In a study of this inflammatory bowel disease, scientists from McGill University and the University of Montreal found that Vitamin D deficiency may contribute to Crohn’s disease.

Adding to the evidence is the fact that residents in sun-deprived northern countries are more likely to develop Crohn’s. The human body needs sunlight to produce Vitamin D.

Initially, the researchers were interested in how Vitamin D can boost the immune system to lessen the risk of cancer. But then they realized that Crohn’s disease is also caused by an inflammatory response to a defect in the immune system… specifically how the immune system handles intestinal bacteria.

Vitamin D directly affects 2 genes that are associated with Crohn’s disease. The genes are called beta defensin 2 and NOD2. If NOD2 is defective or insufficient, it can’t defend against microbial attacks in the intestine.

The researchers suggest that disease-free brothers and sisters of Crohn’s patients should check to see whether they have enough Vitamin D in their bodies. If not, they can buy Vitamin D supplements to guard against the development of the disease.

Of course, no one should alter their diet or take Vitamin D supplements without first seeing their doctor for professional medical advice.

But if the results of this study hold up, Vitamin D may become an exciting new defense against Crohn’s and other inflammatory bowel diseases.

Technorati Tags: vitamin D, Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease

How many will you get right? (Answers appear below the quiz.)

1. Does having a pear-shaped body protect against disease?

A. Yes.

B. No.

2. Which type of cancer has the mango been found to prevent or stop in laboratory tests?

A. Breast.

B. Colon.

C. Lung.

D. Prostate.

E. All of the above.

3. If your doctor approves, how many pistachios should be added to your daily diet to potentially reduce the risk of lung cancer without increasing your body mass index significantly?

A. 1 ounce.

B. 2 ounces.

C. 3 ounces.

D. 3-1/2 ounces.

4. Depressed women are less successful with weight loss programs than women who aren’t depressed…

A. True.

B. False.

5. The more TV you watch, the greater your risk of…

A. Getting a divorce.

B. Having a baby.

C. Developing dementia.

D. Dying from heart disease.

Here are the answers…

1. A.

Yes, under certain circumstances.

Oxford University researchers found that having a pear-shaped body (with more fat stored on the hips, thighs, and buttocks) may actively protect you against heart disease and diabetes.

If you have more fat in the stomach or waist areas, you’ll have more fatty acids released into your body… which can then be deposited in muscles like the heart or organs like the liver… which ultimately leads to more heart disease and diabetes.

But significant weight gain can reduce or even eliminate the protective effect of having a pear-shaped body.

2. E.

Texas AgriLife Research food scientists tested mango polyphenol extracts in the lab. They found that the fruit most effectively targeted certain common breast and colon cancers. But it also affected leukemia, lung and prostate cancer cells, although to a lesser degree.

3. B.

According to a researcher from M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 2 ounces per day of pistachios may be added to your diet to reduce lung cancer risk without significantly increasing your body mass index. But you should always check with your doctor before making any changes to your diet.

A form of vitamin E in pistachios may provide this protection.

4. B.

False.

Although researchers at the Group Health Research Institute expected depressed women to eat more, exercise less, lose less weight and attend fewer sessions in weight loss programs than women without depression, it didn’t happen.

5. D.

I have no idea whether A, B or C are true.

But Australian researchers found that each hour per day of sedentary behavior (like watching TV) was linked to an almost 20% greater risk of dying from heart disease, an almost 10% greater risk of dying from cancer, and an over 10% greater risk of dying from all causes.

So stop sitting, get up and move. It could save your life.

Technorati Tags: body fat, weight loss, fitness, nutrition, heart disease, cancer, pistachios, depression

Yes, willpower does matter.

But if a weight loss plan is difficult to follow, you’ll probably drop it sooner than if you’re using an easier diet plan.

A lot of this comes down to whether you perceive your diet to be hard to follow. So what seems easy to you may seem hard to someone else and vice versa.

The researchers believe that environment is a factor, too. Which is their way of saying you should keep your physical environment free of food temptations.

They suggest that you check the rules of different diet plans and see which ones are easy to remember and follow… for you.

I agree, to a point.

I mean if your diet consists of only one food… well, sure, that’s the easiest diet there is. But you’ll probably develop nutritional deficiencies or other health problems if you stick with it too long.

