Learn how candy can shrink your waistline, which two fat-fighting fruits you’ll want to add to your plate, the low-calorie food that keeps you full all day, shameful secrets of movie popcorn, why you really could be addicted to eating and the dangers of “fat talk.” Plus, get more up-to-the-minute science news from the world of nutrition, diet and fitness…
Diet and fitness scoop #1: A little candy is dandy for your waistline.
People who eat chocolate and other guilty pleasures weigh less than folks without a sweet tooth. They also have smaller waists, a surprising recent study published in Nutrition Research has found.
The study, which surveyed more than 15,000 adults, also discovered that candy eaters have fewer risk factors for high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome (a condition that increases your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes).
Researchers didn’t give a reason for the results, but said it’s possible candy eaters exercise more to make up for their indulgences.
Plus, candy fans ate an average of only about 1.3 ounces of sweets a day – roughly the size of one square of chocolate.
An ounce of chocolate only has about 150 calories, but most popular candy bars contain 2 ounces or more. If you crave chocolate, go for small, “fun size” bars. Or boost your nutrition with a square of lower-sugar, antioxidant-rich dark chocolate.
“The important message here is that size – especially when it comes to calorically dense foods like candy – does matter,” notes Caren Tishfield, R.D., a New York-based dietitian.
Diet and Fitness scoop #2: Blueberries can shrink fat cells.
Blueberries may help you shed weight by preventing fat cells from growing, a recent study from Texas Woman’s University has found.
Graduate student Shiwani Moghe added blueberry polyphenols (antioxidant compounds extracted from the fruit) to fat cells cultured from mice, and found their fat content dropped by 27%-73%.
Because lab tests don’t necessarily translate into real-world results, Moghe plans future tests to determine if blueberries have fat-fighting power in humans.
Earlier research has shown that they may strengthen your immune system and help reduce cholesterol.
Diet and Fitness scoop #3: Tangerines pack a fat-fighting punch.
Next time you splurge on a fatty meal, finish it off with a tangerine.
A pigment found in tangerines may ward off excess body fat and protect against high levels of cholesterol, insulin and arterial plaque, according to a 2011 study published in the journal Diabetes.
Researchers fed mice a diet enhanced with a flavonoid (plant compound) known as nobiletin. Even when they consumed large amounts of fat and sugar, the mice showed no spikes in cholesterol or weight.
“Nobiletin is found in most citrus fruits, but its most abundant source is the tangerine,” says study author Murray W. Huff, Ph.D., professor of medicine and biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.
“Other studies have demonstrated that nobiletin and other flavonoid-rich foods are associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease,” he adds. “But we were surprised at nobiletin’s effect on obesity.”
The study used a purified form of nobiletin, which is only available for research purposes – so right now there’s no way to know how many tangerines it would take to obtain similar anti-obesity effects, Huff says. Most nobiletin is found in the peel and pith (the bitter white part underneath).
Human studies are still several years away, Huff says. Until then, eating the orange, juicy fruit couldn’t hurt. (Check with your doctor first if you’re on prescription medicine.)
Diet and Fitness scoop #4: The great movie popcorn caper.
There’s nothing more comforting than digging into a bucket of warm, buttery popcorn while watching the latest blockbuster. But just because you’re eating in a dark movie theater doesn’t mean the fat and calories disappear.
In April 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed new rules requiring chain restaurants and other food vendors to post calorie counts for their dishes. Escaping this policy: movie theater snack stands (because a theater's primary purpose is entertainment, rather than food sales, the agency said).
So how much fat and calories are in those theater snacks?
The average small-size movie popcorn has 400 calories and 25 grams of fat – without added butter or butter-flavored topping. A medium popcorn-and-soda combo at some chains can have as much as 1,600 calories, nearly an entire day’s worth for women 31-50.
So some local governments, including New York City’s, have passed their own laws requiring movie theater chains to post calorie info.
Diet and Fitness scoop #5: For some women, food really is addictive.
Compulsive eaters show brain activity similar to that of alcoholics or drug addicts, Yale University researchers have found.
The recent study, to be published this summer in Archives of General Psychiatry, is the first to make a connection between compulsive eating and brain patterns using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
The participants – all of whom were women – were first rated according to the Yale Food Addiction Scale, which measures criteria such as withdrawal symptoms, loss of control and continued use despite negative consequences.
