October 2006 Archives

SARASOTA, Fla., Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A cinnamon extract reduces oxidative stress associated with the metabolic syndrome linked to diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, a U.S. study found.

The placebo-controlled, double-blind study was designed to determine both the antioxidant and insulin-like activity of a water-based cinnamon extract on people with impaired insulin function.

Twenty-four participants with impaired fasting glucose were given either a placebo or 250 mg of Cinnulin PF twice daily for 12 weeks. The Cinnulin PF group saw a significant increase in two measures that determine antioxidant activity, including ferric reducing ability of plasma and plasma SH. Additionally, the cinnamon group demonstrated a decrease in malondialdehde showing heart health protection. No changes were observed in the placebo group, according to study leader Dr. Anne-Marie Rousel.

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- U.S. adults who recently ate at a casual dining restaurant said in a survey that they are eating less fried food and less red meat.

The online survey, conducted by Maritz Research, of nearly 1,900 Americans who recently ate at a casual dining restaurant found when given a choice between food that is grilled or fried, 87 percent said they preferred their food grilled.

The survey also revealed that 36 percent said they were eating less red meat compared to five years ago, while 8 percent said they were eating more red meat.

but any salmon is better than junk food.

Here's interesting research about the high level of toxic metals found in farmed salmon compared to wild salmon. It's unfortunate that the headlines are ablaze with this news, since eating salmon is such a healthy way to get Omega-3 fatty acids into your diet, but it's also worth pointing out that salmon raised in captivity are not the same as salmon raised in wild.

Winter squash, with colors that range from orange and green to yellow and white, certainly look festive. Along with close relative the pumpkin, squash remains a quintessential fall vegetable. But beyond gathering the bright-colored beauties in a seasonal display, what can you do with them?

One thing you have to do — if you want them for more than their good looks — is cook them.

Unlike their thin-skinned, summer squash cousins — zucchini, pattypan or yellow crookneck — most winter squash has a thick, tough rind that protects a firm, sweet, often brightly colored interior, one that must be seeded and cooked.

LAWRENCE, Kan. - It's hard to tell what's actually healthy for you to eat these days. As soon as there is evidence of something having health benefits, the media grabs hold of it and spins it out of control.

After researchers found that diets rich in whole grains reduced incidence of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and some forms of cancer, every food company came out with "whole grain" foods. There are now whole grain cookies, Goldfish, chips, cereals and more.

This all sounds great, but how healthy can they be?

NEW YORK - There are plenty of things in Kentucky Fried Chicken that are bad for your health — cholesterol, saturated fat and salt, to name a few. But only one has the potential to get the colonel’s recipe banned in New York City.

That ingredient is artificial trans fatty acids, which are so common that the average American eats 4.7 pounds a year, according to the Food and Drug Administration. City health officials say these so-called trans fats are so unhealthy they belong in the same category as food spoiled by rodent droppings.

On Monday, the Board of Health will hold its first public hearing on a proposal to make New York the first U.S. city to ban restaurants from serving food containing artificial trans fats.

Background: Islet transplantation offers the potential to improve glycemic control in a subgroup of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus who are disabled by refractory hypoglycemia. We conducted an international, multicenter trial to explore the feasibility and reproducibility of islet transplantation with the use of a single common protocol (the Edmonton protocol).

Methods: We enrolled 36 subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus, who underwent islet transplantation at nine international sites. Islets were prepared from pancreases of deceased donors and were transplanted within 2 hours after purification, without culture. The primary end point was defined as insulin independence with adequate glycemic control 1 year after the final transplantation.

Good health isn't just in the details, but small things can certainly add up.

Eat 100 calories extra a day and you could weigh 10 pounds more at the end of the year. Wearing the same shoes every day can strain your body. Regular exposure to subway noise can not only affect your hearing, but also raise your blood pressure and levels of stress hormones. A poorly organized workspace can result in back and neck discomfort that shouldn't be ignored.

"Those little aches and pains — that's your body telling you something isn't right," says Alan Hedge, Ph.D., professor of ergonomics at Cornell University.

(NewsTarget) The NPD Group's 21st annual Eating Patterns in America report has found that consumer-purchasing decisions in the United States are still primarily convenience-driven, despite an increased focus on health over the last year.

“The driving force in our eating habits has always been convenience," said report author and NPD Vice President Harry Balzer. "The only surprise is how that will manifest in our behavior."

A brilliant article revealing the hidden motives of the FDA that caused 24 warning letter to small nutrition remedies and the following campaign against "small fish" on the nutrition market.

"The last victims were cherry farmers, terrorized for quoting solid science that cherries may help people reduce inflammation and pain without any side effects."

The FDA is trying to distract the public, portraying themselves as effective while they continue to this day to allow thousands of Americans to be injured and die in the name of profits for Bayer.

Read below the whole article.

Summertime treats of tomorrow might include a chilled slice of gooseberry pie, made with a luscious new, dark-red gooseberry called "Jeanne." Scientists with the ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository, Corvallis, Ore., made the berry available to other researchers and to plant nurseries for the first time this year, following more than 12 years of lab, greenhouse and outdoor tests.

Jeanne gooseberry plants each produce about 3 pounds of sweet, good-sized fruit every year—an impressive harvest that should please commercial growers and backyard gardeners alike.

Whether sold fresh or processed into frozen potato products, Blazer Russet potato is a top-quality tuber. The oblong, medium-to-large veggie weighs in at about seven to eight ounces and has the characteristic light netting, or russeting, on its brown-to-tan skin, with firm, cream-white or white flesh inside.

