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If you want to support the health and wellness of kids, stop focusing on their weight – Yahoo News

Posted: October 12, 2021 at 1:53 am

Since the pandemic started, people of all ages have gained weight. At the same time, the rate at which youth and young adults are seeking treatment for eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa and binge eating disorder, has increased.

While the reasons for these changes are complex, pandemic-related stress and weight bias the belief that a thin body is good and healthy, while a large body is bad and unhealthy are prominent contributors.

As researchers who study health behaviors and are also parents of young children, we often see health research and health initiatives that place a disproportionate emphasis on weight.

Thats a problem for two big reasons.

First, it draws attention away from better predictors of chronic disease and strategies to address these factors. Although a high body mass index, or BMI, is one risk factor for various chronic diseases, it is only one of many, and far from the strongest. And while moderate weight loss does reduce chronic disease risk for some people, about 80% of individuals who manage to lose weight regain it. The other 20% describe their ongoing efforts to maintain their weight loss as stressful and exhausting.

Second, disproportionate emphasis on weight reinforces weight bias. Weight bias, in turn, contributes to weight-related discrimination, like bullying and teasing, which is common among youth. Across diverse samples surveyed, 25% to 50% of children and adolescents report being teased or bullied about their body size, and these experiences are linked to disordered eating and depression, as well as poorer academic performance and health.

To best support the physical and emotional health of children during this pandemic, we suggest reducing the emphasis on body size. Below are some specific tips for parents, teachers and medical providers.

When asked, children and adults with larger bodies consistently indicate that these are the least preferred and most stigmatizing terms to talk about body size, while weight and body mass are the most preferred.

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So, consider modeling less stigmatizing language. For example, if your teen refers to her friend as overweight, respond by saying, Yes, your friend does have a larger body. Likewise, if your doctor refers to your child as obese, ask them to share their body mass index percentile instead. Or, better yet, ask them not to talk about weight at all which leads us to our next recommendation.

Physical activity, eating habits and emotional support from friends and family are stronger predictors of disease and death than BMI, and all of these have been greatly affected by COVID-19.

Considering that behavioral weight loss programs are ineffective for the majority of people, we recommend focusing on behaviors that are more easily changed and have stronger influences on health and well-being. Regular physical activity, for example, improves mood and lowers risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, even in the absence of weight loss.

Building and sustaining new health behaviors can be challenging. Parents are more likely to be successful if they start by setting realistic goals that include the whole family rather than singling out one child based on their body size.

Like adults, kids enjoy activities more when they have a say in the activity. So let them choose whenever possible. There are additional physical and mental health benefits if these activities are done outdoors.

Weight bias stems in large part from the belief that individuals are responsible for their body size, and if they are unable to lose weight or keep it off, they are deserving of blame and ridicule. These beliefs may contribute to an increased risk of disordered eating in children through parental behaviors like overly restrictive feeding practices and negative comments about weight.

Parents are also greatly affected by this bias, reporting guilt and sadness for their perceived contributions to their childs weight.

We suggest that parents challenge weight bias by acknowledging that quite literally hundreds of factors outside of a persons immediate control contribute to body size, including genetics, racism and trauma, and environmental factors, like levels of crime and proximity to green space and recreational facilities.

Weight is the No. 1 reason youth are teased, according to a large sample of teenagers in the United States. However, weight bias is lower in schools where body weight is part of anti-bullying policies. Consider talking with your childs principal, attending the next PTA meeting and advocating for the inclusion of weight discrimination into existing bullying policies.

If your child is being teased, get curious. Ask them how they feel about it. Acknowledge that weight discrimination is a very real phenomenon. Do not take this time to encourage weight loss. Instead, help your child appreciate their body as it is. Then, talk with their teacher. Schools who have teachers who are willing to intervene have less bullying.

And if your child is struggling, consider working with a mental health professional, in-person or remotely. During the pandemic, there has been a twelvefold increase in psychologists in the United States providing care remotely, and although there are some reported challenges like finding a private, quiet space youth in treatment for eating disorders describe an appreciation for the accessibility, convenience and comfort of this approach.

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Youth who spend more time on social networking sites feel more dissatisfied with their bodies and engage in more disordered eating. Furthermore, more than half of adolescents surveyed reported increased experiences with weight discrimination on these sites during the pandemic.

Of course, social media isnt all bad. Research suggests that it may depend on how youth engage with these sites, with photo-based activities being most closely linked to disordered eating symptoms.

