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A widow whose weight doubled through comfort eating as she nursed her dying husband dipping into the fat b******* diet he followed to stay strong has lost seven stone and is ready to live again three years after losing him.

A svelte size 10 in 1996 when they first met, when nurse Bridgette Schofield, 55, started caring for David diagnosed with a rare disease called sarcoidosis, which attacked his lungs in 2010, she became an emotional eater.

Told to consume more calories to maintain his weight, as the cruel condition took hold, Bridgette, of Pontefract, West Yorkshire, indulged in full-fat treats like ice cream and cheese alongside David, who passed away on June 2, 2016, aged 51.

Devastated by his death, Bridgette, who has two children recruitment officer James, 22, and journalism student, Olivia, 19 with David, continued comfort eating until, two years after his passing, she tipped the scales at 18 stone and was wearing a size 22.

Her turning point came in July 2018, when she was left mortified by a photo of herself at a reunion dinner with an old pal, saying: Before I even got to the restaurant, I remember thinking, I hope someones told my old friend how fat Ive got.

Wed gone into the city for a nice meal at a fancy restaurant and I felt a world away from the glamorous woman Id been when David was well.

Then my friend asked a waiter to take a photo and when I saw it on her phone my stomach dropped I made her delete it straight away, she said.

Thats when I realised I needed to change. Suddenly I was aware of my own mortality.

Told about the Cambridge 1:1 Diet, Bridgette signed up straight away restricting her calories to just 600 a day.

It was hard at the beginning I was really hungry during that first week, she said. But I was determined to do it.

Bridgette turned to food for comfort after David, the love of her life, became poorly.

It had been love at first sight back in 1996, when she walked into the insurance brokers where he worked, looking for cover for her house.

I went to a family run business Id used in the past and when David showed up I couldnt help thinking how lovely and gorgeous he was, she recalled.

When we parted ways I became all flustered and banged my knee on the way out , calling my mum when I got home to tell her.

I remember her saying, If hes that gorgeous, why cant you insure something else?'

There was no need, as that very same week, David called, asking Bridgette out on a date.

He was probably breaking some sort of code but we werent bothered, she said.

He asked me if I wanted to go to the pub, but I told him I wasnt a pub kind of girl, so we settled on a local Italian.

Head over heels in love and seeing no need to marry, the couple quickly settled into the chaos of family life.

They only tied the knot after James, then 10, asked Bridgette why she did not wear a wedding ring.

I told him that Daddy had never got around to asking me, she laughed. His response was, Well I think Daddy should marry you.'

David said as long as I arranged it, hed turn up, so I did, she continued.

Marrying at west Londons Westminster Register Office on December 8, 2008, before enjoying a knees up at The Ritz, one of the capitals swankiest hotels, she could not have asked for a happier day.

We both loved dressing up and going the extra mile, so the wedding was a really special moment for us both, she said.

She added: We both loved the 50s and icons like Carrie Grant and Doris Day but I loved disco and he loved American rock.

But when David was admitted to The Yorkshire Clinic, a private hospital in Bradford, near Leeds in 2010, struggling to breathe after a week with a relentless cough, biopsies samples of tissue taken from his lungs and tested, resulted in a diagnosis of sarcoidosis.

The rare condition causes small patches of red and swollen tissue to develop in the bodys organs, particularly the lungs and skin.

For the past year we just believed he had asthma, so this was a total shock and, by the time he was diagnosed, doctors pretty much told us it was too late to treat, Bridgette said.

It came as such a surprise. David was very into his fitness and liked to keep in shape at the gym.

He was so proud, too, that he didnt want anyone to know he was so ill. He was very old fashioned like that and didnt want people to think he was incapable.

Told to give David 3,000 calories a day diet as opposed to the 2,500 calories recommended for men and 2,000 for women by the NHS to combat the weight loss caused by his illness, Bridgette admits she dipped into his diet, too.

We called it the fat b****** diet. We used full fat milk, cream and butter in everything, she said.

Id put double cream in his mash and add ice cream to his smoothies and I started indulging more, too.

Because we werent going out as much wed eat takeaway more that sort of thing and as I became stressed and upset, watching him struggle, I started turning to food, she said.

Davids health hit a crisis in the summer of 2015, when they arrived for a two week holiday at the Chewton Glen Tree Houses, in Hampshire, to celebrate James birthday.

David became so poorly the day we arrived he had to be rushed to Dorsets Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital, where he was put on steroids, diuretics and antibiotics, she said

Suffering with a chest infection and pneumonia, David was not discharged until three weeks later when, despite everything he had been through, concerned not to put his wife to too much trouble, he insisted on catching a train home.

I was back up in Yorkshire with the children after the holiday and somehow he managed to get a train up from Bournemouth the day he was discharged to save me the journey, she said. That was just the kind of gentlemen he was.

Unfortunately, Davids health did not improve and in March 2016 he was put on the waiting list for a lung transplant.

She said: They told us as soon as they found a tissue match that hed be on the operating table for a new set of lungs, but that day never came.

Sadly, Davids health deteriorated rapidly and, by April 2016, Bridgette was caring for her ailing husband around the clock.

He was at home attached to every type of oxygen possible, but he still couldnt breathe, she said.

Blue lighted to West Yorkshires Pinderfields Hospital, on June 2, 2016, doctors told Bridgette her husbands lung function was so poor that there was nothing they could do.

I knew he was ill and I didnt expect him to come out, but nothing could prepare me for that day, she said. He was with us one minute and gone the next.

