The many dangers of ‘yo-yo dieting’

Ever wondered why you no longer lose weight on the same diet that helped you lose weight some time ago? Several people report that with each attempt at weight loss and weight regain, the battle becomes progressively harder.

Often, the regained weight is a bit more than the original. Also known as “weight- cycling” or “yo-yo dieting”, this is a recipe for becoming unhealthy and even permanently obese.

Weight-cycling and weight fluctuations have been found to be associated with serious unfavourable health problems. Several studies report that weight cycling is undesirable as it increases the risk of inflammation, heart disease, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes and even cancer, particularly breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, endometrium, prostate or lymphoma. The risk of gallstone formation has also increased among ‘weight-cyclers’.

These effects are also more common among very low-calorie diet users and crash dieters, who achieve rapid weight loss. Many such dieters resign themselves to the fact that weight regain is inevitable and resort to bouts of dieting when they perceive their weight to have returned to an intolerable level. In fact, several studies also report that weight cycling leads to greater weight gain.

A study published in the International Journal of Obesity 2006 in Finland investigated effects of repeated cycles of weight loss and regain in about 1,800 young athletes for over 15 years on long-term weight development. It reported that repeated cycles of weight loss and regain appear to enhance subsequent weight gain and may make one predisposed to obesity.

‘Weight-cycling’ may lower the body’s metabolic rate and it is also associated with several complex mechanisms which play an important role in the development of these outcomes.

Weight-cycling is also known to have a negative impact on psychological and behavioural consequences. Studies have reported increased risk for psychopathology, life dissatisfaction, body satisfaction, less self-esteem and binge eating.

In fact, weight-cyclers often have an enhanced preference for fatty foods. A lowered metabolic rate reduces energy expenditure and along with binge eating and preference for fatty food, it is expected to increase the propensity of weight gain.

Clearly, the goal should always be to lose weight by following a diet, which is sustainable, to achieve a realistic weight. So embark on a weight-loss diet only when you are ready to make a life-long commitment to a healthy lifestyle including behavioural patterns, diet and physical activity.

Adopting healthy behaviours along with weight loss is key to long-term weight and health management.

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Lost at poker again? Blame your brain, not your luck

The angel and devil debating temptation over your shoulder may not be that far from reality after all. Research says two parts of your brain — one cautious and the other enthusiastic — determine your risk-taking behaviour, and your poker outcomes. (Source: Thinkstock Images)

Can’t figure out why you lose every time while playing poker with friends? Blame it on poor single-brain connection.

According to a study, people with a stronger connection between two specific brain regions have a more cautious financial outlook.

The researchers studied the connections between two brain regions — anterior insula and nucleus accumbens — and how the two work together.

“Activity in one brain region appears to indicate ‘uh oh, I might lose money’, but, in another it seems to indicate ‘oh yay, I could win something’,” said Brian Knutson, associate professor of psychology from Stanford University. “The balance between this ‘uh oh’ and ‘oh yay’ activity differs between people and can determine the gambling decisions we make,” he added.

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Using a novel MRI technique, Knutson found a tract that directly connects the two brain regions.

Participants were given $10 that they could gamble or not. Entering an MRI chamber, they could see a roulette wheel and the odds for winning or losing.

In one bet, they had equal odds to win — or lose $3. In another, they had higher odds of winning a smaller amount and small odds of losing a lot — or vice versa. As the participants weighed the various gambles, the researchers tracked activity in the two brain regions.

The findings revealed that even the cautious ones with a well-insulated connection would sometimes place risky bets. And when they did, the more cautious region stayed quieter while the enthusiastic region grew more active.

“The study helps scientists and policymakers — who want to better understand risky decision-making in the context of gambling and addiction —develop more effective interventions,” noted the authors in a paper that appeared in the journal Neuron.

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Debunking myths: Oral contraceptive use doesn’t lead to major birth defects

Oral contraceptive pills are safer than you think.

The use of oral contraceptive just before pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of major birth defects, says a study.

Although oral contraceptives are widely used and very effective, around nine percent of women become pregnant in the first year of use because of missing a dose, taking the pill with other medications, or illnesses, the study pointed out.

The findings should reassure “women who have a breakthrough pregnancy during oral contraceptive use or even (those who) intentionally become pregnant within a few months of stopping oral contraceptive use (because) any exposure is unlikely to cause her fetus to develop a major birth defect,” the researchers said.

To examine the association between oral contraceptive use around the time of conception, and into pregnancy, with major birth defects, the team of US and Danish researchers carried out a large prospective observational study.

All live births, birth defects, and maternal medical conditions were analysed from several national Danish medical registries between 1997 and 2011.

