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Rates of obesity have been on the rise in the United States for all ages and genders, but there are a few groups of people that are affected more than others. Among adult men and women, the African American and Latino populations have substantially higher rates of obesity. Across the nation, approximately 38 percent of adults are obese, but the rate rises to 48 percent among African Americans and to 42 percent among Latinos.

Genetic predisposition, cultural differences and changes in diet, socioeconomics, and access to health care all impact the obesity rate, which is why its important to know which lifestyle changes can help you stay healthy. Start by making small, healthy changes to your diet every day, such as picking fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables and incorporating whole grain choices instead of white bread. Sleep can affect your emotional and physical health, and you should try to fit in at least six to eight hours of sleep a night. Exercise is also an important part of a healthy lifestyle, and you should aim for 30 minutes of activity, five times a week.

Obesity can lead to co-morbid conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obstructive sleep apnea and many others. Making sure you eat proper portions and include the right variety of foods in your diet can be difficult, and often, the guidance of a dietitian can get people on the right track. Cone Health has an exceptional network of primary care providers and registered dietitians dedicated to helping patients develop and maintain healthy, balanced diets that work for them and fit into their lifestyles.

Spokesperson Background:

Janece Moore is a family nurse practitioner at Triad Internal Medicine Associates and a member of Cone Health Medical Group. She earned a bachelors degree in nursing from Winston-Salem State University in 2001. Janece also earned her masters degree in nursing with a concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner from Winston-Salem State University in 2012. She holds an American Nurses Credentialing Center certification and is a member of the local chapter, Greensboro Nurse Practitioner Association.

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Minority Health: Obesity - myfox8.com

American Heart Association News (AP)

One or more artificially sweetened drinks a day was associated with higher risk of stroke and dementia, a new study suggests.

The research, published Thursday in the science journal Stroke, examined consumption of beverages sweetened with sugar and artificial sweeteners but did not find that same association with sugary beverages. The results, however, come with a host of caution flags raised by experts. They say the study does not even hint that regular sugary drinks are better for you, or even that artificially sweetened drinks were associated with higher risk of strokes or dementia.

The studys lead author said the observational study shows an association or trend in a group of people and not a direct cause-and-effect link. Its more hypothesis-generating.

The jury is still out, and this just shows people need to be cautious, said Matthew Pase, Ph.D., a fellow in the department of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine and an investigator at the Framingham Heart Study.

Previous studies have looked at artificial sweeteners impact on stroke risk. Pase believes this is the first study to look at its association with risk of dementia and he hopes the work will spur more research into the effects of these sweeteners on the brain.

Researchers analyzed the self-reported diets of two sets of people participating in the Framingham Heart Study, the longest-running heart study in the U.S., funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and run in partnership with Boston University. The study examined beverage intake of 2,888 people over the age of 45 for its stroke analysis and 1,484 people over the age of 60 for the studys dementia analyses.

Over seven years, researchers used food frequency questionnaires up to three different points in time. They then followed up for the next 10 years to determine who developed stroke and dementia.

At the end of the follow-up period, researchers counted 97 strokes, or 3 percent of the participants in the stroke analysis arm of the study. Of those, 82 were ischemic. The study found 81 cases of dementia, or 5 percent of the participants in the dementia arm of the study. Of those, 63 were diagnosed as Alzheimers disease.

The study found that people who reported drinking at least one artificially sweetened drink a day compared with less than one a week were 2.96 times as likely to have an ischemic stroke, caused by blood vessel blockage, and 2.89 times as likely to be diagnosed with dementia due to Alzheimers disease. The results were adjusted for variables such as age, sex, caloric intake, diet quality, physical activity and smoking.

Pase and other researchers say the work points clearly to the need to investigate the possible biological reasons artificial sweeteners might affect the brain and the need for more experimental and clinical trials.

We need to be cautious in the interpretation of these results, said Rachel K. Johnson, Ph.D., past chair of the American Heart Associations Nutrition Committee and professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont. It doesnt prove cause and effect. When you see these kinds of associations, you want to always ask what is the biological plausibility, what is the mechanism that might be causing this?

But, Johnson said, there is a part of the issue that is settled science.

We have a robust body of literature on the adverse effects of sugary drinks. Absolutely the message is not to switch to sugary drinks, she said.

Studies linking added sugars and conditions that lead to cardiovascular disease the No. 1 cause of death in the world have been around for years. Diets high in added sugars have been connected to heart risk factors such as obesity and high blood pressure.

In 2012, the AHA and the American Diabetes Association issued a scientific statement on the use of artificial sweeteners, saying "that when used judiciously, [artificial sweeteners] could facilitate reductions in added sugars intake. The statement called for further research on non-nutritive sweeteners and cardiovascular risk but noted that limiting added sugars is an important strategy for supporting optimal nutrition and healthy weights.