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Comforting herself with food, as she tried to process her heartbreaking loss, Bridgette regularly ate hearty meals, with ice cream puddings seeing her body mass index (BMI) used to gauge a healthy weight soar to 41.9, compared to the 18.5 to 24.9 recommended by the NHS.

Kick-starting her day with mountains of white toast and butter, before eating a pre-packed ham and cheese baguette for lunch, Bridgette would then have creamy pasta for dinner, as well as crisps and snacks.

After he passed, I turned to food for comfort even more, gaining at least another three stone.

But, following her humiliation in the restaurant, after seeing her photo with her friend, Bridgette was determined to change.

Losing 9lb in her first week on the 1:1 diet, soon the pounds were flying off and, nine months after starting the weight loss programme, she had shed an incredible 7st and felt herself for the first time in years.

Now she has slowly built up her calories to 1,500 a day, she enjoys porridge and fruit for breakfast, followed by hummus and carrots for lunch and grilled fish and vegetables for dinner.

A trim size 12 and weighing 10st 10lb, Bridgette says she feels ready to start living again.

She said: I would look in the mirror after losing David and think, Thats not me.

After losing weight I look like me again and its had a drastic impact on my life.

For years Ive been avoiding going out and making excuses to stay in, as I felt self-conscious.

Now I go out as much as I can and people say how much younger I look, she added.

Bridgette has accepted that she may never be ready for another romance, but she is certain that David would see what she has achieved and be cheering her on.

David was always so complimentary, she said. I know hed be so proud of my weight loss and telling me to keep it up.

She added: But Im still not sure about dating. My daughter says she doesnt mind, but I love David so much and my head is still so full of him, she said.

He always joked that he wanted a cardboard cut out of him in the living room when he was gone, but we settled with his urn of ashes instead.

When someone is so full of life and they dedicate everything about themselves to your happiness and well being, its hard to imagine ever filling the void theyve left.

She concluded: But at least now, since losing all this weight, I have my confidence back and can face life again as a new me.'

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Weight loss tips from Pontefract woman who comfort ate after nursing dying husband - then shed 7 stone - ExaminerLive

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The Mega Washer Toss Fundraiser which was held at the Hawkesbury Legion on February 22, 2020 has raised $2,320 for the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital (HGH) Foundation. The event, which was sold out with 65 participants, was organized by Legion members Yves Paquette and Yvon Doiron, in support of HGHs cardiology department.

The event itself raised a total of $1,320 to which the Hawkesbury Legion generously contributed an additional $1,000. The cheque was presented at the Hawkesbury Legion on March 3, 2020 as reflected in the photo. Present and included in the photo were (from left to right): Yvon Doiron (Hawkesbury Legion member), Pierre-Luc Byham (Executive Director, HGH Foundation), Erin Tabakman (Donor Relations Officer, HGH Foundation), and Yves Paquette (Hawkesbury Legion member).

The HGH Foundation would like to express its sincere thanks to Mr. Paquette and to Mr. Doiron for their organization of this event as well as to their sponsors and the Hawkesbury Legion Branch 472 for their contribution and many years of support.

The Hawkesbury and District General Hospital (HGH) Foundation

The HGH Foundations mission is to raise funds in order to improve the care and services offered to the community by the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital.

The HGH Foundations new campaign, Theres No Place Like Home, will focus on enhancing specialized services in orthopedic surgery, ophthalmology, urology and nuclear medicine. This focus reflects the most pressing and increasing needs of our local population. Community support will continue to help ensure that new medical equipment is available to meet our regions healthcare needs and to make the most of HGHs recent redevelopment and expansion.

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Profits from Mega Washer Toss fundraiser will benefit HGH's cardiology department - The Review Newspaper

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There are many ways to lose a lot of weight fast.

That said, many diet plans leave you feeling hungry or unsatisfied. These are major reasons why you might find it hard to stick to a diet.

However, not all diets have this effect. Low carb diets are effective for weight loss and may be easier to stick to than other diets.

Heres a 3-step weight loss plan that employs a low carb diet and aims to:

The most important part is to cut back on sugars and starches, or carbohydrates.

When you do that, your hunger levels go down, and you generally end up eating significantly fewer calories (1).

Instead of burning carbs for energy, your body now starts burning stored fat for energy.

Another benefit of cutting carbs is that it lowers insulin levels, causing the kidneys to shed excess sodium and water. This reduces bloating and unnecessary water weight (2, 3).

According to some dietitians, its not uncommon to lose up to 10 pounds (4.5 kg) sometimes more in the first week of eating this way. This weight loss includes both body fat and water weight.

One study in healthy women with obesity reported that a very low carb diet was more effective than a low fat diet for short-term weight loss (4).

Research suggests that a low carb diet can reduce appetite, which may lead you to eat fewer calories without thinking about it or feeling hungry (5).

Put simply, reducing carbs can lead to quick, easy weight loss.

Each one of your meals should include a protein source, fat source, and low carb vegetables.

As a general rule, try eating two to three meals per day. If you find yourself hungry in the afternoon, add a fourth meal.

Constructing your meals in this way should bring your carb intake down to around 2050 grams per day.

To see how you can assemble your meals, check out this low carb meal plan and list of 101 healthy low carb recipes.

Eating plenty of protein is an essential part of this plan.

Evidence suggests that eating lots of protein may boost calorie expenditure by 80100 calories per day (6, 7, 8).

High protein diets can also reduce cravings and obsessive thoughts about food by 60%, reduce the desire to snack late at night by half, and make you feel full. In one study, people on a higher protein diet ate 441 fewer calories per day (9, 10).