Parents can help their children learn to notice when posting and viewing photos or following appearance-focused influencers leaves them feeling bad or comparing their body to others, and encourage them to take a break. They can also suggest that they consider unfollowing those accounts and instead seek out people who inspire them, make them laugh and help them feel empowered.

The last year and a half has been hard. As people consider how to resume some of their pre-COVID activities, it is our hope that food and movement can help families and communities to reconnect and feel good. Our bodies have carried us through an extremely trying time and are deserving of respect and kindness.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Nichole Kelly, University of Oregon; Elizabeth Budd, University of Oregon, and Nicole Giuliani, University of Oregon.

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Nichole Kelly receives funding from the University of Oregon and the National Institutes of Health for research focused on children's health behaviors and mental health. She has no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Elizabeth Budd receives funding from the National Institutes of Health for research related to promoting COVID-19 testing and other preventive behaviors among Latinx communities and from the University of Oregon for research focused on children's and adolescents' health behaviors and health outcomes. She has no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Nicole Giuliani receives funding from the University of Oregon, the National Institutes of Health, and the Medical Research Foundation of Oregon for research focused on parental influences on child self-regulation and related health behaviors. She has no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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If you want to support the health and wellness of kids, stop focusing on their weight - Yahoo News

How This Man Lost 25 Pounds and Got Shredded in Just 12 Weeks – menshealth.com

Posted: October 12, 2021 at 1:53 am

Bernardo Barbosa, 31, shares with Men's Health how he transformed his body and his mind after making some lifestyle changes post-Covid.

Following the end of a relationship in the middle of the pandemic, I realized I wasn't happy. I was no longer the confident, outgoing guy that people were used to. I'd reached a real low point, which then affected my friendships and relationships, and I knew I wanted to make a positive change.

I signed up for a 12-week transformation program at Ultimate Performance Manchester, and started working out with my trainer, Christian. With someone on your side, it is so much easier to stay motivated: they are there to push you when you think you cannot do it. We only trained three times per week, in hour-long, full-body sessions. For the first four weeks, I did these workouts remotely, and then after I started to lose weight and see promising results, I joined Christian in the gym.

I overhauled my entire diet and nutrition. I weighed all the food I ate and started paying attention to the times when I was consuming caffeine, how much water I was drinking, and especially to my macros per meal. I cannot say I had a bad diet before, but I didnt necessarily know what I was eating, and what my body needed in order to develop. I was doing the standard diet that everyone does when they are looking to develop their bodybut I learned that each body needs a different approach.

Over the course of 12 weeks, I went from 158 pounds to 132 pounds, a total loss of 26 pounds. I also cut my body fat by 4.6 percent.

In the beginning, it wasn't easy. I lost a lot of weight, and my friends and family were not used to see me like that. It was a complicated process when you do that for the first time and when you are not used to managing your macros, going up or down when needed. But after my photoshoot, everyone was shocked by the difference.

It was definitely more a non-physical change than a bodily change. With this experience, a workout is important, but it a small fraction of our whole transformation.I gained a lot more confidence, and I got more active during the day with more energy. But most importantly, I feel happier with myself. My next goal is to enter a bodybuilding competition, Mens Physique, in 2022. I will apply everything I have learned during my time at Ultimate Performance to keep improving myself.

If you are at the start of your own fitness journey, I would highly recommending getting the help of someone trained, who can help you to understand exactly what your body needs Dont think it will be an easy process, and stay focused on what you want to achieve.

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Adele Opens Up About Divorce, Weight Loss, and Why Beyonc Definitely Should Have Won Album of the Year Grammy – Complex

Posted: October 12, 2021 at 1:53 am

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With Adeles long-awaited comeback finally on the horizon, the singer-songwriter opened up about her divorce and much more in a cover story forBritish Vogue. Writer Giles Hattersley notes the artisthasnt spoken to a journalist since 2016, the year after her monumental25album arrived.

Adele filed for divorce from Simon Konecki in 2019,finalizingthe process in March of this year. The 33-year-olds new album30is expected to broach the topic, and she got candid about how the split impacted her relationship with her andKoneckis young sonAngelo James.

My son has had a lot of questions. Really good questions, really innocent questions, that I just dont have an answer for. Why cant you still live together? she said. I just felt like I wanted to explain to him, through this record, when hes in his twenties or thirties, who I am and why I voluntarily chose to dismantle his entire life in the pursuit of my own happiness. It made him really unhappy sometimes. And thats a real wound for me that I dont know if Ill ever be able to heal.

She also elaborated on why she chose to end her marriage, saying it was more of a drifting apart situation than anything headline-grabbing. It just wasnt right for me any more, she said. Nothing bad happened or anything like that.

