Search Weight Loss Topics:

Page 254«..1020..253254255256..260270..»

How Healthy Are the New Plant-Based ‘Fake Meats’? – WebMD

Posted: June 19, 2021 at 1:52 am

By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, June 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- More and more Americans are seeking out healthier, greener and more ethical alternatives to meat, but are plant-based alternatives like the Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat truly nutritious substitutes?

The answer is yes, according to new research funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. It found the imitation meats to be a good source of fiber, folate and iron while containing less saturated fat than ground beef. But the researchers said they also have less protein, zinc and vitamin B12 and lots of salt.

"Switching from ground beef to a plant-based ground beef alternative product can be a healthy choice in some ways," said lead researcher Lisa Harnack, of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, in Minneapolis.

Her advice: Read the Nutrition Facts label and choose a product that best matches your health and nutrition goals.

For example, if you're limiting sodium to control high blood pressure, steer clear of products that are high in salt, Harnack said.

"If you're watching saturated fat intake for heart health, read the label to make sure you're choosing a product that is low in saturated fat," she said. "A few products contain as much or nearly as much saturated fat as ground beef."

For the study, Harnack's team used a University of Minnesota food and nutrient database that includes 37 plant-based ground beef alternative products made by nine food companies.

The products analyzed are from Amy's Kitchen, Inc.; Beyond Meat; Conagra, Inc.; Impossible Foods Inc.; Kellogg NA Co.; Kraft Foods, Inc.; Marlow Foods Ltd.; Tofurky; and Worthington.

Although these plant-based products can be healthy alternatives to beef, Harnack hopes their manufacturers will make them even healthier by keeping salt to a minimum.

"Food companies should work to optimize the nutritional quality of their products, especially with respect to the amount of salt and other sodium-containing ingredients used in formulating veggie burgers and other plant-based ground beef alternative products," Harnack said.

Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Health in New York City, reviewed the findings.

She noted that the World Health Organization has classified processed meats (deli meats, bacon and sausage) as potentially cancer-causing, and red meat (veal, lamb, beef and pork) as probable cancer-causing substances, due to the processing, compounds in the meat and cooking methods.

"Limiting consumption of red and processed meats significantly lowers one's intake of saturated fat," Heller said.

The sodium in some plant-based imitation meats may be moderate to high, but if most of the foods people eat are less-processed ones, it should not be a problem, she added.

"All in all, eating more plants and fewer animals is good for your health and the health of the planet," Heller said.

But "meat alternative" is not an ideal term, she added, because it sets up expectations of taste.

"While some plant-based 'meats' come close to the taste and texture of real meat, the idea is that these foods offer a different choice for protein, not a one-on-one swap out for meat or other animal foods," Heller explained.

Many options exist for those seeking a more plant-based diet, she said.

"Whole foods are best, but there is plenty of wiggle room to include plant-based meat, dairy, poultry and egg alternatives," Heller advised. "On a daily basis if we eat a balanced, more plant-rich diet, we should be able to meet our nutrient needs."

The findings were published June 15 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

More information

For more on plant-based diets, head to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

SOURCES: Lisa Harnack, DrPH, RD, MPH, professor, division of epidemiology and community health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis; Samantha Heller MS, RD, CDN, senior clinical nutritionist, NYU Langone Health, New York City; Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, June 15, 2021

WebMD News from HealthDay

Pagination

See more here:
How Healthy Are the New Plant-Based 'Fake Meats'? - WebMD

4 types of epilepsy, their symptoms, and treatments – Medical News Today

Posted: June 19, 2021 at 1:52 am

Epilepsy is a common long-term brain condition. It causes seizures, which are bursts of electricity in the brain.

There are four main types of epilepsy: focal, generalized, combination focal and generalized, and unknown. A persons seizure type determines what kind of epilepsy they have.

Different types of seizures affect the brain in different ways. For example, focal seizures affect only one part of the brain, whereas generalized seizures affect the entire brain.

To be categorized as having epilepsy, a person must experience two or more unprovoked seizures. Some people can receive an epilepsy diagnosis if they have had one seizure and a doctor thinks they have a high likelihood of having another.

Read on to learn more about the different types of epilepsy and how to manage them.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder. Its primary identifying factor is recurrent, unprovoked seizures.

Abnormal electrical activity in the brain causes seizures. This brain activity affects how a person feels, acts, and behaves. Depending on the seizure type and severity, a person may or may not lose consciousness.

Before doctors can diagnose a person with epilepsy, they need to decide if a seizure is provoked or unprovoked.

Many things cause seizures. These include head injuries, toxins, tumors, and infections. Doctors must rule out these potential causes before diagnosing someone with epilepsy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 3.4 million adults and children with epilepsy in the United States. Although it is common, doctors are still finding out more about this chronic disorder.

There are several types of seizures. A person with epilepsy can experience one or multiple types of seizure.

The three primary seizure types are:

The four different types of epilepsy are defined by the type of seizure a person experiences. They are:

Each type of epilepsy affects the brain differently. This means they have different identifying factors and treatments.

People with this type of epilepsy have generalized seizures. These affect both the left and right sides of the brain. Additionally, these seizures may be either motor, which involve physical movement, or non-motor, which do not.

