Diet & Fitness

Despite claims by the dairy industry that dairy products may help people to lose weight, a new study based out of the U.S. indicates that neither dairy nor calcium intake has an effect on weight loss.

Two researchers - Amy Joy Lanou of the University of North Carolina at Asheville and Dr. Neal Barnard with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington evaluated 49 clinical trials from 1966 to 2007. All of these trials assessed the effects of milk, calcium intake, or dairy products on both body weight and body mass index, with or without dieting.

Of the 49 clinical trials, 41 showed no effect. One showed a lower rate of weight gain and five showed weight loss. The review of these studies, which was published in the journal "Nutrition Reviews" indicated that neither dairy or calcium supplements help in weight loss efforts.

In a statement, the authors said, "Our findings demonstrate that increasing dairy product intake does not consistently result in weight or fat loss and may actually have the opposite effect."

Life in New York City jails just got a lot healthier with an overhaul to inmates' meal options. Officials at the NYC Correction Department were quick to say that it was simply a healthy make-over, and not some new way to deter would-be criminals.

The new jail diet is noticeably lacking butter and sweets, and instead includes fiber rich cereals, fresh fruits, and skim milk instead of whole. Trans fat stopped being used in the prisons six whole months before the state began enforcing the ban.

NYC has been on a quest to become healthier. They were the first city to ban trans fat in 2006, forcing restaurants to eliminate it by July 2008. They've also made a big push towards making restaurants disclose the nutritional contents of their foods on menus, so that consumers can make informed decisions about what the eat.

Commissioner Martin Horn said, "Mayor Bloomberg doesn't say, 'New Yorkers should eat healthy except for inmates.'" Taking that into consideration, the move to make inmates' diets healthier shouldn't be too surprising.

With nearly one-third of the population of Mississippi now classified as "obese", the state is understandably concerned about encouraging its residents to start shedding some pounds. A group of legislators in Mississippi have introduced a new bill that takes aim at solving this issue - HB 282, which would make it illegal for restaurants to serve fat people.

According to HB 282, the health department could revoke the health dept. license of any restaurant, fast-food or otherwise, if it is caught serving food to anyone who meets the department's criteria of being "obese."

The specifically states:

"Any food establishment to which this section applies shall not be allowed to serve food to any person who is obese, based on criteria prescribed by the State Department of Health after consultation with the Mississippi Council on Obesity Prevention and Management established under Section 41-101-1 or its successor."

According to a new study reported this month in the journal "Circulation", people who eat two or more servings of red meat a day are far more likely to develop conditions leading to heart disease and diabetes. Researchers also found that eating large quantities of red meat increased one's risk of suffering from a cluster of factors known as metabolic syndrome by 25%.

Symptoms of metabolic syndrome include high cholesterol, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and excessive fat around the waist.

Interestingly, the study also found that the consumption of diet soda was also linked to the elevated risk of heart disease and diabetes. Researchers were surprised with the diet soda link, but believe that it may be associated with individuals compensating for eating higher calorie food. "People may say, 'I can eat this cookie because I am drinking this diet soda,'" said researchers.

The study, which was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Instituted, examined the diets of 9,514 people. Most of the participants were aged 45 to 64.

Participants were given a 66-item food frequency questionaire, which researchers then used to put the volunteers into two groups: those with a "western pattern diet" (heavy on processed meat, fried foods, red meat) and a "prudent pattern" diet (more fruits & veggies, small amounts of fish and poultry).

According to a new U.S. study, being fit helps you to live longer, even if you're fat. Findings of the study show that the fittest fat men and women aged 60 and over are more likely to liver longer than their averagely weighted or slim and less fit peers.

The study assessed the fitness of 2,600 adults aged 60 or older and measured their Body Mass Index, an indicator of obesity, and percentage body fat. Over the course of 12 years, 450 died, and what researchers found was that they had lower fitness levels than those who survived, regardless of BMI.

Dr. Steven Blair, who led the study, said: "We observed that fit obese individuals had a lower risk of all-cause mortality than did unfit, normal weight or lean individuals. It may be possible to reduce all-cause death rates among older adults by promoting regular physical activity - such as brisk walking for 30 minutes or more most days."

