Call for healthier diets to combat alarming surge in diabetes

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November 30, 2016

OHMYGOSSIP – Diabetes is a global problem now affecting one in every 11 adults, the World Health Organization (WHO) claims. In a major report, released to coincide with World Health Day on Thursday (07Apr16), WHO warns cases of diabetes had nearly quadrupled to 422 million in 2014 from 108 million in 1980.

Diabetes is a chronic, progressive non-communicable disease (NCD) characterised by high blood sugar. It occurs when the pancreas fail to produce enough of the insulin hormone, which regulates blood sugar, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.

High blood sugar levels are a major killer – linked to 3.7 million deaths around the world each year, it says.

While the report lumps both type 1 and type 2 diabetes together, the rise in cases is mainly down to type 2, which has been linked to excess body weight and physical inactivity, once only seen in adults, type 2 diabetes now increasingly occurs in children and young people. In 2014 more than one in three adults aged over 18 years were overweight and more than one in 10 were obese, reports WHO.

Officials said the numbers would continue to grow unless drastic action is taken. WHO advising governments throughout the world to make more effort to address physical inactivity and unhealthy diets, and strengthen programmes nationally to help people with diabetes receive the treatment and care they need to manage their conditions.

“If we are to make any headway in halting the rise in diabetes, we need to rethink our daily lives: to eat healthily, be physically active, and avoid excessive weight gain,” said WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan.

“Even in the poorest settings, governments must ensure that people are able to make these healthy choices and that health systems are able to diagnose and treat people with diabetes.”

Complications of diabetes can lead to heart attacks, strokes, blindness, kidney failure and lower limb amputation. “Many cases of diabetes can be prevented, and measures exist to detect and manage the condition, improving the odds that people with diabetes live long and healthy lives,” said WHO’s Dr Oleg Chestnov.

“But change greatly depends on governments doing more, including by implementing global commitments to address diabetes and other NCDs.”

Featured image: Medical illustration of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes (PantherMedia/ Roberto Biasini/ Scanpix)

Loneliness increases risk of heart attack and stroke

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Helena-Reet Ennet

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November 30, 2016

OHMYGOSSIP – Lonely people are a third more likely to suffer an increased risk of a heart attack or stroke, according to new research. British scientists from the universities of York, Liverpool and Newcastle examined data from over 181,000 people across 23 studies. Of all those individuals, 4,628 suffered from heart disease and 3,000 had a stroke, with experts finding a link between poor social relationships and incident cardiovascular disease.

They also noted the effect of loneliness is similar to that of work-stress or anxiety. People were 32 per cent more likely to have a stroke, and 29 per cent more prone to heart problems.

Scientists have long noted a correlation between being lonely and mental health and wellbeing, but this particular study is the largest to have shown the dramatic impact being alone has.

“Tackling loneliness and isolation may be a valuable addition to coronary heart disease and stroke prevention strategies,” authors noted of their findings, published in the journal Heart.

“Health practitioners have an important role to play in acknowledging the importance of social relations to their patients.”

Researcher Nicole Valtorta, of York University, stressed social isolation and loneliness shouldn’t be taken for granted like obesity and physical inactivity is, and hopes these findings will trigger more work to help the issue.

Dr Kellie Payne, from the Campaign to End Loneliness, further discussed the bigger picture of the problem.

“The effect of loneliness and isolation on mortality exceeds the impact of well-known risk factors such as obesity and cigarette smoking and this research helps to highlight yet further the need for loneliness to be treated as a serious public health issue,” she said.

“Loneliness is becoming a silent epidemic in our society. It’s the responsibility of our community as a whole to tackle it.”

Featured image: PantherMedia/ Ronalds Stikans/ Scanpix

Tel Aviv University: Whey protein for breakfast aids weight loss

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Helena-Reet Ennet

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November 30, 2016

OHMYGOSSIP – Breakfast has always been seen as the most important meal of the day, and while this could be true, it can depend on what you choose to consume first thing in the morning. A new survey has found that having a protein-rich breakfast can be an aid to weight loss, as well as manage Type 2 diabetes.

But protein can take many forms and researchers at Tel Aviv University believe whey protein, found in foods such as yoghurt, cheese and milk is best at keeping people fuller for longer.

This is opposed to other kinds of protein found in eggs and tuna.

“A high-calorie protein breakfast, medium-sized lunch and small dinner is a proven successful strategy for weight loss in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes,” said the study’s lead author, Dr Daniela Jakubowicz, professor of medicine at Tel Aviv University.

