Category Archives: Diet And Food

GALVESTON, Texas, July 29 (UPI) -- The offspring of mothers on a low-protein diet are more likely to develop hypertension as adults, U.S. researchers say.

Drs. Haijun Gao, Uma Yallampalli and Chandra Yallampalli of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston said in rats, the high maternal testosterone levels associated with a low-protein diet are caused by reduced activity of an enzyme that inactivates testosterone.

This increased testosterone reaches the fetus and increases the offspring's susceptibility to adulthood hypertension.

The researchers hypothesized the increased testosterone levels were caused either by increased activity of an enzyme that produces testosterone or by decreased activity of an enzyme that reduces testosterone, specifically Hsd17b2, which converts testosterone to a less potent androgen, androstenedione.

The team found that Hsd17b2 expression in rats was affected by protein restriction in two parts of the placenta.

The researchers propose the reduction in Hsd17b2 expression might allow more testosterone to reach the fetus and play a role in fetal programming of hypertension.

The findings are scheduled to be presented at the Society for the Study of Reproduction's annual meeting at State College, Pa.

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Mom-to-be diet tied to child hypertension

Your Diet Affects Your Grandchildren's DNA, Scientists Say

By: Christopher Wanjek, LiveScience Bad Medicine Columnist

Published: 07/27/2012 10:00 AM EDT on LiveScience

You are what you eat, the saying goes. And, according to two new genetic studies, you are what your mother, father, grandparents and great-grandparents ate, too.

Diet, be it poor or healthy, can so alter the nature of one's DNA that those changes can be passed on to the progeny. While this much has been speculated for years, researchers in two independent studies have found ways in which this likely is happening.

The findings, which involve epigenetics, may help explain the increased genetic risk that children face compared to their parents for diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

The punch line is that your poor dietary habits may be dooming your progeny, despite how healthy they will try to eat. [10 Worst Hereditary Conditions]

Epigenetics

Epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression from outside forces. Different from a mutation, epigenetic changes lie not in the DNA itself but rather in its surroundings -- the enzymes and other chemicals that orchestrate how a DNA molecule unwinds its various sections to make proteins or even new cells.

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Your diet affects your grandchildren's DNA, studies say

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) July 26, 2012

hCGTreatments / Diet Doc now offers weight loss pills that complement their natural weight management programs. With weight gain and obesity on the rise, most people are taking various precautions to stay healthy while others are taking drastic measures to fix the problem. Bariatric surgery is one of the drastic measures that is on the rise. Invasive surgery should be the absolute last resort for overweight or obese patients, due to its traumatic effects on the body, after exhausting all other methods of weight loss but most are starting to look to these invasive procedures are their only option.

hCGTreatments / Diet Docs weight management programs is a natural alternative to invasive surgery and offer the same drastic results. Their programs use hCG treatments, a natural hormone that works to balance the hormones, combined with a low-glycemic diet that is found to be suitable for people with any health condition. A diet plan is created for each patient by a nutritionist after a thorough health evaluation from a doctor and is guided by a weight loss coach throughout the program. Diet Docs patients are advised to supplement their diet plan with essential vitamins and minerals that are suited to their body type to optimize their bodies through the program.

Diet Docs newest addition the their line of weight loss products, however, are designed to make the diet easier by suppressing the appetite and burning belly fat. Abdominal, or visceral fat, actually plays a role in various types of diseases according to recent studies. In fact, a group of specialists that study the link between abdominal fat and disease called the International Chair on Cardio metabolic Risk held their third International Congress on Abdominal Obesity which present new research on topics relating to intra-abdominal, belly fat. Their researchers stated that it is critical to measure the waist circumference in patients with Type 2 diabetes because the greater waistline, the higher the risk will be of developing cardio-metabolic complications. Their studies also find the role between belly fat and inflammation, which is also a major factor for disease.

hCGTreatments / Diet Docs weight management programs aim to find the root of the problem and work to change it. Programs that promise fast weight loss solutions only provide a temporary fix to the problem. The hCG diet has been around for over 50 years and Diet Doc has worked to modernize the program to make it safer and more effective. Many of their patients claim to lose 14 pounds in two weeks, matching their results with those of the invasive procedures like the lap band or bariatric surgery. Diet Doc CEO, Julie Wright, states our weight management programs are safe and effective and work to change eating habits and body structure. These results are life-long and cannot be achieved through any surgery.

