Yo-yo dieting might actually make people healthy, despite the huge amounts of criticism directed towards them, according to an expert.

Repeated crash diets might be best compared to going to the dentist, according to US biostatisticianDavid Allison. In the same way, the extreme slimming method ensures that people get healthier even if they gradually move away from that again.

Dr Allison found that in tests on mice, repeated diets didn't seem to do much harm. In fact, those that went on yo-yo diets actually lived longer than those who stayed obese.

In keeping with that, Dr Allison said that the technique might actually serve a useful way for many people to keep fit.

Dr Allison, from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, said: "If you go the dentist for your six month evaluation, they find there's some plaque around your teeth and scrape it off, and then they give you a toothbrush and piece of string and send you out and say keep up the good work.

"And six months later, guess what, the plaque is back on. Just like weight loss. Nobody says dentistry is a failure. They say that's okay."

Speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, he added: "We think it's probably not a bad idea to lose weight even if you are going to gain it back and redo it every few years."

Around two in three British adults have body mass indexes (BMIs) that classify them as overweight or obese. Excess weight increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes, liver disease and some cancers.

Leading nutritionist Susan Jebb, Professor of Diet and Population Health at Oxford University pointed out that it was better to try losing weight than to do nothing.

She said: "I agree with the notion that losing weight is generally worthwhile, even if you put the weight back on again.

"We have good evidence from long-term follow up studies after controlled intervention studies in humans that there is a benefit."

But Professor Tim Spector, from King's College, London, author of The Diet Myth, spoke out strongly against yo-yo dieting.

He said: "Data in humans shows that yo-yo dieting makes you gain weight long-term. In our twin study of 5,000 twins, the yo-yo dieter was usually heavier long-term than the identical twin who didn't diet."

A recent Israeli study in mice had linked yo-yo dieting to a massive change in gut microbe population that permanently altered energy regulation, said Prof Spector.

The bugs caused obesity when transplanted into other mice.

"So the evidence for me shows crash calorie restriction dieting is to be avoided at all costs," said Prof Spector.

Scientists at the meeting also warned that obesity can be socially contagious, so that mingling with people who are putting on weight increases the risk of following their example.

Conversely, spending time in the gym with a friend encouraged more healthy behaviour.

Dr Allison said: "One way people have thought about manipulating these social networks is through intervention programmes ... So you and your buddy come in and get the treatment together."

Additional reporting by Press Association

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Yo-yo dieting might actually be good for people even if they end up gaining weight back, expert says - The Independent

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Social media plea brings in oodles of special KD noodles for autistic BC boy Vancouver Sun Reed Botwright put out a call on social media last week when he and his wife could not track down any more boxes of Star Wars Kraft Dinner, one of the only foods their six-year-old son Everett will eat. Everett is on the autism spectrum and began ... Social media plea brings in loads of special Kraft Dinner for autistic Nanaimo boyTimes Colonist all 16 news articles »

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Social media plea brings in oodles of special KD noodles for autistic BC boy - Vancouver Sun

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ THE MAX Challenge, one of the nations fastest growing fitness concepts, is excited to announce the opening of a new location. THE MAX Challenge of East Brunswick has relocated to a standalone facility and is accepting registrations for its exciting 10 Week Challenge.

A comprehensive 10-week body and mind renewal program, The MAX Challenge combines a structured workout regimen with an easy-to-follow nutritional guide to help achieve and sustain optimal health and fitness. The program promotes a slow and systematic approach toward attaining physical success by educating members on the impact a balanced nutritional diet and positive mental attitude have on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

All participants are provided with a certified MAX Instructor who is present at all times to ensure that members execute each exercise safely and efficiently. Additionally, instructors alternate exercise routines daily to avoid monotony and to ensure that members remain fully engaged, and most importantly, enjoy the time they spend reaching the peak of their physical abilities.

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Our goal is to make our members not only healthier people, but happier people, stated Mikki Curcio, Owner of THE MAX Challenge of East Brunswick. We are elated to open our new store, and look forward to this expansion which will allow us to change even more lives with our unique body renewal system.

To learn more about THE MAX Challenge, or to become a franchisee, please visit http://www.themaxchallenge.com.

