I Lost Weight: Jennifer Hodges Got Hooked On Group Fitness Classes And Lost 212 Pounds

Name: Jennifer Hodges
Age: 41
Height: 5'8"
Before Weight: 369 pounds

How I Gained It: I was addicted to fast and processed food. And I led a very sedentary lifestyle. Food filled a void for me. A void left by working parents, a lack of friends. I ate because I was bored. I ate because I was lonely. I ate because I could. I just ate. The bigger I got, the more I ate and the worse I would eat. I think a lot of the eating habits stemmed from growing up in the restaurant business, having food available all the time. I would feel good when I was eating, but as soon as I was done, I would feel horrible.

 So I just didn’t stop.

I would eat a large bagel (or two) loaded with cream cheese for breakfast, a large take-out sub/fast food for lunch, then stop on the way home from school/work and get another fast-food meal and then stop at the gas station for a candy bar. Then go home for dinner, and then just eat for the rest of the night. Once I got home it was like an all-night buffet. I just didn’t stop eating: ice cream, chips, pizza. I always felt that people were judging me and talking about me when I would grocery shop, or be out with my kids and feeding them vegetables while I am munching away on a candy bar.

Breaking Point: When I fell in the backyard and couldn't get up. My three young children had to run inside the house to get my husband. He had to roll me on a blanket and drag me inside. That was my "a-ha" moment. I knew I needed to change my lifestyle not only for myself, but for my entire family.

How I Lost It: I enrolled in a gym. I started out very slowly. I began at the gym on the recumbent bicycle, but I longed to get into the group fitness room. I could see the room from my bike and I just couldn’t wait to get in there, but I was so worried what other people might think about me. Finally after about three months I decided I didn’t care anymore what other people thought. This journey was for me and my family, not for other people. In January 2009, I took my first Les Mills group fitness class: Body Step. I was very nervous, and I was too big and too out of shape to use the step, so I just did the moves on the floor. I also spoke to my instructor, told her of my goals and my limitations and together we came up with a signal that I could give her so she could show me an easier option. After three months, I started using the step. I was feeling more confident in myself and in my body. I had people in my class noticing that I was losing weight, and I started to make some friends in the group fitness class. I also started adding BODYPUMP to my routine right around this three-month mark. Soon after I was able to do two hours of consecutive exercise; cardio and strength. And I loved it! I loved the person I was becoming.

The athlete in me started to emerge. So I started trying other Les Mills classes, like BODYCOMBAT and RPM. My body started to change shape; I was becoming leaner, fitter, a better person on the outside and the inside. Group fitness has forever changed my life. Now, nearly four years later, I am a BODYPUMP and RPM addict! I also love the core training program CXWORX. CXWORX has made me a more efficient runner and overall athlete. And I have made great friends with my group fitness buddies! We cheer each other on and motivate each other.

I also totally changed my diet and started paying close attention to what I was putting in my body. I gave up all processed and fast food -- all of it! Now, I try to be somewhat creative with my meals, but I never learned how to cook when I was younger, so this is all new to me! I have several cookbooks and my husband gives me lessons, too. He is a very good cook and makes wonderfully healthy meals. I'll have an egg-white omelete with spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers and tomatoes for breakfast with a slice of Ezekial bread. Lunch is generally my largest meal of the day, lean protein like fish, chicken or shrimp on a bed of greens, or a salad with a lot of beans. For dinner, I usually have whole wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa or couscous with lean protein. And during the day I snack on all sorts of fruit. Apples, bananas and mangoes are my favorite. At night, I occasionally have some air-popped popcorn or a frozen yogurt bar.

My life is completely different. I run marathons, triathlons, and participate in endurance challenges and mud runs. And more importantly, I can play with my kids. We go on family bike rides and run 5Ks together. It's a great life, and I enjoy every moment of it.

After Weight: 157 pounds

Fall Coffee Drinks: Which Is Best? Calories, Nutrition And More

As New York Magazine recently proclaimed, pumpkin is the new bacon. The newly ubiquitous flavoring is a popular option for the lineup of fall seasonal drinks at national coffeehouses like Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and Tim Horton's.

