We burn as many calories as hunter-gatherers, so what makes us fat?

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We burn as many calories as hunter-gatherers, so what makes us fat? -
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We all know why Americans are so fat, right? We too junk and we sit on our Duffs all day.

Perhaps not, a team of international researchers said now. Their new study, examining energy expenditure among one of the last remaining populations of hunter-gatherers of the world, seems to debunk our conventional wisdom -. At least in part

While we have always assumed that ancient human ancestors must have been more active than modern Westerners today - with our office jobs, our cars and our TVs to keep us sedentary - new measures the actual energy expenditure are surprising. They show that people in traditional societies feeding does indeed participate in more physical activity, but their total energy production is almost identical to that of Westerners pudgy today. This finding contrary to intuition is explained by the lower basal metabolic rate foragers :. They spend less energy at rest, even if you compare people of the same size and age

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to collect the surprising new measures, the researchers recruited 30 adults of society hunter-gatherer Hadza, a small population in the countries of Africa Eastern Tanzania. No company today is really like those of our ancestors tens of thousands of years, the researchers say, but the Hadza share some important similarities with our Pleistocene ancestors era.

In particular, the Hadza maintain a way of traditional foraging lifestyle, hunting on foot arcs using, small axes and digging sticks, and without modern tools such as vehicles or fire arms. They live the game they hunt and tubers, fruits and honey they collect.

To measure energy consumption, participation Hadza adults wore GPS units to track how far they traveled each day. They also wore monitors breathing at rest and while walking to measure their metabolism in every state. And a measure of total energy expenditure was calculated from urine tests that showed the speed with which the study participants could eliminate a chemically modified water given to them to drink by researchers. Then, these measurements were compared to similar measures of 68 men and women in the United States or Europe, and also data from the farming communities in Bolivia, Nigeria and Gambia in energy expenditure.

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Unlike even the expectations of the researchers, the scientists write, energy expenditure measurements Hadza looked pretty similar to measures elsewhere.

In fact, even if total energy expenditure was varied considerably by age, sex and body size, as expected, when the researchers looked at men of the same age who each weighed, say , 130 lbs., There was no discernable difference in lifestyle group in the total expenditure of energy daily. On average, the Hadza were much smaller than Westerners, both in height and weight (130 lbs. Was at the upper end to the Hadza men). But statistical analysis suggests that the fundamental relationship between energy expenditure and lean body mass - not including extra pounds of fat Westerners - was essentially the same in all societies, and through people, big and small

.

These results are all the more surprising that the Hadza seems to spend a lot more energy to exercise, as they hunted and foraged. But the differences in activity did not translate into differences in total energy consumption. Moreover, even among members of the same company, Hadza who walked a long way every day are not total expenditure measurably higher than that of people who do not work so much. It seems that the metabolisms of people can compensate somewhat the level of activity.

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The new findings seem to contradict the popular belief that weight management is simply a question of balance between what we eat enough of targeted physical activity.

"The similarity [total energy expenditure (TEE)] among Hadza hunter-gatherers and Westerners suggests that even dramatic differences in lifestyle can have a negligible effect on TEE" the authors conclude in their study, which is published this week in the journal PLoS One .

Although the authors do not look at food in the details, they add that their findings suggest that the high energy consumption - eating too much - is responsible for the Western obesity epidemic rather than too little energy expenditure. However, they note that physical activity is known to have many beneficial effects on health, in addition to any role in weight management.

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Ultimately, what the authors of the study may have discovered is that people are more alike than we previously realized. Across radically different societies and landscapes, human bodies work similarly.

"We assume," they write, "that [total energy expenditure] perhaps, a relatively stable physiological stress related to the human species, more a product of our common genetic heritage our diverse modes of life."

For successful weight loss, Forget Fad Diets and Pills

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For successful weight loss, Forget Fad Diets and Pills -
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that America has a weight problem can not be denied, but the social perception that obese people simply can not lose weight is not true, a new study.

According to the researchers of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, obese Americans are trying to lose weight - and many are successful. The researchers studied data for 4021 obese people age 20 and older who participated in the National Survey of Health and Nutrition Examination of government. Between 2001 and 2006, approximately 63% of the participants tried to lose weight, and 40% lighter - lose at least 5% of their body weight. Twenty percent of participants lost 10% of their body weight or more.

"I am surprised by the number of people in our study had success," said lead researcher Dr. Jacinda Nicklas, a clinical research fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. " We feel that this is really difficult for obese people to lose weight, but no, they lose weight. Although it is a modest amount, you do not have to be thin to affect the good health. "

clinical guidelines recommend a 10% loss of body weight for obese adults to improve their health, but according to Nicklas, studies have shown that even a body weight loss of 5% has advantages measurable health.