ARS scientists at Aberdeen, Idaho, and their University of Idaho, Washington State University and Oregon State University colleagues put the tuber through nearly two decades of rigorous laboratory, field and test-kitchen scrutiny before deciding in December 2005 to make this experimental potato a named variety.

Blazer Russet is ready to harvest at about the same time as the popular, early-maturing Shepody potato. But Blazer provides higher yields of premium, U.S. No. 1 potatoes.

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Besides adding their distinctive flavors and textures to salads, soups, burgers—and more—mushrooms also give us key nutrients like copper, potassium, folate and niacin. New nutrient data for seven different kinds of mushrooms—crimini, enoki, maitake, oyster, portabella, shiitake and white button—are now available on the World Wide Web at: www.ars.usda.gov/nutrientdata as part of the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 19.

ARS scientists at the Beltsville (Md.) Human Nutrition Research Center led the mushroom-data-gathering project, which was funded in part by the Mushroom Council, Dublin, Calif.

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Experimental washes, also called antibrowning dips, for freshly sliced apples show promise for keeping the fruit safe to eat, while at the same time protecting its appealing textures, flavors and colors (Food Microbiology, volume 21, pages 319 to 326). Laboratory experiments by ARS researchers based in Beltsville, Md., showed these protective effects in tests with freshly cut apple slices.

Today's calcium-ascorbate-based washes forestall browning but apparently don't knock out as extensive a range of unwanted microbes, according to the Maryland scientists. The newer formulations, not only kept the apple slices from browning, but also killed unwanted microbes.

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You can't hear the fruits and veggies in your refrigerator breathe, but they do. They take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. Pairing your fresh produce with a wrapping, or film, best suited to the fruit or veggie's respiratory needs enhances the length of time it will stay fresh and appealing, new tests confirm.

The wraps, newer versions of the familiar, clear-plastic films already used widely in home and commercial kitchens, act as modified-atmosphere packaging that regulates the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from packages of produce.

American adults think weight-loss supplements are safer and more effective than they actually are, researchers report in a new national survey.

More than 60 percent of the 1,444 telephone respondents, all of whom had made significant efforts to lose weight, mistakenly said that such supplements have been tested and are proven to be safe (65 percent) and effective (63 percent).

Over half (54 percent) wrongly stated that such supplements are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Watermelon, besides being fun to eat, is an excellent source of lycopene--a red-pigmented antioxidant thought to guard against heart disease and some cancers.

Now, an ARS researcher based in Lane, Okla., has developed a new technique that makes it easier to extract lycopene from watermelon flesh and juice.

Users can avoid damaging the fragile membranes of the tiny structures—organelles—that protect the lycopene. This gentle approach yields lycopene that is more stable and thus has a longer shelf life.

Sweet, chewy dates provide healthful antioxidants—mostly the kind known as phenolics. But the levels of these compounds vary according to what variety of date you're eating, ARS and University of California-Davis scientists have found.

Deglet Noor dates, the leading commercial variety in the United States, logged a higher antioxidant score than five other types of dates grown in California, the nation's leading producer of this exotic crop.

Fresh blackberries contain a compound that may interfere with genes associated with cancer-promoting agents. The purified compound, cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G), inhibited growth and spread of skin and lung tumors in tests with laboratory mice (Journal of Biological Chemistry, volume 281, pages 17359 to 17368).

The number and size of skin tumors were significantly reduced among mice that had been supplemented with C3G, when compared to those that had not, the scientists found. In another study, the growth of lung tumors and spread of the cancer to other organs were significantly reduced in immune-system-suppressed mice fed the C3G compound.

Scientists with ARS at Beltsville, Md., and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, W.Va., collaborated in the research.

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Blueberries and strawberries may help slow the decline in learning and memory that often occurs as we age. That's according to new findings from tests with 60 laboratory rats, studied for about three months.

Rats in either of three groups of 20 each ate either a standard feed or feed with blueberry extract equal to that of a daily one-cup portion for humans, or feed with strawberry extract equal to a daily one-pint bowlful.

After two months on the regimens, half of the rats in each group were treated to induce aging. Compared to the aged rats on nonsupplemented feed, the aged-but-supplemented rats performed better in a test of their ability to find, and in some cases remember, a particular feature in their environment.

Already shown in some studies to reduce "bad" (LDL) cholesterol, walnuts may have yet another way of enhancing your cardiovascular health.

Tests on 100 laboratory hamsters that ate feed containing ground walnuts for a half-year showed they had significantly lower levels of a protein called endothelin in their arteries. This protein helps regulate blood pressure. But, it also causes inflammation of arteries and growth of sticky deposits, called plaque, in blood vessels. These two conditions contribute to heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.

Diabetes is a fact of life for millions. According to figures from the American Diabetes Association, more than 17 million Americans are living with diabetes, and 16 million of them have type 2 (formerly known as adult onset diabetes).

Diabetes can cause health problems throughout the body, but those who have type 2 can do a lot about improving their own health by keeping a careful watch on their nutrition.

People with diabetes can live long, healthy lives if they take good care of themselves – particularly by controlling blood glucose levels through good nutrition.

BOSTON, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Studies presented at a meeting of the Obesity Society in Boston have suggested that water helps weight loss and low-fat foods may hinder it.

The first study, which analyzed data from 240 overweight women, aged 25 to 50 and using popular carbohydrate-limiting diet plans, found that dieters who replaced all the sugary drinks in their diets with water lost an average of 5 pounds more a year than dieters who continued to consume the beverages, USA Today reported Wednesday.

