Fuggeddaboutit

Moms around the world warn their kids that too much sugar, fructose, will rot their teeth, but did they ever think it could also affect their memory?

Researchers at Georgia State Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology found that after feeding a group of Sprague-Dawley rats a diet that was 60 percent fructose, the rats memories were impaired. Fructose is a type of sugar found in processed foods and sodas.

Marise Parent, associate professor at Georgia State, said:

Fructose, unlike another sugar, glucose, is processed almost solely by the liver, and produces an excessive amount of triglycerides — fat which get into the bloodstream. Triglycerides can interfere with insulin signaling in the brain, which plays a major role in brain cell survival and plasticity, or the ability for the brain to change based on new experiences.

Results were similar in adolescent rats, but it is unclear whether the effects of high fructose consumption are permanent, she said.

Human diets typically do not consist of the same high amount of fructose as the rats in the study, however, foods containing fructose and high fructose corn syrup are being consumed at increasing rates. Diets high in fructose can potentially cause such health issues as insulin insensitivity, type 2 diabetes, obesity and cariovascular disease. Many foods now contain fructose, but keeping your diet checked and eating foods with fructose in moderation can make a difference.

Glycemic Response

Proper nutrition is essential for all facets of life, even more so when health is impacted. Consider working with Dr. Aron to help you gain perspective and structure to achieve your weight loss goals.

Cite ScienceDaily

Labels: calories, cravings, self-control

Losing weight can improve your health and overall well-being. You look better. You feel better. It can also boost your mood. And now, a new study has shown that weight loss can also improve mood in those suffering from depression.

Both depressed and non-depressed participants were studied in a six-month supervised weight loss program involving lifestyle modification and meal replacements. Depressed subjects lost eight percent of their weight and non-depressed subjects lost 11 percent. After six months of the program, depressed subjects also showed significant positive changes in depression symptoms and reduced levels of triglycerides in the blood, a risk for heart disease and stroke. Obesity and depression are also separate risks for heart disease and stroke.

Clinically depressed individuals are rarely ever used in weight loss studies, and this research necessitates further studies on how weight loss affects those suffering from psychiatric disorders. It’s also one of the many reasons to strive to be at a healthy weight.

Do you have slow metabolism?

Learn how slow metabolism could be a factor affecting your weight gain, and ability to lose weight fast

Maintainting proper nutrition when dieting is also key.

Cite ScienceDaily

Labels: depression, health, obesity, weight loss

Teaching Healthy Habits

Peer pressure can be a powerful force, but does that also influence eating habits? A childhood obesity study recently found that friends can influence the amount of food you eat, and that includes overeating.

23 overweight and 42 normal weight children between the ages of 9 and 15 were involved in the study published in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition were paired in groups of familiar and unfamiliar children. Each pair sat in a room for 45 minutes with bowls of low-calorie snacks such as baby carrots and grapes and high-calorie snacks such as potato chips and cookies. The children were told to eat as many snacks as they wanted from their own bowls.

The friends who ate together were found to eat more than pairs who didn't know each other. Friends were also found to eat similar amounts of food compared with the participants who ate with a stranger. When overweight children were paired with other overweight children, whether they knew the other person or not, ate more than the overweight children who ate with a normal weight child.

Sarah Salvy, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences: both overweight and normal weight participants eating with a friend ate significantly more than did participants eating in the presence of an unfamiliar peer. These results are consistent with research in adults, which showed that eating among friends and family is distinctly different than eating among strangers.

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Labels: childhood obesity, peer pressure, self-control

Before, and After

Weight loss motivation is an integrated in our comprehensive bariatric program. Motivation is the key to successful weight loss. Learn to improve motivation to develop health, fitness and a great body! These are just some of the many strategies you will be introduced as part of our weight loss program. They are intended to help you to stay motivated and focused on your success.

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Labels: brooklyn, medical, motivation, new york, weight loss

Like you, we are trying to follow and make sense of the recent efforts to revise health care, and offer you this public service announcement via the White House website

8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage

1. Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.


2. Ends Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays: Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.


3. Ends Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care: Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.


4. Ends Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill: Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.
5. Ends Gender Discrimination: Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.


6. Ends Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage: Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.


7. Extends Coverage for Young Adults: Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.


8. Guarantees Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick.

Learn more and get details: http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections/

If you have questions about our own weight loss fees, feel free to view our frequently asked questions section.

Labels: health

For many years "the pill" has been blamed for weight gain in women, causing many to forego taking that particular method of birth control, but recent research has shown it is not the culprit.

The birth control pill is an effective hormonal method of contraception, and has often been seen as the cause of weight gain. However, clinical trials have found there is no causal link between birth control and weight gain, especially considering that women gain weight as they age -- whether they take birth control or not. In fact, choosing not to take the pill doesn't necessarily help women control their weight either.

There are no quick fixes to shedding pounds, but leading a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a well-balanced diet is still the number one way to lose weight the healthy way.

Source ScienceDaily

Labels: diet pills, weight gain, women

If you want to be skinny, you've got to think like a skinny person. This doesn't mean thinking is being, but delving into the diets of real-life skinny folks reveals some interesting food facts that could help you get or stay thin.

If you like this list, be sure to check out our own weight loss tips, and of course, schedule your first visit with the diet doctor today!

• Dense foods with high water content like fruits, veggies, water-based soups and stews and cooked whole grains are low in calories, but oh-so-satisfying.



• When dining out, start off with a salad or soup because you are more likely to eat much less calories after that -- as much as 12 percent less!



• Try eating five smaller meals each day instead of three larger ones to cut down on your portions



• Use a smaller plate to reduce the amount of food you eat



• Have a portion-controlled frozen meal instead of dining out



• Skipping meals often leads to overindulging on foods that are bad for you, so don't do it! Staving off hunger with healthy snacks is much better. And don't even think about skipping breakfast (78 percent of skinny people eat it)



• Keep moving! Simply standing, walking and moving around throughout the day, as opposed to being inactive, could help you burn an extra 350 calories



• Exercise not only burns calories and fat, it also makes you think twice about eating foods that aren't beneficial



• Weighing yourself regularly helps keep your diet and weight in check



• Thin people know their food pitfalls and cut them out entirely or don't even stock them in their refrigerator at home



• Children who grow up in homes where healthy foods are plentiful are more likely to grow up healthy -- and pass it on to future generations

Source: Real Simple

Labels: calories, cravings, self-control, weight loss

Based on a report published in Pediatrics, children who have a tonsillectomy (with or without their adenoids removed) have a higher risk of being overweight in later years.

The data came from a study of 3,963 children in the Dutch Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy (PIAMA) birth cohort study in which height, weight, tonsillectomy status and other factors were assessed through yearly parental questionnaires.

Tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy significantly increased the odds of being overweight and obese at 8 years by 61 percent and 136 percent, respectively. Adenoidectomy alone did not increase the risk of becoming overweight, but it did increase the risk of obesity by 94 percent.

"Longitudinal data on weight and height in the years before and after surgery," the authors note, "suggest that (adeno) tonsillectomy forms a turning point between a period of growth faltering and a period of catch-up growth," which may explain the increased risk of becoming overweight and explain the increased risk of becoming overweight after the operation."

Authors of the study conclude that parents should be armed with information on dietary and lifestyle choices if their children are having a tonsillectomy performed, and also recommend that children's weight and growth be closely monitored following surgery. —Reuters

Labels: childhood obesity, weight gain