The final analyses included 880,694 liveborn infants, 2.5 percent of whom had a major birth defect – like an orofacial cleft or limb defect – within the first year of life

Findings from the study revealed no increased risk of any major birth defect associated with oral contraceptive exposure.

The prevalence of major birth defects, per 1, 000 births, was consistent across each group of people that the researchers considered — 25.1 percent for never users, 25 percent for oral contraceptive use more than three months before pregnancy, 24.9 percent for oral contraceptive use within three months before pregnancy, and 24.8 percent for oral contraceptive use after pregnancy.

The study was published in the journal The BMJ.

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New touchless device to detect heart problems early

A revolutionary new system for monitoring vital signs has been developed by researchers that could lead to improved detection and prevention of some cardiovascular issues.

Using patent-pending technology called Coded Hemodynamic Imaging, the device is the first portable system that monitors a patient’s blood flow at multiple arterial points simultaneously and without direct contact with the skin.

It is ideal for assessing patients with painful burns, highly contagious diseases, or infants in neonatal intensive care whose tiny fingers make traditional monitoring difficult.

“Traditional systems in wide use now take one blood-pulse reading at one spot on the body,” said Robert Amelard, a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo in Canada.

“This device acts like many virtual sensors that measure blood-flow behaviour on various parts of the body. The device relays measurements from all of these pulse points to a computer for continuous monitoring,” said Amelard.

Continuous data collection at different parts of the body provides a more complete picture of what is happening in the body.

Whole-body imaging opens doors for advanced monitoring that can not be done with the traditional, single-point methods, researchers said.

“Since the device can also scan multiple patients individually at once and from a distance, consider the potential in mass emergency scenarios or long-term care homes,” said Professor Alexander Wong, of the Faculty of Engineering at Waterloo and Canada Research Chair in Medical Imaging Systems.

“This technology provides for a more predictive approach to monitor vitals and the potential for its use is extensive, such as indicating arterial blockages that might otherwise go undetected, or warning older adults who risk falling as a result of getting dizzy when they stand,” said Wong.

The research was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

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Why people tend to overeat in winter

There is not yet an evolutionary mechanism to help us overcome the lure of sweet, fatty and unhealthy food and avoid becoming overweight for understandable and sensible reasons. (Source: Daniellehelm/Flickr)

People have evolved to have subconscious urges to overeat and limited ability to avoid becoming obese especially in winter, a University of Exeter study has found.

This is because in our past, being overweight has not posed a significant threat to survival compared to the dangers of being underweight. The urge to maintain body fat is even stronger in winter when food in the natural world is scarce. This explains why we enjoy eating so much at Christmas and our New Year’s resolutions to lose weight usually fail.

There is not yet an evolutionary mechanism to help us overcome the lure of sweet, fatty and unhealthy food and avoid becoming overweight for understandable and sensible reasons, according to researchers. “You would expect evolution to have given us the ability to realise when we have eaten enough, but instead we show little control when faced with artificial food,” said lead author Andrew Higginson from University of Exeter in Britain.

Because modern food today has so much sugar and flavour the urge humans have to eat it is greater than any weak evolutionary mechanism which would tell us not to. Researchers used computer modelling to predict how much fat animals should store, by assuming that natural selection gives animals, including humans, a perfect strategy to maintain the healthiest weight. Their model predicts how the amount of fat an animal stores should respond to food availability and the risk of being killed by a predator when foraging.

“The model also predicts animals should gain weight when food is harder to find. All animals, including humans, should show seasonal effects on the urge to gain weight,” said Higginson. Storing fat is an insurance against the risk of failing to find food, which for pre-industrial humans was most likely in winter. This suggests that New Year’s Day is the worst possible time to start a new diet.

The evolutionary model also shows that there is no evidence to support the “drifty gene” hypothesis, which some researchers have previously suggested would explain why some people become overweight and others do not. The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

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Regular exercise can counter obesity genes, and make you thinner

The research findings give hope to those with a genetic disposition towards obesity, that there is a way to counter the genes you’ve inherited. (Source: Thinkstock Images)

While genes may influence our likelihood of being overweight or obese, a new study has found that a physically active lifestyle can blunt the effects of inherited obesity genes.

Regular exercise can substantially decrease the genetic effect of a major fat mass and obesity associated gene FTO on body weight, the findings showed.

“This provides a message of hope for people with obesity predisposing genes that they can do something about it. Our body weight destiny is not only written in our genetic blueprint,” said one of the researchers David Meyre from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

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The researchers looked at data from up to 17,400 people from six ethnic groups who were recruited from 17 countries and followed for more than three years.