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hCGTreatments / Diet Doc Offers Weight Loss Pills to that Work to Suppress the Appetite and Burn Belly Fat

Young people aged 11-14 can eat a healthy Mediterranean diet and get all the zinc they need to help them grow, according to researchers.

The Mediterranean diet is high in vegetables, fruit and olive oil and low in meat

The research by Marta Mesias et al. published in the Public Health Nutrition Journal found that a diet high in cereals, legumes and veg and low in meat could provide adequate zinc amounts even though these foods have typically been thought to reduce the bioavailability of minerals.

Med diet meets needs

The Mediterranean diet has been proposed as one of the healthiest dietary models available, said the study.

Although a diet based on Mediterranean patterns is associated with factors which can affect Zn [zinc] absorption, such as high consumption of phytate, its consumption in adequate amounts allows Zn status to be maintained during adolescence.

The study found that a med diet could account for 76% of the Spanish recommended daily intake of zinc.

Although, the diet did not meet 100% of Spanish zinc standards, the researchers called Spains recommendations unnecessarily high.

Why zinc is important

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Med diet satisfies growing teens’ zinc requirements

The ancient Native Americans of the desert Southwest subsisted on a fiber-filled diet of prickly pear, yucca and flour ground from plant seeds, finds a new analysis of fossilized feces that may explain why modern Native Americans are so susceptible to Type II diabetes.

Thousands of years of incredibly fibrous foods, 20 to 30 times more fibrous than today's typical diet, with low impact on the blood sugar likely left this group vulnerable to the illness when richer Anglo foods made their way to North America, said study researcher Karl Reinhard, a professor of forensic sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

"When we look at Native American dietary change within the 20th century, the more ancient traditions disappeared." Reinhard told LiveScience. "They were introduced to a whole new spectrum of foods like fry-bread, which has got a super-high glycemic index."

The glycemic index of a food is a measure of how fast its energy is absorbed into the bloodstream. It's measured on a scale of 1 to 100, with 1 being the slowest absorbing with the least effect on blood sugar. The native people who lived in the deserts of Arizona would have likely eaten traditional stews with glycemic indexes around 23, Reinhard found. Foods scoring lower than 55 are considered "low-GI" foods. [ 7 Perfect Survival Foods ]

Modern food and modern disease Members of Southwest Native American tribes are more susceptible than Caucasians to Type II diabetes, which happens when the body either doesn't produce enough insulin to break down sugar from food, or when the body's cells fail to recognize the insulin it does produce.

Researchers have long hypothesized that a "thrifty gene" (or, more likely, genes) acquired through feast and famine makes Native American populations more prone to this chronic disease. The idea is that people who were able to rapidly adapt to both lean times and times of plenty would have done better in ancient times. Today, the modern diet has rendered famine rare in the developed world, but the body continues to respond to times of plenty as if starvation is around the corner. Diabetes and obesity can result.

Reinhard and his colleagues now suggest that feast and famine may not be necessary for the "thrifty gene" hypothesis to make sense. Basically, Reinhard said, an extremely low-calorie, high-fiber diet made the ancient Native American gut a paragon of efficiency. With the arrival of whites, the diet changed faster than physiology could keep up with it. In other words, the digestive system didn't evolve for abundant, high-GI foods.