If someone has a motor seizure, they may experience:

Non-motor seizures are also called absence seizures. Symptoms may include:

Generalized epilepsy usually starts during childhood. However, it can also affect adults.

Learn more about epilepsy in children.

People with focal epilepsy have focal seizures. Unlike generalized seizures, focal seizures only affect one part of the brain. They can start in one area and move to others.

These seizures can begin with an aura, which are minor symptoms signifying the seizures onset. This can feel like an uneasy feeling in the stomach, similar to the feeling of riding a rollercoaster.

As the seizure progresses, a person can experience motor and non-motor symptoms. Some motor symptoms of focal seizures include:

Non-motor symptoms do not affect how someone moves. However, they may cause confusion or changes in emotions. Some non-motor symptoms of focal seizures include:

Learn more about focal seizures.

Someone with combination epilepsy has both generalized seizures and focal seizures. Therefore, they can experience a mixture of the symptoms discussed above.

Combined epilepsy is linked to Dravet syndrome, which is a rare, lifelong form of epilepsy. It is usually caused by a mutation in the SCN1A gene. Because it is often misdiagnosed, people who think they or a family member may have these seizures should contact a doctor.

If doctors do not know where seizures originate, they will diagnose a person with unknown epilepsy.

People with unknown epilepsy can have a combination of motor and non-motor symptoms. Motor seizures often present as tonic-clonic (previously referred to as grand-mal). These seizures can have the following symptoms:

These seizures usually last 13 minutes. If they last more than 5 minutes, call emergency services immediately.

Unknown epilepsy also presents with non-motor symptoms. These can include:

Learn more about tonic-clonic seizures.

Although epilepsy is a seizure disorder, this does not mean that every seizure is a sign of epilepsy.

A person can have provoked seizures, which are seizures due to a cause other than epilepsy. Some examples of things that could induce a seizure are:

If a seizure is solely due to one of these causes, the individual does not have epilepsy.

However, if none of these possibilities prompted the seizure, the person may have epilepsy. To make an epilepsy diagnosis, doctors must first find out if someone has had a seizure. Doctors then determine what type of seizure it was.

Doctors can determine whether a person meets the diagnostic criteria through medical history details, EEG tests, blood tests, and brain imaging tests such as a CT scan or MRI.

There are different types of treatments for epilepsy.

Doctors typically use medication to control and stop epileptic seizures. Some drugs work for only one type of seizure, while others can control various seizure types.

A doctor prescribes medications based on a persons seizure type, medical history, and age. If the medication does not help someones epilepsy, doctors may prescribe a different drug in place of, or combined with, the first medication.

Most people who have epilepsy have a good response to this form of treatment.

Some people have drug-resistant epilepsy. This means they cannot control their epilepsy using the first two medications prescribed. Around 33% of adults and 2025% of children with epilepsy do not respond to their first-line treatment and must consider other options.

A doctor will discuss various treatments a person can try. These may include:

Surgery: This option typically works best for people who have seizures originating from one part of the brain. It involves safely removing the focal point, or the part of the brain where the seizures start.

Dietary changes: Some diets may help control seizures. Recommended diets include the modified Atkins diet, ketogenic diet, and low glycemic diet. These diets should be carried out with support from a registered dietitian.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS): This therapy treats people with focal seizures. It works by sending mild electrical pulses through the vagus nerve, which leads to the brain. Over time, it changes how brain cells work.

Other options, like behavioral therapy and CBD oil, may help with treating drug-resistant epilepsy.

Learn more about natural remedies for epilepsy.

People with epilepsy must be consistent with their medication and/or treatment regimen. They should also try to avoid seizure triggers. Because triggers vary from person to person, a person can keep a diary of seizures to record possible triggers.

Children with an epilepsy diagnosis often outgrow it with age. For those whose epilepsy continues into adulthood, or people diagnosed later in life, it is very possible to live a normal life with epilepsy. Two-thirds of adults with epilepsy no longer experience seizures as a result of an effective treatment plan.

Learn more about epilepsy in children.

Anyone who suspects they have had a seizure should seek medical attention. A doctor can determine what caused the seizure, the type of seizure it was, and discuss appropriate next steps.

In many cases, epilepsy can be effectively treated and managed with seizure medication. Receiving an accurate and timely diagnosis is essential.

Epilepsy is a common seizure disorder. There are four main types of epilepsy: focal, generalized, combination focal and generalized, and unknown.

A doctor generally diagnoses someone with epilepsy if they have had two or more unprovoked seizures.

Medication is the most common treatment, and two-thirds of adults with epilepsy live seizure-free because of it. If medication does not work, other treatments are available. These include surgery, brain stimulation, and a modified diet.

People with epilepsy must be consistent with their medication and visit a doctor if their seizures appear to worsen.

Although it is uncommon for epilepsy to go away on its own, proper treatment can control the seizures. It is very possible to live a normal, full life with epilepsy.

