June 13, 2006, 11:41 PM CT

Link Between Obesity And Memory

Scientists have wondered why obese patients who have diabetes also may have problems with their long-term memory. New Saint Louis University research in this month's Peptides provides a clue.

"Leptin is a hormone secreted by fat cells that tells us to stop eating. In obese people, it doesn't cross into the brain to help regulate appetite," says Susan A. Farr, Ph.D., principal investigator and associate research professor in the division of geriatric medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

"We've now found leptin affects the brain in other ways, compromising learning and memory. Low levels of leptin also could be related to cognitive deficits in disorders like type two diabetes".

Farr and her research team tested the role of leptin in learning and memory using an animal model. They found that mice navigated a maze better after they received leptin.

"We found that this drug affected the processes going into the brain," says Farr, who also is a researcher at Veterans Affairs Medical Center in St. Louis. "The mice that got the drug at the appropriate dose had improved learning and long-term memory".

Mice with elevated levels of amyloid-beta protein, the brain plaques believed to cause Alzheimer's disease, and impaired learning and memory were "super sensitive" to leptin, Farr adds.........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink         Source

June 13, 2006, 9:14 PM CT

Flaxseeds For Health

The warm, earthy and subtly nutty flavor of flax seeds combined with an abundance of omega 3 fatty acids makes them an increasingly popular addition to the diets of many a health conscious consumer. Whole and ground seeds and oil are available throughout the year; it is recommended to purchase refrigerated packages of ground flaxseeds and oil because they can spoil easily.

Flax seeds are slightly larger than sesame seeds and have a hard shell that is smooth and shiny. Their color ranges from deep amber to reddish brown depending upon whether the flax is of the golden or brown variety. While whole flaxseeds feature a soft crunch, the nutrients in ground seeds are more easily absorbed.

Health Benefits

Flaxseed oil is rich in alpha linolenic acid, an omega-3 fat that is a precursor to the form of omega-3 found in fish oils called eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA. Alpha linolenic acid or ALA, in addition to providing several beneficial effects of its own, can be converted in the body to EPA, thus providing EPA's beneficial effects. For this conversion to readily take place, however, depends on the presence and activity of an enzyme called delta-6-destaurase, which, in some individuals, is less available or less active than in others. In addition, delta-6-desaturase function is inhibited in diabetes and by the consumption of saturated fat and alcohol. For these reasons, higher amounts of ALA-rich flaxseed oil must be consumed to provide the same benefits as the omega-3 fats found in the oil of cold-water fish.........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink         Source

June 11, 2006, 11:19 AM CT

Obesity epidemic

Once considered primarily a problem of the poor, obesity is growing fastest in among those making more than $60,000 a year, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's 45th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

The researchers compared data collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys in 1971-74 and 2001-02. It included data from Americans ages 20 years and older in five surveys, and defined obesity as a body mass index, derived from a formula that accounts for height and weight, of 30 or above. Researchers used a mobile van to reach the neighborhoods to measure individuals' heights and weights. Family income was adjusted to 2000 U.S. dollars and was divided into income quartiles of below $25,000, $25,000-$39,999, $40,000 to $60,000 and above $60,000. The same income categories were used for both surveys.

"The inverse relationship between income and obesity seen in earlier studies has eroded," said co-author Jennifer G. Robinson, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of epidemiology in the University of Iowa. "Obesity prevalence now is similar across all income categories, with obesity prevalence in the highest income group rapidly approaching that of the lowest income group".

"The rich became a whole lot richer, pulling up the average income," she said. "Interestingly, there are more in the lowest income group as well".........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink         Source

June 11, 2006, 8:34 AM CT

50 Weight Loss Tips

I lost 30 pounds in three months. If you wanted to know how I did it, and how I intend on maintaining my current weight, then these 50 weight loss tips are for you. I'm not an expert, but I do speak from experience. If it helps you attain your own weight loss goals, then I'm happy to have helped (if only to serve as a reinforcement of knowledge you already possess).

Most of this, I learned on my own or through close friends and family members. Ponzi's been a great help through the entire process, being a model partner in the weight loss process. Feel free to add your own tips to this list, too! If someone wants to help me extend these points into a full-on eBook, I'm all ears.

Read more........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink         Source

June 10, 2006, 7:13 PM CT

Women's Skin Tone Influences Perception Of Beauty

Using a revolutionary imaging process, a new study is revealing that wrinkles aren't the only cue the human eye looks for to evaluate age. Researchers at the Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology (Austria) and the Department for Sociobiology/Anthropology at the University of Goettingen (Gera number of), have shown that facial skin color distribution, or tone, can add, or subtract, as much as 20 years to a woman's age. The study is to be presented at the Human Behavior and Evolution Society (HBES) annual meeting, June 7-11, 2006, in Philadelphia, PA. The study used 3-D imaging and morphing software technologies to remove wrinkles and bone structure from the equation to determine the true impact of facial skin color distribution on the perception of a woman's age, health and attractiveness and is currently in the edit acceptance process with the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

"Until now, skin's overall homogeneity and color saturation received little attention among behavioral scientists. This study helps us better understand that wrinkles are not the only age cue. Skin tone and luminosity may be a major signal for mate selection and attractiveness, as well according toceived age," says lead researcher Dr. Karl Grammer, Founder and Scientific Director of the Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology, University of Vienna, Austria.........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink         Source

June 9, 2006, 7:11 AM CT

Short cut is no short cut when in comes to losing weight

Short cut methods to weight loss many be detrimental to health, and this is especially true for athletes. These short cut methods would endanger their health.

