Heena Sharma Blog

Eating a big breakfast rather than a large dinner may prevent obesity and high blood sugar, according to study which may lead to better clinical dietary recommendations to reduce body weight and prevent metabolic diseases . The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, assessed 16 men who consumed a low-calorie breakfast and high-calorie dinner -- and vice versa in a second round -- over the course of three days. "Our results show that a meal eaten for breakfast, regardless of the amount of calories it contains, creates twice as high diet-induced thermogenesis as the same meal consumed for dinner," said the study's corresponding author, Juliane Richter from the University of Lubeck in Germany. "This finding is significant for all people as it underlines the value of eating enough at breakfast," Richter said. Read More

A family that eats together, stays together, and now, according to a recent study, consistently eating breakfast as a family can also promote positive body image for children and adolescents. The study suggests that parents hoping to raise teenagers with positive body image might just find helpful tools in the kitchen every morning. "We know that developing healthy behaviours in adolescence such as eating breakfast every day and eating family meals can have long-term effects into adulthood. Children and adolescents are under a lot of pressure from social media and pop culture when it comes to physical appearance. Having a healthy relationship with food from eating breakfast and spending meal time with family might have a significant impact on well-being," said Virginia Ramseyer, one of the lead researchers. Researchers analyzed data from more than 12,000 students in more than 300 schools in all 50 states and Washington D.C. They looked at data related to eating

Green tea may reduce the risk of obesity and a number of inflammatory biomarkers linked with poor health, a study conducted in mice suggests. Mice fed a diet of two per cent green tea extract fared far better than those that ate a diet without it, according to the study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. The finding has prompted an upcoming study of green tea's potential benefits in people at high risk of diabetes and heart disease. The benefits seen in the study appear to stem from improved gut health, including more beneficial microbes in the intestines of the mice and less permeability in the intestinal wall -- a condition typically called "leaky gut" in people. "This study provides evidence that green tea encourages the growth of good gut bacteria, and that leads to a series of benefits that significantly lower the risk of obesity," said Richard Bruno, the study's lead author and a professor at The Ohio State University

While many might agree that ice-cream binge can sooth your soul during a rough phase in your life, a recent study suggests that weight loss, nutrient boosting and fat reduction diets can reduce the symptoms of depression. In a new study published in Psychosomatic Medicine, a team of researchers brought together all existing data from clinical trials of diets for mental health conditions. The research provides convincing evidence that dietary improvement significantly reduces symptoms of depression, even in people without diagnosed depressive disorders . "The overall evidence for the effects of diet on mood and mental well-being had up to now yet to be assessed. But our recent meta-analysis has done just that; showing that adopting a healthier diet can boost peoples' mood. However, it has no clear effects on anxiety," said Joseph Firth, lead researcher of the study. The study found that all types of dietary improvement appeared to have equal effects

Avoiding greasy, fatty and oily foods is the key to a successful dieting plan . But have you ever wondered why we tend to crave the very foods that we try to avoid when dieting? Or wished you could suppress the feeling before it forced you into eating junk food? A recent study identified new brain circuits that may act as a brake on binge eating and junk food craving. Findings of the study were published in the Journal of Behavioral Brain Research. "Craving for foods high in fat - this includes many junk foods - is an important part of obesity and binge eating," said Jonathan Hommel, lead author of the study. "When trying to lose weight people often strive to avoid fatty foods, which ironically increases motivation and craving for these foods and can lead to overeating. Even worse, the longer someone abstains from fatty foods, the greater the cravings become," Hommel explained. Read More Business Standard

A new study has claimed that body size -- height and weight -- of women influence their lifespan far more that it does that of men. The study was published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. The findings indicate that while physical activity is linked to longevity in both sexes, the more time men spend being physically active add to their chances of reaching old age, while 60 minutes a day was associated with the best chance for women for longevity. The study also finds that while average life expectancy has risen over the past few decades, it has recently started to plateau in some developed nations, with increasing levels of obesity and physical inactivity thought to be behind the trend. While previous research has looked at the associations between weight (BMI), physical activity, and reaching old age, most combined both sexes or focused only on men. However, women and men's lifespan differ, which may be influenced by factors like hormo

