Weight Loss: Not One Size Fits All

Click here.

ScienceDaily (Nov. 7, 2007) — There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to weight loss through exercise, says Queensland University of Technology behavioural scientist Neil King.

"When it comes to losing weight, a lot of people assume if you lose less than the predicted weight then you aren't exercising enough, and that is why you aren't getting the desired results," Dr King said.

"This study is the first evidence-based study that shows despite people doing the same amount of supervised exercise people lose different amounts of weight."

Which means that for people who are resistant to weight loss while exercising, they may consider complementing that with other strategies such as controlling their diet, supplements and other physical activities that will help them burn up those excess baggage.

Something to think about this holiday season

With the holiday season fast approaching (if it hasn't already - I see Christmas decorations here and there) many of us are already thinking of the delicious food and drinks that will do doubt be served aplenty on our tables.

However I found this article concerning a landmark report that states some disturbing, yet somehow unsurprising news:

There is more evidence than ever that a person who weighs too much is more likely to develop cancer, a landmark report said Wednesday.

And forget eating bacon, sausage and lunchmeat. No amount is considered completely safe, according to the analysis from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund.

(Now, who's saying that everything should be taken in moderation?)

It appears that "radical" health advocates have been right all along. Now there is sufficient evidence to back up their claims.

This may be the time to be merry, but geez, if you will spend the rest of the holidays in a hospital (or the rest of your life in pain and medication) then the thought of getting overweight and eating processed meat (which most of us are probably doing almost everyday) should not seem fun at all.

Irritable? You may only just lack sleep.

Click here.

You might have guessed it, but now researchers have real proof: Sleep deprivation causes our emotions to go haywire.

That's according to the first neurological probe into the emotional brain without sleep. It was carried out by researchers at the University of California-Berkeley and Harvard Medical School.

"Most people think that when you're sleep-deprived, what happens to the brain is that it becomes sleepy and less active," says Matthew Walker, assistant professor of psychology at Berkeley and a former Harvard sleep researcher. But Walker says the imaging study published in today's issue of Current Biology found that the brain's emotional centers become "60% more reactive."

The study also suggests that lack of sleep elevates activity in the emotional centers of the brain most closely associated with psychiatric disorders such as depression.

I find this amusing because I really do get irritable if I lack sleep. I guess now I can justify scientifically my occasional irritability!

Dark Meat vs White Meat: What's the Difference?

Click here.

Misinformation, half truths, and misleading data abound both online, off-line, and sadly often from experts' mouths.

I always thought white verses dark or red meat was sort of a strange beast, and one where a few ivory-tower experts were able to confuse a nation.

The primary reason dark meat has been labeled bad - besides a large contingency of political agenda - is saturated fat content. Unfortunately, the general public was considered too dumb to understand the difference between saturated verses other fats. I cannot accept that.

A very informative blog discussing the difference between dark and white meat (including why they are colored as such.)

Garlic's heart benefits pinpointed

Click here.

The chemical compounds behind garlic's breath-tainting properties may also be the source of its heart benefits, according to new research from the US.

Metabolism of garlic's active ingredient allicin produces hydrogen sulphide, which signals blood vessels to relax, increase blood flow and boost heart health, wrote the researchers in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The research could lead to a method to standardise dietary garlic supplements, said lead researcher Gloria Benavides from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, by simply measuring the production of hydrogen sulphide in red blood cells.

This could be the first step towards creating supplements that are standardized to produce the desired results. Let's hope that more and more studies are forthcoming on this fantastic plant. In the meantime, you can still enjoy garlic in a variety of ways in a variety of foods. Just freshen your mouth afterwards. =)

Eating Healthy and Organic on $7 a Day

Click here.

Detailing the Dollars: Eating Healthy and Organic on $7 a Day

Day 1:

Breakfast: Tofu (47 cents), veggies ($1), brown rice (20 cents)

Lunch: Eggs (39 cents) and potatoes (30 cents)

Snack: Two dates (60 cents), 12 almonds (22 cents)

Dinner: Fryer chicken ($1), veggies ($1), brown rice (20 cents)

Click on the link for more details. Very helpful for those who want to eat healthy on a tight budget.

Coalition splits over fish guideline for pregnant women

Click here.

A controversial recommendation by a child-health coalition that pregnant women eat lots of fish and not worry about mercury contamination was not endorsed by many of the group's members, who are now distancing themselves from that position.

The recommendations, announced last week by the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, are that pregnant, breast-feeding and postpartum women should eat at least 12 ounces of seafood a week, if not more, for the nutritional benefits. The coalition is an Alexandria, Va.-based non-profit group with nearly 150 member organizations.

The controversy surrounds the coalition's silence about the four high-mercury fish the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency say women and young children should avoid: swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish.

Controversies such as this do not aid anyone in determining what is good for their health.

But it's also worth noting that it's not only mercury that is commonly found in fish. Human-raised fish are fed with feeds that may contain harmful substances. Fish in the ocean may acquire toxins other than mercury.

Until a definitive study on fish safety -- not just mercury levels -- the confusion will continue.