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Pears (Photo Credits: Pixabay)

Losing weight is often considered a tedious task, where people think they have to deprive themselves of eating food and spend hours in the gym. However, that's not the case, weight loss can simply be achieved by eating healthy foods supported by some light exercises. Speaking about foods which can expedite the weight loss process, we have to speak about pears, which is also known as nashpatiin Hindi. In this week, weight loss tip, we will discuss how pears can help to shed some kilos.Weight Loss Tip of the Week: How to Use Celery to Lose Weight (Watch Video)

Pears is one of the juiciest and delicious fruits rich in fibre and antioxidants. Pears is a low-allergy fruit and contains useful amounts of beta-carotene and vitamin B. Alongwith that it also comes along withcopper, phosphorous, potassium and other essential elements. Pears also contain antioxidants like vitamin C which fights against free radicals in the body thereby avoiding oxidative stress.Weight Loss Tip of the Week: How to Use Matcha Tea to Lose Weight.

Pear is considered to be an ideal fruit for weight loss as it is packed with fibreThis keeps your stomach full for a longer time and thereby reduce craving.Pearsconstitutes84 percent water, it makes this fruit high in volume, yet low in calories and ideal for weight loss. Apart from this, the fibre-rich fruit smoothen up digestion, which can be linked to weight loss.

Pears are packed with potassium which could keep your heart healthy by regulating blood sugar levels. Now, when it comes to weight loss, pears can only help you in the process to lose weight, a lot depends on your overall healthy diet and regular exercise.

(This article is written for an informative purpose and should not be substituted for medical advice. Kindly consult your doctor before trying any tips.)

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Weight Loss Tip of the Week: How to Eat Pears (Nashpati) to Lose Weight - LatestLY

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The turning point was a few years later when she signed up one of her two young daughters for gymnastics. We get there at 8:45 and I take off her sweatpants and her little jacket and sneakers and I put them in a cubby hole and there she is with her little pig tails and her bangs and her whole black leotard. She just wandered off in with the teacher and I looked and burst into tears, Miriam said. The woman standing next to me saw that I was crying and tapped me and shes like, Is it your daughters first day? And I was like, yes. The woman told her she had cried at her daughters first day too. She had no clue I saw my reflection. I was like, when I was four, I ran in and I did it and this is what Ive become. Im the fat mom, out here, looking in. How did I let this happen? I was so disappointed, I was angry with myself. Worse yet, the man who owned the gym had been one of Miriams coaches for a team she had been on and she was so afraid he would recognize her. Or what if she had gained so much weight he didnt? She joined Weight Watchers after that, in November 2000, when she was about to turn 31. It took her 17 weeks to lose 55 pounds.

Ten weeks into her weight loss, Jean announced to her friends that she had lost 20 pounds. They wanted to know her secret. So she decided that on a Wednesday six of her friends who all struggled with dieting would go to Jeans apartment to play mah jong and shed tell them what she had learned the day before in diet class. She wasnt yet at her goal weight, and she thought it would help her stick to the clinics strict diet guidelines and maybe theyd lose some weight, too.

The first meeting was a low-key affair. They settled in to play and chat. They all have their secrets, their compulsive habits like mine that they kept to themselves, Jean said. But that afternoon they opened up to each other. It was a liberating experience for all of us. It was just such a great relief for us to be able to confess these things for the first time and get over the embarrassment. Someone suggested they meet again the following week, and Jean suggested they make it a weekly thing. Thats how Jean the housewife created a space where a group of women struggling with their weight could come together and be honest about their lives. But it also gave Jean the spotlight she craved, a place to be funny and charismatic and glamorous, even if it was for an audience of a few friends. Years later she reflected back on those early meetings and said, without a trace of modesty, Its as if, having never had a lesson, I sat down to a piano and played a concerto.

