Findings of a small study revealed that eating a healthy diet may help reduce symptoms of depression. Researchers said that eating healthier is more cost effective compared with medication. ( Jerzy Grecki | Pixabay )

A healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and limited amount of highly processed food products can help reduce symptoms of depression, findings of a new study revealed.

In a small study, researchers found that young adults who have poor diet and depression problems may be able to perk themselves up by adopting a healthier diet.

The researchers divided 76 individuals who scored high on two depression and anxiety scales into either one of two groups: the diet-change group and the habitual-diet group for three weeks.

Those in the diet-change group were instructed to increase their intake of vegetables to five servings per day, fruits to at least two servings per day, whole grains to three servings per day, unsweetened dairy to three servings per day, lean protein to three servings per day, and fish to three servings per week.

They were also urged daily consumption of three tablespoons of nuts and seeds, two tablespoons of olive oil, and one teaspoon each of turmeric and cinnamon and reduced intake of refined carbohydrates, sugars, fatty or processed meats and soft drinks.

After three weeks, the average depression scores of those in the diet-change group improved to normal range, while the score remained elevated or severe in those in the habitual diet group. .

They also felt better after three weeks of healthy eating than when they started.

Study researcher Heather Francis of Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, said eating healthier is more cost effective compared with medications. This alternative treatment method also has 100 percent reach since everybody needs to eat.

"These results are the first to show that young adults with elevated depression symptoms can engage in and adhere to a diet intervention, and that this can reduce symptoms of depression," the researchers wrote.

"The findings provide justification for future research into the duration of these benefits, the impacts of varying diet composition, and their biological basis."

The findings were published in the journal PLoS ONE on Oct. 9.

2018 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

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Healthier Diet May Help Reduce Symptoms Of Depression - Tech Times

Yong-Kuan Jiang,1,* Kai-Yue Xin,2,3,* Hong-Wei Ge,4 Fei-Juan Kong,5,6 Gang Zhao2,7

1Department of Anesthesiology, Ningbo No.6 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, Peoples Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China; 3Department of Cardiology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, Peoples Republic of China; 4Department of Urology, Affiliated Hangzhou First Peoples Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Peoples Republic of China; 5Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China; 6Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Xuhui District Central Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China; 7Department of Cardiology, Kashgar Prefecture Second Peoples Hospital, Kashi, Xinjiang, Peoples Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Fei-Juan KongDepartment of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 100 Haining Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai 200080, Peoples Republic of ChinaTel +86-21-63240090Fax +86-21-63240090Email kongfeijuan@163.comGang ZhaoDepartment of Cardiology, Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, No. 180 Fenglin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai 200032, Peoples Republic of ChinaTel +86-21-64041990 ext. 2745Fax +86-21-64223006Email gangzhao2012@outlook.com

Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a metabolic disorder during mid- to late-pregnancy characterized by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and fetal mal-development. Glucose transporter type 2 (GLUT2) and sodium-coupled glucose cotransporters 2 (SGLT2) in the proximal tubules play a critical role in the reabsorption of glucose and have been linked to the occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Our study was designed to investigate the role of GLUT2 and SGLT2 in the pathogenesis of GDM, which is considered a forerunner of T2DM, and investigate the related molecular mechanism.Methods: High-fat diet (HFD) was utilized to build a GDM mouse model that closely induces metabolic abnormalities similar to human GDM. Body weight, blood glucose and serum insulin were recorded in the experimental process. Glucose tolerance was determined by the use of an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT). In addition, levels of GLUT2 and SGLT2 were evaluated to further explore the underlying mechanism of GDM.Results: HFD feeding induced abnormal glucose metabolism as manifested by increased levels of blood glucose and insulin and prominent glucose intolerance. Additionally, fetal mice from mother feed on HFD showed higher mean body weight. Furthermore, HFD feeding led to an increase in the number of positive cells of GLUT2 and SGLT2 in the renal proximal tubule and the expressions of renal GLUT2 and SGLT2 mRNA and proteins in mice. However, no obvious change was observed in renal morphology.Conclusion: Our study demonstrates a potential involvement of renal GLUT2 and SGLT2 in GDM pathology in an HFD-induced GDM mouse model, which further supports the role of renal GLUT2 and SGLT2 not only in T1DM and T2DM but also in GDM.