When those who scored high on the addiction scale were shown photos of a chocolate milkshake, activity increased in the parts of their brains that cause cravings and decreased in the areas responsible for self control.
“I was surprised by the strength of our findings, because we had excluded all potential participants with a clinical level of eating disorders,” the study’s lead author, psychology doctoral student Ashley N. Gearhardt, tells Lifescript.
“If the science keeps building, overeating might be eventually considered [like] alcoholism and drug dependence,” Gearhardt adds.
Diet and Fitness scoop #6: Eat an egg-white omelet now to fend off hunger later.
If you’re trying to lose weight, be sure to eat plenty of lean protein.
Adding higher amounts to three moderate-size daily meals can help you feel fuller while eating less, according to a recent study in the April 2011 issue of Obesity.
Eating smaller, more frequent meals had no effect on appetite, Purdue University researchers found.
Lean protein sources include chicken breasts, lower-fat cuts of beef or pork, egg whites, reduced-fat tofu, and reduced-fat or fat-free dairy products.
People often eat inadequate amounts of protein at breakfast or lunch, leading to greater hunger during the day, the researchers noted.
“Protein should play an essential role in any weight-loss plan,” Tishfield says. “It not only increases satiety, it helps stabilize blood sugar levels and reduces cravings.”
Diet and Fitness scoop #7: Are you talking yourself fat?
Female college students who regularly talk with friends about being fat are more likely to be unhappy with their bodies, according to an article in a recent issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly. They also have more unrealistic body ideals than other women.
But it turns out that most young women gab about weight issues, whether or not they’re actually overweight.
“I was surprised how common it was for college women to engage in ‘fat talk,’” says researcher Rachel Salk, a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She defines “fat talk” as “women expressing dissatisfaction with their own bodies among a group of peers.” A staggering 93% of young women indulge in it, Salk found.
She recommends that when women think about their bodies, they make a conscious effort to focus on positive attributes such as health, strength and endurance.
“If you want to exercise more or change your eating habits, focus on doing so in order to be healthier,” she says.
Diet and Fitness scoop #8: Anemia can strike even after you stop having periods.
If you’ve gone through “the change,” you still need to get adequate amounts of dietary iron and other nutrients, according to a new report in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Otherwise, you risk anemia – an abnormally low red-blood-cell count that decreases the blood’s ability to carry oxygen throughout the body.
“Left untreated, anemia can lead to more significant problems, such as heart and breathing issues,” says the study’s lead investigator, Cynthia A. Thomson, Ph.D., RD, an associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Thomson recommends eating plenty of foods high in anemia-preventing nutrients like iron, folate and vitamins C and B12 – such as lean beef, fatty fish, fortified cereal, and fruits and vegetables.
Diet and Fitness scoop #9: Exercise outdoors – you’ll feel better.
An outdoor workout will give you more benefits than sticking to the gym, a 2011 British research review suggests.
Outdoor exercisers had increased energy, greater improvement in mental well-being, and better socialization, say researchers at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Exeter, who examined a number of studies on outdoor and indoor exercise regimens.
They also found that people who exercised outdoors were more likely to stick with it than those who exercised inside.
Diet and Fitness scoop #10: Have the heart of a 20-year-old when you’re 70.
Heart muscles in elderly people who’ve exercised regularly throughout adulthood can be at least as healthy as the hearts of sedentary younger people, a recent study at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has found.
The research, presented at the 2011 meeting of the American College of Cardiology, was the first study that looked at the long-term effects of exercise on heart mass.
When people are inactive, heart mass diminishes steadily over time, the study suggests. But people who exercise several times a week can maintain their heart mass or even boost it.
“Any exercise that increases the work of the heart will be helpful,” notes cardiologist Benjamin Levine, M.D., director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine, who headed the study.
But if you want a stronger heart, you’ll have to put in the effort.
“Committed exercise 4-5 times a week is sufficient to get the most benefits,” Levine says. “But casual exercise 2-3 times a week probably isn’t enough to alter the structure of the heart and blood vessels.”
What’s Your Fitness Style?
Some people find it easy to wake up at 4:30 a.m. and go for a five-mile run, while others simply hit the snooze button. Aspects of your personality determine the kind of exerciser you are, so if you're in a fitness rut, it's time to put your unique interests back into the workout equation.
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