They analysed the impact of 14 obesity predisposing genes and found that physical activity can blunt the genetic effect of FTO — the major contributor to common obesity — by up to 75 per cent.

“These promising results encourage us to investigate how additional lifestyle factors, such as diet, stress and sleep patterns may impact the genetic predisposition to obesity,” Meyre noted.

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

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Real friends (beyond Facebook) are important for a healthier life

“It should be as important to encourage adolescents and young adults to build broad social relationships and social skills for interacting with others, as it is to eat healthy and be physically active,” said a researcher. (Source: Thinkstock Images)

The more social ties people have, the better their health is during adolescence and the golden years of their lives, says a new study.

“Based on these findings, it should be as important to encourage adolescents and young adults to build broad social relationships and social skills for interacting with others, as it is to eat healthy and be physically active,” said one of the researchers Kathleen Harris, professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, US.

The study builds on previous research that shows that ageing adults live longer if they have more social connections.

Specifically, the team found that the sheer size of a person’s social network was important for health in early and late adulthood.

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In adolescence, social isolation increased risk of inflammation by the same amount as physical inactivity, while social integration protected against abdominal obesity. In old age, social isolation was actually more harmful to health than diabetes on developing and controlling hypertension. In middle adulthood, it was not the number of social connections that mattered, but what those connections provided in terms of social support or strain, the study said.

“The relationship between health and the degree to which people are integrated in large social networks is strongest at the beginning and at the end of life, and not so important in middle adulthood when the quality — not the quantity — of social relationships matters,” Harris said.

For the study, the researchers drew on data from four nationally representative surveys of the US population that covered the lifespan from adolescence to old age.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Destressing is as simple as turning off the email app on your phone

“Our research shows that email is a double-edged sword. Whilst it can be a valuable communication tool, it is clear that it is a source of stress of frustration for many of us,” said the study’s lead author Richard MacKinnon. (Source: ibmphoto24 via Flickr)

If reducing stress is on your mind, turning off the email app on your phone can be an easy and inexpensive way to bring happiness back into your life, new research suggests.

Email can simultaneously be a great communication tool and a source of frustration and stress, the findings showed.

In a survey of around 2,000 people, London-based Future Work Centre found that people who automatically receive email on their devices are more likely to report higher levels of ’email pressure’, as are people who check email early in the morning or late at night.

“People who reported higher levels of email pressure also experienced greater interference between work and home — and home and work,” the report said.

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However, how much email pressure you feel and the extent to which it interferes with your work-life balance may depend on your personality.

“Our research shows that email is a double-edged sword. Whilst it can be a valuable communication tool, it is clear that it is a source of stress of frustration for many of us,” said lead author Richard MacKinnon — insight director at Future Work Centre — was quoted as saying by Daily Mail. “The people who reported it being most useful to them also reported the highest levels of email pressure,” MacKinnon noted.

Managers experience significantly higher levels of email pressure when compared to non-managers, the results of the survey showed.

“But the habits we develop, the emotional reactions we have to messages, and the unwritten organisational etiquette around email, all combine into a toxic source of stress which could be negatively impacting our productivity and well-being,” MacKinnon said.

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Early sex puts teenagers at high infection risk

Sexually transmitted infections are major causes of medical and psychological problems globally. (Source: Thinkstock Images)

Teenagers who experience their first sexual intercourse at an early age run a greater risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) — which include diseases such as gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, HIV or other infections — warns a study.

Sexually transmitted infections are major causes of medical and psychological problems globally.

“This study shows that earlier initiation of sexual intercourse increases the odds of experiencing STIs,” the researchers said. “Also, as the age gap gets shorter, the odds of experiencing STIs increase. Our study suggests that it is important to consider the time period of first sexual intercourse and to reinforce a monitoring system along with the development of other preventive strategies,” the study said.

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For the study, the researchers from Yonsei University in Seoul used data from a Korean national survey of youth risk behaviours that is conducted annually by the Korean Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Responses of 22,381 adolescents with sexual intercourse experience were included for the analysis.

Approximately 7.4 per cent of boys and 7.5 per cent of girls reported having STI. The researchers found that for both boys and girls, the chance of experiencing STIs increased as the age of first sexual intercourse decreased.

Compared to teens who had first intercourse in 12th grade, those whose first experience was in seventh grade were three times more likely to have had an STI, youthhealthmag.com reported.

The findings appeared in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

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Boost sperm quality: Avoid high-fat, low protein diet

A high-fat, low protein diet can cause metabolic disorder in your offspring.