About The MAX Challenge

The MAX Challenge is a 10-week body renewal system designed to help members make fast and lasting changes to their health, appearance, and fitness levels. The MAX Challenge members achieve great results by receiving a combination of nutritional counseling, fitness classes, and motivation provided by trained MAX Challenge instructors. There are over 50 MAX Challenge locations throughout New York, New Jersey, California, Texas, Georgia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Florida as well as many additional units in the opening stage.

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THE MAX Challenge of East Brunswick Announces Grand Opening of Standalone Center - TAPinto.net

istock/GlobalStockSure, you know you should cut down on the salt if you have high blood pressure and bad LDL cholesterol, but its tough to know what a healthy, low-sodium diet should look like. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet was designed to help lower blood pressure and LDL, not weight loss.

The DASH diet is simple and doesnt require calorie-counting or overly restricting food choices. The general guidelines include:

On average, a person following the DASH diet will drop systolic blood pressure (the upper number in a reading) by about 10mmHg, says Nieca Goldberg, MD, cardiologist and medical director of the Joan H. Tisch Center for Womens Health at NYU Langone Medical Center. Thats really quite dramatic, she says. In comparison, dieting for weight loss gives just a 3mmHg reduction, says Dr. Goldberg.

If you follow the DASH diet, cut sodium down to 1,500 mg a day, and exercise, you could even lower blood pressure up to a whopping 25mmHg, says Martha Gulati, MD, cardiologist at The University of Arizona and editor-in-chief of cardiosmart.org. There are very few medications, even in the highest doses, that reduce blood pressure that much, she says. By changing your lifestyle, you might be able to cut down on the number of medications you needor even stop taking them entirely, says Dr. Gulati.

Even if you know you should cut down on salt, you might not realize how bad the problem is. The average American eats 3,400 mg of salt a day, says Dr. Goldberg. Thats entirely too much, she says. By focusing on fresh foods instead of processed ones, the DASH diet minimizes salt without sacrificing flavor.

One of the main factors driving the DASH diets success is its emphasis on produce. Fruits and veggies are packed with important nutrients, and the potassium, magnesium, and calcium can actually counteract sodiums blood pressure-raising effects, says Dr. Gulati. Eat a rainbow diet, she says. The more colors are in it, the more vitamins and minerals youre probably getting, and youre also getting more fiber. Stick with fresh produce when you can. Cannedand sometimes even frozenvegetables can be sneaky sources of sodium, so read the label first. If you are opening a can of veggies or beans, she recommends rinsing the contents under cold water to wash away some of the extra sodium.

Whole grains also contain beneficial potassium, magnesium and calcium, and could help keep you satisfied on the produce-heavy DASH diet. But remember: Not all grains are created equal. Simple carbohydrates, like white rice, pasta, and processed cereals, dont have much nutritional value because their natural fiber and nutrients are removed during processing. Youre looking for more complex carbohydrates, says Dr. Gulati. They take longer for the body to digest, and lower cholesterol, and are more filling than a simple carbohydrate. Look for labels that say 100 percent whole grain or 100 percent whole wheat, she says.

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The DASH diet calls for low-fat and fat-free dairy, which are chock-full of calcium to lower blood pressure. Just be mindful that some products replace the fat with other unhealthy additives. You have to read the food labels because things like cottage cheese and some low-fat cheese are higher in salt, says Dr. Goldberg.

Six or fewer ounces of lean meat, poultry, and fish a day might not sound like a lot, but that should be plenty of protein to power you through the day. Contrary to what people think, you dont need a large amount of protein if youre not an extreme athlete, says Dr. Gulati. Six ounces isnt going to take up half your plateit will be a small portion of your plate. By cutting down on meat, youll reduce your intake of bad saturated fat, which could raise your cholesterol if you eat too much, says Dr. Goldberg. Swap for fish, though, and youll get a rich source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids instead. Cut the skin off poultry, and grill or bake fish instead of frying to keep your protein sources healthy, says Dr. Goldberg.

