,” says Dr. Wolpert. “We need to consider fat as well as carbohydrates in insulin dosing calculations as well as in nutritional recommendations.”
Dr. Wolpert and the research team are about to start a new study funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation that aims to define optimal insulin dosages for higher-fat meals. Participants will eat controlled high-fat meals and receive increasingly higher doses of insulin until the optimum dose is determined. “We are looking to identify individual patient characteristics that influence how much additional insulin individuals with type 1 diabetes need to cover high-fat meals,” he says. “As we learn more about how dietary fat affects insulin control, we will apply our findings to improve treatment recommendations and outcomes for patients with diabetes.”
They are also planning an intervention study to assess whether reducing fat intake would optimize glucose control. In the coming months, Dr. Wolpert also anticipates developing new guidelines for clinicians and patients to enable them to determine whether high-fat foods are a factor in glucose control and make appropriate nutritional changes.
The study was funded by the Scripps Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center, and the National Center for Research Resources.

Eating disorders, muscle dysmorphia, and self-perceived masculinity

 


Self perceived masculinity is higher in men with muscle dysmorphia, popularly called ‘bigorexia’, than other gym users, while male patients with anorexia nervosa had elevated association with feminine stereotypes, finds research in Biomed Central’s open access journal Journal of Eating Disorders.
Research over the last several decades has shown that increasingly men are admitting to being unhappy with their body image. This may show itself in either a desire to lose weight and become thinner, or to gain weight and become more muscular. This can become harmful when the person eats unhealthily or abuses steroids, or when the compulsion for exercise can override normal life resulting in loss of sleep, quality of life, and even in an inability to hold a normal job.
Previously it has been thought that sexuality was one of the main driving forces behind body dysmorphia in men. But this study suggests that how men view themselves is more important.
Researchers from the Australian National University and University of Sydney used a questionnaire designed to identify how the study participants viewed themselves in comparison to culturally accepted stereotypes of masculine thoughts and behaviors. The results showed that men with a high drive for muscularity (as in muscle dysmorphia) had a greater preference for traditional masculine roles, whereas men with a high desire for thinness (as in anorexia nervosa) displayed greater adherence to traditional feminine roles.
Dr Stuart Murray from the Redleaf Practice, who led this study, explained, “This does not mean that that the men with anorexia were any less masculine, nor that the men with muscle dysmorphia were less feminine than the control subjects we recruited. It is however an indication of the increasing pressures men are under to define their masculinity in the modern world.”
Source

A new era in sports science journals

A new era in sports science journals: the launch of BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation


Open access publisher BioMed Central is proud to announce the launch of BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, another addition to the BMC-series portfolio.
The journal’s scope includes all aspects of sports medicine and the exercise sciences, including rehabilitation, traumatology, cardiology, physiology, and nutrition. It is journal policy to publish work deemed by peer reviewers to be a coherent and sound addition to scientific knowledge and to put less emphasis on interest levels, provided that the research constitutes a useful contribution to the field.
Deborah Kahn, BioMed Central’s Publishing Director says, “This new journal is intended to move the BMC series into an exciting and fast growing field. The broad scope and open access nature of BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation offers authors and readers from a wide range of disciplines a unique venue to serve their communities’ needs.”
BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation also incorporates the recently closed Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Rehabilitation, Therapy & Technology (SMARTT) with an expanded scope and new Editorial Board. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation will fill its own niche in the BMC series alongside other companion journals including BMC Physiology, BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders and BMC Surgery.
The launch articles reflect the breadth and scope of the new journal and include a study on the ‘Determinants of pain, functional limitations and health-related quality of life six months after total knee arthroplasty’ by François Desmeules et al. and an interview with Section Editor Michael Carmont examining the discipline of sports traumatology research. A systematic review by Emily Churton and Justin W Keogh also published amongst the launch articles highlights the constraints influencing sports wheelchair propulsion performance and injury risk.
BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation fills a key niche in the sports science field and Per Renstrom, PhD, Emeritus Professor at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has said, “Sports Medicine by its very nature is multidisciplinary and the new BMC Sports Science, Medicine, and Rehabilitation with its broad scope and inclusive editorial policy will offer a home for diverse research in this area. The field of sports science and medicine is an area with a very high public interest and the transparent open peer review process on the journal shall provide a greater trust in the research the journal reports.”
BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation is accepting submissions; please use the online submission system to submit your manuscript. For all enquiries about the journal, please contact: newjournals@biomedcentral.com.
Source

