Eating Disorders Increase Risk of Death

 

People who suffer from anorexia, bulimia, as well as unspecified eating disorders, have a higher rate of death than those without the disease, according to newly published research out of Loughborough University in the U.K.

Researchers poured over three dozen studies conducted between 1966 and 2010. The studies followed over 17,000 individuals with eating disorders and found that individuals who had suffered from anorexia, bulimia,or other eating disorders had a higher rate of death than their healthy eating counterparts. Individuals with anorexia nervosa were 5 times more likely to die, with 1 in 5 anorexia-related deaths due to suicide. Bulimics, and those with unspecified eating disorders, were twice as likely to die.

People with anorexia have a distorted body image that causes them to see themselves as overweight even when they’re dangerously thin. Often refusing to eat, exercising compulsively, and developing unusual habits such as refusing to eat in front of others, they lose large amounts of weight and may even starve to death.

Physical problems associated with anorexia nervosa include damage to the heart and other vital organs, low blood pressure, slowed heartbeat, constipation, abdominal pain, loss of muscle mass, hair loss,sensitivity to the cold, and fine body hair growth.

While eating disorders may start with preoccupations with food and weight, they are most often about much more than food. People with eating disorders often use food and the control of food in an attempt to compensate for feelings and emotions that may otherwise seem overwhelming. Treatment should include a multi-dimensional approach, to heal both the body and the mind, working on behavior modification and lifestyle changes. Deep-rooted behavioral issues are also often a cause of eating disorders, and should be addressed to accomplish full recovery.

Hospitalizations for eating disorders jumped by 119 percent between 1999 and 2006 for kids younger than 12 and severe cases of both anorexia and bulimia have risen, as has “partial syndrome” eating disorders(where some, but not all, of the symptoms occur).

Researchers in this U.K. study could find no singular cause to account for the increase in deaths among those with eating disorders, but the effects of the disease on major organs are thought to be a contributing factor.

Kids LiveWell: Offering Healthy Menu Options at Chain Restaurants

 

Chain restaurants across the nation have banded together to unveil a new initiative that lays the groundwork for providing and promoting healthy menu options for children. The National Restaurant Association, which represents more than 380,000 businesses—from restaurants and suppliers to educators and non-profits—rolled out the “Kids LiveWell” program today,showcasing their commitment to offering families healthy options when dining out.

Kids LiveWell menu choices will be available at more than 15,000 participating restaurant locations nationwide. The menu items will focus on increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and low-fat dairy, and limiting unhealthy fats, sugars and sodium.

Criteria for inclusion in the Kids LiveWell program includes meals that meet the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines. Additionally, they need to provide the following:

• Offer at least one full children’s meal (an entrée, side and beverage) that is 600 calories or less; contains two or more servings of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and/or low-fat dairy; and limits sodium, fats and sugar
• Offer at least one other individual item that has 200 calories or less, with limits on fats, sugars and sodium, and contains a serving of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein or low-fat dairy
• Display or make available upon request the nutrition profile of the healthful menu options; and
• Promote/identify the healthful menu options.

Among the restaurants participating in the program are popular favorites: Au Bon Pain, Burger King, Chevys Fresh Mex, Chili’s Grill & Bar, Corner Bakery Cafe, Cracker Barrel, Denny’s, El Pollo Loco, IHOP, Joe’s Crab Shack, Outback Steakhouse, and Sizzler.

Sample menu items include: Silver Diner Kid’s Turkey Sliders (seen in image above), that includes two small turkey patties with cheese on an oatmeal whole grain bun with fresh fruit and a glass of milk; Chili’s offers a grilled chicken sandwich with bowl of mandarin orange slices; Joe’s Crab Shack serves up an old-fashioned mini steam pot filled with several snow crab legs, shrimp, and corn on the cob.

It is admirable that restaurants are taking the extra step to offer healthy food to diners. To make this effort worth it, parents must choose these healthier options for their children. To find out if a restaurant near you is participating in the Kids LiveWell program

Daily Diet: Blind Study Puts Premade Diet Meals to the Test

 

Now more than ever, people across the globe are focused on healthy eating, nutrition and diet fads. With obesity on the rise, the focus on these topics are more important than ever, and it can be difficult and time-consuming to cull through all the recipes, nutrition advice, and diets—both fad and tried-and-true.

Diet programs such as Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers and The Cookie Diet, and books like, The 'Prevention' Loss Weight Guidebook and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Losing Weight, all provide contradicting information about what an ideal diet is, thus making it difficult for us to pick the diet that works with our lifestyle, health goals and budget.