But whether it's a pumpkin latte or a spiced apple cider, these festive drinks can hide fat, sugar and calories amidst the evocative, limited-time flavors. We've listed a few of the most common offenders, all size medium unless otherwise noted, with more sugar than candy bars and enough fat to make a serious dent in your daily allowance.

To combat calorie-laden drinks, the CDC recommends choosing the smallest size, replacing whole milk with skim where appropriate and forgoing the whipped cream. Unfortunately, they recommend skipping flavor syrups (how your pumpkin mocha latte is created) altogether.

Not ready to let go of fall's fab flavors? At least know what you're getting yourself into:

10 Office Personalities That May Be Sabotaging Your Diet

"We didn't take the M&M's away. We just made them a little more difficult to get to."

Google's minor change in the kitchen, People & Innovation Lab Manager Jennifer Kurkoski told Wired, has resulted in 3.1 million fewer calories consumed by employees in the New York City office.

M&M's might not be the problem in your office. Maybe it's a free vending machine or a colleague's candy dish or an endless stream of gourmet food trucks outside the building. And while being at the office can provide opportunities to eat healthfully -- think well-planned, brown-bag lunches or no access to the goodies waiting in your fridge at home -- it's not always a bastion of nutrition.

In fact, a number of common office personalities can become real diet saboteurs if you don't take action. We spoke to Elisa Zied, R.D., C.D.N., registered dietitian and founder and president of Zied Health Communications, about some of the most common ones we've encountered, plus how to make sure you don't overdo it.

For many of the following scenarios, she says, a couple of general strategies can help. First, make your own health goals and rules the top priority. "It's important not to feel pressure to eat," says Zied. "You kind of have to be happy with who you are and not let other people influence what you eat just to be cool. We're grown ups!"

Then, plan ahead as much as possible with some go-to excuses you can use as scenarios come up. You can say you had a big breakfast, or you can even say you have a family history of heart disease. Try explaining that with certain foods you feel like if you have one, you'll eat the whole box, says Zied.

Also, plan ahead as much as possible when it comes to what you will actually eat, she says. "The more you plan ahead for what you're going to eat and how often you’re going to eat, the more in control you'll feel, you won't be as rattled by the sudden food that's in your office," she says. "And if you do have it, you can know to cut back at dinner or have a healthier breakfast the next day."

But what about when you are rattled by sudden food in the office or by a spontaneous happy hour invitation?
It's tough to know when you'll feel vulnerable to indulge -- or who will be the personality to rope you in. But there are some times to definitely be on your toes. Stress, like from a looming deadline, can make you particularly vulnerable to craving attacks, says Zied, as can the mid-afternoon when you're dragging and sapped of energy. The sweeter and fattier the food is, the more likely you are to really want it, she adds, but these aren't the foods that will energize you and nourish you to finish out the day at your physical and mental best.

Tell us in the comments: Do you recognize any of these scenarios at your office?

How to Choose the Healthiest Salad Greens

Headed to a hoppin’ salad bar for lunch? Chances are there will be handfuls of fresh greens up for grabs, from romaine and iceberg to spinach and red leaf lettuce. But when it comes to choosing the healthiest salad base, which types of lettuce pack the biggest nutritional punch?

Seeing Green — The Need-to-Know

Photo by Jordan Shakeshaft

Sorry sandwich lovers, but a few shreds of lettuce on a bun won’t add up to the USDA’s daily recommended intake (2-3 cups for most adults). Instead, a big, healthy salad is one of the smartest ways to go green. Coming in at under 10 calories per cup, a big bowl of leaves can be a stellar source of vitamins A, C, K, and folate, among other essential nutrients.

But not all leafy greens will build a super-nutritious salad. In fact, America’s favorite lettuce, iceberg, ranks the lowest in nutritional value across the board (96 percent water content will do that!). Turbo-charged spinach, on the other hand, boasts nearly twice the recommended daily value of vitamin K, half the recommended value of vitamin A, and ample  amounts of calcium and iron. Clearly, Popeye was on to something.