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

New specialty certifications in sports conditioning, functional training from ACE

New specialty certifications in sports conditioning, functional training from ACE


SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–About 11,000 people receive treatment at emergency departments every day in the United States for injuries sustained during sports, recreation or exercise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In an effort to reverse that statistic, American Council on Exercise (ACE) has designed two Specialty Certifications aimed at helping personal trainers, group fitness instructors, health coaches, registered nurses, physical therapists and a wide range of other professionals prepare athletes for competition and millions of others for activities of daily living.
“Many of the injuries people experience every day – low-back pain, ankle sprains, Runner’s Knee, Achilles tendinitis – can be prevented with proper conditioning,” said ACE President and CEO Scott Goudeseune. “Our specialty certifications provide in-depth information for health and fitness professionals who work with not only elite athletes, fitness enthusiasts and young competitors, but also a wide range of others who have trouble lifting groceries, playing with their children or even getting out of bed in the morning.”
Curriculum for Specialty Certifications in Sports Conditioning and Functional Training addresses core strength, agility and balance coordination, specific resistance training movements for the upper and lower body, hydration strategies, nutrition, functional movement, program design, posture and flexibility.

Browse all of the ACE materials that are available on Amazon

The ACE Sports Conditioning Specialty Certification is intended for any professional interested in developing programs that help people improve their athletic performance. That could mean high school or community league athletic coaches who want players to improve speed and strength, first responders who need to boost their endurance, or fitness professionals preparing clients for a sports season or a personal goal.
Becoming an ACE Functional Training Specialist will help fitness and allied health professionals garner a deeper understanding of how to train the body to move more efficiently. Whether it’s improving core function to give clients an edge in athletic competition or boosting balance to help older adults work in their home gardens without pain, functional training can help all adults improve movement efficiency.
Specialty certifications were created based on public demand and the knowledge ACE experts believe a well-rounded specialist should possess. To earn a specialty certification, health and fitness professionals must complete a series of individual courses created by ACE and its educational partners. Sports Conditioning and Functional Training Specialty Certifications are each equivalent to 2.5 continuing education credits (25 hours of professional development).
For more information, call (800) 825-3636 or visit ACEfitness.org.
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Protein-rich breakfasts prevent unhealthy snacking in the evening, MU researcher finds

Protein-rich breakfasts prevent unhealthy snacking in the evening, MU researcher finds; study funded by beef, egg industry


COLUMBIA, Mo. – Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day, but up to 60 percent of American young people consistently skip it. Now, Heather Leidy, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, says eating a breakfast rich in protein significantly improves appetite control and reduces unhealthy snacking on high-fat or high-sugar foods in the evening, which could help improve the diets of more than 25 million overweight or obese young adults in the U.S.
Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition, and Health, Revised and Expanded Edition (California Studies in Food and Culture)

Leidy is the first to examine the impact of breakfast consumption on daily appetite and evening snacking in young people who habitually skip breakfast. In her study, 20 overweight or obese adolescent females ages 18-20 either skipped breakfast, consumed a high-protein breakfast consisting of eggs and lean beef, or ate a normal-protein breakfast of ready-to-eat cereal. Every breakfast consisted of 350 calories and was matched for dietary fat, fiber, sugar and energy density. The high-protein breakfast contained 35 grams of protein. Participants completed questionnaires and provided blood samples throughout the day. Prior to dinner, a brain scan using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed to track brain signals that control food motivation and reward-driven eating behavior.
The consumption of the high-protein breakfast led to increased fullness or “satiety” along with reductions in brain activity that is responsible for controlling food cravings. The high-protein breakfast also reduced evening snacking on high-fat and high-sugar foods compared to when breakfast was skipped or when a normal protein, ready-to-eat cereal breakfast was consumed, Leidy said.
“Eating a protein-rich breakfast impacts the drive to eat later in the day, when people are more likely to consume high-fat or high-sugar snacks,” Leidy said. “These data suggest that eating a protein-rich breakfast is one potential strategy to prevent overeating and improve diet quality by replacing unhealthy snacks with high quality breakfast foods.”
People who normally skip breakfast might be skeptical about consuming food in the morning, but Leidy says it only takes about three days for the body to adjust to eating early in the day. Study participants ate egg and beef-based foods such as burritos or egg-based waffles with applesauce and a beef sausage patty as part of a high-protein breakfast; Leidy also suggests eating plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or ground pork loin as alternatives to reach the 35 grams of protein.
Future research will examine whether regularly consuming high-protein breakfasts improves body weight management in young people.
The article, “Beneficial effects of a higher-protein breakfast on the appetitive, hormonal, and neural signals controlling energy intake regulation in overweight/obese, ‘breakfast skipping,’ late-adolescent girls,” was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology is a joint effort by MU’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; College of Human Environmental Sciences; and School of Medicine. Funding for the research was provided by the Beef Check-off and the Egg Nutrition Center/American Egg Board.
Source

