Thursday, July 30, 2009
Organic food is no healthier, study finds
LONDON (Reuters) - Organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food, according to a major study published Wednesday.
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers were paying higher prices for organic food because of its perceived health benefits, creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007.
A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, however, found there was no significant difference.
"A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance," said Alan Dangour, one of the report's authors.
"Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority."
The results of research, which was commissioned by the British government's Food Standards Agency, were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Sales of organic food have fallen in some markets, including Britain, as recession has led consumers to cut back on purchases.
The Soil Association said in April that growth in sales of organic products in Britain slowed to just 1.7 percent in 2008, well below the average annual growth rate of 26 percent over the last decade, following a plunge in demand at the end of the year.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Simon Jessop)
End from Reuters
My conclusions at this time :
LONDON (Reuters) - Organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food, according to a major study published Wednesday.Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers were paying higher prices for organic food because of its perceived health benefits, creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007.
A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, however, found there was no significant difference.
"A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance," said Alan Dangour, one of the report's authors.
"Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority."
The results of research, which was commissioned by the British government's Food Standards Agency, were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Sales of organic food have fallen in some markets, including Britain, as recession has led consumers to cut back on purchases.
The Soil Association said in April that growth in sales of organic products in Britain slowed to just 1.7 percent in 2008, well below the average annual growth rate of 26 percent over the last decade, following a plunge in demand at the end of the year.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Simon Jessop)
End from Reuters
My conclusions at this time :
- Organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food, high in price but pesticides free.
- Ordinary fruits and vegetables are treated with pesticides, low in price, and may have same on nutritional contents.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The effects of ingesting pesticides in the very small amounts present in vegetables or fruits are unknown, but you must protect yourself and your family from pesticides on fruits and vegetables. Because many fruits and vegetables sold in our markets today are treated with pesticides, and residues of these potentially harmful chemicals often remain on their surfaces. Try the following idea to minimize those harmful effect.
Wash all fresh vegetables and fruit thoroughly with lots of running water. Vegetables and fruit should be washed before it is eaten because washing does reduce levels of some pesticides. However, other pesticides are taken up internally in the plant, are in the fruit, and cannot be washed off.
Washing with plain water only removes 25-50 percent of the pesticide residue. Try to washing and rewashing fruits and vegetables and allowing them to soak for a few minutes.
It makes common sense to peel fruits, if possible, and not to eat potato skins unless you are able to purchase them pesticide-free.
Remove the outer leaves of lettuce, cabbage and other leafy vegetables and then rinse the vegetables. Peel hard-skinned produce, or rinse it with lots of warm water mixed with salt and lemon juice or vinegar.
I certainly advocate avoiding the skins of foods that are reported to have the most pesticide residue.
Commercial vegetable and fruit washes are available at your local health food stores and some supermarkets which are formulated to remove chemical residue from produce. Or you can also make your own produce wash using a much diluted solution of mild dishwashing detergent (1 tsp detergent mix with 4 liters water).
Many peoples really confused between trying to eat more vegetables and fruits as recommended by dietitians and the concerns over pesticides used on fresh produce. So, alternatively, you may want to buy and serve organic produce. Organic growers do not use pesticides to produce their fruits and vegetables.
Remember that the benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables may outweigh the risks associated with pesticide residue, but do with caution when buying produce.
Have another tips? Share with us and help other people.
Wash all fresh vegetables and fruit thoroughly with lots of running water. Vegetables and fruit should be washed before it is eaten because washing does reduce levels of some pesticides. However, other pesticides are taken up internally in the plant, are in the fruit, and cannot be washed off.
Washing with plain water only removes 25-50 percent of the pesticide residue. Try to washing and rewashing fruits and vegetables and allowing them to soak for a few minutes.
It makes common sense to peel fruits, if possible, and not to eat potato skins unless you are able to purchase them pesticide-free.
Remove the outer leaves of lettuce, cabbage and other leafy vegetables and then rinse the vegetables. Peel hard-skinned produce, or rinse it with lots of warm water mixed with salt and lemon juice or vinegar.
I certainly advocate avoiding the skins of foods that are reported to have the most pesticide residue.
Commercial vegetable and fruit washes are available at your local health food stores and some supermarkets which are formulated to remove chemical residue from produce. Or you can also make your own produce wash using a much diluted solution of mild dishwashing detergent (1 tsp detergent mix with 4 liters water).
Many peoples really confused between trying to eat more vegetables and fruits as recommended by dietitians and the concerns over pesticides used on fresh produce. So, alternatively, you may want to buy and serve organic produce. Organic growers do not use pesticides to produce their fruits and vegetables.
Remember that the benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables may outweigh the risks associated with pesticide residue, but do with caution when buying produce.
Have another tips? Share with us and help other people.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Many different studies that have been done with animals have found that exposure to pesticides can increase the risk of developing various types of cancer, nervous system dysfunction, and reproductive problems.
But no scientist believes that this means we should reduce our consumption of vegetation, but many (including me) believe it prudent to reduce our exposure to the multiple toxic residues present in our food supply. I certainly advocate avoiding the skins of foods that are reported to have the most pesticide residue. And, of course, all fruits and vegetables should be washed before eating.
Read this article about How to minimize pesticide residues on vegetables and fruit.
If you are concerned about pesticides and chemicals, keep in mind that animal products, such as dairy and beef, contain the most toxic pesticide residues. Because cows and steers eat large amounts of tainted feed, certain pesticides and dangerous chemicals are found in higher concentrations in animal foods. For example, dioxin, which is predominantly found in fatty meats and dairy products, is one of the most potent toxins Linked to several cancers in humans, including lymphomas. By basing your diet on unrefined plant foods, you automatically reduce your exposure to the most dangerous chemicals.
The best way to scale back pesticide consumption is to go organic. In its annual survey released in 2004, revealed that 68% of Americans have tried organic fruits and beverages compared to 54% in the two previous years. The survey also reported that 27% indicated that they consumed more organic foods and beverages than they did the year before.
The three principal reasons people gave for purchasing organic were avoidance of pesticides (70.3%), freshness, (68.3%), and health and nutrition (67.1%). Avoiding genetically modified foods was the reason given by 55% of the respondents. "Better for my health" was the answer of 52.8% while "better for the environment" was the statement of 52.4%.
The major problem to more purchases of organic items is price with 74.6% of those polled giving that as a reason for not buying more. As a positive sign more Americans (40%) now recognize the organic logo and labeling on their purchases, up 19% from 2003.
What do you think?
But no scientist believes that this means we should reduce our consumption of vegetation, but many (including me) believe it prudent to reduce our exposure to the multiple toxic residues present in our food supply. I certainly advocate avoiding the skins of foods that are reported to have the most pesticide residue. And, of course, all fruits and vegetables should be washed before eating.
Read this article about How to minimize pesticide residues on vegetables and fruit.
If you are concerned about pesticides and chemicals, keep in mind that animal products, such as dairy and beef, contain the most toxic pesticide residues. Because cows and steers eat large amounts of tainted feed, certain pesticides and dangerous chemicals are found in higher concentrations in animal foods. For example, dioxin, which is predominantly found in fatty meats and dairy products, is one of the most potent toxins Linked to several cancers in humans, including lymphomas. By basing your diet on unrefined plant foods, you automatically reduce your exposure to the most dangerous chemicals.
The best way to scale back pesticide consumption is to go organic. In its annual survey released in 2004, revealed that 68% of Americans have tried organic fruits and beverages compared to 54% in the two previous years. The survey also reported that 27% indicated that they consumed more organic foods and beverages than they did the year before.
The three principal reasons people gave for purchasing organic were avoidance of pesticides (70.3%), freshness, (68.3%), and health and nutrition (67.1%). Avoiding genetically modified foods was the reason given by 55% of the respondents. "Better for my health" was the answer of 52.8% while "better for the environment" was the statement of 52.4%.
The major problem to more purchases of organic items is price with 74.6% of those polled giving that as a reason for not buying more. As a positive sign more Americans (40%) now recognize the organic logo and labeling on their purchases, up 19% from 2003.
What do you think?
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Obesity costs U.S. health system $147 billion: study
By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Obesity-related diseases account for nearly 10 percent of all medical spending in the United States or an estimated $147 billion a year, U.S. researchers said Monday.
They said obese people spend 40 percent more -- or $1,429 more per year -- in healthcare costs than people of normal weight.
"It is critical that we take effective steps to contain and reduce the enormous burden of obesity on our nation," Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a news conference at a CDC obesity meeting where the study was presented.
"Reversing obesity is not going to be done successfully with individual effort," Frieden said. "It will be done successfully as a society."
The CDC outlined 24 new recommendations on how communities can combat obesity in their neighborhoods and schools by encouraging healthier eating and more exercise.
Democratic Senator Tom Harkin, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee and chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Foresty, said the report underscores why prevention and wellness efforts must be part of any plan to reform the U.S. health system.
"Report after report shows that if we fail to take meaningful steps now on prevention of chronic disease like obesity, healthcare costs will continue to spiral out of control," Harkin said in a statement.
26 PERCENT OBESITY RATE IN U.S.
More than 26 percent of Americans are obese, which means they have a body mass index of 30 or higher. BMI is equal to weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. A person 5 feet 5 inches tall becomes obese at 180 pounds (82 kg).
For the study, Eric Finkelstein of the non-profit RTI International and researchers at the CDC and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality analyzed medical cost data from 1998 and 2006.
They found U.S. obesity rates rose 37 percent between 1998 and 2006, driving an 89 percent increase in spending on treatments for obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.
Obesity now accounts for 9.1 percent of all medical spending in the United States, up from 6.5 percent in 1998.
"What we found was the total cost of obesity increased from $74 billion to maybe as high as $147 billion today, so roughly double over that time period," said Finkelstein, whose study also was published in the journal Health Affairs.
An obese Medicare beneficiary spends $600 more a year on drug costs than a Medicare patient of healthy weight.
The CDC's new obesity prevention strategies aim to address issues such as a lack of access to healthy food in poor neighborhoods and sedentary lifestyles that contribute to America's obesity epidemic.
Frieden said soda and sugar-sweetened beverages "play a particular role in the obesity epidemic," noting that Americans consume an extra 150 calories more per day in sugar-sweetened beverages than two to three decades ago.
He said adding a tax to soft drinks might curb consumption but that was not a position held by the Obama administration.
(Editing by Maggie Fox and Bill Trott)
By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Obesity-related diseases account for nearly 10 percent of all medical spending in the United States or an estimated $147 billion a year, U.S. researchers said Monday.
They said obese people spend 40 percent more -- or $1,429 more per year -- in healthcare costs than people of normal weight.
"It is critical that we take effective steps to contain and reduce the enormous burden of obesity on our nation," Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a news conference at a CDC obesity meeting where the study was presented.
"Reversing obesity is not going to be done successfully with individual effort," Frieden said. "It will be done successfully as a society."
The CDC outlined 24 new recommendations on how communities can combat obesity in their neighborhoods and schools by encouraging healthier eating and more exercise.
Democratic Senator Tom Harkin, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee and chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Foresty, said the report underscores why prevention and wellness efforts must be part of any plan to reform the U.S. health system.
"Report after report shows that if we fail to take meaningful steps now on prevention of chronic disease like obesity, healthcare costs will continue to spiral out of control," Harkin said in a statement.
26 PERCENT OBESITY RATE IN U.S.
More than 26 percent of Americans are obese, which means they have a body mass index of 30 or higher. BMI is equal to weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. A person 5 feet 5 inches tall becomes obese at 180 pounds (82 kg).
For the study, Eric Finkelstein of the non-profit RTI International and researchers at the CDC and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality analyzed medical cost data from 1998 and 2006.
They found U.S. obesity rates rose 37 percent between 1998 and 2006, driving an 89 percent increase in spending on treatments for obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.
Obesity now accounts for 9.1 percent of all medical spending in the United States, up from 6.5 percent in 1998.
"What we found was the total cost of obesity increased from $74 billion to maybe as high as $147 billion today, so roughly double over that time period," said Finkelstein, whose study also was published in the journal Health Affairs.
An obese Medicare beneficiary spends $600 more a year on drug costs than a Medicare patient of healthy weight.
The CDC's new obesity prevention strategies aim to address issues such as a lack of access to healthy food in poor neighborhoods and sedentary lifestyles that contribute to America's obesity epidemic.