Prefer a crunchier base? A cup of romaine is a tasty alternative, with a huge dose of vitamin A and a variety of other nutrients. Or, for a mild but textured bed, red leaf lettuce clocks in at just 4 calories per cup, with nearly half of the daily recommended dose of vitamins A and K. Arugula (technically a cruciferous vegetable like broccoli, kale, and cabbage) also packs a healthy dose of nutrients and phytochemicals, which may inhibit the development of certain cancers. And for the non-committal types, mixed greens (typically a mix of romaine, oak leaf lettuce, arugula, frisée, and radicchio) offer, well, a mixed bag of nutritional benefits, depending on the batch.

Salad for Salad — Your Guide to Greens

Which greens are the best bet? Check out the infographic below for the nutritional low-down.

Graphic by Caitlin Covington

Winning the Toss – Your Action Plan

Consider visiting the salad bar a free pass to join the dark side. Research shows that darker “loose” or “open leaf” lettuces (such as romaine, red leaf, and butterhead) contain more antioxidants and nutrients than the typically lighter-colored, more tightly-packed heads (such as iceberg). The reason? The darker leaves are able to absorb more light and, in turn, synthesize more vitamins. And while there’s no good way to pick and choose a store-bought salad leaf for leaf, at home, opting for the tops and outer leaves can guarantee a more nutritious base.

Ready to go darker (and healthier) still? While they’re not stocked at most salad bars, check the produce aisle for tougher roughage like Swiss chard and kale, which beat out even spinach in the antioxidant game. Be sure to give the leaves a good cold rinse before serving raw, boiled, or steamed, as the folds in these greens tend to accumulate dirt more easily than other veggies. Also keep in mind that high heat can strip veggies of their natural vitamin content. The final key to becoming a lean, green fighting machine? Dress for success. Hold off on the creamy dressings, croutons, bacon bits, and layers of shredded cheese. Instead, opt for a lighter vinaigrette and a sprinkling of chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds for added crunch and protein.

What’s in your go-to healthy salad? Will  you rethink your choice of lettuce? Share your thoughts (and go-green tips!) in the comments below.

The Healthiest Salad Greens

Think you mix a mean salad? While we applaud everyone for getting their greens, not all salads are created equal!

Comparing iceberg and romaine is a little easier than comparing, say, apples and oranges. In general, leafy greens are rich in fiber, calcium, iron and vitamins A and C, among other essential nutrients.

"No matter what type it is, it's going to offer you some nutrition," says Rachel Berman, R.D., director of nutrition at caloriecount.com. It's also worth mentioning that leafy greens don't contain some of the biggest nutrition offenders, namely fat and sodium. "You get a lot of bang for caloric buck," says Berman. "By pairing any meal with a side salad, you're helping yourself become satiated on fewer calories."

Keep in mind that no salad is complete without at least a little fat. A study from earlier this year found that the nutrients in greens and other veggies are best absorbed when eaten with a bit of (healthy) fat, like that in avocados, nuts or olive oil.

But creating the best base is important, too. That's why we asked Berman to share her thoughts on the best and worst picks for salad greens in the slideshow below. Although a blend of a few different greens is probably the healthiest bet of all, she says; that way you get the various benefits of a few different options.

Of course, the size of your salad will affect the amount of nutrients those greens deliver. The typical side salad is likely around two cups or 100 grams, says Berman, but, especially with the popularity of chopped salads, yours could pack up to four cups of leafy greens.

Breast Cancer Prevention Foods

Breast Cancer Prevention Foods: What Can You Eat To Reduce Your Chances?

Breast cancer prevention starts with healthy habits — such as limiting the amount of alcohol you drink and staying physically active. Understand what you can do to prevent breast cancer. 

If you're concerned about breast cancer, you may be wondering if there are steps you can take toward breast cancer prevention. Understand the lifestyle factors that may affect your risk of breast cancer and what you can do to stay healthy.

What can I do to reduce my risk of breast cancer?

