A new study from the US National Institutes of Health and Bristol University that questioned 11,875 pregnant women on their dietary habits found that eating more fish during pregnancy resulted in significant, measurable benefits to the communication skills and social standing of their children seven years later.
NEW YORK - When it comes to apple juice, “cloudier” may mean healthier, according to a study published Monday.
In a head-to-head comparison of apple juices, Polish researchers found that pulpy, non-clarified juice carried a greater antioxidant punch than clear juice. Antioxidants are compounds that neutralize free radicals, molecules that can damage body cells and contribute to disease.
Unlike cloudy apple juice, the much more common clear variety undergoes additional processing to remove any apple solids. Manufacturers typically think the public will favor the more attractive, clear juice over its cloudy cousin, and retailers prefer the clear variety for its longer shelf life.
But the new findings suggest that health-conscious consumers should reach for the cloudy variety, according to Dr. Jan Oszmianski, the study’s lead author.
New Year is a time many of us resolve to make dramatic health improvements, such as joining the gym and giving up alcohol for ever (or for at least a month). But some of the most dramatic changes we can make are incredibly simple.
Here with the help of leading experts, Good Health offers a guide to the ten easy steps that really will make a difference to your life:
ONE: FLOSS
Flossing at least twice a day is essential to prevent decay says Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation.
Eating healthy may be virtuous, but it just doesn't seem like that much fun.
The feast-filled holidays were a great excuse for blowing off your strict diet and indulging. Why else bother with a healthy New Year's resolution? Most of us prefer the taste of french fries and peanut brittle over that of oat bran. A glass of burgundy sounds more tantalizing than a cup of wheat grass juice. And while a nice piece of fruit is no punishment, chocolate is exceedingly more tempting.
The good news: Not all of those seemingly unhealthy choices actually are.
Cheese fries may never be a part of your recommended diet, but Russet potatoes alone are nothing to fear. In fact, they're full of disease-fighting antioxidants. Eating the whole box of chocolates still isn't a good idea. A square a day, however, may help prevent cancer and stave off weight gain.
Order from a menu of vegetables, fish, wine and chocolate, but hold the trans fats and sugary sodas. That might best sum up the diet headlines of 2006.
The year’s biggest nutrition news sometimes echoed what moms and food scientists have been harping on for years. Other times, it seemed too good to be true.
Often, the news centered on food choices many want removed from the table, but in a year that included white-bread icon Wonder Bread baking two whole-wheat versions, there were still plenty of healthy options available.
By Kirsten Hawkins
If you’re on a diet, or considering going on one, you’re in luck. We’ve put together ten of the most frequently asked questions about diets and weight loss and compiled them here. Enjoy!
1. How much should I weigh?
Your doctor can answer that question most accurately. More important than how much you weigh is your body/mass index, which measures your height against your weight.
2. What's the best diet for losing weight?
Any diet that provides all the nutrition that you need for health, and in addition, provides fewer calories than your body burns regularly.
This article was excerpted from The Entrepreneur Diet. Buy it today from EntrepreneurPress.com.
Living the life of an entrepreneur, it's easy to get lost in the cerebral side of your existence. By throwing yourself into the business, you may have lost touch with the simple joy in movement. We've come up with reality checks for the most popular excuses people have for not staying in shape.
Myth #1: I'm not athletic, so even if I wanted to become more active, I can't do it.
Reality Check: There are many ways to incorporate more physical activity into your day.
What Is the New American Plate?Of the three, moving toward a plant-based diet seems to challenge people the most. Reshaping your diet conjures up all those guidelines to memorize and all that counting of calories, servings, or grams. It can get pretty confusing—and discouraging before you even begin.That’s why AICR developed the New American Plate—a way of planning healthy meals without any calculation or guidelines. Instead, you get used to relying on a wide range of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans so your plate will be filled with delicious foods that will reduce cancer risk and help you manage your weight.
HealthDay News -- This holiday season, give yourself the gift of a healthier heart.
Limiting your alcohol consumption is one important step, said Dr. Ajit Raisinghani, director of the non-invasive cardiac lab at the University of California, San Diego.
He said that every year during the holidays, emergency rooms at hospitals across the United States see patients with heart palpitations and light headedness. Many of these patients have an abnormal heart rhythm caused by drinking too much alcohol -- a condition called "Holiday Heart."
"Usually the patient experiences palpitations accompanied by a sensation of light-headedness. When the patients come into the ER, we learn they've usually spent the weekend drinking. Most often, they're college kids who are otherwise healthy," Raisinghani said.
Are you tired of getting the same old advice when it comes to dieting? Are you looking for some quick tips to help motivate yourself during a diet? Why not follow along below to learn about some quick healthy weight loss tips?
Tip # 1: Take off five pounds quickly before a big event!