Consumers shouldnt overinterpret the latest studys results, said Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., director of Nutrition Studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and a professor of medicine at Stanford University. Gardner was lead author on the 2012 statement.

Its a tricky thing, said Gardner, who leads research into how people can optimize their diets. Nobody ever said diet sodas were a health food.

For many people, such as people with diabetes or obesity, he said, diet sodas can be part of the gradual switch from sugary drinks.

So, the bottom line is, Have more water and have less diet soda, he said. And dont switch to real soda.

Pase, who studies how people can change behavior or diet to prevent dementia, said people need to be skeptical when deciding whether to select something with artificial sweeteners or real sugar.

Just because a beverage is advertised as being healthy because it doesnt have any sugar doesnt mean that it is healthy, Pase said. Artificial sweeteners may have effects in the body that we havent begun to explore.

Read more:
A diet soda a day might affect dementia risk, study suggests - The Columbus Dispatch

Cutting out certain amino acids the building blocks of proteins from the diet of mice slows tumour growth and prolongs survival, according to new researchpublished in Nature.

Our findings suggest that restricting specific amino acids through a controlled diet plan could be an additional part of treatment for some cancer patients in future, helping to make other treatments more effective." -Dr Oliver Maddocks

Researchers at the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute and the University of Glasgow found that removing two non-essential amino acids serine and glycine from the diet of mice slowed the development of lymphoma and intestinal cancer.

The researchers also found that the special diet made some cancer cells more susceptible to chemicals in cells called reactive oxygen species.

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy boost levels of these chemicals in the cells, so this research suggests a specially formulated diet could make conventional cancer treatments more effective.

The next stage would be to set up clinical trials with cancer patients to assess the feasibility and safety of such a treatment.

Dr Oliver Maddocks, a Cancer Research UK scientist at the University of Glasgow, said: Our findings suggest that restricting specific amino acids through a controlled diet plan could be an additional part of treatment for some cancer patients in future, helping to make other treatments more effective.

Professor Karen Vousden, Cancer Research UKs chief scientist and study co-author, said: This kind of restricted diet would be a short term measure and must be carefully controlled and monitored by doctors for safety. Our diet is complex and protein - the main source of all amino acids - is vital for our health and well-being. This means that patients cannot safely cut out these specific amino acids simply by following some form of home-made diet.

Amino acids are the building blocks that cells need to make proteins. While healthy cells are able to make sufficient serine and glycine, cancer cells are much more dependent on getting these vital amino acids from the diet.

However, the study also found that the diet was less effective in tumours with an activated Kras gene, such as most pancreatic cancer, because the faulty gene boosted the ability of the cancer cells to make their own serine and glycine. This could help to select which tumours could be best targeted by diet therapy.

Dr Emma Smith, science communication manager at Cancer Research UK, said: This is a really interesting look at how cutting off the supply of nutrients essential to cancer cell growth and division could help restrain tumours.

The next steps are clinical trials in people to see if giving a specialised diet that lacks these amino acids is safe and helps slow tumour growth as seen in mice. Wed also need to work out which patients are most likely to benefit, depending on the characteristics of their cancer.

Read this article:
Amino acids in diet could be key to starving cancer | Cancer ... - Cancer Research UK

MATTHEW SALMONS

Last updated16:15, April 22 2017

Matthew Salmons/FAIRFAX NZ

Only one in ten hawks brought into the North Canterbury bird rescue centre survives. Most of the birds brought in have been hit by cars.

A lucky kahu(harrier hawk) from Eyrewell,North Canterbury, returned home on Friday, but Oxford Bird Rescue (OBR) says many won't be so fortunate.

OBR's Scott Bowman said about one in 10 hawks brought in after being injured would survive, and he expected to see more than usual this year.

Over the last six years, OBR and Canterbury Raptor Rescue (now part of OBR) had cared for more than 700 hawks, with 10 per cent released back into the wild.

Matthew Salmons/Fairfax NZ

Scott Bowman checking the hawk before release.

Hawks were moving back to a diet ofcarrion Bowman said, as their usual food sources young rabbits and fledgling birds were maturing and becoming a "bit more canny".

Matthew Salmons/Fairfax NZ

The sharp beak and vicious claws of the predatory harrier hawk.

The younger hawks were less likely to be able to judge the speed of oncoming vehicles as they tucked into a meal of road kill.

"Abig part of their problem is disengaging their rear talons can be quite slow. As they move forward to fly off, if they don't roll their foot enough their foot gets stuck in the carrion, which results in them generally being clipped."