Breast cancer prevention begins with various factors you can control. For example:

• Limit alcohol. The more alcohol you drink, the greater your risk of developing breast cancer. If you choose to drink alcohol — including beer, wine or liquor — limit yourself to no more than one drink a day.
• Control your weight. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of breast cancer. This is especially true if obesity occurs later in life, particularly after menopause.
• Get plenty of physical activity. Being physically active can help you maintain a healthy weight, which, in turn, helps prevent breast cancer. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity (think brisk walking or swimming) or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity (such as running), in addition to strength training exercises at least twice a week. If you're just starting a physical activity program, start slowly and build intensity gradually.
• Breast-feed. Breast-feeding may also play a role in breast cancer prevention. The longer you breast-feed, the greater the protective effect.
• Discontinue hormone therapy. Long-term combination hormone therapy increases the risk of breast cancer. If you're taking hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms, ask your doctor about other options. You may be able to manage your symptoms with non-hormonal therapies, such as physical activity. If you decide that the benefits of short-term hormone therapy outweigh the risks, consider using the lowest dose that's effective for your symptoms, and plan to use it only temporarily.
• Avoid exposure to environmental pollution. While further studies are needed, some research suggests a link between breast cancer and exposure to the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in vehicle exhaust and air pollution.

Can a healthy diet prevent breast cancer?

Research shows that eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables doesn't offer direct protection from breast cancer. In addition, a recent study of dietary fat and breast cancer showed only a slight decrease in the risk of invasive breast cancer for women who ate a low-fat diet. However, eating a healthy diet may decrease your risk of other diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke. A healthy diet can also help you maintain a healthy weight — a key factor in breast cancer prevention.

Is there a link between birth control pills and breast cancer?

Current evidence suggests that use of oral contraceptives doesn't increase the risk of breast cancer. While older research showed a slight increase in risk, those studies included pills with higher estrogen doses than what's available today. In addition, the older research showed that 10 or more years after stopping oral contraceptives, the risk of breast cancer returned to the same level as that of women who never used oral contraceptives.

What else can I do?

Be vigilant about breast cancer detection. If you notice any changes in your breasts, such as a new lump or skin changes, consult your doctor for an evaluation. Also, ask your doctor when to begin mammograms and other screening procedures to detect breast cancer.

Remember, it's not always possible to prevent breast cancer. By practicing healthy habits, however, you're taking an active role in breast cancer prevention.

 

Losing The Last 10 Pounds: Why Does Weight Loss Get Harder?

"Why is it so hard to lose the last 10 pounds? And why is it harder to lose weight the smaller I get?"
-- Tamara

Anyone who has tried to lose weight knows about those frustratingly immobile final five or 10 pounds. And while there are a lot of suggestions (just Google "last 10 pounds" and you'll enter an echo-chamber of weight loss advice, scientific half-truths and can-do enthusiasm), the truth is that several pretty straight-forward reasons can explain that unshakeable weight.
The first is easy to fix, but also the most psychologically daunting: it could be something called "diet fatigue," in which the repetitive behaviors dieting requires -- keeping a food journal, weighing portion sizes, skipping that glass of wine -- become arduous, hard to manage and, frankly, boring.
"Dieters become less careful, they are not taking the precautions they did in terms of knowing what they ate, how much," says Carla Wolper, Ed.D., R,D., research faculty at the Obesity Research Center at St. Luke’s and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia Medical Center. "They may not realize they’re not as careful anymore."