Wellness is not a static condition. Our health is constantly changing and one of the greatest influences on the state of our health, or wellness, is our nutrition.
Nutrition influences our health because the food we eat becomes our tissue, bone, blood, mind and mood. Looking at food this way, it is easy to see it has enormous potential to affect our health.
Many major food markets today feature a section of the store that is designated the "healthy food aisle". If you look carefully at the ingredient labels on the foods found here, and compare them to similar foods found in other sections of the store, you will likely find different ingredients. Most, but not all, foods in the healthy food aisle are free of trans fats, the partially hydrogenated oils found in so many name brand products. You will likely see cane sugar as the sweetener in the healthy food aisle rather than high fructose corn syrup, a step up from the standard fare.

By Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., CNS

My column earlier this week on dieters who take prescription medications that aren’t approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for weight-loss purposes, “Quick-fix diet drugs: Effective or harmful?,” prompted many “Today” readers to ask if there are any diet aids that could make it easier for them to lose some extra pounds more manageable. Losing weight is really hard, and we’re all looking for ways to make it easier. Here are some of your thoughts and queries that I hope will help you add effective tools to what I called your “weight-loss toolbox.”

- study shows

There is more evidence that the American love affair with coffee is helping to reduce the risk of diabetes.

Drinking caffeinated coffee was found to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 60% in a newly published study that included people at high risk for the disease.

Even those who used to drink coffee but quit were less likely to develop diabetes than those who never drank it.

The government is considering introducing a traffic-light colour coded system on packaging to indicate if a food is healthy.

The proposal was debated at a meeting of the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council in Sydney, which was chaired by Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Christopher Pyne.

The council, which includes ministers responsible for food issues in Australia and New Zealand, is considering a plan to introduce nutrition labelling on the front of packs.

A new book makes the potentially controversial claim that Food is Better Medicine Than Drugs. Katie Baldwin met one of the authors

It's no secret that our diet can have a dramatic effect on our health. In recent years the trickle of health advice relating to food has become an inescapable flood.

We need to eat less fatty foods, more fruit and vegetables and less salt, more oily fish and less red meat. A new book goes one step further though. Food is Better Medicine Than Drugs by nutrition expert Patrick Holford and medical journalist Jerome Burne claims just that.

When the time comes that you want to start a workout routine you need to keep one thing in mind if you want results in weight loss and muscle tone: you need to have proper nutrition.

Nutrition is the key element to success for getting into shape. By adopting a proper daily meal plan and measuring the correct amount of each food group into your eating routine you will make your results come quicker and easier.

Gwen Stefani (No Doubt) is urging new mothers to eat healthily as they battle to lose their post-baby weight, after she successfully slimmed down following the birth of her son, Kingston.

The singer avoided drastic crash diets taken by many celebrity mothers and lost weight gradually after Kingston's birth in May.

PHOENIX, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- "A diet has gone too far when the restrictive calorie level or limited foods on the diet lead to episodes of binge eating; a diet has gone too far when a person purges calories by self-induced vomiting," said Juliet Zuercher, registered dietitian and the director of nutrition services at Remuda Ranch in Phoenix.

"If these binging and purging behaviors increase to multiple times per week, for three months or more, that's considered a full-blown eating disorder." Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating Disorders is an inpatient treatment center for women and girls with anorexia and bulimia.

New report from MoH shows alarming trends in nutrition

A new report showing that the average Kiwi household spends more on confectionary every week than on fresh fruit underlines just how challenging it will be to improve the nutrition of New Zealand families, Health Minister Pete Hodgson said today.

The Food and Nutrition Monitoring Report 2006 – released by the Minister today – includes the latest information on food supply and purchasing patterns, food and nutrient intake, nutritional status and factors influencing dietary intake.

The milk ads want you to believe that milk drinkers weigh less, but if they are indeed lighter, it's not because of the calcium in the milk.

Taking calcium supplements does not help overweight and obese people slim down, researchers from the National Institutes of Health found in a randomized study of 340 adults.

After two years, people who were assigned to take calcium pills twice daily did not weigh any less than people assigned to a placebo. These findings were presented today at the Obesity Society meeting in Boston.

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Carrying two copies of a common variant of a particular gene doubles your chances of developing diabetes and puts you in a similar risk category to being clinically obese, according to a collaborative study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.

The collaborative team led by UCL Professor Steve Humphries studied the TCF7L2 gene, which was discovered to be implicated in diabetes earlier this year by a group working in Iceland. The new study followed healthy middle-aged men in the UK for 15 years, and found that carrying a common variant of the gene increased their risk of developing diabetes by 50 per cent. Carrying two copies of the variant gene increased the risk two-fold, to nearly 100 per cent. In the population as a whole, the impact of this gene on the risk of developing diabetes is as big as the problem of being clinically obese (having a body mass index over 30).

Very daring Press Release by Ardea Beverage Company. I'd even say overbold.

Immune is a nutrient enhanced soda with vitamins, minerals and amino acids that helps boost the immune system to defend against fall and winter ailments..

A recent BBC news report discussed how common colds and flu are very easily transmitted by hands and even just contact with commonly touched surfaces. Immune serves as a powerful tool in supporting the combat of spreading germs and viruses by this type of transmission.