Kids eat less sugar, fat, if parents are well educated

Kids eat less sugar, fat, if parents are well educated


Almost 15,000 children aged between two and nine years old took part in the study
Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us

The level of education of parents has an influence on the frequency with which their children eat foods linked to obesity. The children of parents with low and medium levels of education eat fewer vegetables and fruit and more processed products and sweet drinks.
An international group of experts from eight European countries have analysed the relation between parents’ levels of education and the frequency with which their children eat food linked to overweight.
The Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants (IDEFICS) study includes data from 14,426 children aged between two and nine from eight European countries: Italy, Estonia, Cyprus, Belgium, Sweden, Hungary, Germany and Spain.
The results published in the journal Public Health Nutrition confirm that parents with a lower level of education feed their children food rich in sugars and fats more often than those parents with a higher level of education, who feed their children more products of a higher nutritional quality, including vegetables, fruit, pasta, rice and wholemeal bread.
“The greatest differences among families with different levels of education are observed in the consumption of fruit, vegetables and sweet drinks”, explains Juan Miguel Fernández Alvira, the author of the work and researcher from the University of Zaragoza to SINC.
For the authors, this implies a greater risk of developing overweight and obesity in children from less advantaged socio-cultural groups. “The programmes for the prevention of childhood obesity through the promotion of healthy eating habits should specifically tackle less advantaged social and economic groups, in order to minimise inequalities in health”, concludes Fernández Alvira.
Childhood nutrition
Childhood, from two to fourteen years old, is a growth period during which the requirements for energy and nutrients increase. Nevertheless, the World Health Organisation warns of the importance of monitoring the diet of the youngest members of society, as almost 40 million children under the age of five suffered from overweight in 2010.
In fact, recommendations for children over two do not differ greatly from those for adults. Their diet should include cereals, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs and nuts.
Dieticians and nutritionists recommend that parents offer children a wide variety of foods and avoid using food as a method to award or punish behaviour. Experts believe that this age group can decide how much to eat, provided the food is always healthy and nutritious.
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Depression may cancel out exercise and other healthy behaviors

Depression may cancel out exercise and other healthy behaviors: Duke study


DURHAM, N.C. — Depression may inhibit the anti-inflammatory effects typically associated with physical activity and light-to-moderate alcohol consumption, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.
Depression Is Contagious: How the Most Common Mood Disorder Is Spreading Around the World and How to Stop It

