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A Finnish study has found an association between the number of meals adolescents eat in a day and the risk of obesity. The study, which followed 4,000 children prenatally to age 16, showed that eating five meals a day – breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks – was associated with a reduced risk of overweight and obesity in both boys and girls, and a reduced risk of abdominal obesity in boys. Skipping breakfast was associated with greater body mass index and a bigger waistline. The researcher said the effects of “predisposing genotypes” (linked to obesity) can be modified by lifestyle habits, such as regular meal frequency.
"Five Regular Meals a Day Reduce Obesity Risk Among Adolescents", News release, Ph.D. thesis of Anne Jääskeläinen, October 03, 2013
A lack of folic acid in a parent’s diet can have a rippling effect through future generations, according to a study in mice. Folic acid deficiencies during pregnancy can lead to birth defects or low birth weight, though scientists are not sure why. For the study, mice bred with a mutated MTRR gene (important to folic acid metabolism) were mated with normal mice. Some of the fetuses developed abnormalities such as heart defects and spina bifida. Siblings without defects were then mated with normal mice, and the same problems occurred. This was repeated for two more generations, even though the mutation was not passed on in the DNA, but in the gene-switching system, an “epigenetic” phenomenon.
"Mutation in Folate Metabolism Causes Epigenetic Instability and Transgenerational Effects on Development", Cell Magazine, October 02, 2013
Most people understand that getting too little sleep can be harmful to health. But now scientists are saying that too much sleep can be just as dangerous. Getting six hours or less of sleep a night – or 10 hours or more – have both been associated with a higher risk of chronic disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Short sleepers age 45 and older in the study experienced a higher prevalence of coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes, in addition to obesity and frequent mental distress compared with those who slept seven to nine hours a night (optimal). Associations with coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes were even more pronounced among those with more sleep.
"Sleep Duration and Chronic Diseases among US Adults Age 45 Years and Older: Evidence From the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System", Sleep, October 01, 2013
Numerous animal studies of the polyphenol resveratrol, found in the skin of red grapes and in red wine, have demonstrated its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. But a new U.S. study in animal models of multiple sclerosis finds that resveratrol exacerbates MS-like neuropathology and inflammation, and has no neuroprotective effects. The findings were so significant in the lab mice that the lead researcher said resveratrol “should be discouraged for supplemental use by MS patients pending further research".
"Resveratrol Exacerbates Both Autoimmune and Viral Models of Multiple Sclerosis", The American Journal of Pathology, October 01, 2013
Researchers in China who analyzed 13 clinical studies conducted in the U.S., Europe and East Asia found that people who exercised more than four hours a week in their leisure time reduced their risk of high blood pressure by 19 percent. Hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular and kidney disease. People who exercised one to three hours a week – during leisure time, not at work – reduced the risk by 11 percent. Hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular and kidney disease. Nearly 137,000 people participated in the studies.
"Physical Activity and Risk of Hypertension: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies", Hypertension, September 30, 2013
U.S. researchers using mouse models have discovered a vitamin D-based treatment that can halt and even reverse the course of multiple sclerosis (MS), a debilitating autoimmune disease that afflicts around 400,000 people nationwide. The researchers gave mice that exhibit MS symptoms a single dose of calcitriol, the active hormone form of vitamin D. They then boosted their diet with vitamin D supplements. Comparing various vitamin D-based treatments to standard MS drugs, the researchers found that in each case, vitamin D-based treatments was more effective. Mice that received vitamin D treatment showed fewer physical symptoms and cellular signs of disease.
"One calcitriol dose transiently increases Helios FoxP3 T cells and ameliorates autoimmune demyelinating disease", Journal of Neuroimmunology, September 27, 2013
A U.S. study in older women found no difference in the decline of memory and thinking skills between women with high and low levels of omega-3s in the blood. The researchers said they did not recommend that women change their diet because of the findings, because there is strong evidence that omega-3s, found in fish oil and some nuts, have beneficial effects on the heart, blood vessels and brain. The study involved 2,157 women aged 65 to 80 who were given annual tests of thinking and memory for six years.
"Omega-3 fatty acids and domain-specific cognitive aging: Secondary analyses of data from WHISCA", Neurology, September 25, 2013
Spanish and U.S. scientists have found that regular melatonin consumption induces the appearance of “beige fat” that burns calories rather than storing them. The discovery answers questions about why melatonin has metabolic benefits in treating diabetes and excess lipids in the blood (hyperlipidemia). The study in diabetic lab animal models showed that continual administration of melatonin sensitizes the thermogenic (heat creation through fat burning) effect of exposure to cold, heightens the thermogenic effect of exercise “and, therefore, constitutes excellent therapy against obesity”.
"Melatonin induces browning of inguinal white adipose tissue in Zucker diabetic fatty rats", Journal of Pineal Research, September 25, 2013
A U.S. clinical study involving 454 overweight people age 55 and older with chronic knee osteoarthritis finds that diet and exercise together led to greater weight loss and reduced knee pain. The intensive diet and exercise regiment was compared to diet alone and exercise alone. Researchers found that diet exercise led to greater weight loss, better knee function, faster walking speed and better physical health-related quality of life. The researchers concluded that patients can safely lose 10 percent of their weight and improve osteoarthritis symptoms with the combined regimen.
"Effects of Intensive Diet and Exercise on Knee Joint Loads, Inflammation, and Clinical Outcomes Among Overweight and Obese Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis", JAMA, September 24, 2013
Diet definitely plays an important role in the progression of heart failure, U.S. researchers report, and patients can reduce their blood pressure by following a low-sodium eating plan such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH). Researchers found that patients in their 60s and 70s who followed the DASH diet for 21 days saw a drop in blood pressure similar to taking hypertension medicine. The DASH diet is high in potassium, magnesium, calcium and antioxidants, but low in sodium – no more than 1,150 milligrams a day, much lower than the 3- 4,000 mg consumed by most adults.
"Living Better With Heart Failure by Changing What You Eat", News release, presentation at the Heart Failure Society of America meeting , September 24, 2013
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EurekAlert, October 02, 2013
The Bone Journal, October 01, 2013
Wall Street Journal, October 01, 2013
EurekAlert, September 27, 2013
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