And the most important part of this PR:

The statements in this press release have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

This is not the first attempt to release such kind of "bomb" to the market. Remember Coca-Cola's attempt to make a Weight-Loss soda? Now this. Just "in time" before the horror of coming winter, which is promised to bring another flu pandemic. At least, according to the media.

by Gary Matthews, http://www.maximumfitness.com

Lets face it, every regime has its own supply of useless folklore and half-truths that get passed on down the line from person to person. But I'd put weight loss up against any of them for what has to be the most time wasting and even the most dangerous myths out there.

There is a ton of free advice seen in the media these days and if it is taken seriously, can really set you back on your weight loss endeavours. This can lead to the kind of frustration that makes people think they are "destined to remain fat for the rest of their life".

This in not true, Have a look at the Weight loss myths below and draw your own conclusions.

It looks like a good article. At least it asks you to think before going for wide-advertised products.

However, I am somewhat concerned about it. I want solid numbers in order to believe. And the link at the bottom fo the article is broken...

Well, I let you to decide for yourself

BOSTON - The "Freshman 15" is more like 5 to 7, but it is followed by the "Sophomore 2 or 3," say researchers who led two of the largest and longest studies ever done of weight gain among college students.

The research also showed that males piled on significantly more pounds than females.

Doctors say it is good news that the number of pounds gained is less than the widely believed 15, but bad news that "Generation XL" kids seem to be learning patterns of gradual weight gain that could spell trouble way beyond graduation.

Are you a good cook? We're not asking about how things taste but rather about your healthy cooking habits. Here's a quiz to find out.

1. Adding salt to water will make food cook faster.

True or false?

2. Add fresh herbs at the end of cooking time to get the most flavor from them.

True or false?

Saint James Hospital has announced the first implantation of a gastric band in Malta, during an operation performed at St James Hospital on 5 October.

This procedure is the latest surgical treatment to help morbidly obese patients achieve sustained weight loss, resulting in reduced mortality and an improved quality of life.

Obesity, defined as a disease of excess fat storage sufficient to harm health, is now recognised as a global public health problem, with an estimated 135 million people in Europe alone classified as obese (six million of these are classified as morbidly obese). It is now the second-highest preventable cause of death, after smoking. Obesity is a complex disorder, not solely caused by over-eating. Genetic, environmental, physiological, and physical factors can all predispose a person to excessive weight gain.

BOSTON - If you don’t pay attention to calories when deciding how much of something to eat, you might want to know that the chefs serving it to you don’t either.

A survey of 300 restaurant chefs around the country reveals that taste, looks and customer expectations are what matter when they determine portion size. Only one in six said the calorie content was very important and half said it didn’t matter at all.

While it may make diners happy to get piles of pasta and mountains of meat, they’ll pay the price in pounds, said doctors at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society, where the survey was presented Saturday.

OSTON, Massachusetts (AFP) - Obesity -- which affects one in every three Americans -- and the illnesses associated with it cost the United States some 90.7 billion dollars a year in health care costs, a University of Pennsylvania researcher said.

Among developed countries, the United States has the most obese and overweight people, representing 66 percent of its overall population.

Costs tied to excess pounds (or kilograms) account for 5.04 percent of all US health care costs

A new systematic review calls into the question the health benefits versus risks of an oral medicine widely prescribed for diabetes throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia.

The drug -- called pioglitazone -- is marketed in the United States by Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Co. under the trade name Actos.

Over 700,000 babies and children could be saved every year in the Eastern Mediterranean region if countries adopted some simple low cost health measures, say researchers in this week's British Medical Journal.

The Eastern Mediterranean region accounts for 1.4 million deaths among children under 5 every year. Most of these occur in just seven countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, and Yemen) where mortality exceeds 50 for every 1,000 live births.

Yet more than half of these deaths could be prevented if these countries implemented a range of proven, low cost health measures, write Professor Zulfiqar Bhutta and colleagues.

....in Healthy Mice

Wow, this is a second article about strawberries in one day. My wife is asking me now, whether did someone find such qualities in raspberries?

I don't know, but I let you read the article below..

And 4.5kg of strawberries a day? I should probably get a better job to afford it during the winter..

Can people get fat -- and risk debilitating diabetes -- without overeating?

The answer may be yes, according to Timothy Kieffer, a University of British Columbia researcher, who has found that imbalance in the action of a hormone called leptin produces obesity and major disturbance in blood sugar levels, even when food intake is at normal levels.

The findings were published this month in Cell Metabolism.

No, I am not going to write about how Britney Spears goes on shopping spree to celebrate her weight loss.. This is just sad.

by S. Anderson and E. Lerch, 19 Oct 2006

In response to national trends, West’s administration has taken an aggressive stance on the fight against obesity this year. The district has made food healthier, portions smaller, and the vending machines are making a slow change to diet sodas and juice. Assistant Principal Peter Cernohous believes the changes are responding to national health concerns.

“We switched to healthy food because there had been a major concern of obesity, and a lot of kids at West go for the junk food at lunch,” he said.

Latest numbers on overweight and obesity.
I am 10 kg over my normal weight. How about you?

A billion people out of the world's six billion population are now considered overweight, compared with 800 million who do not have enough to eat.

California strawberry growers, supplying 87% of the nation's strawberry crop, are reporting an excellent yield of red, ripe, and nutritious strawberries for October and November. That's good news for Americans across the country who are looking for an extra boost of protection against the upcoming cold and flu season.

According to the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the average child will get six to 10 colds a year while adults as many as four. Medical experts say a well-balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to ward off illness. Strawberries fit the bill. Considered a "Superfood," strawberries are loaded with nutrients, low in sugar and contain more vitamin C than oranges.

