Why brown fat is 'good' in the fight against obesity 28 July 2012Last updated at 20:27 ET By Philippa Roxby Health reporter, BBC News White fat is the 'bad' stuff which stores energy rather than burning off calories What produces 300 times more heat than any other organ in the body? Scientists have discovered that this type of fat is a good thing because it produces lots of heat by burning calories. Unlike white fat, which clings to our hips and expands our ageing waistlines, brown fat keeps the weight off. And that's why the race is on to find out more about brown adipose tissue, also known as brown fat, and how humans could use it to our advantage. Continue reading the main story “Start Quote If we activate brown fat, we can eat more and not gain weight” End QuoteProf Sir Stephen BloomImperial College London When we're born we have lots of brown fat in our bodies, wrapped round the central organs to keep us warm, to help us adapt to life outside the womb. As we grow, however, the brown fat content of our bodies decreases. In the neck Sweaty bodies
Everything you think you know about healthy eating is wrong! By Maria Lally Published: 21:10 GMT, 24 June 2012 | Updated: 08:19 GMT, 25 June 2012 Low-fat salad dressing is better than mayonnaise, fat makes you fat and you can’t eat enough fruit, right? ‘When a new client comes to see me, they nearly always reel off the list of “good” things they’re doing diet-wise,’ says James Duigan, author of Clean & Lean, and personal trainer to the stars, including Elle Macpherson. ‘Each time, I shake my head and tell them these so-called “good” diet traits are sabotaging their efforts to slim.’ So if you’re trying to eat well, here’s everything you need to know (but probably didn’t)… You should add fat to your diet: Your body absorbs nutrients better when you eat a little fat with them Myth: Low-fat salad dressing is good for you Drizzling a fat-free dressing over your salad isn’t as healthy as it seems, or so says a study. Scientists found that eating your salad alongside a little fat helps your body absorb the nutrients from the vegetables more efficiently.
Dieticians say extra protein can do more harm than good By Rick Kelsey Newsbeat reporter There is a warning that gym supplements are often doing more harm than good to people using them. The British Dietetic Association (BDA) says high levels of additional protein can cause side-effects, which can include nausea as well as kidney and liver damage. It wants clearer warnings about what is in the powders and tablets. Manufacturers say consumers are well protected with only 11 reported reactions in 11 years. Jane Griffin is a former British Olympic dietician and speaks for the BDA. "The more protein in your diet the more you have to get rid of," she said. "People who have these high protein diets are now running into problems with their kidneys because of the amount of protein they must get rid of." The body needs protein for muscle growth and many gym-goers use it to try to get bigger quickly. Gym supplements come under food law, so although they have to be labelled properly what is in them can vary. DMAA warnings Continue reading the main story
Diet tips: Cut out 300 calories for good or you'll pile the pounds straight back on Experts now know why so many dieters pile the pounds straight back onSlimmers need to eat less than someone of the same weight who has not dietedThe phenomenon is caused by the effect dieting has on the way muscles work By Fiona Macrae Published: 22:29 GMT, 15 May 2012 | Updated: 11:40 GMT, 16 May 2012 As every slimmer knows, it is when the diet ends that the hard work really begins. Despite the best of intentions, only a few lucky ones manage to avoid piling the pounds straight back on. Now experts think they know why – and it’s nothing to do with a lack of willpower. Hard work: When a diet comes to an end a long-term cut in calories is needed to keep the weight off, new research suggests To stay at their new weight, it seems, slimmers needs to eat less than someone of the same weight who has not dieted. To be precise, they need to eat at least 300 fewer calories a day. And over the course of a week, it amounts to 15 cans of cola or 17 slices of buttered toast.
Mike Dolce: Belfort Kicks 'Bodybuilder' Diet to Curb Read on for the latest installment in UFC.com's weekly series of articles on proper nutrition from the biggest names in mixed martial arts...this week, Mike Dolce discusses the Vitor Belfort diet Vitor Belfort When it comes to nutrition for fighters, one authority towers above all others: Mike Dolce. The Eating-for-Performance expert is currently masterminding the diet of knockout artist Vitor Belfort, who challenges UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones on Sept. 22 in Toronto. Dolce, who has been working with Belfort for nearly two years, discusses changes he recommended to the Brazilian’s eating habits and why Belfort (normally a middleweight) did NOT try to bulk up for this fight despite jumping up a weight class. What’s more, you will not want to miss Dolce’s impassioned analysis of why he feels Belfort – despite being cast as a sizable underdog -- is destined to once again don UFC gold around his waist. Joining Forces with Vitor: Dolce: I’ve worked with him since December 2010.
How an obese disabled man lost 140lbs in TEN months and ran again - thanks to yoga By Victoria Wellman Published: 22:10 GMT, 10 May 2012 | Updated: 12:48 GMT, 28 November 2012 When Arthur Boorman was injured in the Gulf War, a botched surgery left him immobile and depressed. Having been told he would never walk unassisted again, the 47-year-old ballooned to 297lbs and gave up hope of ever being happy again. But thanks to a revolutionary form of yoga, Mr Boorman managed to lose a staggering 140lbs in just ten months and now can not only walk without his canes and leg braces, he can run. Scroll down for video Transformed: Arthur Boorman weighed 297lbs (left) before he tried a revolutionary yoga that helped him shed 140lbs in just ten months (right) One night, while searching the internet for some sign of salvation, he came across a website offering an exercise technique that struck a cord with the by then disabled education administrator. Unlike other types of yoga there is no incense, no chanting and no talk about serenity. Wow! And his progress didn't stop there.
