Category Archives: Diet And Food

One of the most popular diet/exercise combos in the fitness community might do more harm than good, according to a new study. Particularly popular among weightlifters, its called bulk and cut dieting, and its goal is to get you jacked. The two-part regime involves eating a whole lot of food during phase one to bulk up, and then drastically reducing calories during phase two to cut excess fat while maintaining muscle mass. In other words, bulking and cutting means getting big, then paring down so youre just muscle. But bulking and cutting can be dangerous for your health.

The bulk and cut diet is common among young adults nearly half of men and one in five women and transgender individuals aged 16 to 30 reported having engaged in it in the past year, according to a new study. That study, published in the journal Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, shows that bulking and cutting is also linked to disordered eating.

Any engagement in bulk and cut dieting in the past year was linked to a greater risk of eating disorder and muscle dysmorphia, or an obsessive concern with muscularity and leanness, says lead author Kyle Ganson, Ph.D., an expert in eating disorders among boys and men and an assistant professor of social work at the University of Toronto.

For the study, researchers collected data from 2,762 Canadian participants between the ages of 16 and 30. The researchers asked them in an online survey, among other questions, whether they had engaged in bulk and cut dieting, and if so, how often in the past year. The researchers defined bulking and cutting as a period of caloric overconsumption and caloric underconsumption.

Gansons team found that the cisgender men and women who engaged in bulking and cutting were more likely to have an eating disorder than those who didnt bulk and cut. The transgender participants who followed the diet were not more likely to have an eating disorder than the trans people who didnt, and its unclear why. Ganson says not that everyone who engages in bulking and cutting will have an eating disorder, but engaging in the diet is likely an indication of often unattainable body image goals.

Bulking and cutting is not necessarily unhealthy in and of itself. But it may be a warning sign that a person is at greater risk of disordered eating. And some trainers advise against bulking and cutting, which seems to be more about looking muscular than actually enhancing athletic performance.

One athletic coach told BBC, for example, that he never recommends the diet because, for his players, across the board this has been seen to have detrimental effects on athletic output. When a large amount of body weight is cut through drastic intervention, the effects on performance are very clear. Aerobic endurance, maximal oxygen uptake, and muscular strength generally fall after rapid body weight reduction, but can be increased with gradual weight loss.

And there may be other negative effects on physical health. The idea of bulking, or eating a ton of calories to get big, means youre more likely to store fat because theres no guarantee that youll lose all the fat you gained once you enter the cutting phase. Thats an issue because deposits of unhealthy fat can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Not to mention that the cutting portion of the diet means that, in some cases, you may not be getting enough calories, which can actually slow down your metabolism by putting your body into survival mode. Low-calorie dieting involved in cutting also increases production of the stress hormone cortisol and decreases testosterone production. And theres no guarantee that people who engage in bulking and cutting are eating healthy, nutritious foods while doing so.

Ganson contends that social media plays a huge role in facilitating these sometimes problematic diet and exercise behaviors. A number of influencers and trainers on social media drive their followers to try bulking and cutting, often without ever consulting trained professionals. Algorithms feed this need. If a young person is interested in gaining muscle mass, their feed is going to show them this narrative, he says.

Parents have to be wary of engaging in these types of diets because their children are likely to mimic them, says Ganson. Parents who are constantly commenting on body image, whether its their own or that of others, can have an outsized impact on whether their children engage in these behaviors. If dad is constantly weight training and engaged in rigorous dietary restrictions, a teenage boy may pick this up, he says.

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Bulking And Cutting Is Massively Popular And Seriously Problematic - Fatherly

Migraine headaches can be painful and difficult to manage.

The specific symptoms and timing are different for each person affected.

Experts are still working to understand why migraine headaches happen and what preventative steps people can take.

A recent study published in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain reports that dietary intake of the B vitamin thiamine may help prevent migraine in some people.

Experts say the information gained from this research indicates a protective factor that may help improve outcomes for people who experience migraine.

Migraine is a neurologic condition that causes severe headaches that are typically localized to one area of the head.

The pain can be intense and people sometimes can experience other symptoms such as nausea or vomiting. Migraine headaches can be related to specific triggers, such as stress or hormonal changes.

Diet is one area that can affect migraine headaches. However, the specifics are something that experts are still working to understand. Specific food triggers or preventative measures can be different for each person.

Dr. Clifford Segil, DO, a neurologist at Providence Saint Johns Health Center in California, noted a few examples of this to Medical News Today:

Dietary triggers are common for migraine. Wines, cheeses, and caffeine can trigger a migraine headache. I ask patients on their first visit with me to keep a headache journal to see if there are any medications that trigger headaches. Caffeine can both cause and help headaches, so it is hard to generalize if something like this causes or helps headaches.

People who experience migraine may work with their doctors and other specialists to identify headache triggers.