Frieden said soda and sugar-sweetened beverages "play a particular role in the obesity epidemic," noting that Americans consume an extra 150 calories more per day in sugar-sweetened beverages than two to three decades ago.
He said adding a tax to soft drinks might curb consumption but that was not a position held by the Obama administration.
(Editing by Maggie Fox and Bill Trott)
Sunday, July 26, 2009
How Much Longer Do Vegetarians Live? This is a difficult question to answer accurately, as there are few studies on lifelong vegetarians in countries with electricity, refrigeration, good sanitation, and adequate nutrition.
Become a vegetarian can help protect against the most serious health problems Americans face today, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Many people are not aware that the same deadly steroids that are banned from use by athletes are in our meat.
US Dept of Health And Human Services, did find in a 2006 study that Ischemic heart disease mortality rates among vegans, as compared to non-vegans, were significantly lower in fish-eaters and lacto-ovo vegans. Other studies do not show a difference in the mortality rates for various diseases.
Many vegetarians are healthy and live long lives, but it doesn't mean that those who eat meat can't enjoy the same result. It is not enough to study health and longevity only in terms of being vegetarian or not. There are other important factors that have to be considered as well, such as physical activity, the quality of food people eat, where they live, and also how much they eat.
Become a vegetarian can help protect against the most serious health problems Americans face today, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Many people are not aware that the same deadly steroids that are banned from use by athletes are in our meat.
US Dept of Health And Human Services, did find in a 2006 study that Ischemic heart disease mortality rates among vegans, as compared to non-vegans, were significantly lower in fish-eaters and lacto-ovo vegans. Other studies do not show a difference in the mortality rates for various diseases.
Many vegetarians are healthy and live long lives, but it doesn't mean that those who eat meat can't enjoy the same result. It is not enough to study health and longevity only in terms of being vegetarian or not. There are other important factors that have to be considered as well, such as physical activity, the quality of food people eat, where they live, and also how much they eat.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The reasons for choosing vegetarianism may be related to one or more of the following: morality, religion, culture, ethics, aesthetics, environment, society, economy, politics, taste, or health. A generic term for both vegetarianism and veganism, as well as for similar diets, is "plant-based diets".
Some vegetarians, particularly those who do not consume any food of animal origin, can experience deficiencies in calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B12 or complete proteins. Vegetarians are also at risk of energy deficiency in the form of calories, particularly in children.
An adult on a vegetarian diet for a prolonged period can be at increased risk for periodontal (gum) disease from a lack of vitamin D and calcium. Teeth may soften when there is a shortage of vitamin D, becoming more susceptible to decay and periodontal disease. Vitamin D is produced in the body with sun exposure, so deficiencies are rare, but it can develop in those who do not consume milk or fish. Adding vegetable margarines or soy milk to the diet may solve the problem.
Another risk reviewed by scientists from Australia and Vietnam of all the peer-reviewed literature on the issue has found that people on vegetarian diets have approximately 5% lower bone mineral density (BMD) than non-vegetarians.
The researchers selected nine studies for analysis which compared the BMD of 2749 men and women - meat eaters and vegetarians - from around the world and the study was led by Professor Tuan Nguyen from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Dr. Ho-Pham Thuc Lan from the Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Their findings are published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Iron-Deficiency Anemia due to low iron storage may be another issues. One study found that 27% of women and 5% of men who were lacto-ovo-vegetarians had low serum ferritin levels (iron storage).
Balancing vegetarian food ( variety and quality ) and nutrition is vital to maintaining a healthy vegetarian diet.
Some vegetarians, particularly those who do not consume any food of animal origin, can experience deficiencies in calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B12 or complete proteins. Vegetarians are also at risk of energy deficiency in the form of calories, particularly in children.
An adult on a vegetarian diet for a prolonged period can be at increased risk for periodontal (gum) disease from a lack of vitamin D and calcium. Teeth may soften when there is a shortage of vitamin D, becoming more susceptible to decay and periodontal disease. Vitamin D is produced in the body with sun exposure, so deficiencies are rare, but it can develop in those who do not consume milk or fish. Adding vegetable margarines or soy milk to the diet may solve the problem.
Another risk reviewed by scientists from Australia and Vietnam of all the peer-reviewed literature on the issue has found that people on vegetarian diets have approximately 5% lower bone mineral density (BMD) than non-vegetarians.
The researchers selected nine studies for analysis which compared the BMD of 2749 men and women - meat eaters and vegetarians - from around the world and the study was led by Professor Tuan Nguyen from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Dr. Ho-Pham Thuc Lan from the Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Their findings are published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Iron-Deficiency Anemia due to low iron storage may be another issues. One study found that 27% of women and 5% of men who were lacto-ovo-vegetarians had low serum ferritin levels (iron storage).
Balancing vegetarian food ( variety and quality ) and nutrition is vital to maintaining a healthy vegetarian diet.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
The American Dietetic Association and the Dietitians of Canada have found a properly-planned vegetarian diet to satisfy the nutritional needs for all stages of life, and large-scale studies have shown vegetarianism to significantly lower risks of cancer, ischaemic heart disease, and other fatal diseases. Necessary nutrients, proteins, and amino acids for the body's sustenance can be found in vegetables, grains, nuts, soymilk, eggs and dairy.
A large body of scientific literature suggests that the consumption of a diet of whole grains, legumes, vegetables, nuts, and fruits, with the avoidance of meat and high-fat animal products, along with a regular exercise program is consistently associated with lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, less obesity and consequently less heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and mortality. In African-Americans, the frequent consumption of nuts, fruits and green salads was associated with 35-44 percent lower risk of overall mortality.
A major report published by the World Cancer Research Fund in 1997 recommended we lower our risk of cancer by choosing predominantly plant-based diets rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits, legumes and minimally processed starchy staple foods, and to limit the intake of grilled, cured and smoked meats and fish. These methods of preparing meat produce polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines which are carcinogenic.
About three dozen plant foods have been identified as possessing cancer-protective properties. These include cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower), umbelliferous vegetables and herbs (carrots, celery, cilantro, caraway, dill, parsley), other fruits and vegetables (citrus, tomatoes, cucumber, grapes, cantaloupe, berries), beans (soybeans), whole grains (brown rice, oats, whole wheat), flaxseed, many nuts, and various seasoning herbs (garlic, scallions, onions, chives, ginger, turmeric, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, and basil).
These foods and herbs contain of host of cancer-protective phytochemicals such as carotenoids, flavonoids, isothiocyanates, isoflavones, ellagic acid, glucarates, curcurmins, liminoids, lignans, phenolic acids, phthalides, saponins, phytosterols, sulfide compounds, terpenoids, and tocotrienols. These beneficial compounds alter metabolic pathways and hormonal actions that are associated with the development of cancer, stimulate the immune system, and have antioxidant activity.
A recent survey of 47,000 Italians found that persons in the highest tertile of vegetable consumption had a 21 and 11% reduced risk of myocardial infarction and angina, respectively, compared with those in the lowest tertile of vegetable consumption.
A British study found that daily consumption of fresh fruit was associated with a 24 percent reduction in mortality from heart disease and a 32 percent reduction in death from cerebrovascular disease, compared with less frequent fruit consumption. Daily consumption of raw salad was associated with a 26 percent reduction in mortality from heart disease.
But vegetarian diet may have negative impact on our health. See our next post about this.
A large body of scientific literature suggests that the consumption of a diet of whole grains, legumes, vegetables, nuts, and fruits, with the avoidance of meat and high-fat animal products, along with a regular exercise program is consistently associated with lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, less obesity and consequently less heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and mortality. In African-Americans, the frequent consumption of nuts, fruits and green salads was associated with 35-44 percent lower risk of overall mortality.
A major report published by the World Cancer Research Fund in 1997 recommended we lower our risk of cancer by choosing predominantly plant-based diets rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits, legumes and minimally processed starchy staple foods, and to limit the intake of grilled, cured and smoked meats and fish. These methods of preparing meat produce polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines which are carcinogenic.
About three dozen plant foods have been identified as possessing cancer-protective properties. These include cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower), umbelliferous vegetables and herbs (carrots, celery, cilantro, caraway, dill, parsley), other fruits and vegetables (citrus, tomatoes, cucumber, grapes, cantaloupe, berries), beans (soybeans), whole grains (brown rice, oats, whole wheat), flaxseed, many nuts, and various seasoning herbs (garlic, scallions, onions, chives, ginger, turmeric, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, and basil).
These foods and herbs contain of host of cancer-protective phytochemicals such as carotenoids, flavonoids, isothiocyanates, isoflavones, ellagic acid, glucarates, curcurmins, liminoids, lignans, phenolic acids, phthalides, saponins, phytosterols, sulfide compounds, terpenoids, and tocotrienols. These beneficial compounds alter metabolic pathways and hormonal actions that are associated with the development of cancer, stimulate the immune system, and have antioxidant activity.
A recent survey of 47,000 Italians found that persons in the highest tertile of vegetable consumption had a 21 and 11% reduced risk of myocardial infarction and angina, respectively, compared with those in the lowest tertile of vegetable consumption.
A British study found that daily consumption of fresh fruit was associated with a 24 percent reduction in mortality from heart disease and a 32 percent reduction in death from cerebrovascular disease, compared with less frequent fruit consumption. Daily consumption of raw salad was associated with a 26 percent reduction in mortality from heart disease.
But vegetarian diet may have negative impact on our health. See our next post about this.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
A vegetarian diet focuses on plants for food. These include fruits, vegetables, dried beans and peas, grains, seeds and nuts. Studies have shown that vegetarians (following a well-balanced low-fat high-fibre vegetarian diet) often have lower incidence of coronary artery disease, hypertension, obesity and some forms of cancer.
Different people follow different forms of vegetarianism. A true vegetarian eats no meat at all, including chicken and fish. A lacto-ovo vegetarian eats dairy products and eggs, but excludes meat, fish, and poultry. It follows, then, that a lacto vegetarian eats dairy products but not eggs, whereas an ovo vegetarian eats eggs but not dairy products.
A vegetarian diet can be a very healthy option but it is important to ensure it is well balanced. You could stuff your face with chips and chocolate at every meal and be vegetarian but you wouldn’t be doing your health much good.
A balanced vegetarian diet should include:
1. Grains and cereals: Wholegrain bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, muesli.
Legumes, nuts and seeds: Soya beans. kidney beans, split peas, lentils, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds
2. Fruit and vegetables: As much as you want - think variety. Try new fruits and vegetables and include them in your diet every day
3. Dairy or soya products: Look out for fat free and reduced calorie options for milk, yoghurts, cheeses.
A plant-based diet is rich in its content of health-promoting factors such as the many phytochemicals. The consumption of a generous supply of whole grains, legumes, nuts, fruits and vegetables provides protection against chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
If you're choosing a vegetarian diet, the most important thing you can do is to educate yourself. That's why the ADA says that a vegetarian diet needs to be "appropriately planned." Simply dropping certain foods from your diet isn't the way to go if you're interested in maintaining good health, a high energy level, and strong muscles and bones.
Different people follow different forms of vegetarianism. A true vegetarian eats no meat at all, including chicken and fish. A lacto-ovo vegetarian eats dairy products and eggs, but excludes meat, fish, and poultry. It follows, then, that a lacto vegetarian eats dairy products but not eggs, whereas an ovo vegetarian eats eggs but not dairy products.
A vegetarian diet can be a very healthy option but it is important to ensure it is well balanced. You could stuff your face with chips and chocolate at every meal and be vegetarian but you wouldn’t be doing your health much good.
A balanced vegetarian diet should include:
1. Grains and cereals: Wholegrain bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, muesli.
Legumes, nuts and seeds: Soya beans. kidney beans, split peas, lentils, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds
2. Fruit and vegetables: As much as you want - think variety. Try new fruits and vegetables and include them in your diet every day
3. Dairy or soya products: Look out for fat free and reduced calorie options for milk, yoghurts, cheeses.
A plant-based diet is rich in its content of health-promoting factors such as the many phytochemicals. The consumption of a generous supply of whole grains, legumes, nuts, fruits and vegetables provides protection against chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
If you're choosing a vegetarian diet, the most important thing you can do is to educate yourself. That's why the ADA says that a vegetarian diet needs to be "appropriately planned." Simply dropping certain foods from your diet isn't the way to go if you're interested in maintaining good health, a high energy level, and strong muscles and bones.