A person’s diet can greatly impact his sperm’s quality leading to harmful gene mutation in his children, scientists including an Indian-origin researcher have discovered.

In two studies conducted on mice, they found that a father’s diet affects levels of specific small RNAs in his sperm which, in turn, can affect gene regulation in offspring.

In the first study, Upasna Sharma, researcher from University of Massachusetts, and her team tested whether the sperm of mice on a low-protein (LP) diet experienced any changes in RNA levels.

The findings showed that small RNAs from immature sperm in the testis did not correlate with dietary effects. Yet, sequencing of small RNA in mature sperm revealed great expression of certain RNAs.

Further analysis revealed that a subset of genes was suppressed, including a gene that contributes to the plasticity of mouse embryonic stem cells.

“These results demonstrate how RNA in sperm can be affected by diet and that this can cause changes in gene regulation of offspring and associated metabolic disorder,” the authors noted.

In the second study, Qi Chen from University Of Nevada’s school of medicine and team fertilised mouse eggs using sperm from a group of male mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) as well as a group of male mice on a normal diet (ND).

As early as seven weeks old, offspring whose fathers were in the high-fat group developed impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance which became more severe at 15 weeks.

“The results add to the growing list of ways in which a male’s lifestyle can influence his offspring, including through the sperm epigenome, microbiome transfer and seminal fluid signalling,” the authors noted.

The study appeared in the sciencemag.org.

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Diet diary: Make these new year promises and keep them

Exercise regularly along with resistance exercises like weight training

Exercise is a must. Exercise combined with diet helps to preserve lean body mass (like muscle and bone mass) more efficiently during weight loss compared to weight loss with diet alone. When diets are combined with exercise, weight loss is likely to be sustained for longer. Research has compared individuals on calorie restricted diets and those on calorie restricted diets with moderate to intense exercise. While the results showed the same amount of total weight loss in both the groups, increased physical activity prevented relapse after weight loss. Several studies have shown that those who keep up a higher level of physical activity are more successful in maintaining their reduced body weight.

Exercise also makes you feel wonderfully alive because it triggers the release of endorphins — chemicals in the brain that make you feel generally happier, calmer and clear-headed. Choose some thing that you enjoy doing. It could be the gym, yoga or a sport. Make it a fun thing and make it a part of your time together. Again, remember that a variety of exercises is better than one single one. Aerobic, flexibility through stretches, and muscle strength all are needed.

Plan your diet on a daily basis

** Plan your activities and food in advance. Shop smart. Ensure access and availability of appropriate foods.

** Choose adequate amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables like aamla, citrus fruits, tomatoes, green peppers, green leafy vegetables, kiwi, broccoli, and strawberries to ensure adequate Vitamin C.

** Choose whole grains like oats, barley, brown rice and whole wheat; pulses, nuts and seeds, low fat dairy, seafood, lean meats, green leafy vegetables and wheat germ to ensure adequate intake of Vitamin B and zinc.

** Minimise intake of white flour, white rice and sugar.

** Avoid junk food and poor quality fat (hydrogenated, trans-fats).

** Include good quality fat through natural sources like nuts, seeds, fatty fish and cold pressed oils.

** Snack smart on fresh fruits, dry fruits, nuts, seeds, roasted whole grains, soups, salads, and yogurt.

** Drink plenty of fluids and remain well hydrated. Green tea, jasmine tea, camomile tea help calm the mind.

** Take tea, coffee and alcohol in moderation.

Maintain a food diary

The first step to improve your diet is to increase awareness — what you eat, when you eat and how much you eat. This is virtually a ‘reality check’ and there is nothing more powerful than a food diary. A simple objective tool helps you track exactly what you really eat.

Food diary will show you whether you include all the food groups in adequate amounts, the variety of foods you consume, the amount of sugar and undesirable foods and the frequency of intake. After completing your food diary, you can analyse the foods you have listed by comparing them to the five recommendations for healthy eating. So next time you resolve to improve your diet, start by reaching out for a pen and a paper.

Pamper your skin

Clear, glowing skin reflects overall health. This requires a well-balanced fibre-rich diet, plenty of fluids, regular exercise, quitting smoking and avoiding excessive exposure to sun. The important nutrients for skin include proteins, essential fats, vitamin A, E, C, B complex, selenium, zinc and copper. A good combination of plant and animal protein would include soya, low-fat dairy, lean meat and fish. Essential fatty acids (linoleic and alpha-linoleic acid) which are found in seed oils are important in maintaining lustrous skin. Fatty fish, flaxseeds and evening primrose oil provide essential fatty acids needed for skin maintenance.