Men who sleep less than six hours a night may be at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who sleep between seven and eight hours, a new study suggests. The study showed that poor quality sleep of less than six hours increases the risk of atherosclerosis by 27 per cent compared to seven to eight hours of sleep. Atherosclerosis refers to the build-up of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls throughout the body. On the other hand, women who slept more than eight hours a night had an increased risk of atherosclerosis . "Cardiovascular disease is a major global problem and we are preventing and treating it using several approaches, including pharmaceuticals, physical activity and diet," said Jose M. Ordovas, researcher at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) in Madrid. "But the study emphasizes we have to include sleep as one of the weapons we use to fight heart

Children are at a higher risk of being overweight if they have consumed milk cereal drinks every day during infancy, a new study has found. The study was published in the journal 'Acta Paediatrica'. " Milk cereal drinks are not bad as such; how it's used is the problem. That is when it's seen not as a meal but as an extra, to supplement other food," said Bernt Alm, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The researchers behind the study have previously linked consumption of milk cereal drinks at age six months to high body mass index (BMI) at ages one year and one and a half years. The study now presented is of the same group of children, several years later. The follow-up study comprised 1,870 children in Halland County, Sweden whose particulars were taken from the Halland Health and Growth Study. Height and weight data were recorded by the child health services, while the information o

Inculcating severe food restrictions can lead to binge-eating disorder and obesity, a new study has found. It is important to examine potential links between binge-eating disorder and food insecurity, as binge-eating is associated with more severe mental and physical health problems than overeating or obesity alone. To investigate, researchers surveyed 1,250 adults in the United States and categorised them into three groups: healthy weight, binge-eating disorder, and obesity. The team assessed financial influences on participants' food consumption behaviours over a span of 12 months. As part of the study, which was published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, a greater proportion of individuals within the binge-eating disorder and obesity groups reported that they cut the size of their meal or skipped meals, and ate less than they thought they should, relative to participants in the healthy weight group. Read More Business Standard

Being anxious or depressed can increase risks for heart disease and stroke, the same as smoking and obesity, according to a new study, that underscores the importance of treating mental health conditions. The findings showed that people with high levels of anxiety and depression are at 65 per cent higher risk for a heart condition, 64 per cent for stroke, 50 per cent for high blood pressure and 87 per cent for arthritis. "These increased odds are similar to those of participants who are smokers or are obese," said lead author Andrea Niles, from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). However, the study published in the journal Health Psychology, showed that cancer was found as an exception to conditions impacted by depression and anxiety. "Our findings are in line with a lot of other studies showing that psychological distress is not a strong predictor of many types of cancer," said co-author Aoife O'Donovan from the UCSF. Read

According to a new research, inhibiting a protein within blood vessels can stimulate their growth, resulting in healthier fat tissue and lower blood sugar levels . A research conducted at the York University gave insights on improving blood vessel growth and showed how to mitigate serious health problems that arise with obesity, such as diabetes. The findings of the study are published in the journal ELife. The researchers investigated a process of the vascular system called angiogenesis and whether inhibiting FoxO1 protein would stimulate adipose angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the formation of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. It helps to maintain normal healthy functions in tissue, particularly when that tissue enlarges. However, when the tissue expands as it stores excess fat, angiogenesis is repressed and new capillaries fail to grow. This results in unhealthy adipose tissue, which increases the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases Read