Friday, July 24, 2009
It's OK to have an occasional drink. But what does occasional mean? The American Diabetes Association suggests that you have no more than two drinks a day if you are a man and no more than one drink a day if you are a woman. This recommendation is the same for people without diabetes. Find out what effects alcohol can have on your diabetes according to known report from various sources.
Some drinks are better choices for people with diabetes. Select drinks that are lower in alcohol and sugar. If you use mixers in your drinks, choose ones that are sugar free, such as diet soft drinks, diet tonic, club soda, seltzer, or water. This will help keep your blood sugar levels in your target range.
Light beer and dry wines are good choices. They have less alcohol and carbohydrates and fewer calories.
Nearly 23,000 Finnish twins provided information on ther alcohol use, diet, smoking. physical activity, medical and social condtions. They did so in 1975, 1981 and 1990. Over 20 years of follow-up, 580 cases of type 2 diabetes were identified. In an anaylysis of pairs of twins with different drinking patterns, those who consumed alcohol in moderation had half the risk of diabetes compared to those who consumed less alcohol. The researchers report that their findings are consistent with numerous previous studies that have shown moderate alcohol drinkers to have a 30-40 percent reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
Carlsson, S., et al. Alcohol consumption and the incidence of type 2 diabetes: a 20-year follow-up of the Finnish Twin Cohort Study. Diabetes Care, 2003, 26(10), 2785-2786.
Medical researchers examined the results of 15 different studies and found that moderate drinkers are less likely to have type 2 diabetes than are abstainers. Teetotalers and heavy drinkers have equally high risk of the disease.The 15 studies were conducted in the U.S., Japan, Finland, Korea, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK and followed a total of 369,862 men and women for an average of 12 years.Moderate drinkers (those who drank between about a half a drink to four drinks per day) were found to be 30% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than abstainers or heavy drinkers.Whether drinkers consume beer, wine or distilled spirits makes little difference, but the pattern of consumption does. It’s much better to consume frequently (such as daily) rather than infrequently for maximum health benefits.
The research findings are published in the journal, Diabetes Care.
Pre-menstrual women who consume a daily drink of beer, wine or distilled spirits (whiskey, rum, tequila, etc.) have a much lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than abstainers, according to a study that duplicates similar findings in men.
The Harvard study involved about 110,000 women age 25 to 42 over a ten-year period. Dramatic reductions (about 60%) occured among women who drank between 1/2 and two drinks daily compared to abstainers. The reduction of risk was lower for those who drank less.
The study, led by Dr. Goya Wannamethee, is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
A study of over 5,000 women with type 2 diabetes mellitus by Harvard researchers found that coronary heart disease (CHD) rates "were significantly lower in women who reported moderate alcohol intake than in those who reported drinking no alcohol."
Women who drank more than 5 grams (about half a glass) a day reduced their risk of CHD (fatal or nonfatal) by more than half.
Solomon, C. G., et al. Moderate alcohol consumption and risk of coronary heart disease among women with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Circulation, 2000, 102, 494-499.
A major study of almost 21,000 physicians for over 12 years has found that men who are light to moderate drinkers have a decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
These findings are consistent with several other large studies, including the Nurses' Health Study of 85,000 women and the Health Professionals' Follow-Up Study of over 41,000 men.
Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus affects over 15 million people and is the seventh leading cause of death among those over 45 hears of age in the US. This serious disease is also associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, renal failure, and blindness caused by retinopathy.
Umed, A., et al. Alcohol consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus among US male physicians. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2000, 160, 1025-1050
Some drinks are better choices for people with diabetes. Select drinks that are lower in alcohol and sugar. If you use mixers in your drinks, choose ones that are sugar free, such as diet soft drinks, diet tonic, club soda, seltzer, or water. This will help keep your blood sugar levels in your target range.
Light beer and dry wines are good choices. They have less alcohol and carbohydrates and fewer calories.
Friday, July 24, 2009
My Disclosure Policy
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.
The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.
The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.
This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest. For questions about this blog, please contact me : Weightlossvalue At Yahoo Dot com
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This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.
The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.
The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.
This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest. For questions about this blog, please contact me : Weightlossvalue At Yahoo Dot com
To get your own policy, click here
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Alcohol and drug addiction is rampant in our society. Most of us enjoy a drink once in a while, but what is the effect of alcohol on your diet? Alcohol may offer some health benefits, but only in moderation. It can help prevent heart disease. But if you don’t already drink alcohol, there’s no reason to start to protect your heart, as there are plenty of alternative strategies, such as the healthy eating and exercise.
A Few Important Facts about Alcohol
Alcohol is the second highest source of calories, behind fat. The higher the level of alcohol in the beverage the higher the caloric intake is. One gram of alcohol supplies 29 kcal’s. It isn’t as high as fat but not as low as protein and carbohydrates.
Drinking alcohol may slightly increase the risk of breast cancer. However, Dr. Lorraine Gunzerath of NIAAA emphasizes that women should weigh the small increase in breast cancer risk (one percentage point) against the sharp decrease in heart disease risk (40%) resulting from moderate drinking. Also important is the fact that about 4% of American women die of breast cancer while about 50% die of heart disease. Your choice : ………?
Drinking alcohol in moderation is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes, according to a large-scale Scandinavian study.
The scientific medical research did not find that moderate drinking leads to weight gain or to obesity, although alcohol contains calories.
Several Notes about Alcohol :
Drinking alcohol are common triggers for this loss of control.
Alcohol seems to increase the rate of absorption of many foods.
Alcohol may ease tension, but too much can lead to disinhibition and overeating.
If you want an alcoholic beverage, try to sip it with your meal, not before.
Keep in mind that having an alcoholic drink at the same time as eating an allergenic food will cause a dramatic rise in the levels of a food allergen. This may result in allergic symptoms, whereas eating the food alone does not.
Think about legal issues in alcohol drinking
A Few Important Facts about Alcohol
Alcohol is the second highest source of calories, behind fat. The higher the level of alcohol in the beverage the higher the caloric intake is. One gram of alcohol supplies 29 kcal’s. It isn’t as high as fat but not as low as protein and carbohydrates.
Drinking alcohol may slightly increase the risk of breast cancer. However, Dr. Lorraine Gunzerath of NIAAA emphasizes that women should weigh the small increase in breast cancer risk (one percentage point) against the sharp decrease in heart disease risk (40%) resulting from moderate drinking. Also important is the fact that about 4% of American women die of breast cancer while about 50% die of heart disease. Your choice : ………?
Drinking alcohol in moderation is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes, according to a large-scale Scandinavian study.
The scientific medical research did not find that moderate drinking leads to weight gain or to obesity, although alcohol contains calories.
Several Notes about Alcohol :
Drinking alcohol are common triggers for this loss of control.
Alcohol seems to increase the rate of absorption of many foods.
Alcohol may ease tension, but too much can lead to disinhibition and overeating.
If you want an alcoholic beverage, try to sip it with your meal, not before.
Keep in mind that having an alcoholic drink at the same time as eating an allergenic food will cause a dramatic rise in the levels of a food allergen. This may result in allergic symptoms, whereas eating the food alone does not.
Think about legal issues in alcohol drinking
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Knowledge is the key in allowing you to make smart decisions and to give you ideas on how to achieve your own fitness and weight loss goals. Every time I think I’ve heard it all, a new diet comes along. Keep reading all related articles and news is the key. Here are some tips to help you to make your physical activity a success:
1. Choose activities that you enjoy.
You could find a lot of resources helping you to find out what exercises you could do in the comfort of your lifestyle. Get a t raining partner will make your workout more enjoyable
2. Set a goal.
Make it specific. How long you want to walk, swim, ride, etc., how often, perhaps even who you will do it with. Set a date by which you want to meet this goal.
3. Next you must figure out what you need to do to meet your goal.
Write down your goal and each action step. Steps may be as simple as buying a new pair of walking shoes or setting your alarm twenty minutes earlier for a quick workout. Review your list daily and check off any steps you have completed. It feels good to see your success on paper! Then add any new steps.
3. Monitor your activities.
Monitoring is quite helpful in keeping up your fitness. It is the first place from where you can know that you are proceeding towards disfiguration or towards an unfit body. Write your minutes in your date book or mark a check on your calendar for every ten minutes you exercise. Wear a pedometer—try to work up to eleven thousand steps each day. Give yourself a special pampering reward when you meet each goal.
4. Do five to ten minutes of warm-up.
Prepare the specific muscles you'll be using for the activity ahead. Start out at a snail’s pace, gradually increasing until you are at your full speed. After you have warmed up, stretch out any muscles that are tight, particularly those that you will be using for that activity. Stop and stretch during your workout if your muscles tighten up.
5. Cool down.
Slowing your pace gradually for at least ten minutes when you are done, until your heartbeat is back to normal and your muscles are cool. This will help prevent muscle cramps.
6. Drink water during exercise
But don’t overdo it. Sports drinks are only for prolonged heavy exercise, to keep your blood sugar levels from bottoming out. Otherwise, water is a better choice.
Listen to your body... Any strains, pains or aches from previous training days need to be looked at. It's better to have a lighter workout or rest day than a four week injury and lay on your bed.
If you have motivation to exercise but you're not sure what to do, consult with a personal trainer or fitness professional may be the best choice to get some guidance and structure.
1. Choose activities that you enjoy.
You could find a lot of resources helping you to find out what exercises you could do in the comfort of your lifestyle. Get a t raining partner will make your workout more enjoyable
2. Set a goal.
Make it specific. How long you want to walk, swim, ride, etc., how often, perhaps even who you will do it with. Set a date by which you want to meet this goal.
3. Next you must figure out what you need to do to meet your goal.
Write down your goal and each action step. Steps may be as simple as buying a new pair of walking shoes or setting your alarm twenty minutes earlier for a quick workout. Review your list daily and check off any steps you have completed. It feels good to see your success on paper! Then add any new steps.
3. Monitor your activities.
Monitoring is quite helpful in keeping up your fitness. It is the first place from where you can know that you are proceeding towards disfiguration or towards an unfit body. Write your minutes in your date book or mark a check on your calendar for every ten minutes you exercise. Wear a pedometer—try to work up to eleven thousand steps each day. Give yourself a special pampering reward when you meet each goal.
4. Do five to ten minutes of warm-up.
Prepare the specific muscles you'll be using for the activity ahead. Start out at a snail’s pace, gradually increasing until you are at your full speed. After you have warmed up, stretch out any muscles that are tight, particularly those that you will be using for that activity. Stop and stretch during your workout if your muscles tighten up.
5. Cool down.
Slowing your pace gradually for at least ten minutes when you are done, until your heartbeat is back to normal and your muscles are cool. This will help prevent muscle cramps.
6. Drink water during exercise
But don’t overdo it. Sports drinks are only for prolonged heavy exercise, to keep your blood sugar levels from bottoming out. Otherwise, water is a better choice.
Listen to your body... Any strains, pains or aches from previous training days need to be looked at. It's better to have a lighter workout or rest day than a four week injury and lay on your bed.
If you have motivation to exercise but you're not sure what to do, consult with a personal trainer or fitness professional may be the best choice to get some guidance and structure.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Physical activity can greatly speed up your weight-loss program and is essential for maintaining your desired weight and your general health. To get into great shape, exercise and good nutrition must become an integral part of your life. Can you lose weight without exercising? Of course it is possible to lose weight by dieting alone, but if your goal is to lose weight permanently and to look and feel healthy, physical activity is an essential ingredient.
For years exercise research focused on what happened during exercise and ignored the after effects. Now we know what goes on during exercise directly impacts whether the body burns or stores fuel. In fact, the after effects of exercise may be the most important aspects determining fitness and body composition (muscle tissue/body fat ratio).
Fat-burning exercises can be divided into 3 types : Brisk activity, Aerobic activity and Muscle-building activity
Brisk activity is the most effective activity for fat burning. In fact, intermittent activity, such as climbing stairs several times each day or walking a few blocks to and from your car, also helps. Walking, gardening, or housecleaning can be very effective. Brisk activity differs from aerobic activity in that it does not increase your heart rate to a training rate.
A study of 14 morbidly obese patients was designed to determine if brisk walking alone was sufficient to serve as an aerobic training stimulus, increasing heart rate to at least 70 percent of maximum. Patients were asked to determine their own brisk walking pace, and walked for one mile. All 14 achieved at least 70 percent of maximum heart rate.