That's not an invitation for blame -- it can happen insidiously and there's an easy solution. If the scale needle slows its descent, simply write what you eat down in a food journal. "Keeping food records is always recommended," says Wolper. "Studies show that people will lose weight, even if they don’t do anything different to their diet but simply start writing it down."
There is also the possibility that it's time to recalculate. When a person begins to lose weight, their metabolic rate drops. In other words, they need fewer calories to meet basic functioning and requirements. While a 150-pound woman might have a certain basic metabolic rate, that rate may drop when she becomes a 130-pound woman. That's why it's a good idea to reevaluate caloric needs after more than 10 pounds of weight loss, according to Wolper.
"People who are normal weight tend to eat fewer calories than people who are overweight, every day, forever," agrees Rebecca E. Lee, director of the Texas Obesity Research Center and a professor of nutrition in the Department of Health and Human Performance at the University of Houston. "It takes fewer calories to maintain a lower body weight. This doesn't necessarily mean that they eat less volume -- they might, but they also might eat more nutrient dense foods that have fewer calories, like vegetables, fruits, lean meats, etc."
There's an additional consideration regarding metabolism: something called "metabolic adaptation."
"When dieting, your body is forced to work on a reduced number of calories per day. Eventually your body adapts and trains itself to live on whatever calories it gets -- without losing weight. This built-in survival mechanism is your body’s way to protect you against starvation," says Dr. Caroline J. Cederquist, a metabolic expert and board-certified medical weight management specialists. "Once you have hit this point, you may manage to lose a few bonus pounds, but they will come off much more slowly and, before you know it, the weight you lost may start to come back on!"
So what can you do? Interestingly, the answer is not exercise. (Which is not to say you shouldn't exercise. Please exercise!) Very often we're told that building muscle mass will help rev up our metabolisms because muscle tissue burns more calories per hour than fat tissue does. But, as Wolper explains, the difference in caloric burn rate is minor. Fat tissue burns about two calories per pound per day, while muscle tissue of the same weight burns seven calories per day. If someone made a significant change -- transformed two pounds of fat into two pounds of muscle, that would amount to a difference of 10 more calories burned per day.
"The truth is that skeletal muscle doesn’t burn that much more than fat. Our brains burn the most calories. In fact, the lean tissue that burns a lot of calories is our heart, lungs, liver and brain. About 60 percent of the calories that are burned come from those four sources," says Wolper.
Exercise may help create a greater calorie deficit and that will help further along weight loss or help maintain sustained weight loss -- but it won't make a big metabolic difference.
Instead, in addition to redoubling food journal efforts and recalculating caloric intake for one's new size, Cederquist recommends something she calls a "metabolic adjustment phase." Instead of reducing calories, she suggests a two-week period of increased meal sizes. "During this phase, the goal is not to lose weight, but to readjust your body’s ability to metabolize an increasing number of calories, by increasing portion sizes and bumping up caloric intake."
Most of all, it's important to evaluate one's goals. Have you reached a healthy weight? If so and if continued weight loss is a huge struggle, it may be time to consider entering a maintenance phase. "Focus on the benefits of maintaining your weight loss," says Cederquist. "And remember that maintaining is as important as losing."

Should You Take A Multivitamin?

Is there a daily multivitamin that you would recommend to help boost energy for exercise?
-- Johnny, 23, East Bay, CA.

There are actually two parts to this question. The first is silent: should healthy adults be taking a daily multivitamin at all? If you believe the latest research, the answer is no.

The first thing to acknowledge is that, for the most part, Americans are not deficient in vitamins. A recent CDC survey found that we're sufficiently nourished in essential nutrients like vitamins A, D and folate. But just because we aren't deficient, doesn't necessarily mean that our vitamin levels are optimal. The question is, how important are optimal levels?

"You get your nutrients through your food. Through the milenia, that’s what the case was and we survived as a species -- in fact, we thrived," says Alice Lichtenstein, DSc, senior scientist and director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University and the author of a position paper on the usefulness of multivitamins. "To assume that we suddenly have lost this ability doesn't quite make sense."

While whole foods are a good source of nutrients, many public health researchers actually credit processed, packaged foods that have been fortified with vitamins for the nutrient-rich American diet. "Most people, if they are eating a generally healthy diet -- not a perfect diet, but a generally healthy diet, don't need a multivitamin," says Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietician at the Mayo Clinic. "With things like breakfast cereals, nutrition bars, foritified grains and bread, because all those foods are fortified with other minerals, we are getting more than we realize and more than we need."

That doesn't make a multivitamin just redundant, it could make it dangerous: Lichtenstein points out to Healthy Living that a large surplus of supplemental folate may have an adverse effect on colon cancer and other research has found a relationship between folic acid supplements and prostate and breast cancers as well. Lichtenstein adds that an overabundance of vitamin A, to levels of toxicity, can manifest in accelerated bone loss.

