Eating fat doesn't make you fat?
"Diets high in fat do not appear to be the primary cause of the high prevalence of excess body fat in our society, and reductions in fat will not be a solution." So says Dr. Wilbur Willett a Harvard professor who has extensively researched the area of nutrition and obesity. Dr. Willett links the reduction in dietary fat intake in the last 20 years as the primary cause of the obesity epidemic overtaking the US .
Hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes and Magnesium
Why do so many type 2 diabetics and pre-diabetics have elevated blood pressure? Dr. Barbagallo, from the Institute of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics in Palermo , Italy investigated how low intracellular magnesium levels affects both insulin sensitivity and cardiac function. He found that magnesium supplementation improved insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetics.
Exercise vs Drugs in treating Depression
At Duke University , psychiatrists compared the effects of medication versus exercise in treating individuals with major depression. Both groups responded similarly to 4 months of treatment. But 6 months afterward those who had been treated with exercise had significantly lower relapse rates. Not surprisingly, those who had elected to continue exercise after completion of formal treatment did the best of all.
High glycemic load foods linked to cancer
Livia S. Augustin of the National Cancer Institute in Aviano , Italy , has been studying the link between cancer and high glycemic index (GL) foods and high glycemic load (GL) diets. In a series of studies published since 2001 she has found high GI and GL diets increase the risk of endometrial, ovarian, breast, colorectal and upper intestinal cancers from 1.5 to 2 times compared to low GI and GL diets.
Is television harmful to our kids?
Based on a 6 year study of boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 16, Dr. Carlos J. Crespo, at the State University of New York in Albany , reported that obesity occurs more frequently in children with increased television watching. The finding was most pronounced in girls.
Does fish oil improve diabetes?
In a 1998 Dutch meta-analysis of 26 other studies and in several subsequent studies, fish oil did not improve hemoglobin A1c but is did improve high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels markedly and lowered triglycerides up to 30%. Slight elevations in low density lipoprotein (LDL) were also seen. Thus fish oil supplementation while not improving diabetes does appear to benefit the cardiovascular system.
Alcohol increases appetite. Fact or fiction?
In a Scottish study, subjects were given a pre-meal drink either with or without alcohol. There was no difference seen in appetite ratings but, those who consumed the premeal alcoholic beverage ate 30% more than did those who drank the non alcoholic beverage.