The DASH diet is easy to follow when youre cooking for yourself, says Dr. Gulati, but eating out can throw you off. Restaurant food is notoriously salty and fatty, but some simple modifications can make your meal healthier. Premade soups and sauces are hard to adjust, but request that the chef doesnt add any additional salt or cook your dish in butter, she says. Add spices and herbs if you crave more flavor. Subbing balsamic vinegar and olive oil for premade dressings, and saying no to the bread basket are other easy ways to cut down sodium. You have more control in restaurants than you realize, says Dr. Gulati. Youre paying for ityou should ask for it to be done the way you want it.

MORE: 8 Things That Happen to Your Body When You Dont Eat Enough Fruits and Veggies

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Stick to This Diet to Lower Blood Pressureand Finally Get Off Medication - Reader's Digest

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The Living Conditions Survey, organized in part by three national universities, also found that 83 percent of Venezuelans were below the nations poverty line.

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While 78 percent of respondents confirmed that they eat breakfast, only 32 percent said they eat two meals a day.

A combination of socialist economic mismanagement, government rationing of basic goods, and corruption have contributed to the situation in which Venezuela currently finds itself. For years, finding supermarkets properly stocked with basics such as flour, vegetable oil, and butter has been an odyssey for most Venezuelans. Under Hugo Chvezs successor, Nicols Maduro, the situation has become more desperate, with many Venezuelans resorting to extreme measures to survive.

A poll released in September found that 15 percent of the nation relied on garbage, most from industrial businesses like groceries and restaurants, to eat. Over half of Venezuelans said they had experienced going to bed hungry, and a similar amount said they were forced to take days off from work to search for food.

That situation has not improved on the contrary, video surfacing this year appears to indicate that scavenging in garbage dumpsters for food has become so popular that Venezuelans now stand in line in front of dumpsters to look for food.

Venezuelans have begun sharing their findings of garbage piles with high potential for containing sustenance on social media.

Venezuelans eating rotting food risk their health on a regular basis, and incidents of entire families dying due to eating old or rotted food have occurred.

Desperation has also fed crime in one of the most violent countries in the world. The Miami-basedEl Nuevo Herald published a report last month detailing new robbery tactics growing increasingly popular among Venezuelan youth. Gang attacks on people leaving markets have become more common, while thefrequency of robberies in general increased between 15 and 20 percent in most municipalities nationwide in 2016.

Maduro has responded to the growing threat of famine with a number of measures that appear to have worsened the situation. Last year, Maduro ordered the military to take full control of the nations food supply. Soldiers in charge of the food subsequently began demanding bribes to ship it around the country. When they were not paid, the food sat in docked cargo ships, rotting on many occasions and worsening the scarcity.

Maduro also created a government unit called the CLAP (Local Committee for Supply and Production) to monitor the distribution of food packages in urban areas.Anti-socialist groups have accused the CLAP of distributing the food only to known government supporters and threatening not to feed households that have expressed opposition to socialism.

Maduro announced this week that he would expand the CLAP program to government salaries, meaning government workers would be paid with CLAP food packages. In some cases, government workers would receive ration tickets to be used at government-controlled markets for food.

A food ticket is not a salary, protested Miranda state governor Henrique Capriles Radonski, an opposition politician. He added that the tickets may soon be worthless thanks to hyperinflation: What does someone do when 100,000 bolvars in food tickets disappear thanks to inflation, because the price of food goes up every day?

Maduro has previously joked that his mismanagement of the economy has made Venezuelans fitter and more sexually virile. Referring to Maduros diet in September, the head of state said on national television, Maduros diet gets you hard no need for Viagra!

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'Maduro Diet': 3 Out of 4 Venezuelans Lost 'At Least 19 Pounds' in 2016 - Breitbart News

KNWA - Most parents say they know the importance of nutrition, but only one-third think they're doing a good job at helping kids eat healthy.

A new University of Michigan poll found half of parents believe their children eat mostly healthy, but only one in six consider their kids' diets to be very nutritious. One in five parents don't think it's important to limit junk food. Experts say price, picky eating and convenience are the most common reasons that kids develop unhealthy eating habits.

For those adults hoping to keep the pounds off, health experts say maintaining the weight you want could be as easy as a few phone calls. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin looked at two groups over a 56 week period. One group had consistent follow-up phone calls and visits with dietitians, the other group did not. The group that kept in touch did better in keeping the weight off. The group that did not keep in touch put on more than five pounds on average.

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Sticking to a Nutritious Diet - KNWA