When it comes to losing weight, protein is a crucial nutrient to think about.

Dont be afraid to load your plate with low carb vegetables. They are packed with nutrients and you can eat very large amounts without going over 2050 net carbs per day.

A diet based mostly on lean protein sources and vegetables contains all the fiber, vitamins, and minerals you need to be healthy.

See a full list of low carb vegetables here.

Dont be afraid of eating fats. Trying to do low carb and low fat at the same time can make sticking to the diet very difficult.

You don't need> to exercise to lose weight on this plan, but it will have extra benefits.

By lifting weights, you will burn lots of calories and prevent your metabolism from slowing down, which is a common side effect of losing weight (11, 12).

Studies on low carb diets show that you can gain a bit of muscle while losing significant amounts of body fat (13).

Try going to the gym three to four times a week to lift weights. If you're new to the gym, ask a trainer for some advice.

If lifting weights is not an option for you, doing some cardio workouts like walking, jogging, running, cycling, or swimming will suffice. Both cardio and weightlifting can help with weight loss.

If you need to, you can take one day off per week where you eat more carbs. Many people choose to do this on Saturday.

Its important to stick to healthy carb sources like oats, rice, quinoa, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and fruit. If you must have a cheat meal and eat something unhealthy, do it on this day.

Limit this to one higher carb day per week. If you arent reducing carbs enough, you might not experience weight loss.

You might gain some water weight during your refeed day, and you will generally lose it again in the next 12 days.

Its not necessary to count calories as long as you keep your carb intake very low and stick to protein, fat, and low carb vegetables.

However, if you want to count them, you can use a free online calculator like this one.

Enter your sex, weight, height, and activity levels. The calculator will tell you how many calories to eat per day to maintain your weight, lose weight, or lose weight fast.

You can also download free, easy-to-use calorie counters from websites and app stores. Here is a list of 5 calorie counters to try.

Here are 10 more tips to lose weight faster:

For more tips on weight loss, read about 30 natural tips for losing weight here.

You may lose 510 pounds (2.34.5 kg) of weight sometimes more in the first week of the diet plan, and then lose weight consistently after that.

If you're new to dieting, weight loss may happen more quickly. The more weight you have to lose, the faster you will lose it.

For the first few days, you might feel a bit strange. Your body is used to running off carbs, and it can take time for it to get used to burning fat instead.

Some people experience the keto flu, or "low carb flu." Its usually over within a few days.

After the first few days, most people report feeling very good, with even more energy than before.

Aside from weight loss, the low carb diet can improve your health in many ways:

By reducing carbs and lowering insulin levels, youll likely experience reduced appetite and hunger. This removes the main reasons its often difficult to maintain a weight loss plan.

On this plan, you can likely eat healthy food until youre full and still lose a significant amount of fat. The initial drop in water weight can lead to a drop in the scales within a few days. Fat loss takes longer.

Studies comparing low carb and low fat diets suggest that a low carb diet might even make you lose up to two to three times as much weight as a typical low fat, calorie-restricted diet (38, 39, 40).

If you have type 2 diabetes, talk to your healthcare provider before making changes, as this plan can reduce your need for medication.

If you want to try a low carb diet, check out these 7 healthy low carb meals that you can make in 10 minutes or less.

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How to Lose Weight Fast: 3 Simple Steps, Based on Science - Healthline

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Studies point to yes, so long as you're willing to commit.

March6, 20206 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The following article is based on excerpts from Ben Angel's book, Unstoppable: A 90-Day Plan to Biohack Your Mind and Body for Success. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | IndieBound. And be sure to order The Unstoppable Journal, the only journal of its kind based on neuroscience, psychology and biohacking to help you reach your goals.

Youre on the right track if youre working on your diet to give you optimum performance. You understand the negative impact of processed foods and the inflammation sugar can cause in your body, but youre wondering if the ketogenic diet is the best choice to keep your energy levels up for the day ahead.As defined on Medical News Today, "The keto diet is an eating plan that focuses on foods that provide a lot of healthy fats, adequate amounts of proteinand very few carbohydrates. The goal is to get more calories from fat than from carbs." For most people wanting to shed some pounds and kick the sugar habit, its a win-win call to action, and the ketogenic diet is a great, therapeutic way to get you started and see results.

There are other benefits as well. Researchers are now using the ketogenic diet alongside cancer treatments to help reduce blood glucose, which in turns reduces the insulin hormone that can cause complications in certain cancers. As that same Medical News Today summary notes, "In a 2013 meta-analysis of 13 different randomized controlled trials, researchers found that people following ketogenic diets lost twopoundsmore than those following low-fat diets over oneyear." People on the diet also experienced a significant drop in levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, and triglycerides, as well asan increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or good cholesterol.

Its also been proven that the ketonescreated in our liver help create a protective barrier for neurological functions. Many scientistsare now using it in Alzheimer's studies, with excellent results.Thats obviously very promising and motivating, but is this diet for everyone?

Related: 5 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Maintain Keto on the Road

Keto-endorsing nutritioniststeachtheir clients to recognize that if youre already struggling with low energy, brain fog, fatigue and anxiety, the amount of time you put into preparation and mental fortitudemay push you over the edge. In other words,you may fail before you even begin.