Severely curbing the intake of food and fluids can cause dehydration and the loss of minerals that are very much required for metabolism, notes the recent issue of the Penn State Sports Medicine Newsletter.

High school and college wrestlers, as well as other athletes, usually use a practice called "weight cutting" for rapid weight loss so they can meet requirements for competing in a particular weight class.

An American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) report says that a number of athletes not only decrease their consumption of foods and fluids but use diuretics, laxatives and saunas to shed pounds quickly. These methods can leave the athlete "ill prepared to compete," the report adds.

As per the ACSM, one-third of high school wrestlers go through a weight-cutting process more than 10 times in a season. College and high school wrestlers lose an average of 4.5 pounds during the week to "make weight." In 20 percent of the wrestlers, the weekly weight loss may exceed 5.9 pounds.

"From my experience as a high school and college wrestling coach, the average number of pounds lost is considerably more than 4.5 to 5.9 pounds," says William J. Kraemer, Ph.D., a member of the Penn State Sports Medicine Newsletter editorial board. "I would estimate that more than half of college wrestlers lose probably 8 to 10 pounds during the week before a match. I've seen some wrestlers lose as a number of as 15 pounds".........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink

June 8, 2006, 0:11 AM CT

Where You Live Affect Weight

For years, researchers have been trying to document a connection between obesity among the poor and the limited selection of healthy foods in their local grocery stores. Now, a new study suggests the relationship might be even more complicated than previously thought.

Where people live may influence their food choices as much or more than where they themselves shop, said study lead author Sanae Inagami, M.D., a researcher with the Rand Corporation in Los Angeles.

"My feeling is that your neighbors do influence your health," Inagami said. "Who you know and where you go shopping is related to your level of obesity".

Inagami and her colleagues examined census figures from 2000 and linked them to 2,144 Los Angeles County residents who were surveyed about their eating and health habits from 2000 to 2002. The researchers report their findings in the recent issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

According to the study, residents who lived in poor neighborhoods and shopped in even poorer neighborhoods were more overweight than those who shopped in grocery stores in wealthier areas.

The shopping habits of neighbors were also an important factor. A 5-foot-5-inch person who lived in a poor neighborhood whose neighbors shopped in a wealthier area would weigh an average 9.2 pounds less than if he or she lived in a poor neighborhood whose residents shopped in a poorer area.........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink         Source

June 4, 2006, 8:44 AM CT

Overweight And Obesity Enlarges Teenagers' Hearts

The effects of excess weight on heart health can be seen even in adolescents, with abnormal enlargement and impaired pumping function evident in subjects by age 20, according to a new study in the June 6, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

"Heart damage starts very early in the natural history of obesity. We need to work on our young people, to prevent catastrophic effects later on," said Giovanni de Simone, M.D., F.A.C.C. from the New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York, New York and the Federico II University Hospital School of Medicine in Naples, Italy.

The Strong Heart study (SHS) is a longitudinal study of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease that enrolled 4,549 people in American Indian communities in Arizona, Oklahoma, and North and South Dakota. This analysis included data from examinations of 460 participants age 14 to 20 years (245 girls and 215 boys). The researchers used ultrasound and other methods to measure the size, shape and pumping function of the teenagers' hearts.

The left ventricles of the hearts of both overweight and obese teenagers were larger and heavier than those of normal weight participants; but the obese teenagers also showed signs of impaired heart function. The changes were not entirely explained by changes by high blood pressure.........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink         Source

June 1, 2006, 11:39 PM CT

Watch Your Weight Prior To Pregnancy

Women who don't get rid of the weight they gained during the first pregnancy are at increased risk of having bigger babies. Recently scientists from Saint Louis University have discovered that mothers who don't lose weight after pregnancy and continue to gain weight after their first child is born are at higher risk of delivering heavier babies in comparison to mothers who don't gain weight between pregnancies.

A woman's weight previous to pregnancy is the strongest predictor for the birth of a large infant in her next pregnancy. Delivery of heavy babies is generally more difficult and could take more time for the delivery process. Delivery of heavy babies often ends up as cesarean section. So what you can do to minimize the occurrence of a large infant?........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink

May 30, 2006, 11:49 PM CT

Cut That Super Size

When we are at the counter buying fast food, we a number of times increase our order for the fries from medium or large size to a jumbo size or mega size. Quite frequently we go through this process without even thinking what we are doing.

We may be doing this without any active thought process, but there's a hidden cost associated with those larger portions, not even counting the health consequences of developing obesity. A team of scientists from University of Wisconsin-Madison recently has analyzed this issue and computed how a number of dollars a single bout of overeating can incur in costs over the next year. I know without you telling me, none of us consider one episode of over eating as having serious consequences, but this has to be viewed in the context of ever growing problem of obesity in our country.........

Posted by: Evelyn      Permalink

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