The finding – based on measurements of the cardio-metabolic risk marker C-reactive protein (CRP) – points to another potential danger of depression, which afflicts an estimated one in 10 adults in the United States. Study results were published online March 26, 2013, in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
“Our findings suggest depression not only directly affects an individual’s mental and physical health; it might also diminish the health benefits of physical activities and moderate alcohol consumption,” said lead author Edward C. Suarez, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke Medicine. “This appears to be specific to inflammation, which we know increases the risk for heart disease, so our findings suggest that depression could be a complicating risk factor.”
CRP is a biomarker that predicts future risk of heart disease and other chronic inflammatory conditions. It may also play a role in the formation of plaque that builds up in arteries.
Physical activity and moderate alcohol consumption, defined as one drink a day for women and two a day for men, have each been shown to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. These behaviors also reduce inflammation, which is demonstrated through lower levels of CRP.
In contrast, depression is associated with elevated CRP and increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
In the current study, researchers gathered information from 222 nonsmoking, healthy adults with no history or diagnosis of psychiatric conditions. They recorded the amount of alcohol the participants consumed, defining light-to-moderate drinking as about half a drink per day for women and one daily drink for men. Participants reported how many hours of physical activity they did in the past week in activities such as walking, playing tennis, and exercise classes. Researchers also measured CRP levels through blood samples and evaluated the participants’ depressive symptoms, with 4.5 percent of the study group meeting the criteria for depression.
The researchers found that untreated depression hindered the anti-inflammatory effects of moderate alcohol consumption and exercise. Participants who were physically active generally had lower CRP levels, with the exception of those who were depressed, who saw no beneficial effect on CRP levels.
In addition, light-to-moderate alcohol consumption was associated with lower CRP, but only in men who were not depressed. Men with symptoms of depression did not see the benefits of light-to-moderate alcohol consumption. Depression did not make a statistically significant difference among women who consumed light to moderate amounts of alcohol, nor those who didn’t drink or only drank infrequently.
“This is a novel finding, and it seems to be specific to inflammation as measured by CRP,” Suarez said, given that depression did not affect other health markers such as fasting triglyceride and cholesterol levels.
Although preliminary, Suarez said the study could guide health care providers on how best to reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In addition to traditional recommendations to increase physical activity and adhere to a Mediterranean diet that includes alcohol consumption, clinicians may also need to consider the mental state of their patients and specifically the presence of depressive symptoms.
This combined approach could be especially beneficial for primary care providers, who are in a good position to both screen for depressive symptoms and measure CRP and cardiovascular risk. Early intervention – and perhaps more aggressive treatment for depression – may benefit patients who do not see the benefit of heart-healthy activities due to untreated depression.
“We’re not saying that exercise isn’t helpful for those with depression; what we saw is that depression has effects beyond what has previously been reported. Even if mental health improves, the anti-inflammatory benefits of physical activities may lag behind,” Suarez said.
Future longitudinal studies could measure CRP levels among those with depression to see if the anti-inflammatory effects of healthy behaviors catch up over time.
In addition to Suarez, study authors include Nicole L. Schramm-Sapyta, Tracey V. Hawkins and Alaattin Erkanli.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute provided funding for the study (HL67459).
Source

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Why temporary tattoos are risky

Why temporary tattoos are risky: FDA


Spring break is on the way, or maybe summer vacation. Time to pack your swim suit, hit the beach, and perhaps indulge in a little harmless fun. What about getting a temporary tattoo to mark the occasion? Who could it hurt to get a temporary tattoo?
It could hurt you, if you actually get one. Temporary tattoos typically last from three days to several weeks, depending on the product used for coloring and the condition of the skin. Unlike permanent tattoos, which are injected into the skin, temporary tattoos marketed as “henna” are applied to the skin’s surface.
However, “just because a tattoo is temporary it doesn’t mean that it is risk free,” says Linda Katz, M.D., M.P.H., director of FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors. Some consumers report reactions that may be severe and long outlast the temporary tattoos themselves.
MedWatch, FDA’s safety information and adverse event (bad side effects) reporting program, has received reports of serious and long-lasting reactions that consumers had not bargained for after getting temporary tattoos. Reported problems include redness, blisters, raised red weeping lesions, loss of pigmentation, increased sensitivity to sunlight, and even permanent scarring.
Some reactions have led people to seek medical care, including visits to hospital emergency rooms. Reactions may occur immediately after a person gets a temporary tattoo, or even up to two or three weeks later.
Not Necessarily Safe
You may be familiar with henna, a reddish-brown coloring made from a flowering plant that grows in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia. Since the Bronze Age, people have used dried henna, ground into a paste, to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather, silk and wool. This decoration—sometimes also known as mehndi—is still used today around the world to decorate the skin in cultural festivals and celebrations.
However, today so-called “black henna” is often used in place of traditional henna. Inks marketed as black henna may be a mix of henna with other ingredients, or may really be hair dye alone. The reason for adding other ingredients is to create a tattoo that is darker and longer lasting, but use of black henna is potentially harmful.
That’s because the extra ingredient used to blacken henna is often a coal-tar hair dye containing p-phenylenediamine (PPD), an ingredient that can cause dangerous skin reactions in some people. Sometimes, the artist may use a PPD-containing hair dye alone. Either way, there’s no telling who will be affected. By law, PPD is not permitted in cosmetics intended to be applied to the skin.
You may see “black henna” used in places such as temporary tattoo kiosks at beaches, boardwalks, and other holiday destinations, as well as in some ethnic or specialty shops. While states have jurisdiction over professional practices such as tattooing and cosmetology, that oversight differs from state to state. Some states have laws and regulations for temporary tattooing, while others don’t. So, depending on where you are, it’s possible no one is checking to make sure the artist is following safe practices or even knows what may be harmful to consumers.
A number of consumers have learned the risks the hard way, reporting significant bad reactions shortly after the application of black henna temporary tattoos.
The parents of a 5-year-old girl reported that she developed severe reddening on her forearm about two weeks after receiving a black henna temporary tattoo. “What we thought would be a little harmless fun ended up becoming more like a nightmare for us,” the father says. “My hope is that by telling people about our experience, I can help prevent this from happening to some other unsuspecting kids and parents.”
The mother of a 17-year-old girl agrees. “At first I was a little upset she got the tattoo without telling me,” she says. “But when it became red and itchy and later began to blister and the blisters filled with fluid, I was beside myself.” She explains that as a nurse, she’s used to seeing all manner of injuries, “but when it’s your own child, it’s pretty scary,” she says.
And another mother, whose teenager had no reaction to red henna tattoos, describes the skin on her daughter’s back as looking “the way a burn victim looks, all blistered and raw” after a black henna tattoo was applied there. She says that according to her daughter’s doctor, the teenager will have scarring for life.
If you have a reaction to or concern about a temporary tattoo or any other cosmetic, in addition to recommending that you contact your health care professional, FDA asks you to contact MedWatch, the agency’s problem-reporting program. You can also call 1-800-FDA-1088 to report by telephone, or contact the nearest FDA consumer complaint coordinator in your area.
This article appears on FDA’s Consumer Update page, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.