Foods that must be included on regular basis include fresh vegetable juices, yogurt, turmeric, wheat germ, plant proteins (daals, sprouts, soy), brightly coloured vegetables and fruits, aamla, fish, flaxseeds and other seeds, nuts, avocados and plenty of fluids. Holiday regularly

Be it a cruise, hill holidays or beach vacation, a vacation is meant to recharge your energies and refresh you to cope with routine and work pressures. Some checks and balances are all that is needed to avoid gaining extra kilos during your vacation:

** If possible, schedule holiday dinners at normal meal times.

** Watch your drinks: Avoid sweetened beverages, fruit juices, mocktails and cocktails. Diet beverages made with artificial sweeteners can help control calories at celebrations. Count your alcohol, as it can be a major source of hidden calories as well.

** Choose one significant meal for the day and plan the other meals accordingly. Keep them light, with plenty of salads, vegetables and soups.

** If you are very keen on desserts, then take a bite. If you want a full portion, just have a very light meal.

** Carry appropriate snack food to munch like seeds, roasted nuts or whole grains.

Focus on making lifestyle changes, which include eating right, getting plenty of exercise, thinking positively and learning to cope with stress.

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Here’s why you should stop treating Google as your doctor

Trust your doctor more than Google. (Photo: Thinkstock)

Are you among those who log in to Google every time you are down with body ache, fever or cold, only to get more confused and scared? Many young Indians with smartphones in their hands are falling prey to the “Google-as-your-doctor” phenomenon and the dangerous trend is on the rise in the country, health experts feel.

Although there is nothing wrong in checking your symptoms or trying to find more about your illness on the internet, they say that one should know where to stop.

The ideal situation is to use search engines only when someone is diagnosed with a certain medical condition and wants to know more about it. The information available on internet should be used to educate oneself rather than trying to find a cure for the disease.

“The biggest problem is that internet is loaded with enormous information which could be correct too but then your symptoms could be similar to some other disease which may cause confusion. Therefore, correct diagnosis of your health abnormality is very important,” Dr. Satnam Singh Chhabra, head (neuro-spine surgeon) at the Sir Gangaram Hospital here, told IANS.

He has observed many young Indian adults getting hooked to the internet to look for every little thing, even self-diagnosis.

For instance, if one has a health abnormality, then the instant reaction is to Google the symptoms before seeing an expert or a doctor.

“But one should be careful as people normally look for symptoms to get rid of curiosity and anxiety but to the contrary, it just worsens the scenario and leaves them more anxious,” Chhabra said.

According to Dr. (Prof) Raju Vaishya, senior consultant (orthopaedic and joint replacement surgeon) at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, one should beware of getting trapped into “Google as your doctor” behaviour as this may cause more harm than good.

“Yes, there is an increasing surge in young Indians with smartphones who google common health symptoms. I find more such patients coming to me with queries related to hand, wrist and elbow,” Vaishya told IANS.

Dr. R K Singal of the BLK Super-specialty Hospital had an interesting case study to share: “Once a patient in his mid-30s came to me with severe headache. He told me that he thought he had a brain tumour. After diagnosis, we found that headache was due to prolonged sore throat and rhinopharyngitis (common cold).”

“The patient visited me after a month of self-diagnosis through internet. Whatever he found on the internet made him believe that he had a brain tumour,” Singal told IANS.

According to Singal, people in the 25-40 age group are more hooked on to the internet and such self-diagnosis only increases one’s anxiety.

Dr. Rahul Gupta, senior neuro and spine surgeon at Fortis Hospital in Noida, is attending to many young Indians who come to him with weird health queries after scanning Google.

“Self-medication via the internet can be dangerous. Patients at times do not follow our advice and waste our time with silly questions,” he stressed.

According to Gupta, Google is good when it comes to searching for a good doctor, checking spellings of a medication and reading about general health-related issues.

Another danger of self-diagnosis is that you may think that there is more wrong with you than there actually is.

“For example, if you had insomnia, inattention and depression, you may believe that you have a sleep disorder or major depression. Thus, you may make things worse by worrying more as well,” Singal noted.

Self-diagnosis is also a problem when you are in a state of denial about your symptoms.

One may think that generalised body aches started with a worsening of mood, but a doctor may elect to do an electrocardiogram for chest pain that reveals possible coronary artery disease, the experts felt.

Are health websites trustworthy when it comes to answering health symptom queries?

“I don’t see any harm in doing that because it’s about your health after all. In fact, a lot of times my patients come back with queries after surfing about their health abnormality on the internet,” Chhabra said.

So, educate yourself as much before or after you visit your doctor, but let the experts do their job. Let your doctor prescribe you a treatment well-suited for your ailment.