Adele has made it clear she doesnt tolerate bullshit before, and was quick to fight back against the common misogynistic narrative that a divorced woman isspinning out of control.

Like, Oh she must be crackers. She mustve decided she wants to be a ho. Because what is a woman without a husband? Adele said. Its bullshit.

As for her new relationship, she confirmed that shes been dating Rich Paul since earlier this year. Yes, were together, she said. Were very happy. Hes great. Hes so fuckng funny. Hes so smart, you know.

The Hello singerfamously keeps her private life out of the public eye, and when she posted a photo in May 2020 she surprised her fans with her weight loss. I think one of the reasons people lost the plot was because actually, it was over a two-year period, she said. After keeping to herself for at least two yearsshe had lost 100 lbs,explainingthat exercise was a means to help deal with anxiety.

Working out, I would just feel better, she said. It was never about losing weight, it was always about becoming strong and giving myself as much time every day without my phone. I got quite addicted to it. I work outtwo or three times a day. As for her routine, she added that she does weights in the morning, boxing or hiking in the afternoon, and cardio at night. I was basically unemployed when I was doing it, and I do it with trainers, she said. Its not doable for a lot of people.

Circling back to the reaction around her body image, she insisted, I did it for myself and not anyone else. She thinks people were shocked because at no point did she share her journey, which might appear common in the social media age of documenting everything.

People have been talking about my body for 12 years. They used to talk about it before I lost weight. But yeah, whatever, I dont care, Adele said. You dont need to be overweight to be body positive, you can be any shape or size.

With her album on the way, the story also briefly teases a few elements to expect. There areno big-name guest features when it comes to vocals, which is perhaps wise considering few singers could match Adele, but there are a number of interesting names behind the scenes. Pop producer Max Martin, London producer Inflo, andBlack Panthercomposer/Donald Glover go-to Ludwig Gransson all worked on the album.

In what could be considered a massive flex, Adele also appeared on the cover of the American edition ofVoguefor a separate profile. In Abby Aguirres piece, the artist said she doesnt think she deserved to win Album of the Year for25at the 2017 Grammys, and that BeyoncsLemonadeshould have taken home the award instead.

My personal opinion is that Beyonc definitely should have won, Adele said. I just got this feeling: I fucking won it. I got overwhelmed, with, like, I will have to go and tell her how much her record means to me. After winning the award, she went to Beyoncs dressing room and wasinitially unable to expressjust how muchLemonademeant to her.She burst into tears before paying Queen Bey a second visit.

I just said to her, like, the way that the Grammys works, and the people who control it at the very, very topthey dont know what a visual album is, she elaborated. They dont want to support the way that shes moving things forward with her releases and the things that shes talking about. For my friends who are women of color, it was such a huge acknowledgment for them, of the sort of undermined grief that they go through. For her to nail that on the head, and also bring in the entire globe? I was like, This album is my album, she just knows what Im going through. That album was not written for me. But yet I could still feel like, this is the biggest gift.

Read the fullBritish Voguefeaturehere, and theVoguecover story here.

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Adele Opens Up About Divorce, Weight Loss, and Why Beyonc Definitely Should Have Won Album of the Year Grammy - Complex

Is Male Menopause a Real Thing That Guys Deal With? – AskMen

Posted: October 12, 2021 at 1:52 am

Ah, middle-age the self-doubt, the existential angst, the sudden awareness of just how short life is. Work, marriage, kids. Its not easy. And then comes the lack of enthusiasm, the tiredness, the brain fog and the irritability. But these are not necessarily de facto products of having made it to a certain age.

Rather they aresymptoms and you can throw in hot flushes, insomnia, mood swings and a general disinterest in sex of a still controversial idea: that, like women, men experience menopause.

This is not a definitive biological, hormonal event as it is for women the sometimes decade-long spell of similar symptoms, leading to a lack of menstruation for a year, followed by officially entering ones post-child-birthing phase of life. It likely doesnt have quite the same negative impact on well-being, on relationships and work.

Certainly not everyone in medical circles thinks its even a real thing, and scientific study of the manopause more officially, the andropause is lacking. And yet many men, and increasingly, clinicians too, concede that something sometimes happens when you hit your mid-40s or early 50s. You go off the boil.