What caused the obesity crisis in the West? 13 June 2012Last updated at 07:25 ET British people are on average nearly three stone (19kg) heavier than 50 years ago, but who or what is to blame? Jacques Peretti (pictured above) investigates. Contrary to popular belief, we as a race have not become greedier or less active in recent years. "Genetically, human beings haven't changed, but our environment, our access to cheap food has," says Professor Jimmy Bell, obesity specialist at Imperial College, London. "We're being bombarded every day by the food industry to consume more and more food. "It's a war between our bodies and the demands our body makes, and the accessibility that modern society gives us with food. One of the biggest changes in our modern diet stems back to the 1970s when US agriculture embarked on the mass-production of corn and of high-fructose corn syrup, commonly used as a sweetener in processed foods. According to nutritionist Marion Nestle, this paved the way for obesity. Weight gain Continue reading the main story
Yes, you CAN think yourself thinner... By Louise Atkinson Updated: 00:19 GMT, 1 March 2012 Every year we spend millions on diets and gym membership, but obesity specialists increasingly believe the problem doesn’t lie in what we eat or how much exercise we take, but how we think. ‘There is a non-stop communication between your mind and body, but the mind is the most important because it drives your behaviour,’ says nutrition and exercise specialist Janet Thomson, author of Think More, Eat Less. She is convinced we become overweight as a result of confused messages from the brain sabotaging our attempts to slim. Exercise specialist Janet Thomson is convinced we become overweight as a result of confused messages from the brain sabotaging our attempts to slim So, if we have been told we are ‘well-built’ or ‘chubby’ or that ‘dieting is a waste of time’, the messages can stick. THINK about how you will look and feel a month after you have achieved your weight- loss goal — slim and healthy.
The Iceman Grubeth Welcome to the UFC Fit weekly series of articles on proper nutrition & fitness from the biggest names in mixed martial arts...this week, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell There was a time early in his MMA career, Chuck Liddell admitted, when Mountain Dew and Fruity Pebbles were his idea of The Diet of Champions. But, rest assured, Liddell wasn’t consuming cartoon character cereal and soda pop when he won and defended the UFC light heavyweight title. In this interview, the UFC icon discusses his past and present diet, how he’s been keeping busy since bidding adieu to the Octagon, and his pursuit of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. WHAT ARE YOU EATING THESE DAYS CHAMP? I don’t drink soda very often. I eat a lot of organic stuff – my wife buys a lot of organic stuff. I was averaging probably about 4,500/5,000 calories a day, so I had to eat a lot of calories. When I first started my MMA career I worked with some guys for strength and conditioning. Yeah.
Can fasting for two days each week stop dementia? It sounds far-fetched, but scientists think slashing calories may combat a host of illnesses By Jerome Burne Updated: 22:54 GMT, 27 February 2012 Fasting was a common medical treatment in the past, but now there may be good reason for it to make a comeback One day in the not-so-distant future, you may find yourself receiving some unusual health advice from your GP: fast two days a week to prevent your brain shrinking with age. You might be given the same advice to lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes — and even tackle cancer. Fasting was a common medical treatment in the past, but now new research suggests there may be good reason for it to make a comeback. Researchers have long known that cutting back animals’ calories over an extended period can make them live up to 50 per cent longer — it’s been harder to prove benefits in humans because few people can stick to this restrictive regimen. But there’s now emerging evidence to show occasional fasting — which is much more manageable — also carries benefits. ‘It is similar to the beneficial effect you get from exercise.’
When you eat beats what you eat in staying healthy - health - 18 May 2012 Preventing obesity may be down to timing, in mice, at least. Mice allowed meals only within an 8-hour period were healthier than those that munched freely through the day, even when they consumed more fat. A link between obesity and the time you eat meals makes sense, says Satchidananda Panda of the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, as food choices generally get less healthy as the day progresses. Breakfast may include healthy fruits and grains, but late-night snacks are more likely to involve high-fat ice cream or high-calorie alcohol. Furthermore, research has shown that our internal clocks are closely tied to our metabolism; disrupting them can cause weight gain and diabetes. Panda and colleagues fed two groups of mice a high-fat diet. Three months later, the weight of mice on the all-day, high-fat diet had increased by 28 per cent. Panda reckons the shortened feeding period gives metabolic systems longer to perform their function uninterrupted by a new influx of nutrients.
Fasting can help protect against brain diseases, scientists say | Science | The Observer Fasting for regular periods could help protect the brain against degenerative illnesses, according to US scientists. Researchers at the National Institute on Ageing in Baltimore said they had found evidence which shows that periods of stopping virtually all food intake for one or two days a week could protect the brain against some of the worst effects of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other ailments. "Reducing your calorie intake could help your brain, but doing so by cutting your intake of food is not likely to be the best method of triggering this protection. It is likely to be better to go on intermittent bouts of fasting, in which you eat hardly anything at all, and then have periods when you eat as much as you want," said Professor Mark Mattson, head of the institute's laboratory of neurosciences. "In other words, timing appears to be a crucial element to this process," Mattson told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Vancouver.