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How successful losers do? Here's what went wrong: using fashionable techniques such as liquid cleanses 30 days, taking diet pills without prescription and eating "diet" foods. Obese Americans who reported losing weight were more likely to steer clear of the so-called latest and dieting and adopt the conventional technique to eat less and exercise more instead, which said "a lot of drinking water" and "eat less fat," for example.

the most popular strategies eat less, exercise more, eat less fat and switch to foods calorie drop. people who have used weight loss of business programs and prescription weight loss pills has also seen success, but only a small proportion of study participants used them. Meanwhile, the liquid diets, diet pills without prescription and popular diets showed no association with weight loss.

"It is reassuring that patients use less costly strategies that have been proven effective and strategies more "proven", "said study author Dr. Christina Wee, co-director of research at the Division of General Medicine and primary care at Beth Israel Medical Center. "I think what's also nice is that when they try, they usually lose weight."

Participants who lost more (at least 10% of their body weight) were more likely to have come to a commercial weight -loss program - they tend to keep dieters accountable -. and were less likely to report diet foods

"If you look at people who are trying to lose weight, using food and dietary products was actually detrimental to weight loss. We call the effect that "health halo," says Nicklas. "When a food is labeled as a food or low-fat diet, people think that eating it will make you lose weight. So they end up eating much more than that they should "

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The researchers found that prescription weight loss pills were most strongly associated with weight loss, but only a small number of participants reported their use. Wee speculates that doctors may hesitate when it comes to prescribing diet pills. "I think there is a reluctance on the part of health providers to prescribe them, and some are well justified. Some prescription pills have subsequently been deemed harmful. We also know from other studies that sometimes there is not much time for the weight of the board for the appointment. patients receive a lot of advice from weight loss elsewhere, and take it upon themselves to lose weight. They can be less engaged with their doctor in this regard. "

of course, dropping pounds is only half the battle. Keep out long-term tension is often the hardest part, which is why the research team calls for further studies to identify the obstacles to maintaining weight loss. "We have not taught people how to maintain," says Nicklas. "That's the biggest challenge. There is a problem with weight maintenance, and we need to better educate people on how to do it. "

The study was published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine .

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Make Over Your Diet in a week: 7 days of healthy meals

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Make Over Your Diet in a week: 7 days of healthy meals -
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If was always a good time to reorganize the diet of your family, it is now. According to recent estimates, most Americans could be obese by 2030 if current trends continue.

To help Americans understand how to build a better diet, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) last year retired from the well-known food pyramid, but confused and adopted a new health icon-eat: the colorful MyPlate, which is divided more clearly and simply in basic food groups. The MyPlate guide, which is based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, like your standard plate quartered in the sections: fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins. A small circle appears next to the plate representing dairy.

( GUIDE: The 31 Healthiest Foods of all time (with recipes))

Here are some dietary advice in general myplate:

  • Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
  • at least half of your whole grains
  • Change to skim or 1% milk
  • Vary your protein

for a typical 2,000-calorie diet the government recommends two daily cups of fruit, 2.5 cups of vegetables, 6 ounces of grains, 5.5 ounces of protein and 3 cups of dairy products. But if you're like most people, you probably do not know how much a cup of fruit is exactly or 6 ounces of grains. So we asked nutrition experts to interpret the guidelines for us and provide the value of a week of samples of healthy menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The following meal plans do not meet the myplate guidelines, but they also incorporate foods "31 Healthiest Foods of all time" Healthland guide. Use these menus as inspiration for . give your meals for the week a youth nutrition cure You can also check healthier food on our Pinterest page

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Next Day 1: whole grain consumption

Ditching the Chips: Study Finds Kids Give cheese and vegetables Thumbs Up

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Ditching the Chips: Study Finds Kids Give cheese and vegetables Thumbs Up -
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Where is it written that the children want to nibble just junk food?

researchers at Cornell University found that when it comes to satisfy a thirst snack, the majority of children are in fact just as happy with cheese and vegetables fresh as they are with chips potatoes. appetizers red wax. Bel sponsored the study, which was published in the journal Pediatrics .

To assess the Palace of children, researchers asked 201 children aged between 7 and 10 to gather in one place in Chicago where they were allowed to watch television. As they watched, they were invited to snack on unlimited quantities of one of the four types of foods to which they were assigned :. Chips, vegetables, cheese, vegetables and cheese

"We gave them more than they could ever eat," said Brian Wansink, director of Food and Brand Lab at Cornell, which searches . solutions to overeat "If they wanted 19 bags of chips, they could have 19 bags of chips."