There is a way to identify where a person currently sits on the continuum of resiliency I call The "Identity Gap Formula For Success." It takes a comprehensive approach by factoring in triggers that impede our ability to have unstoppable energy, focusand drive through biohacking. I represent this through identity types in the same way a battery is charged. There are four identity types:the Catalyst, Synergist, Guardianand Defender. Our goal should beto ensure our physical and psychological energy is above 50 percent,which is where the Synergist and Catalyst reside astate in which we are conscious creators who aremotivated, focused and driven. But its the Defender and Guardians who should think twice about taking on a new dietary challenge.

If you are currently procrastinating, making excuses or experiencing intense fatigue or depression, then you are most likely a Defender. Youre in self-preservation mode because youve run out of physical and emotional energy, like when your mobile phone turns on battery-savemode. You may make rash decisions or find yourself acting out of character because you are no longer operating from your prefrontal cortex, which is in control of personality, rational thinking and emotional control. The Guardian is not much better, since they are only operating at 25-50 percentof their capacity. They are barely protecting their energetic resources to get through their day.

The keto diet features a "detox"period when you begin. The first week or two can cause side effects known as the keto flu. This is a time when you often betray symptoms of illness since your body is burning off the last reserves of glucose in your blood. You should start to feel better after a couple of weeks, but if you still feel awful, you may not be properly fueling your body.

As a Defender or Guardian type, you cannot maintain this new stressor, and you will likely fall off the program, experiencing that infamous "hangry"by eating carbsand processed sugars just to feel better again. Then, of course, you beat yourself up for failing before even beginning.

There is a way, though, to get the help you need. First, youll need to start slowly cleaning up your diet by getting rid of sugars and highly processed carbs, so the drop in blood-glucose energy isnt so drastic that it triggers intense brain fog. Guardians and Defenders can then begin to incorporate intermittent fasting, which has many benefits,such as weight loss, increased growth of human growth hormones, lowerblood-glucose levels, better insulin resistanceand even a lighter wallet.

Then, by working closely with a functional-medicine doctor, you can find out the root cause of your lack of energy, focus, brain fog, depression and anxiety. Functional medicine looks deeper into the causation of your illness, which could actually be side effects of food intolerance, inflammation or medication you may be on. A functional-medicine doctor can also look closely at any essential mineral or vitamin deficiencies you may be experiencing that can mimic psychological disorders.The keto diet can be the next best step for you, as long as you easeinto the process by working on your diet and slowly incorporating intermittent fasting.

Synergists and Catalysts are prime identities that could easily segue into the keto way of eating and gain its many neurological and physiological advantages, in addition to employingintermittent fasting as a great way to stack its many benefits. As with any eating protocol, its all about personalization. Do whats right for you,and adjust as you need to.

Related: 5 Products to Help You With the Keto Diet

Are you ready to become unstoppable?

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Can the Keto Diet Give You a Mental Edge? - Entrepreneur

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This article by Peter McCaffery is republished here with permission from The Conversation. This content is shared here because the topic may interest Snopes readers; it does not, however, represent the work of Snopes fact-checkers or editors.

Vitamin C is a common remedy that some people believe will cure the common cold and flu. Although it helps us maintain good immune function, theres little evidence that it can prevent or substantially reduce either of these diseases. But in the midst of the novel coronavirus outbreak, some influencers are claiming that taking mega-doses of vitamin C can cure COVID-19 (the disease caused by novel coronavirus).

So lets cut to the chase. Can vitamin C cure the coronavirus? Considering that novel coronavirus belongs to the same family of viruses coronaviruses as the common cold and flu, its unlikely that taking vitamin C will prevent or cure you of a COVID-19 infection.

I have written before that using vitamin C to treat the common cold was an idea popularised by double Nobel Prize-winning chemist, Linus Pauling, and further promoted by the dietary supplements industry. Unfortunately, ever since Paulings claim in the 1970s, there has been little evidence to back it up.

Vitamins or vital-amines were first discovered at the beginning of the 20th century as elements present in low amounts in our diets that were vital for health. Certainly, people lacking certain vitamins will develop deficiency diseases. For example, people deficient in vitamin C will develop scurvy. However, it wasnt until the early 1930s that it was discovered that scurvy was caused by lack of vitamin C, and that taking the vitamin could cure the disease.

The science of nutrition was born with the discovery of vitamins, and has since become a competitive, unregulated industry, often with scientific fact competing against those spreading misinformation and looking to profit: the novel coronavirus outbreak is just the latest example.

These misleading articles have spread quickly, and are likely to be behind the shortage of vitamin C in Asia and a five-fold spike in demand for vitamin C and multivitamins in Singapore.

Vitamin C is important to maintain redox balance in the bodys tissues these are types of reactions in cells that add or remove oxygen, and are essential for many processes such as generating energy in cells. These same reactions, though, can create products harmful to human cells such as reactive oxygen species, which react with lipids (fat), proteins and nucleic acids. Vitamin C can lessen these harmful reactions. It also help enzymes build collagen, which is necessary for supporting our bodys tissues.

Although vitamin C doesnt have miraculous disease-curing properties, some research has also shown it can help the immune system fight off bacteria and viruses. Its role in protecting against viral infections was shown in a recent review which found that immune cells need vitamin C to produce proteins that activate the immune system throughout the body against virus attacks.

Having said that, we can easily obtain sufficient levels of vitamin C in our diet that will keep our immune system fully functional. Vitamin C is plentiful in many fruits and vegetables, including oranges, broccoli and potatoes. And while it is relatively non-toxic, since its high water solubility makes it easy to excrete from the body, excessive doses can result in unpleasant symptoms such as diarrhoea, nausea and cramps.

