It’s hard to keep up with all the new studies of health breakthroughs that are continuously pouring out of research laboratories all over the world. Some of these studies could hold the key to healing what hurts us or to our living a longer, healthier life. Research breakthroughs usually go through a lengthy process of review and validation before the scientific community endorses them as worthy of clinical application, so we may not hear of them in our doctors’ offices. But many of us are fascinated to know what is in the works that we could benefit from in the future. This article will attempt to satisfy your urge to know by offering a sampling of new research that could be the breakthrough you have been waiting for.
Big Breakfast Key to Weight Loss
A report presented to the International Endocrine Society at their annual meeting this year said women who start the day with a big breakfast that includes whole grains, protein, fat, and even a small piece of chocolate, were less hungry and had fewer cravings the rest of the day. At the end of 8 months, women who ate the big breakfasts lost 5 times more weight than those who ate skimpy breakfasts, although their daily calorie levels were the same.
Researchers explained their counter-intuitive findings this way: when you wake up, your body is set to look for food and your levels of adrenaline and cortisol are at their highest. Your brain needs energy right away. If you don’t eat or eat too little, the brain needs another source of fuel so it activates an emergency system that draws energy from your muscle tissue. When you eat later, the brain is still in emergency mode so the body continues to save energy from the food you eat to store as fat for possible later needs. That may have worked well for our paleolithic ancestors who had to depend on hunting, fishing and grazing for all of their food, but it doesn’t work as well for modern people who usually have plenty of food on hand all the time.
Vitamin D Can Save Your Life
More than half of post-menopausal individuals in North America and the rest of the world have too little vitamin D in their bodies. A deficiency of vitamin D, which we get from sunlight and supplements, causes fractures from falls, immune dysfunction, heart disease, and high blood pressure. A new study soon to be published in the Archives of Internal Medicine links too little vitamin D with greater risks of dying from heart disease and other causes.
Just 15 minutes of sunlight exposure on your arms and face will provide the daily quota of needed vitamin D. If you can’t get your daily dose of sunlight, you might want to opt for foods and supplement sources. Fortified milk, egg yolks, fish, and liver contain vitamin D, and most broad spectrum vitamin/mineral supplements include it, but read the label to be certain. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D daily. Some nutritionists think that is too low. Post-menopausal women are advised to take 1200 mg of calcium daily, as well as vitamin D, for bone health.
Vitamins and minerals alone can’t make the difference, but if you walk 3 to 5 miles a week or exercise with handweights 2 to 3 times weekly, you are building strong bones as well as benefiting from all the other advantages of an active lifestyle.
La Vida Healthy
New findings from a study of more than 72,000 women (The Nurse’s Health Study, started in 1976), reported by researchers from Harvard University, showed that women who eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains were likely to outlive women who eat a more typical American diet with plenty of red and processed meats, sweets, French fries, and white and refined grain products. Women with the typical diet had a 22 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease or stroke, and a 16 percent higher risk of dying from cancer, compared to women with low intakes of red meat, desserts, sweet drinks and refined grains.
Eating Soy Linked to Memory Loss
Frequently eating foods made with soy seems to contribute to memory loss, say British researchers who studied the impact of soy consumption on senior citizens. People who ate soy at least twice a day had 20 percent less memory function than those who ate it less often. Vegetarians and elderly women in the study, in particular, were most vulnerable to memory loss from eating soy.
Secrets of Successful Weight Loss
Writing down everything you eat in a daily diary seems to be the secret of successful weight loss, according to researchers from Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research. The study involved 1600 people following a weight loss diet for 6 months. Participants from four different cities were asked to eat less fat and more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and to exercise for a total of three hours weekly. Those who kept a food diary lost, on average, 18 pounds, compared for 9 pounds for those who didn’t keep a diary or kept one irregularly. The diary helps dieters to see where the calories are coming from and holds them accountable, according to the study director.