So I think it really comes down to choosing a weight loss plan that’s easy to live with for your personality and lifestyle.

Some people like to track everything they eat; others want prepared food delivered to them so they don’t have to think about anything.

Of course, the people who have food delivered may have more problems keeping their weight off once they have to prepare their own food again.

One thing I’ve noticed, though. The diet that’s most likely to work is the diet you choose when you’ve finally committed to lose the weight. When nothing is going to stop you from succeeding. Because you’ve just had enough of being overweight… for whatever reason.

Which is a little different than having willpower. It’s having motivation.

So yes, I agree that it’s better to choose an easy way to lose weight… but make sure you’re motivated to follow through with your diet. In my opinion, that’s the key to success.

Technorati Tags: easy way to lose weight, weight loss, diet plan, lose weight

According to researchers at the University of Reading, drinking champagne may be good for your heart if you stick with 2 glasses a day. That’s because it improves how your blood vessels act.

Champagne increases the availability of nitric oxide, which regulates your blood pressure.

How does it do this?

Well, there are certain chemicals called polyphenols that come from the grapes that are used to produce champagne.

If you drink champagne, these chemicals enter your bloodstream and slow the removal of nitric oxide. So the nitric oxide has a longer time to reduce blood clots and blood pressure and increase blood flow.

This may help to lessen your risk of heart attack and stroke. Its effect is similar to that of red wine.

So bottoms up on New Year’s Eve… with a glass or two of champagne… and you may just make your New Year a healthier one.

Technorati Tags: New Year’s Eve, champagne, heart health, blood pressure

But have you ever considered whether obesity can affect how well your blood pressure and cholesterol medicines work?

Canadian researchers decided to study that issue in obese people who were already at high risk for stroke and heart disease.

The researchers knew that high-risk obese individuals often didn’t reach their cholesterol and blood pressure targets even with medication.

So does body mass index (BMI) have something to do with it?

Over 7300 Canadian patients with a history of cardiovascular problems participated in this study from 2001 to 2004.

Forty-four percent of the patients were obese, 38% were overweight, and the remaining 18% were normal weight.

After controlling for other factors such as gender and age, the researchers discovered that obese patients were less likely to reach their blood pressure and cholesterol (HDL only) targets than overweight or normal weight participants.

LDL cholesterol targets didn’t seem to pose a problem.

While they can’t prove a cause-effect relationship, the study results suggest highly that it’s less likely that you’ll reduce your blood pressure or cholesterol to recommended levels until you lose the extra weight.

So obese individuals with cardiovascular disease may want to see their doctors about starting a weight loss program, especially if these patients are taking blood pressure or cholesterol medication.

Technorati Tags: obesity, lose weight, weight loss, blood pressure, cholesterol, cardiovascular disease

How many will you get right? (Answers appear below the quiz.)

1. Can the stress of seeing your family for the holidays really kill you?

A. Yes. I’ve got to get away from these people, they’re killing me.

B. No. Sometimes, they drive me nuts, but they won’t kill me.

2. Can being overweight age your face more rapidly than if you are normal weight?

A. Yes. Sometimes, it can.

B. No. Being overweight stretches the skin and smoothes out wrinkles.

3. Should your New Year’s health resolutions (like those for weight loss and exercise) be focused on the long term or short term for better health benefits?

A. Long term. You win the race like the tortoise, not the hare.

B. Short term. Quick action is what produces better results.

4. Is it hormones or your sense of smell that causes you to eat a high-calorie dessert when you’re already full from lunch?

A. Hormones. Yeah, sure, we’ll blame that.

B. Your sense of smell. One whiff of a high-calorie dessert and you’re a goner.

5. Is food addiction real or imagined as a cause for continuing obesity?

A. Real. Some people suffer food addiction just like others suffer from drinking or drug addictions.

B. Imagined. Obese people have only themselves to blame for eating too much.

Here are the answers…

1. A.

Yes. Researchers at the University of Connecticut Health Center have found more evidence that stressful situations make autoimmune diseases worse and can cause latent infections to reemerge. So if seeing your family during the holidays is stressful for you… good luck.

2. A.

Yes, under certain circumstances.

According to the Archives of Dermatology, there’s an association between sun damage and the aging of your face with 4 other characteristics… being overweight, smoking, a history of skin cancer, and not using sunscreen.