It’s apparent that any weight loss organization or company believes their recommendations are superior to the others, and will promote themselves in the best light possible, so what better way to know the real truth than reviews from real life people who can give an honest opinion about the effectiveness and pros and cons of these fad diets

HealthNews editors independently review various diet trends and provide in-depth reviews and information to help aid in choosing the right diet for your particular needs. Low carb diets are one of the most popular trends however, many people mistake the diet for being carb-free, when in fact, the diet allows for specific types of starch-resistant carbs, such as sweet potatoes and bananas.

Diet plan reviews not only help when deciding on the best course of action to take while dieting, it also helps to decrease the odds that the diet will be misunderstood and misused.

A good diet review will provide the user within formation on the history, basic steps, what type of foods that will be eaten,accessibility and the cost. The HealthNews review of the Fresh Diet, a meal delivery program, not only provides information about that diet specifically but it also compares it to similar plans, thus, giving the reader knowledge about options that may be more appropriate for them.

NextAdvisor.com conducted a study to determine which diet food delivery service provides the most generally appealing foods. Over a three-week time period, male and female tasters of various ages were given anonymous samples from seven companies’ “standard” meal plans. The testers then rated each meal on a scale from 1 to 10 based on taste and appearance. Each plan ran between 1200-1350 calories per day and were heated in the microwave and prepared based on the instructions for each meal.

The seven companies involved in the study were, Jenny Craig, Bistro MD, Diet-to-Go, The Biggest Loser, Nutrisystem, eDiets and Medifast. Costs per day for the food delivery programs ranged from $7.14 to $28.94/day. Four of the seven programs also had a fitness component. (Full report from NextAdvisor can be found here.)

After the study was completed, points were tallied and it was revealed that the Jenny Craig program received the highest reviews with 5 out of 5 stars for breakfast and dinner food, and 4.5 stars for lunch food. In fact one diner noted that “It didn’t seem like diet food.” High praise indeed.

The company with the lowest rating was MediFast which received only 2 out of 5 stars for breakfast foods, 2.5 stars for lunch food and 3 stars for dinner foods.

Having a review of various food delivery programs such as the one provided by NextAdvisor is essential before investing time and money into a program that may not be a fit.

If home-cooked meals and fresh foods are favored over pre-made delivery meals, HealthNews columnist Susan Brady’s article on the “Top 10 Weight Loss Cookbooks,” narrows down thousands of options when choosing a book to help with healthy meal preparation.

HealthNews Salutes: MAYA Food Oasis

 

It is difficult enough for many people living in underprivileged communities to find healthy, accessible and affordable food for their families and it would be going out on a major limb to expect unprocessed, fresh produce. Thanks to MAYA, an SMS-based “virtual grocery marketplace,” obtaining healthy foods and developing better eating habits has become much easier.

Although the abundance of unhealthy food is often to blame for our nation’s obesity problem, it should also be recognized that the lack of accessibility to healthy food may equally be to blame. The MAYA Food Oasis’s mission is to recognize the importance of fresh produce and the impact it can have on societies who are suffering from health issues. “We apply human-centered design techniques to kick-start innovation and solve the business challenges of a connected world.”

Obtaining healthy, unprocessed fruits and vegetables in underprivileged communities may be hindered due to lack of transportation, communication and education however, according to the MAYA Food Oasis official website, “While smart phones and internet access are not universal in low-income populations, SMS-enabled cellphones are commonplace.”

Using simple, text-message ordering, individual consumers can connect with producers in their area.” After the order is placed it is delivered to a local church, daycare or employment center. After delivery the customer is notified and is able to pick up their order at the designated delivery center. MAYA is also implementing a social network system which will enable customers to discuss health and wellness topics.

Not only is the consumer able to benefit from the MAYA Food Oasis program by having access to fresh produce,the supplier also benefits by reducing overhead, gaining a wider customer base and by having an advantage over other physical stores in their area.

The Bigger the Fork, the Smaller the Waistline

 

Although the preconceived notion is to think in terms of reduced food portions on small plates when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight, sometimes bigger really is better, especially when it comes to the of fork you choose to eat with.

According to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, people who used an oversized fork to take bigger bites when eating out actually ate less than those who consumed their meal using a fork that was smaller than normal. The findings of the analysis were recently published in the online edition of the Journal of ConsumerResearch.