Could massage increase bone formation in postmenopausal women?

Could massage increase bone formation in postmenopausal women? New study says maybe.


Thai traditional massage increases biochemical markers of bone formation in postmenopausal women: a randomized crossover trial
Sunee Saetung, La-or Chailurkit and Boonsong Ongphiphadhanakul
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2013, 13:69 doi:10.1186/1472-6882-13-69
Published: 25 March 2013
Abstract (provisional)
Background
The effect of massage therapy on bone metabolism in adults has only scarcely been explored. In a randomized crossover trial, we investigated the skeletal effect of Thai traditional massage by examining the changes in biochemical markers of bone turnover.
Methods
Forty-eight postmenopausal women participated in the study. All volunteers were randomized to a 2-hour session of Thai traditional massage twice a week for 4 weeks and a 4-week control period after a 2-week washout, or vice versa. Twenty-one subjects were allocated to receiving Thai traditional massage first, followed by the control period, while 27 were initially allocated to the control period.
Results
Serum P1NP increased significantly after Thai traditional massage (P <0.01), while there was no change in serum osteocalcin or CTX. During the control period, there was no significant change in P1NP, osteocalcin or CTX compared to baseline. When age and height were taken into account, P1NP in postmenopausal women whose ages were in the middle and higher tertiles and whose heights were in the lower and middle tertiles (n = 22) had a 14.8 +/- 3.3% increase in P1NP after massage (P <0.001), while no change in P1NP was found in the rest of the women (n = 26).
Conclusions
Thai traditional massage results in an increase in bone formation as assessed by serum P1NP, particularly in postmenopausal women who are older and have a smaller body build. Future studies with larger samples and additional design features are warranted.
The complete article is available as a provisional PDF. The fully formatted PDF and HTML versions are in production.
Source

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Fitness industry preaching to choir

Fitness industry preaching to choir, stuck in first gear, needs to change now: ACE


SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As NBC prepares to conclude season 14 of its primetime reality show, “The Biggest Loser,®” American Council on Exercise (ACE) warns viewers and fitness professionals to resist the temptation to emulate a Biggest Loser-style weight loss mentality while still embracing the show’s emphasis on lifestyle modification.
“On the positive side, ‘The Biggest Loser’ inspires many weight-loss intenders to begin an activity program,” said pediatrician, registered dietitian and ACE Senior Health Strategist Dr. Natalie Digate-Muth. “ACE encourages the fitness community to use this as an opportunity to educate and engage more people in the pursuit of a healthy, physically active lifestyle while at the same time rejecting the harmful and hurtful tactics sometimes used in the show.”
“The Biggest Loser,” which first aired in 2004, aims to jumpstart weight loss in the most severely obese individuals through an intensive fitness, nutrition and behavioral re-conditioning program under the supervision of physicians, registered dietitians and professional fitness trainers. Varying approaches are used to motivate, inspire, and sometimes embarrass and shame participants into pushing through grueling workouts, oftentimes lasting up to a reported four hours per day.
“Some of the techniques used on ‘The Biggest Loser’ are unsafe, ineffective and downright demotivating for many, without carefully controlled supervision,” said Michael Mantell, Ph.D., ACE senior fitness consultant for behavioral sciences. “The reality is that the show is not reality and does not represent a weight-loss program as it should be or can be pursued by the vast majority of people who are categorized as overweight or obese. That includes two-thirds of adults and one-third of children and adolescents in the United States.”
ACE, the world’s largest fitness certification and education organization, offers the following recommendations for the fitness community when it comes to talking with clients about “The Biggest Loser” weight-loss model:
  • Acknowledge that “The Biggest Loser” may inspire weight-loss intenders to begin physical activity programs.
  • Applaud the opportunity created by “The Biggest Loser” to engage more people in the pursuit of healthy, physically-active lifestyles while also setting realistic expectations for weight loss such as recommended weight loss not to exceed 1 to 2 pounds per week.
  • Emphasize that weight-loss and physical activity programs should be designed and supervised by certified, NCCA-accredited professionals and should adhere to industry and physiological guidelines for safe and effective program design and progression.
  • Advise clients to resist the temptation to emulate a Biggest Loser-style weight loss mentality which can be unsafe, ineffective and demotivating for many people.
  • Warn clients that programs and products sponsored by shows like “The Biggest Loser” might not be effective or right for them.
  • Reinforce for clients that weight-loss maintenance is much more difficult than weight loss, and making permanent lifestyle change will be key to their successes.
  • Embrace individuals who struggle with their weight and have expressed an interest in beginning or escalating a physical-activity regimen while being sensitive to the effects of weight-based stigmatization.
  • Teach clients that many factors determine a person’s body weight and shape and that the most successful strategies for weight loss combine physical activity, nutrition and behavioral change with a supportive social network and larger-scale efforts to improve community health.
  • Support positive messages offered on “The Biggest Loser” such as the importance of social support and a family approach to change while, at the same time, taking a stand against potentially harmful and hurtful tactics such as embarrassing participants and testing them with hard-to-resist rewards in exchange for harmful behavior.
  • Include a certified, NCCA-accredited personal trainer or health coach on your personal health-care team to support sustained healthy lifestyle choices and to fully embrace mind, body and spirit.
For a copy of the complete statement from ACE regarding NBC’s “The Biggest Loser®,” visit ACEfitness.org.

The effects of peppermint on exercise performance

The effects of peppermint on exercise performance: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition


The effects of peppermint on exercise performance
Abbas Meamarbashi and Ali Rajabi
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2013, 10:15 doi:10.1186/1550-2783-10-15
Published: 21 March 2013
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Enhancing athletic performance is a great desire among the athletes, coaches and researchers. Mint is one of the most famous natural herbs used for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antioxidant, and vasoconstrictor effects. Even though inhaling mint aroma in athletes has been investigated, there were no significant effects on the exercise performance.
Methods
Twelve healthy male students every day consumed one 500 ml bottle of mineral water, containing 0.05 ml peppermint essential oil for ten days. Blood pressure, heart rate, and spirometry parameters including forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow rate (PEF), and peak inspiratory flow (PIF) were determined one day before, and after the supplementation period. Participants underwent a treadmill-based exercise test with metabolic gas analysis and ventilation measurement using the Bruce protocol.
Results
The FVC (4.57 +/- 0.90 vs. 4.79 +/- 0.84; p < 0.001), PEF (8.50 +/- 0.94 vs. 8.87 +/- 0.92; p < 0.01), and PIF (5.71 +/- 1.16 vs. 6.58 +/-1.08; p < 0.005) significantly changed after ten days of supplementation. Exercise performance evaluated by time to exhaustion (664.5 +/- 114.2 vs. 830.2 +/- 129.8 s), work (78.34 +/-32.84 vs. 118.7 +/- 47.38 KJ), and power (114.3 +/- 24.24 vs. 139.4 +/- 27.80 KW) significantly increased (p < 0.001). In addition, the results of respiratory gas analysis exhibited significant differences in VO2 (2.74 +/- 0.40 vs. 3.03 +/- 0.351 L/min; p < 0.001), and VCO2 (3.08 +/- 0.47 vs. 3.73 +/- 0.518 L/min; p < 0.001).
Conclusions
The results of the experiment support the effectiveness of peppermint essential oil on the exercise performance, gas analysis, spirometry parameters, blood pressure, and respiratory rate in the young male students. Relaxation of bronchial smooth muscles, increase in the ventilation and brain oxygen concentration, and decrease in the blood lactate level are the most plausible explanations.
The complete article is available as a provisional PDF. The fully formatted PDF and HTML versions are in production.
Source