As more data emerges about the relationship between diet and migraine headaches, clinical recommendations for treatment may continue to change.

Researchers in the new particular study examined the association between two B vitamins, thiamine (vitamin B1) and riboflavin (vitamin B2), and the experience of severe headaches or migraine.

Researchers looked at data from participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999-2004 in their cross-sectional study.

Researchers included more than 13,000 participants in their analysis. Of these participants, 2,745 had experienced either a severe headache or migraine within the past three months. The researchers studied the 24-hour dietary intake of thiamine and riboflavin by looking at data collected from computer-assisted interviews of the participants.

They accounted for several factors, including participants ages, lifestyles, demographics, and comorbidities.

Researchers reported that higher amounts of thiamine in the diet were associated with lower chances of migraine. This was particularly true among female participants. However, the researchers did not find a significant decrease in risk related to riboflavin.

Dr. James Giordano, a professor of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., who was not involved in the study, noted the following to MNT:

This study provides important data to support that nutritional factors can be influential upon the induction of migraine headache. Of particular note is that this study demonstrated a statistically significant role of thiamine (vitamin B-1) in mitigating migraine. Thiamine has been shown to be particularly important in regulating brain levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin; abnormalities in serotonin function have been directly implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine.

The study did have some limitations.

First, the data relies on self-reporting from participants, which can be inaccurate. For example, when evaluating the incidence of migraine, there is some assumption that participants who reported a severe headache likely experienced a migraine. The 24-hour recall method also has the potential for errors in data collection.

In addition, the interviews did not include questions about all intestinal diseases and researchers did not look into dietary patterns.

Researchers also did not look at the intake of dietary supplements, which could have impacted the intake of thiamine and riboflavin.

Finally, there is the risk of errors based on the analysis techniques used and this type of study cannot prove that lack of thiamine causes migraine.

Overall, the study notes the impact thiamine may have on migraine headaches. It could open the door to further research in this area and later guide specific clinical recommendations.

Giordano noted the following:

Taken together, it may be that thiamine could provide a useful dietary supplement for migraine-suffering individuals who may be mild to moderately magnesium deficient or who have metabolic disturbances of calcium and magnesium metabolism.

He also noted the following areas for continued research:

While research is most certainly interesting and important, additional studies should be conducted to determine more specific roles for thiamine, as well as other vitamin co-factors that may be clinically useful in preventing or lessening migraine.

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Vitamin B1 may decrease the chances of migraine headaches - Medical News Today

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New research suggests that the closest extinct relatives of humans, the Neanderthals, may have been carnivores. The diets ofHomo neanderthalensishave been a topic of debate for a long time.

Neanderthals showed high levels of carnivory, lending more weight to the theory suggesting thatour extinct relatives may have been primarily meat eaters, according to a new study.

Researchers in the new study examined a molar belonging to a Neanderthal individual found in Iberia using a less explored technique. The individual was found at the Gabasa site in Spain.

Read more:A Neanderthal tooth discovered in Serbia reveals human migration history

Analysis showed that the individual did not consume the blood of their prey, the study published in journalProceedings of the National Academy of Scienceshighlighted. However, the individual ate the bone marrow of their prey.

Some previous studies examining the dental tartar of remains from the Iberian Peninsula show that Neanderthals were majorly herbivores.

Other studies conducted outside the Iberian Peninsula, according to the researchers, indicate that our extinct relatives feasted on a meat-heavy diet.

Another study recorded evidence of cannibalism at two Iberian sites. But this may be due to nutritional stress.

"I wanted to see how different their diets were from those of modern humans and how to explain it," Klevia Jaouen, the lead author from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), toldDown To Earth.

This is important because the disappearance of this species is frequently attributed to their subsistence strategy orhow they sourced food and other raw materials from their environment.

Previous techniques analysed nitrogen isotopes in the bone collagen. However, this method is suitable in temperate environments, the experts stated. They are less likely to work on samples over 50,000 years old as collagen degrades over time depending on the environmental conditions, the paper said.

But the Gabasa site in Spain could not meet the required conditions. So Jaouen and her colleagues decided to use zinc isotopes in the molar sample. Their analysis showed that this individual switched to an adult diet from the mothers milk before age two.

The Neandertal individual from Gabasa, according to the study, showed a zinc isotope signature of a top-level carnivore.

The researchers ruled out cannibalism due to the absence of cut marks on hominin (a group consisting of modern humans, extinct human species and all our immediate ancestors) and carnivore bones.

A low zinc value suggests that the species ate muscle and liver from deer and rabbits, leaving out their blood and bones.

Read more:Neanderthals died out 40,000 years ago, but there has never been more of their DNA on Earth

Other carnivores like red foxes, wolves and lynxes have been known to gnaw or partially digest bones. They also consume blood, said the study. These trends suggest that the Gabasa individual might have been on a diet distinct from other carnivores, the researchers wrote in the study.