Read more from the original source:
4 types of epilepsy, their symptoms, and treatments - Medical News Today

One Major Effect Coffee Has on Your Metabolism, Expert Says | Eat This Not That – Eat This, Not That

Posted: June 19, 2021 at 1:52 am

With summer and swimsuit season rolling in, you might be in search of some easy ways to make your everyday diet choices help you feel your best. Well, here's some sunny news: According to a dietitian at a weight loss clinic in one of Florida's hottest beach cities, your metabolism ramps up as soon as you take your first sip of coffee, which can set you up to eat healthier, burn more calories, and even lose weight.

Keep reading to find out how coffee helps you burn fat, even when you're not moving. And for more, make sure to check out Making This One Change to Your Diet Could "Reprogram" Your Metabolism, New Study Says.

Donald Mankie is a registered dietitian at the Sarasota Memorial Bariatric and Metabolism Center who just spoke to Sarasota Magazine to answer the burning question about whether coffee fuels metabolism. Mankie told the local outlet: "The stimulating effect is definitely there." (In fact, this has been demonstrated in a number of great studies.)

Related: Sign up for our newsletter for the latest healthy eating and weight loss news.

Mankie said that in the simplest sense, coffee helps your metabolism because its caffeine gives you more energy. He noted that "caffeine can reduce the perception of fatigue" during exercise, which might simply give you that extra "oomph" to power through your workout to maximize your output.

RELATED:Eva Longoria Reveals the Exact At-Home Workout She Uses to Stay Fit

According to Mankie, coffee can also keep your metabolism raised even when you're not hard at work, thanks to "thermogenesis," which is the body's process for producing heat.

As Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian at the Mayo Clinic,has said, caffeine amps up the amount of energy your body uses even when you're inactive and this translates to the burning of a greater number of calories than baseline rest levels. (Read more about thermogenesis, and another drink that drives it, here.)

Anyone who's ever hit pause on their exercise routine, whether for illness or any reason, might know how amazing it feels to complete that first workout after a break. Part of that is from the endorphinsmood-boosting chemicalsthat the body produces during exercise.

Mankie said that similarly, coffee increases endorphin production, which can "produce an increased feeling of wellness and excitability," as well as "improve concentration, energy levels, and mood."

RELATED: Are You Unhappy? Walk This Far Before Breakfast, Says Science

These days, there are a lot of cool ways people are maxing out their coffee routine to make it work for their nutrition and well-being goalslike this creative coffee/protein shake combo.

For more healthy eating and weight loss news, keep reading:

Here is the original post:
One Major Effect Coffee Has on Your Metabolism, Expert Says | Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

During men’s health month, a reminder that self-care maintenance helps us thrive – Kitsap Sun

Posted: June 19, 2021 at 1:52 am

Dr. Peter Barkett, Special to Kitsap Sun Published 1:35 p.m. PT June 17, 2021

Lately, Ive been thinking about routine maintenance, paying attention to keep things running effortlessly. This spring I had some trouble with my lawnmower. The machine had been so reliable that I took it for granted. I had been delinquent on some routine maintenance items and had hoped I could push them off a bit longer. Then the lawnmower just quit on me. While I had it in the shop my grass grew 6inches.

When it comes to power tools, a bit of preventive maintenance keeps them running better and longer.

The whole incident got me thinking because it happens to be mens health month, and if our lawnmowers need some regular care, how much more important is our own self-care?

Generally speaking, men have a tendency to focus on work or to-do lists. We tend not to admit when we feel worn down or need to recharge our batteries. We also have a bad habit of avoiding healthcare providers.

Its important to get in for routine wellness checks, but seeing a doctor isnt the only way to start taking care of your health. For this months column well cover self-care inspired by mens health monthbut applicable to everyone.

My young sons play a game in which they pretend to be sports cars and zip around the yard then pull up next to me, pretending to have run out of gas. My role is to fill up their tanks with premium gasoline so they can take off again for more laps chasing each other. Machines need gasoline but people need fuel, too, and the fuel we choose matters. High-quality fuel provides our bodies with the vitamins and minerals they need while avoiding excess sodium, sugarand unhealthy fats.

My patients often ask me what type of diet I recommend. There are lots of good diets out there. Whichever diet you choose I encourage you to eat mostly plants (i.e. fruits and vegetables) with as little processing as possible. Such a diet is naturally low in the things we want to avoid salt, sugarand unhealthy fats. It is also high in the things our body needs vitamins and minerals.

Eating right helps maintain a healthy weight and reduce the likelihood of blood pressure and blood sugar problems. Still, it is tough to do it all the time. So, if you are like me and have trouble giving up an unhealthy food completely, try limiting the portion size or the frequency of eating that food. For me, that means eating all the right things six days per week and giving myself a break on the seventh day. That grace day gives me extra flexibility if I am out at a restaurant or eating at a friends home, but enough structure to eat the right things most of the time.

I have a generator, and if I start it up every three or four months, it works great. If I forget about it for 6-12 months it takes quite a few more pulls and some tuning up to get it running again. When I go long stretches without exercise, I tend to have a similar reaction. Exercise not only keeps our bodies in good running order, its important for maintaining a healthy weight, promoting cardiovascular health, and boosting mental health.