The Korean study measured decreases in blood pressure in 23 hypertensive men following 40-minute brisk walking sessions and four, 10-minute brisk walking bouts. Blood pressure was lowered by similar amounts after each type of exercise session.
Aerobic activity increases your metabolic rate so you will burn more calories throughout the day. Metabolic rate is the speed at which you use up energy. This rate will remain increased for the entire day and into the next day, having a sustained effect for thirty-six hours. Aerobic activity helps your body use carbohydrates more efficiently.
Muscle-building activity increases the amount of muscle on your body. Having more muscle increases your metabolic rate. Muscle building activity involves exercises that use resistance in pulling, pushing, or lifting. It is best not to work the same muscles two days in a row because muscles need time to recover.
You must also realize that you can not try to do too much too soon and must not quit before you have a chance to experience the rewards. Patience and hard work is the key and the end result is worth the price.
For years exercise research focused on what happened during exercise and ignored the after effects. Now we know what goes on during exercise directly impacts whether the body burns or stores fuel. In fact, the after effects of exercise may be the most important aspects determining fitness and body composition (muscle tissue/body fat ratio).
Fat-burning exercises can be divided into 3 types : Brisk activity, Aerobic activity and Muscle-building activity
Brisk activity is the most effective activity for fat burning. In fact, intermittent activity, such as climbing stairs several times each day or walking a few blocks to and from your car, also helps. Walking, gardening, or housecleaning can be very effective. Brisk activity differs from aerobic activity in that it does not increase your heart rate to a training rate.
A study of 14 morbidly obese patients was designed to determine if brisk walking alone was sufficient to serve as an aerobic training stimulus, increasing heart rate to at least 70 percent of maximum. Patients were asked to determine their own brisk walking pace, and walked for one mile. All 14 achieved at least 70 percent of maximum heart rate.
The Korean study measured decreases in blood pressure in 23 hypertensive men following 40-minute brisk walking sessions and four, 10-minute brisk walking bouts. Blood pressure was lowered by similar amounts after each type of exercise session.
Aerobic activity increases your metabolic rate so you will burn more calories throughout the day. Metabolic rate is the speed at which you use up energy. This rate will remain increased for the entire day and into the next day, having a sustained effect for thirty-six hours. Aerobic activity helps your body use carbohydrates more efficiently.
Muscle-building activity increases the amount of muscle on your body. Having more muscle increases your metabolic rate. Muscle building activity involves exercises that use resistance in pulling, pushing, or lifting. It is best not to work the same muscles two days in a row because muscles need time to recover.
You must also realize that you can not try to do too much too soon and must not quit before you have a chance to experience the rewards. Patience and hard work is the key and the end result is worth the price.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Studies have shown us that protein foods do not cause insulin to spike and therefore are ideal foods to eat when managing weight problems. When insulin resistant people eat carbohydrates, their pancreas reacts by significantly increasing insulin secretion to maintain normal blood glucose levels. Advocates of high-protein low-carb diets say this over secretion causes carbohydrate to be stored as fat, and therefore insulin-resistant people should best consume low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets.
Eating fat with carbohydrates also delays the rise in insulin, but it will not help with weight loss. Eating enough protein helps prevent you from getting hungry again too soon.
Protein is an important ingredient needed by the body to make dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain that tells you when you are hungry or full. Without adequate protein intake you may not be able to make enough dopamine, and you will feel depressed, lack energy, and have significant food cravings.
Another important reason to include adequate protein in your diet is because muscles are made from protein. As you lose weight some muscle is lost because the body finds it easier to use energy stored in muscle protein than in fat. This lost muscle must be replaced or you will end up with less muscle than when you started losing weight. The amount of muscle you have determines how fast your metabolism runs. Less muscle means a slower metabolism, and a slower metabolism means you may regain your weight more quickly.
Some popular diets say that you can “eat all of the protein foods that you want and still lose weight.” This may work for some people as long as the total amount of food they eat each day is less than the energy they burn.
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Try to eat for hunger and not emotional reasons. If you must eat for emotional reasons, eat non-starchy vegetables or lean protein.
Eating fat with carbohydrates also delays the rise in insulin, but it will not help with weight loss. Eating enough protein helps prevent you from getting hungry again too soon.
Protein is an important ingredient needed by the body to make dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain that tells you when you are hungry or full. Without adequate protein intake you may not be able to make enough dopamine, and you will feel depressed, lack energy, and have significant food cravings.
Another important reason to include adequate protein in your diet is because muscles are made from protein. As you lose weight some muscle is lost because the body finds it easier to use energy stored in muscle protein than in fat. This lost muscle must be replaced or you will end up with less muscle than when you started losing weight. The amount of muscle you have determines how fast your metabolism runs. Less muscle means a slower metabolism, and a slower metabolism means you may regain your weight more quickly.
Some popular diets say that you can “eat all of the protein foods that you want and still lose weight.” This may work for some people as long as the total amount of food they eat each day is less than the energy they burn.
Eating more protein than your body needs will not help you to lose weight faster, and, in fact, it may slow down your rate of weight loss.
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Try to eat for hunger and not emotional reasons. If you must eat for emotional reasons, eat non-starchy vegetables or lean protein.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Insulin resistance can lead to diabetes later in life. One of the actions of insulin is to cause the cells of the body, particularly the muscle and fat cells, to remove and use glucose from the blood. This is one way in which insulin controls the level of glucose in blood.
In diabetics glucose levels are not under control and can reach levels of 250 mg/dL or higher. Patients with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes produce little or no insulin because the beta-cells in the pancreas, which normally produce the hormone, have been destroyed. Patients with type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes, on the other hand, usually produce an adequate amount of insulin, but for some reason the mechanism whereby the insulin summons the GLUT-4 transporters does not function. The result is that both glucose and insulin levels in the blood remain high. The same problem is experienced by persons with insulin resistance, but to a lesser degree.
Without insulin from the pancreas to control it, blood sugar levels rise. Uncontrolled high blood sugar levels (diabetes) cause significant damage to essentially all of the body’s organs but especially the heart, blood vessels, liver, eyes, and kidneys. Heart disease and blood vessel damage caused by Type II diabetes are the common killers of Americans today.
Insulin resistance can be considered prediabetes. In fact, studies reveal that diabetes is in the making seven years before it can be clinically diagnosed by high blood sugar levels. This means that if insulin resistance symptoms were recognized and managed early enough, most Type II diabetes could be prevented.
In diabetics glucose levels are not under control and can reach levels of 250 mg/dL or higher. Patients with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes produce little or no insulin because the beta-cells in the pancreas, which normally produce the hormone, have been destroyed. Patients with type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes, on the other hand, usually produce an adequate amount of insulin, but for some reason the mechanism whereby the insulin summons the GLUT-4 transporters does not function. The result is that both glucose and insulin levels in the blood remain high. The same problem is experienced by persons with insulin resistance, but to a lesser degree.
Without insulin from the pancreas to control it, blood sugar levels rise. Uncontrolled high blood sugar levels (diabetes) cause significant damage to essentially all of the body’s organs but especially the heart, blood vessels, liver, eyes, and kidneys. Heart disease and blood vessel damage caused by Type II diabetes are the common killers of Americans today.
Insulin resistance can be considered prediabetes. In fact, studies reveal that diabetes is in the making seven years before it can be clinically diagnosed by high blood sugar levels. This means that if insulin resistance symptoms were recognized and managed early enough, most Type II diabetes could be prevented.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The body mass index (BMI), or Quetelet index, is a controversial statistical measurement which compares a person's weight and height. BMI provided a simple numeric measure of a person's "fatness" or "thinness".
The formulae universally used in medicine produce a unit of measure of kg/m2. BMI is calculated by dividing the subject's mass by the square of his or her height, typically expressed either in metric or US "Customary" units:
The most commonly used definitions, established by the WHO in 1997 and published in 2000, provide the values listed bellow
Body fat percentage
Body fat percentage is total body fat expressed as a percentage of total body weight. It is generally agreed that men with more than 25% body fat and women with more than 33% body fat are obese. Body fat percentage can be estimated from a person's BMI by the following formula:
This formula takes into account the fact that body fat percentage is 10 percentage points greater in women than in men for a given BMI. It recognizes that a person's percentage body fat increases as they age even if their weight remains constant. The results of this formula have an accuracy of 4%.
The formulae universally used in medicine produce a unit of measure of kg/m2. BMI is calculated by dividing the subject's mass by the square of his or her height, typically expressed either in metric or US "Customary" units:
Metric: BMI = kilograms ( weight ) / meters2 ( height )
US/Customary and imperial: BMI = lb ( weight ) * 703 / in2 ( height )
Note : lb is the subject's weight in pounds and in is the subject's height in inches.
The most commonly used definitions, established by the WHO in 1997 and published in 2000, provide the values listed bellow
| BMI | Classification |
| < 18.5 | underweight |
| 18.5–24.9 | normal weight |
| 25.0–29.9 | overweight |
| 30.0–34.9 | class I obesity |
| 35.0–39.9 | class II obesity |
| >40.0 | class III obesity |
Body fat percentage
Body fat percentage is total body fat expressed as a percentage of total body weight. It is generally agreed that men with more than 25% body fat and women with more than 33% body fat are obese. Body fat percentage can be estimated from a person's BMI by the following formula:
Bodyfat% = (1.2 * BMI) + (0.23 * age) − 5.4 − (10.8 * gender)
Note : gender is 0 if female and 1 if male
This formula takes into account the fact that body fat percentage is 10 percentage points greater in women than in men for a given BMI. It recognizes that a person's percentage body fat increases as they age even if their weight remains constant. The results of this formula have an accuracy of 4%.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
How is insulin related to gaining fat? There is a complex and important relationship between food, blood sugar, insulin, and fat. Insulin helps the body transform food into energy. It helps to regulate blood sugar levels. It also helps to store fat. Insulin is a powerful yet hidden fat-building hormone, which is the answer to why we keep getting fatter on low-fat, high carbohydrate diets.
High insulin levels inhibit the use of body fat for energy in the body. The researchers found in their studies that high levels of insulin can block stress hormones known as catecholamines, which normally cause the release of cellular energy. Adrenaline is the best known example of a catecholamine.
Insulin and Fat Storage
After you eat, digest, and absorb carbohydrate foods, your blood glucose (blood sugar) level normally rises. The pancreas responds by releasing insulin, which then transports glucose into your body cells where it can be used as energy. If you have more glucose in your body than your cells need, insulin takes extra blood glucose and transports it into fat storage. Blood sugar then returns to normal. This step is important because having abnormally high levels of blood glucose is called diabetes.
High Level of Insulin = High Level of Storage
Eat lots of food all day long and you will insure high insulin levels. Another way to insure high insulin levels is to eat foods like candy and simple carbs. This increases your blood sugar level quickly and as a response, you body releases a large volume of insulin. Then it is time to store that food as body fat.
So, insulin’s main job is to regulate blood glucose and insulin also signals fat storage. This creates some pros and cons when it comes to insulin levels: not enough insulin to regulate high blood sugar levels would result in diabetes, but high insulin levels on a frequent basis will make you fat.
In seeking the real weight-loss solution, the question we asked was simple: “If high insulin levels make you fat, then would lower insulin levels make you thin?” The answer is yes. Overweight and obesity is seen in the vast majority of those with insulin resistance and Type II diabetes due to the chronic storage of fat in the body.
Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body does not efficiently use insulin, so your pancreas has to make a lot more insulin to regulate blood glucose. If you have insulin resistance and eat foods high in carbohydrates, up to five times more insulin than normal is needed to bring your blood glucose back down to healthy levels. In fact, some people with insulin resistance produce so much insulin that their blood sugar levels dive way below normal. This low blood sugar condition is called hypoglycemia.
Insulin resistance can lead to diabetes later in life. More about Insulin Resistance in our next post.
High insulin levels inhibit the use of body fat for energy in the body. The researchers found in their studies that high levels of insulin can block stress hormones known as catecholamines, which normally cause the release of cellular energy. Adrenaline is the best known example of a catecholamine.