A whey protein breakfast also prevented dangerous spikes in blood sugar, which is key for people with Type 2 diabetes, and was found to keep those levels lower for a longer period of time.

To reach the results, Dr Jakubowicz randomly assigned 48 overweight and obese people with Type 2 diabetes to one of three diets containing the same number of calories.

All the participants had an average age of 59, and for 23 months, they ate a large breakfast, medium-sized lunch and small dinner.

However, one group ate breakfast containing mostly whey protein such as whey protein shakes, while the second ate other proteins including eggs, soy and tuna.

The third group’s breakfast was high in carbohydrates or starch, and after 12 weeks, the group on whey protein had lost the most weight at 16.7 pounds (7.5 kilograms), compared to group two’s 13.4 pounds (6 kilograms) and group three’s 6.8 pounds (3 kilograms).

The first group also felt the most full throughout the day compared to those eating the other kinds of protein and carbohydrates, and according to Dr Jakubowicz, it’s because whey protein “significantly” suppresses the hunger hormone ghrelin.

Featured image: ©OHMYGOSSIP/ Helena-Reet Ennet

Can you really die from a broken heart?

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Helena-Reet Ennet

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November 30, 2016

OHMYGOSSIP – New research suggests dealing with the loss of a loved one really could break your heart. We are bombarded by old wives’ tales about people who never recover after the death of their true love, but now it seems that bereaved individuals are at a greater risk of developing an irregular heartbeat for a year after the loss. This condition is known as atrial fibrillation and can heighten the chances of having a stroke or heart failure, with certain individuals more than 40 per cent more likely to develop this than someone who hasn’t experienced such grief.

Researchers in Denmark examined data from 89,000 people diagnosed with atrial fibrillation between 1995 and 2014. This was then compared to health records collected from 886,000 healthy people. They discovered that 17,478 people who had been diagnosed with the condition had also lost a partner.

The risk was greater when the death of a partner had been unexpected, while people aged under 60 and dealing with bereavement were more than twice as likely to develop atrial fibrillation.

The study, which was published in U.K. medical journal Open Heart, determined that greatest risk was evident eight to 14 days after the death of a loved one.

“The loss of a partner is considered one of the most severely stressful life events and is likely to affect most people, independently of coping mechanisms,” the scientists, from Aarhus University, wrote in the report.

“In this large population-based study, the severely stressful life event of losing a partner was associated with a transiently increased risk of atrial fibrillation, which lasted for about one year.

Researchers added that the risk was especially high for those who were young and those who lost a relatively healthy partner.

Experts are calling for those dealing with bereavement to be monitored by their GP to see if symptoms develop.

Featured image: PantherMedia/ Andriy Popov/ Scanpix

4 TIPS how to lose weight without cutting out food!

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Helena-Reet Ennet

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November 30, 2016

OHMYGOSSIP – Losing weight doesn’t have to be time-consuming and difficult, as Dr Brian Wansink has revealed to British newspaper The Daily Mail. Here are some of his top tips on how to shed the pounds without the effort, which he’s devised after analysing tens of thousands of eaters’ behaviour, content of their fridges and cupboards amongst other factors. Pair with regular exercise and you will soon notice the changes!

Shop slim
It all begins during your food shop as Dr Wansink notes that whatever you purchase here is what’s taken home and eaten. His first pearl of wisdom – don’t shop on am empty stomach as you’re bound to reach for whatever your appetite desires. Cravings can strike when full too, so he recommends chewing on gum about the supermarket.

“Our studies show the minty freshness can effectively short-circuit cravings, making it harder to imagine the sensory details of crunchy chips or creamy ice cream,” he revealed. “Astonishingly, one piece of gum is enough to cut your junk food purchases by seven per cent.” Impressive!

He also suggests mapping a route, beginning with fruit and vegetables in your trolley/basket alone as they will appear more tempting without anything next to them, and dividing your carrier into sections for what you need.

Contrasting colours
Dr Wansink invited 60 volunteers for a free pasta lunch, during which they had a red or white plate with either tomato or cream sauce. After serving themselves, participants’ plates were weighed. It was found that people piled up 18 per cent more food when the carbohydrates matched the colour of the plate they were eaten off of than it the carbs clashed.

Another way to cut down is using smaller plates and bowls to restrict your overall food intake.

Hide leftovers
If you’ve cooked up enough for five helpings, but there’s only two of you, make sure you store away the leftovers as Dr Wansink notes you could end up eating 19 per cent less food if it isn’t in reach. When extra food is left in easy access, people are more likely to continue helping themselves, even if they’re not hungry.

The doctor suggests serving salads and vegetables in big portions first, keeping them in sight, but hide the rest of the food after serving.