Exercise can take many forms, but the key is getting approximately 150 minutes per week (e.g. 30 minutes per day for five days per week). Walking is a great form of low-impact exercise, and we have lots of parks and hikes here to take advantage of. Walking has the added plus of being beneficial for many forms of musculoskeletal low back pain. Many of my patients suffer from joint pains of the knee or hip, and walking can be difficult for them. In those cases try other low-impact activity like swimming, stationary bicycle, rowing machineor the elliptical.

Have you ever needed to use a cordless drill for a project and gotten everything ready to go only to realize that the battery is completely drained? A cordless drill is useless without a charged battery. Charging a battery is a pretty good analogy for the role of sleep in human health, but sleep actually does quite a bit more than just charge our batteries. Sleep is a critical step in memory consolidation. Hormone levels change and reset when we sleep. There have been large studies done showing improved health outcomes for those who are able to get quality sleep during overnight hours.

Our understanding of what goes into a good nights sleep has grown. In healthcare, we recognize that good sleep habits and practices are important, and we call these sleep hygiene. Some of these seem obvious like getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night, having a predictable bedtime, and making sure that the bedroom is dark and quiet. Others are not as obvious. Looking at television, computer, or smartphone screens in the time immediately before bed can interfere with your ability to have high-quality sleep. Alcohol before bed also increases the chances of waking up during the night. Over time, good habits are reinforcing and lead to more consistent high-quality sleep by training our minds and bodies to fall into beneficial patterns.

Good self-care can support mental health. There are also some other good ideas worth trying to promote mental wellbeing. One of the easiest things to do is to take time for gratitude. Saying or writing down what you are grateful for on a regular basis can shift our own attitudes and influence the way we perceive the world around us and our own experience of it. Building in time to be in nature or to pursue a creative endeavor can provide a sense of inspiration and reinvigoration. Another worthwhile habit is volunteering for a worthy cause. Volunteering connects us to other people and to a sense of purpose that can both give back to our communities and enrich our own lives.

When I go to work, I want to be the best doctor I can be for my patients. That requires staying up to date with the latest medical research and standards of care. I want to be the best husband and father. To do that I need to intentionally let go of what happened in the office when I drive home and focus on my family. To be the best version of ourselves for ourselves and those we care about requires first paying attention to some self-care.

The recommendations here are straightforward, but it can be tough to make these habits stick. Over the years I have made lots of self-care plans that never really took hold. The times I have been successful are the times that I have told someone else about my plan or enlisted someone else to participate with me. When my wife knows I have committed to a healthy diet, she can keep me honest. When I have a regular Saturday morning bike ride with a friend, it wont fall by the wayside. If you have struggled to make time for self-care in the past, try enlisting an accountability partner.

Some of us have gotten out of routines or had to establish new ones in the last year. By focusing on self-care, were doing the regular maintenance needed not just to maintain a functioning body and mind, but to thrive and be our best.

Peter Barkett, MD, practices internal medicine at Kaiser Permanente Silverdale. He lives in Bremerton.

Peter Barkett(Photo: Contributed)

Read or Share this story: https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/life/2021/06/17/during-mens-health-month-reminder-self-care-maintenance-helps-us-thrive/7737156002/

See the rest here:
During men's health month, a reminder that self-care maintenance helps us thrive - Kitsap Sun

What can we learn from the aging athlete? – The Mountaineer

Posted: June 19, 2021 at 1:52 am

You dont stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running, Christopher McDougall.

Biology is working against us as we age, making it harder to stay fit much less compete at a high level. Our cardiac output falls and our VO2 max starts to drop. VO2 max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen you can utilize during exercise. It's commonly used to test the aerobic endurance or cardiovascular fitness of athletes. Aging muscles also lose mass and elasticity.

As athletes age, they are more likely to suffer injury and illness. OK, enough of the downside.

Phil Mickelson won the PGA Championship on May 23 at age 50, becoming the oldest winner in the 161 years of major championship golf. In February, Tom Brady became the oldest quarterback to start and win a Superbowl at age 43. Meb Keflezighi won the 2014 Boston Marathon just two weeks shy of his 39th birthday. Serena Williams continues to compete at the highest level of professional womens tennis at age 40, while the sport is dominated by players in their late teens and early twenties.

Kathy Martin is not a professional athlete. Shes known as the Running Realtor. She took up running in her 30s on a whim to join her husband. Her first run with him lasted one city block.

However, she didnt quit and the next day she ran two blocks, then three and eventually a mile. Shes now over age 65 and recently ran a 5k race at a 6:26-mile pace.

She has set running records from 5k to 50k since she turned 40.

How do these folks continue to compete at such a high level at their respective ages, and what can we learn from them?

First, being over the hill doesnt mean being over the cliff. Staying physically active, getting enough sleep, taking care of any medical conditions, and challenging your body through some type of regular physical activity is critical to maintain your fitness level. High-intensity workouts can improve your VO2max. Lifting weights can help maintain muscle mass. Stimulating your mind by being a life-long learner can make a big difference, too.

Mickelson added meditation to his training routine and considers coffee a health drink. I havent read how he lost weight, but he looked lighter than in recent years.

Keflezighi added elliptical and core training to his regimen to avoid injury. Williams is a strict vegan during the tennis season and an advocate for high-intensity workouts. Brady trains all year long and is obsessive about his diet.