Keywords: gestational diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, renal threshold for glucose, GLUT2, SGLT2

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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Upregulation Of Renal GLUT2 And SGLT2 Is Involved In High-Fat Diet-Ind | DMSO - Dove Medical Press

The ketogenic diet promises to promote weight loss by significantly reducing your carb intake and fats in the body. However, some people said the approach failed to help them achieve their desired weight despite months of restricted diet. Why?

This low-carb, high-fat diet encourages people to limit their carb intake. The keto diet focuses on more calories from protein and fat.

Carbs are known for its impact on weight so reducing it should really help you shed some pounds. Keto has been proven effective not just for weight loss but for treating health conditions too, such as epilepsy.

On average, a person should see the effects of keto diet on weight in the first three to six months. This approach promotes a faster fat burning process compared to other diets since it uses more calories to change fat into energy than carbs.

To those who failed to lose some weight, there could be other factors that affected how your body utilized fats and carbs. Your lifestyle, not keto, possibly failed you.

Things To Avoid While On Keto Diet

Poor Fat Intake

Fat plays an important role on the positive effects of keto diet. This approach uses fat to promote weight loss.

Getting the right amounts of fats should give you enough energy and support your hormone function and metabolism. Healthy fat source include animal fats, olive oil and monounsaturated fats, The Times of India reported.

High Consumption Of Dairy

Dairy products are low-carb and high-fat foods, which means they are good options for keto followers. However, avoid too much consumption of these products since they could give more sugar and ruin your diet plan.

Lack Of Water

Water can help manage appetite. It can make you feel fuller even after eating a small portion. Lack of water in the body could slow down metabolism, which may affect how fats are burned while on keto diet.

Sleep Problems

Aside from what you put in your stomach, the keto diets effects also rely on what you do to your body. Lack of sleep at night affects the production of ketone in the body and makes you crave for sugary food or drinks.

Unhealthy Snacking

Keto diet is known for its satisfying effect, which means you should eat less after a meal. A sign that your diet plan is not working is when you eat too much snacks during the day, which could lead to excess calories in your body.

Health experts consider keto diet as helpful to maintain cholesterol levels, blood sugar and brain health. Pixabay

Link:
Keto Diet Tip: Things To Avoid To Ensure Weight Loss - Medical Daily

High blood pressure is prevalent in the UK, with more than one in four people living with it. Most people will not realise they have it, however, as the condition tends to creep up announced. A high blood pressure reading can lead to life-threatening complications such as heart disease. Fortunately, a healthy balanced diet offers a robust defence against high blood pressure.

It is common knowledge that vegetables are an essential component of a healthy, balanced diet, but which are the best kind for lowering blood pressure?

According to Blood Pressure UK, the following vegetables may be the most helpful in lowering blood pressure:

Why? Because they are rich in potassium. Potassium helps to lower blood pressure by countering the negative effects of salt.

The health site explained: Your kidneys help to control your blood pressure by controlling the amount of fluid stored in your body. The more fluid, the higher your blood pressure.

Your kidneys do this by filtering your blood and sucking out any extra fluid, which it then stores in your bladder as urine.

This process uses a delicate balance of sodium and potassium to pull the water across a wall of cells from the bloodstream into a collecting channel that leads to the bladder.

Salt raises the amount of sodium in the bloodstream, disrupting the delicate balance. Eating more fruit and vegetables ups the sodium levels and restores the balance, notes the health body.

This will help your kidneys to work more efficiently - and help to lower your blood pressure to a healthy level, it added.

Underscoring the importance of eating potassium-rich vegetables, research presented at the at the 242nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) suggested that just a couple of servings of potato a day reduces blood pressure almost as much as oatmeal without causing weight gain.

18 patients who were primarily overweight/obese with high blood pressure ate six to eight purple potatoes (each about the size of a golf ball) with skins twice daily for a month.

They used purple potatoes because the pigment, or colouring material, in fruits and vegetables is especially rich in beneficial phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are compounds found in plants that may benefit human health, according to Harvard Health.

Scientists monitored the patients' blood pressure, both systolic (the higher number in a blood pressure reading like 120/80) and diastolic. The average diastolic blood pressure dropped by 4.3 percent and the systolic pressure decreased by 3.5 percent, said Vinson, who is with the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania and has done extensive research on healthful components in foods.

Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure are the numbers used to measure blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure measures the pressure in a persons blood vessels when their heart beats. Diastolic blood pressure measures the pressure in a persons blood vessels when your heart rests between beats.

The majority of subjects took anti-hypertensive medication and still had a reduction in blood pressure. None of the study participants gained weight.

Found out the best drinks to lower blood pressure here.

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High blood pressure: Eat these five vegetables to lower your reading - Express

SHE'S BUILT a multi-million pound wellness business in the form of Goop.

But Gwyneth Paltrow, 47, has been slammed for the website's recommendation for readers to achieve their "leanest liveable weight".

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The quote came from an article on Goop.com - known for its bizarre recommendations including vaginal steaming, camel milk and bee sting facials - which was titled 'Busting Diet Myths' and tag-lined "supported by science".

It featured an interview with American psychologist Dr Traci Mann, who claimed people should aim to be at the lowest end of their genetically-determined healthy "set range".

However, it has been fiercely criticised by a top British scientist who argues it is sending out a "dangerous" message which champions "skinniness" and risks promoting eating disorders like anorexia.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dr Giles Yeo, from Cambridge University, warned that advising to people to be at the "low end" of a weight scale is "irresponsible" since it indicates people should be "as skinny as possible" without dying.

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"This is a dangerous suggestion, as many people will take it to mean they should be as thin as possible," he said.

"It is irresponsible because the idea is so open to misinterpretation, especially for young girls susceptible to eating disorders.

"The problem with many of Goop's recommendations is that they are not based on science, but pseudoscience."

Dr Yeo - who has presented BBC programme 'Trust Me, I'm A Doctor' - is a geneticist with 20 years' experience studying obesity and the brain's control of food intake.

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In response, to criticism about her comments, Dr Mann told the paper that she is "strongly and clearly" opposed to strict dieting and argues that the article is "specifically about not dieting" and "not doing anything unhealthy or extreme".

She adds that "leanest liveable weight" means being your leanest weight without engaging in "strict dieting or unhealthy behaviour".

Gwyneth herself has revealed that she mostly eats a healthy, balanced diet and told Shape she does "one good cleanse a year" to "detox" her body.

However, the actress - who has two teenage children, Apple and Moses, with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin - revealed to Porter that she frequently indulges with "a glass of wine, maybe a baguette dripping in cheese, some fries" and holiday she eats "what I want and theres no exercising, either.

The six early signs of an eating disorder

Losing weight isn't the only sign somone you know could have an eating disorder.

But spotting the signs early is the best way to save lives and help someone get the early diagnosis or treatment they need.

With most UK adults not knowing what to look out for, here's a helpful list of six things to remember:

If you are worried you - or someone you know - is suffering from an eating disorder, you can find out where to get help here: beateatingdisorders.org.uk.

The NHS recommend adults have a body mass index of between 18.5 and 24.9, with women requiring an average of 2,000 calories a day to maintain a healthy body weight.

It comes as it was revealed that Hollywood star Gwyneth is selling 40 "oracle" cards, that tell you when to have sex, via Goop - which is estimated to be worth 198 million.

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And Megan McKenna has opened up about dissolving her lip fillers.

Read more from the original source:
Gwyneth Paltrow is slammed over dangerous diet advice on reaching your leanest liveable weight - The Sun

Sweet potatoes are rich in fibre and sweet to taste. Unlike the common misconception, sweet potatoes can indeed help you with weight loss. They can be eaten as both pre-workout and post-workout snack. If there is a superfood that must be a part of your diet, it is sweet potatoes. A starchy, sweet-tasting root vegetable, sweet potatoes are a rich source fibre. They are a rich source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants beneficial for your health. Highlighting the importance of including sweet potatoes in diet is lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho on Facebook. He talks about potatoes are linked to gain of weight and fat, but that is not entirely true. A lot of people eat potatoes regularly and are not fat, and this is only because of an overall healthy diet and lifestyle.

Sweet potatoes is a root tuber. It has a sweet taste because of maltose, a kind of sugar in sweet potatoes.

1. Sweet potatoes are undoubtedly a superfood. It is inexpensive and easily available. It should be a part of your diet if it suits you, recommends lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho.