3. A.

The long term. Some Kansas State University researchers discovered that people who choose bigger rewards that come later (as opposed to quick rewards in the present) are more likely to lose weight, exercise, and smoke and drink less.

4. A.

Actually, it is hormones… well, one hormone called ghrelin.

This hormone not only causes us to eat when hungry, but it may also be responsible for causing us to eat pleasurable and “rewarding” foods like desserts when we’re already full. So says UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers.

5. A.

This is a controversial topic because many people like to blame obese people for their chronic overeating.

But according to obesity researchers at McMaster University, food addiction is a reality for some obese individuals. It can mimic other addictions by causing food-addicted individuals to need more food to reach a level of satisfaction and by causing withdrawal symptoms such as mood changes during dieting.

Even so, the researchers are quick to point out that obese individuals still have the free will to make the choice to lose weight.

Technorati Tags: obesity, ghrelin, food addiction, overweight, weight loss, exercise

What is it?

It’s an electronic lock-out system for your TV. Seriously.

Many of the latest weight loss methods revolve around making small behaviorial changes. That way, it’s easier to lose and keep off excess weight.

Researchers at the University of Vermont studied 36 adults with BMIs between 25 and 50 who watched 3 or more hours of television each day.

After observing their TV habits for 3 weeks, 20 of the participants got electronic lock-out systems for their TVs. This limited them to half their normal viewing time per week.

The other 16 people were the control group.

After measuring everyone’s physical activity for 3 weeks, the researchers discovered that the 20 people with TV lock-out devices burned almost 120 calories MORE per day than during the original observation period.

Meanwhile, the control group burned almost 100 calories LESS each day than during the original observation period.

The researchers believe that reducing your calories by just 100 a day could stop the gradual weight gain that happens to most people over time.

So think about getting your TV locked if you want a new and easy way to lose weight.

Technorati Tags: easy way to lose weight, weight loss, calories

The culprit is an amino acid called methionine.

If you eat foods that contain methionine and your levels of the amino acid get too high, your body will fight back by changing methionine into another amino acid called homocysteine.

High blood levels of homocysteine are associated with a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The Temple researchers studied methionine in mice as a first step for figuring out what might happen in humans.

They found that the mice with higher levels of methionine in their food developed greater homocysteine levels and amyloid plaque in their brains.

The high-methionine mice also had more trouble learning new tasks.

Methionine is found in beans, eggs, fish, garlic, lentils, onions, red meat, seeds, and yogurt.

The Temple researchers admitted that humans need methionine and that eliminating it from your diet won’t stop Alzheimer’s disease from developing.

Technorati Tags: diet, methionine, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia

Specifically, your body mass index (BMI) will vary depending on how much sleep you get.

Researchers studied 1800 twins with an average age of 37. Sixty-eight percent were female, 32% male, and 88% of the total were Caucasian.

The twins who slept between 7 and 9 hours per night had a lower BMI than those who slept more than 9 hours or fewer than 7 hours.

Previous studies by other researchers have shown that lack of sleep or interrupted sleep may cause weight gain by interfering with your hormone production.

If you don’t sleep long enough, your levels of a hormone called leptin fall. This means you won’t feel as satisfied after you eat.

At the same time, your levels of a hormone called ghrelin rise. This will stimulate your appetite so that you want to eat more.

According to these studies, you should get enough sleep — not too much and not too little — to help to control your eating. So getting the right amount of sleep just may be an easy way to lose weight.

Technorati Tags: weight gain, overeating, sleep, ghrelin, leptin

Here’s what they found:

To reduce prostate cancer risk or to help in the treatment of an existing case of prostate cancer, your diet should be high in vegetables and fruit and low in fat and red meat. You should also avoid excessive calcium and dairy product intake.

The researchers believe that eating fats, dairy products, and highly processed or charcoaled meats may increase your risk for prostate cancer.

On the other hand, you may want to eat cauliflower, tomatoes, broccoli, green tea, and vitamins (especially selenium and vitamin E) to reduce your prostate cancer risk.

Of course, these study results aren’t conclusive. So you should always check with your doctor before changing your diet to reduce your risk of prostate cancer or to help manage an existing case of prostate cancer.