Insulin and Fat Storage
After you eat, digest, and absorb carbohydrate foods, your blood glucose (blood sugar) level normally rises. The pancreas responds by releasing insulin, which then transports glucose into your body cells where it can be used as energy. If you have more glucose in your body than your cells need, insulin takes extra blood glucose and transports it into fat storage. Blood sugar then returns to normal. This step is important because having abnormally high levels of blood glucose is called diabetes.
High Level of Insulin = High Level of Storage
Eat lots of food all day long and you will insure high insulin levels. Another way to insure high insulin levels is to eat foods like candy and simple carbs. This increases your blood sugar level quickly and as a response, you body releases a large volume of insulin. Then it is time to store that food as body fat.
So, insulin’s main job is to regulate blood glucose and insulin also signals fat storage. This creates some pros and cons when it comes to insulin levels: not enough insulin to regulate high blood sugar levels would result in diabetes, but high insulin levels on a frequent basis will make you fat.
In seeking the real weight-loss solution, the question we asked was simple: “If high insulin levels make you fat, then would lower insulin levels make you thin?” The answer is yes. Overweight and obesity is seen in the vast majority of those with insulin resistance and Type II diabetes due to the chronic storage of fat in the body.
Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body does not efficiently use insulin, so your pancreas has to make a lot more insulin to regulate blood glucose. If you have insulin resistance and eat foods high in carbohydrates, up to five times more insulin than normal is needed to bring your blood glucose back down to healthy levels. In fact, some people with insulin resistance produce so much insulin that their blood sugar levels dive way below normal. This low blood sugar condition is called hypoglycemia.
Insulin resistance can lead to diabetes later in life. More about Insulin Resistance in our next post.
Friday, July 17, 2009
U.S. reviewing possible heart risks with asthma drug
By Lisa Richwine
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are reviewing if Roche and Novartis AG's asthma drug Xolair may be linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, health officials said on Thursday.
Preliminary findings from a study by Roche unit Genentech suggested a greater chance of heart attack, abnormal heart rhythm, heart failure, and stroke in patients treated with Xolair, the Food and Drug Administration said.
The agency said the results required further review and it was not recommending any changes to the prescribing or use of Xolair at the current time. "FDA has not made any conclusions about these data," the agency said.
Genentech spokeswoman Tara Cooper said limitations in the existing data "preclude a definitive association with Xolair use. At this time, there is insufficient information for the companies to change their assessment of the benefit-risk profile for Xolair."
The drug's 2008 sales were $517 million. Novartis and Genentech jointly market Xolair in the United States, while Novartis markets it elsewhere.
Known generically as omalizumab, Xolair is an injection that was approved in the United States in 2003. The drug works by disabling an antibody called IgE that triggers the release of chemicals that cause inflammation and provoke asthma and allergy attacks.
The study that raised concerns is ongoing and designed to evaluate Xolair's long-term safety, with a focus on cancer. Researchers are comparing patients in a real-world setting who were treated with the drug versus others who did not take it.
Cooper said the underlying health of patients differed in the two groups. Xolair-treated patients had more severe asthma and were more likely to have other health problems, she said.
The FDA said there may have been differences between the underlying risk factors for heart attacks and strokes between the two sets of patients.
(Editing Bernard Orr and Carol Bishopric)
By Lisa Richwine
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are reviewing if Roche and Novartis AG's asthma drug Xolair may be linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, health officials said on Thursday.
Preliminary findings from a study by Roche unit Genentech suggested a greater chance of heart attack, abnormal heart rhythm, heart failure, and stroke in patients treated with Xolair, the Food and Drug Administration said.
The agency said the results required further review and it was not recommending any changes to the prescribing or use of Xolair at the current time. "FDA has not made any conclusions about these data," the agency said.
Genentech spokeswoman Tara Cooper said limitations in the existing data "preclude a definitive association with Xolair use. At this time, there is insufficient information for the companies to change their assessment of the benefit-risk profile for Xolair."
The drug's 2008 sales were $517 million. Novartis and Genentech jointly market Xolair in the United States, while Novartis markets it elsewhere.
Known generically as omalizumab, Xolair is an injection that was approved in the United States in 2003. The drug works by disabling an antibody called IgE that triggers the release of chemicals that cause inflammation and provoke asthma and allergy attacks.
The study that raised concerns is ongoing and designed to evaluate Xolair's long-term safety, with a focus on cancer. Researchers are comparing patients in a real-world setting who were treated with the drug versus others who did not take it.
Cooper said the underlying health of patients differed in the two groups. Xolair-treated patients had more severe asthma and were more likely to have other health problems, she said.
The FDA said there may have been differences between the underlying risk factors for heart attacks and strokes between the two sets of patients.
(Editing Bernard Orr and Carol Bishopric)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Thermogenesis is our body's heat production in fancy word. The normal body temperature/core temperature is 98.6 F.The amount of heat continually produced within the body. Increasing in body's metabolism will increasing its core temperature. It is becoming common for people to use thermogenic substances to help their weightloss process.
Some smart dieters realized that get the body to produce more heat will make that body burn more calories. With more food, not only the body temperature will rise but it also cost a energy to release the fuel in the food.
To illustrate the calorie burning potential of increasing the body temperature, look at an individual with 150 pound weight lying in the bed at complete rest can expect to burn about 1500 cal/day. Other individual with the same weight in ill condition with temperature at 102 F can expect a caloric expenditure about 3000 calories daily ( without leaving the bed ).
Different source of calories exert different effect in the body. Proteins with the strongest effect (about 20%), carbohydrate (about 12-15%) with the milder effect and dietary fat is the smallest with only 3% thermic effect. The simple example for calories from fat is while our body digesting 100 calories, 3 of 100 will burn away in the production of body heat and leaving the 97 remaining.
A person with less body fat experience a greater thermic effect. Body fat acts as an insulator, trapping heat inside the body so the heat can not escape. As heat escapes, the body has to produce more heat to maintain the 98.6 F body temperature by increasing heat production. This means more calories burned. According to this theory, burn calories for an obese person, who carries more body fat and who need more calories to burned, is more difficult than thin person. Ironic.
When calories are too low, as common with many diet plans, the body produce less heat. Whit less heat, the maximum ability to burn maximum af calories subsequently go down.Person who eat low in fat but higher carb and protein will see a good result. Hmm, I think thermogenesis theory like to be in opposition for some popular diet theory such as low protein diet, low carb diet and high fat diet.
Thermogenesis and exercise. When a person exercise, calories are expended. Some for physicsl effort required to do the work, and some are burned away when the body temperature rise.When yhe body heats up by doing exercise, some calories are burn due to added heat production. Some study showed submersing a person in very cild water for 20 minutes burn as many calories as 20 minutes of moderate exercise.So some dieters suggest exercise in cold environments or wear less clothing will bring greater result.
Finally, eating too much calories than the body needs will still cause an increase in body fat, and make a person obese, regardless of a step up in thermogenesis. Total caloric intake still important.
Based on Everything You Need to Know About Fat Loss, second edition, by Chris Aceto.
Some smart dieters realized that get the body to produce more heat will make that body burn more calories. With more food, not only the body temperature will rise but it also cost a energy to release the fuel in the food.
To illustrate the calorie burning potential of increasing the body temperature, look at an individual with 150 pound weight lying in the bed at complete rest can expect to burn about 1500 cal/day. Other individual with the same weight in ill condition with temperature at 102 F can expect a caloric expenditure about 3000 calories daily ( without leaving the bed ).
Different source of calories exert different effect in the body. Proteins with the strongest effect (about 20%), carbohydrate (about 12-15%) with the milder effect and dietary fat is the smallest with only 3% thermic effect. The simple example for calories from fat is while our body digesting 100 calories, 3 of 100 will burn away in the production of body heat and leaving the 97 remaining.
A person with less body fat experience a greater thermic effect. Body fat acts as an insulator, trapping heat inside the body so the heat can not escape. As heat escapes, the body has to produce more heat to maintain the 98.6 F body temperature by increasing heat production. This means more calories burned. According to this theory, burn calories for an obese person, who carries more body fat and who need more calories to burned, is more difficult than thin person. Ironic.
When calories are too low, as common with many diet plans, the body produce less heat. Whit less heat, the maximum ability to burn maximum af calories subsequently go down.Person who eat low in fat but higher carb and protein will see a good result. Hmm, I think thermogenesis theory like to be in opposition for some popular diet theory such as low protein diet, low carb diet and high fat diet.
Thermogenesis and exercise. When a person exercise, calories are expended. Some for physicsl effort required to do the work, and some are burned away when the body temperature rise.When yhe body heats up by doing exercise, some calories are burn due to added heat production. Some study showed submersing a person in very cild water for 20 minutes burn as many calories as 20 minutes of moderate exercise.So some dieters suggest exercise in cold environments or wear less clothing will bring greater result.
Finally, eating too much calories than the body needs will still cause an increase in body fat, and make a person obese, regardless of a step up in thermogenesis. Total caloric intake still important.
Based on Everything You Need to Know About Fat Loss, second edition, by Chris Aceto.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
How bad is swine flu? Without numbers, who knows?
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many people are confused about just how many patients have been infected with the new H1N1 flu, which in turn makes it hard to tell how bad the pandemic is, British researchers said on Tuesday.
But better methods of measuring the swine flu toll in real-time could help reduce some of that confusion, according to the team at Imperial College London.
And without this information, they said, governments are operating in the dark when assessing what their response should be.
"If you don't test people, you don't know how many people are out there who have it," Dr. Tini Garske, an expert in disease modeling who led the study, said in a telephone interview. "The number of confirmed cases doesn't tell you a lot."
The World Health Organization has confirmed 94,512 cases globally and 429 deaths from the new H1N1 swine flu, which was declared a pandemic last month.
But these numbers represent only a fraction of the real cases -- the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says at least a million people have been infected and the virus is spreading out of control.
Most countries are now only testing a sample of patients, and many people who become infected are not ill enough to even seek medical attention, let alone get tested.
Diagnostic kits for H1N1 are expensive, and most governments save them for when they are really needed.
But if no one knows just how many people are infected overall, with serious disease and with mild disease, how can anyone say how severe the pandemic is?
DEATH RATES
Writing in the British Medical Journal, Garske and colleagues said current case fatality ratios -- the number of deaths from swine flu divided by the total number of cases -- is only around 0.5 percent. This is similar to the death rate from seasonal influenza, which kills anywhere between 250,000 and 500,000 people globally each year.
But Garske noted this varies greatly from country to country. Unlike seasonal flu, influenza H1N1 is causing severe illness in previously healthy young adults and children.
"Accurately predicting the severity of this swine flu pandemic is a very tricky business, and our research shows that this can only be achieved if data is collected according to well-designed study protocols and analyzed in a more sophisticated way than is frequently being performed at present," Garske said.
"If we fail to get an accurate prediction of severity, we will not be providing healthcare planners, doctors and nurses, with the information that they need to ensure they are best prepared to fight the pandemic as we head into the flu season this autumn."
Garske's team outlined ways to improve estimates, including using individual towns as examples.
Watching families can also help give researchers an idea of how the flu spreads. If one sick family member infects one other family member, or two, or three, that number can be used to estimate the infection rate in places where cases are not being painstakingly diagnosed and recorded, she said.
"You don't need to know about everybody, but you need some subpopulations," she said.
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many people are confused about just how many patients have been infected with the new H1N1 flu, which in turn makes it hard to tell how bad the pandemic is, British researchers said on Tuesday.
But better methods of measuring the swine flu toll in real-time could help reduce some of that confusion, according to the team at Imperial College London.
And without this information, they said, governments are operating in the dark when assessing what their response should be.
"If you don't test people, you don't know how many people are out there who have it," Dr. Tini Garske, an expert in disease modeling who led the study, said in a telephone interview. "The number of confirmed cases doesn't tell you a lot."
The World Health Organization has confirmed 94,512 cases globally and 429 deaths from the new H1N1 swine flu, which was declared a pandemic last month.
But these numbers represent only a fraction of the real cases -- the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says at least a million people have been infected and the virus is spreading out of control.
Most countries are now only testing a sample of patients, and many people who become infected are not ill enough to even seek medical attention, let alone get tested.
Diagnostic kits for H1N1 are expensive, and most governments save them for when they are really needed.
But if no one knows just how many people are infected overall, with serious disease and with mild disease, how can anyone say how severe the pandemic is?