Don’t avoid buffets
This may go against the last point, but you don’t have to turn down the offer of a buffet dinner if you’re trying to lose weight. After researchers studied eating habits at a Chinese restaurant, they found overweight people were twice as lively to pick up large plates and fill them with everything, before sitting back at their table close to the food.

However, more slender people tend to “scout” the buffet and pick their favourite foods to put on a smaller plate, further away from the counters. They also appeared to chew three times more than bigger people, with each mouthful taking 15 before swallowing. Of course, this is just an example of one restaurant, but it may be worth keeping in mind next time you go to an ‘all you can eat’!

Featured image: ©OHMYGOSSIP/Helena-Reet Ennet

Is your toddler drinking too much milk?

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Helena-Reet Ennet

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November 30, 2016

OHMYGOSSIP – Parents are feeding their toddlers too much milk and putting them at risk of obesity, experts warn. New research has found that a significant portion of children are consuming excess protein each day, putting them at risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes later in life.

Researchers from University College London, Oxford and Bristol universities claim that protein consumption was so high because parents are giving their toddlers too much milk, yoghurt and other dairy products.

The study focused on data for 2,336 children and found that average daily calorie intake “significantly exceeded” the recommended 968 limit, with 63 per cent of children consuming an average of 1,035 calories. Protein intake, at around 40 grams a day, was also nearly three times higher than the recommended 15 grams, while fibre intake at 8 grams was half the recommended amount.

Researchers also found that at 21 months, the average British toddler was getting a quarter of their calories from cow’s milk. However, the National Health Service (NHS) advises they should not have more than 600ml of milk per day.

Lead study author Hayley Syrad said it is important for parents to understand what their little ones are consuming as dietary preferences and habits are established during the first two years of life.

Experts advise that toddlers need good eating and drinking habits, and should have at least five portion so fruit and vegetables, oily fish and starchy food, while consuming limited amounts of sugary and fatty foods.

The study is published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Featured image: PantherMedia/ Jaren Wicklund/ Scanpix

Tears are a luxury item

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Helena-Reet Ennet

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November 30, 2016

OHMYGOSSIP – For a time, it seems, Charles Darwin became sidetracked by his attempts to understand crying. In his efforts to study the roots of emotion, he turned to zoologists and his friends about weeping: Did monkeys cry? Did Africans cry as much as Europeans? Were there different common instigators of tears between cultures? Darwin’s notes seemed to indicate a trend, writes Matthew Sweet in an article for 1843: People in colder climates were less likely to cry.

Because this was the 19th century, some observers thought the reason why people in warmer climes cried more was “primitivism.” There are, obviously, many things wrong with that assessment, but more recently some researchers took it upon themselves to investigate cultural differences in what makes people break down and cry. Their 2011 study found that there are definite cultural differences in what makes us break down. “Individuals living in more affluent, democratic, extroverted, and individualistic countries tend to report to cry more often,” the team wrote. And while you might think women are the weepiest, thanks to Hollywood and gender stereotypes, the study showed a lot of criers follow distinct trends: Australian and American men cried the most; Nigerian, Bulgarian, and Malaysian males were the least likely to shed a tear. Swedish women were crying buckets; their Ghanaian and Nepali counterparts, not so much. In fact, countries with the greatest gender equality reported crying more overall than those with less parity.

And that’s where researchers concluded something extraordinary about the socioeconomics of crying. “Rather than being the habit of the wretched of the Earth, weeping appeared to be an indicator of privilege – a membership perk enjoyed in some of the world’s most comfortable and liveable societies,” Sweet writes. So war, destitution, poverty, other equally horrible things in less privileged societies don’t bring on tears, yet having a bad day at work in the Western world somehow does? As the researchers theorized, when you’re a citizen of a war-torn country dealing with some pretty grim life-or-death situations, you realize crying isn’t really going to get you anywhere; also, there’s too much to do.

Sweet expands on that:

In countries visited by war or famine, the observation might not seem so counterintuitive. Dorte Jessen, head of the Jordan arm of the World Food Programme’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis, has spent over a decade looking into the tearless eyes of those in the direst need. During the 2011 famine in the Horn of Africa, she was based in the sprawling refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya, 60 miles from the border with Somalia. Early in her assignment, she recalls, she watched a mother and her two young children receiving emergency rations – sachets containing a sweet mixture of peanut paste, vegetable fat and cocoa. Just a few steps from the distribution point, the mother ripped open one of the packets and handed it to her oldest child. “They didn’t talk or express any emotion. They just kept walking,” Jessen notes. “Once you are past a certain point of exhaustion, there is simply no energy to spare to get emotional.”