Technorati Tags: diet, prostate cancer

Consumers are warned to stop using the recalled Hydroxycut products immediately. You can return them to their place of purchase for a refund.

These supplements are used by both dieters and bodybuilders.

The recall involves 14 Hydroxycut products which are marketed under the Iovate and MuscleTech brand names for weight loss, water loss, fat burning, energy enhancement, and low carb diet aid.

The current list of recalled products includes:

1.  Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets

2.  Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets

3.  Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Caplets

4.  Hydroxycut Max Liquid Caplets

5.  Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets

6.  Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets

7.  Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix)

8.  Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets

9.  Hydroxycut Liquid Shots

10. Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink)

11. Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed

12. Hydroxycut 24

13. Hydroxycut Carb Control

14. Hydroxycut Natural

Hydroxycut Cleanse and Hoodia products are not a part of the recall at this time.

Some of the recalled Hydroxycut diet supplements have been linked to serious cases of liver damage. There has also been at least one death, a 19-year-old boy from the Southwestern U.S. He died in 2007 from liver failure, although the death wasn’t reported to the FDA until this March.

Iovate has issued a statement that the boy’s death wasn’t caused by Hydroxycut, but no other details are available at this time.

So far, the FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems, including jaundice, elevated liver enzymes (which may indicate liver injury), liver damage requiring liver transplant, liver failure, seizure, cardiovascular problems, and rhabdomyolysis (which is muscle damage that can lead to kidney failure and other serious health problems).

The FDA advises you to call your doctor if you’re experiencing any symptoms that may be associated with these recalled Hydroxycut products.

Some of these symptoms include:

1.  Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes)

2.  Brown urine

3.  Nausea

4.  Vomiting

5.  Light-colored stools

6.  Excessive fatigue

7.  Weakness

8.  Stomach or abdominal pain

9.  Itching

10. Loss of appetite

Right now, the FDA isn’t sure which Hydroxycut ingredients are causing the health problems, possibly because the formulation has changed several times over the years.

But the next step is clear. Stop using the recalled Hydroxycut products now. And if you’re feeling ill in any way or if you suspect that you’ve been hurt by these diet pills, call your doctor immediately.

Technorati Tags: diet pills, Hydroxycut, recall, dieters, bodybuilders

1. Lack of Vitamin D Is Linked to Asthma Severity

Researchers at Harvard Medical School discovered that children with lower vitamin D levels were much more likely to be hospitalized for asthma, have hyperreactive airways, use inhaled corticosteroids, and have allergies.

Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin. So an easy way to increase vitamin D levels is to get outside in the sun.

2. The Moderately Obese Can Benefit From Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery

Until recently, doctors only considered severely obese people, meaning those with a body mass index (BMI) more than 40, for weight loss surgery.

But new studies have shown that people with BMIs of 30 to 40 can benefit from bariatric surgery if they have high blood pressure or Type 2 diabetes.

Of course, only your doctor can determine whether surgery is right for you.

3. Walnuts May Prevent Breast Cancer

New research suggests that eating walnuts may prevent breast cancer, although the study was done only on mice, not humans. So more research needs to be done.

But it’s believed that the omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and phytosterols in walnuts are responsible for this effect.

These tests showed that eating walnuts reduced the incidents of breast tumors, the number of glands with tumors, and the size of the tumors.

4. Obese People Have A Higher Risk Of Urinary Tract Infections

This was seen most often in morbidly obese patients.

5. Junk Food Makes Kids Fatter… And Happier

A recent study found that kids who drank soft drinks and ate fast food were more likely to be fat… and happy. So the researchers suggest that we need to find other ways to keep kids happy when trying to change their eating habits.

6. Poor Sleep May Increase Eating And Diabetes Risk

More evidence is emerging that poor sleep patterns may increase the risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

That’s because poor sleep disturbs neuroendocrine appetite control. This can cause overeating, reduce insulin, and/or raise insulin resistance.

7. Belly Fat Negative Effects Can Be Counteracted By Moderate Exercise

According to a recent University of Illinois study, modest exercise (without dietary changes) can decrease the inflammation in belly fat that’s associated with metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions such as high blood pressure and high insulin levels that increases your risk of stroke, heart disease, and diabetes.

Technorati Tags: weight loss, diet, belly fat, bariatric surgery, vitamin D, asthma, overeating

There are 2 main hormones that control our energy balance by letting our bodies know when we’re hungry and when we’re full.

