It's not only the models who aim to lose weight ahead of New York Fashion Week.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- New York Fashion Week is one of the fashion industry's biggest events of the year, the culmination of months of planning, organizing, schmoozing ... and dieting?

When it comes to the biannual fashion shows, which kick off Thursday, models aren't the only ones looking to drop a few pounds before hitting the tents. Some publicists, bloggers and fashion editors have been counting calories for weeks in anticipation of the week-long event, where to some, networking and being seen are just as important as the collections debuting on the runways.

Anyone who has tried to get in shape for a wedding or school reunion can relate to the pressure of wanting to look his or her best and reaching to achieve that goal with varying degrees of success.

Nutritionists say that limiting caloric intake in a compressed time frame can lead to nutrient deficiencies, causing decreased immune function, dry skin and loss of muscle or bone density, for starters. But in an industry that's all about image, it's a price many are willing to pay.

"Perception is reality in this industry, and unfortunately, you have to look the look to get the clients," said public relations specialist Keisha McCotry, who began her Fashion Week diet in July. She plans on attending Fashion Week to recruit designers for her firm, Prominence Marketing Group.

Throughout the summer, fashionistas from all corners of the industry have been tweeting with a blend of sarcasm and sincerity about plans to start, defer or defy a #NYFW diet.

"I'm thinking we should start our #NYFW diet tomorrow. What do you think?" tweeted DKNY PR GIRL, the online persona of fashion publicist extraordinaire Aliza Licht, senior vice president of global communications at Donna Karan International, on August 12.

She followed up with "#PRGirlDiet" regulations: "No non-purpose bread (ie bread baskets, pretzels, croutons) or candy/sugar. Basically anything fun. EXCEPT: frozen yogurt is ok."

See the original post:
The #NYFW diet: Part of the job?

A diet rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fats could help protect against skin cancer, research suggests.

Dr Niva Shapira said the Greek-style Mediterranean diet could play a role in contributing to that country's low rates of melanoma compared to Europe and other sunny countries such as Australia.

"It's more than their olive skin," said Dr Shapira, a researcher from Tel Aviv who is presenting her findings this week at the International Congress of Dietetics in Sydney.

"We think the difference in skin cancer rates may be partially due to the different eating habits in these countries," she said.

Dr Shapira studied two groups of women exposed to the sun for four to six hours a day over two weeks, with one group drinking an antioxidant-enriched beverage and the other drinking water or soft drinks.

Levels of malondialdehyde, an indicator of oxidative stress in the body linked to cancer risk, increased by about 55 per cent in those drinking water but dropped by 16 per cent in the women who had the fortified beverage.

Dr Shapira conducted further studies that found tomato paste, a Greek staple containing antioxidants such as lycopene, reduced and delayed UV-induced skin redness.

She said antioxidants accumulate in the skin and form a first line of protection against UV radiation and cell damage.

Antioxidants are plentiful in other foods that form the traditional Mediterranean diet, including omega-3 fats from fish, omega-9 in olive oil, fruit, vegetables, herbs and tea, Dr Shapira said.

An antioxidant-rich diet may be useful along with current sun-smart advice, she said.

See the article here:
Diet may protect against melanoma

It's not only the models who aim to lose weight ahead of New York Fashion Week.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- New York Fashion Week is one of the fashion industry's biggest events of the year, the culmination of months of planning, organizing, schmoozing ... and dieting?

When it comes to the biannual fashion shows, which kick off Thursday, models aren't the only ones looking to drop a few pounds before hitting the tents. Some publicists, bloggers and fashion editors have been counting calories for weeks in anticipation of the week-long event, where to some, networking and being seen are just as important as the collections debuting on the runways.

Anyone who has tried to get in shape for a wedding or school reunion can relate to the pressure of wanting to look his or her best and reaching to achieve that goal with varying degrees of success.

Nutritionists say that limiting caloric intake in a compressed time frame can lead to nutrient deficiencies, causing decreased immune function, dry skin and loss of muscle or bone density, for starters. But in an industry that's all about image, it's a price many are willing to pay.