A few months and fifteen pounds down, I had so far refused to make weird Weight Watchers recipes, which felt like the modern versions of things that would have been printed in the magazine in the 1960s, like these three-point bagels people at the meeting had been talking about. You mixed one cup of self-rising flour with one cup nonfat Greek yogurt, painted the bagels with egg wash, sprinkled them with everything-bagel seasoning, and baked. To this, Sadie, the Orthodox Jewish meeting regular hissed, That is not a bagel. Nor was a pancake made with self-rising flour and non- fat Greek yogurt and a banana a pancake. I would rather have eaten just one fluffy blueberry pancake or half a real bagel. But who could do that? Certainly not me.

I wish there were an alternative, something besides completely eliminating that which tempts you or substituting for what you really want with something that only sort of resembles it. There is another philosophy toward food: having something rich but not overindulging. Moderation can definitely be taught, and Ive done the elaborate dessert-eating exercises to prove it, but I am not entirely convinced I can learn it. There is a huge difference between food I enjoy and food thats good for me, although Weight Watchers would like us all to think thats not the case. Dieting is at odds with pleasure. A certain person can build a life around denying pleasure, but I can never exist in that mode for very long and be happy.

Losing weight for Jean was magic, it symbolized potential, and it had the potential to bring strangers together. In Israel, the Jews and Arabs sit together at our classes, Jean Nidetch said in 1993, and, you know, they dont hate each other at all. Theyre just interested in what they ate for breakfast. Jean believed that sharing made us human, and that struggling with weight could be unifying rather than isolating. From frustration, one could find community. Every one of us has our own Frankenstein, our most obsessed over food, as Jean was so fond of saying. And that was also her genius: if we all have complicated relationships to food then we are all potential Weight Watchers members. She knew that what fat people needed more than a plan and a program was the support of each other, a place to vent or share notes or just listen. For Jean, a diet wasnt a tool of oppression, but just another way of keeping ourselves on track and having a plan for the future.

Jean said, You measure success by the length of time people can keep their lost pounds off. Thats certainly how she measured her own success. But that strict definition was its own kind of prison. Jean lost a tremendous amount of weight and essentially, for the rest of her life, lived in the gilded cage of her own weight loss.

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This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World and Me, By Marisa Meltzer: An Excerpt - The New York Times

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You can ask anyone who is battling obesity or extra kilos, and they will all tell you the same thing. It is the difficulty of carrying your own weight that becomes troublesome and exhausting after a point of time. For 30-year-old Rohit Prakash, it was the very fact that he wasnt able to walk properly that served as a wake-up call for him. He decided that enough was enough and he needed to get back in shape.Name: Rohit PrakashOccupation: Service

Age: 30 yearsHeight: 5 feet 6 inches

City: Hyderabad

Highest weight recorded: 99 kgs

Weight lost: 20 kgs

Duration it took me to lose weight: 7 monthsThe turning point: Earlier, my whole life revolved around eating the delicacies of my choice and my work. However, soon this lifestyle landed me in a situation where I wasnt even able to walk properly on my own feet. It left me really troubled and I visited a doctor the very next day. The doctor simply told me that I needed to change my lifestyle if I wanted to get back on my feet.

Even though I tried making certain changes, it did not last long. Eventually, it was only my father's words that pushed me to make a fresh start. Seeing my plight, he had simply asked me to "be the change and write a new chapter."

From that day onwards, there was no looking back. Things actually began to look up for me as my friend introduced me to a fitness studio and motivated me to be the best version of myself. Trust me, things were not at all easy in the beginning and only I know how hard it has been to reach so far. It has been a long, taxing journey but certainly worth it.

My breakfast: 5 boiled egg whites with 2 slices of brown bread with peanut butter and 1 whole orange or any other whole fruit

My lunch: Carrot, beetroot and peanut salad with grilled chicken and sauted vegetablesMy dinner: Grilled fish with sauted vegetables or 200 grams of soya paneer with sauted vegetables

Pre-workout meal: Black coffee with 5-6 soaked almonds. I have it around 15 minutes before working out

Post-workout meal: My protein shake and it has to be taken within 15 minutes of working out

I indulge in: More or less, I do not believe in the concept of cheat days. So, whenever I crave for litti with ghee (a Bihari delicacy) and Thai curry with Jasmine rice, I do indulge in them.