Jaouen could not document any plant consumption based on the zinc-isotope analysis. But if they ate fruits from time to time, we could not detect it because fruits do not contain a lot of zinc, the expert explained.

Plant consumption was probably not a substantial part of their diets, she added. The researchers are also unsure whether Neanderthals showed regional differences in food consumption.

We would like to confirm these conclusions by analysing more specimens. We are working on it, she said.

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Were Neanderthals carnivores? A tooth offers new insight into their diets - Down To Earth Magazine

Leroy Creasy 60, M.S. 61, whose research on the health benefits of grapes and red wine has spurred decades of public interest and scientific inquiry, died June 15 in Aurora, New York. He was 84.

Creasy, a professor emeritus of pomology in what is now the Horticulture Section of the School of Integrative Plant Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, was best-known for his work on resveratrol, a natural compound found most abundantly in red and purple grapes. In the early 1990s, Creasy identified resveratrol in red wine and posited that this heart-healthy, cancer-fighting compound might explain the French paradox why Mediterranean populations that had relatively high smoking rates, high-fat diets and higher wine consumption also suffer fewer heart attacks and lived longer than populations with ostensibly healthier habits.

Resveratrol is a type of secondary metabolite a compound created by a plant to ward off insects or fight disease. More than 70 species of plants produce resveratrol, including peanuts, cocoa beans and blueberries, but it occurs in highest amounts in the skin of red and purple grapes. Grapes produce resveratrol in response to disease pressure, especially from mildew a common plague of grape growers in New York and Creasy found that New York-grown grapes were higher in this beneficial compound than grapes grown in sunnier climates. Later research showed that resveratrol production can also be triggered by UV radiation.

Creasys discoveries drew tremendous public attention, including features on 60 Minutes and in the New York Times, said Marvin Pritts, professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science, Horticulture Section. They also drew controversy, as some public health officials and other researchers warned against the negative effects of increased alcohol consumption. Proving or disproving a connection between red wine and heart health will always be difficult, because such studies rely on correlational observations, Pritts said.

Resveratrol was getting loads of press; Les phone was ringing a lot, Pritts said. Resveratrol is definitely beneficial for health, but the jury is still out on whether wine is good for you.

Even so, Creasys findings boosted the fortunes of wineries across the country, especially in New York, as people sought out red wines, said Glen Creasy 88, Leroy Creasys son and a viticulturist and co-owner of Terre des 2 Sources, a vineyard and winery in the south of France.

His work created some controversy, but it also certainly generated a lot of other research into the healthful and not-so-healthful components of wine, said Glen Creasy, who worked for 19 years as a lecturer in viticulture in New Zealand before moving to France. He made a really significant impact, from both a scientific and a public perspective.

Leroy Creasy was a member and past president of the Phytochemical Society, the American Society for Horticultural Science and the Scientific Advisory Board of the California Table Grape Commission.

After his retirement from Cornell in 1998, Creasy and his wife, Min 60, bought a 160-acre farm in Aurora, where they grew table grapes (grapes meant to be eaten fresh, rather than processed into jam, juice or wine) and published together. Creasy continued experimenting in his vineyard and established procedures to increase resveratrol levels in his grapes, Glen Creasy said. Father and son also co-wrote two editions of the book, Grapes, a crop production handbook published by the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International.

Leroy Creasy was born Feb. 21, 1938, and grew up in the outskirts of New York City. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, then spent one year as a National Science Foundation fellow at the University of Cambridge, England. He joined the Cornell faculty in 1965. Creasy is survived by Min, his wife of 62 years; sons James 86 and Glen; and four grandchildren.

Krisy Gashler is a writer for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

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Leroy Creasy, touter of red wine's health benefits, dies at 84 | Cornell Chronicle - Cornell Chronicle

Northern Michigan University researchers were involved in a recent collaborative study of the gut microbiome of Alaskan brown bears, which showsthat the microbial life in bears' guts allows them to achieve comparable size and fat stores while eating widely different diets.

Fecal samples were collected from 51 adult brown bears in three National Parks and Preserves: Katmai; Lake Clark; and Gates of the Arctic. Previous researchdemonstrated that theirdiets vary by location.

Bearsat Lake Clark generally eat a lot of berries, salmon and mammals, such as moose. Bears at Gates of the Arctic tend to eat seasonal vegetation and mammals, but have less access to fish. And bears on the coast of Katmai have the most diverse nutritional landscape, including a variety of vegetation, fish, and a wide range of marine species.