Though I have said vitamin C is unlikely to be a dramatic cure for COVID-19, the fact that it can promote good immune function means it would be going too far to say there will be no effect. And although a review found that vitamin C has no effect on reducing the frequency of colds, it did find that for the average person, there was a small decrease in the duration of common cold symptoms. But for people that participate in brief periods of severe physical exercise (such as marathon runners and skiers), vitamin C halved the duration and severity of their common cold risk.

These slight effects of vitamin C on the coronavirus that causes the common cold have spurred a new clinical trial looking to cure COVID-19 infections using very high intravenous doses of vitamin C. These trials have just started and no results are yet posted. Intravenous application of vitamin C will result in much higher and faster levels of the vitamin in the blood than any amount found in vitamin C supplements taken orally. Though this approach could increase vitamin Cs mild protective effect, this is yet hypothetical and intravenous injection comes with its own risks, such as infection, blood vessel damage, air embolism or blood clots.

So alhough vitamin C does have some small effect on the common cold, its unlikely that taking large amounts of vitamin C supplements will cure a COVID-19 infection or have a large effect at all. Even if intravenous vitamin C works to shorten or cure COVID-19, it will likely only be a stop-gap before therapies directed at the virus, such as vaccinations, take over. The most effective way to avoid the virus still remains washing hands, not touching the eyes, nose or mouth, and keeping your distance from anyone exhibiting symptoms.

Peter McCaffery, Professor of Biochemistry, University of Aberdeen

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Coronavirus: Its Time to Debunk Claims That Vitamin C Could Cure It - Snopes.com

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Anyone who turned on the radio in the 2000s has probably heard of JoJo. She was a young singer who became popular with hit songs like Leave (Get Out) and Too Little Too Late.

However, after a few years of immense fame, JoJo seemingly disappeared from the limelight. She recently made a triumphant return to the music industry. The singer also opened up about what happened during those years when fans did not hear much from her, which included a dangerous diet and some substance abuse.

JoJo was recognized for her musical talent in the late 1990s when she was just a kid. She competed onAmericas Got Talent Kids and attracted the attention of executives at Blackground Records. After she auditioned for them, she was signed to the company and started recording music professionally.

In 2004, JoJo released her first single, Leave (Get Out), which quickly became an international success. The song peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 but landed in the top five in several countries.

Two years later, JoJo returned with her second album,The High Road. It included the song Too Little Too Late, which became her next hit single. The track charted at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became JoJos most successful song to date.

JoJo seemed like she was heading for superstardom in the late 2000s. She was also making herself known as an actress in movies like Aquamarine(2006) andRV (2006).However, after a while, JoJos name practically disappeared off of the radio.

JoJo was recording a lot of songs after her second album, but her record label was keeping them from being released. At the time, JoJo did not understand why and she attributed the reason to her body.

She shared in a recent interview with Uproxx: I thought that maybe it was the way that I looked because when I was 18, I remember being sat down in the (now defunct Blackground Records)office and the president of the label being like, We just want you to look as healthy as possible.'

JoJo did not understand it because she believed that she looked like a healthy girl who eats and is active. However, JoJo also knew that in showbiz, being healthy was not the only thing that mattered. Thus, she agreed to be put on a diet of just 500 calories a day.

I was on these injections that make you have no appetite, JoJo revealed. I was like, Let me see how skinny I can get, because maybe then theyll put out an album. Maybe Im just so disgusting that no one wants to see me in a video and that they cant even look at me. Thats really what I thought.

It was later revealed that Blackground Records was going through difficult times as it was losing important distribution rights. JoJos career was being severely affected, and this had a lot of negative impacts on her self-esteem.

She shared with Uproxx that she turned to other places for affirmation. The star said: I started getting really (expletive) up, drinking, making out with strangers, looking for validation and attention and looking to feel pretty, looking to feel good, looking to feel worthy. I mean, there were definitely nights that I stumbled out of clubs and that I blacked out and was just completely reckless, did not care I need to be buzzed to feel OK.

JoJo decided to change when she realized that she did not want to end up like her father, who died from substance abuse in 2015.

Since JoJo admitted that she was not in a cushy situation with a home that she could return to, she decided to strengthen herself and learn how to work out problems on her own.

In February 2019, JoJo released the song Say So with singer PJ Morton. It put JoJos name back on the map as the pair won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.

JoJo has plans to release her album,Good to Know, in May of this year. She will also embark on a tour in April.

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'Leave (Get Out)' Singer JoJo Reveals the Dangerous Diet that Led to Substance Issues - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

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Plenty of attention has been paid to the ketogenic diet in recent yearsits supporters have touted its potential health benefits when it comes to weight loss, cardiovascular health and even brain health. A new study explores this idea further when it comes to the brain, and has delved into whether a low-carb diet could potentially reverse, or at least slow down, aging in the brain.

The study, led by Stony Brook University professor Lilianne Mujica-Parodi, suggests that early signs of aging in the brain can be prevented by a low-carb diet, or whats commonly referred to as the ketogenic diet.

The ketogenic diet aims to release ketones into the bloodstream for the body to use stored fat as its main source of energy, rather than blood sugar or glucose from carbohydrates. Once the body starts breaking down ketone moleculesa process called ketosisit begins to run on the energy provided by fat, rather than glucose.

The ketogenic diet needs to be pretty substantial with fats and proteins in order to be sustainable. It typically includes things like grass-fed meats, eggs, cheese, butter, oils and avocados, and almost entirely avoids common carbs like bread, wheat or rice.