High-fiber diet To find solid evidence of what ancient Southwestern tribes actually ate, Reinhard turned to what he called "the most intimate residues from archaeological sites" fossilized poop. Known as coprolites, these fossils contain a record of their creator's most recent meals.

The researchers analyzed 25 coprolites from Antelope Cave in northwestern Arizona, a dwelling that was seasonally occupied for thousands of years. These particular coprolites (20 of which turned out to be human) date back to at least A.D. 1150 and earlier. The dates make the cave a perfect time to look at the transition from a total hunter-gatherer lifestyle to one supplemented by some agriculture, Reinhard said.

"It bridges two different dietary traditions, one which has been around for several thousands of years with one that was relatively newly introduced at the time the cave was occupied," he said.

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Ancient diet offers clues to diabetes

Appetite for Health

Sometimes when asked what I do for a living, my response is: "I tell people to eat more vegetables." Of course there is much more to what I do as a nutritionist and much more to healthy eating than that but consuming more vegetables is one of the most important steps in improving the quality of your diet. For all the excesses in the current American food culturetoo much sodium, saturated fat, and calories, for examplefew people are over consuming veggies. In fact, surveys show that 68 percent of Americans do not meet the minimal guidelines for vegetable consumption (three servings daily). Only 26 percent of the nation's adults eat vegetables three or more times a day and just 23 percent of meals include a vegetable.

This is despite clear evidence that vegetables can improve our chances of better health. Studies show that a diet rich in vegetables may reduce risk for heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancers. Vegetables high in potassium may lower blood pressure.

Veggies are also one of your best allies in the battle against "the bulge." Because they are lower in calories per cup, when you eat them in place of other higher-calorie foods you can lower your total calorie intake. Research shows that in addition, their high water and fiber content can help keep you fuller for longer, reducing the likelihood of overeating.

Given their importance to your overall health, eating more veggies should be a top priority. Try these tips to ensure you're getting enough:

1. Start a garden. Over the years, I have found that one of the best ways to get people excited about eating vegetables is to have them grow their own. Research studies have supported my observation: Young or old, gardeners have been found to consume more veggies than non-gardeners. The simple act of gardening connects us to the earth, the soil, and the food we eat. Few can resist nature's bounty when it's springing up right in your own yard. Plus there is nothing like the taste and freshness of veggies straight from the garden.

Don't have space for a garden? Many local urban centers have thriving community gardens. Find one in your area and ask to volunteer.

2. Veggies for breakfast . For breakfast? You bet! Your morning meal is the perfect place to get a jumpstart on your daily veggie servings. Stuff an omelet with broccoli, spinach, peppers, asparagus, or any other vegetable that suits your taste buds.

Short on time? Scramble your eggs with a half-cup of salsa. Roll it into a whole-grain tortilla and take it with you as you fly out the door.

3. Soups. Add more flavor and nutrition to your favorite soups with veggies. Many homemade soups already contain a nice amount of vegetables, but you can bump up the veggie servings in canned soups too. I love adding carrots to chicken noodle soup, and edamame or green beans to minestrone. Just add the raw or frozen vegetables while you are cooking or heating the soup. And don't forget that leafy greens such as kale, Swiss chard, and spinach make great additions too.

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5 Ways to Sneak More Veggies Into Your Diet

Who hasn't thrown their diet rules out the window on the weekend or gone crazy with a super-rich and gooey chocolate dessert? Of course it's fine to splurge every once in a while, but over time these seemingly minor violationsin addition to some other not-so-small diet sinscan add up to a big number on your scale.

To the rescue: our guide to the most common diet mistakes that even smart women makeand straightforward advice on how to fix them.

1. Caution: Gulping down food

If you make a habit of rushing through meals, you could end up eating more than you intend toor even realize. Your brain takes at least 15 minutes to register fullness, so if you shovel food into your mouth at a frantic pace, your stomach could become overstuffed before you actually know you've had enough.