My workout: I used to work out for 1.5 to 2 hours and it included cardio, muscle and weight training. I used to exercise for 6 days a week along with swimming twice a week.

Low-calorie recipes I swear by: I vouch on spiced chicken and spinach. All you need to do is boil some spinach and chicken, cook it with a dash of olive oil and top it off with few herbs and spices.

Fitness secrets I unveiled: Eating the right food is very essential to staying fit and healthy along with good sleep and drinking a lot of water. You should try to stick to the basics and you will definitely get good results.

How do I stay motivated? I have put a goal chart in my room and I look at that every day. It motivates me to chase my fitness dream. Also, whenever I feel low, I close my eyes and visualize all the good things that have happened in my life to date which motivated me to continue my weight loss dream. And even on days when I feel a little down and out, my trainer Naveen and my fitness partner Sudhir are always there to pull me back up.

How do you ensure you dont lose focus? I believe that I am still on my weight loss journey, irrespective of the weight I have lost. This ensures that I do not give up or lose my focus. I also surround myself with positive and inspiring people who help me stay focussed to the path of fitness.

Whats the most difficult part of being overweight? Undoubtedly, the worst aspect of being overweight is the fact that you are not able to carry your own weight. It is upsetting and saddening both, but it also starts bogging you down mentally. I had also reached a point where I was doubting my own potential because of my growing weight.

What shape do you see yourself 10 years down the line? I have realised that your shape actually does not matter when it comes to measuring how healthy you are. So, I actually want to be healthy, both physically and mentally in the coming 10 years.

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Weight loss story: I was not able to walk properly due to my weight and my dad motivated me to lose 20 k - Times of India

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My name is Caitie Dunser (@gettinghealthyinmythirties), and I am 31 years old. I am an attorney in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I wanted to be present and active with my son, so I started tracking my calories and runningand I've lost over 83 pounds and feel like my strongest, most capable self.

I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember (like so many people who have been on journeys like mine). I remember in the fifth grade sitting in a Gap fitting room with my mom trying on jeans that all the girls I knew hadI wanted a pair so badly, but the biggest size they had in pre-teen sizes didn't fit me. I remember sitting on the bench in the fitting room, with my mom trying to come up with a solution because she was heartbroken seeing me cry over the seemingly silly issue of not getting a pair of pants. It was obviously so much bigger than that.

I was athletic and had always been into sports. I played basketball and volleyball, which definitely helped keep my weight down. When I was 15, I tore my ACL and my meniscus, and was out of sports for the remainder of my high school years as a result. That's when my weight really started creeping up.

I remember being 186 pounds and feeling totally out of place. I started WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) and got down to 149 pounds before my senior year. Over the years, I yo-yo dieted, tried Atkins, Nutrisystem, Medifast, keto...you name it. I have looked into or tried just about any diet you can think of. None of them stuck.

I went to law school, and my weight continued to creep up. After getting a hectic and stressful job, then getting married, losing weight became even harder. After we got married, my husband and I decided we wanted to start a family. I was 250 pounds at the time, and I had my yearly exam with my doctor. During our visit, she started discussing weight-loss surgery with me and asked if I had ever considered it. Rather than encourage me to lose weight, it pushed me into a depression.

I hovered right around that weight over the next year or so. But I had a tough pregnancy. My water broke at 31 weeks, and I was hospitalized for three weeks in an attempt to delay labor. My son was born six weeks early and had to spend his first 10 days in the hospital. It was traumatic, and despite doctors telling me it had nothing to do with my weight, I couldn't help but feel responsible for it all.

My weight also caused severe lower back pain. I could not lie on my back for more than a few minutes before it would become excruciating to move. I remember blaming our mattress and a prior lower back injury for causing the issuebut I always knew the real cause was my weight.

I walked the entire time, pushing my son in his stroller, and I was exhausted at the end of it. I remember feeling so out of sorts and having a moment where I thought to myself, what has my life come to?