In the latest study, Mujica-Parodi and her team wanted to examine whether the effects of a low-carb diet could be seen in the brains of people who may be showing some early signs of aging, but who were presymptomatic.

First, the researchers found that aging in the brain, seen in the form of destabilized communication between brain regions, typically starts to set in when a person is in their late 40s, particularly around age 47. This tends to be associated with weaker cognition.

They identified brain network stability as a biomarker for aging, and found that having type 2 diabetes increased this destabilization of brain networks. They then tested how the brains network stability would respond to diet changes.

One group of participants was placed on a standard diet, which metabolizes glucose as its primary fuel. The second group was given a low-carb diet, meaning they were only eating things like meat or fish with saladand no sugar, grains or starchy vegetables. In the low carb diet, the main fuel source was ketones.

The researchers found that the people who were metabolizing ketones on the low-carb diet saw increased brain activity and stabilized networks in brain regions.

The bad news is that we see the first signs of brain aging much earlier than was previously thought, Mujica-Parodi said in a news release.

However, the good news is that we may be able to prevent or reverse these effects with diet, she continued, by exchanging glucose for ketones as fuel for neurons.

Part of the power behind ketones, Mujica-Parodi argues, is that the brain eventually loses its ability to use glucose as fuel, something known as hypometabolism.

Therefore, if we can increase the amount of energy available to the brain by using a different fuel, the hope is that we can restore the brain to more youthful functioning, she said.

The medical consensus on the ketogenic diet is varied. Some experts note that it can be restrictive and possibly even dangerous for people with certain conditions, while other research has shown it may hold protective benefits when it comes to the brain and overall health.

In the Alzheimers research world, ketones are actually being explored for their potential as a therapeutic pathway for the disease. One recent study conducted by a researcher at the National Institute on Aging found that increasing the number of ketones in the body may help fight Alzheimers.

Diet, overall, has been examined in various studies to better understand how its linked to improved brain function and mental health. Some experts say that a healthy diet and exercise are some of the most effective interventions for preventing, or slowing down, the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.

Mujica-Parodi says her next steps are to examine brain fuel further, and to extend the research to older populations.

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Could a Low-Carb Diet Reverse Aging in the Brain? - Being Patient

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OGDEN Katie Hanley said she thinks feeding her dog a grain-free diet may have contributed to his death.

After adopting her cocker spaniel Toby at the age of 1, Hanley said she wanted to provide the best life possible for him. At the time, she said, grain-free diets were pushed very hard in society because, Dogs are descendants of wolves and they only eat meat.

So, after feeding him grain-free dog food his entire life, he was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM, and passed away two weeks later in the back of Hanley's car while she was rushing him to the ER because he couldn't breathe.

Toby was just 7 years-old when he died.

In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine began investigating a potential dietary link between canine DCM and grain-free food after receiving 560 reports of DCC in dogs that were on the diet. The reports are unusual because many of the cases involved dog breeds not typically genetically prone to DCM.

Fourteen cats were also reported to have developed the heart problem. Out of those numbers reported to the FDA, 119 of the dogs and five of the cats died. In addition, the FDA reported most of the diets contained high concentrations of peas, potatoes, lentils and chickpeas, typically listed in grain-free foods; deficient amounts of taurine, an amino acid essential for normal function of the heart, brain, vision and immune system; and foods considered vegan and homemade.

To put that in perspective, the American Veterinary Medical Association estimates there are 77 million pet dogs and 86 million pet cats in the United States.

It's a very controversial topic right now with a lot of conflicting opinions, said Dr. David Hyde, a veterinarian and co-owner of ERZ Animal Hospital in South Ogden.

Hyde, who recently returned from a convention in Florida and attended a lecture about grain-free foods, said the focus was on avoiding three particular diets right now.

They used the acronym BEG, Hyde said. B stands for boutique, which includes small companies who formulate their own diets without the help of a nutritionist. The E stands for exotic, which includes nontraditional meats and proteins, and the G stands for grain-free.

Of all the dog breeds that have fallen ill, Hyde said golden retrievers seem to dominate the list. He said it isn't certain whether it's attributed to the grain-free diet or the fact the breed has a difficult time absorbing taurine.

Dilated cardiomyopathy results in a weakened and enlarged heart. The main symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing and fatigue, Hyde said.

Some of the labels on pet food can be misleading and can cause a lot of confusion for consumers, Hyde said. I think the main thing pet owners should do is stick with the well known commercial pet food companies that have veterinarians and nutritionists on board, are involved in extensive testing and are approved by AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials). Consumers can also go to the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition as a resource.

Even then, however, some of the big name brands are adding grain-free options, Hyde said, so it is important for pet owners to educate themselves about ingredients and speak with a veterinarian.

Hanley, who is also a veterinarian technician at Brookside Animal Hospital in North Ogden, said that while there is nothing wrong with feeding animals food from the grocery store, she recommends looking for brands that take the additional steps Hyde cites, including Hill's Science Diet, Royal Canin and Purina Pro Plan.

Hanley said she recently went to buy food at a local store and found it hard to find foods that were not grain-free.So, when purchasing food that's balanced with grains, she said, it's best to look for meat, meat meal and carbohydrates like ground barley or rice, which provide a good source of nutrients needed by cats and dogs.

They provide tons of vitamins and minerals necessary for their overall health, she said. The main reason this has become such an issue is because the ingredients these companies are substituting are exotic items such as kangaroo, bison, venison, chickpeas and lentils, and it is many of these ingredients that have been shown to lead to DCM.