The fact that these populations have distinct diets is valuable, because it allows us to understand the role that the gut microbiome plays in helping bears extract nutrition from very different food sources, says Sarah Trujillo, corresponding author of the study and a former graduate student at NMU. We found that bears benefit from having diverse dietary niches, and the gut microbiome does play a role in extracting nutrition from those diets. Ultimately, that means that the bears in these parks were able to achieve very similar body conditions, despite eating very different things.

And because the parks are protected, well-conserved environments, this study can serve as a baseline for future research, says Diana Lafferty, co-author of the study and an assistant professor of biology at NMU. For example, researchers will be able to compare the gut microbiomes of bears in more disturbed systems such as areas where bears have more access to garbage and human foods to the data from this study.

Erin McKenney,co-author of the study and an assistant professor of applied ecology at North Carolina State University, said the workfunded by NMUsheds light on the role of the gut microbiome in supporting health in wild omnivores.

"We think of bears as having simple digestive tracts, so it's easy to slip into thinking that they therefore have simple gut microbiomes, McKenney added. "But this study shows there can be tremendous diversity in the gut microbiomes between individual bears, and that this variation can be very important to the physical condition of these animals.

For example, the amount of fat that bears are able to store is absolutely critical to the health of wild populations, says Grant Hilderbrand, co-author of the study and associate regional director for resources for the National Park Service in Alaska. If female bears are able to reach levels where 19-20% of their body mass in the autumn is fat, they'll reproduce. And knowing that they can take different dietary paths to reach those fat levels is a valuable insight.

"Knowing what bears are eating, and that diverse diets can all be used to reach similar body conditions, can help us detectemerging challenges for these animals. It can also help us understand how many bears these ecosystems are capable of supporting, even as those ecosystems change.

The study, Correlating gut microbial membership to brown bear health metrics, is published in the open-access journalScientific Reports. The paper was co-authored by Kyle Joly and Buck Mangipane of the National Park Service; Lindsey Mangipane, David Gustine and Joy Erlenbach of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and Matthew Rogers of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

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NMU-Funded Bear Study Results Published | Northern Today - Northern Today

Folake Oyewoles doctoral thesis project was inspired, in part, by the potential health benefits of arefreshing drink: Zobo, a hibiscus-based beverage that is popular in Oyewoles home country of Nigeria.

People consume Zobo as a cold beverage in Nigeriabecause its refreshing and claimed to provide many health benefits, says Oyewole, a chemical engineering PhD candidate in the University of Torontos Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.

I wanted to ascertain whether these drinks actually add micronutrients to the body, and if they didnt, whether we could make it so that they did in a way that could be absorbed and used by the body.

Supported by theSchlumberger FoundationsFaculty for the Future Fellowship,Oyewole says she has alwaysbeen interested in value-added processing of food and beverages, particularly ones with ingredients sourced from Nigeria. Her passion led her to join the lab ofLevente Diosady, a professor emeritus in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, who specializes in food engineering.

Diosadys lab group is developing a new way to fortify beverages like Zobo with iron a mineral that manyacross Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly women, are lacking in sufficient quantities. The new iron-fortified beverage will make use of hibiscus sourced from Nigeria.

Iron deficiency is the leading cause of anemia world-wide.Forwomen of reproductive age, iron-deficiency anemia can lead to poor health outcomes and pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, postpartum infection and low infant birth weight. In Nigeria alone, theWorld Health Organization estimatesthat 55 per cent of women of reproductive age have anemia.

Thats why fortifying foods with iron has been a key focus ofDiosadys Food Engineering Laboratory for years. Past projects have included adouble-fortified salt,which in trials of60 million consumersin India was found to significantly improve the iron status of women.

Folakes work continues our goal of improving the iron status of women and infants by providing a natural fortification of a locally produced beverage, says Diosady. If properly marketed, this fortified beverage could improve the iron status of women of reproductive age, without medical infrastructure or any change in dietary habits.

Hibiscus calyces are used to make Folake Oyewoles cold beverage, which is then fortified by adding ferrous sulphate heptahydrate, an iron salt that tops up the iron already present in the drink(photo bySafa Jinje)

Creating an iron-fortified beverage isnt as simple as adding some mineral salts into the recipe. Oyewoles new product needs to account for the unique challenges associated with the dietary habits of the population she is working with.

The human body absorbs iron from well-rounded diets that include meats, eggs and leafy greens, as well as foods fortified with iron. But in Sub-Saharan Africa, many households are limited to eating mostly plant-based diets with very little varietydue to the prohibitive cost of iron-rich meat.

On top of this, many plants have an abundance of polyphenols. This family of naturally occurring molecules which includes flavonoids, phenolic acids and resveratrol has many disease-fighting properties,including inhibiting cancerous tumor generation and growth. But polyphenols also bind to iron in a way that prevents the latter from being absorbed by the body.

Oyewoles fortified hibiscus beverage needs to address both the inadequate dietary iron intake, as well as the reduced iron uptake that results from a diet rich in polyphenols.