Many people use vitamin supplements for good health despite the fact that few actually need it, says a leading Britain nutritionist who argues that the best way to stay healthy is a balanced diet.

People are often seduced into buying pills because they're worried that food has fewer nutrients than it used to, said Jane Clarke. The best source of vitamins and minerals is freshly picked produce, reported the online edition of Daily Mail.

In an ideal world, everybody would grow their own fruit and vegetables and use them straight from the garden. Instead, people rely on supermarket produce that's been kept in cold storage, sometimes for months on end, and transported great distances.

Philippines - The government is taking its fight against malnutrition to a new level through the e-nutrition portal, a website that would help arrest the problem of "double burden of malnutrition" prevalent in developing countries, including the Philippines.

The recently-launched http://www.enutrition.fnri.dost.gov.ph portal offers features and key nutrition information, including basic nutritional guide, Body Mass Index calculator, and the nutri-GIS (geographical information system) that identify areas plagued by malnutrition.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Two years ago, Denmark declared war on artery-clogging oils, making it illegal for any food to have more than 2 percent trans fats. Offenders now face hefty fines — or even prison terms.

The result? Today, hardly anyone notices the difference. The french fries are still crispy. The pastries are still scrumptious. And the fried chicken is still tasty.Denmark’s experience offers a hopeful example for places like Canada and New York City, which are considering setting limits on the dangerous artery-clogging fats.

A trend for children and adolescents to stay up later and sleep less may be linked to rising levels of obesity, according to a review of existing research published on Thursday.

Bristol University researcher Shahad Taheri said televisions, computers, mobile phones and other gadgets should be banned from children's bedrooms to enable them to get a good night's sleep.

The veggie's green pigment makes it a potent disease-fighter. Substances called isothiocyanates, found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, stimulate our bodies to break down potential carcinogens. Plus, ounce for ounce, broccoli contains as much calcium as milk.

Really? Check this article out. It is based on some review done in Austrialia back to 1985.

Having 10 extra kilos myself I understand what does this article target. After reading it one could comfortably think that he doesn't really need to do exercises, just watch what he is eating.. How convinient, isn't it?

Read on

by Ebbina Clorah, IPP media, 18 Oct 2006

Good nutrition improves immunity and so helps in the prevention of infections. Malnutrition is a significant underlying factor in more than half the deaths of young children in developing countries.

This is particularly true for deaths from diarrhoea, measles, acute respiratory, infection, meningitis and malaria. Malnutrition impairs the immune system so that infections are more frequent, more serious and last longer.

Programmes for the prevention and early treatment of childhood illnesses include several key nutritional interventions such as reducing prevalence of low birth weight.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Eating seafood twice a week is good for your heart and generally outweighs the risk of exposure to mercury and other dangerous contaminants, the Institute of Medicine said Tuesday.

Even so, the government needs to help consumers figure out which seafood is safer, an Institute report said.

“The confusion may have scared people out of eating something that is beneficial for them and maybe for their offspring,” said Jose Ordovas, a Tufts University researcher and member of the report committee.

SYDNEY (AFP) - An obesity epidemic affecting almost 16 percent of Australians cost the country a staggering 21 billion dollars (15.8 billion US dollars) last year, double what it spends on health, new figures show.

About 3.24 million Australians are obese, according to analysis by Access Economics released at a forum at Parliament House in Canberra, attended by more than 130 Australian and international experts on health and food.

That figure should force every Australian to look at their lifestyle, said government senator Guy Barnett, who hosted the forum.

Food Company Danone-Serdika Bulgaria started the second stage of an educational campaign for healthy nutrition aimed to the children on October 17.

The company organized a performance lesson that included tests and task that will help the children learn the "golden rules" for healthy nutrition while solving tasks and lessons. At the end of the event, the children received a certificate for the successful completion of the course.

Organically grown wheat may have different labeling and a higher price in stores, but it contains essentially the same profile of amino acids, sugars and other metabolic substances as wheat grown with conventional farming.

That's the conclusion of a German study, which produced perhaps the most comprehensive metabolic profile of wheat from organic and conventional agriculture.

NEW YORK -- Health experts have dismissed claims that a new green tea-based drink would help people lose weight by speeding up the drinker's metabolic rate, thus burning more calories.
Read "Calorie-burning drink: Too good to be true?" on ImmunoDefence.com for more information.

Coca-Cola Co. unveiled plans last Thursday to start selling Enviga, a sparkling, caffeinated soft drink, stating that consuming three 12-ounce cans over 24 hours could burn off between 60 to 100 calories.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Mothers who breast-feed their infant may help reduce the child's risk of becoming obese, even mothers who have diabetes and are obese, according to the findings of a study published in the October issue of Diabetes Care.
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The results of a previous large study found that breast-feeding had a protective effect against excess weight gain in adolescence - and that the protective effect increased the longer the infant was breast-fed. For the current study, Dr. Elizabeth J. Mayer-Davis, of the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and colleagues examined if this protective effect is reduced if the mother had diabetes or was obese during pregnancy.

by Jodi Hawkins, The Southern Health, 16 Oct 2006

Ask anyone who works for a living how much time they have to focus on healthy eating and chances are the answer will end in dietary disaster.

Single professionals, in particular, may find it harder to meet their own nutritional needs through grocery shopping or cooking than their married counterparts. That's because many working individuals who live alone rarely place healthy eating high on their priority lists, especially when time is limited and there's no one else to consider their nutritional welfare at home or help in preparing meals.