Bowman said that "like anything", hawks came off second best when colliding with a car and encouraged drivers to slow down and give hawks a chance to take off safely.

Matthew Salmons/Fairfax NZ

Another hawk recuperating in the Bowman's aviary.

He said he would also encourage people to move carrion off the roads, giving hawks a safe meal.

OBR was gearing up for a bumper season of hawks this year, as last year's breeding season had been good for all birds.

"We're going to see quite a few. We're not even in winter yet and we've already had quite a number come in, five this week."

Matthew Salmons/Fairfax NZ

This hawk was not happy about his pre-release check.

Broken wings, legs andinternal bleeding were common injuries for the hawks brought into OBR, who in turn would take them for treatment at a vet or wildlife hospital.

"Even though they look like quite a solid bird, like all birds they're pretty delicate," Bowman said.

The lucky hawk released on Friday was brought into OBR by Eyrewell farmer Michelle Hayward on February 11 with a broken wing.

Matthew Salmons/Fairfax NZ

Michelle Hayward and Scott Bowman preparing to release the hawk from the carry case.

Hayward said she found the hawk in a paddock where calves were grazing.

"My dog found it, I think he thought it was one of the calves. I went over and I was like 'oh shit, what's he got?'."

The hawk was not injured by the dog, Bowman said, but had likely been hit by a car.

Matthew Salmons/Fairfax NZ

Michelle Hayward shows Scott Bowman where she found the hawk.

"The South Island Wildlife Hospital did most of the work with this one. Pauline, the head vet, pinned the break, did the physio and handed the bird back to us to do the last part of the rehab," Bowman said.

Hayward said hawks were a useful bird for farmers, as they drove off other birds which might affect growing feed crop.

"We used to have pidgeon problem. I just wish they'd clear out those bloody magpies."

-Stuff

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Lucky hawk back home - The Press

Rosemary Ferguson

Before Easter I noticed a definite increase in the amount of chocolate coming into the house I also noticed that was the one eating most of it! Im not talking about the raw, high-cacao type, Im talking about the milky, chocolatey, super-sweet type the type that once you start eating, you cant stop.

Over the period of a few weeks this really crept up on me and I realised that I was going to the freezer armed with a spoon for a sneaky scoop of ice cream here and there, as well as eating way more chocolate than normal. The more I ate, the more I wanted; the substance driving my craving was not the chocolate, nor the ice cream, but obviously the sugar!

It is common knowledge that sugar is addictive. It hits the dopamine and serotonin sensors in the brain which, in turn, promotes feelings of reward and wellbeing. Scientific studies have shown that sugar is a substance that is as addictive as some class A drugs; so in light of this and it being compounded by the joys of Easter, it struck me that its no wonder that many of us find ourselves in a sugar-craving spiral.

Eating loads of sugar will very simply make you feel knackered, will make your skin dull and you will probably start to gain weight. You will experience medium-to-extreme blood sugar spikes and crashes which create unstable energy levels - all of which will leave you feeling pretty despondent. The question is, how to break the cycle of craving?

Firstly bear in mind that taste buds change. They naturally renew every two weeks, so if you can overcome your cravings for sugar long enough you will find that sugary, sweet foods do not tempt you nearly as much. In addition to your sense of taste changing, the longer you avoid refined sugars the less your brain will ask for it. You will start feeling much brighter than you did, and this will encourage you to carry on.

Small steps create big changes but I understand that sometimes you need (what I call in my clinic) a quick fix - a speedy way to get you back on track. This is what I did to break my sugar cycle: I did a two to three-day liquid detox. By liquid day I mean soups and vegetable-heavy smoothies. In a nutshell, you should simply avoid alcohol, caffeine and refined processed foods for three days before the detox, and it helps to make sure you have a relatively quiet calendar.

Rosemary Ferguson

You can use all vegetables including roots but not potatoes and an apple or a small piece of fruit for the smoothie, with lemons and limes. You should also add some protein into your soup, like lean chicken, fish, beans or pulses. Drink lots of water and herbal tea.

When weaning yourself off the dreaded white stuff, you can help your body along by increasing the mineral chromium in your diet, which helps normalise blood sugar levels. You will find chromium in foods such as sweet potato, broccoli, oats and green beans, but if you are really struggling then you can safely supplement up to 100 mcg of chromium a day - if you are unsure then you should ask a nutritionist like me or another healthcare professional.

A final sugar-balancing hero is cinnamon sprinkle it on everything. It will help to keep you stable and help keep those crashes and cravings at bay.

And remember, with chocolate its much better to run a marathon than eat a Snickers

Excerpt from:
Rosemary Ferguson On Managing Your Post-Easter Sugar Intake - Vogue.co.uk