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The male menopause just isnt as well recognized as the female menopause, explains Dr. Clive Morrison of Londons Centre for Mens Health. This is in part because the latter is a natural, well-documented event for every woman, but its a less distinct, drawn-out process for most men, and it doesnt affect all men either. In part its because were not really sure why it happens to men. And in part also because of culture, which still broadly has a temperance attitude to sex. The male menopause is confused with the stigma around loss of libido, even though thats only one possible symptom. But this is more about your mojo. Its about your quality of life.

It doesnt help, of course, that a lot of the many possible symptoms of andropause are products of aging too: like it or not you can start to lose muscle typically about 3-5 percent of your muscle mass every 10 years after the age of 30. You might put on weight too, or rather your body fat is redistributed, so you get a bit of a belly. This all makes correct diagnosis of the andropause tricky a situation only made worse because, as Morrison stresses, each of us has our own threshold levels for each symptom, such that a man may display all of the psychological signs and some but by no means all of the physical or bio-chemical ones.

And psychological factors may be indicative of something else depression, maybe, not the andropause. Inevitably this all makes deciding on the right course of action tricky too.

There are simple things that we know do help that, in fact, help towards better health generally. Move more at a minimum just taking good, regular, long walks. Train gently but regularly with weights. Eat a low-carb, high protein diet. Get a good eight hours sleep every night. Address the stress in your life rather than normalizing it.

But others those who may be tempted to supply a quick fix, much as HRT or Hormone Replacement Therapy has (not uncontroversially) become for menopausal women also suggest that the andropause is likewise a hormonal issue in men. Its all, they say, about a loss of testosterone, as for womenabout estrogen.

Indeed, far from the misconception of testosterone as being all about sex, its decline is also linked to muscle atrophy, reduced bone density and a susceptibility to depression; and theres an inverse correlation with obesity and mortality from heart failure the less of it you have, the more prone you are to both issues. This is why some experts dub the male menopause Testosterone Deficiency Syndrome. And why often testosterone replacement therapy is pushed.

Anecdotally, that certainly works for some men. But dont rush into this. For one, while the rapid shutdown in estrogen production has been attributed to symptoms of the female menopause, men typically see only a 2% testosterone decline per year over their thirties. Its argued that this is unlikely to have noticeable consequences.

Then there are the practical issues: regular testosterone injections this is how its typically delivered into the bloodstream dont come cheap. Prices vary but were often talking at least a few hundreds dollars per month and, obviously, those who recommend this treatment also profit from it too. Nor can you just have these as boosters to get back on track: since injecting testosterone also typically causes your natural testosterone production to gradually close down, once you start, youre committed for life. Its a crutch, not a cure.

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This doesnt help when a drop in testosterone can be hard to measure conclusively healthy testosterone levels may disguise a decline from even higher ones. Current understanding also has it that subtle shifts in testosterone levels are more part of a broader package of metabolic changes in various key hormone levels prolactin, gonadotropin, DHEA and others youve likely never heard of with consequences similar to those experienced by menopausal women.

Its all very complex, sighs Morrison. Its often partners who first notice the problems the moodiness, the low libido. But then that gets misinterpreted and the man is sent off for marriage guidance when that kind of intervention isnt whats needed at all. Its the male menopause.

But understanding that, understanding the part played by testosterone which a lot of general practitioners still think of as some kind of snake oil is only recent. Thats just over the last 10 to 20 years, which unfortunately is not very long in medicine.

In other words, were still some way from grasping quite what the andropause is, what to do about it and, in some quarters, whether theres anything to do anything about. All of which is little consolation for those men who are suffering from a nasty potpourri of physical and psychological ailments that just when careers are peaking, just when theyre maybe wrangling both children and elderly parents, when retirement seems a lifetime away and time to look after themselves is almost zero comes along and really screws with their day.

But dont let that put you off. If youre not feeling right, and something inside leaves you unconvinced if its all just the normal pressures of a certain time of life, see a doctor. The manopause may sound like a joke, but it doesnt feel like it.

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Is Male Menopause a Real Thing That Guys Deal With? - AskMen

How Our Obsession With Celebrity Weight Loss Is Holding Us Back – Yahoo Lifestyle

Posted: October 12, 2021 at 1:50 am

Ill admit it; when I first heard that Adele had lost weight, I was crestfallen. Ditto Lizzo, who took to Instagram last winter to defend her juice cleanse; ditto Jessica Simpson and Rebel Wilson and almost every other larger-than-straight-size celebrity Id ever looked up to. As a currently fat woman living with an eating disorder whos been every size under the sun, I understand better than most how much weight can fluctuate (even if youre not actively trying to fit into a size 4). But there was still part of me that felt left behind as I saw woman after woman Id admired slim down in the public eye.

