When Kathy Perusse had weight-loss surgery and shed 120 pounds, she may have done more than make her own life easier.
She went on to have two daughters, and she may have boosted their chances of avoiding becoming obese, like her two older children are.
That’s the implication of research suggesting that something in an obese woman‘s womb can program her fetus toward becoming a fat child and adult. It’s not about simply passing along genes that promote obesity; it’s some sort of still-mysterious signal. Read the rest of this entry »
High protein diets have been popular off and on since the 1960s, and are once again grabbing the attention of millions of people desperate to lose weight. But before you jump on the bandwagon, there are some things you might want to consider. High protein diets can produce a rapid initial weight loss, but most of this loss can be water rather than fat.
Additionally, many high protein diets are high in saturated fat and low in fiber, a combination that can increase cholesterol levels and raise the risk of heart disease and stroke. Read the rest of this entry »
The Mediterranean diet, already thought to protect against heart disease and cancer, may also help to prevent depression, Spanish researchers say.
They found depression was more than 30% less likely to develop in people who followed a diet high in vegetables, fruit and cereals, and low in red meat.
They studied 10,094 healthy adults over four years, the Journal of the American Medical Association reports.
However, the team stressed additional, larger-scale studies were required.
Researchers at the Universities of Las Palmas and Navarra recruited university graduates to take part. Read the rest of this entry »
Children with self-esteem problems are more likely to be obese as adults, a research team has found.
A study of 6,500 participants in the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study found that 10-year-olds with lower self esteem tended to be fatter as adults.
The effect was particularly true for girls, researchers from King’s College London reported.
One obesity expert said the results highlighted that early intervention was key to tackling obesity. Read the rest of this entry »
A healthy diet does not have to entail depriving oneself of favorite foods, rather it has more to do with breaking bad eating habits, according to an expert.
Dr. Ara DerMarderosian, professor of pharmacognosy at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and an expert in nutraceuticals and natural foods, has provided suggestions for better health that can be particularly useful to students returning to school this week.
He stresses that it is important to eat slowly and in moderation, and to pay attention to “true hunger.” Read the rest of this entry »