Despite the reports, grain-free food is still available at pet food stores, grocery stores and online sites, including 16 main brands listed by the FDA. Those brands are Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, Earthborn Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Nature's Domain, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Natural Balance, Orijen, Nature's Variety, NutriSource, Nutro and Rachael Ray Nutrish.

According to Hanley, many pet owners assume their furry friends have allergies to grains. However, food allergies are extremely uncommon, she said, and it's wise for consumers not to make that call on their own. Instead, have a pet diagnosed by a licensed veterinarian who may suggest prescription food or other options.

If you believe your animal may have an allergy to grain, consult your veterinarian. Do not consult Dr. Google, she said.

Most of the 16 pet food brands named by the FDA have issued statements on their websites regarding the grain-free issue.

"In parallel with the FDA investigation, our own third-party internal studies found no link between our high-quality pet food products and any of the other physical characteristics that correlate to DCM," Zignature stated on its website.

Merrick stated, As pet parents ourselves, we are dedicated to making the safest and highest-quality food for dogs and cats. We have been crafting natural recipes from the highest-quality whole ingredients for more than 30 years. Our team is working closely with other members of the Pet Food Institute as well as our global nutrition colleagues at Nestl Purina PetCare to research and better understand this complex topic and we will share recent developments with you as we receive them.

The company also states it has vigorously reviewed all recipes that include lentils, peas and chickpeas to make sure the percentage of the ingredients are in line with the latest research. It has also been supplementing taurine across all Merrick dry dog food recipes, including those that are grain-free.

I think it's 100 percent a fad, Hanley said of grain-free diets. I would compare it to the keto diets in humans where people eat extremely low amounts of carbohydrates and high amounts of fats and proteins.

Hanley and Hyde both said if consumers decide to switch their pet to a different food, they should do it over the course of two weeks with the supervision of a veterinarian.

"I think it is important to realize that all grain-free diets are not created equally. Until further study, it is tempting and certainly easier to paint this problem with a broad brush," said Dr. Val Archibald, a veterinarian at VetMed Consultants in Holladay.

"If owners continue to feed grain-free diets, it would behoove them to dive deeper into the research and choose wisely."

If you are concerned that your pet may have symptoms of dilated cardiomyopathy, VetMed is offering reduced cost screenings. For more information, call 801-310-5824.

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Spike in heart condition sparks concern of link between sick pets, grain-free foods - Standard-Examiner

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The news in brief:

1) Brain changes associated with aging become visible much earlier than would be expected, in the late 40s.

2) This is hypothesized to result from neurons loss of energy; if so, researchers may have found a way to prevent or reverse these effects.

3) This can be done with diet, by switching neurons fuel from glucose to ketones. Ketones have previously been shown to increase the availability of energy to the heart. However, this is the first evidence that a similar benefit may be achieved for the brain.

Study Shows Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain

STONY BROOK, NY, March 4, 2020 A study using neuroimaging led by Stony Brook University professor and lead author Lilianne R. Mujica-Parodi, PhD, and published in PNAS, reveals that neurobiological changes associated with aging can be seen at a much younger age than would be expected, in the late 40s. However, the study also suggests that this process may be prevented or reversed based on dietary changes that involve minimizing the consumption of simple carbohydrates.

To better understand how diet influences brain aging, the research team focused on the presymptomatic period during which prevention may be most effective. In the article titled Diet modulates brain network stability, a biomarker for brain aging, in young adults, they showed, using large-scale life span neuroimaging datasets, that functional communication between brain regions destabilizes with age, typically in the late 40s, and that destabilization correlates with poorer cognition and accelerates with insulin resistance. Targeted experiments then showed this biomarker for brain aging to be reliably modulated with consumption of different fuel sources: glucose decreases, and ketones increase, the stability of brain networks. This effect was replicated across both changes to total diet as well as after drinking a fuel-specific calorie-matched supplement.

What we found with these experiments involves both bad and good news, said Mujica-Parodi, a Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering with joint appointments in the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences and Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and a faculty member in the Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology. The bad news is that we see the first signs of brain aging much earlier than was previously thought. However, the good news is that we may be able to prevent or reverse these effects with diet, mitigating the impact of encroaching hypometabolism by exchanging glucose for ketones as fuel for neurons.

What the researchers discovered, using neuroimaging of the brain, is that quite early on there is breakdown of communication between brain regions (network stability).

We think that, as people get older, their brains start to lose the ability to metabolize glucose efficiently, causing neurons to slowly starve, and brain networks to destabilize, said Mujica-Parodi. Thus, we tested whether giving the brain a more efficient fuel source, in the form of ketones, either by following a low-carb diet or drinking ketone supplements, could provide the brain with greater energy. Even in younger individuals, this added energy further stabilized brain networks.

To conduct their experiments, brain network stability was established as a biomarker for aging by using two large-scale brain neuroimaging (fMRI) datasets totaling nearly 1,000 individuals, ages 18 to 88. Destabilization of brain networks was associated with impaired cognition and was accelerated with Type 2 diabetes, an illness that blocks neurons ability to effectively metabolize glucose. To identify the mechanism as being specific to energy availability, the researchers then held age constant and scanned an additional 42 adults under the age of 50 years with fMRI. This allowed them to observe directly the impact of glucose and ketones on each individuals brain.