The most at-risk groups who are dependent on plant-based diets often dont realize that they cant absorb iron efficiently, says Oyewole.

This is why when addressing micronutrient deficiencies at the population level through food fortification,its really important to choose the right food vehicle. We want to reach this population with something they are familiar with, something they already produce and consume widely so we can predict the consumption pattern of the population.

Its also important to choose a foodthat can be centrally processed so that the iron dosage can be controlled, adds Oyewole. And the fortification process shouldnt be so expensive that it significantly raisesthe cost of the food.

Oyewole began her research by analyzing the iron content of the hibiscus calyces the part of the plant that protects the bud and supports blooming petals used to make Zobo. While Oyewole found it to be relatively rich in iron, 70 per centis lost during the extraction process since most of the iron is bound to the residue that is not transferred into the beverage. She also found that the calyces contain 25 times more polyphenols than they do iron.

Oyewole then fortified the beverage by adding ferrous sulphate heptahydrate, an iron salt, to top up the iron already present. Her goal was to provide a total of six milligrams of iron per 250 milligrams 30 per cent of the target recommended daily allowance for women of childbearing age.

To prevent the iron-polyphenol interaction, she introduced disodium EDTAinto the beverage. Previous results in the lab suggest that this substance can release iron from the iron-polyphenol complex and make it available to be absorbed by the body.

Oyewole is also working on ensuring that her iron fortification method will preserve the organoleptic properties of the original beverage that is, the flavour, texture and colour.

Iron has a very distinct, metallic taste, so another layer of my work is to make sure that the sensory properties of the fortified beverage the taste, mouthfeel, aftertaste and colour matches the original, she says. Otherwise, we risk formulating a fortified beverage that will be rejected by the consumer.

Once this is achieved, the next step will be to form partnerships with stakeholders, including government agencies in Sub-Saharan Africa, to make the fortified beverage accessible for the target population.

Working in the Food Engineering Laboratory has been a great privilege, Oyewole says. From an outside perspective, it may seem like we just add micronutrients to food and thats it. But there are a lot of complexities with the materials we are dealing with, including preventing unwanted interactions between the food vehicle and the added micronutrients.

Our research outcome has the potential for significant impact globally. Invariably it challenges poverty, increases productivity and promotes health it is all intertwined.

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To address iron deficiency in Africa, researcher develops fortified version of popular hibiscus drink - University of Toronto

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On the heels of the White House Conference on Hunger Nutrition, and Health, iHeartIMPACT and Anthem Blue Cross are continuing their multi-year national partnership to combat food insecurity and improve health in marginalized communities by partnering with non-profit Common Threads to provide hands-on culinary programming focused on food as medicine in under-resourced schools in Los Angeles.

To support their ongoing commitment to the Los Angeles community, iHeartMedia, Anthem Blue Cross, and Common Threads will launch culturally responsive hands-on food as medicine programs in three LAUSD schools including Manual Arts High School, Baldwin Hills Elementary, and Coliseum Street Elementary to ensure students and families not only have access to nutritious food but also build the skills to prepare healthy meals that can help combat obesity and food-related chronic conditions or diseases. To mark the occasion, the partners hosted a produce distribution event with Chicas Verdes and Food Forward providing 250 families with bags of groceries of fresh produce. Joined by Los Angeles Sparks, students were able to participate in a live cooking demonstration from Common Thread instructors and Anthem Blue Cross volunteers on how to create a healthy meal from the food provided.

Last year, iHeartMedia and Anthem Blue Cross helped fully renovate and expand the student-run garden program at Manual Arts High School, providing students with an opportunity to learn how to grow fresh produce. Now, we are doubling down on our ongoing commitment to combat food insecurity in our communities across Los Angeles by adding nutrition education, focused on food as medicine, to our program, said Kevin LeGrett, President of iHeartMedia Sports. Its not enough to just distribute nutritious food, we want to make sure students and their families are equipped with the skills to make healthy meals and empowered to make informed food decisions that ultimately can improve their physical and mental health outcomes.

One of every five deaths across the globe is attributable to a suboptimal diet. Chronic diseases and conditions such as obesity, heart disease, hypertension, high blood pressure, and diabetes are key drivers of total U.S. healthcare costs. However, people with diets rich in vegetables and fruit have a significantly lower risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Research also suggests that deficiencies in certain nutrients may contribute to or exacerbate conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Addressing the growing prevalence of diet-related diseases in the United States depends on preventative efforts at the individual, community, and public health levels.

"We are thrilled to continue working with our community partners to address health-related social needs and promote health equity through access to nutritious foods here in Los Angeles, said Dr. David Pryor, Regional Vice President and Medical Director at Anthem Blue Cross. We know that lowering barriers and making it easier for individuals to access everyday items, like nutritious food, are some of the best ways to help people live healthier. We are doing that here today by helping build hands-on nutrition knowledge for students and families, which will help open paths towards health equity for future generations."