For the research team to arrive at their findings, it was a case of “buon appetito” and we’ll do the rest, with the help of a local Italian restaurant. Over a two-day period, during which two lunches and two dinners were served as part of the analysis, the researchers selected tables at random to receive either forks that were 20 percent larger than those normally used by the restaurant, or forks that were 20 percent smaller than were normally used.

Each plate of food served was weighed both prior to being carried to the table, and upon its return to the kitchen, which allowed the amount of food eaten by each person to be calculated. The surprising results revealed that those patrons who were given larger forks ate less overall, leaving more food on their plates by the end of their meal than did those using the smaller forks. This left University of Utah researchers Arul Mishra, Himanshu Mishra, and Tamara M. Masters with the task of explaining why those who received bigger bites of food actually consumed less than did those who ate smaller bites.

Their conclusions? First, the diners are visually aware of whether they are making progress in diminishing the amount of food seen on their plates in their effort to achieve satiation of their hunger. The use of a smaller fork gives the appearance that less progress has been made in achieving their goal, while the use of a larger fork provides for the appearance of a more adequate amount of food having been consumed from the plate.

In addition, those who eat with smaller forks feel the need to further their efforts in achieving hunger satisfaction by eating more forkfuls of food, which results in their actual consumption of more than an adequate amount of food.

In a news release, the researchers explained, “The fork provided the diners with a means to observe their goal progress. The physiological feedback of feeling full, or the satiation signal, comes with a time lag. In its absence, diners focus on the visual cue of whether they are making any dent on the food on their plate to assess goal progress.”

 After reaching their conclusions, the research team tested them by varying the portions of food served to the restaurant patrons. They discovered that among diners who were served larger portions, those using smaller forks ate significantly more than those using larger forks. However, when served smaller portions, the of the fork used by the diners had no affect the amount of food they consumed.

The study authors acknowledged that their findings only hold true for people who are eating out. The results are not necessarily applicable to people eating at home because their goals for satisfying hunger may differ from those of restaurant patrons.
The researchers also advised that to avoid overeating, people need to learn how to better recognize and understand their own personal hunger cues, and determine how much food they actually need to eat. Then, use your best judgment and buon appetito!

Top 5 Tips for Shopping Your Local Farmers Market

In a perfect world, we would raise our own food. Chickens running free in the backyard yielding beautiful speckled eggs with creamy yellow yolks, corn stalks towering over the carrot tops and lettuce rows. Reality is much different however, with apartments and condos meaning no available yard, work schedules and children’s activities meaning limited amounts of time at home, and then there are those who have no desire to get dirt under their nails. It’s a shame, really, because not only is homegrown food better for you, it is satisfying that the food you serve is the food you grew yourself, much like your ancestors did.

      The next best thing is to find a farmer’s market, farm stand, CSA, or greengrocer that you can trust for your fruit, vegetables, and herbs (and sometimes even eggs and freshly butchered meat products). You will know if it is organic or not, whether it comes from 4 miles, 4 states, or 4 countries away. There is a likelihood that these vendors have produce that has been picked at the height of its ripeness, instead of a week before to allow for transport.

Farmer’s markets are available in most communities across the nation, springing up in parking lots, downtown plazas, and even taking over whole city blocks. If you are fortunate, you will have several to choose from on different days of the week. For you newbies out there, here are 5 things you need to know before heading out with your reusable grocery bag, courtesy of Amelia Winslow of Eating Made Easy, a website that offers food solutions for your busy life.

1.     Stick with what you know. If you’re new to the market or to cooking, skip the exotic fruits & veggies and go for produce you’re familiar with.  You’ll be much less overwhelmed if you focus on carrots and tomatoes rather than kholrabi & ramps (yes, those are real vegetables).

2.     Limit the number of items you buy. It’s easy to go nuts when you see all this beautiful produce, but overbuying will lead to wasted food, wasted time thinking about what to do with the food, and of course wasted money.  Instead, stick to 2-3 veggies and 2-3 fruits per week, plus one kind of fresh herb and one kind of citrus fruit to use for dressings and sauces.

3.     Do some meal planning before you go. This isn’t always possible, but when you remember or have time, plan a couple of meals before you shop, so you can buy the specific produce you need to make those meals.  I usually buy a few veggies I can use for salads and hot meals, plus a few veggies and fruits for snacking.