The brains response to diet was tested in two ways. The first was holistic, comparing brain network stability after participants had spent one week on a standard (unrestricted) vs. low carb (for example: meat or fish with salad, but no sugar, grains, rice, starchy vegetables) diet. In a standard diet, the primary fuel metabolized is glucose, whereas in a low-carb diet, the primary fuel metabolized is ketones. However, there might have been other differences between diets driving the observed effects. Therefore, to isolate glucose vs. ketones as the crucial difference between the diets, an independent set of participants was scanned before and after drinking a small dose of glucose on one day, and ketones on the other, where the two fuels were individually weight-dosed and calorically matched. The results replicated, showing that the differences between the diets could be attributed to the type of fuel they provide to the brain.

Additional findings from the study included the following: Effects of brain aging emerged at age 47, with most rapid degeneration occurring at age 60. Even in younger adults, under age 50, dietary ketosis (whether achieved after one week of dietary change or 30 minutes after drinking ketones) increased overall brain activity and stabilized functional networks. This is thought to be due to the fact that ketones provide greater energy to cells than glucose, even when the fuels are calorically matched. This benefit has previously been shown for the heart, but the current set of experiments provides the first evidence for equivalent effects in the brain.

This effect matters because brain aging, and especially dementia, are associated with hypometabolism, in which neurons gradually lose the ability to effectively use glucose as fuel. Therefore, if we can increase the amount of energy available to the brain by using a different fuel, the hope is that we can restore the brain to more youthful functioning. In collaboration with Dr. Eva Ratai at Massachusetts General Hospital, were currently addressing this question, by now extending our studies to older populations, said Mujica-Parodi.

Additional research with collaborators at Childrens National, under the direction of Dr. Nathan Smith, focuses on discovering the precise mechanisms by which fuel impacts signaling between neurons. Finally, in collaboration with Dr. Ken Dill and Dr. Steven Skiena, at Stony Brook, were working on building a comprehensive computational model that can incorporate our understanding of the biology, from individual neurons to whole brains to cognition, as it develops.

The research is currently funded under a new $2.5 million National Science Foundation BRAIN Initiative Frontiers grants (numbers (NSFECCS1533257 and NSFNCS-FR 1926781) awarded to Stony Brook, as well as by the W. M. Keck Foundation, which originally funded the team in 2017 with a $1 million seed grant designed to jump-start pioneering discoveries in science, engineering, and medical research.

Collaborators included Stony Brook faculty from the Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Physics and Astronomy, and Computer Science; and scientists at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School), Childrens National, the National Institutes of Health, and Oxford University.

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Study Shows Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain - Stony Brook News

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DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Is diet always the cause of kidney stones, or are some people just more susceptible than others?

ANSWER: Diet can play a significant role in the formation of kidney stones, but its not the only reason a person may develop these stones. A family or personal history of kidney stones raises your risk, as do certain medical conditions. If you get a kidney stone, finding out what its made of will help determine steps that you can take to lower your risk, including ways to change your diet. By taking such steps, its less likely youll develop stones in the future.

Kidney stones are hard deposits of minerals and salts that form inside your kidneys. They develop when your urine contains more crystal-forming substances, such as calcium, oxalate and uric acid, than the fluid in your urine can dilute.

One of the most straightforward ways to lower your kidney stone risk is to drink plenty of fluids. Extra fluids dilute urine, making stones less likely. If you have a history of kidney stones, healthcare providers usually recommend passing about 2 1/2 liters of urine per day. One way to gauge whether you have adequate fluid intake is to check the appearance of your urine. If its light or clear, youre likely drinking enough fluids.

The amount of salt in your diet makes a difference, too. Taking in too much salt increases the amount of calcium your kidneys have to filter, and that raises your risk of kidney stones. Reducing the amount of salt in your diet may lower your risk of stones.

If youve already had kidney stones, knowing the type of stone you form will help with dietary choices to prevent future stones. For example, if your stones are calcium oxalate, you may need to limit foods rich in oxalates. They include certain fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts and chocolate. Uric acid kidney stones can form in people who dont drink enough fluids, lose too much fluid or eat a high-protein diet. In that case, choosing a diet low in animal protein can help.

Crafting a diet to prevent kidney stones can be complicated, so if youve had stones, talk to a dietitian. He or she can review your situation and work with you to create an eating plan tailored to your needs.

Your healthcare provider also may recommend a test called a metabolic urine profile. This test involves analyzing your urine over a 24- to 48-hour period. It gives specific information about how your kidneys are working and helps identify modifiable risk factors for kidney stone development.

Heredity plays a role in kidney stones. People who have a family member with kidney stones are twice as likely to develop stones as those who dont have that family history. And once you develop a kidney stone, your risk for future stones goes up. Most people get their first kidney stone between the ages of 40 and 60. After you have one stone, the chance of getting another within a year is about 15%. The likelihood of developing more stones in three to five years is 35% to 40%, and within 10 years, its 50%.

Finally, your medical history can contribute to the formation of kidney stones. Diseases and conditions that may increase the risk of kidney stones include inflammatory bowel disease, chronic diarrhea, renal tubular acidosis, cystinuria, hyperparathyroidism and urinary tract infections. High body mass index, large waist size and weight gain also are associated with stones. Having gastric bypass surgery and taking certain medications can raise your risk, too.

If youve had kidney stones in the past, or if youre concerned you may be at high risk for them, talk to your healthcare provider. He or she can review your risk factors with you and, if necessary, recommend steps you can take to help prevent them. Mitchell Humphreys, MD, Urology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix

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Mayo Clinic Q&A: Makeup of Kidney Stones Offers Clues to Whats Causing Them - Chicago Health

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