Some vitamins are water-soluble and others are fat-soluble, explains Zeratsky. While water-soluble vitamins will pass right through the body and are expelled in urine (the inspiration for the popular "expensive urine" quip among physicians), fat-soluble vitamins are stored and build up over time, making it a bit easier to reach toxicity. Fat-soluble vitamins include D, E and A -- common inclusions in both fortified foods and in multivitamins.

What's more, a longitudinal study of women who took multivitamins and those who did not found that taking a regular multivitamin was actually associated with a shorter overall life expectancy. Critics of the study suggested that a bias may exist -- namely, that people who take a multivitamin may be doing so in response to overall health problems that reduce their life spans.

Although, according to Lichtenstein, the profile of the average multivitamin user is this: a middle-aged woman who eats healthfully and exercises and has an above-average education level. “The population who takes them is most often the population who is least likely to need them,” she says.

But there are people who can benefit from a multivitamin or certain supplements. One example that all of the experts we spoke with gave was women of child-bearing age -- and especially those trying to get pregnant -- who should ensure that they get enough folate to prevent birth defects like spina-bifida. Additionally, women who are going through or have gone through menopause might need a boost in certain nutrients, and those on specialized diets that are lacking in nutrition might also benefit. Because it’s so highly individualized, a supplement regime should be planned with a doctor.

Still, there remains no evidence that multivitamins are useful to overall or long-term health -- and some, albeit inconclusive evidence that they are harmful.

If you are going to take a multivitamin, Zeratsky says that she doesn't believe it will hurt. To ensure purity, she recommends looking for a brand that has been certified by a third party testing agency, like U.S. Pharmacopeal. Since vitamins and supplements are not regulated at the same level as food, it's important to know the source of what you're taking.

But long-term health isn't the primary concern at the center of this question. Johnny asked if there was a particular multivitamin associated with energy. Some people report, in a clinical setting (as opposed to a significant study) that the family of B vitamins gives them extra energy, reports Zaretsky. Though B vitamins are prevalent enough in our diet to maintain basic levels, it's possible that people who have an energy response to B vitamins may be low in these nutrients without being deficient. The extra boost may also increase energy, as the vitamins play a role in regulating metabolism.

Beyond that, when it comes to exercise, important vitamins for energy, muscle function, recovery and bone strength include vitamin D, vitamin C and electrolytes like potassium and sodium. Calcium is also really important -- not only for bone health, but for regulating how our muscles contract, according to Zaretsky.
That said, it's better to get these nutrients from sunlight (in the case of the hormone, vitamin D) and whole foods. "Our healthy diet goes so far beyond what a pill can offer -- known and unknown," says Zaretsky, pointing to the fiber and phytonutrients that foods contain and pills lack.

Agrees Lichtenstein: "The data generally supports better outcomes who are eating well-balanced diet. It's not particularly exciting, but from the perspective of what we can support in the research, that’s the best information we have."

What Is Metabolism: How Long After I Eat Is Weight Added To My Body?

"How long does it take for the food I ate to add weight to my body?" -- Bunter122 

Today's question comes from a reader who would prefer to stay anonymous, but it is certainly a thought that many people have had. Given that we all have different metabolic speeds, what is the average amount of time it takes food to be digested and then shunted off to its various purposes?
"We have a pretty good indication about the timeline from the sequence of ingestion, digestion, and egestion. The whole thing plays out over a span of roughly 12 hours on average," says Dr. David Katz, a HuffPost Healthy Living contributor and director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center. "By the time the residual waste of food is passing out of us, the useable parts have all been put to use -- for energy expenditure, as heat generation, or placed into storage, as either glycogen [from carbohydrate], or fat."
After you eat, the food passes through your stomach and small intestine in about six to eight hours, according to the Mayo Clinic. Then, it enters the large intestine where it is further digested. Putting it as delicately as possible, Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist Dr. Michael F. Picco writes: "Elimination of undigested food residue through the large intestine usually begins after a total of 24 hours. Complete elimination from the body may take several days."
For a complete understanding of what the body does to digest food, the National Institutes of Health has a great explainer. For our purposes, it is essential to understand that as food is digested, enzymes and hormones are secreted by the stomach and small intestines (as well as fat cells) and work to break down the carbohydrates, protein and fat we've eaten into usable material for our cells.