"Perception is reality in this industry, and unfortunately, you have to look the look to get the clients," said public relations specialist Keisha McCotry, who began her Fashion Week diet in July. She plans on attending Fashion Week to recruit designers for her firm, Prominence Marketing Group.

Throughout the summer, fashionistas from all corners of the industry have been tweeting with a blend of sarcasm and sincerity about plans to start, defer or defy a #NYFW diet.

"I'm thinking we should start our #NYFW diet tomorrow. What do you think?" tweeted DKNY PR GIRL, the online persona of fashion publicist extraordinaire Aliza Licht, senior vice president of global communications at Donna Karan International, on August 12.

She followed up with "#PRGirlDiet" regulations: "No non-purpose bread (ie bread baskets, pretzels, croutons) or candy/sugar. Basically anything fun. EXCEPT: frozen yogurt is ok."

View post:
#NYFW diet: Part of the job?

"It's more than their olive skin," a researcher has said about lower skin cancer rates in Europe. Source: Supplied

A DIET rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fats could help protect against skin cancer, research suggests.

Dr Niva Shapira said the Greek-style Mediterranean diet could play a role in contributing to that country's low rates of melanoma compared to Europe and other sunny countries such as Australia.

"It's more than their olive skin," said Dr Shapira, a researcher from Tel Aviv who is presenting her findings this week at the International Congress of Dietetics in Sydney.

"We think the difference in skin cancer rates may be partially due to the different eating habits in these countries," she said.

Dr Shapira studied two groups of women exposed to the sun for four to six hours a day over two weeks, with one group drinking an antioxidant-enriched beverage and the other drinking water or soft drinks.

Levels of malondialdehyde, an indicator of oxidative stress in the body linked to cancer risk, increased by about 55 per cent in those drinking water but dropped by 16 per cent in the women who had the fortified beverage.

Dr Shapira conducted further studies that found tomato paste, a Greek staple containing antioxidants such as lycopene, reduced and delayed UV-induced skin redness.

She said antioxidants accumulate in the skin and form a first line of protection against UV radiation and cell damage.

Antioxidants are plentiful in other foods that form the traditional Mediterranean diet, including omega-3 fats from fish, omega-9 in olive oil, fruit, vegetables, herbs and tea, Dr Shapira said.

View post:
Greek diet may protect against melanoma

Wednesday, Sep. 5, 2012

The gridlock in the Diet threatens to curtail the government's ability to apply fiscal stimulus as the economic rebound falters.

Opposition parties in the Upper House stymied legislation approved by the Lower House on Aug. 28 that would enable the issuance of 38.3 trillion in deficit-financing bonds, seeking to force Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda into an early election.

The government could hit a spending ceiling as soon as October, according to the Finance Ministry.

The freeze could suspend outlays from this year's budget for the first time, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc., and limits Noda from proceeding with the supplementary spending package he proposed in July.

With economists increasingly seeing an economic contraction this quarter, the deadlock adds to risks facing global expansion that include a so-called fiscal cliff of spending cuts and tax increases in the U.S. at year's end.

"The impasse on deficit-covering bonds may delay the compilation of a stimulus package and would be a drag for the economy," said Taro Saito, Tokyo-based director of economic research at NLI Research Institute and a past winner of a Japan Center for Economic Research award for accuracy in forecasting. "This is not as severe as the U.S. fiscal cliff but could be said to be Japan's fiscal slope."

Besides the yen's appreciation, Japan's manufacturers are facing diminishing demand abroad, hurt by the European crisis, China's slowdown and stunted American growth. A government report Monday showed that capital spending rose 6.6 percent in the second quarter from a year before, less than the 7.8 percent median estimate in a Bloomberg survey.

The report spurred economists to cut forecasts for second-quarter gross domestic product, initially reported at an annualized 1.4 percent gain. Officials may pare that calculation to 0.9 percent next Monday, according to the median of seven projections in a Bloomberg survey.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse Group AG and BNP Paribas SA see a contraction in GDP this quarter, the first slide since back-to-back declines in the first half of 2011, when Japan was hit by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Continued here:
Diet impasse a threat to growth stimulus

(Getty Images file)

NEW YORK Diet Pepsi is tweaking its formula to stay sweet a little longer.