I couldn't push my son's stroller for three miles. I felt like I was failing him as a mother. I never, ever wanted to be a mother who was unable to do things with her kids. That was the turning point for me. On August 12, 2019, at 31 years old, I decided to take the plunge and finally get healthy once and for all.

I knew if I truly wanted to make this a lifestyle rather than a diet, I needed to do something that would work for me forever. With calorie counting, I've learned basic knowledge about which foods are lower in calories and which are not, so I don't really have to spend much time thinking about food at all. I also like the flexibility of being able to eat whatever I want, just in moderation. There are certain things I won't ever give up, like chocolate. I will eat chocolate every single day for the rest of my life.

I also taught myself to love fruits and veggies. When I was a kid, we only ever had boiled veggies. (Yuck!) So I taught myself some easy tricks for cooking veggies, like roasting and throwing some feta cheese or pepitos on them. Every meal of mine now has a huge serving of veggiesand they are so low-calorie and filling.

When I started this journey, I would do six days of exercise weekly with the Bikini Body Mommy program. I did weight training three days a week, and cardio the other three days.

After about three months, I wanted to try a little bit more when it came to cardio, and I began the Couch to 5k program and started running on my cardio days. Over time, I decreased the weight training and stuck to running.

I am now running about five days a week, and I recently ran a half marathon! I have always wanted to be a runner. I attempted running when I was nearly 300 pounds, and it hurt. I was slow, my knees felt every step, and my back throbbed. Now, I am able to run longer and longer. It is truly amazing to me what our bodies can do when we fuel them right, and treat them right. I am planning to run my first full marathon in October 2020.

I have a little less than 40 pounds to go to reach my goal weight, and my goal is to lose it by me and my husband's sixth anniversary on October 4, 2020.

There will always be a reason not to start your weight-loss journey today. But don't wait to start! One of the most powerful things I read when I started this journey was this line: "A year from now, you will wish you would have started today." Think of where you want to be in a year, and just start.

Go here to read the rest:
'Using The Calorie Calculator App MyFitnessPal And The Couch To 5K Program, I Lost Over 80 Lbs.' - Women's Health

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Is green tea good for weight loss?

Research in humans and animals points to a resounding sort of. What that means:

A number of small but respectable clinical trials have found that overweight people who had green teaeither in drinkable form or in extract formlost more weight than people who didnt have any. Science being science, there are also a few studies that showed no benefit from green tea drinks or supplements. Overall, I would say it may assist modestly, says Kristin Kirkpatrick, R.D.N., consultant for Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine for the Cleveland Clinic.

In studies that found a weight-loss benefit in green tea, there was a trend toward weight loss or tea drinkers lost significantly more. But its not usually a total transformation. One small study conducted at Oklahoma State University, for instance, found that people who drank green tea or took green tea extract lost about 1.3 pounds more over 8 weeks than people who drank water. Some studies suggest even decaf green tea may have a benefit.

An older study found that among people who ate regularly and exercised 180 minutes a week, those who drank a beverage with the most biologically active compounds in green tea, called catechins, had a greater percentage change in abdominal fat (belly fat) than did people who got a drink with no catechins.

There are a number of theories on why green teaespecially the main catechin called epigallocatechin gallatemight help you out a bit if youre looking to lose weight.

Its possible that catechins in green tea may actually inhibit carbohydrate digestion and absorption, Kirkpatrick says, citing a report in the journal Scientific Reports that showed lower carb absorption after people downed a green tea extract.

I think some of the most promising ones are looking at green teas effects on the microbiome, she says. Research is increasingly finding that it alters the guts microbiome, and those changes could be what makes it helpful for dropping pounds.

Kirkpatrick gets a lot of questions from her clients on whether trendy matchathe powdered version of green teais as helpful as the green tea leaves that come in teabags or as loose tea. There havent been a ton of studies on matcha alone, she says. But adds that its reasonable to think its just as useful, as green tea comes out of the leaves of the plant, and matcha is made of the ground-up plants.

While numerous studies have looked at green tea extracts taken as supplements, Kirkpatrick urges people to get their green tea from the actual tea itself; in the most whole form possible.

