Friday, July 13, 2007 - 0 Comments
By Joanne Eglash
eDiets Healthy Lifestyle Columnist
Supplements Don't Work Alone
If you think that you're protecting your bones by lunching on two Twinkies, one diet-coke, and two calcium pills, you're playing a risky game. Yes, it's true that calcium helps prevent osteoporosis. But a new study at Washington University School of Medicine indicates that you're helping yourself more by eating foods rich in calcium rather than thinking that supplements alone are the answer. The researchers studied three groups of women: one that took in calcium via only a change in diet, one that depended only on supplements, and a third group that used changes in their diet as well as calcium supplements. The third group had the highest bone mineral density and also consumed the most calcium on average overall (more than 1,600 mg per day). What surprised the researchers: although the group that used only food as a source of calcium took in the lowest amount of calcium (averaging 830 milligrams a day), they had higher bone density scores in their hip bones and spines than the women in the supplement-only group, who took in more than 1,000 milligrams a day.
Chocolate Healthy, But Not So Much
And with the same "diet counts" message comes the results of new research from Germany on dark chocolate and its impact on hypertension. A variety of medical studies have shown that the flavanols in cocoa (a main ingredient of dark chocolate) can benefit the heart and reduce blood pressure. The result: many consumers have interpreted the resulting news articles as if they offered permission to consume large dark chocolate bars on a daily basis without guilt. Not exactly. The researchers in Germany, whose study was funded by University College in Cologne, say their study indicates that only a small amount of dark chocolate, about 30 calories worth, is needed. A large dark chocolate bar can contain 600 calories; a chocolate kiss typically is around 25 calories. Apologies for ruining your sweet excuse...
Stress Causes Weight Gain
Is it what you're eating -- or what's eating you -- that causes so many of us to gain weight when we're stressed? Maybe both, according to Georgetown University researchers. The Washington medical team recently fed a group of mice with junk food. They then took some of the mice and put them in stressful situations, such as being caged with aggressive mice or having to sit in cold weather. All of the junk food critters gained weight -- but the mice who experienced the stressful experiences gained twice as much weight and had health problems such as hypertension, according to the researchers. These scientists are theorizing that there is a neurotransmitter they're calling "NPY" that results in weight gain when there is a stress.
The bottom line for your bottom line: keep your stress low and learn non-food ways to combat it when it starts, such as calling a friend or taking the dog for a walk. Healthy eating can help you to feel better much longer than a quart of fudge chocolate ripple ice cream!
eDiets Healthy Lifestyle Columnist
Supplements Don't Work Alone
If you think that you're protecting your bones by lunching on two Twinkies, one diet-coke, and two calcium pills, you're playing a risky game. Yes, it's true that calcium helps prevent osteoporosis. But a new study at Washington University School of Medicine indicates that you're helping yourself more by eating foods rich in calcium rather than thinking that supplements alone are the answer. The researchers studied three groups of women: one that took in calcium via only a change in diet, one that depended only on supplements, and a third group that used changes in their diet as well as calcium supplements. The third group had the highest bone mineral density and also consumed the most calcium on average overall (more than 1,600 mg per day). What surprised the researchers: although the group that used only food as a source of calcium took in the lowest amount of calcium (averaging 830 milligrams a day), they had higher bone density scores in their hip bones and spines than the women in the supplement-only group, who took in more than 1,000 milligrams a day.
Chocolate Healthy, But Not So Much
And with the same "diet counts" message comes the results of new research from Germany on dark chocolate and its impact on hypertension. A variety of medical studies have shown that the flavanols in cocoa (a main ingredient of dark chocolate) can benefit the heart and reduce blood pressure. The result: many consumers have interpreted the resulting news articles as if they offered permission to consume large dark chocolate bars on a daily basis without guilt. Not exactly. The researchers in Germany, whose study was funded by University College in Cologne, say their study indicates that only a small amount of dark chocolate, about 30 calories worth, is needed. A large dark chocolate bar can contain 600 calories; a chocolate kiss typically is around 25 calories. Apologies for ruining your sweet excuse...
Stress Causes Weight Gain
Is it what you're eating -- or what's eating you -- that causes so many of us to gain weight when we're stressed? Maybe both, according to Georgetown University researchers. The Washington medical team recently fed a group of mice with junk food. They then took some of the mice and put them in stressful situations, such as being caged with aggressive mice or having to sit in cold weather. All of the junk food critters gained weight -- but the mice who experienced the stressful experiences gained twice as much weight and had health problems such as hypertension, according to the researchers. These scientists are theorizing that there is a neurotransmitter they're calling "NPY" that results in weight gain when there is a stress.
The bottom line for your bottom line: keep your stress low and learn non-food ways to combat it when it starts, such as calling a friend or taking the dog for a walk. Healthy eating can help you to feel better much longer than a quart of fudge chocolate ripple ice cream!
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