PepsiCo Inc. is testing new artificial sweeteners that let the soda keep its taste for a longer period of time. The problem is that the current sweetener used in the soda aspartame loses its potency faster than high-fructose corn syrup, the sweetener that's used in most regular sodas.

A person with knowledge of the situation says the company had considered importing versions of Diet Pepsi sold in other countries to the U.S. But now it's testing other sweetener mixes, with a new version set to come out as soon as next year.

The new version will use the same formula that creates Diet Pepsi's overall taste, according to the person, who requested anonymity because she wasn't authorized to speak publicly. But it will use a mix of artificial sweeteners, including acesulfame potassium, or ace-K, that has a longer shelf life.

Aspartame on its own is more sensitive to heat, which is a problem when sodas are sitting in trucks or waiting to be shipped to retailers.

In an e-mailed statement, PepsiCo said that it's "always looking at ways to provide the best consumer experience," but that it has no plans to change the taste formula of Diet Pepsi. Candice Choi, The Associated Press

Read this article:
Diet Pepsi formula being tweaked for longer shelf life

DENVER, Aug. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --A just-released meta-analysis study entitled "Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials of the Effects of Low Carbohydrate Diets on Cardiovascular Risk Factors" being published in Obesity Reviews reveals that the Atkins Diet is a safe and effective plan that demonstrates positive health outcomes for both weight loss and cardiovascular health.

"This article is unique in that it's not trying to pit the low carbohydrate diet head-to-head with another diet, rather it investigated whether parameters improve while on the diet, and they did. The article shows how the low carbohydrate diet improves multiple risk factors compared to the baseline diet," said Dr. William Yancy with Duke University Medical Center and a researcher for the study.

The aim of the study was to identify randomized clinical trials which analyzed the effects of a low carbohydrate diet on body weight and other markers of cardiovascular risk. There were strict criteria surrounding the selection of studies. The authors identified a total of 23 reports, corresponding to 17 clinical investigations, as meeting the pre-specified criteria.

The findings showcased that compared with the baseline diet, the Atkins Diet was shown to be associated with improvements in key health markers including significant decreases in body weight, BMI, abdominal circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, plasma triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose, glycated haemoglobin, plasma insulin, and plasma CRP (an inflammation marker), as well as an increase in HDL-cholesterol. LDL cholesterol did not change significantly.

The overall picture obtained from this investigation is that low carbohydrate diets like the Atkins Diet are safe and do not negatively impact markers for cardiovascular health or other risk factors. Of particular interest is that the low carbohydrate diet was able to increase HDL-C a goal frequently difficult to achieve. Another key finding was the decrease in waist circumference given that it is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and it has been stated that waist circumference explains obesity-related health risk more accurately than BMI.

Obesity is a growing health problem. According to the World Health Organization, in 2008, 1.4 billion adults (20 years of age and older) worldwide were overweight. Of these, more than 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese.

"The meta-analysis study findings demonstrate once again that the Atkins Diet is a safe and effective diet plan. Atkins is not only backed by thousands of success stories, but has consistently shown that it is effective at diminishing health risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease," said Colette Heimowitz, vice president of nutrition and education for Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.

Inclusion criteria for the studies included were that the study had to be a randomized clinical trial implemented in an adult population of at least 100 subjects, the trial was required to have at least a 3-month follow-up period after the initiation of the diet, weight loss had to be considered a major outcome, as well as examinations of variations in other cardiovascular risk factors. Exclusion criteria for the studies included subjects with a specific pathology other than obesity (such as diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, epilepsy) or altered endocrinological state (such as pregnancy or menopause) were excluded, as were studies written in languages other than English, Spanish, Portuguese or French.

The article can be referenced here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22905670

About Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. is a leader in the $2.4 billion weight control nutrition category, and offers a powerful lifetime approach to weight loss and management. The Atkins Diet focuses on a healthy diet with reduced levels of refined carbohydrates and added sugars and encourages the consumption of protein, fiber, fruits, vegetables and good fats. Backed by research and consumer success stories, this approach allows the body to burn more fat and work more efficiently while helping individuals feel less hungry, more satisfied and more energetic.

Link:
New Analysis Study Demonstrates that the Atkins Diet is Safe and Effective