Energy drinks may increase blood pressure, disturb heart rhythm

 


Energy drinks may increase blood pressure and disturb your heart’s natural rhythm, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2013 Scientific Sessions.
Researchers analyzed data from seven previously published observational and interventional studies to determine how consuming energy drinks might impact heart health.
In the first part of the pooled analysis, the researchers examined the QT interval of 93 people who had just consumed one to three cans of energy drinks. They found that the QT interval was 10 milliseconds longer for those who had consumed the energy drinks. The QT interval describes a segment of the heart’s rhythm on an electrocardiogram; when prolonged, it can cause serious irregular heartbeats or sudden cardiac death.
“Doctors are generally concerned if patients experience an additional 30 milliseconds in their QT interval from baseline,” said Sachin A. Shah, Pharm.D., lead author and assistant professor at University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif.
“QT prolongation is associated with life-threatening arrhythmias. The finding that energy drinks could prolong the QT, in light of the reports of sudden cardiac death, warrants further investigation.” said Ian Riddock, M.D., a co-author and director of preventive cardiology at the David Grant Medical Center, Travis Air Force Base, Calif.
Researchers also found that the systolic blood pressure, the top number in a blood pressure reading, increased an average of 3.5 points in a pool of 132 participants.
“The correlation between energy drinks and increased systolic blood pressure is convincing and concerning, and more studies are needed to assess the impact on the heart rhythm.” Shah said. “Patients with high blood pressures or long QT syndrome should use caution and judgment before consuming an energy drink.
“Since energy drinks also contain caffeine, people who do not normally drink much caffeine might have an exaggerated increase in blood pressure.”
The pooled studies included healthy, young patients 18-45 years old. “People with health concerns or those who are older might have more heart-related side effects from energy drinks”, said Shah.
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Co-authors are: Anthony E. Dargush, Pharm.D.; Carolyn S. Lacey, M.D.; Ian C. Riddock, M.D. and Michael Lee, R.Ph., M.A. Author disclosures are on the abstract.

Multiple ACL surgery techniques effective in helping athletes return to play

 


Orthopaedic surgeons have debated the effectiveness of the single versus double-bundle method of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair for years. However new data shows both techniques lead to similarly effective outcomes for patients, according to researchers presenting their work today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Specialty Day in Chicago, IL.
ZK-7 ACL / PCL Support Knee Brace from ZAMST (Medium)

“We examined 98 patients who underwent reconstructions to repair ruptured ACLs using either one of these methods after two years,” commented lead researcher Mattias Ahldén, MD, of Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Mölndal, Sweden. “Using the pivot shift test to determine knee instability, 79% of the double bundle group and 67% of the single-bundle group showed normal knee function, a relatively minor difference.”The patients studied, ranging in age from 18-52, opted for ACL reconstructions after contact-sport injuries. The sample was comparable in terms of gender, time between injury and reconstruction, and length of follow-up period.
“Our study was not intended to show the overall effectiveness of ACL surgery, but instead determine if one surgical approach is better than another in promoting a return to normal activity,” noted Ahldén. “The data shows that in fact multiple surgical approaches can help patients enjoy a return to normalcy after knee injuries.”
The study did not examine long-term effects of ACL injury recovery such as osteoarthritis in patients’ knees as it related to single and double bundle techniques.
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The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) is a world leader in sports medicine education, research, communication and fellowship, and includes national and international orthopaedic sports medicine leaders. The Society works closely with many other sports medicine specialists, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, family physicians, and others to improve the identification, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of sports injuries. AOSSM is also a founding partner of the STOP Sports Injuries campaign to prevent overuse and traumatic injuries in kids. For more information on AOSSM or the STOP Sports Injuries campaign, visit http://www.sportsmed.org or http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org
Source
Also of interest . . .