While still not a major baby boomer problem, clinics treating anorexics are seeing older patients walk through their doors.
Whether in response to midlife, the desire to turn back the clock (and augment the botox), or simply a last-chance-to-diet-before-I-turn 50, eating disorders are on the rise.
A Soft-Drink a Day Increases Heart Disease Risk Factors
Adults who drink at least one soft drink per day are 30% more likely to develop new-onset diabetes or have low levels of good cholesterol.
A recent study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association reports that drinking at least one soft drink a day of a diet or regular soft drink are at greater risk for heart disease than those who don’t. The study was conducted on 3,500 middle aged men and women. The study found that soft-drink consumers are more likely to develop matabolic syndrome, a combination of
a combination of factors like high blood pressure and elevated triglycerides — are more likely to suffer diabetes and heart disease.
Adults who consume at least one soft drink a day are more likely to develop risk factors for heart disease than those who don’t, even if the beverage is diet, according to a study published today in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers studying about 3,500 middle-aged men and women as part of a larger, long-term heart study found an association between daily soft drink consumption and an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
The American Heart Association defines metabolic syndrome as:
- Abdominal obesity (excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen)
- Atherogenic dyslipidemia (blood fat disorders — high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol — that foster plaque buildups in artery walls)
- Elevated blood pressure
- Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance (the body can’t properly use insulin or blood sugar)
- Prothrombotic state (e.g., high fibrinogen or plasminogen activator inhibitor–1 in the blood)
- Proinflammatory state (e.g., elevated C-reactive protein in the blood)
Metabolic syndrome is a growing problem in America, where an estimated 50 million people exhibit symptoms and have greater risk of coronary heart disease and other diseases related to plaque buildups in artery walls.
Lentils in a Low Glycaemic Index Diet
Low glycaemic index diets seem to be particularly effective for those who are obese, as well as for diabetics.
According to the Straight from the Doc blog, “Foods like lentils release energy slowly once consumed as opposed to foods that rapidly release sugar into the blood stream like white bread.”
Selenium Mineral Supplements May Increase Diabetes Risk
A recent study suggests that taking selenium supplements for a number of years increased the chances of developing diabetes. Tiny amounts of selenium, which occurs naturally in the soil and a wide range of foods, are essential for a healthy metabolism. There is also good evidence that selenium protects against prostate cancer.
Burger King to be Trans Fat Free by 2008
Burger King has begun using trans fat free cooking oil, and says that the restaurant will be trans fat free by the end of 2008.
Obesity Caused by “Food Addiction?”
Obesity has long been blamed on weak willpower, overeating, genetics and lack of exercise. Now scientists increasingly are seeing signs that suggest there may be an additional contributor: food addiction.
Poor Diet May Affect Teen Asthma
New research on asthma and diet shows that teens with poor diets may be more likely than their peers to have asthma symptoms and worse lung function.
The findings come from a study of some 2,100 teens in 12 U.S. and Canadian communities. In a nutshell, the teens with less than ideal diets were the most likely to have poorer lung function — including asthma symptoms — than their peers.
Sanofi Pulls FDA Application for Anti-Obesity Drug, Acomplia
French pharmaceutical group Sanofi-Aventis said Friday it had withdrawn an application for regulatory approval for its anti-obesity drug Acomplia in the United States.
A panel of experts from the US Food and Drug Administration concluded earlier this month that the dieting treatment, referred to as rimonabant by the company, was unsafe and should not be sold in the United States.
Kids and Junk Food Advertising Study
In a child’s buffet of food commercials, more than 40 percent of the dishes are candy, snacks and fast food. Nowhere to be found: fresh fruit, vegetables, poultry or seafood.
For years, health officials have warned that kids were being inundated with commercials about not-so-healthy foods. Now, researchers have put numbers to those warnings in the largest-ever study of commercials aimed at children.
Diet: Staying Motivated
Diets can fail for a number of reasons:
* You may have set unrealistic goals and feel a failure when you can’t meet them.
* The diet may be too rigid to follow for long.
* You may not have prepared yourself for what happens after you finish the diet.
* You may be losing weight for other people.
* You could be relying on willpower alone.
* You lack the skills to succeed.