I maintain that my initial skepticism was well earned, given the lack of fat representation in Hollywood and media overall, as well as the still-punishing societal body norms that tell the 42.4% of Americans who have obesity that we can only hope to be seen as full, actualized human beings if we lose weight. But once I got over that knee-jerk disappointment and began to think about what I was really asking of these celebrities, I saw that my initial reaction had been more than slightly unfair. After all, one of the goals of the body-positivity movement is (or should be) creating a world in which all of us feel empowered to live safely and joyfully in our bodies, regardless of their size; what was I saying to Adele, or to Lizzo, if I made my appreciation of them contingent on their bodies looking a certain way?

Of course, weight loss and weight gain arent a one-to-one exchange; sadly, thinness will likely always be societally lionized in a way that fatness is not. But was my chagrin at seeing these women lose weight really so different from the stigma I facedcourtesy of everyone from doctors to not-so-great partners to family memberswhen I gained weight? Ultimately, wouldnt I and all other fat people be better served by working to create a culture that actually appreciated and respected bodies of all sizes, rather than electing a select few fat representatives and insisting that their appearances be fixed and immutable?

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When I reach out to Stephanie Yeboah, a London-based fat-acceptance advocate and author of Fattily Ever After: A Black Fat Girls Guide to Living Life Unapologetically, she has plenty to say on the topic. There is still this general impression that if you are somebody within the fat-acceptance community and people start noticing that youre losing weight, then you must be doing it for insidious reasons or to fit in with societal standards of beauty, says Yeboah, noting that she has lost about 40 pounds herself since the COVID-19 pandemic began, due solely to an exercise routine shes undertaken to rebuild strength in a once-broken ankle. I definitely think that you can be part of the fat-acceptance community and also lose weight. I just think it gets a bit shifty if the reasons for losing weight are purely to do with your appearance, desirability, accessibility, or wanting to fit in with other people.

If youre a person in the public eyelike, say, Adeleand your weight loss coincides with an increase in exercise devised to make you feel stronger and help you take on mental health challenges, is it fair for the world to scrutinize you and snidely say youre just doing it to be skinny? For that matter, was it fair for the world to zero in on Adeles physical appearance when she weighed more than she currently does? The best solution is arguably learning to abstain from a celebrity culture that encourages us to place more value on a famous womans appearance than on her body of work.

The media industry stands to profit when we click on exclamation-point-riddled gossip articles about so-and-sos dramatic weight loss!!!, and the diet industry thrives when we chase the ideal of thin bodies that may not actually bear any relationship to health and comfort. But what about us? What do we stand to gain from evaluating and placing expectations upon other womens bodies, and what could we be doing with all that mental energy instead?

Virginia Sole-Smith, a journalist specializing in body-image issues and the author of The Eating Instinct, wishes our conversations about women in the public eye could evolve past issues of weight, full stop. Last time I checked, there is not a body type that one needs to have in order to be a talented musician. Musical ability is not tied to BMI in any of the research Ive read, says Sole-Smith, adding, I think it would be so great if we lived in a culture that talked about peoples art and didnt talk about their bodies. And then if their bodies changed, we wouldnt have to examine that quite so much.

Sole-Smith acknowledges that the issue of celebrity weight loss is a fraught one, explaining, Teenage girls look up to Lizzo and Adele, so there is some responsibility there. But I also think it is a mistake to expect that just because one individual broke a boundary and became famous in spite of their weight they then have to be the poster child for fat artists everywhere. It just really speaks to how far we have to go in terms of increasing representation.

A call for increased representation can often feel like a hedge, a way of acknowledging the severity of an issue while passing the buck to the nebulously defined scourge of society. But when it comes to fat acceptance and body positivity, its frankly hard to imagine anything else working. One musician or two or evengasp!three will not meaningfully move the needle in terms of convincing fat people everywhere that they are worthy just as they are; what it will do, however, is reinforce the pernicious notion that these individuals need to look a certain way to earn admiration and respect.

While fat individuals in the public eye can act as much-needed role models, asking them to take up the mantle of self-love all on their own, with no substantive or structural changes to a society that still profits off of rampant fat phobia, simply isnt enough. Hopefully, someday, well have enough fat musicians, dancers, actors, comedians, and artists of all kindsand a culture that actually supports them with fat-positive policies and meaningful consequences for size-based discriminationthat one persons weight fluctuations will no longer make headline news.