DEATH RATES
Writing in the British Medical Journal, Garske and colleagues said current case fatality ratios -- the number of deaths from swine flu divided by the total number of cases -- is only around 0.5 percent. This is similar to the death rate from seasonal influenza, which kills anywhere between 250,000 and 500,000 people globally each year.
But Garske noted this varies greatly from country to country. Unlike seasonal flu, influenza H1N1 is causing severe illness in previously healthy young adults and children.
"Accurately predicting the severity of this swine flu pandemic is a very tricky business, and our research shows that this can only be achieved if data is collected according to well-designed study protocols and analyzed in a more sophisticated way than is frequently being performed at present," Garske said.
"If we fail to get an accurate prediction of severity, we will not be providing healthcare planners, doctors and nurses, with the information that they need to ensure they are best prepared to fight the pandemic as we head into the flu season this autumn."
Garske's team outlined ways to improve estimates, including using individual towns as examples.
Watching families can also help give researchers an idea of how the flu spreads. If one sick family member infects one other family member, or two, or three, that number can be used to estimate the infection rate in places where cases are not being painstakingly diagnosed and recorded, she said.
"You don't need to know about everybody, but you need some subpopulations," she said.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Breast milk production, or lactogenesis, is initiated during the last trimester of pregnancy. Milk begins to form, and the lactose and protein content of milk increases.Nursing during the first few weeks of a baby’s life is especially important because the early milk is loaded with nutrition and ingredients that help the immune system.
Mothers do everything they can to care for their baby’s needs. Breast milk is
really a biological extension of this maternal care, and the mother herself got many benefits in return.
Lowers your cancer risk. Women who breast-feed have lower incidences of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers. Lactation lowers estrogen levels in the body, and lifetime exposure to estrogen is a risk factor for these cancers. The longer you nurse, the more the benefit.
Lowers your risk of osteoporosis. Breast-feeding increases bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures in older women who have breast-fed.
Helps you in weightloss. Nursing takes energy—about 500 calories a day, to be exact. When breast-feeding, your body is working overtime and will return to its pre-pregnancy weight more rapidly and without reducing the amount you eat.
This is estimated using the factorial approach whereby the cost of milk production is added to the energy requirement of nonpregnant, nonlactating women. Milk production cost is based on a mean milk production of 780 mL=day, energy density of milk of 0.67 kcal=g, and energetic efficiency of milk synthesis (conversion of maternal dietary energy to milk energy) of 80% . In well-nourished women, 170 kcal=day is deducted to account for energy mobilization (0.8 kg=month) from adipose stores laid down during pregnancy.
Beyond 6 months postpartum, weight loss is considered minor and total energy cost of milk production is derived solely from diet. Using a reduced milk production volume of 600 mL, recommended energy intake for partially breastfeeding women in the second 6 months of lactation is 400 kcal=day above the nonpregnant, nonlactating energy requirement.
Helps your child from being obese. Several studies have suggested that infants who are formula-fed are more likely to become obese later in life. A study of fifteen thousand children of participants in the Nurses’ Health Study II at Harvard found that children who were mostly or exclusively breast-fed for the first six months of life had a lower risk of being overweight than children who were mostly or exclusively fed formula.
There are also many other benefits for both, mom and the baby.
Mothers do everything they can to care for their baby’s needs. Breast milk is
really a biological extension of this maternal care, and the mother herself got many benefits in return.
Lowers your cancer risk. Women who breast-feed have lower incidences of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers. Lactation lowers estrogen levels in the body, and lifetime exposure to estrogen is a risk factor for these cancers. The longer you nurse, the more the benefit.
Lowers your risk of osteoporosis. Breast-feeding increases bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures in older women who have breast-fed.
Helps you in weightloss. Nursing takes energy—about 500 calories a day, to be exact. When breast-feeding, your body is working overtime and will return to its pre-pregnancy weight more rapidly and without reducing the amount you eat.
This is estimated using the factorial approach whereby the cost of milk production is added to the energy requirement of nonpregnant, nonlactating women. Milk production cost is based on a mean milk production of 780 mL=day, energy density of milk of 0.67 kcal=g, and energetic efficiency of milk synthesis (conversion of maternal dietary energy to milk energy) of 80% . In well-nourished women, 170 kcal=day is deducted to account for energy mobilization (0.8 kg=month) from adipose stores laid down during pregnancy.
Beyond 6 months postpartum, weight loss is considered minor and total energy cost of milk production is derived solely from diet. Using a reduced milk production volume of 600 mL, recommended energy intake for partially breastfeeding women in the second 6 months of lactation is 400 kcal=day above the nonpregnant, nonlactating energy requirement.
Helps your child from being obese. Several studies have suggested that infants who are formula-fed are more likely to become obese later in life. A study of fifteen thousand children of participants in the Nurses’ Health Study II at Harvard found that children who were mostly or exclusively breast-fed for the first six months of life had a lower risk of being overweight than children who were mostly or exclusively fed formula.
There are also many other benefits for both, mom and the baby.
Monday, July 13, 2009
An inevitable part of your pregnancy will be weight gain. Of course, you might wonder just how much weight is appropriate for you to gain. It all depends on your pre-pregnancy size and how many babies you’re carrying.
Standard guidelines use body mass index (BMI) to determine how much weight you should gain. The Institute of Medicine updated its recommendations on maternal weight gain during pregnancy, increasing them from previous guidelines. See the table below for the current recommended weight-gain guidelines:
If women don’t gain weight enough during the 9 months their baby is growing, there’s a greater risk of low birth weight.
This means you should consume about 300 more calories per day than you did before you became pregnant.
When you’re pregnant, everything you do either contributes to you and your baby’s health. Mothers who eat an unhealthy diet during pregnancy may be putting their children at risk of developing long term health issues.
Higher intakes of protein and micronutrients are also required to support fetal development and milk production. An additional 25 g (EAR=21 g) of protein per day is recommended for pregnant and lactating adolescents
Keep record of your weight pre-conception so your doctor can more accurately pinpoint your target weight gain. You should definitely meet the minimum weight gain suggested.
Here is a few tips to keep you and your baby healthy
- Try to eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients you need
- Make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals while pregnant
- Limit the caffeine you get each day to 200 milligrams
- Get 1000-1300 mg of calcium in your daily foods
- Avoid unpasteurized milk and any foods made from it
- Avoid Herbal supplements
- Fish oil supplements instead of fish. Most commercially available fish oil supplements have been tested for heavy metals such as mercury.
Some experts think that pregnant women should try to avoid excess weight gain as much as possible. So if your BMI is at or above 30, talk to your doctor before starting a diet during your pregnancy.
Standard guidelines use body mass index (BMI) to determine how much weight you should gain. The Institute of Medicine updated its recommendations on maternal weight gain during pregnancy, increasing them from previous guidelines. See the table below for the current recommended weight-gain guidelines:
| Pre-pregnancy weight | Recommended weight gain |
| Underweight | BMI less than 19.8 28–40 pounds |
| Normal weight | BMI of 19.8 to 25 25–35 pounds |
| Twins | 35–45 pounds, regardless of pre-pregnancy weight |
| Overweight | BMI above 25 15–25 pounds |
If women don’t gain weight enough during the 9 months their baby is growing, there’s a greater risk of low birth weight.
This means you should consume about 300 more calories per day than you did before you became pregnant.
When you’re pregnant, everything you do either contributes to you and your baby’s health. Mothers who eat an unhealthy diet during pregnancy may be putting their children at risk of developing long term health issues.
Higher intakes of protein and micronutrients are also required to support fetal development and milk production. An additional 25 g (EAR=21 g) of protein per day is recommended for pregnant and lactating adolescents
Keep record of your weight pre-conception so your doctor can more accurately pinpoint your target weight gain. You should definitely meet the minimum weight gain suggested.
Here is a few tips to keep you and your baby healthy
- Try to eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients you need
- Make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals while pregnant
- Limit the caffeine you get each day to 200 milligrams
- Get 1000-1300 mg of calcium in your daily foods
- Avoid unpasteurized milk and any foods made from it
- Avoid Herbal supplements
- Fish oil supplements instead of fish. Most commercially available fish oil supplements have been tested for heavy metals such as mercury.
Some experts think that pregnant women should try to avoid excess weight gain as much as possible. So if your BMI is at or above 30, talk to your doctor before starting a diet during your pregnancy.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The main concern of children’s nutrition was making sure that kids had enough food to eat, that they were growing properly. We must understand that kids don’t need as much food as you think they do.
Some kids who eat a lot due to parental pressure and not because of their own hunger pangs are at risk for future obesity. More eat do not always mean more health. But good nutrition is always the healthiest.
Your child needs nutritional diversity in order to get all the good nutrients that nature offers. The problem is that our ideas about nutrition are often piecemeal, a guideline here and a guideline there. We get the message that certain foods are “good” while others are “bad.” But we miss the more important idea of how different kinds of foods work together to make a healthy body.
Who Needs to Diet?
Though some people may feel they weigh too much or too little, there is no perfect body shape. Some people have larger frames (bigger bones) and will always look bigger and heavier than people with smaller frames.
Talk to your doctor if you have questions about your kid’s weight. Your doctor can examine you and check their BMI. For some kids, the doctor may recommend losing some weight, but this should be done with the doctor's help.
Parents have an enormous influence over their children’s eating habits, perhaps more than we realize. What children eat now affects their health later and children’s eating habits carry into adulthood.
Offer a sampling of lots of different kinds of foods. Give them more fruits. Fruit doesn’t just mean juice—because whole fruits are best. Whole-grain foods are also good for kids and not only for adult. Limited their consumption of fast food, soft drink and sweetened canned fruit.
Some kids who eat a lot due to parental pressure and not because of their own hunger pangs are at risk for future obesity. More eat do not always mean more health. But good nutrition is always the healthiest.
Your child needs nutritional diversity in order to get all the good nutrients that nature offers. The problem is that our ideas about nutrition are often piecemeal, a guideline here and a guideline there. We get the message that certain foods are “good” while others are “bad.” But we miss the more important idea of how different kinds of foods work together to make a healthy body.
Who Needs to Diet?
Though some people may feel they weigh too much or too little, there is no perfect body shape. Some people have larger frames (bigger bones) and will always look bigger and heavier than people with smaller frames.
Talk to your doctor if you have questions about your kid’s weight. Your doctor can examine you and check their BMI. For some kids, the doctor may recommend losing some weight, but this should be done with the doctor's help.
Parents have an enormous influence over their children’s eating habits, perhaps more than we realize. What children eat now affects their health later and children’s eating habits carry into adulthood.
Offer a sampling of lots of different kinds of foods. Give them more fruits. Fruit doesn’t just mean juice—because whole fruits are best. Whole-grain foods are also good for kids and not only for adult. Limited their consumption of fast food, soft drink and sweetened canned fruit.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Body fat is a part of the human body and what scientists mean when they refer to a person’s weight or body composition. The percentage of body fat in healthy humans ranges from 5 to 40 per cent. Females have more body fat than males. For females, body fat should not be less than 15 percent and for males, not less than 5 percent.
Female fat is designed to ensure the survival of the species by providing enough energy for a woman to survive any famine that might hit while she is pregnant. So in general, men will lose weight much more easily than women.
The other major difference between men and women is in plasma leptin levels, which are significantly higher in women even after adjustment for the increased fat mass. Although plasma leptin is correlated with fat mass in men and women, the level is 3 times higher in women for a given fat mass.
An obese person has a high amount of body fat. Women with more than 32% body fat are considered obese, as are men with more than 25%.
Body fat distribution
It is important to know where your fat is located on your body. This can tell you whether you are at a higher risk of certain health problems.
The fat that women store around the hips and buttocks is designed to help them survive pregnancy in times when food is scarce and is, therefore, may not dangerous to their health. The fat that men, and post-menopausal women, store around their waists, however, is much more dangerous.
Carrying too much fat around the middle is the first visible sign of a problem. Raised blood sugars, or increased blood fats (like cholesterol) are the first metabolic signs. If these continue untreated long enough, diabetes will be the first illness sign. And the others health problems, such as heart disease, will follow soon.
The most common way to determine a healthy weight for a person is by using a tool called the body mass index (BMI).But some doctors use body fat percentages to measure body fat. This method uses measurements of weight, height, and the amount of fat on different body parts to estimate body fat percentages.
Female fat is designed to ensure the survival of the species by providing enough energy for a woman to survive any famine that might hit while she is pregnant. So in general, men will lose weight much more easily than women.
