If you're among the many Americans who have been enduring weeks of bitter cold and snowstorms, here's a thought that may help you get through the winter a little easier: increasing exposure to cold temperatures could increase weight loss.
A recently published article in Obesity Reviews presents evidence gathered from Dr. Fiona Johnson of the University College London and her colleagues supporting the theory that higher indoor temperatures and reduced exposure to cold may be a contributor to rising obesity rates.
Researchers believe that cooler external temperatures force our bodies to burn more energy to keep warm.
"By lowering the room temperature you can increase the speed of weight loss," Dr. Eric Braverman, author of "The Younger (Sexier) You," told AOL Health. "For those looking to lose weight, it can be an additional strategy for added impact." He adds that it should not be the only strategy, however.
According to Braverman, decreased temperatures have been shown to burn brown fat in the body. Brown fat, or stored calories, responds to mild cold and burns energy to create heat. "The cold actually helps activate the brown fat burning process," explains Braverman.
Studies have shown that obese individuals have less brown fat than skinny people. But brown fat loses its effectiveness in burning energy if it's not used and exposed to cooler temperatures.
Johnson and her team documented that household heating rates have increased in the United Kingdom as well as the United States over the last decade. In addition, people are not only turning up their thermostats a degree or two, but they're leaving them turned up all the time, not even turning them down at bedtime.
People are also spending less time outdoors. This, combined with the higher indoor temperatures, means most people are probably not exposed to the most effective level of cold for fat burning. So people are using less energy to maintain their body temperatures, and without that exposure to cold, humans seem to lose some of their ability to warm up on their own.
That doesn't mean if you turn down your thermostat you'll lose five pounds. Cutting the heat might tempt you to put on extra layers and eat more, but evidence suggests that even adding a sweater and snacking on a sandwich will not completely cancel out the potentail fat-burning effects of cold exposure.
Johnson told Discovery News evidence is still lacking. Researchers do not know how cold a person would have to be for what period of time in order for these effects to take place.
Barverman thinks Johnson's team may be onto something, however. "The Southern belt is much more obese than the Northern belt in America," he says, adding he believes the exposure to cold may play a role.
By
Tracy Samantha Schmidt Thursday, Feb. 01, 2007
A week after Nintendo's Wii debuted in November 2007, the Wall Street Journal reported that the gaming console was leaving some users as sore as the gym often does. Unlike traditional hand-held video games, where users sit on the couch exercising little more than their thumbs, the Wii (pronounced "we" not "why") features digital sensors that let users virtually play the game. In Wii Sports, a game that comes with the console, users mimic the motions used in sports like bowling, tennis and baseball. In other words, the game may be virtual, but the physical exertion is very real.
So much so that, according to the Journal, gamers complained of "aching backs, sore shoulders — even something some have dubbed "Wii elbow." Nintendo spokeswoman Perrin Kaplan downplayed the report, saying the company hadn't received any complaints from users about soreness. "If people are finding themselves sore, they may need to exercise more," she said. "It was not meant to be a Jenny Craig supplement."
But that's where she may be wrong. Not only have some gamers started turning the Wii and other similar active gaming consoles into a new form of exercise, but medical researchers are touting their health potential for more than just weight loss. A research team at the University of Toronto is developing a "therapeutic video game" to treat children who suffer from hemiplegic cerebral palsy, a condition that can partially paralyze one side of the body. If the children regularly use their weaker side, their motor function can improve. The problem is getting the children to do so outside of therapy sessions. Active video games might do the trick, thought William Li, an undergraduate engineering student at the University of Toronto who is conducting research at the university's Bloorview Kids Rehab teaching hospital.
With university researchers, he devised a game console that requires the children to use their dominant hand to hold down a button on their chair. With the weaker hand, the children can play an active video game. "It's a lot of fun to use, and the movements are the types of things that might be promoted in physical therapy or occupational therapy," Li says. "[And] the kids don't have to feel different. This is a game they can take home and play with siblings and friends."