A growing number of endocrinologists -- those who study our hormone system -- are beginning to see the hormone response as far more complicated than previously thought, as well as far more individualized: there is a wider variance in how people respond to food, they suspect.
"While the question posed seems extraordinarily simple, I don't think that there can be a simple answer to it," says Dr. Kaveh Ashrafi, an associate professor of physiology at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine who studies fat metabolism. "The prevailing view essentially considers feeding behavior/exercise as the sole determinants of body weight. For this to be true, one has to assume that the body itself is simply an inert vessel; if you put more food in it, it must get fat, if you move it, it must lose weight."

Cherries Could Lower Risk Of Gout Attack

A new study found that patients with gout who consumed cherries over a two-day period showed a 35% lower risk of gout attacks compared to those who did not eat the fruit. Findings from this case-crossover study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), also suggest that risk of gout flares was 75% lower when cherry intake was combined with the uric-acid reducing drug, allopurinol, than in periods without exposure to cherries or treatment.

Previous research reports that 8.3 million adults in the U.S. suffer with gout, an inflammatory arthritis triggered by a crystallization of uric acid within the joints that causes excruciating pain and swelling. While there are many treatment options available, gout patients continue to be burdened by recurrent gout attacks, prompting patients and investigators to seek other preventive options such as cherries. Prior studies suggest that cherry products have urate-lowering effects and anti-inflammatory properties, and thus may have the potential to reduce gout pain. However, no study has yet to assess whether cherry consumption could lower risk of gout attacks.

For the present study, lead author Dr. Yuqing Zhang, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Boston University and colleagues recruited 633 gout patients who were followed online for one year. Participants were asked about the date of gout onset, symptoms, medications and risk factors, including cherry and cherry extract intake in the two days prior to the gout attack. A cherry serving was one half cup or 10 to 12 cherries.

Participants had a mean age of 54 years, with 88% being white and 78% of subjects were male. Of those subjects with some form of cherry intake, 35% ate fresh cherries, 2% ingested cherry extract, and 5% consumed both fresh cherry fruit and cherry extract. Researchers documented 1,247 gout attacks during the one-year follow-up period, with 92% occurring in the joint at the base of the big toe.

“Our findings indicate that consuming cherries or cherry extract lowers the risk of gout attack,” said Dr. Zhang. “The gout flare risk continued to decrease with increasing cherry consumption, up to three servings over two days.” The authors found that further cherry intake did not provide any additional benefit. However, the protective effect of cherry intake persisted after taking into account patients’ sex, body mass (obesity), purine intake, along with use of alcohol, diuretics and anti-gout medications.

In their editorial, also published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, Dr. Allan Gelber from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md. and Dr. Daniel Solomon from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard University Medical School in Boston, Mass. highlight the importance of the study by Zhang et al. as it focuses on dietary intake and risk of recurrent gout attacks. While the current findings are promising, Gelber and Solomon “would not advise that patients who suffer from gout attacks abandon standard therapies.” Both the editorial and study authors concur that randomized clinical trials are necessary to confirm that consumption of cherry products could prevent gout attacks.

Source: scienceblog.com

Is Coffee Bad Or Good For Your Health? Two Experts Debate

Coffee has been linked to reduce in  risk of skin and prostate cancers. It might also lower depression risk in women. It could help in protecting  from Type 2 diabetes. It might stave off Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. And it really tastes good.

Over the past few years, a body of scientific evidence has built up pointing to the many health benefits of coffee. No wonder more than 50 percent of Americans enjoy a daily java fix. But before you grab a celebratory cup of joe (or seven), consider this: Coffee is also an addictive stimulant that could come with enough side effects to give some experts the jitters. We sensed a serious debate, er, brewing.
Give your views by giving comments........