There are more reasons than weight to drink green tea. Kirkpatrick points out the impressive benefits being found regarding green tea and the prevention of cancer. And then there are benefits in possibly preventing heart disease, potential memory benefits and other health boosters in the green stuff.

Weight loss is so multifaceted; green tea is not going to guarantee weight loss, Kirkpatrick says. But as long as youre not getting a sugared-up version of the stuff; green tea doesnt interfere with any medications youre taking; and youre not looking for it to be a weight-loss panacea, then go ahead and drink up.

More here:
The Truth About Green Tea and Weight Loss - Pulse Nigeria

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Black salt is quite popular in Indian houses due to its medicinal properties. It is recommended to people with hypertension. Black salt serves many other significant purposes too. From reducing heartburn to relieving muscle cramps, and improving digestion, black salt does it all for you. It contains a sulfurous compound that is super healthy and has a pungent smell. In Ayurveda, black salt is popular as a cooling salt and is considered quite healthy. Read further to know how consuming this salt can keep you fit. Also Read - Too Much Salt in Your Diet Can Weaken Your Immune System

Black salt helps in getting the body of your dreams by preventing accumulation of fats in the body. Also, unlike white salt, black salt is low in sodium. This is a good thing when it comes to losing weight. High sodium intake is known to increase appetite and lead to weight gain. This is what a study published in Systematic Reviews revealed. Also Read - Trending News Today, March 4, 2020: TikTok's Salt Challenge is Very Dangerous as People Swallow Lots of Salt in One go

If you are experiencing bloating or constipation, black salt is what you need to consume. It works by reducing reflux action and improving digestion. Also, this salt has laxative properties that help in making stool softer to be flushed out from anus smoothly.

One of the major reasons behind water retention is excess consumption of sodium. And black salt is low in this mineral compared to white salt. Also, black salt prevents accumulation of fluids in the tissues or cavities.

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Want to Lose Weight And Get Rid of Digestive Ailments? Have Black Salt - India.com

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Anyone who has lost weight knows that losing weight in not as challenging as maintaining the weight is. The phrase'fat to fit' sounds impressive but to actually go about shedding those kilos, is quite an arduous journey. But the motivation to lose weight can come anytime, and from anywhere,like in the case of filmmaker and creative director of Alchemy Films Pvt LtdSiddharth P Malhotra who lost 40 kilos in four months.

Siddharth who is known for his films We Are Family and Hichki decided to lose the extra weight when he was shooting the Zee5 web series, Kaafir starring Dia Mirza. "I was in sheer pain during the shooting of Kaafir when I had a problem even walking a few steps. I realised that if I have to lead a troupe, I better be the fittest. No way, am I going down that road again," says Siddharth. Headmits losing 40 kilos in four months wasn't an easy task. But, there was no time to laud the tough grind because before the producer-director could pack up the weighing scale and put it away, the nationwide lockdown was announced. With no workouts at the gym, no trainer and easily accessible good food, it was going to be really tough for Siddharth to keep his weight in check."I realised this was my test. It is one thing to keep fit when you have all the facilities around you, but with no end date to the lockdown, I had to find a way."

It didn't take long though. Siddharth decided to go back to some basics he had followed when on his diet. These included intermittent fasting, keeping a step-count and not sacrificing the urge for a tea or coffee during the fasting period. "I worked on a schedule as close to what I did previously. I knew it was not going to be easy but when you begin to value health and think of your family, it does not seem so difficult either," says the director.

Although he hasn't stepped out of his house, Siddharth has so far managed to keep the flab away. "On most days I am able to almost walk 10,000 steps in the house. And because I am walking so much, I eat less and because of the walking, I get tired and I drink a lot of water, which keeps me hydrated as well. And more or less I keep long fasting sessions which are part of my sleep patterns so I don't feel the pinch there either," reveals Siddharth.

In addition, the Hitchki director also picks up a few weights around the house. While he has minimal gym equipment, thanks to his young sons, Siddharth sometimes just lifts books or heavy water bottles to keep the adrenaline pumping. "I have also kept myself busy with work. Virtual meetings are happening all the time so my mind is occupied and healthy as well," he says.