These 2 hormones are leptin and ghrelin.

Leptin is mostly secreted by fat cells. It lets your brain know how much fat is stored in your body.

A decline in your leptin level makes you hungry while an increase tells your body to burn calories. That’s how leptin affects your weight.

The other hormone, ghrelin, is secreted by your stomach. Its level increases before meals and makes you hungry.

Researchers at UCLA studied 38 men with similar body weights and ages to test the effect of chronic insomnia on these hormone levels and weight gain.

The men were all healthy, but 14 of them suffered from chronic insomnia.

By measuring these hormone levels at different times during the night, the researchers found that leptin levels were about the same between the 2 groups, but ghrelin levels were about 30 percent lower for the insomniacs.

At first glance, these findings didn’t make sense.

After all, lower ghrelin levels among insomniacs should stop their weight gain because it’s the increase in ghrelin that makes us hungry.

But the scientists cross-checked other studies and decided that a hormone switch may occur during the day for the insomnia patients.

Their theory is that poor sleep causes increased ghrelin AND decreased leptin during the day… which doubly increases your appetite when you don’t get enough sleep.

A new study is underway to examine this further.

In the meantime, the evidence suggests that sleep and eating are connected. So one of the best ways to regulate your weight may be to get a good night’s sleep.

Technorati Tags: fat, overweight, obesity, sleep, insomnia, hunger hormones, ghrelin, leptin

Here’s why…

According to a University of Utah study, women in stressful marriages suffer more often from “metabolic syndrome” than women in happy marriages.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of 5 risk factors for diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. These risk factors include high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and high blood glucose levels.

With the increased hostility, conflict and disagreement in their strained marriages, these women are also more apt to be depressed.

Some scientists believe it’s this depression that links bad marriages to metabolic syndrome.

The study included 276 couples from ages 40 to 70 who had been married about 20 years.

The couples filled out a number of questionnaires to rate both the positive and negative aspects of their marriages and to evaluate their symptoms of depression, if any.

Then the couples were given medical tests to gauge their levels of metabolic syndrome and existing heart disease.

But here’s a really interesting side note…

As compared to men in happy marriages, men in strained marriages also reported more depression. BUT it didn’t cause an increase in metabolic syndrome for them.

The researchers believe this happened because women are more sensitive to relationship problems than men and therefore, have a more severe physical response.

So if you’re a woman concerned about your heart health, this study suggests that you should be interested not only in risk factors such as cholesterol and high blood pressure, but also in the satisfaction and happiness of your family life.

Technorati Tags: abdominal obesity, metabolic syndrome, bad marriage, heart disease

1. Chew Gum Before Eating An Afternoon Snack…

This will help you to feel more full as well as reduce your hunger and food cravings.

But be careful not to chew too much sugar-free gum because large amounts of sorbitol, a common sweetener, can cause chronic diarrhea.

2. Add Oatmeal To Your Diet…

Oatmeal is supposed to lower your risk of weight gain as well as reduce your cholesterol.

3. Find Easy Calorie-Burning Alternatives To Sitting…

If you don’t have time to go to the gym, you can make small changes to your lifestyle to trim your waistline.

When you sit for long periods of time, your fat-burning enzymes can shut down. So to get your metabolism going again and burn twice the calories, you can stand (instead of sitting) while reading, watching TV, talking on the phone, or using your computer.

4. Eat Chile Peppers…

According to an earlier study, eating hot peppers will boost your metabolism for a little while and cause you to burn extra calories. The effect is temporary, though.

5. Move The Candy Dish Off Your Desk At Work…

Studies have shown that secretaries will eat a lot less candy if they have to walk to a candy dish that is 5 or 10 feet away from their desk.

Of course, this works for everyone… so move that candy dish to a galaxy far, far away.

6. Walk With A Pedometer…

Even if you don’t go on a diet, you could lose up to 5 pounds a year just by walking about 2,000 steps a day. If you walk for 30 minutes a day, you may also notice blood pressure and cholesterol benefits.

7. Substitute Mushrooms For Meat…

Scientists have found that we eat more calories when we eat meat.

So if you exchange your 4-ounce hamburger for a 4-ounce Portabella mushroom each time you would normally eat the burger, you may lose up to 5 pounds in one year.

