BEST DIET : LOSE WEIGHT WITH BEST TRICK

The Mediterranean diet is a well-known weapon in the fight against heart disease, but exactly how effective is it?

To find out, researchers led by Dr. Ramón Estruch, from the Department of Internal Medicine at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, put the Mediterranean diet to the test against a low-fat diet. They followed participants to track rates of heart attack, stroke and heart-disease-related death. After nearly five years, the results were so striking for one group that the study was stopped early, according to research published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

The group that showed the least heart problems and lowest rate of heart disease deaths? Those who ate a Mediterranean diet high in extra-virgin olive oil. Coming in at a close second were participants who ate a Mediterranean diet high in nuts. Compared with those eating the low-fat diet, the extra-virgin-olive-oil group showed a 30% lower risk of having a heart attack, stroke or dying of heart disease after five years, while those consuming the Mediterranean diet with more nuts showed a 28% lower risk of these outcomes.

(MORE: Mediterranean Diet Linked to Lower Child-Asthma Risk)

“We think the strength of this study comes from the fact that we measured hard outcomes and not just blood pressure or changes in cholesterol levels,” says Estruch. “We really believe the Mediterranean diet lowers incidence of [heart attack], stroke and cardiovascular deaths.”

Previous studies have linked Mediterranean diets to fewer heart attacks and deaths from heart disease, but most of those have correlated people’s recall of their diet with heart-disease outcomes rather than randomly assigning participants to eat specific diets and then following them for heart-disease risk, as Estruch and his colleagues did.

In the study, the participants in the Mediterranean diet groups agreed to replace red meat with white meat like chicken and eat three or more servings of fish each week, along with three or more servings of fruit and two or more servings of vegetables a day. The extra-virgin-olive-oil group also consumed more than four tablespoons of the oil a day, replacing regular olive oil with the extra-virgin variety, which contains more potentially heart-healthy compounds like polyphenols and vitamin-E tocopherols — which can lower levels of inflammatory factors that contribute to heart disease — in addition to oleic acids, which are lower in the saturated fat that can build up in blood vessels. The group that consumed more nuts was asked to eat a combination of 30 g of walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts every day. These groups were also asked to stay away from sodas and red meats. The participants eating the low-fat diet ate three or more servings of fish or seafood a week and the same amount of fruit and vegetables as the Mediterranean diet groups. They were discouraged from consuming more than two tablespoons of vegetable oils, including olive oil, each day.

(MORE: Can Olive Oil Help Prevent Stroke?)

To ensure that other factors that could affect heart-disease rates were not playing a role, the researchers also adjusted for the total amount of calories the groups were eating, since obesity can be a major contributor to heart attack and stroke. Even after making these adjustments, however, the olive-oil group showed statistically significant drops in heart-disease risk. And because the three groups were randomly assigned to their diets, Estruch says that factors like the amount of exercise the participants did, or the medications they took, would be about the same in all three groups, and thus affect all participants equally.

Estruch says that the study has some limitations, most notably that the low-fat diet group may not have had as intense an intervention during the first part of the study as the Mediterranean groups did, potentially biasing the results in favor of the Mediterranean diet. Some volunteers also dropped out, most of whom had higher body mass index on average, which may also skew the results toward a beneficial effect of the Mediterranean diet, since the individuals who remained might have been more motivated to take care of their hearts to begin with.

Still, the findings add to the body of evidence that suggests the Mediterranean diet can play an important role in protecting the heart, and should guide doctors and patients who want to avoid heart disease toward eating the foods that can help them the most.

Thank the olive oil or the nuts, but something about the Mediterranean diet could help older brains act young again.

There’s plenty of evidence that the Mediterranean diet can contribute to a lower risk of heart attacks, stroke, childhood asthma and even cancer. In fact, in a recent study, researchers assessed about 200 traditional Greek Mediterranean foods and reported that taken together, the foods could make 1,024 relevant health claims.

(MORE: Mediterranean Diet Improves Memory, but Not in Diabetics)

And in May, a team of researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Athens found that people around age 64 who primarily ate a Mediterranean diet had a lower risk of memory loss.

So perhaps it’s not that surprising that in the latest study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, researchers reported similar brain-boosting findings. Except this time, the results showed that the Mediterranean diet was significantly better than a low-fat diet in preserving brain function. The researchers, from the University of Navarra in Spain, studied 522 men and women between the ages of 55 and 80 who did not have heart disease, but were at a higher risk of having circulation-based events like a stroke because of diabetes or a combination of risk factors such as high blood pressure, a family history of stroke, or being overweight.