Wii's psychological impact may even speed up the recovery process. Mary Jane Zamora, who lives in Redondo Beach, Calif., has battled breast cancer since she was diagnosed in February 2005. After a round of chemotherapy before Christmas in December, she was too tired to get off the couch. Then her grown daughters brought over a Wii. Together they played bowling, tennis and golf. "It got a little exhausting," Zamora says, but she was hooked and began playing on her own every day. Soon after joining a local bowling league, she was named the league's Most Improved Player. "What this game did for me was encourage me that I could still do these kinds of things," she says. "It came around when I needed it. I can see where people could really benefit from being able to interact without having do to much physical exertion."
But weight loss is still probably the biggest health benefit the Wii will have for users. Active video games like the Wii can fight child obesity, according to a report published by the Mayo Clinic in the January issue of Pediatrics. In that study, researchers found that children burned three times as many calories playing "active" video games versus playing traditional hand-held video games. Because the study was done before the Wii debuted, researchers tested Sony's EyeToy and Microsoft's Xbox. But Lorraine Lanningham-Foster, the report's lead researcher, expects the Wii to have the same effect. "If children are up moving around versus sitting down, then they're going to burn more calories," she says.
In December Mickey DeLorenzo, a computer programmer in Philadelphia, hypothesized that he could lose weight by playing the Wii for 30 minutes a day. He lost nine pounds in six weeks and is on his way to becoming the next Jared of Subway fame. In January DeLorenzo signed a book deal, tentatively titled The Wii Workout and teamed up with Traineo.com, a social networking site for dieters and fitness buffs, to feature his new regime. "It's becoming something like a Richard Simmons show," says DeLorenzo, who's received dozens of fan emails. "People will write, 'You've inspired me to buy a Wii and start working out.'" Two months after dismissing the Wii's exercising potential, Nintendo spokeswoman Perrin Kaplan now embraces it. "One of our hopes was that people would find a way to enjoy the Wii sitting on the couch or getting up and moving their body around," she says. "This huge fitness craze was more than we had anticipated."
Read more:
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1584697,00.html#ixzz1C5bjdDC2
By Better Health Research News Desk • Dec 20th, 2010 • Category: ,
Increased blueberry consumption may reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition.
This is because the fruit is a high source of antioxidants, or nutrients that remove free radicals from the body. And free radicals can lead to several health complications, including cardiovascular problems.
Over the course of 20 weeks, researchers observed the effects of a blueberry-enriched diet on mice with atherosclerotic lesions. The team then compared these animals with a control group, which also suffered from the same artery damage.
As a result of eating the blueberry diet, lesions on two aortic arteries were 39 and 58 percent smaller than those found on the same arteries of the control group. The researchers also found that both groups of mice had an apolipoprotein-E deficiency, which is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis.
The investigators concluded that these findings may contribute to developing future treatments for atherosclerosis. Also, the team hopes that blueberry consumption may be used during trials specializing in artery health among newborns, adolescents and teenagers.
In addition to eating blueberries, a study conducted at the Temple University School of Medicine found that consuming brown rice can improve cardiovascular health.
By Mark Vavoulis • Dec 2nd, 2009 • Category: , True Health News
A new study has identified an enzyme responsible for causing clogged arteries.
Researchers in London say the matrix metalloproteinase-8 enzyme (MMP8) has been shown to play a crucial role in raising blood pressure and causing abnormal build-up of cells in the arteries—both of which increase the risk of heart disease.
"Our research tells us that this enzyme plays a crucial role in the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries which causes heart disease," said Shu Ye from the University of London.
The study, appearing in the journal Circulation Research, tested two groups of mice—one of which was genetically altered to not produce the MMP8 enzyme. Both groups were fed a Western-style diet high in fat and cholesterol. The mice which lacked the enzyme had clearer arteries and lower blood pressure.
Tests on humans found that out of 2,000 patients undergoing artery testing, 25 percent had a similar version of the gene for MMP8. They also had more clogged arteries.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S.
The Mayo Clinic says supplements containing blond psyllium, coenzyme Q10, flaxseed and omega-3 fatty acids may be effective in lowering cholesterol and preventing some types of heart disease.