“One should be wise enough to understand which is an authentic website with relevant content as there are a lot of paid sites which exist only to make business,” Chhabra advised.

Vaishya asked youngsters to share their internet-acquired knowledge with the doctor but not to force it upon the doctor to follow it.

“Trust your doctor more than Google,” Gupta summed up.

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Avoid midnight munchies: It may impair memory, learning

Eating at the wrong time also disrupts sleep patterns. (Photo: Thinkstock)

Frequent late-night kitchen raids for snacks may impair your memory and learning skills, according to a new study which found that the habit could alter the brain’s physiology.

Eating at times normally reserved for sleep causes a deficiency in the type of learning and memory controlled by the hippocampal area of the brain, researchers said.

“We have provided the first evidence that taking regular meals at the wrong time of day has far-reaching effects for learning and memory,” said Dawn Loh from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

The team tested the ability of mice to recognise a novel object. Mice regularly fed during their sleep-time were significantly less able to recall the object.

Long-term memory was also dramatically reduced, demonstrated during a fear conditioning experiment.

Both long-term memory and the ability to recognise a novel object are governed by the hippocampus.

The hippocampus plays an important role in our ability to associate senses and emotional experiences with memory and our ability to organise and store new memories.

During an experience, nerve impulses are activated along specific pathways and, if we repeat the experience, the same pathways increase in strength.

However, this effect was reduced when food was made available to mice during a six-hour window in the middle of their normal sleep time instead of a six-hour daytime window when the mice were active.

Some genes involved in both the circadian clock and in learning and memory are regulated by a protein called CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein).

When CREB is less active, it decreases memory, and may play a role in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

In the mice fed at the wrong time, the total activity of CREB throughout the hippocampus was significantly reduced, with the strongest effects in the day.

However, the master pacemaker of the circadian system, the suprachiasmatic nucleus located in the hypothalamus, is unaffected.

This leads to desynchrony between the clocks in the different brain regions (misalignment), which the researchers suggest underlies the memory impairment.

“Modern schedules can lead us to eat around the clock so it is important to understand how the timing of food can impact cogitation”, said Christopher Colwell from UCLA.

“For the first time, we have shown that simply adjusting the time when food is made available alters the molecular clock in the hippocampus and can alter the cognitive performance of mice,” Colwell said.

Eating at the wrong time also disrupted sleep patterns. It resulted in the loss of the normal day/night difference in the amount of sleep although the total time spent asleep over 24 hours was not changed.

Sleep became fragmented, with the mice grabbing more short naps throughout the day and night.

The study was published in the journal eLife.

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How eating ‘healthy’ food can make you fat

The findings suggest that the recent increase of healthy food labels may be ironically contributing to the obesity epidemic rather than reducing it. (Source: Thinkstock Images)

Eating too much is typically considered as one of the prime reasons for obesity but when people eat what they consider to be healthy food, they eat more than the recommended serving size because they associate “healthy” with less filling, say researchers, including one of Indian-origin.

The findings suggest that the recent increase of healthy food labels may be ironically contributing to the obesity epidemic rather than reducing it. Raj Raghunathan from University of Texas at Austin, and colleagues utilised a multi-method approach to investigate the “healthy equal to less filling” intuition.

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The first study was conducted with 50 undergraduate students at a large public university and employed the well-established Implicit Association Test to provide evidence for an inverse relationship between the concepts of healthy and filling. The second study was a field study conducted with 40 graduate students and measured participants’ hunger levels after consuming a cookie that is either portrayed as healthy or unhealthy to test the effect of health portrayals on experienced hunger levels.

The third study was conducted with 72 undergraduate students in a realistic scenario to measure the impact of health portrayals on the amount of food ordered before watching a short film and the actual amount of food consumed during the film. The set of three studies converges on the idea that consumers hold an implicit belief that healthy foods are less filling than unhealthy foods.

The researchers demonstrated that portraying a food as healthy as opposed to unhealthy using a front-of-package nutritional scale impacts consumer judgment and behaviour. Surprisingly, even consumers who said they disagree with the idea that healthy foods are less filling than unhealthy foods are subject to the same biases. The study was published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research.

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A glass of water contains 10 million bacteria! (But it’s all good)

A glass of clean drinking water actually contains 10 million bacteria. But that is how it should be — clean tap water always contains harmless bacteria, researchers said. (Source: Thinkstock Images)

A glass of clean drinking water contains 10 million ‘good’ bacteria, which may help purify the water and keep it safe, a new study has claimed.