The fix: Make a conscious effort to savor the flavor. Try to dedicate more chews to every mouthful. You can also place your fork on your plate between bites and pick it up again only after you've swallowed. This will double the time it takes to eat. The payoff: In a recent study from the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, women were told to eat a pasta dish slowly by pausing between bites and chewing each mouthful 15 to 20 times. As a result they consumed about 70 fewer calories during the meal than when they consumed the same dish at a fast pace. __________________________________________________

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Avoid These Diet Mistakes

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) July 17, 2012

hCGTreatments / Diet Doc hCG Diet announces a new diet pill with prescription strength green coffee extract as part of their offerings to help promote fast weight loss.

Green coffee extract has recently found its way into the spotlight due to its many health benefits. After being reviewed by celebrity doctor, Dr. Oz on his hit show, this supplements popularity is now on the rise.

hCGTreatments / Diet Doc Weight Loss are formulators of weight loss pills, and weight loss shakes and food that when used with a doctor managed personalized diet plan helps promote fast weight loss of up to 30 pounds per month reports Julie Wright, president of Diet Doc.

Reports claim that coffee bean extract helps prevent or treat many health problem including high blood pressure, obesity, metabolic syndrome and even heart disease. A recent study conducted by leading pure coffee extract researcher, Dr. Joe Vinson from the University of Scranton, found that participants of his study on the supplement lost an average of 18 pounds over the course of a couple of months. Vinson, whose research focuses on plant polyphenols and their effects on human health, believes that the active ingredient found in the extract that is responsible for weight loss is known as chlorogenic acid. This key ingredient has been shown to lower the bodys natural rate of absorbing glucose which leads to weight loss. Although these results are considerable, what most people dont realize is that this study is still new and there is a lack of time-tested concrete evidence and potential side effects.

The hCG diet, created by Dr. Simeons, has been around for almost 50 years. Through many years of trial and error, the diet has found its way to its maximum potential and Diet Doc has been one of the first companies in the U.S. to offer this program. They found that combining hCG treatments with a ketogenic diet is the safest and most effective way to lose weight fast. In fact, most of their patients have been known to lose up to 30 pounds in just one month. Working in a similar manner as green coffee extract, Diet Docs hCG diet plans are designed to put the body in a fat-burning state while working to also detoxify the body. Their goal is not for immediate weight loss but to reprogram eating habits which in turn will transform the overall bodys composition into where it should be in order to make life-long changes.

Along with green coffee extract, the hCG diet has also been reviewed by Dr. Oz on his show. He reported a research study conducted by Dr. Sheri Emma on the effects of the hCG diet. The study found that the hCG users not only lost more weight than the placebo group but also lost all fat and no muscle in comparison to the placebo group who lost 5 pounds of muscle during the study.

hCGTreatments provides medical weight loss to people nationwide. hCGTreatments is a highly innovative, sophisticated medically weight loss program utilizing proprietary weight loss medication, weight loss food and diet pills all which compliment each other in providing fast weight loss.

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hCGTreatments / Diet Doc hCG Diet Announces Diet Pill with Green Coffee Extract

ScienceDaily (July 17, 2012) The diet of Australopithecus anamensis, a hominid that lived in the east of the African continent more than 4 million years ago, was very specialized and, according to a scientific study whose principal author is Ferran Estebaranz, from the Department of Animal Biology at the University of Barcelona, it included foods typical of open environments (seeds, sedges, grasses, etc.), as well as fruits and tubers.

The work, published in the Journal of Anthropological Sciences, is directed by lecturer Alejandro Prez Prez, from the Anthropology Unit of the Department of Animal Biology at the UB, and its co-authors are professor Daniel Turbn and experts Jordi Galbany and Laura M. Martnez.

Australipithecus anamensis is a fossil hominid species described in 1995 by a team led by the researcher Meave Leakey and it is considered to be the direct ancestor of Australopithecus afarensis, known as Lucy, which lived in the same region half a million years later. The paleoecological reconstructions of the sites with Australipithecus anamensis fossil remains are quite similar to those of Australipithecus afarensis, and suggest a scene with different habitats, from open forests to thick plant formations, with herbaceous strata and gallery forests.