Students with a healthy balanced diet are more likely to have stronger immune systems, lower risk of diabetes and heart disease, and live longer. A healthy diet is crucial for optimal learning because it can boost brain function and improve mood. The new partnership with Common Threads includes year-round hands-on nutrition education curriculum for students and their families that rolls out in late October. Elements of the curriculum include focusing on affordable and healthy ingredients, embedding culturally relevant content and teaching practices, increasing vegetable and fruit intake, emphasizing whole grains and lean protein, and reducing sugar intake and ultimately increasing knowledge and skill for cooking at home to utilize healthy foods that have been demonstrated to improve physical and mental health outcomes.

Food is an essential part of our lives and the nutrition we need to thrive comes from good food choices. Providing hands-on training as part of the class curriculum is one of the most powerful and effective ways to make an impact early in life which can translate to improved physical and mental health outcomes, said Common Threads Executive Director Linda Novick OKeefe. Often one minor adjustment to a traditional recipe can take a meal high in fat with empty calories to a deliciously nutritious meal that will fuel and nourish your body. Our mission is to teach children and their families easy and affordable ways to shop for and prepare their favorite meals, encouraging behavioral changes that last a lifetime.

About iHeartIMPACT & Anthem Blue Cross Partnership

iHeartIMPACT is a division of iHeartMedia that focuses on aligning brands with nonprofit organizations. Anthem Blue Cross and its affiliated companies are working with iHeartIMPACT to support a series of nutrition education programs in a total of six schools across Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta and Indianapolis. This partnership with national health and wellness organization, Common Threads, is an extension of the companies' multi-year commitment to addressing food insecurity and whole-health for communities across the country.

About Common Threads

Common Threads is a national nonprofit that provides children and families with cooking and nutrition education, striving to equip communities with the necessary information to make affordable, nutritious, and appealing food choices wherever they live, work, learn, and play. By December 31, 2029 they committed to distributing 1,447,000 nutritious meals and snacks, and 1,228,500 hours of nutrition education. They aim to tackle the critical issues of limited access to healthy foods and nutrition-related health disparities in communities by reaching over 260,000 participants in low-income households across the United States, to offer culturally relevant nutrition education and hands-on cooking skills at community centers including schools, community organizations, and healthcare providers.

For more information about Common Threads visit commonthreads.org.

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To combat food insecurity and build nutrition equity iHeartMedia and Anthem Blue Cross partner with Common Threads to launch Food as Medicine classes...

A new study led by the Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) has found that bumblebees do not seem able to keep memories for how sweet a particular flower was, but instead only remember if it was sweeter than other flowers.

The researchers first trained bumblebees on two flowers, making them learn that one flower was sweeter than the other. Later on, they also learned that a third flower was sweeter than a fourth one. Then, the insects were given the choice between two of the flowers they had not seen together before, such as the first and the third, or the second and the third.

During the experiments, the bumblebees preferences indicated that they could only retain very basic ranking memories for the flowers for an extended period of time. While they could remember that a flower had been better or worse during the training phase, they did not seem capable of remembering for more than a few minutes how sweet or rewarding the flowers were on their own, or even how much sweeter they were compared to other flowers.

While humans and other animals, such as starlings, are able to keep memories for both absolute information (e.g. how sweet something is) and comparisons (if something is sweeter than something else), bumblebees seem unable to memorize absolute information.

Our results reveal an intriguing divergent mechanism for how bumblebees retain and use information about options, compared to humans and birds, said study co-lead author Yonghe Zhou, a doctoral student in Biological and Behavioral Sciences at QMUL.

It may be that the different strategies used by bumblebees and humans may have evolved because of their different diets, added study senior author Fei Peng, a psychologist at Southern Medical University in China. Maybe because bumblebees evolved to mostly only eat flower nectar, they never needed to remember the details and could survive and thrive simply using simple comparisons.

Despite what may seem to be a poor memory strategy, bumblebees do very well in finding the most profitable flowers. Its fascinating to consider how different animals, in their own ecological niche, can be similarly successful using such different strategies, Yonghe concluded.

The study is published in the journal eLife.

Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer

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How does the memory of bumblebees work? - Earth.com

The Dukan Diet is split into four phases that vary in terms of duration, how much weight you can expect to lose and which foods you should eat and avoid.

The first phase of the diet is the shortest and most restrictive. Depending on your goals, this phase lasts between two to seven days and could result in two to eight pounds of weight loss, according to the diet program.

However, rapid weight loss isnt necessarily a good thing, according to Brittany Lubeck, a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant for Oh So Spotless in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to being harmful and potentially unsafe, Lubeck also notes that it can increase the risk of weight regain in the future.