Food first. Adequate fuel is the key to being a lifelong athlete and a healthy adult. Not just for a few months but a steady lifestyle. As we age, we should be focused on consuming foods to enrich our body and mind.

Many health experts promote the Mediterranean diet a diet that's rich in vegetables, berries, fruit, whole grains, and healthy fats and proteins. While there is no single definition of the Mediterranean diet, the main components include:

Be consistent. Athletes who have long careers stay consistent with their training and health habits. Indeed, a study from the University of New Mexico showed as much as 70% of age-related decline is because of deconditioning rather than the aging process itself.

There may be all sorts of reasons you have become deconditioned, but the good news is the body adapts.

Ruby Ghadially decided to run a mile at age 57. It took her 15 minutes. Now, at age 63, she recently ran a 6:09 mile for a track club in San Francisco. A teammate of hers took up running after a divorce at age 51 and is now an accomplished runner at ag 61. For that matter, my wife, Kathie, a self-proclaimed non-athlete, started running in her mid-30s after a divorce. She became a top Masters runner in the Central Florida area for years. (We met in a race a few years later.)

The best things you can do to be a lifelong athlete, or healthy adult, is to have a healthy diet and be consistent with your training. If you arent an athlete, no worries. Thats just a word and a mind-set. The main thing is to keep (or start) moving forward.

(Patrick Johnson, RN, BSN, MPA is the former public health director in Haywood County, N.C. He worked in public health for 36 years in Florida and North Carolina. He retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve Nurse Corps in 2013 as a Colonel after 27 years. Col Johnson is an Iraq war veteran and has run over 400 races from 5k to marathon. Hes been a vegetarian for 35 years. Hes also bounced back from a heart valve repair, a severe stroke, a seizure disorder and still battles atrial fibrillation and retirement. He continues to run, hike, lift weights, stretch, meditate and tries to work out four times a week. One workout is my trail maintenance morning with the Carolina Mountain Club on the Mountain to Sea Trail in Haywood County. If you are interested in checking it out go to CarolinaMountainclub.org and look for the volunteer link. You wont regret it.)

Read more:
What can we learn from the aging athlete? - The Mountaineer

Study of Over 300000 Women Links Meat and Dairy with 12 Percent Increased Breast Cancer Risk – VegNews

Posted: June 19, 2021 at 1:52 am

A new study of over 300,000 female participants found that diets high in meat, dairy, and processed sugar increased ones relative risk of breast cancer by as much as 12 percent. The joint research conducted by the Catalan Institute of Oncology, the World Health Organization, and the Imperial College in London concluded that the inflammatory properties of these foods caused this spike in cancer risk.

Chronic inflammation is the precursor to many serious diseases including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Certain foodsincluding meat, dairy, and processed sugarshave been shown to increase inflammation in the body. When certain foods are eaten regularly, the temporary (acute) inflammation induced by these foods can become chronic, creating a prime environment for the development of cancer.

Researchers collected food frequency surveys from the 318,686 women participants for a year. The inflammatory nature of each diet was determined by the frequency of certain foods. Diets high in meat, butter, margarine, frying oils, and processed sugar were marked as inflammatory. Researchers found that participants who consumed the most inflammatory foods increased their relative risk of breast cancer by upwards of 12 percent.

In lieu of concentrating on a specific nutrientsuch as saturated fatas previous research has done, this study looked at dietary patterns. The goal was not to create fear around individual nutrients but steer the conversation toward habit change.

People consume food not nutrients, thus examining overall dietary patternsrather than single components of dietscan lead to more accurate conclusions when analyzing associations with a health outcome such as breast cancer, Carlotta Castro-Espin of the Catalan Institute of Oncology and the author of the study explained.

Plant-based diets have been linked to decreasing cancer risk as well as lowering levels of inflammation. Researchers point to the high antioxidant content of fruits and vegetables to explain the anti-inflammatory properties of whole, plant-based foods. Compared to the Standard American Diet (SAD) heavy in animal products, a whole, plant-based diet contains 64 times the amount of inflammation-fighting antioxidants.

Love the plant-based lifestyle as much as we do?Get the BEST vegan recipes, travel, celebrity interviews, product picks, and so much more inside every issue of VegNews Magazine. Find out why VegNews is the worlds #1 plant-based magazine by subscribing today!

Subscribe

Original post:
Study of Over 300000 Women Links Meat and Dairy with 12 Percent Increased Breast Cancer Risk - VegNews

What Self-Care Has Looked Like for 3 Dads During the Pandemic – Everyday Health

Posted: June 19, 2021 at 1:52 am

Like many people, 37-year-old Jonathan Sanchez thought the pandemic would be a few weeks maybe even a month of readjustment. And like so many others, it wasnt until it started dragging on and on that the Omaha, Nebraskabased financial advisor began to feel the effects of uncertainty and anxiety.

Then his wife got COVID-19 and he had to switch gears into being a solo caregiver for son Theo, age 7, and daughter Alexis, age 5. Just as he began to adjust, he got furloughed.

In a situation like that, where you dont know when things will end whether my wife will get better, whether my job will come back, how bad the virus will get its really tough, he says. Its depressing. I tried to stay busy, but theres only so many chores you can do every day.