4.     Prep produce when you get home. If you can’t do it right when you get home, plan a time within a day or so when you can wash and chop lettuce (here’s how I do it), wash and cut veggies for snacking, and wash some fruit (most fruits are better prepped right before eating, but you can always wash cherries & grapes, wash and slice strawberries, melons, & oranges).  Having a fridge full of ready-to-go veggies and fruits makes it much more likely that you’ll reach for these healthy items when you’re hungry for a snack or ready to make a meal.

5.     Keep it simple. No need to reach into the depths of your recipe collection or biggest cookbook to figure out what to make for dinner.  During summer especially, produce is so good that it’s best eaten in it’s simplest form.  Salads can simply be a platter of tomato chunks drizzled with olive oil or a bowl of sliced cucumbers with salt, lime juice, and hot sauce.  Snacks can be melon wedges, snap peas with hummus, or berries topped with yogurt.  For a main dish, toss pasta with fresh basil and cherry tomatoes (like in this recipe), or lightly saute greens to serve with fried eggs (like this).  The great thing about summer is that good food is plentiful, and the time and effort needed to make something tasty is minimal.

Eating Made Easy:

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Weight Loss Surgery May Cure Diabetes in Many Cases

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Most obese people with diabetes will be cured of the blood sugar disease after undergoing weight loss surgery, a new review of earlier studies suggests.

In a report published in the Archives of Surgery, researchers say eight out of ten patients could stop taking their diabetes medications following a gastric bypass operation.

"Surgery ought to be considered front line therapy for diabetes among obese people," said Dr. Jon Gould, who heads the weight loss surgery program at the University of Wisconsin and was not involved in the review.

The researchers combed through the data of nine studies of diabetics who had either gastric bypass or another form of weight loss surgery called gastric banding.

In gastric bypass, food is diverted around the stomach into a small pouch, reducing the amount of food a person can eat and hindering its absorption.

Gastric banding slips a ring over the top of the stomach to limit how much a person eats.

In 2009, more than 220,000 Americans had some type of weight loss surgery, at a price of about $20,000 per patient, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Eight of the nine studies included between 23 and 177 patients, while one study tracked the outcomes of 82,000 patients. Each study followed the patients for at least 12 months after their weight loss surgery.

Among diabetics who had gastric bypass—the gold standard weight loss surgery in the U.S.—83 percent wound up free of diabetes medications, some within days of the procedure.

Sixty-two percent of diabetics who had the gastric banding procedure could stop taking diabetes medication while maintaining good control of their blood sugar.

Dr. Rick Meijer at the Institute for Cardiovascular Research at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and the lead author of the new report said those outcomes exceed what can be achieved with conventional methods of diabetes treatment.

"In standard practice, only a very minor group of individuals with an iron-will can lose enough weight to be cured from type 2 diabetes mellitus," Meijer wrote in an email to Reuters Health. "The rest of patients have a chronic disease with the need of daily medication-regimens."

Can Obesity Increase the Risk of Breast Cancer?

Although smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol increase the risks of developing cancer, being overweight increases the risks of developing breast cancer, particularly in women who are beyond menopause. New research shows a correlation between breast cancer in postmenopausal women and high sex hormone levels such as testosterone and estrogen.

According to the study at the University of Oxford, commissioned by Cancer Research UK, obesity is becoming the biggest driving force behind the most common form of breast cancer, beating out cigarettes and alcohol as a leading cause of death for women beyond menopausal age.

According to the researchers who conducted the study, “Although the breast cancer risk for postmenopausal women is known to be associated with levels of sex hormones such as estrogens, the factors that determine the levels of these hormones are not well understood. While obesity is thought to increase the risk of cancer through its association with high levels of estrogen, it is unclear how other risk factors affect sex hormone levels.”

The researchers preformed an analysis that combined the results of thirteen previously completed studies of 6,000 women who did not have breast cancer to see how their hormone levels were related to age, alcohol and cigarette use, and weight.

The BBC study, which was published in the British Journal of Cancer, concluded that “Compared to slim women, the hormone levels, chiefly the estrogen hormones, were higher in overweight women.” The study also found that women who drink two or more alcoholic drinks a day, or who smoked 15 or more cigarettes a day, had higher hormone levels.

Although the findings give weight to the importance of maintaining a healthy weight, it should be noted that because the factors were analyzed at only a single point in time, the study does not take into account how factors such as lifestyle changes and health issues are related to each other. For example, the study cannot prove whether or not the rise in a woman’s hormone levels causes weight gain, or if a woman’s weight gain causes a rise in hormone levels.

The study did not analyze data on women with cancer, instead it focused on whether obesity and lifestyles were related to hormone levels which can increase cancer risk.