Researchers have found that our drinking water is to a large extent purified by millions of “good bacteria” found in water pipes and purification plants. So far, the knowledge about them has been practically non-existent, researchers said. A glass of clean drinking water actually contains 10 million bacteria. But that is how it should be — clean tap water always contains harmless bacteria, researchers said.

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These bacteria and other microbes grow in the drinking water treatment plant and on the inside of our water pipes, which can be seen in the form of a thin, sticky coating — a so-called biofilm. All surfaces from the raw water intake to the tap are covered in this biofilm. These findings show that the diversity of species of bacteria in water pipes is huge, and that bacteria may play a larger role than previously thought.

Among other things, the researchers suspect that a large part of water purification takes place in the pipes and not only in water purification plants. “A previously completely unknown ecosystem has revealed itself to us. Formerly, you could hardly see any bacteria at
all and now, thanks to techniques such as massive DNA sequencing and flow cytometry, we suddenly see eighty thousand bacteria per millilitre in drinking water,” said Catherine Paul from Lund University in Sweden.

At least a couple of thousand different species live in the water pipes. According to the researchers there is a connection between the composition of bacteria and water quality. “We suspect there are ‘good’ bacteria that help purify the water and keep it safe – similar to what happens in our bodies. Our intestines are full of bacteria, and most of the time when we are healthy, they help us digest our food and
fight illness,” said Paul. Although the research was conducted in southern Sweden, bacteria and biofilms are found all over the world, in
plumbing, taps and water pipes.

This knowledge will be very useful for countries when updating and improving their water pipe systems, researchers said. “The hope is that we eventually may be able to control the composition and quality of water in the water supply to steer the growth of ‘good’ bacteria that can help purify the water even more efficiently than today,” said Paul. The research was published in the journal Microbes and Environments.

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Vitamin D levels may have nothing to do with sleepless nights

Though the study focused on obese participants, researchers found no evidence to support a link between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk of sleep apnoea in non-obese study participants either. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Contradicting common perception, researchers have found that low levels of vitamin D — also known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’ — does not cause or worsen sleep apnoea.

Sleep apnoea causes repeated awakenings and pauses in breathing during the night. Obesity appears to contribute to the adverse effects.

“The link between obesity and vitamin D deficiency can be explained in a number of ways — one of which is that obese individuals are less likely to be physically active — thereby limiting their sun exposure,” said senior investigator Ken Kunisaki, associate professor of medicine at University of Minnesota in the US.

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“Although our study was not designed to figure out why obese people have lower vitamin D levels, our results ultimately suggest that low vitamin D levels do not cause or worsen sleep apnoea,” Kunisaki said.

The study involved a cohort of 2,827 participants who were generally healthy and elderly males with an average age of 76.4 years.

“Taking additional vitamin D supplements is not likely to prevent or improve sleep apnoea,” Kunisaki said.

The researchers also found no evidence to support a link between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk of sleep apnoea in non-obese study participants.

The study appeared in the journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

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Keep yourself fit and healthy this winter with these superfoods

Stock up on these basic ingredients this winter. (Source: Punjabtribune.com)

From humble turmeric powder and Bugs Bunny’s favourite carrots to adding oodles of dark chocolate to your diet, you can keep yourself fit and healthy this winter season by stocking up some easy-to-find superfoods.

Sonia Narang, nutrition expert, Oriflame India, lists out some superfoods to fight winter blues:

* Maca root – Ashwagandha root is a herb of the ages. It is the ginseng of ayurvedic medicine, the traditional medicine of India and is considered an adaptogen — a term used to describe herbs that improve physical energy and athletic ability, increase immunity and help fight the infections and increase sexual capacity and fertility.

* Turmeric – It has a global reputation for boosting immunity. It acts as an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral agent and helps in boosting the overall functioning of our immune system. It can be taken in warm milk for its best benefits.

* Chia seeds – These powerful seeds are an amazing source of protein, omega 3 fatty acids and important minerals. It is best taken when soaked in water overnight.

* Carrots – This root vegetable contains high amounts of beta carotene which the body converts into Vitamin A. Vitamin A is a key nutrient in immune function, helping to protect against infection and reduce the risk and duration of respiratory illness by keeping our lungs healthy. It is an excellent food to protect the skin from ageing.

* Garlic – It has been used for thousands of years in the treatment of illness and disease. Its compound called allicin has potent medicinal properties which helps combat sickness, cold and cough.

* Fennel – This licorice-tasting winter vegetable offers more than just a unique tang. Fennel is low in calories yet high in phytonutrient anethole, which may help boost the immune response.

* Beetroot – It is packed with beneficial phytochemicals and antioxidants which protect the immune system by fighting off destructive free radicals, which harm healthy cells and their DNA.