Interestingly, biology may help explain this divide, too. Crying has long been thought to be a biological response to sadness or frustration or anger; you feel any of those emotions, and your eyes well up. But in societies that are “comfortable,” crying might work the other way: You see something that is upsetting and then you cry. Either way, it’s something to keep in mind the next time you want to cry over how nasty your day was. In a way, tears are a luxury item.

Featured image: PantherMedia / Lev Dolgachov/ Scanpix
Source: Nymag.com/Tanya Basu

Good to know! Energy zapping foods

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Helena-Reet Ennet

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November 30, 2016

OHMYGOSSIP – Ever suffer from that mid-morning or mid-afternoon (or both!) slump? Well it might not have anything to do with your sleep the night before, and everything to do with the food you recently ate.

Nutritionist Zoe Bingley-Pullin has given Daily Mail Australia the rundown on what foods zap the most energy from us. First up it’s your reliable cup of coffee. Yes, that caffeine hit you rely on daily may actually be doing you zero favours. “Not only is coffee a diuretic, it actually stops your absorption of fluids and leaches out iron. All resulting in you ending up with less energy long term,” Zoe noted.

She adds that while caffeine will give you a short term boost in the energy stakes, this declines rapidly and will leave you even more tired after. And as you step away from the coffee, make sure you ditch energy and diet soft drinks too. “With anything that is synthetic your liver has to metabolise it,” the diet expert said. “It’s working harder than it should, leaving you tired.”

Zoe continues to explain that foods with a high salt or sugar content are also a no-no, as they cause your glycemic index to spike, meaning you’ll be on a high for a bit, before crashing down to no energy.

White bread is another culprit, which could explain why so many people feel sluggish after lunchtime.

During the day, if you’re hit with a snack attack then load up on a handful of nuts or an apple. If you’re after something sweet, try dipping apple chunks into a little peanut butter. For lunch opt for salads, full of grains and pulses. Avocado is also filling and makes a colourful edition to your plate. Protein like fish, chicken and boiled eggs will also give you afternoon energy. It’s fine to drink coffee, but maybe restrict to one or two cups a day. Fill the void with green tea, and begin the day with a hot lemon to kick start your metabolism.

Garlic may lead to modest blood pressure reduction

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Helena-Reet Ennet

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November 30, 2016

OHMYGOSSIP — A new analysis of past clinical trials using garlic supplements against high blood pressure finds a modest benefit, but researchers urge longer, more rigorous studies to assess the popular alternative “treatment.”

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Why you should try Pitaya (commonly known as dragonfruit) + VIDEOS

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Helena-Reet Ennet

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November 30, 2016

OHMYGOSSIP – Based on its strange appearance you’ve probably passed up dragonfruit at the grocery store. But despite its intimidating name and shape, this superfood has many delicious and nutritious benefits.

What is dragonfruit?
Dragonfruit, sometimes called pitaya, flourishes in abundance in tropical and subtropical regions in South America and Asia, though it is commercially grown in Mexico, Texas, Peru, Argentina, Vietnam and Australia. The fruit’s outer skin is cactus-like, which resembles the scales of the mythical dragon. This fruit, with its creamy white flesh spotted with black seeds, contains around 60 calories each.

What are the health benefits?
This fruit is rich in many natural properties such as in vitamin C, B1, B2 and B3, and minerals such as iron, calcium, and phosphorus, which can all give the body’s immune system a boost while also stimulating the activity of other antioxidants. But that’s not all; the fruit helps regulate blood sugar spikes, lower bad cholesterol, and move oxygen through our blood thanks to its iron levels. A 2010 study published in the journal Pharmacognosy Research found that the consumption of dragonfruit may lower the risks of developing heart disease and developing high blood pressure. This exotic fruit is also a good source of monosaturated fats which help to keep the heart in good condition.

What are some of the best ways to eat dragonfruit?
When eaten fresh, Dragonfruit is mildly sweet with its texture similar to kiwifruit. It is also easy to prepare; cut the fruit into quarters or slices, peel off the skin and use as a garnish or in a smoothie. The delicately sweet fruit is crisp and refreshing, and can also be used in fruit salads, marmalades and jellies. Alternatively, dragonfruit can work in savoury salads, and also pairs nicely with seafood or in cocktails. The fruit can also be made into fruit or wine, or the flowers can be eaten or steeped as tea.

Featured image: Pitaya (PantherMedia / Zdenek Jilek/ Scanpix)

HEALTH / SPIRITUALITY