Yo-yo dieting , or weight cycling, or the cyclical loss and gain of weight is associated with a higher death risk, researchers have warned. A study found that this form of dieting leads to adverse health outcomes and 80 per cent of people who lose weight gradually regain either the same weight or even more than they had before going on a diet. The Endocrine Society's Scientific statement on the causes of obesity found that this was because once an individual loses weight, the body typically reduces the amount of energy expended at rest, during exercises and daily activities. While it increases hunger, thereby creating conditions for weight gain. "This study shows that weight cycling can heighten a person's risk of death," said Hak C. Jang, Professor from the Seoul National University (SNU) in South Korea. Read More Business Standard

Weight might be the cause for one-fourth of asthma cases in kids with obesity, a recent study suggests. The research, which studied health data from more than 500,000 children in the United States, suggested that about 10 percent of all kids aged between 2 to 17 with asthma , might have avoided the illness by maintaining a healthy weight. The findings are published in the Journal of Pediatrics. " Asthma is the number one chronic disease in children and some of the causes such as genetics and viral infections during childhood are things we can't prevent. Obesity may be the only risk factor for childhood asthma that could be preventable. This is another piece of evidence that keeping kids active and at a healthy weight is important," said Jason E. Lang, lead author of the study. For the retrospective study, researchers analyzed data for 507,496 children from more than 19 million doctor's visits at six major children's health centers. Those cl

Researchers have found that obesity and food restrictions are associated with less food enjoyment. Led by the University of Granada (UGR), the study has been published in the journal, Food Quality and Preference. For this work, 552 adolescents between 11 and 17 years old from several high schools in Granada, have had their emotional reactions analysed during the visualisation of images of sweet foods. Thus, the researchers observed that those adolescents who reported different types of dietary restrictions (different types of diet, dieting very often, skipping breakfast, eating less frequently, etc.), along with those who were obese and those who had unhealthy behaviours unrelated to food (such as smoking or having insufficient sleep), felt less pleasure, attraction and desire to eat the highly palatable foods they were looking at (images of sweets, doughnuts, ice-creams, chocolate crepes, etc.). How To Lose Weight As explained by Laura Miccoli, main author of

For men planning to start a family, hitting the gym can help their children with a healthy metabolism . While the diet and exercise habits of a pregnant woman can have an impact on the health of her baby, a new study on mice suggests that lifestyle practices of fathers prior to conception too can affect children's health in adulthood. The findings explored that paternal exercise had a significant impact on the metabolic health of offspring well into their adulthood. Offsprings from mice who exercised showed improved glucose metabolism, decreased body weight and a decreased fat mass in adulthood. On the other hand, the sedentary male mice that fed on a high-fat diet passed along the traits of poor metabolic health and higher glucose intolerance. However, exercise was found to mitigate the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, the researchers said. "This work is an important step in learning about metabolic disease and prevention at the cellular

According to a new study, heart patients can prolong their life if they interrupt their sedentary lifestyle and move around every 20 minutes. The study was presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (CCC) 2018. Visiting experts from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) also participated in joint scientific sessions with the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) as part of the ESC Global Activities programme. Heart patients spend most of their waking hours sitting, lying down, and watching television. Previous research has shown that being sedentary for long periods could shorten life but taking breaks to move around may counteract the risk, particularly if it means burning more than 770 kcal a day. This study investigated how many breaks should be taken, and for what duration, if one needs to expend 770 kcal. "Our study shows that heart patients should interrupt sedentary time every 20 minutes with a 7-minute bout of light physical activity. Simple

A new study has found that prior to the onset of type 2 diabetes (T2D), women with versus without prediabetes experience significantly have larger adverse differences in their cardio metabolic health than men. However, the mechanisms responsible for these sex differences remain a mystery. The research, conducted by the Maastricht University Medical Centre, aimed to evaluate sex-related differences in cardiovascular risk factor levels, both before and after the onset of T2D. T2D is known to reduce or even reverse the protective effect of being female on the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The metabolic changes that eventually lead to T2D can precede the development of hyperglycemia (caused by poorly controlled blood glucose levels) by years or even decades. Despite this, there has been a little investigation into whether women suffer a relatively worse cardiometabolic risk profile before developing the disease. Read Complete Article Business Standard