Originally Appeared on Vogue

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How Our Obsession With Celebrity Weight Loss Is Holding Us Back - Yahoo Lifestyle

Diet soda may increase hunger and weight gain : Shots – Health News – NPR

Posted: October 12, 2021 at 1:49 am

Drinking artificially sweetened diet sodas may lead to increase in appetite and weight gain, research finds. Pornchai Jaito/EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm hide caption

Drinking artificially sweetened diet sodas may lead to increase in appetite and weight gain, research finds.

The "diet" in diet drinks may be a false promise for some soda lovers. True, they deliver the fizz and taste of a soda experience, without the calories. Yet, new research shows they also can leave people with increased food cravings.

A study published recently in JAMA Network Open adds to the evidence that drinks made with sucralose may stimulate the appetite, at least among some people, and the study gives some clues as to why.

"We found that females and people with obesity had greater brain reward activity" after consuming the artificial sweetener, says study author Katie Page, a physician specializing in obesity at the University of Southern California.

Both groups also had a reduction in the hormone that inhibits appetite, and they ate more food after they consumed drinks with sucralose, compared with after regular sugar-sweetened drinks. In contrast, the study found males and people of healthy weight did not have an increase in either brain reward activity or hunger response, suggesting they're not affected in the same way.

"I think what was most surprising was the impact of body weight and biological sex," Page says. "They were very important factors in the way that the brain responded to the artificial sweetener."

The study notes that most earlier research focused on males and people of normal weight. But this finding suggests that diet drinks sweetened with sucralose could be disadvantageous to the people who could benefit most from an effective diet strategy.

"It is precisely people with obesity who disproportionately suffer from a strong drive to eat high-calorie foods," says Laura Schmidt, a professor of health policy at the University of California, San Francisco.

Page and her team measured the response to diet soda in three ways. They used functional MRI brain images of the 74 study participants to document the activation of parts of the brain linked to appetite and cravings. They used blood samples to measure blood sugar and metabolic hormones that can drive hunger. And they also tracked how much participants ate at a buffet table that was open at the end of each study session.

Determining whether diet soda helps or hinders dieters' efforts to lose weight has been tough. Some studies have shown benefits, but long-term research has found that diet soda consumption is linked to increased weight gain.

"This study offers some clues as to why," Schmidt wrote in an email to NPR. "Artificial sweeteners could be priming the brains of people with obesity to crave high-calorie foods."

There's ongoing research into the complex ways that artificial sweeteners may influence metabolism and weight, says Susan Swithers, a behavioral scientist at Purdue University who was not involved in the new study but reviewed the findings.

"These results are consistent with patterns that we've actually seen in my lab in [animal] studies," Swithers says.

One hypothesis is that it's not the artificial sweetener itself that has a direct effect on the body. The idea is that artificial sweeteners may confuse the body by tricking it into thinking sugar is coming.

"You are supposed to get sugar after something tastes sweet. Your body has been conditioned to that," explains Swithers. But diet soda may lead to a disconnect. The sugar never arrives, and this may blunt the body's anticipatory responses and throw off the ability to efficiently metabolize sugar that's consumed later.

This could mean that "when you get the sweet taste without the sugar, that changes how you respond to sugar the next time, because you don't know whether it's coming or not," Swithers says.

For instance, Swithers' lab has documented that when animals with a history of consuming artificial sweeteners get real sugar, their blood sugar levels rise higher than those of animals not fed artificial sweeteners. "It's a small effect, but over time this could contribute to potentially significant consequences," she says.

If this is happening in some people who consume diet soda, it could add to the risk of Type 2 diabetes, because when blood sugar rises, the body has to release more insulin to absorb the sugar. "So what you're doing is you are kind of pushing the system harder," Swithers says.

Given the new research, should diet-soda drinkers who are trying to reach a healthy weight give up on artificially sweetened drinks?

"People with obesity might want to completely avoid diet sodas for a couple of weeks to see if this helps to reduce cravings for high-calorie foods," Schmidt suggests.

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Diet soda may increase hunger and weight gain : Shots - Health News - NPR

The best diet to have if you have hypothyroidism: Foods to eat and avoid – Times of India

Posted: October 12, 2021 at 1:49 am

It's generally advisable to have fewer junk, processed, fat-laden foods in one's diet, with hypothyroidism. Additionally, there are some more foods which have been seen to inhibit thyroid functioning in its optimum level, and interfere with the production of enzymes which synthesize hormones.

Phytoestrogens, or plant-based estrogen sources have been shown to inhibit enzyme production, and block iodine production. Foods like soy, tofu, soy milk, sauces should be something definitely minimized, or best avoided when you have thyroid issues.