The participants were split into three diet groups: one consumed a Mediterranean diet with extra-virgin olive oil, another ate a Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts, and the control group was assigned a low-fat diet. The typical Mediterranean diet includes plenty of olive oil, fruits, vegetables, grains and fish, with moderate amounts of dairy and meat.

All of the participants agreed to complete extensive cognitive tests after about 6½ years, in which the researchers assessed their higher cognitive functions such as their language skills, their ability to orient themselves to time and place, their capacity for abstract thinking and their memory.

(MORE: It’s the Olive Oil: Mediterranean Diet Lowers Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke)

By the end of the study, 60 of the participants had developed mild cognitive impairments and 35 developed dementia. Among the participants with mild cognitive decline, 18 consumed the diet with added olive oil, 19 had eaten the diet with additional nuts, and 23 were assigned the low-fat diet. Among the dementia patients, 12 were on the diet with added olive oil, six on the version with added nuts, and 17 were on the low-fat diet.

The cognitive-function tests showed that on average, those consuming either version of the Mediterranean diet scored significantly higher than the low-fat dieters. Because the participants were Spanish men and women, it’s possible that other lifestyle or cultural factors played a role in the results. But even after adjusting for factors such as age, family history of cognitive problems and dementia, education and even depression, which can affect cognitive function, the beneficial effect of the Mediterranean diet remained.

Many studies have linked the diet to health improvements, and researchers are starting to pin down some of the factors that could be driving these effects. In this study, the researchers noted that the Mediterranean diet groups might have exploited the high levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents in the foods.

“Oxidative stress has been associated with neurodegeneration. The main components of the [Mediterranean-diet] intervention in the … trial, extra-virgin olive oil and nuts, have antioxidant properties and, together with other polyphenol-rich foods in the [Mediterranean diet], are suggested to relate to improved cognitive function,” the authors wrote in the study. They also suggested that the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet come from improvements in underlying risk factors that otherwise could contribute to strokes or other related health problems.

(MORE: Mediterranean Diet Linked to Lower Child-Asthma Risk)

The study involved a small number of participants, and the volunteers were at higher risk of developing heart or vascular issues, but it did follow them for an extended period of time. So it’s not clear whether the same benefits would hold for the general population, but the researchers say the findings strengthen the link between diet and cognitive function. So far, other studies are also finding similar benefits among Americans favoring the Mediterranean diet, but more studies are needed to assess whether the effects of the diet are universal. If they support these results, however, olive oil and nuts could become useful weapons in holding off age-related cognitive decline.

In order to figure out how Facebook affects young girls’ sense of body image, researchers from American University in Washington D.C. asked 103 adolescent girls to complete 20-30 minute surveys over the course of a week. The girls were asked about their Facebook usage as well as  about their body image.

(MORE: Why Facebook Makes You Feel Bad About Yourself)

They found that the type of information the girls accessed on the site, in addition to how long they spent on Facebook, had the greatest influence on how they felt about themselves afterward.

In the study published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, the scientists assessed how frequently the girls used specific Facebook features, such as “create an event,” or “view friends’ photos of themselves” by asking the participants to rate their typical use for each of the features on a 5-point scale from 1 for “almost never or never” to 5 for “nearly every time I log on.”

Girls who allocated the most time to photo-related activities were more likely to internalize a thin ideal, succumb to self-objectification, be dissatisfied with their weight, or report having a drive to become thin. Based on the data, the researchers were not able to determine whether adolescents who already had issues with self appearance were drawn to looking at photo-related Facebook posts, or if the images influenced the girls’ body image.

But they speculate that both may be at work, similar to the way beauty magazines influence how girls view themselves. Such images can both seed and exacerbate the way girls apply social ideals of appearance to themselves. “The nature of Facebook photo sharing may expedite this process,” the study authors write.

(MORE: Two-Faced Facebook: We Like It, but It Doesn’t Make Us Happy)

Such objectification may also contribute to eating disorders, making the influence of Facebook photos worth studying as a potential contributor to unhealthy diets, said Brenda K. Wiederhold, editor-in-chief of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, in a statement. “Given the connection between eating disorders and body image distortion and dissatisfaction, it is important to identify contributing factors in this particularly vulnerable group. By identifying these factors, we can move towards designing more effective prevention programs.”