The other major difference between men and women is in plasma leptin levels, which are significantly higher in women even after adjustment for the increased fat mass. Although plasma leptin is correlated with fat mass in men and women, the level is 3 times higher in women for a given fat mass.
An obese person has a high amount of body fat. Women with more than 32% body fat are considered obese, as are men with more than 25%.
Body fat distribution
It is important to know where your fat is located on your body. This can tell you whether you are at a higher risk of certain health problems.
The fat that women store around the hips and buttocks is designed to help them survive pregnancy in times when food is scarce and is, therefore, may not dangerous to their health. The fat that men, and post-menopausal women, store around their waists, however, is much more dangerous.
Carrying too much fat around the middle is the first visible sign of a problem. Raised blood sugars, or increased blood fats (like cholesterol) are the first metabolic signs. If these continue untreated long enough, diabetes will be the first illness sign. And the others health problems, such as heart disease, will follow soon.
The most common way to determine a healthy weight for a person is by using a tool called the body mass index (BMI).But some doctors use body fat percentages to measure body fat. This method uses measurements of weight, height, and the amount of fat on different body parts to estimate body fat percentages.
Friday, July 10, 2009
In order to understand obesity, you have to understand fat. We are all born with a certain number of fat cells. The number of cells we have multiplies during the growing years and levels off as we approach adulthood. But fat is another term that can be confusing because there are two different kinds: dietary fat and body fat.
Dietary fat is a part of food. Also called: Lipids, Monounsaturated fat, Polyunsaturated fat, Saturated fat. You want to have a little bit of fat in your diet because it serves as a major source of energy for your body. It is used to make cell membranes and compounds in your body that control blood pressure, heart rate, blood clotting, and other body functions. It carries certain vitamins from your food throughout your body.
Fat gives you healthy hair, skin, and nails. Dietary fat supplies essential fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic acids, which are especially important to infants and toddlers, it helps the brain develop and proper growth. Fat also helps you to feel full and tells your brain that it is time to stop eating.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 recommend that Americans keep their total fat intake within certain limits. This limit is defined as a percentage of your total calorie needs.
Statistically, a nonobese person has about 25 billion to 30 billion fat cells; a moderately obese person has approximately 60 billion to 100 billion; and a seriously obese person has close to 200 billion fat cells.
But not all fats are the same. You should try to avoid 2 kinds of fat. The first is Saturated fats such as butter, solid shortening, lard and fatback. And the second is Trans fats, found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that is necessary in many physiological processes such as, a component of cell membranes, the production of bile acids (which aid in food digestion), and in the production of sex hormones. An excess of cholesterol in the blood, however, can lead to deposits in the walls of blood vessels and reduce blood flow to major arteries, which can lead to a heart attack.
Body fat is a part of the human body and what scientists mean when they refer to a person’s weight or body composition.Please visit here for more about body fat.
Dietary fat is a part of food. Also called: Lipids, Monounsaturated fat, Polyunsaturated fat, Saturated fat. You want to have a little bit of fat in your diet because it serves as a major source of energy for your body. It is used to make cell membranes and compounds in your body that control blood pressure, heart rate, blood clotting, and other body functions. It carries certain vitamins from your food throughout your body.
Fat gives you healthy hair, skin, and nails. Dietary fat supplies essential fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic acids, which are especially important to infants and toddlers, it helps the brain develop and proper growth. Fat also helps you to feel full and tells your brain that it is time to stop eating.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 recommend that Americans keep their total fat intake within certain limits. This limit is defined as a percentage of your total calorie needs.
| Age Group | Total Fat Limits |
| Children ages 2 to 3 | 30% to 35% of total calories |
| Children and adolescents ages 4 to 18 | 25% to 35% of total calories |
| Adults, ages 19 and older | 20% to 35% of total calories |
Statistically, a nonobese person has about 25 billion to 30 billion fat cells; a moderately obese person has approximately 60 billion to 100 billion; and a seriously obese person has close to 200 billion fat cells.
But not all fats are the same. You should try to avoid 2 kinds of fat. The first is Saturated fats such as butter, solid shortening, lard and fatback. And the second is Trans fats, found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils
Important note : Dietary fat also plays a major role in your cholesterol levels. Fat is required for regulation of cholesterol metabolism.
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that is necessary in many physiological processes such as, a component of cell membranes, the production of bile acids (which aid in food digestion), and in the production of sex hormones. An excess of cholesterol in the blood, however, can lead to deposits in the walls of blood vessels and reduce blood flow to major arteries, which can lead to a heart attack.
Body fat is a part of the human body and what scientists mean when they refer to a person’s weight or body composition.Please visit here for more about body fat.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Concerns about Childhood obesity are extremely common. Today children aren’t playing as much on the streets, or going out to the park, the most popular alternative indoor activities are sitting still watching TV, playing video games or watching videos. Playing video games? Almost all children loves video game and we can use it for tricky the exercises with fun activities for the whole families.
Remember the game titled Dance Dance Revolution (DDR)?
Interactive, innovative and easy to play with some of the hottest music. Including music from well known Disney properties Hannah Montana or hot artist like OutKast and Justin Timberlake. Weight loss is an unexpected benefit of a game designed for dance music.
Find someone playing this game, on arcade machine in the mall, and you may not find a fatigue in their face instead of fun. I've watched the kids play this and there's no doubt that it does what you must do to loose weight. Their body is perspiring like already done a hard and long exercise. If something’s fun, you’re more likely to keep doing it.
Actually dancing is a great exercise to loose weight. This game makes the activity more fun and still work out to hit the target -- calorie burn. And the better way to get your children involved in exercise than by doing something they love.
According to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph in West Virginia, since many students don’t like traditional sports like basketball, football, baseball or soccer, this new game will give the kids a choice.
Play this game at home using one of available platform such as Xbox 360™, Playstation®3, Nintendo™ and Nintendo™ DS.
Prepare your body for dancing, know your limitations and start slowly. Always be safe. Do your best to fight childhood obesity and its medical consequences.
Remember the game titled Dance Dance Revolution (DDR)?
Interactive, innovative and easy to play with some of the hottest music. Including music from well known Disney properties Hannah Montana or hot artist like OutKast and Justin Timberlake. Weight loss is an unexpected benefit of a game designed for dance music.
Find someone playing this game, on arcade machine in the mall, and you may not find a fatigue in their face instead of fun. I've watched the kids play this and there's no doubt that it does what you must do to loose weight. Their body is perspiring like already done a hard and long exercise. If something’s fun, you’re more likely to keep doing it.
Actually dancing is a great exercise to loose weight. This game makes the activity more fun and still work out to hit the target -- calorie burn. And the better way to get your children involved in exercise than by doing something they love.
According to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph in West Virginia, since many students don’t like traditional sports like basketball, football, baseball or soccer, this new game will give the kids a choice.
Play this game at home using one of available platform such as Xbox 360™, Playstation®3, Nintendo™ and Nintendo™ DS.
But I wouldn't recommend it to someone who has sensitive ankles or had any type of leg, knee, or foot injury. Start with the low level/light first to see the effect on your ankles. And be careful not to slip or fall, especially for kids.
Prepare your body for dancing, know your limitations and start slowly. Always be safe. Do your best to fight childhood obesity and its medical consequences.
Monday, July 06, 2009
The metabolic rate is simply the rate at which you use up energy as in calories. The higher the metabolic rate the more calories you burn, the better the weight loss. The lower the rate the fewer you burn. This can depend on a number of different factors.
Metabolism rates can change, either going up or down. Such changes are the result of many factors including age, gender, weight, muscle and fat percentages, certain medical conditions as well as genetics.
I think exercise is the prime factor to increase the metabolic rate. Because the metabolic rate can be higher when exercising and so help to burn off those extra calories. Also with exercising you can gain more muscle that can help to burn more calories as it thought that muscle burns calories more quickly than fat. With those benefits you can make the body burn the calories more efficiently.
Eating a breakfast high in complex carbohydrates like whole grain cereal with skim milk and fruit will give you a long sustained energy source that keeps your metabolism at its optimum level until lunch. You can find more factors to increase the metabolic rate.
The most important thing to remember about doing exercise is always set up a safe exercises program and to not over. You can discuss it with your doctor if you need.
Metabolism rates can change, either going up or down. Such changes are the result of many factors including age, gender, weight, muscle and fat percentages, certain medical conditions as well as genetics.
I think exercise is the prime factor to increase the metabolic rate. Because the metabolic rate can be higher when exercising and so help to burn off those extra calories. Also with exercising you can gain more muscle that can help to burn more calories as it thought that muscle burns calories more quickly than fat. With those benefits you can make the body burn the calories more efficiently.
Eating a breakfast high in complex carbohydrates like whole grain cereal with skim milk and fruit will give you a long sustained energy source that keeps your metabolism at its optimum level until lunch. You can find more factors to increase the metabolic rate.
The most important thing to remember about doing exercise is always set up a safe exercises program and to not over. You can discuss it with your doctor if you need.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
If we are all on a diet, then why the obesity is still the big problem among us? One out of every two people has a weight problem. Why so many diet programs only worked just for a few people and fail for the rest? Have I pushed my diet to the limit? Only allow calorie intake as few as possible, only for surviving. Or do the extremely diet such as dangerous starvation diet?
The answer is no because I think I found the possible reason for that matter.
Our metabolism is the key. Each one of us is metabolically unique. One value -
Fits – for all approach to weightloss completely will fail. Your rate will be different from other people. So there is no answer that will suit for everyone about how many calories is enough to help with their weight loss. The best way is visit a qualified nutritionist who will be able to count/tell you the most appropriate amount of calories. And the answer will be just for you.
Identify your specific metabolic rate to boost your weight loss.
The answer is no because I think I found the possible reason for that matter.
Our metabolism is the key. Each one of us is metabolically unique. One value -
Fits – for all approach to weightloss completely will fail. Your rate will be different from other people. So there is no answer that will suit for everyone about how many calories is enough to help with their weight loss. The best way is visit a qualified nutritionist who will be able to count/tell you the most appropriate amount of calories. And the answer will be just for you.
Metabolism is the set of constant chemical reactions that occur in living organisms in order to maintain life and only ends when the organism dies. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments
Identify your specific metabolic rate to boost your weight loss.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Maternal diet affects infant's long-term bone health
By Megan Rauscher
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet during pregnancy have children with bigger and stronger bones than women with poorer quality diets, according to the results of a study presented Tuesday at the National Osteoporosis Society Conference in Manchester, UK.
"Our data add to evidence that environmental influences during intrauterine life alter the trajectory of skeletal development in the offspring," study presenter Dr. Zoe Cole of the University of Southampton told Reuters Health.
When the researchers assessed the diets of 198 pregnant women, two general patterns began to emerge. The first was a healthy dietary pattern filled with lots of fruits and vegetables, yogurt, whole wheat bread and breakfast cereals. The second diet pattern was less healthy and included large amounts of foods such as chips and roast potatoes, sugar, white bread, processed meat, tinned vegetables and soft drinks.
Bone assessments of the children made up to age 9 years suggested that consuming a healthy maternal diet was associated with greater bone size and density in the offspring.
"Children born to mothers with the healthiest diets, as identified by in the highest quarter of prudent diet score, during late pregnancy had an 11 percent greater whole body bone mineral content and 8 percent great whole body bone area than those born to mothers with the least healthy diet, the lowest quarter of this distribution," Cole said.
Even when mothers were grouped by smoking status, vitamin D status and social class, the differences in diet still had a significant impact on their children's bones, the researchers found. The relationship between a healthy maternal diet and healthier bones in offspring remained even after the child's height, weight, arm circumference and birth weight were considered.
"A healthy diet during pregnancy has long lasting effects on the development of the child's bones," Cole said, and this may lower their future risk of osteoporosis, a potentially disabling bone-thinning disease.
By Megan Rauscher
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet during pregnancy have children with bigger and stronger bones than women with poorer quality diets, according to the results of a study presented Tuesday at the National Osteoporosis Society Conference in Manchester, UK.
"Our data add to evidence that environmental influences during intrauterine life alter the trajectory of skeletal development in the offspring," study presenter Dr. Zoe Cole of the University of Southampton told Reuters Health.