Certain cruciferous vegetables, including brussel sprouts, cauliflower, peaches, plums, which have been found to contain goitrogens are also best consumed in moderated quantity. If you already have an iodine-rich diet, make sure you minimize intake of these foods. Needless to say, sugar-laden foods, saturated foods are also bad if you have any form of thyroid.

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The best diet to have if you have hypothyroidism: Foods to eat and avoid - Times of India

Exactly What Rosario Dawson Eats in a Day for Her Gut-Boosting Diet – Prevention.com

Posted: October 12, 2021 at 1:49 am

Rosario Dawson has long been known for her plant-based, vegan dietbut the actress recently revealed shes been extra focused on her gut health. The 42-year-old got super into food and its connection to gut health since her fathers pancreatic cancer diagnosis and treatment, she said in an interview with Eating Well.

Though theres no formal connection between gut health and pancreatic cancer, Dawson learned the important role your gut health can have in your overall well-being. I learned a lot about gut health with my dads cancer treatment. Gut health is emotional, physical health, etc, she said in the interview.

Gut health is vital for absorbing and transporting nutrients all over the body, maintaining fluid and salt status, and expelling waste properly, Rushabh Modi, M.D. previously told Prevention. A healthy gut also improves the immune system, and research has indicated poor gut health is linked to neurological conditions such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers.

In fact, 70% of your immune system lives in your gut, and getting sick often could be a tell-tale sign that your diet isn't up to par, Brooke Alpert, M.S., R.D., C.D.N., previously told Prevention. A healthy diet will promote the growth of good bacteria in your gut, and encourage your immune system to keep fighting strong.

Wondering what Dawson's gut-healthy diet entails? She breaks down exactly what she eats on a typical day and the ingredients that help her stay balanced.

For breakfast, Dawson says that she loves overnight oats during the summer and heartier warm oatmeal or avocado toast when the weather turns cold, according to her EatingWell interview.

Meanwhile, for lunch, the star reaches for big salads or stir-fried vegetables which are choc-full of fiber and nutrients.

Finally, for dinner, she says she likes to change things up, opting for stir-fries, noodles, and ramen. She says, "I put turmeric in everything. I use a lot of ginger." A review in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition found ginger could quell nausea and vomiting, acting as a great at-home remedy for GI troubles.

"I love sauerkraut, kimchi, and vegan yogurt," Dawson said in the interview. All of which are gut-friendly foods. In fact, Sauerkraut is a probiotic-rich food full of potassium, vitamin C, and B vitamins, along with phytonutrients that have cancer-fighting properties, Tara Gidus Collingwood, M.S., R.D.N., previously told Prevention. And Kimchi is another type of fermented cabbage-based dish, which like all probiotic foods, can help create a more diverse microbiome and rebalance gut microbiota, Douglas A. Drossman, M.D. has said.

Gut health can also be what you don't eat. The actress has been vocal about cutting alcohol and marijuana use, too. I feel so contaminated by the planet, and seeing my dad going through this journey, I want to cleanse my body, she told Womens Health last year. I want to have as much clarity as possible and be very intentional about every day.

In addition to changing up her diet to feature probiotic-rich foods, Dawson uses walking as her main source of movement to keep her gut, and entire body, in tip-top shape. "I'm not a big workout-y person ... but as a born-and-raised New Yorker, I'll walk 100 blocks and not even think about it," she said in the EatingWell interview.

The actress is also a big fan of getting outside and in nature and says she likes to lie in the sun for 15 minutes a day to meditate and get her vitamin D, she said. Research has found deficiencies in vitamin D play a role in certain diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

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Dissecting the Popularity of the Mediterranean Diet – The Food Institute – Food Institute Blog

Posted: October 12, 2021 at 1:49 am

Mediterranean Diet Roundtables are trade events meant to influence nearly all elements of the food industry. Yet, it appears the world doesnt need any further convincing these days: the diets popularity is irrefutable.

No matter how consumers define health, the Mediterranean diet fits their description, said Daniella Puglielli, founder of the Mediterranean Diet Roundtable, in an email to The Food Institute.

A new study provided evidence that a high-fat Mediterranean diet can boost heart health. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who ate low carbs with plenty of unsaturated fat had improved insulin resistance as well as cholesterol levels.

Unsaturated fat sources like fish and olive oil are linked to various health benefits in eating styles like the Mediterranean diet, which is popular in regions like Greece and typically consists of ample amounts of fruits, vegetables, fish, beans, grains, nuts and plant oils, as noted by Business Insider (Oct. 1).