Traditionally, the reconstruction of the diet of Australipithecus anamensis was carried out by means of indirect evidence (specifically, studies of microstructure and enamel thickness, and the dental size and morphology). In this new study, the team of the UB analyzes the pattern of microstriation of the post-canine dentition, from microscopic traces that some structural components of plants (phytoliths) and other external elements (sand, dust, etc.) leave in the dental enamel during the chewing of food. It is, therefore, a direct analysis of the result of the interaction of the diet with the teeth.

A cercopithecoid model for the study of the diet

The work published in the Journal of Anthropological Sciences studies the microstriation pattern of all the specimens of Australipithecus anamensis recovered up to the year 2003, of which only five are in a good state of preservation. According to the study of the microstriation pattern, the diet of Anthropological anamensis was similar to other present day species of cercopithecoid primates, such as Papio genus(baboons) and Chlorocebus (green monkey), which live in shrubby savannah areas with a marked seasonal influence. The work arrived at the conclusion that the diet of Australipithecus anamensis was quite abrasive and rich in seeds, leaves and corms, as it is with the baboons of today. This fossil hominid must also have fed on fruit, but in smaller proportions than Australipithecus afarensis.

What did Australopithecus afarensis eat?

The results of the study on the palaeodiet of Australipithecus anamensis match the characteristics of dental morphology and increased robustness of the dentition and the masticatory apparatus compared with its ancestor, Ardipithecus ramidus. The new questions now focus on the diet of Australipithecus afarensis, direct descendent of Australipithecus anamensis, which has a frugivorous and much softer diet, like present day chimpanzees and gorillas in Cameroon.

As explained by the researcher Ferran Estebaranz,"the microstriation pattern of Australipithecus anamensis and Australipithecus afarensis is clearly different. This could indicate that the former consumed much harder foodstuffs, whereas the latter had a basically frugivorous diet, of a seasonal character, more similar to the direct ancestor of the two species, Ardipithecus ramidus."

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Reconstructing the diet of African hominid Australopithecus anamensis

Meg Evans, in red, lost 48 pounds her first year on Qsymia and another two pounds the second year.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new prescription diet drug called Qsymia on Tuesday. The medication produced dramatic weight loss in clinical trials, but some are concerned over potential side effects, including increased heart rate, birth defects and other issues.

Qsymia (pronounced kyoo-SIM-ee-uh) is the second diet drug approved this year. The FDA approved a weight-loss pill called Belviq on June 27.

Qsymia had been known as Qnexa until its approval. The FDA asked the company to change the name to avoid confusion with another drug on the market, according to the company.

Patients in clinical trials experienced more dramatic weight loss with Qsymia than with Belviq. On Qsymia, patients went from an average 227 pounds to 204 pounds; on Belviq, the average weight dropped from 220 to 207.

Some consumer advocates worry that the weight loss comes with a price. Some patients in the clinical trial suffered an increased heart rate and a condition called metabolic acidosis, which can lead to hyperventilation, fatigue and anorexia.

Concerns have also been raised about birth defects. One of the ingredients in Qsymia is topiramate, an anti-convulsant that has been linked to birth defects such as cleft lip and cleft palate in babies born to women who have taken it for migraines or seizures. Qsymia's other ingredient is phentermine, an appetite suppressant.

"Our belief is that women will be invited to compelling advertising and marketing messages to experiment on themselves with a drug that has some effectiveness with healthy weight loss but possible serious risks," said Cindy Pearson, executive director of the National Women's Health Network.

Qsymia's manufacturer, Vivus Inc., says that the drug helped lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels in obese people and that people taking it were less likely to get Type 2 diabetes.

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FDA to approve new diet drug