Wife Sapna who has been instrumental in keeping him on course has kept nibbles around the house - lots of greens and baked stuff. Siddharth also calls up his trainer and buddy Adil daily - because it is he who taught the producer the science of eating right. Chats with Rohit Roy are more frequent now - Rohit first goaded Siddharth to fight the flab.

Additionally to all this, the filmmaker keeps hismemorabilia handy to keep the motivation high. "I had released a music album in 2001, then I was very thin. Those photos are on the internet and also my phone. I keep seeing those photos and reassure myself." The most precious collectable however, is a photo that his wife Sapna has pinned on his phone, one when he was extremely thin. "That photo keeps me going because I think of myself thin and it shows how much Sapna cares," he signs-off.

See more here:
Life under lockdown: Hichki director Siddharth P Malhotra's fat to fit journey will definitely motivate you to lose the flab - Indulgexpress

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The importance of maintaining a healthy weight is best illustrated by the harmful effects of being overweight. Aside from potentially lowering your self-confidence, it can lead to a number of serious and potentially life-threatening conditions. Obesity is linked to coronary heart disease, for example, a major killer both in the UK and worldwide.

Keeping on top of your weight is therefore essential to both your health and happiness.

Despite the palpable benefits, many people struggle to find a workable solution.

There is no single solution but evidence suggests taking natural supplements can aid your weight loss regime.

Supplements containing turmeric have yielded encouraging results.

READ MORE:How to boost your immune system amid COVID-19 crisis: Dr Chris's simple three-point plan

Turmeric, the spice derived from the flowering plant native to Southeast Asia, has long been touted for its health benefits.

The spice has been linked to everything from cancer to Alzheimer's disease, but evidence has also suggested it may play a role in weight loss.

The effects are attributed to curcumin, the active ingredient found in turmeric.

Test-tube studies suggest that curcumin may suppress particular inflammatory markers that play a role in obesity.

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These markers are typically elevated in people with excess weight or obesity.

One study in 44 people who were previously unable to lose weight found that supplementing twice a day with 800 mg of curcumin and 8 mg of piperine led to significant reductions in body weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist and hip circumference.

The body mass index ( BMI is a measure that uses your height and weight to work out if your weight is healthy.

Furthermore, a review of 21 studies in over 1,600 people linked curcumin intake to reduced weight, BMI, and waist circumference.

It also noted increased levels of adiponectin, a hormone that helps regulate your metabolism.

Metabolism is the rate at which your body expends energy or burns calories, according to Harvard Health.

In addition, piperine is a compound in black pepper that may boost curcumin absorption by up to 2,000 percent, suggests research.

Animal studies also support these claims.

Animal studies indicate that this curcumin may promote weight loss, reduce fat tissue growth, curb weight regain, and enhance your sensitivity to the hormone insulin.

As Diabetes.co.uk explains, people with low insulin sensitivity, also referred to as insulin resistance, will require larger amounts of insulin either from their own pancreas or from injections in order to keep blood glucose stable.

"Having insulin resistance is a sign that your body is having difficulty metabolising glucose, and this can indicate wider health problems such as high blood pressure and cholesterol levels may also be present," says the health body.

Both high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels are precursors to heart disease.

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Best supplements for weight loss: The plant-based supplement proven to shrink fat - Express

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Adhering closely to the Mediterranean-style diet particularly one rich in vegetables and fish is associated with higher cognitive function among older adults, according to a National Institutes of Health-funded study published this week in the journal Alzheimers & Dementia.

The study found no link, however, between the Mediterranean diet and slower cognitive decline.

These findings suggest that eating healthful foods may help keep our brains functioning at higher levels during the aging process, even if those levels arent quite as high as they were when we were younger.

For the study, researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) analyzed data from two major randomized clinical trials the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and AREDS2 that had previously investigated the effects of diet on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disease that gradually damages the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. AMD is a leading cause of permanent vision loss and blindness in people aged 60 and older.