8. Split Your Exercise Session With A Rest Period…

Japanese researchers found that people who took a rest period instead of exercising in one longer session burned more fat.

In their study, the greatest amount of fat breakdown occurred with two 30-minute exercise sessions that had a 20-minute rest period in between and a 60-minute recovery period following the second session.

9 & 10. Eat Slowly And Eat Appropriate Portion Sizes Instead Of Eating Until Full…

Researchers have concluded that these 2 small changes alone will reduce your risk of being overweight by about 3 times.

So even if you haven’t started a full-blown diet and exercise program, these are 10 simple and easy ways to lose weight.

[tags]easy ways to lose weight, weight loss, lose weight, easy way to lose weight[/tag]

1. Nighttime eating will make you fat.

Although some studies seem to support this, nighttime eating doesn’t necessarily cause obesity or weight gain.

It doesn’t matter when you eat; it’s how much you eat that counts.

If you eat more calories than you burn off, then you’ll gain weight. So if you’re eating those extra calories at night, then nighttime eating can cause you to gain weight.

But you can just as easily gain weight by eating too much during the day. And conversely, you can safely eat at night as long as you aren’t eating too many calories overall for that 24-hour period.

2. Eating sugar causes children to be hyperactive.

There have been 12 or more studies to confirm that kids, including those with attention deficit disorder, don’t change their behavior based on how much sugar they’ve consumed.

It doesn’t matter whether the sugar comes from chocolate, other candy, or natural sources.

But these studies have shown that many parents think their kids are more hyperactive after eating sugar. Even if the kids have NOT eaten sugar.

So there is some evidence that the link between a kid’s sugar consumption and hyperactivity may be in the parent’s head. (Hey, that’s what the researchers said, not me… don’t send me angry letters.)

3. Most of your body heat is lost through your head.

Any uncovered part of your body will lose heat when you’re out in the cold.

But the reason this myth has persisted for so long is that a military study from long ago dressed participants in arctic survival suits without any head coverings. Then their loss of body heat was measured in cold temperatures.

Well, duh, of course, the most heat was lost through their heads. That was the only uncovered part of their bodies.

Now the researchers believe that if the same study had put the participants in swimsuits, only about 10% of their body heat would have been lost through their heads.

4. Suicides rise over the holidays.

Even though the holidays can be times of loneliness and depression for some people, many studies from around the world have confirmed that there is no increase in suicides over the holidays.

In fact, more suicides occur during sunny, warm times of the year.

But the researchers caution that suicidal thoughts should always be taken seriously, no matter the time of year.

5. Hangovers can be cured.

There is no scientific evidence that hangovers can be cured by any “remedy.” The best way to cure a hangover is not to get one… which means you should drink alcohol in moderate amounts or not at all.

So those are the 5 dieting and other holiday myths that have been disproven this year.

Technorati Tags: diet, dieting, overweight, obesity, nighttime eating, sugar, hyperactivity, suicide, hangover, body heat

These diet pills are being advertised as natural fat busters or new formulations of ancient Asian remedies.

But the FDA has warned that the pills may have unsafe ingredients such as a possible cancer-causing substance called phenolphthalein as well as up to triple the recommended daily dose of sibutramine, which is a strong anti-obesity drug.

These ingredients may not be listed on the product packaging.

If you use these products, you may end up in the hospital.

According to the latest reports at this time, the FDA is warning consumers to stay away from these diet pills:

1. 2 Day Diet

2. 3 Day Diet Japan Lingzhi

3. 7 Day Herbal Slim

4. 7 Diet Day/Night Formula

5. 8 Factor Diet

6. 24 Hours Diet

7. 999 Fitness Essence

8. 3x Slimming Power

9. 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming

10. Extrim Plus

11. Fatloss Slimming

12. GMP

13. Imelda Perfect Slim

14. Lida DaiDaihua

15. Miaozi Slim Capsules

16. Perfect Slim

17. Perfect Slim 5x

18. Phyto Shape

19. ProSlim Plus

20. Royal Slimming Formula

21. Slim 3 in 1

22. Slim Express 360

23. Slimtech

24. Somotrin

25. Superslim

26. TripleSlim

27. Venom Hyperdrive 3.0

28. Zhen de Shou

Again, the FDA has issued a new warning to avoid the diet pills listed above because they are believed to be unsafe.