Only around 68 pure protein foods are permitted during this phase, which includes items like lean meat, poultry and fish. Additionally, its recommended to consume 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran and aim for 20 minutes of physical activity per day, which can help contribute to weight loss, according to the plan.

The Cruise phase lasts until you reach your True Weight, which is a healthy weight that youre able to maintain based on your age, sex, height and weight loss history, according to the programs website. Dieters can expect to lose around two pounds per week during this phase, according to the site.

In addition to the 68 high-protein foods that are permitted during the first phase, followers can also enjoy 32 vegetables, including asparagus, kale and broccoli, shirataki noodles and limited quantities of olive oil, goji berries and wheat gluten. It also encourages you to eat 2 tablespoons of oat bran and exercise for 30 minutes daily.

The Consolidation phase aims to prevent weight regain by gradually reincorporating forbidden foods, such as fruits and starchy vegetables, back into your diet and allowing you to enjoy up to two celebration meals per week, which may consist of an appetizer, entre and dessert with one glass of wine.

Dieters follow this phase for five days for each pound of weight they lost during the Cruise phase. You should also consume two tablespoons of oat bran, exercise 25 minutes per day and eat only lean proteins one day per week.

The Stabilization phase is intended to be followed indefinitely once youve reached your weight goal, and allows you to add any forbidden foods back into your diet. During this phase, there are no restrictions on which foods you can eat.

The only rules for this phase are to continue eating only high-protein foods one day per week, walk for 20 minutes daily and consume 3 tablespoons of oat bran per day, which can help maintain weight loss, according to the plan. Indeed, an emphasis on whole foods and moderate exercise has been shown to be beneficial for weight loss over time.

Experts note what separates this diet from other, similar eating plans is the incorporation of off- limit food items back into the diet. However, they caveat that the diet does not take into account busy lifestyles or social events that may not make it suitable for many.

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What Is The Dukan DietAnd Is It Effective? - Forbes

In this installment of our Expert Voices series, Parkinsons News Today asked Christine C. Ferguson, PhD, to answer some of your questions about diet and nutrition for people with Parkinsons disease.

Ferguson is a registered dietitian (RD) and postdoctoral scholar at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and nutrition research coordinator at the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability. She earned her PhD in human nutrition from the University of Alabama. She has experience working in the clinical setting as an RD, instructing emerging RDs and health professionals in the academic setting, and educating the community of people with disabilities, including those with Parkinsons disease, through organizations such as NCHPAD, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Tanner Foundation, and the Parkinson Association of Alabama.

Christine C. Ferguson holds a PhD in human nutrition and is a registered dietitian whos assisted many Parkinsons nonprofits in nutrition education. (Photo courtesy of Christine Ferguson)

There are several diets that are being investigated in Parkinson disease, and it is challenging to recommend a particular diet when this area of research is still new. Since there is not one diet recommended for people with Parkinsons, taking an individualized approach under the guidance of a registered dietitian is advised.

What we do know is that a varied, whole food, plant-based diet is considered a healthy dietary pattern for most individuals, including those with Parkinsons. Plant-based does not mean it is exclusively vegetarian or vegan, but there is a special emphasis on getting most of your nutrients from plant sources rather than animal products.

There is compelling evidence to support recommending diets such as the Mediterranean diet and the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet, but there is not conclusive research at this time to support these diets in slowing disease progression. Yet, these are both plant-based diets that have evidence to support their prevention of cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline, which is often a priority of people with Parkinson disease.

I usually express concern with any diets or meal plans that recommend cutting out entire food groups, purchasing expensive supplements and packets, and offering quick results. Unfortunately, there is no magic pill or detox treatment that will produce miraculous results in a short timeframe.

A more specific diet I am hesitant to promote is the ketogenic diet, which is a very high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet. From a biochemical perspective, there is evidence to support that aketogenic diet may offer neuroprotective benefits, but there is no data to support any long-term benefit in people with Parkinsons. From a practical perspective, following a true ketogenic diet is challenging to adhere to and even more so to sustain. There are key nutrients from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that will be missed when cutting back carbohydrates to the degree that it requires. For anyone who is considering this diet, I always recommend they be monitored by a healthcare professional.

A specific food-medication interaction surprised me, and it is the interaction of protein and medications with levodopa (e.g., Sinemet, Rytary, Duopa, Parcopa). Essentially, when someone takes their levodopa medicine simultaneously with food that contains protein, there is the possibility that they are not able to absorb all of their medication. This is due to them needing the same transporter in the small intestine (like needing to use the same door), but the body will choose to absorb protein over the levodopa. The consequence of this can be that the levodopa is not fully absorbed, part of it is excreted, and the person with Parkinsons can experience more side effects since their medication is not working effectively.