What this study shows is that all older people, including those who are obese, can benefit from increasing their activity levels. It could add years to your life.

Researchers at Granada University in Spain have come across a discovery that will undoubtedly please athletes and sports enthusiasts - a pint of beer post-workout or match is better at rehydrating the human body than water.

Professor Manuel Garzon, a member of Granada's medical faculty, made the finding after tests on 25 students over several months. Researchers believe that it is the sugars, salts, and bubbles in a beer that may help people absorb fluids more quickly.

The subjects in the study were asked to run on a treadmill at temperatures of 104F (40C) until they were close to exhaustion. Once they had reached the point of giving up, researchers measured their hydration levels, motor skills, and concentration ability.

Half of the subjects were given two half pints of Spanish lager to drink, and the other half were given just water.

Garzon said that the rehydration effection in those who were given beer was "slightly better" than those who were given only water. He also believes that the carbon dioxide in beer helps quench thirst more quickly, and that beer's carbohydrates replace calories lost during physical exertion.

A new study conducted by Carlo Leifert, an expert in organic foods at Newcastle University, has shown that organic food is significantly better for you than conventional produce, and may actually be better at preventing cancer and heart disease. Researchers have found that fruit and vegetables contain up to 40% more nutrients if they are grown organically, without chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

They also found that organic milk contains higher levels of vitamin E and up to 80% more antioxidants, a substance which reduces the risk of tumors and other life-threatening problems. Organic milk was found to have 60 to 80% more antioxidants in the summer months, and 50 to 60% more in the winter months.

Organic produce was also found to have higher levels of iron and zinc. Organic tomatoes, wheat, potatoes, onions, and cabbage were found to have 20 to 40% more antioxidants than conventional fruit and veggies. Organic spinach and cabbage were found to have more minerals, and organic cheese was found to have as much as twice as many nutrients as the conventional varieties.

A new study indicates that eating just one apple per day can help to curb your intake of calories. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University tested how the consumption of apples in different forms affects calorie intake, and found that people who ate an apple about 15 minutes prior to lunch consumed 190 fewer calories than when they didn't have an apple.

A new study conducted by researchers at Temple University shows that Americans are less willing to pay more for healthy food, are less knowledgeable about healthy items on the menu, and are more likely to consider healthy items bland-tasting that they were three years ago. The study also showed the negative effects that too much eating out can cause.

According to the survey, Americans report eating out approximately five times per week in 2006. The most popular eating establishment for breakfast and lunch was fast-food restaurants, and the most popular spots for dinner were fast-food and casual dining. The reason fast-food joints are most popular are indicated by the respondents top reasons for ordering value/combo meals at fast-food restaurants: ease, convenience, and cost.

However, all this eating out is clearly taking a toll on Americans' health, as evidenced in the study. Researchers found that the body mass index of those consuming three to six fast-food meals per week was significantly higher than the BMI of those who report never eating fast-food meals, or eating just one to two fast-food meals per week.

They also found that adding an additional one, two, or three fast-food meals to one's diet was associated with a 1.38-lb., 2.77-lb, and 4.17-lb increase in weight.

Another thing that the study looked at was people's eating habits and choices while dining out. From 2004 to 2006, respondents were polled about their eating habits. In 2006, the results showed that Americans were less willing to pay more for healthy food than they were just three years earlier, and that they were more likely to say that healthy food was bland-tasting.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have found that watching television while eating family meals may have a negative impact on children's diets. What they found was that children in families who watched TV while eating meals together had much lower quality diets than those who ate together, but had the TV turned off.

Interestingly, eating while watching TV also had some differing impacts on males than females. Boys watching TV while eating family meals ate fewer vegetables and grains, and more soft drinks than those who did not watch TV. Girls watching TV during family meals ate significantly fewer dark vegetables, and more fried foods.

“The television may be influencing the types of foods that adolescents choose to eat because of the advertisements they see. Alternatively, meal situations and foods served within homes where the television is on during meals may be different. Further research is needed to explore our findings,” said Dianne Neumark Sztainer, Ph.D., the principle investigator of the University of Minnesota's Project EAT study.