Both studies had reported that certain nutrients, particularly the antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables and the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, were associated with a lower risk of developing AMD later in life. The authors of the current study wanted to see if the diets of the participants in the AREDS studies also had an effect on their cognitive function. Other research has shown an association between AMD and dementia, and the two conditions are known to share some environmental risk factors, such as smoking and high blood pressure.

We do not always pay attention to our diets. We need to explore how nutrition affects the brain and the eye, says Dr. Emily Chew, the studys lead author and director of the NEI Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications, in a released statement.

For the study, Chew and her colleagues used data from 7,756 ARED participants who had completed cognitive tests while in those clinical trials. The participants were aged 55 to 80 when they entered the trials, and were followed for 10 years.

At the start of the trials, the participants filled out a detailed questionnaire designed to assess their diet over the previous year. Based on those questionnaires, the NEI researchers scored each participant on how closely they adhered to the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish and olive oil, as well as reduced amounts of red meat and alcohol.

Then the researchers looked for associations between the participants diets and their cognitive functioning. They found that, in general, the people who most closely adhered to the Mediterranean diet had the highest cognitive function throughout the decade of the study. The differences were small, but still statistically significant.

The individual components of the diet that appeared to have the greatest protective effect on the brain were fish and vegetables. Fish was also the only food associated with slowing down the process of cognitive decline. At the 10-year mark, the people with the highest fish intake exhibited not only higher rates of cognitive functioning, but also the lowest rate of decline.

These findings held even after the researchers adjusted the data to account for education levels.

The benefits from the Mediterranean diet were similar for people with and without a gene ApoE known to raise the risk of late-onset Alzheimers disease. That finding suggests, say the researchers, that the diets influence on cognitive functioning is independent of genetic risk. The people with ApoE did, however, tend to have lower average scores for cognitive function than those without the gene. They also tended to show more cognitive decline.

This is an observational study, and therefore cant prove a connection between diet and higher cognitive abilities. In addition, it relies on people self-reporting the foods they ate. Such reporting can be inaccurate.

In addition, most of the people in the study had some degree of AMD. Whether or not the findings can be generalized to other populations is unclear.

Still, the findings are provocative, for they support other observational studies that have found a link between the Mediterranean diet (or one thats similar) and better cognitive function and slower cognitive decline.

Scientists arent sure why the Mediterranean diet might help the brain, explains the National Institute of Aging (NIA) on its website. This primarily plant-based diet has been shown to improve cardiovascular health, which may, in turn, reduce dementia risk. In contrast, the typical Western diet increases cardiovascular disease risk, possibly contributing to faster brain aging.

In addition, this diet might increase specific nutrients that may protect the brain through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, the agency says.

FMI: Youll find an abstract of the NEI study on the website for Alzheimers & Dementia, although the full paper despite being funded by the government is behind a paywall. For more information on diet and the risk of dementia, go to the NIAs website.

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Mediterranean diet linked to higher cognitive functioning during aging - MinnPost

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We're bombarded with diet, exercise and health facts and figures but just how much weight can we put behind them?

Does eating after 8pm really make you pile on the pounds? And will 100 sit-ups a day give you washboard abs?

With so much conflicting information, its no wonder we sometimes feel overwhelmed and confused.

But today, the Sunday People is here to bust the myths and the big fat lies.

Weve asked the experts to delve into eight common diet and fitness fables and separate the truth from the porkies.

MYTH: Some foods burn more calories while being digested than they actually contain.

FACT: Negative calorie foods simply dont exist.

Anita Bean, author of The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition, says: People will fall for anything that promises results without effort.

Sure, drinking ice cold water can lower body temperature slightly but in order to see that translate to significant caloric benefits, you would have to drink about 200 pints of it!

That same rule applies to celery and green peppers. Eating 50 calories of either veg may take a little more energy for your body to metabolise than 50 calories of something filled with fat and sugar, such as ice cream or cake.

But Anita says: That doesnt mean theres no calorie contribution from the celery or the green pepper.