What continues to surprise me about this interaction is that it is still not fully understood. Not every person with Parkinsons experiences an increase in symptoms (referred to as off times) after taking their medication when eating food with protein, but we do not know why some people experience it and others do not. There is also evidence to suggest this interaction is not just happening in the small intestine. Rather, it may occur at various other locations within the body, including the blood-brain barrier. There is still a lot more to learn about exactly how protein and this type of medication interacts, including the most effective dietary approaches to mitigate this interaction.

I have already mentioned how protein may be important to some people with Parkinsons who take levodopa. I want to also add that protein is still important for people with Parkinsons because as we all age, we gradually lose muscle mass. Consuming enough protein is needed in order to maintain muscle, physical function, and the ability to perform daily activities.

With vitamins and minerals, there are specific ones that have been studied in relation to Parkinsons. I will add the disclaimer here that it is preferred to get these nutrients from food rather than supplements. If supplements are needed, they should be recommended under the advice of a health professional, especially considering how some may negatively interact with a persons medications. The supplement industry has loopholes in its regulations on quality, so discussing reputable brands with pharmacists, physicians, and/or RDs is also recommended.

Of the other nutrients that have been studied in Parkinsons, the few I will highlight here are vitamin D, Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), and fish oil. People with Parkinsons have an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency, and this may be related to the area of the brain that is affected by the disease process. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to increased risks of osteoporosis and bone fractures, so it is important to make sure you are getting enough. Food sources of vitamin D include dairy (traditional dairy alternatives, like soy, almond, oat milks, that are fortified with vitamin D are OK, too!), fortified cereals and juices, eggs, and fish (salmon, tuna, sardines have the highest amount).

CoQ10 is of interest in Parkinsons, as it acts as an antioxidant that can be neuroprotective. Its also been shown that people with Parkinsons may be deficient in CoQ10, but this is something that is checked through routine medical care. While some studies support CoQ10 supplementation in decreasing disease severity, there are inconsistent results in others. It has been shown that a moderate dose (no more than 2,400 mg/day) is not harmful to people with Parkinsons. Food sources of CoQ10 include fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines) and whole grains.

I have already recommended fish intake because of it being a natural source of vitamin D and CoQ10, and I will continue to emphasis fish consumption because of it containing omega-3 fatty acids. This is a type of healthy, unsaturated fat that has been shown to be beneficial for heart and brain health. Again, consuming fish in its food form is going to be recommended over taking fish oil as a supplement. However, if a person dislikes fish, fish oil supplements of 1,000 mg is generally well-tolerated. To note, other nonfish sources of omega-3 fatty acids include ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and vegetable oils (olive, canola, avocado).

Building a healthy plate includes whole grains, lean proteins, fruit and vegetables, and low-fat dairy. While this may not be groundbreaking information to some, I do think we tend to overcomplicate it. You dont have to have an incredibly complex and strict diet to be healthy. Find recipes that make sense for your ability, the equipment you have access to, and what tastes good! Remember that making small changes is also key, because drastically changing your diet overnight will not be sustainable for long. Look at your average diet right now, and pick one to three things that seem simple to change. It can be something like switching from sweet tea to half sweet/unsweet tea, baking your french fries rather than frying, or eating one doughnut when you normally eat two. Building a nutrition plan can feel overwhelming, and if that is the case, I recommend finding an RD to help. You can find one near you using this link through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, or you can ask your physician for a referral.

I will also share that people with Parkinsons and other physical disabilities are eligible to participate in an eight-week, virtual wellness program through the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability called the Mindfulness, Exercise and Nutrition to Optimize Resilience (MENTOR) Program. We are able to offer this program for free, and it doesnt cost anything except your time, because it is funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I help with the nutrition component of the program, and we have excellent RDs who teach weekly classes that include cooking demonstrations with adaptive tools, and they offer free nutrition counseling during the program. The nutrition content is intended to help build a foundational understanding in nutrition, and there is not a specific diet that is pushed. In addition to the nutrition component, participants can attend an exercise class for all abilities, mindfulness classes, and group health coaching sessions. You also get some great workout equipment, too! More information can be found here.

First, I wish more people in general saw an RD. At least in the United States, RDs are not commonly a part of most peoples healthcare team, including people with Parkinson disease. There is an incredible amount of misinformation shared on the internet and social media, and it is difficult to sort through it all and determine what is credible. One of the many ways RDs can help is by clarifying this misinformation and providing practical suggestions to making healthy lifestyle changes.

Expert Voices is a monthly series involving a Q&A with an expert in the Parkinsons space about a specific topic. These topics and questions are curated from a survey in which we ask readers what they want to learn more about from experts. If youd like to submit topics or questions for consideration in a future installment of the series, clickhere to take the survey.

Parkinsons News Todayis strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

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Expert Voices: Diet and Nutrition for People With Parkinson's... - Parkinson's News Today