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At three different points, the researchers measured the satiety levels of children. - how they felt fully they found that children who ate the combo snack veggie / cheese eaten less the chip group, but reported feeling just as happy and satisfied after. the result was even stronger for heavier children.

They also consumed 72% fewer calories, which is encouraging Wansink, whose research is focused on helping to meet a goal of the campaign Move Let the White House -. Encourage children to eat healthier foods

"We wanted to offer a solution to snacking," says Wansink, author of the book to be published Slim by Design: Eating Solutions for everyday life . "It takes a long time to eat vegetables and cheese over the chips. chips can simply inhale. It is a little hard to breathe cheese and raw vegetables."

Wansink speculates also that the combination of cheese and vegetables was more interesting than just fries, cheese or vegetables only. The children enjoyed the opening of the mini-cheese and variety of textures, which was dense and soft cheese that has been teamed with crisp vegetables. Taken together, the new physical cheeses and range of tastes and textures may have provided greater satisfaction of the dining experience as mindlessly crunching on chips.

But as encouraging as the results regarding the manufacture of cheese and vegetables can be satisfactory, the cheese has a drawback. While it is packed with proteins, calcium and other nutrients, it also contains saturated fats. So if you plan to add cheese to nibble rotating your children, make sure not to give them a cheese plate, but small portions of cheese. Nutritionists say that portions of about 60 calories each may be just for snacking.

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Lose weight to make money: Groups Dieters lose more people

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Lose weight to make money: Groups Dieters lose more people -
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Cash is a powerful motivator when it comes to lose a few pounds, and the lure of money is even greater when the diet win or lose as a group.

Previous studies have shown that making money as a reward for losing weight is a factor of effective motivation - researchers from the Mayo Clinic recently found that participants with $ 20 per month on the line lost an average of nine pounds in a year, four times the amount lost by those who do not have a cash initiative. Now a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds that money motivates groups even more powerfully than it does of individuals.

This is not a new idea - rude as it sounds, the money can be one of the easiest ways to inspire healthy behaviors. More employers use financial incentives to help their employees get fit, and office wellness programs offering cash rewards are likely to continue as the Affordable Care Act Protecting Patients and will expand incentives based on results such as health up to 30% of total premiums health insurance starting in 2014.

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But how cold money compared to other successful weight loss strategies such as partnership with a fellow dieter? And if anyone can melt pounds, how would the two strategies to be together? That's the idea behind the study, which involved 104 obese people who have tried to lose weight by using one of three different strategies.

The first group received no financial incentive, and only provided with a link to a weight loss network online with monthly weight for which they were reminded by SMS or email. The second group had the same information and weighing plane as the first group, but they also offered $ 100 a month if they have reached their monthly weighing goal. The last group has also offered the monthly premium of $ 100, but instead of losing weight on their own, they were placed in groups of five in which all members have remained anonymous. Each month, only members of the group who were at or below their individual target weight could split the $ 500 between them. Those who do not meet their objectives were not part of the split, and no limb weighing their goals, not money.

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After six months, participants in the strategy of the groups lost an average of seven pounds more than participants in the individual group incentives, and 10 pounds more than the group without financial incentives.

Unsurprisingly, the chance to win over $ 100, an option only for those who are assigned to the incentive group policy, was a powerful motivator. "[People] are often too optimistic about their abilities relative to others and thus perhaps expected more success and greater reward than the other group members. Secondly, pending a more great reward would have been strengthened because most of the group did not meet their weight loss goals in most months, leaving a greater reward for those who did not meet targets, "the authors write.

However, four months after surgery for weight loss has ended, participants who lost weight and were rewarded for their loss on an individual basis maintained more weight loss than the other two groups . This suggests that the reasons provided by the group, and the largest cash prize, was not maintained when the financial incentives are gone. However, in a corresponding editorial, Jason Riis, a specialist health consumers at the Harvard Business School points out that it would probably not much to revive this motivation even with a smaller monetary incentives after the study was completed.

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This makes it a potentially valuable strategy for promoting health, and reduce costs, ultimately behavior for some companies and organizations wishing to reduce their insurance premiums and payments, said Riis. It notes however that the financial investment would be easier for companies with a larger number of employees than smaller outfits with fewer workers:

In the current study, the two terms incentive needed guaranteed availability of $ 21,000 ($ 100 dollars a month per participant) if each participant has managed every month. Although triple individual incentive ($ 100 to $ 300) is both more efficient and more profitable than the incentive of the original group would require the program to be 3 times as much money at risk (to ensure payment if everyone has succeeded). This could be more difficult for small programs (and small employers) as the most important programs (large employers).

