Archive for category Nutrition and obesity

$19.39 extra in health care costs per overweight pound

Overweight people are more prone to heart disease, stroke, diabetes – even some kinds of cancers. According to the company Humana every overweight individual in the US costs $1,037.64 extra in health care costs. In total that is $127 billion added to the national health care bill.

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Children bend rules to avoid healthy school food

A study by Martin Caraher from City University London has found that children in Tower Hamlets are regularly ignoring school healthy eating initiatives to binge on fast food on the way to and from school – some even choose to skip lunch to eat fast food at the end of the day. The research also examined the prevalence of fast food outlets in the borough and found that 97% of households lie within a ten-minute walk from a convenience food seller and that in some areas there are more fast food outlets than shops.

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Obesity Linked To Higer Risk Of Ovarian Cancer

A new epidemiological study has found that obese women are at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women of normal weight. Will be published in the February 15, 2009 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the research indicates that obesity may contribute to the development of ovarian cancer through a hormonal mechanism.

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Nuts good for cardiovascular health

Nuts, a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids and fiber, have been shown to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. This review is published in Curr Atheroscler Rep.

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Use Facebook to Keep Your Diet Resolutions on Track

Our frends behind the US Wholegrains campaign developed a new facebook application where friends can help friends to eat more WG, do more excercise or eat more F&V.

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America’s Healthiest Grocery Stores

Health magasin asked six prominent health experts to help us pick the top 10 healthiest grocery stores out of the north american largest chains. The winers were published in Bovember 2009Here are the true standouts. Happy, healthy shopping! View the winners in the slideshow found on this page. See also http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/27573158#27573158

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Packed lunches provided by Texas parents too low in fiber and many other nutrients

Lunch contents were observed and recorded for 3 consecutive days for 74 kids. More than 50% of the 3-day means provided less than 33% of the Dietary Reference Intakes for energy (n=58), carbohydrate (n=59), vitamin A (n=58), calcium (n=49), iron (n=44), and zinc (n=38). 96% of the children received less than 33% of the recommended amount of dietary fiber, yet the mean amount of sodium in observed lunches was 114% of the recommendated amount. 71% of the observed lunches did not meet the standards for servings of F&V or for servings of milk (80%). Sack lunches sent from home may not regularly provide adequate nutrients for the growth and development of young children.

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Diet and physical activity patterns of school-aged children

A cohort of 35 boys and girls in grades 3 through 5 (mean age=9.5 years) was studied during the course of the 2004-2005 school year, providing seasonal assessments of diet and physical activity. Only three students (9%) were overweight and another three were “at risk” for overweight. Food intake patterns fell far below MyPyramid guidelines for average daily servings of F&V. The findings identify targets for behavioral and environmental interventions to reduce childhood obesity risks.

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Whole flaxseeds seeds in rye bread reduce apparent digestibility of fat in healthy Danish volunteers

In a randomized crossover study, gross intake and faecal excretion of fat and energy were measured in 11 young healthy men. Enrichment of bread with whole flaxseed does not appear to result in increased fat and energy intake when added to breads, but the results rather indicate an impairment of nutrient utilization. Sunflower seeds are an other story.

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Effects of dietary restraint and BMI on the relative reinforcing value of snack food

This study examined the independent and interactive association between dietary restraint, body mass index and the relative reinforcing value of food. 403 psychology students completed questionnaires assessing age, gender, BMI, hunger, smoking status, nicotine dependence, dietary restraint, hedonic ratings for snack food and F&V and the relative reinforcing value of snack food and F&V. Findings suggest that BMI moderates the relationship between dietary restraint and snack food reinforcement in females. such that restraint and snack food reinforcement are inversely correlated in females with lower BMI, but restraint is positively correlated with snack food reinforcement in females with higher BMI.

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