On top of all that, he was hearing from relatives and friends in California about attacks on Asian Americans. Whenever he had to go downtown or shopping, he started to feel unsafe, to the point that hed constantly be making sure he knew where the exits were in case he had to run.

RELATED:Whats Driving the Surge in Anti-Asian Crimes, and How Can We Help the Victims?

As Asian Americans, were worried for people we love, and also for our kids and ourselves; its a terrible feeling, he says. So, I made sure to communicate with my wife about how I was feeling about all of this, and we started talking to a counselor together.

An outcome of those sessions was learning effective ways to give and receive love from one another, and that felt like a turning point for Sanchez. They made simple changes like using more words of affirmation and were more aware about supporting one another, he adds.

That was probably the biggest thing I learned this past year: how to ask for help, he says. Not even in huge ways, either. For example, I try to get my daughter ready in the morning, but Im terrible at pigtails. So, I ask my wife to do them. Even something that small makes us feel like were working together as a team, its a little win. And when you have those little wins all day, they add up.

Go here to see the original:
What Self-Care Has Looked Like for 3 Dads During the Pandemic - Everyday Health

ADHD and anger in adults: Management, tips, and more – Medical News Today

Posted: June 19, 2021 at 1:52 am

Understanding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anger in adults can help a person manage symptoms, reduce the impact of ADHD on their relationships, and reduce the risk of high-risk behaviors.

Anger is not on the official list of ADHD symptoms. However, many adults with ADHD struggle with anger, especially impulsive, angry outbursts. Triggers can include frustration, impatience, and even low self-esteem.

A number of prevention tips may help adults with ADHD manage anger as a symptom.

Keep reading to learn more about ADHD and anger, including the causes, triggers, and how to manage the condition.

Several studies have found a link between ADHD symptoms and anger.

A 2014 study of college students found that more ADHD symptoms correlated with more state and trait anger. State anger refers to brief bursts of anger, such as when encountering a reckless driver. Trait anger is a personality that tends toward anger.

A 2020 study that compared adults with ADHD to those without the diagnosis found that 50.2% of adults with ADHD had frequent emotional fluctuations, compared to just 5% of those without ADHD. Adults with ADHD who reported feeling angry as children were more likely to report frequent mood fluctuations.

This suggests a link between mood fluctuations and anger. It also suggests that the anger of adult ADHD may begin in childhood.

Some reasons why ADHD may make a person angry include:

Triggers vary from person to person. It can help if a person keeps a log of anger triggers, because this empowers a person to investigate why something triggers their anger and gain better control over the reaction. Some common triggers for ADHD-related anger include:

ADHD is a medical condition, which means a person cannot just think their way out of its symptoms. The right combination of treatments can make it much easier to manage anger. Some options include:

Some strategies that can help a person deal with their anger include:

Some strategies that can help prevent anger and impulsive angry outbursts include:

Doctors identify ADHD based on a tendency toward inattention, trouble concentrating, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Some symptoms of ADHD correlate more closely with anger. They include:

People who have ADHD and anger should know that they are not alone, and that their symptoms may be directly related to their diagnosis.

The right combination of treatment and social support can help.

Do not try to fix it alone. Mental health support can ease anger and prevent the destruction it causes.

Follow this link:
ADHD and anger in adults: Management, tips, and more - Medical News Today

The Sirtfood diet may help you lose weight, but nutritionists say it relies on unhealthy calorie restriction – Insider

Posted: June 19, 2021 at 1:51 am

The Sirtfood Diet was founded in 2016 by nutritionists Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten. It has since gained popularity thanks to celebrities like Adele, Pippa Middleton, and former pro boxer David Haye.

It's touted for rapid weight loss , claiming to help people lose seven pounds in seven days. Another one of the diet's distinguishing qualities is that it incorporates more indulgent foods like dark chocolate and red wine alongside traditional, healthier options like kale, strawberries, and other whole foods.

While the diet claims to set its participants on a quick path to weight loss, it also encourages intense calorie restriction. Here's what you should know about the Sirtfood Diet before trying it.

The Sirtfood Diet is built around natural compounds found in fruits and vegetables called polyphenols. Goggins and Matten claim some polyphenols mimic the effects of fasting and exercise by activating proteins in our bodies called sirtuins.

Also known as SIRTs, or silent information regulators, sirtuins play a role in how the body metabolizes sugar and stores fat, especially during periods of fasting or severe caloric restriction.

A 2016 study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences found they could potentially help treat obesity. However, the evidence is in the early stages and most of the research comes from animals or human cells rather than human experiments.

For the Sirtfood Diet, Goggins and Matten recommend eating a lot of foods that are rich in polyphenols in order to activate sirtuins in the body. They call these foods "sirtfoods" hence the diet's name.However, researchers are still learning exactly how polyphenols affect sirtuins in the body and whether or not it may actually aid weight loss.

"I could not find any scientific evidence that the Sirtfood Diet works through activation of the sirtuin proteins," says Ana Baylin, MD, an associate professor of nutritional sciences and epidemiology at the University of Michigan.

"The proposed foods definitely can activate the sirtuins, but that does not mean that if you lose weight it is exclusively because of that. You lose weight mostly because of caloric restriction in the beginning and because you are eating 'reasonably' healthy."