Sweet potatoes are inexpensive and easily availablePhoto Credit: iStock

2. Sweet potatoes contain anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are referred to the naturally occurring pigments. They are a sub-category of polyphenols- a group of flavonoids. Luke informs that anthocyanins play an important role in boosting your immunity, preventing and healing cancer, stem cell regeneration, DNA protection and heart health.

Also read:Here's Why You Should Choose Sweet Potatoes Over Regular Potatoes

3. Fibre-rich sweet potatoes are good for microbiome of the gut. Fibre and antioxidants in sweet potatoes can repopulate microbiome of gut and improve gut health.

4. Sweet potatoes are rich in potassium. This makes them an amazing food for people with high blood pressure as potassium negates the effect of sodium. High sodium levels can be dangerous for people with high blood pressure. Sweet potatoes are also rich in magnesium, another important micronutrient for high blood pressure patients.

5. This makes sweet potatoes heart-friendly.

6. The tuber is also a rich source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B5 and B7.

7. Gut health benefits of sweet potatoes make them great for giving a boost to digestion. Including it in your diet can reduce indigestion, acidity, bloating and flatulence.

Also read:This Fibre-Rich Snack Can Help You Lose Weight; Even Better It Can Manage High Blood Pressure

8. Sweet potatoes are also be known to behealing foods. Luke informs that athletes often eat sweet potatoes before and after their workout, and even with their main meals.

You can eat sweet potatoes as a pre-workout and post-workout snackPhoto Credit: iStock

9. Sweet potatoes can be included in weight loss diet. They can work as great pre-workout snack as well. You can have a small bowl of sweet potatoes along with some nuts and seeds half an hour or one hour before your workout to feel energetic and pumped up. The same meal can also be consumed for recover after a workout.

10. Sweet potatoes are rich in Vitamin A, which makes it great for your eyes.

11. Women who have fertility issues can benefit by including sweet potatoes in your diet. Other fertility boosting foods include avocado and extra virgin olive oil.

12. Antioxidants and anthocyanins are great for your brain health as well.

Also read:These Two Foods Should Definitely Be In Your Diet If You Are On A Weight Loss Program

(Luke Coutinho, Holistic Lifestyle Coach - Integrative Medicine)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

Get Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.

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Sweet Potatoes For Weight Loss: 12 Reasons Why You Must Include This Superfood In Your Diet - NDTV News

They are often thought of as the perfect pets for children: cute, fluffy and low-maintenance. But many of the UKs 1.5 million domestic rabbits lead miserable, disease-ridden lives, research has shown.

Overgrown nails and teeth, gut stasis and dirty backsides which can result from poor diets and lead to myiasis were some of the most common conditions found in a study of over 6,000 rabbits taken to vets.

The Royal Veterinary College also found collapse and flystrike a condition caused by flies laying eggs onto the rabbits fur which then hatch into maggots and eat its flesh among the most common causes of death.

Anorexia, which can occur due to conditions such as dental diseases, stomach ulcers or respiratory issues, was also a common cause.

Dan ONeill, a vet who co-authored the research, said the idea that rabbits only needed minimal care and handling while being fed muesli-type food in a hutch was misguided.

We now know that this level of care is completely unacceptable from a welfare perspective, he said, adding that rabbits should not be kept in isolation.

Rabbits dont exhibit their suffering like other species so it behoves all of us to prevent and recognise their problems.

The study also revealed that the average lifespan of pet rabbits was 4.3 years, although one was recorded as living to 14.4 years.

Domestic rabbits have been kept in Britain since the 1800s, and are now one of the nations most popular pets. To date, there are 60 breeds recognised by the British Rabbit Council and over 500 varieties.

Concern has previously been raised about Lionhead rabbits, which are prone to dental problems which can lead to loss of appetite. Their flatter faces, which are often perceived as cute, can also cause breathing difficulties.

Joanna Hedley, another vet and co-author of the research, added: Many of the key medical issues are still problems that we should be able to completely prevent by appropriate husbandry, diet and health checks.

Better owner education is necessary if we are to improve rabbit health and welfare in future years.

A recent report by the Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), found that while pet rabbits are social animals in need of company, over half 54% in the UK were kept alone.

It also found three-quarters of owners didnt know their pets current weight or body condition score, while 28% of rabbits were being kept in a hutch or cage that was too small.

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Domestic rabbits plagued by diseases and poor diets study - The Guardian