Technorati Tags: diet pills, obesity, FDA

According to a new study published in Nature Genetics by a team of authors from over 60 institutions, 6 new genetic variants are now linked to a higher body mass index (BMI), which is a measurement that’s often used to determine obesity.

Five of these genes act on your brain and are believed to affect behavior like appetite and satiety, instead of body chemistry like metabolism.

The research was done on over 90,000 people. Further studies in twins have shown that genetics may be responsible for up to 70% of the variations in BMI.

A part of the brain called the hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, and thirst. That’s where these genes are believed to be active and where they may be causing your predisposition to gain weight if you’re overweight.

But this isn’t even close to the entire answer to the obesity problem. Even the researchers admit that if you carry all these genetic variants, you’ll only be about 3 to 5 pounds heavier than the average person.

But the scientists think there are more genetic variants to uncover. So this may be only the tip of the iceberg that explains how obesity may be hardwired into your brain.

Technorati Tags: obesity, gene variant, overweight, overeating, body mass index, BMI, hypothalamus, hunger

According to a new study from Tufts University, dieters do worse on memory-based tasks when they take carbohydrates out of their diets.

But put the carbohydrates back in and your thinking skills should return to normal.

The researchers believe this happens because your brain can’t store glucose. But glucose from carbohydrates is its main fuel, so the brain uses the energy from carbohydrates immediately.

If you don’t eat carbohydrates, then your brain loses a key source of energy.

The researchers studied 19 women from 22 to 55 years old. Ten women chose a low-calorie, balanced diet. Nine chose a low-carb diet.

Each woman was given 5 tests. They measured attention, short- and long-term memory, visual attention, and spatial memory.

The 1st test occurred before the women began dieting. The 2nd and 3rd tests happened during week 1 of the diets (which was also the week when the low-carb dieters eliminated all carbohydrates).

The 4th test and the 5th test happened in week 2 and week 3 of the diets, respectively. By that time, the low-carb dieters were eating some carbohydrates in their diets again.

The researchers found that low-carb diets harmed thinking, learning, and memory when carbohydrates were eliminated or severely restricted.

When compared to the low-calorie dieters, the women on the low-carb diet showed a decline on memory-related tasks, slower reaction time, and worse visuospatial skills.

Visuospatial skills are those skills that involve moving spatial information around in your brain. For example, they’re used when you read a map, do a jigsaw puzzle, play chess, or drive in traffic.

Surprisingly, low-carb dieters showed better attention skills than the low-calorie dieters. Prior research has shown that high-protein or high-fat diets can improve your attention in the short term.

Levels of hunger were the same between the 2 groups of dieters. But low-calorie dieters did show more confusion than the low-carb dieters during the middle of the study.

So this research suggests that your choice of diet can affect not only your weight, but also your thinking, your ability to learn, and your memory… especially if you deprive your brain of glucose with a low-carb diet.

Technorati Tags: diet, dieting, low-carb diet, low-calorie diet, memory, thinking, learning, cognition, attention, carbohydrates

That means you’ll crave fewer sweet, fatty, and salty foods with dark chocolate according to some new research from the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Copenhagen.

So if you want to eat chocolate over the holidays, dark chocolate may be the way to go.

Here’s how the researchers came to their conclusion…

They took 16 healthy young men with normal weights and tested their responses to dark chocolate and milk chocolate in 2 separate sessions.

For the first session, the men fasted for 12 hours before being given 100g of dark chocolate. They did the same for the second session with milk chocolate.

Both types of chocolate had roughly the same number of calories.

Following each session, the men recorded their appetite levels every 30 minutes for five hours. They specifically noted their hunger level, satiety, how much they enjoyed the chocolate, and any cravings they had for certain foods.

After consuming the chocolate, the men were offered pizza 2-1/2 hours later. They ate until they were comfortably full. Then the number of calories they ate was recorded.

When they ate dark chocolate first, they ate 15% fewer pizza calories as compared to when they ate milk chocolate first.

The men also said the dark chocolate caused them to want less sweet, fatty or salty foods, too.

So if you want to keep your weight down, especially during the holiday season, eating some dark chocolate a couple of hours before meals may be the way to go.

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