Common sirtfoods that the diet promotes include:

The plan's meals are all outlined in the Sirtfood Diet book. Some examples are shrimp stir fry with buckwheat noodles or strawberry buckwheat tabbouleh.

Followers of this diet plan can also expect to drink a lot of sirtfood-full juices that contain ingredients like kale, arugula, parsley, green apple, ginger, and matcha powder. Baylin points out the juice is just veggies and fruits. There's no harm in drinking that.

"But it's definitely not a good idea to substitute that for a meal," she says. Drinking only juice for a meal could cause a spike in blood sugar levels since juice has little to no insoluble fiber. The occasional blood sugar spike won't hurt, but over time if you have consistently high blood sugar levels it can lead to health complications like insulin resistance and prediabetes.

"On the other hand, it would be very healthy in the context of substitutions," Baylin says. Instead of drinking a sweetened beverage with added sugar like soda, opting for the juice would be a healthier choice.

Length: 7 days

Length: 14 days

In this phase, you'll have three sirtfood meals and one green juice each day. The focus is not on counting calories, but eating balanced, sensibly portioned meals. Dieters are expected to steadily lose weight.

After three weeks, when phase 2 has ended, the Sirtfood Diet creators suggest drinking a green juice each day and eating a sirtfood-rich diet to sustain weight loss.

As for exercise, the Sirtfood Diet book says eating sirtfoods isn't "a reason not to engage in exercise" and notes dieters should follow government recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week.

The founders of the diet claim the tens of thousands of people who've tried the diet found it effective for rapid and sustained weight loss. Yet, Baylin says any diet that includes caloric restriction is always effective short term.

"You will definitely lose weight in the short term because you are consuming less calories," she says. And while she agrees you can lose fat if you combine the diet with exercise, you'll "most likely" lose water weight that will return after you stop following the diet.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends 1,600 to 2,400 calories a day for women and 2,000 to 3,000 a day for men. So you will lose weight on any diet that only allows 1,000 calories a day but that doesn't mean it's safe or healthy to do so.

"Whether you're eating 1,000 calories of tacos, 1,000 calories of kale, or 1,000 calories of snickerdoodles, you will lose weight at 1,000 calories," Adrienne Youdim, MD, director of the Center for Weight Loss and Nutrition in Beverly Hills, California, told Shape magazine.

But that level of restriction isn't easy. People magazine reporter Julie Mazziotta tried the first week of the diet and gave it a 9 out of 10 on the difficulty scale. By 1 p.m. on day one, she says she was "miserable and starving."

Apart from phase 1 not being nutritionally balanced or calorie-sufficient, Baylin says the diet's safe to follow. "There is nothing in the proposed foods that is harmful all those foods are perfectly healthy," she says.

But, "I would not recommend the first phase of strict caloric restriction," Baylin says. "However, most healthy adults should not have any problem following this diet."

Moreover, Baylin says people are encouraged to eat a plant-based diet in phase 2 and beyond, which is a healthy way to keep off pounds.

The jury's still out if there are any long-term effects of the diet, and there's no research on whether it could present complications with other health conditions.

"The problem is that in the end, a diet is a diet," she says, "and if people do not embrace healthy eating as a new lifestyle but as a 'punishing' diet most likely they will never create the habit of eating healthy, and a little less, and they will regain the weight."

Dietitians caution that people with diabetes or other chronic conditions could face serious health risks on this diet. So, before trying a highly restrictive diet, like the Sirtfood Diet, it's always advised to consult a doctor first about potential risks you may face.

Read more:
The Sirtfood diet may help you lose weight, but nutritionists say it relies on unhealthy calorie restriction - Insider

The curious science of liposuction: Why, exactly, can’t doctors just remove all of my fat? – Salon

Posted: June 19, 2021 at 1:51 am

"Tina," a 36-year-old Pennsylvania woman, didn't want her real name used for this story but not because she had anything she should feel ashamed of. Tina hasnot committed a crime, hurt a soul or been convicted of anything. Her desire to remain anonymous stems,simply, from the fact that shegained weight.

Speaking with Salon, the clerk with raven-black hair, twinkling brown eyes and a warm smile said that she knows her self-esteem issues are caused by society's toxic body image standardsand do not reflect any objective notion of beauty.That knowledge, unfortunately, doesn't make thetoxic standardshurt any less. Tina ruefully doubts thatshe'll ever againbe able tofit into her favorite 2000s-eraclothes:tied-up belly shirts, corset tops,low-waisted gypsy skirts and blouses. Medically she is classified as obese, with much of the excess weight accumulatingon her once-flat midriff. Despite multiple dieting and exercise campaigns, the belly fatstubbornly refuses to go away. Tina hopes that it may shrink some day, but despairs of ever being entirely rid of it and admits that she wishes modern medicinecould literally suck the fat cells out of her.

"I admit this as a truth," she explained. "I suck in my belly in the mirror and think to myself how much more attractive I'd feel without the gut. I wish I could do the liposuction and tummy tuck."