Overweight youngsters are put off by campaigns that try to get them to lose weight by concentrating on the way they look - and are likely to gorge even more, a study shows.

They are no more motivated to change their eating habits than those who are happy with their appearance, say researchers.

But getting children of all shapes and sizes to think more about their bodies - not necessarily favourably or unfavourably - makes them much more receptive to campaigns about losing weight and keeping healthy.

By Lorraine Heller, 16 Oct 2006

Most Americans use food labels and the government Food Pyramid to make informed diet choices, with a main priority being to follow a more nutritious diet, according to a new survey.

Two out of five US adults say they have changed their eating habits to conform to the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) nutrition guidelines, while just over half claim to check food labels when choosing products for themselves or their families, revealed the Harris Interactive/Wall Street Journal Online survey.

Your diabetes diet is an important part of your treatment plan. Consider the latest guidelines for diabetes nutrition.

When you have diabetes, diet plays a key role in controlling blood sugar. You probably already know the cornerstones of any diabetes diet — moderate portions of healthy foods and regular mealtimes. Now, new guidelines from the American Diabetes Association can help you make even better choices about what you eat.

Here's a quick look at the latest recommendations, including how to incorporate the basics into your own diabetes diet.

- say scientists

It is bad for your blood pressure, knocks years off your life and is a strain on your heart. Now scientists have discovered that gaining weight lowers your intelligence.

The findings follow last week's government figures that show Britain as the "fat man" of Europe, with nearly a quarter of adults and more than 14 per cent of children under 16 classified as obese.

The new five-year study of more than 2,200 adults claims to have found a link between obesity and the decline in a person's cognitive function. The research, conducted by French scientists, which is published in this month's Neurology journal, involved men and women aged between 32 and 62 taking four mental ability tests that were then repeated five years later.

The Bangladeshi government and the World Bank (WB) on Sunday signed an agreement to provide 460 million U.S. dollars of Development Partners Grant Fund for the Bangladesh's Health Nutrition and Population Sector Program (HNPSP) , local news agency UNB reported.

The HNPSP builds on Bangladesh's achievements in the health sector, targeting resources at the poor and aiming to create a healthcare system that is efficient and accountable to users.

The project has three components. The first one focuses on accelerating the achievements of the health related Millennium Development Goals and the government's poverty reduction strategies and population policy objectives.

Food labels can be an essential tool for diabetes meal planning. Here's what to look for when comparing food labels.

When you have diabetes, your diet is an important part of your treatment plan. And of course you know what you're eating — a turkey sandwich, a glass of skim milk, a sugar-free fudge pop. But do you pay attention to the details? Reading food labels can help you make the best choices.

Don't let the occasional slip-up blow your weight-loss plan. Use these tips to get back on track.

It's not unusual to occasionally lose track of your weight-loss program and slip back into old patterns of unhealthy eating and minimal exercise. In fact, you can expect it to happen and have a plan in place to recover when it does. It takes time and regular reinforcement for your new healthy behaviors to become habits.

Use these tips to help you deal with occasional weight-loss setbacks:

• Take charge. Accept responsibility for your own behavior. Remember that ultimately only you can help yourself lose weight.
• Avoid risky situations. If all-you-can-eat buffets are just too much temptation, avoid them, at least until you feel more in control of your new eating behavior.

In an effort to lose weight or at least cut down on calories, many people look for foods made with artificial sweeteners. How much do you know about these common additives?

1 Artificial sweeteners are chemicals that offer the sweetness of sugar without the calories.

True or false?

2 According to the National Cancer Institute, there is no scientific evidence that any artificial sweeteners approved for use in the United States cause cancer.

True or false?

The Food Standards Agency and the Department of Health have set up a nutrition strategy steering group and held the first meeting last week. The NSSG is chaired jointly by FSA chair Deirdre Hutton and public health minister Caroline Flint.

The group brings together representatives from consumer and health groups but also industry representatives including Sainsbury’s Justin King and Waitrose md Steven Esom.

by Gary Matthews, 14 Oct 2006

Are you sick and tired of being fat and unable to lose weight!! There is an answer! Please listen; if you want your weight loss regime to work you will have to perform

'Strength training' and there is just no getting around it.

It is absolutely imperative that during the course of a lifetime not only for your weight loss goals but also for general health and well being that you must use these valuable tool.

By Debra Sherman, Reuters, 13 Oct 2006

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Stomach-stapling surgery to combat obesity may be done in the future with a tube inserted through the mouth, making the procedure safer than using an incision and opening the way for more people to undergo it, doctors say.

Doctors have performed about 1 million bariatric surgeries worldwide, in which the stomach is stapled to make it smaller so people eat less, and experts say it's the best method to lose weight and keep it off.

Doing the surgery without incisions will make it a lower-risk, lower-cost proposition and may be applicable to patients who are less obese than those who are currently considered for surgery, said Dr. Philip Schauer, head of bariatric surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, which is hosting a three-day meeting on obesity.

SAN FRANCISCO - Baskets overflow with fresh greens. Tomatoes blush a deep red. The competition for customers’ attention is fierce at the Heirloom Organics farm stand during the lunch-hour rush.

Despite a recent E. coli outbreak, shoppers at this farmers market are reaching with confidence for spinach, reassured that the food is grown nearby, by farmers they can talk to, on land they can visit.

Experts predict that as awareness of farming methods grows, interest in farmers markets, restaurants that buy locally and direct farm-to-consumer sales is bound to grow as well.

NEW YORK - Health experts Friday dismissed claims that a new green tea-based drink that claims to burn calories by speeding up the drinker’s metabolic rate would help people lose weight.