If you're generally in good shape, but you want to pare off a few pounds to look your best before a big event like a class reunion, one of the best ways to do it is to cleanse your system. For the week before, skip the breads and pastas, eat lots of raw vegetables and salads, and drink at least eight ounce glasses of water a day. You'll not only end up slimmer, you'll feel 100% more energetic and healthy.
India plans to introduce yoga in schools to fight rising obesity among middle-class youngsters, even as the country continues to battle widespread malnutrition and "shameful" infant and maternal mortality.
Health minister Anbumani Ramadoss said the country faced a "galloping" rise in heart disease, diabetes and cancer as India's 300-million-strong and increasingly wealthy middle class ate more junk food and lived more sedentary lives.
At the other end of the spectrum, the country had some of the worst infant and maternal mortality rates in the world, he told medical experts at a workshop.
You can maintain weight and even lose it if you eat your food slowly, according to a new University of Rhode Island study. The theory that eating slowly means a lower food intake has been around for at least 30 years, but this study is the first to lend scientific proof to the idea.
"It started in 1972 as a hypothesis that eating slowly would allow the body time for the development of satiety, and we would eat less," said University of Rhode Island assistant professor of nutrition and food science Kathleen Melanson. "Since then it has become common knowledge, but no studies had been conducted to prove it."
Thirty college-aged women were split into two groups, the first of which was asked to eat pasta with tomato and vegetable sauce and Parmesan cheese without pausing between bites. This group averaged 646 calories in nine minutes. The second group was served the same meal, but asked to put their forks down and chew between bites, and averaged 579 calories in 29 minutes. The members of the second group reported still feeling full an hour after their meal.
Minnesota is the healthiest state in the U.S., and Louisiana is the least healthy, according to a new ranking. The list was produced by the nonprofit United Health Foundation in partnership with the American Public Health Association and the Partnership for Prevention.
Leading the list are:
Consumer and industry groups are clashing over how -- and if -- the government should regulate foods sold in the U.S. that tout an array of health claims. Regulators are watching as companies market an ever wider list of energy drinks, teas, and even candy bars with added dietary supplement ingredients purported to improve health. Watchdog groups want authorities to crack down, accusing companies of making unfounded and sometimes bogus claims about the benefits of the products.
The FDA takes action against unsafe dietary supplements after they are on the market. Manufacturers are responsible for making sure their products are safe before they are marketed.
"This study may help explain the link between dietary fat consumption and inflammation and could be one of the critical links between metabolism and immune responses," says senior author Professor Charles Mackay, Director of Sydney's Garvan Institute's Immunology Program. 
Avoiding health risk factors in midlife such as smoking, being overweight, excessive drinking and hypertension is associated with a longer and healthier life in men, according to a study in the November 15 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on men's health.
Bradley J. Willcox, M.D., of the Pacific Health Research Institute and Kuakini Medical Center in Honolulu, presented the findings of the study today at a JAMA media briefing on men's health in New York.
Persons alive at age 85 years or older are the fastest-growing age group in most industrialized countries and are among the largest consumers of health care resources. Identifying strategies for remaining healthy, vigorous, and disability-free at older ages has become a major priority, according to background information in the article. Studies with substantial numbers of long-lived participants and characteristics associated with longer survival are rare but essential to identify risk factors for health and survival at older ages.
Nov. 16, 2006 -- Taco Bell today announced that it will start using a new canola oil for frying that contains no trans fats.
Trans fats have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
Taco Bell restaurants will start frying with canola oil containing zero grams of trans fats -- instead of partially hydrogenated soybean oil -- in all of its U.S. restaurants by April 2007.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver wants the United States to take up his campaign against fatty snacks and school lunches to combat the country's burgeoning child obesity problem.The best economic investment a nation can make is to invest in the health of its citizens, a European Commission report concludes.
Most studies of the link between health and wealth look at poor countries, note World Health Organization economist Marc Suhrcke and colleagues. Yet rich nations owe much of their wealth to previous health gains.
"For example, about 30% of economic growth in the United Kingdom between 1790 and 1980 has been estimated to be attributed to better health and dietary intake," Suhrcke and colleagues write in the journal BMJ. "Better health meant that British workers increased their ability to convert energy into productive work by over 50% during this period."
Did you see the electrifying appearance of former "Cheers" star Kirstie Alley on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Monday?
Seeing her flash that sexy body in a bikini in front of the millions of people who were watching was a breakthrough moment for Alley who has made a second career of sorts for herself around her personal struggles with her fluctuating weight on her hit autobiographical reality television series "Fat Actress."
After losing 75 pounds as the spokesperson for the weight loss support system Jenny Craig, Alley is putting the issue of the lifechanging impact of weight loss out there prominently for all to see.
