January 20th, 2012
People who have a cat can reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke by more than a third, researchers have found.
Owning a cat as a pet helps to relieve stress and anxiety, which is known to help protect against heart disease by lowering blood pressure and reducing the heart rate.
Researchers at Minnesota University looked at 4,435 adults aged between 30 and 75, about half of whom owned a cat. The findings, presented at a stroke conference, showed that 3.4% of the cat owners died from a heart attack over 10 years. But among the group who had never owned a cat, the rate was nearly double.
Cat owners still had a much reduced chance of developing a stroke or heart attacks when researchers took account of other factors known to trigger heart disease, including excess weight and obesity, high cholesterol levels, smoking and Diabetes.
Study leader Professor Adnan Qureshi said he was surprised by the strength of the effect that owning a cat appeared to have.
“The logical explanation may be that cat ownership relieves stress and anxiety and subsequently reduces the risk of heart diseases,” he said.
Professor Qureshi believes one reason could be that stroking the pet may cut the level of stress-related hormones in the blood. But he added that the type of person who owned a cat was usually already fairly stress-free and at low risk of heart disease.
A balanced, nutritious PCOS diet combined with regular exercise can help reverse an underlying cause of heart disease, namely the excess weight and obesity-linked imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance. By reversing this latter condition, you can facilitate Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome weight loss.
January 19th, 2012
Traditional Chinese martial arts exercises like T’ai Chi could help Diabetics better manage their blood sugar levels.
Researchers found that a 12-week program of T’ai Chi, which is taught in classes all over the United States, led to a “significant” fall of 8% in blood sugar levels in those suffering from obesity-linked Type 2 Diabetes.
A study carried out by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan also discovered that the exercises boosted the body’s immune system. This is important because an improved immune system damps down chronic inflammation of the body’s internal organs, which is associated with Diabetes.
In a separate study, researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia found that a 12-week program of T’ai Chi and Qigong – another Chinese exercise – resulted in a significant fall in blood glucose levels in a dozen middle-aged to older adults.
The imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance in these individuals also improved significantly. Both studies were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
T’ai Chi involves moderate exercise using flowing movements and deep breathing using the diaphragm. It is practiced by millions of Chinese daily as a way to maintain health into old age.
A regular exercise regime combined with a balanced, nutritious diet can help reverse an underlying cause of excess weight and obesity, which can lead to Insulin Resistance. By reversing this latter condition, you can facilitate PCOS weight loss.
January 17th, 2012
Drinking black tea may help prevent the onset of Diabetes, according to a study.
Researchers at Dundee University in Scotland say black tea could have the potential to combat Type 2 Diabetes – the most common form of the disease – because certain constituents of the drink may act as an insulin substitute and prevent an imbalance between insulin and blood glucose.
Several black tea constituents, known as theaflavins and thearubigins, were found to duplicate insulin action on proteins known as foxos, which underlie associations between diet and health in mice.
“The task now is to see whether we can translate these findings into something useful for human health,” said team leader Dr. Graham Rena.
“People shouldn’t be rushing to drink masses of black tea thinking it will cure them of Diabetes. We are still some way from this leading to new treatments or dietary advice.”
“However, there is definitely something interesting in the way these naturally occurring components of black tea may have a beneficial effect, both in terms of Diabetes and our wider health,” added Dr. Rena.
A regular exercise regime and a balanced nutritious PCOS diet that includes tea for refreshment instead of sugary soft drinks can help reverse an underlying cause of excess weight and obesity, namely the imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance. By reversing this latter condition, you can facilitate Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome weight loss.
January 9th, 2012
One of the first rules of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome weight watching has always been to put the sugar bowl at the back of the cupboard and use low-calorie sweeteners instead. But a new study suggests that dieters might be better sticking with sugar after all.
Researchers say a sweet taste can prompt the body to prepare for a large intake of calories. When this does not arrive after using a low-calorie sweetener, the body then becomes confused and either demands more food or burns less energy, with resulting weight gain.
“The data clearly indicate that consuming a food sweetened with no-calorie saccharin can lead to greater body-weight gain than the same food sweetened with high-calorie sugar,” says the study by Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The researchers accept that the finding sounds like diet heresay and will seem baffling to those who have long recommended the use of sweeteners to control weight. And they also claim that other artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, which do not lead to the delivery of calories, could have similar effects.
In the study published by the American Psychological Association’s journal, some rats were fed with yogurt sweetened with saccharin while others ate yogurt sweetened with glucose, a natural sugar.The saccharin-fed rats went on to consume more calories and put on more weight.
The research drew a critical reaction from the food industry. “This study oversimplifies the causes of obesity,” said Beth Hubrich, a dietitian with the Calorie Control Council, representing companies which make diet foods and drinks.
“The causes of obesity are multi-factorial. Although surveys have shown that there has been an increase in the use of ‘sugar-free’ foods over the years, portion sizes of foods have also increased, physical activity has decreased and overall calorie intake has increased.”
One fact is not in dispute: as well as causing dental decay, too much sugar can lead to obesity, which is often an underlying cause of a variety of serious disorders.
But a balanced, nutritious diet combined with regular exercise can help reverse an underlying cause of excess weight and obesity, namely the imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance. By reversing this latter condition, you can facilitate PCOS weight loss.