Beverage giant Coca-Cola Co. unveiled plans on Thursday to start selling Enviga, a sparkling, caffeinated soft drink, claiming that consuming three 12-ounce cans over 24 hours could burn off between 60 to 100 calories.

Coke has developed the drink, which will come in three flavors — green tea, berry and peach —in partnership with Swiss food giant Nestle SA.

by Kim Dixon and Debra Sherman, Reuters, 12 Oct 2006

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Reuters) - The new head of Johnson & Johnson's surgical-device unit is campaigning to convince employers to cover an increasingly popular but pricey surgery for obesity.

Nearly one-third of the U.S. adult population is obese and patients are lining up for the surgery, but U.S. employers are having trouble swallowing the minimum $25,000 price tag. The cost can double if complications emerge after surgery.

by Laurie Barclay, News CME, 11 Oct 2006

Regular consumption of carbonated cola drinks may increase risk for low bone mineral density (BMD) in women, according to the results of the Framingham Osteoporosis Study reported in the October issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"Soft drink consumption may have adverse effects on bone mineral density (BMD), but studies have shown mixed results," write Katherine L. Tucker, MD, from Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues. "In addition to displacing healthier beverages, colas contain caffeine and phosphoric acid (H3PO4), which may adversely affect bone."

by Miranda Hitti, WebMD, 11 Oct 2006

Have you shed some extra pounds? A new medical study provides tips for keeping the weight off.

People who weigh daily and meet regularly with others trying to maintain a new, lower weight are more successful, according to the study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

"Most dieters regain about a third of the weight lost during the next year and are typically back to baseline [their pre-diet weight] in 3 to 5 years," write Rena Wing, PhD, and colleagues.

By Jennifer Warner, WebMD, 11 Oct 2006

Sticking to decaf isn't going to eliminate caffeine from your coffee.

That's according to a new study that shows even decaffeinated coffee comes with at least a small dose of caffeine.

"If someone drinks five to 10 cups of decaffeinated coffee, the dose of caffeine could easily reach the level present in a cup or two of caffeinated coffee," says researcher Bruce A. Goldberger, PhD, of the University of Florida, in a news release.

TORONTO - Two Canadians remained paralyzed Tuesday after drinking carrot juice contaminated with the botulism toxin, health officials said.

A week after Bolthouse Farms issued a continental recall of its carrot juice, at least 10 Toronto businesses still had the product on their shelves over the long holiday weekend, prompting health officials to call on the media to warn households and shopkeepers to throw away the juice.

TUESDAY, Oct. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity increases the risk that patients will suffer complications during spinal surgery, U.S. researchers report.

In the study, a team from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia reviewed 332 cases of thoracic and lumbar spinal surgery for routine degenerative conditions.

Of the patients in the study, 71 percent were overweight, including 39 percent who were obese.

by Gabrielle Fagan, 10 Oct 2006

Don't be fooled by late sunshine. Winter's on its way, and now's the time to boost your immune system. Avoid succumbing to colds and flu in a few months by using our immune-boosting tips.

DOCTORS' surgeries will soon start filling up with cold and flu sufferers and the worst months - January and February - usually see them overflowing with sneezing, shivering victims.

In Britain, the national average for each of us is about 2.5 colds a year. That means the average person spends around 20 days each year coughing, and blowing through reddened nostrils, and around 15% of us will have fallen victim to flu by February.

Oct. 9, 2006 -- What you eat today just may help determine your risk for Alzheimer's disease late in life.

Two new studies offer preliminary evidence that dietary choices could help prevent age-related mental decline or slow its progression.

In one, people who followed the so-called Mediterranean diet, which includes plenty of fruits and vegetables but little red meat, had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's than people who did not follow the diet. In the other, taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements seemed to slow disease progression in people with very early Alzheimer's disease.

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Oct. 9, 2006 -- If you're middle-aged and your memory's not what it used to be, check the bathroom scale. Excess weight could be sabotaging your brain power, a new study shows.

The study compared mental abilities to body mass index (BMI), a measurement of weight in relation to height used to define overweight and obesity. A BMI of 25 or more indicates overweight, and 30 or more is obese.

California's role as a national "health food" trendsetter goes back farther than most people suspect -- way back, in fact, when it comes to consumption of a food especially rich in healthy phytochemicals.

In an advance toward understanding the early California Native American diet, food scientists have identified the full range of phytochemicals in tanoak acorns.

Acorns were a staple in the diet of early Native Americans in California, comprising up to 50 percent of total food intake, Alyson E. Mitchell and colleagues note in a report in the current (Oct. 4) issue of the ACS biweekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Obese men have lower levels of a protein used to screen for prostate cancer risk, U.S. researchers said on Monday in a study that shows doctors should take weight into account when determining a man's risk.

The finding may help explain why overweight men are likely to be diagnosed when their disease is more advanced, the researchers wrote the journal Cancer.

The test is for prostate specific antigen, or PSA. This protein is produced only by prostate cells and circulates in the blood.

Right Direction Chocolate Chip Cookies lower cholesterol and improve lipid subfraction profile, lowering the risk of heart disease, according to a published study in The Journal of Nutrition (October). The chocolate chip cookies, made with a combination of psyllium and plant sterols, are a tasty all-natural approach to reducing cardiovascular risk associated with cholesterol.