Renowned New York City chef Maria Loi, who operates Loi Estiatorio, has long been a proponent of the Mediterranean diet because of its rich, bold flavors, as she told The Food Institutes Director of Digital Content Susan Choi in a series of new video interviews. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3. The video series touches on a wide range of issues, including how Loi led her team through the early stages of the pandemic).

Not only does the Mediterranean diet appear to improve heart health, but it also may help reduce cognitive decline in the elderly, and even slow to an extent the signs of aging due to the diets use of foods rich in antioxidants, reported The Daily Mail (Sept. 5).

Puglielli further explained the popularity of the Mediterranean diet in an interview with The Food Institute late Monday, an excerpt of which is noted below.

Why does the Mediterranean diet interest so many consumers these days?

Puglielli: The Mediterranean diet was recognized for the fourth year in a row in 2021 by US News as the best overall diet. I believe that helped in the popularization of this eating pattern. You also have to consider a good presence of Mediterranean heritage in the amazing melting pot we call America.

What are the main benefits, as you see it, of the Mediterranean diet?

Puglielli: First, let me make a distinction: the word diet is not intended as a weight loss program. Its root is Greek, and it means a way of life the entire ritual of consuming a meal together, the pride in culinary cultures. From a nutritional standpoint, the Mediterranean diet is: diverse; healthy because of the inverse proportion of vegetable/meats ratio and use of monosaturated fats such as olive oil; has a tradition of farm to table or freshly sourced food; varied; and with its strong emphasis on fruit, grains, and vegetables is naturally more sustainable.

How have high-profile chefs like Maria Loi helped the Mediterranean diet movement?

Puglielli: She is a powerful voice to echo our scientific and ethical messages, part of our advocacy effort.

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I lost over 100 pounds on the keto diet, but it totally destroyed my relationship with food – Yahoo News

Posted: October 12, 2021 at 1:49 am

I lost over 100 pounds in one year. Jennifer Still for Insider

I started following the keto diet in 2018, and I lost more than 120 pounds in just under a year.

But the diet totally destroyed my relationship with food.

Read on for some of the ways it did more damage than good.

When trying to lose weight, it's important to stay in a caloric deficit - when the number of calories consumed is less than the calories the body burns to perform daily functions.

I still track my calories daily, but it's easy to take it too far.

It got to the point where I'd get anxiety if I ate a few too many calories, even if the food itself was relatively healthy.

Most low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diets recommend not exceeding 20 grams of net carbohydrates (carbohydrates minus fiber) a day.

That leaves very little room for much of anything besides a few servings of low-carb vegetables. You certainly can't have potatoes, rice, bread, or pasta.

Whenever I exceeded this number, I felt like a failure just because I'd eaten whole-wheat toast or a banana.

The more I restricted, the more I ended up binge eating. Shutterstock

Because the keto diet is so restrictive, I would do really well for a while and then inevitably binge when I couldn't handle it anymore.

Instead of indulging in a small baked potato, I'd have to have a large fry.

This might not be an issue for people who haven't had problems with binge eating, but knowing I can't have something only makes it more alluring.

I found myself relying on low-carb and sugar-free protein bars, cookies, and sweets as well as high-fat foods like sausage and bacon to feel full on a daily basis.

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I knew that protein was important for muscles, but without carbs, I had no choice but to load up on fats to try and stay satiated while enjoying my food.

I ended up with limited food choices and extremely elevated cholesterol levels.

I was a bit too encouraged by how quickly the keto diet helped me drop weight, so I started restricting even more. In addition to cutting carbs, I was also eating way fewer calories than I should've been - especially given my weight and activity levels.

I knew I was going overboard, but part of me clung to the success and wanted to keep making things harder for faster results.

The keto diet cuts out a lot of foods with good health benefits. istetiana/Getty Images

Eating under 20 grams of carbohydrates a day severely limits your dietary choices.

I couldn't eat sweet potatoes, butternut squash, brown rice, quinoa, bananas, oatmeal, beans, and many other delicious foods with suspected health benefits.

I was missing out on some tasty meals and the vitamins, minerals, and other macronutrients those ingredients provide.

Many who follow the keto diet insist that it's the best (and only) way to eat. Some believe carbs will kill you and insist that anyone who doesn't follow this way of eating is blind and ignorant to the divine truth they've discovered.

I know because I was one of them for a while.

But, in reality, keto comes with drawbacks, risks, and cons. And even though this way of eating can benefit people with certain conditions, many nutrition experts still dub it one of the worst diets.

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