* Dark chocolate – Cocoa-based dark chocolate is one of the best natural sources of antioxidants, iron, magnesium and zinc. Zinc, an important trace mineral, is important for immune function.

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You can’t be a ‘fat but fit’ man

Men of a normal weight — regardless of their fitness level — are at lower risk of death compared to obese individuals in the highest quarter of aerobic fitness. (Source: Thinkstock Images)

Dismissing the concept of ‘fat but fit’, a new study has found that the protective effects of high fitness against early death are reduced in obese men.

Men of a normal weight — regardless of their fitness level — are at lower risk of death compared to obese individuals in the highest quarter of aerobic fitness, the findings showed.

This study by researchers from Umea University in Sweden followed 1,317,713 men for a median average of 29 years to examine the association between aerobic fitness and death later in life, as well as how obesity affected these results.

“The risk of early death was higher in fit obese individuals than in unfit normal-weight individuals,” the study said.

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The aerobic fitness of the participants was tested by asking them to cycle till they had to stop due to fatigue.

Men with top level of aerobic fitness had a 48 per cent lower risk of death from any cause compared with those in the lowest levels. Stronger associations were observed for deaths related to suicide and abuse of alcohol and narcotics. Unexpectedly, the authors noted a strong association between low aerobic fitness and also deaths related to trauma.

“We could only speculate, but genetic factors could have influenced these associations given that aerobic fitness is under strong genetic control,” study co-author Peter Nordstrom said.

However, the researchers found that the beneficial effect of high aerobic fitness was actually reduced with increased obesity — and in those with extreme obesity there was no significant effect at all.

The study appeared in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

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Eat 14g of almonds daily to boost your health

The scientists based their conclusions about improved dietary intake on participants’ scores on the Healthy Eating Index. (Source: Thinkstock Images)

Eating a moderate amount of almonds daily can enrich the diets of adults and young children, says a new study.

“Almonds are a good source of plant protein — essential fatty acids, vitamin E and magnesium,” said one of the researchers Alyssa Burns from University of Florida in the US. For the 14-week study, the scientists gave almonds daily to 29 pairs of parents and children. Most of the adults were mothers with an average age of 35, while their children were between three and six years of age.

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The children were encouraged to consume 14g of almond butter daily and parents were given 14g of almonds per day. An online dietary recall was used to find out what adults had eaten and how much. That way, researchers could measure diet quality.

The scientists based their conclusions about improved dietary intake on participants’ scores on the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), a tool used to measure diet quality and adherence to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The results indicated that when parents and children were eating almonds, their HEI increased for total protein foods, seafood and plant proteins and fatty acids, while they ate fewer empty calories.

For all components, a higher score indicates higher diet quality. When parents and children ate almonds, their HEI score increased from 53.7 to 61.4. Parents and children consumed more vitamin E and magnesium when eating almonds, Burns noted. The study was published in the journal Nutrition Research.

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Have fish oil to burn those kilos around your belly

People have long said that food from Japan and the Mediterranean contribute to longevity, but why these cuisines are beneficial was up for debate. Now we have better insight into why that may be. (Source: Thinkstock Images)

Fish oil may burn fat faster than those fat-burning pills, leading to efficient weight loss in overweight or obese people in their 30s and 40s, Kyoto University researchers report.

Fish oil activates receptors in the digestive tract, fires the sympathetic nervous system and induces storage cells to metabolise fat.

Fat tissues do not all store fat. So called “white” cells store fat in order to maintain energy supply while “brown” cells metabolise fat to maintain a stable body temperature.

Brown cells are abundant in babies but decrease in number with maturity into adulthood.

A third type of fat cell — “beige” cells — have recently been found in humans and mice, and have shown to function much like brown cells.

Beige cells also reduce in number as people approach middle age — and without these metabolising cells, fat continues accumulating for decades without ever being used.

“We knew from previous research that fish oil has tremendous health benefits, including the prevention of fat accumulation. We tested whether fish oil and an increase in beige cells could be related,” said senior author Teruo Kawada.

The team fed a group of mice fatty food, and other groups fatty food with fish oil additives.

The mice that ate food with fish oil, they found, gained 5-10 % less weight and 15-25 % less fat compared to those that did not consume the oil.

The team also found that beige cells formed from white fat cells when the sympathetic nervous system was activated, meaning that certain fat storage cells acquired the ability to metabolise.

“People have long said that food from Japan and the Mediterranean contribute to longevity, but why these cuisines are beneficial was up for debate. Now we have better insight into why that may be,” explained Kawada in a paper which appeared in the journal Scientific Reports.

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