Tina still feels that her face is beautiful, but struggles to feel sexy shopping for clothes, and is hesitantto share pictures that showher body. Like many people who struggle with obesity, she blames herself for poor dietary choices:when it comes to foods like burgers and fries, for instance, she simply can't resist. Tina also has had two children and endometriosis surgery, which havestretched out her stomach,and between that and now being obese shedoubts whether her"willpower is up to the challenge of significant weight loss." It seems, for all intents and purposes, that she has accepted that because she struggles to diet and exercise and can't afford certain types of surgeries, like tummy tucks she willnever return to her size from the early 2000s.

In movies, books and soap operas, liposuctions are often depicted as transformative; a patient enters obese, and leaves the surgeon looking slim. That trope, as it turns out, is another instance of fiction misinformingus about medicine. Doctors cannot simply remove all the fat cells from our bodies, whether through liposuction or through other procedures. As an overweight person, learning this was disheartening, as perhaps it was for others in similar situations.

But why is this the case?

First, liposuction is a bad idea for patients who are severely obese for a number of reasons, according toDr. Umbareen Mahmood, a board certified plastic surgeon in New York City who performs liposuction surgeries daily and treats many bariatric patients. For one thing, the ideal candidate has to be less than 30% above their ideal weight and have good skin elasticity, so that the liposuction will make a noticeable difference and won't cause excessive loose skin. In addition, people who are obese have an increased risk ofwounds, healing complications and clots in the legs.

Then, there is the fact that you can only remove a small amount of fat at onetime.

"We can only remove approximately 5 litersof fat safely at each liposuction surgery,"Mahmood explained. "This is because large volume liposuction beyond this results in internal fluid shifts and can cause serious issues with blood pressure and blood flow."

It helps to remember that fat is not just some gelatinous substance that sticks to our ribs and can be scraped off like butter sliding off toast. It is an organ, like any other part of the body, and removing it comes with considerable risks.

"Fat is not an inert substance, like little adipose cell suitcases, as if it's luggage we just carry around,"Dr. K.L. Ong, a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, toldSalon by email. "Science used to kind of believe that, but that's been better understood for a long time now. Adipose cells do all kinds of things, as other organs do, and they also 'hold'all kinds of things in addition to fatty acids. Adipose tissue or 'fat'is a distributed organ-like skin."

Want more health and science stories in your inbox? Subscribe to Salon's weekly newsletter The Vulgar Scientist.

Ong added, "Skin is also an organ, and both can be removed in a small part. But if in large part, the person would likely die from physical shock."

There is simply no getting around the fact that fat contains many important things our bodies need: "Even in the most near-the-skin subcutaneous adipose tissue, it is woven with millions of blood vessels, lymph vessels, protein-fibrous supporting tissue, and nerves. You can attempt to remove the adipose tissue, but in doing so, you take a ton of other tissue with it," Ong said.

What this means, however, is that there is considerable evidencethat the traditional scientific mantra of "dieting and exercising will help you lose weight" simply is not true. The factors that cause a person to become obese are complicated, ranging from the microbes in your gutto the quirks in your DNA. The vast majority of people who pass a certain threshold when it comes to being overweight will never return to their previous weight, or if they do will not able to sustain that loss: As of 2015 the odds of that happening in a given year were 1 in 210 for an obese man, 1 in 124 for an obese woman.Their body chemistry changes to actively resist shedding the extra fat, believing that it must do so to survive.

Thus, while America's diet and self-help industry insiststhat losing weightis all a matter of self-control, the accountability fetish is not supported by the science.

"It has very little to do with will power," Dr. Nicole Avena, an assistant professor of neuroscience at Mount Sinai Medical School and a visiting professor of health psychology at Princeton University, told Salon in December. Neuroscientific research has provedthat "many foods are being found to be able to produce a state in the brain that is very similar to what you would see with an addiction to something like drugs or alcohol. And so our primitive brain is being activated by many of these processed foods that are on the market that many people enjoy and indulge in."

The permanent weight loss numbers do improve somewhat for patients who have had bariatric surgery procedures that cut into your digestive tract to help you lose weight but they come with risks of complications likeintestinal blockages and long-term malnutrition. There is also a paucity of data on the long-term ramifications of many bariatric procedures, as they are relatively new, and there is evidence that psychological issues can arise after the surgeries.

This creates a conundrum for people who want to be honest about weight loss prospects. It is perhaps upsettingto admit that it may not be possible for some people, and they should learn to love their bodies(which is true of everyone). At the same time, it is morally tenuous to insist that the millions who suffer from obesity are simply flawed characters, when the science strongly suggests that there is simply a lot we don't yet know about obesity.

As for Tina, the pseudonym of the Pennsylvania clerk? Deep down she understands, intellectually, that the circumference of herwaistline does not make her better or worse, prettier or uglier, more or less successful or worthy of admiration. She also feels blessed to besurrounded by people who make it clear thatthey regard her as beautiful.

She still struggles with her size, though.

"I know I'm not what I could be if Iwas skinnier," she told Salon."I'd have an easier time feeling confident. Somedays I feel so good, then look in the mirror and that changes right away. Then I have to return to my...positive affirmations."

Read this article:
The curious science of liposuction: Why, exactly, can't doctors just remove all of my fat? - Salon


Page 254«..1020..253254255256..260270..»