The American Heart Association estimates at least 50 percent of the American adult population has high cholesterol. The study revealed eating two Right Direction Cookies daily showed a ten percent decrease in LDL cholesterol as well as shifting the LDL particles toward a less atherogenic pattern.

by Malcolm Burgess , 8 Sep 2006

SYDNEY (AFP) - Governments must wake up to the scourge of obesity or it will soon be too late to win the battle against the global epidemic, a senior World Health Organization official warned.

Professor Robert Beaglehole's warning concluded a week-long summit at which 2,000 delegates exchanged research on a health problem the WHO says now affects more than one billion people globally --- nearly one in six people.

Beaglehole, the WHO's director of chronic disease, said public health bodies must learn from the fight against tobacco to "harangue" and educate health ministers who doubted the urgency of acting on obesity.

"The critical lesson from tobacco is waiting too long -- 50 years -- from the first evidence," he said.

"There would not be one minister of health who doesn't now appreciate the importance of tobacco control."

Obesity is out of control and there is sufficient evidence to convince governments to take urgent action, he said.

By Susan Yara, Forbes, 6 Oct 2006

Four times a year, the famed New York restaurant, the '21' Club, gears up to change its menus.

The shift ensures that the restaurant offers seasonally appropriate dishes to its patrons — and it really does make a difference. While most spring and summer dishes are light, healthy, and full of bright, leafy vegetables, the fall and winter dishes are warm, rich and hearty.

Cold-weather dishes are the types we all seem to look forward to, from simple macaroni and cheese to decadent foie gras. Unfortunately, while these comfort foods may be tasty, they can also wreak havoc on diets.

by Dr. Mallika Marshall Rolls, CBS, 7 Oct 2006

Are your children eating what they should for good health and growth? Well, the latest government dietary guidelines say: Maybe not, especially when it comes to five essential nutrients. Dr. Mallika Marshall shared more information on The Saturday Early Show.

Here are five nutrients children need that they might lack:

Preventing and treating childhood obesity requires the entire family. Here's how you can encourage a healthy weight in your home.

Children can't change their exercise and eating habits by themselves. They need the help and support of their families and other caregivers. This is why successful prevention and treatment of childhood obesity starts at home.

Childhood obesity is usually caused by kids eating too much and exercising too little. So creating new family habits around healthy eating and increased physical activity can help a child lose weight and can also improve the health of other members of the family.

PARIS (AFP) - The belief that obesity can be thwarted by getting tubby kids to exercise more is misplaced, says a study among nursery-school children. In an unusual experiment, British researchers tested the exercise theory among 545 preschoolers among 36 nurseries in the Scottish city of Glasgow, where fatty diets and a couch potato lifestyle are entrenched.

With the consent of the children's parents and help of nursery-school staff, the researchers had half of the children do three 30-minute sessions of physical activity each week, while the other half followed their normal kindergarten routine.

Parents in the "exercise" group were also given an information pack about encouraging physical play and reducing the time a child spent watching TV. The leaflets did not mention changes to diet.

After six months, and again after a year, the doctors checked the children to measure their body mass index (BMI) -- a height-to-weight ratio that is a good indicator of fat.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obese individuals who undergo stomach surgery may not properly absorb certain medications and nutrients from vitamins, minerals and dietary supplements afterwards, a review of published studies suggests.

"Patients should always inform all of their healthcare professionals, including pharmacists and other physicians, that they have undergone bariatric (stomach) surgery and ask them if their medications, vitamins, minerals, or dietary supplements will be properly absorbed," advises Dr. Kelly M. Smith of the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy in Lexington.

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Archives of internal Medicine, September 18, 2006

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The amount of time people spend sleeping may affect their weight, study results suggest.

The study looked at people living in rural areas. Previous studies conducted in urban and suburban areas have had similar results, which suggests that sleep loss may play a role in the increasing rates of obesity in the US.

Researchers have proposed that shorter sleep duration may affect levels of two weight-control hormones: reduced levels of leptin, a hormone associated with satiety, and increased levels of ghrelin, associated with hunger.

WASHINGTON - The same brain circuits are involved when obese people fill their stomachs as when drug addicts think about drugs, a finding that suggests overeating and addiction may be linked, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. The finding may help in creating better treatments for obesity — a growing problem in the United States and elsewhere. "We wanted to know why, when people are already full, why people are still eating a lot," said Dr. Gene-Jack Wang of Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York.

By Caroline Jacobs Tue Sep 19, 1:14 PM ET

PARIS (Reuters) - The French are becoming bigger and fatter and French women in particular are increasingly giving up on their renowned "taille fine," a survey that tracks weight patterns in France shows.

Nearly 42 percent of the French population older than 15 years has a weight problem, an ObEpi-Roche survey showed on Tuesday. Almost a third is overweight and 12.4 percent is obese.

Despite a notion that the French shun overeating and junk food, obesity is still on the rise, according to the study, which has been conducted every three years since 1997.

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TUESDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Japanese researchers have discovered a naturally occurring molecule that suppresses appetite in mammals, raising hopes that it might one day treat obesity in humans.

Over a period of 10 days, rats that received a continuous infusion of the compound, called nesfatin-1, ate significantly less food than untreated rats. They also gained significantly less weight than untreated rats (an average of 12.6 grams vs. an average of 30.4 grams), apparently without any adverse effects.

The findings, published in the Oct. 1 online edition of Nature, "indicate that nesfatin-1 might be a useful target for the development of drug therapies to treat obese persons," the study authors concluded.

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Achieving a healthier weight isn't always about losing pounds; some people would benefit from gaining some. Often, that isn't as simple as it might sound, but with the right plan it can be done.