In fact, starving or withholding certain food groups only makes the body panic and shut down its metabolism making it even harder for you to lose weight.

MYTH: Doing 100 sit-ups a day will give you a six-pack.

FACT: Sit-ups can strengthen your rectus abdominus, or six-pack, but they wont reduce stomach fat. So to reveal your abs, you must reduce your body weight. Combine high-intensity activities, such as running or swimming, with breathing and postural exercises, like pelvic tilts.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, push your lower back flat into the floor, suck in your abdomen hard and hold for five seconds. Repeat 50 times, twice a day.

MYTH: Lifting weights makes you look too bulky.

FACT: Building large muscles occurs only after years of serious weight-training and strict diet. Its even more difficult for women to bulk up as they lack the testosterone levels necessary to do so.

But weight training can help strengthen your bones, increase your metabolism so you burn more calories and improve your balance, posture and recovery.

Combining weights with cardio will create a greater proportion of lean body mass to body fat, making you look more streamlined.

MYTH: Reducing your calorie intake is the best way to lose weight.

FACT: If you sink below your bodys basic energy requirements (about 1,200 calories a day for women, 1,500 for men), it goes into survival mode to slow down your metabolism and save energy.

So while you may lose weight in the short term, youll put it back on when you start eating normally.

Aim to cut 500 calories a day and eat more lean protein, such as poultry and fish. Also eat regular meals that include complex carbs from fruit and veg and essential fats from nuts, seeds and olive oil. Proteins and fats tell the body it has had enough food and keep your metabolism revved up.

MYTH: You have to do at least 20 minutes of exercise before you start burning body fat.

FACT: Your body starts tapping fat for fuel the moment it creates an energy deficit. If you create that deficit by exercising regularly and cutting calories, you will burn off flab all day long.

It was once believed you needed to exercise in a range between 60 per cent and 80 per cent of your maximum heart rate. Any lower was thought to be too easy and any higher made it difficult to use fat for fuel.

But your body uses up more energy during high intensity exercise just look at the physique of a sprinter so stick to interval workouts with short bursts of high-intensity movement, followed by active recovery periods.

Walk briskly between two lampposts, run between the next two and repeat. This will be better for your heart and for fat loss.

MYTH: Carbs will make you fat.

FACT: Nobody is going to say that a diet of chips three times a day will be good for you, but theres more to chips and almost any other comfort food than carbohydrates.

Weight loss is independent of the micronutrient composition of the diet, says Dr Richard Cottrell, nutritionist at The Sugar Bureau.

If you eat less energy than you expend, you lose weight.

And that is the truth, no matter what you eat. In fact, Richard says: Carbs and protein are more satiating than other foods, so are better for weight control.

Its easy to confuse high-carb foods with high-fat ones because the two ingredients often appear together, especially in baked or fried products like cakes and chips.

But Richard says: Its high-fat foods that obese people crave, not the carbs.

MYTH: We all gain weight as we age.

FACT: An inactive retirement or a desk job is more to blame for your belly than getting older, according to Amelia Lake, of Newcastle Universitys Human Nutrition Research Centre.

She says: When you adopt a more sedentary lifestyle, you lose muscle mass so you burn fewer calories.

Losing two or three pounds of lean tissue means youll burn around 100 fewer calories a day 10lb in a year.

Amelia says: Its a misconception that your metabolism naturally slows as you get older. Its all about activity.

The best way to maintain muscle mass is strength training working those muscles once a week.

MYTH: Eating after 8pm will make you pile on the pounds.

FACT: It doesnt matter what time of day you eat its how much you have eaten during the whole day and how much exercise you have done that will make you gain or lose weight.

Your body will store extra calories as fat, no matter when you eat. But if you fancy a snack before bedtime, try to think about how many calories you have already eaten that day.

Anita Bean says: Try not to snack while doing other things like watching telly, reading or using the computer.

If you eat in the kitchen or dining room, youre less likely to be distracted and more likely to be aware of what, and how much, you are eating.

See more here:
Biggest diet myths busted including carbs making you fat and gaining weight with age - Mirror.co.uk

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