As more companies implement weight loss plans and strategies based on the reward for improving the well-being of their employees, the authors note that different solutions can be required for different organizations. In addition to cash awards, Riis says there are other ways that companies can encourage healthy behaviors, such as offering healthier food in cafeterias in the workplace and reduce unhealthy temptations such as ATMs in the office. care of themselves.

Talking to your children about their eating habits: Very carefully

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Talking to your children about their eating habits: Very carefully -
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weight is never an easy subject, but it can be especially risky when parents approach the issue of diet and weight with their teenagers.

"No girl ever lost weight because his mother told him she was pregnant," a friend advised me when I worry about the size of my adolescence .

It is she was right, according to a study by University of Minnesota researchers appearing in JAMA Pediatrics . Based on a large sample of adolescents and parents, scientists have found that children whose parents talk to them about eating by focusing on the weight or size of children - to tell them whether they were heavy or could get fat if they continued to eat the way they did - were more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as heating go on extreme diets, fasting or laxative use, or pick up eating disorders such as binge eating. But children whose parents focused only on how to eat healthy returns and avoid judgment about their weight were less likely to have eating problems. And overweight children whose mothers talked to them about healthy eating had far fewer problems than those whose mothers did not discuss eating in a healthy way.

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About 60% of mothers and fathers with adolescent overweight talked to their children about their weight, but only 40% of adolescents who have had conversations centered around healthy eating turned to unhealthy eating behaviors compared with 64% of those whose parents focused on their weight. The effect was particularly strong when fathers were involved in these discussions with their daughters, and concentrated on weight rather than talking about healthy food in general. "Dads should never comment on girls or girls body," said Mary Jo Rapini, co-author of "Start Talking: Guide a girl for your Mom about health, sex, or other ... "instead, she suggests, parents should focus on the skills or interests of their daughters, and can help them" feel loved by their father and confident enough to work on their body problems ", they say it.
According to lead author Jerica Berge of the study, the results should be a revelation for both parents and doctors, who are often asked by anxious moms and dads, "How do I talk to my child on weight or eating behavior "

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the answer, she said, is to avoid attracting the attention to how your child looks or how much they weigh; instead, talk to them to be healthy and does not compare to the other or to an ideal reference weight. "It should never be the way they look because we all come in different shapes and sizes," says Dr. Dyan Hes, a pediatrician and obesity expert New York City who was not involved in the study.
"Framed in a way that gets them excited," said Laura Williams, an exercise specialist and founder of GirlsGoneSporty.com. "You want to climb the highest peak of the state then we need to start training and eating the right fuel - more fruits and vegetables, lean protein and whole grains"

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? Give teens an immediate goal, or reason to improve their eating habits, can be an important motivator, said Lisa Gatti, nutrition consultant and founder of culinarytherapyonline.com. If they care about quality, she said, "tell how to eat healthy foods will help you think more clearly and say focused." The same strategy can work if your teen is a runner or exercising - eat nutritious meals can help to perform better on the field.

It's all about the presentation of the importance of eating well and being healthy in terms that are relevant to specific needs and interests of a teenager. And, experts say, it is helpful for them to understand that whatever they decide to eat, and the consequences of these decisions are under their control. Conferences on what they do wrong, and forcing them to change the way they eat "because it is good for them" can backfire and lead them to pick up the habit even unhealthier. "Nobody likes to be controlled," said Nancy Anderson Dolan, clinical director of WiseHeart Wellness. "Everyone likes to be understood and helped"

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These conversations are definitely tricky, and the latest results suggest that the stakes are higher than parents would think. Because the study found a slightly greater effect in changing eating habits children when fathers were involved in the discussions, said Berge ideally both parents must share the responsibility. But it only if, and this is a big if- both mom and dad can really focus on healthy eating and do not wear judgment on the size. If this is impossible, said Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, a clinical psychologist, physical therapist and the author of "A Happy You", "Select the parent whose interactions evoke less stress and demonstrates good health eating. "

experts also say the weight of conversations should not be the domain of each child. A healthy lifestyle - which includes a nutritious diet and plenty of regular exercise for everyone - should be a family business. An effective way to improve the eating habits of adolescents is to shop and cook with them, and organize family outings that physically hold the assets.

Especially, set a good example. If you want a child who eats right and exercises, do it yourself. Children learn to watch what you do, not what you say. My mother overweight, for example, never leave me more than a Cookie- so I would not be "fat". But I knew where she hid her chocolate bars, and I sneaked out of hiding. Mom is gone, but the legacy of these forbidden candy is still losing weight challenging. "Parents need to look in the mirror first," says Dolan, "and deal with their own problems, both on prejudices and habits of healthy weight." This can go a long way toward making conversations on a healthy diet with their own productive children.