When the researchers assessed the diets of 198 pregnant women, two general patterns began to emerge. The first was a healthy dietary pattern filled with lots of fruits and vegetables, yogurt, whole wheat bread and breakfast cereals. The second diet pattern was less healthy and included large amounts of foods such as chips and roast potatoes, sugar, white bread, processed meat, tinned vegetables and soft drinks.
Bone assessments of the children made up to age 9 years suggested that consuming a healthy maternal diet was associated with greater bone size and density in the offspring.
"Children born to mothers with the healthiest diets, as identified by in the highest quarter of prudent diet score, during late pregnancy had an 11 percent greater whole body bone mineral content and 8 percent great whole body bone area than those born to mothers with the least healthy diet, the lowest quarter of this distribution," Cole said.
Even when mothers were grouped by smoking status, vitamin D status and social class, the differences in diet still had a significant impact on their children's bones, the researchers found. The relationship between a healthy maternal diet and healthier bones in offspring remained even after the child's height, weight, arm circumference and birth weight were considered.
"A healthy diet during pregnancy has long lasting effects on the development of the child's bones," Cole said, and this may lower their future risk of osteoporosis, a potentially disabling bone-thinning disease.
Friday, July 03, 2009
The appetite can be controlled without taking drugs that alter brain chemistry.
Controlling appetite naturally is the best, because using drugs often give you some side effect as a bonus. Try to follow this tips to help control your appetite in natural way.
Your meals often don't provide you with the satisfied full feeling. More food should avoid and the high fiber vegetables become important in this case to give you the full feeling. Add more water-dense fruits or vegetables such as apples, and watermelons at the beginning of a meal, perhaps even allowing a bit of time for digestion, can help a person feel more full while consuming fewer calories.
Human body produces both hormones and brain chemicals that make you feel hungry or tell you when you've had enough to eat. The hormone leptin regulates your metabolism. Low levels of leptin will make you feel hungry. Grehlin, a hormone found primarily in the stomach, stimulates the appetite. If these appetite regulating hormones are out of balance you will tend to over eat and gain weight. Studies show that sleep deprivation alters hormones and increases appetite. Getting enough sleep and sticking to a regular sleep pattern can help to keep these hormones in balance.
Another good way to control your appetite is by playing mind games. Some studies show that the color blue blue is an appetite suppressant. Try surrounding yourself with blue when you eat. You may want to paint your dining room blue or use the blue plate. But avoid to make the food itself blue with food coloring because it is often contain toxic.
Drink an adequate amount of water. Researchers in Berlin, Germany, found that their subjects had a 30 percent increase in metabolism after drinking approximately 17 ounces of water. The increases occurred within 10 minutes of drinking the water and the researchers estimate that up to 40 percent of the increase in calorie burning is from the body’s attempt to heat the water. A person who consumes an additional 1.5 liters a day for a year could burn an additional 17,400 calories, which translates to a five-pound weight loss.
Have another tips? Please share with us.
Controlling appetite naturally is the best, because using drugs often give you some side effect as a bonus. Try to follow this tips to help control your appetite in natural way.
Your meals often don't provide you with the satisfied full feeling. More food should avoid and the high fiber vegetables become important in this case to give you the full feeling. Add more water-dense fruits or vegetables such as apples, and watermelons at the beginning of a meal, perhaps even allowing a bit of time for digestion, can help a person feel more full while consuming fewer calories.
Human body produces both hormones and brain chemicals that make you feel hungry or tell you when you've had enough to eat. The hormone leptin regulates your metabolism. Low levels of leptin will make you feel hungry. Grehlin, a hormone found primarily in the stomach, stimulates the appetite. If these appetite regulating hormones are out of balance you will tend to over eat and gain weight. Studies show that sleep deprivation alters hormones and increases appetite. Getting enough sleep and sticking to a regular sleep pattern can help to keep these hormones in balance.
Another good way to control your appetite is by playing mind games. Some studies show that the color blue blue is an appetite suppressant. Try surrounding yourself with blue when you eat. You may want to paint your dining room blue or use the blue plate. But avoid to make the food itself blue with food coloring because it is often contain toxic.
Drink an adequate amount of water. Researchers in Berlin, Germany, found that their subjects had a 30 percent increase in metabolism after drinking approximately 17 ounces of water. The increases occurred within 10 minutes of drinking the water and the researchers estimate that up to 40 percent of the increase in calorie burning is from the body’s attempt to heat the water. A person who consumes an additional 1.5 liters a day for a year could burn an additional 17,400 calories, which translates to a five-pound weight loss.
Have another tips? Please share with us.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Hodia is the new popular herb. Hoodia advertisements on the Internet are ubiquitous, claim to melt away fat within days. Hoodia is an ingredient found naturally in a cactus-like plant, Hoodia gordonii, which grows in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa.
It is used traditionally as an antiinfectant and digestive aid. Some peoples of the Kalahari have been using Hodia to suppress hunger and thirst during their long hunting trip where there was little vegetation to eat..
Hodia works by fooling your brain into thinking that you are full. The active ingredient in Hodia, P57 molecule, can mimics the effect of glucose on the brain—the brain believing you are full.
How much hodia we realy need to weightloss? No one really knows how much is needed to lose weight. There have not been any scientific studies on the effectiveness of hoodia or P57 alone to determine how much is needed and for how long to see a statistically significant weight loss.
We must take notice of hodia’s side effects. Because no one has yet examined the safety of hoodia in humans. The further scientific studies are currently ongoing.
It is used traditionally as an antiinfectant and digestive aid. Some peoples of the Kalahari have been using Hodia to suppress hunger and thirst during their long hunting trip where there was little vegetation to eat..
Hodia works by fooling your brain into thinking that you are full. The active ingredient in Hodia, P57 molecule, can mimics the effect of glucose on the brain—the brain believing you are full.
How much hodia we realy need to weightloss? No one really knows how much is needed to lose weight. There have not been any scientific studies on the effectiveness of hoodia or P57 alone to determine how much is needed and for how long to see a statistically significant weight loss.
We must take notice of hodia’s side effects. Because no one has yet examined the safety of hoodia in humans. The further scientific studies are currently ongoing.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
The hypothalamus is a complex region in the brain of humans, and even small nuclei within the hypothalamus are involved in many different functions. Cherry-sized and located below the thalamus, just above the brain stem. The hypothalamus is influenced by a complex interaction of hormones, the digestive tract, and the nervous system.
Hypothalamus holds a key in controlling weight. The hypothalamus is involved in controlling hunger and thirst. When a person’s stomach is empty, the blood sugar level decreases, and a message goes to the hypothalamus. If a person’s blood sugar is low, serotonin levels may also be low, and as a result of low blood sugar levels and low serotonin, the hypothalamus is stimulated and a person feels hunger. The hypothalamus play a role as the appetite center.
Stress, hormones, and depression also affect levels of chemicals in the body, such as serotonin, thus triggering the desire to eat. A change in hormones, for example, such as those associated with pregnancy, could increase appetite. Cortisol is a hormone that is secreted under stress. Women with higher levels of cortisol have been found in research experiments to snack on higher-fat foods than those with lower cortisol levels.
Hypothalamus holds a key in controlling weight. The hypothalamus is involved in controlling hunger and thirst. When a person’s stomach is empty, the blood sugar level decreases, and a message goes to the hypothalamus. If a person’s blood sugar is low, serotonin levels may also be low, and as a result of low blood sugar levels and low serotonin, the hypothalamus is stimulated and a person feels hunger. The hypothalamus play a role as the appetite center.
Stress, hormones, and depression also affect levels of chemicals in the body, such as serotonin, thus triggering the desire to eat. A change in hormones, for example, such as those associated with pregnancy, could increase appetite. Cortisol is a hormone that is secreted under stress. Women with higher levels of cortisol have been found in research experiments to snack on higher-fat foods than those with lower cortisol levels.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
American adults getting fatter
By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Obesity rates continued to climb in the past year with 23 U.S. states reporting adults in their states are fatter now than they were a year ago, two advocacy groups said on Wednesday.
Obesity rates did not decrease in a single state last year, and the groups warned that the U.S. obesity epidemic must be addressed as lawmakers reform the nation's health system.
"Our health care costs have grown along with our waistlines," said Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America's health, which released the report along with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
He said the obesity epidemic is contributing to skyrocketing health costs, and said the problem has to be addressed at the highest levels of government.
Being overweight or obese raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, arthritis and other conditions.
The annual ranking of obesity rates in U.S. states found Mississippi continues to be the state with the fattest residents, with nearly a third of adults -- 32.5 percent -- considered obese. The state has topped the list for the past five years.
Three other states -- West Virginia, Alabama, and Tennessee -- now have obesity rates above 30 percent, they found.
Colorado has the thinnest residents, with an obesity rate of 18.9 -- the only state under 20 percent. Massachusetts is next, at 21.2 percent, followed by Connecticut, at 21.3.
Two-thirds of American adults are either obese or overweight, as defined by their body mass index or BMI.
BMI is equal to weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Someone with a BMI of 25 to 29 is classified as overweight; 30 and over is considered obese.
A person 5 feet-5 inches tall becomes overweight at 150 pounds (68 kg) and obese at 180 pounds (82 kg).
IMPACT OF ECONOMIC CRISIS
Although still rising, fewer states saw increases in obesity rates this year compared to last, in which 37 states saw gains.
"We're still getting fatter, but maybe a little more slowly than before," Dr. James Marks of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said on a conference call.
"We are hopeful that policy changes some of the states are putting into place in their schools and communities are beginning to make a difference."
The groups warned that the economic crisis could exacerbate the obesity epidemic as rising food prices and shrinking family budgets make it more difficult to eat healthy foods.
Among U.S. children, obesity rates held steady, but at still alarmingly high levels, with 30 states reporting the percentage of obese or overweight children at above 30 percent.
A report last year found the U.S. childhood obesity epidemic leveled off this decade after surging for about 20 years, but a worrisome number of young people remain obese, risking serious health problems.
Obese children are more likely to be saddled with risk factors associated with heart disease and type 2 diabetes. They also are much more likely to be obese in adulthood.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has an online BMI calculator at www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/.
(Editing by Jackie Frank)
By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Obesity rates continued to climb in the past year with 23 U.S. states reporting adults in their states are fatter now than they were a year ago, two advocacy groups said on Wednesday.
Obesity rates did not decrease in a single state last year, and the groups warned that the U.S. obesity epidemic must be addressed as lawmakers reform the nation's health system.
"Our health care costs have grown along with our waistlines," said Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America's health, which released the report along with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
He said the obesity epidemic is contributing to skyrocketing health costs, and said the problem has to be addressed at the highest levels of government.
Being overweight or obese raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, arthritis and other conditions.
The annual ranking of obesity rates in U.S. states found Mississippi continues to be the state with the fattest residents, with nearly a third of adults -- 32.5 percent -- considered obese. The state has topped the list for the past five years.
Three other states -- West Virginia, Alabama, and Tennessee -- now have obesity rates above 30 percent, they found.
Colorado has the thinnest residents, with an obesity rate of 18.9 -- the only state under 20 percent. Massachusetts is next, at 21.2 percent, followed by Connecticut, at 21.3.
Two-thirds of American adults are either obese or overweight, as defined by their body mass index or BMI.
BMI is equal to weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Someone with a BMI of 25 to 29 is classified as overweight; 30 and over is considered obese.
A person 5 feet-5 inches tall becomes overweight at 150 pounds (68 kg) and obese at 180 pounds (82 kg).
IMPACT OF ECONOMIC CRISIS
Although still rising, fewer states saw increases in obesity rates this year compared to last, in which 37 states saw gains.
"We're still getting fatter, but maybe a little more slowly than before," Dr. James Marks of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said on a conference call.
"We are hopeful that policy changes some of the states are putting into place in their schools and communities are beginning to make a difference."
The groups warned that the economic crisis could exacerbate the obesity epidemic as rising food prices and shrinking family budgets make it more difficult to eat healthy foods.
Among U.S. children, obesity rates held steady, but at still alarmingly high levels, with 30 states reporting the percentage of obese or overweight children at above 30 percent.
A report last year found the U.S. childhood obesity epidemic leveled off this decade after surging for about 20 years, but a worrisome number of young people remain obese, risking serious health problems.
Obese children are more likely to be saddled with risk factors associated with heart disease and type 2 diabetes. They also are much more likely to be obese in adulthood.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has an online BMI calculator at www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/.
(Editing by Jackie Frank)
