Body Weekly - January 2013 Archives

New study suggests many apples a day keep the blues at bay (1/31/2013)

Eating more fruit and vegetables may make young people calmer, happier and more energetic in their daily life, new research from New Zealand's University of Otago suggests. ...> Full Article

Can changes in nutrition labeling help consumers make better food choices? (1/30/2013)

The Nutrition Facts label was introduced 20 years ago and provides consumers with important information, including: the serving size, the number of servings in the package, the number of calories per serving, and the amount of nutrients for each serving of a packaged food. However, research has shown that consumers often miscalculate the number of calories and the nutritional content of products that have two or more servings per container but are usually consumed in a single eating occasion. ...> Full Article

Lower drinking ages can have an impact on later drinking patterns (1/29/2013)

Lower minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) laws have been associated with short-term effects such as more traffic fatalities and teen suicides. A new study has investigated the long-term and persistent effects of permissive MLDA laws. Findings support an association with problematic drinking behaviors that persist into later adulthood, such as more frequent binge episodes. ...> Full Article

When will we all live to 100? (1/28/2013)

An article from John Appleby, Chief Economist at the Kings Fund, published on bmj.com today brings attention to the rising amount of those expected to live to 100 and asks where it will end. ...> Full Article

People seek high-calorie foods in tough times (1/27/2013)

Bad news about the economy could cause you to pack on the pounds, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The study shows that when there is a perception of tough times, people tend to seek higher-calorie foods that will keep them satisfied longer. ...> Full Article

Deodorants: Do we really need them? (1/26/2013)

New research from the Children of the 90s study at the University of Bristol shows that more than 75 percent of people with a particular version of a gene don't produce under-arm odor but use deodorant anyway. ...> Full Article

Poor sleep can leave romantic partners feeling unappreciated (1/25/2013)

Spouses and other romantic partners often complain about feeling unappreciated, and a new study from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests poor sleep may play a hidden role. ...> Full Article

Viagra converts fat cells (1/24/2013)

Researchers from the University of Bonn treated mice with Viagra and made an amazing discovery: The drug converts undesirable white fat cells and could thus potentially melt the unwelcome "spare tire" around the midriff. In addition, the substance also decreases the risk of other complications caused by obesity. The results are now published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. ...> Full Article

How are middle-aged women affected by burnout? (1/23/2013)

In contrast to previous research findings that showed burnout in middle-aged women to be stable over time, women in a new study were clustered into groups characterized by different developmental patterns of burnout. ...> Full Article

Shorter woman, taller man: Preferences for partner height translate into actual partner choices (1/22/2013)

Finding Mr. or Ms. Right is a complicated process, and choosing a mate may involve compromising on less important factors like their height. However, research published Jan. 16 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Gert Stulp and colleagues from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, suggests that despite the many other factors involved, people's preferences for a partner's height are reflected in real couples in the UK. ...> Full Article

Strawberries, blueberries may cut heart attack risk in women (1/21/2013)

Women who ate at least three servings of blueberries and strawberries per week had fewer heart attacks. Blueberries and strawberries contain high levels of compounds that have cardiovascular benefits. ...> Full Article

Migraine with aura may lead to heart attack, blood clots for women (1/20/2013)

Women who have migraines with aura, which are often visual disturbances such as flashing lights, may be more likely to have problems with their heart and blood vessels, and those on newer contraceptives may be at higher risk for blood clots, according to two studies released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16-23, 2013. ...> Full Article

Foods identified as 'whole grain' not always healthy (1/19/2013)

Current standards for classifying foods as "whole grain" are inconsistent and, in some cases, misleading, according to a new study by Harvard School of Public Health researchers. One of the most widely used industry standards, the Whole Grain Stamp, actually identified grain products that were higher in both sugars and calories than products without the Stamp. The researchers urge adoption of a consistent, evidence-based standard for labeling whole grain foods to help consumers and organizations make healthy choices. ...> Full Article

Synthetic 'poop' can cure C. difficile infection, study finds (1/18/2013)

A synthetic "poop" developed at the University of Guelph can cure nasty gastrointestinal infections caused by Clostridium difficile, a toxin-producing bacterium. ...> Full Article

Genes and obesity: Fast food isn't only culprit in expanding waistlines -- DNA is also to blame (1/17/2013)

Researchers at UCLA say it's not just what you eat that makes those pants tighter -- it's also genetics. In a new study, scientists discovered that body-fat responses to a typical fast-food diet are determined in large part by genetic factors, and they have identified several genes they say may control those responses. ...> Full Article

Space-simulation study reveals sodium rhythms in the body (1/16/2013)

A new study in humans published by Cell Press on Jan. 9 in the journal Cell Metabolism reveals that sodium levels fluctuate rhythmically over the course of weeks in the body, independent of salt intake. This one-of-a-kind study, which examined cosmonauts participating in space-flight simulation studies, challenges widely accepted assumptions that sodium levels are maintained within very narrow limits. ...> Full Article

How belly fat differs from thigh fat -- and why it matters (1/15/2013)

Unlike men, women tend to store more fat on the hips and thighs than in the belly. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism helps explain fat distribution differences by determining how belly and thigh fat differ genetically. This research might shift common thinking about fat -- rather than focusing on how to banish belly fat, perhaps we need to tip the balance in favor of heart-friendly fat in the lower body. ...> Full Article

High salt intake linked to social inequalities (1/14/2013)

People from low socio-economic positions in Britain eat more salt than the well off, irrespective of where they live, states a paper led by Warwick Medical School published on Tuesday in the BMJ Open journal. ...> Full Article

For those short on time, aerobic, not resistance, exercise is best bet for weight, fat loss (1/13/2013)

New study finds that when balancing time commitments against health benefits, aerobics training is optimal for reducing fat- and body mass. Article published in December 2012 edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology. ...> Full Article

New and revised standards for omega-3s, natural sweeteners and other food ingredients proposed (1/12/2013)

To help ensure the quality of popular food ingredients increasingly being incorporated into products sold in the United States and worldwide, standards for omega 3-rich krill oil and natural, low-calorie stevia sweeteners are among the latest proposed revisions to the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC). FCC is an internationally recognized compendium of food ingredient quality standards published by the US Pharmacopeial Convention. ...> Full Article

Scientists pinpoint molecular signals that make some women prone to miscarriage (1/11/2013)

Scientists have identified molecular signals that control whether embryos are accepted by the womb, and that appear to function abnormally in women who have suffered repeated miscarriages. ...> Full Article

Cholesterol medicine affects energy production in muscles (1/10/2013)

Up to 75 percent of patients who take statins to treat elevated cholesterol levels may suffer from muscle pain. Scientists at the Center for Healthy Aging at the University of Copenhagen have now identified a possible mechanism underlying this unfortunate side effect. ...> Full Article

Shifting the balance between good fat and bad fat (1/9/2013)

Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have a new theory about what causes the body to store more fat and burn less energy in obesity -- a protein called p62. According to a study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, when p62 is missing in fat, the body's metabolic balance shifts -- inhibiting "good" brown fat, while favoring "bad" white fat. These findings indicate that p62 might make a promising target for new therapies aimed at obesity. ...> Full Article

Researchers identify important factor in fat storage and energy metabolism (1/8/2013)

Joslin Diabetes Center scientists have identified a cell cycle transcriptional co-regulator -- TRIP-Br2 -- that plays a major role in energy metabolism and fat storage. ...> Full Article