Dieting is hard, but it turns out there are specific things that make us more likely to fall off the wagon.

In a new study published in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine, researchers found that people are more likely to give into alcohol than a sugary snack, and friends are especially hard to refuse.

In the study, researchers followed 80 people who were dieting for one week. All the participants used cell phones to record their diet temptations and when they gave into temptation. Participants failed at their diets about half the time, particularly at night. Alcohol was one of the greatest temptations, more so than sugary snacks. Dieters were also more likely to lapse when other people were around.

The participants did report greater awareness of their eating when recording their diets, which suggests that cellphones could be a useful tool to keep dieters on track.

When addicts talk about their first euphoric experience with their narcotic of choice, very often they describe it as the feeling they spent the duration of their drug-using years attempting to revisit. It turns out, the same phenomenon of “chasing the high” may apply to overweight and obese women’s response to food as well.

A study released online on Sept. 29 in the Journal of Neuroscience found that as women overate and gained weight, they got less pleasure from eating. In brain scans, these women showed less activity in the “reward” pathways of the brain — the neurological corridors that respond to pleasure — after eating. (More on Time.com: Why Americans Are Fat: We Literally See More Food as Less)

University of Texas at Austin psychologist Eric Stice studied 26 overweight and obese volunteers, who were subjected to fMRI brain scans as they sipped both sugary milkshakes and a flavorless liquid. The group was tested twice over 6 months. Those who gained weight over the course of the study showed a corresponding muted pleasure response to the milkshake. Women who lost or maintained weight did not show the same decrease. (More on Time.com: Want Good Health? There Are 10 Apps for That)

Obese people are known to have fewer pleasure receptors in the brain than thin people to start, according to the new study, whose findings suggest that overeating blunts the reward pathway further. New Scientist reports:

The result suggests that overeating may push people onto a slippery slope akin to a drug addict’s craving for ever-larger doses. “People are having to eat more and more to chase the high,” says Stice.

More studies are needed in this area, to sample a larger group of people and to figure out whether the “tolerance” can be reversed by weight loss.

More on Time.com:

The ‘Other’ Salt: 5 Foods Rich in Potassium

Overcoming Obesity

Every office has at least one: a giant bowl of bite-size candy bars, peppermints, chocolate Kisses and other high-sugar treats. It’s hard to resist its gravitational pull, especially when you’re suffering from a post-lunch blood-sugar dip in the late afternoon.

Some say the bowls of free sweets help lift office spirits. Problem is, they also hike the needle on the scale. Research confirms that office snacking is a measurable phenomenon. According to Sue Shellenbarger at the Wall Street Journal:

A four-week study of 40 secretaries found that when candy was visible in a clear, covered dish, participants ate 2.5 pieces of chocolate on top of the 3.1 candies they would have eaten had the chocolates been in an opaque container, according to the 2006 study in the International Journal of Obesity. Moving the dish closer, so the subjects could reach the candy while seated at their desks, added another 2.1 candies a day to their intake.

“The proximity and visibility of a food can consistently increase an adult’s consumption,” says the study, led by Brian Wansink, a professor of marketing and human behavior at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., and author of “Mindless Eating.” He adds, “Even for a person with the greatest resolve, every time they look at a candy dish they say, ‘Do I want that Hershey’s Kiss, or don’t I?’ At the 24th time, maybe I’m kind of hungry, and I just got this terrible email, and my boss is complaining — and gradually my resolve is worn down.”

And while a tiny morsel of chocolate might seem harmless, consider the cumulative effects of habitual snacking. Eating just two pieces of candy a day at work adds about 480 calories to your weekly total intake, the WSJ calculates — that’s a whopping 1,920 extra calories per month. So is it any wonder that you’ve gained 5 or 7 lbs. in the last year?

What can you do to keep yourself out of the candy bowl, and away from the pastries, cakes, doughnuts and other fattening foods in the break room? One strategy is always to have your own snacks on hand. If you’ve got fruit, nuts or sugar-free gum within easy reach, that doughnut will seem far less alluring. Or you can try to get the whole office to participate in a diet makeover: encourage coworkers to bring fresh fruit and salads to meetings and potlucks, instead of high-fat foods like brownies and mac-and-cheese.

Maybe someday, the workplace candy culture will go the way of the three-martini lunch and Mad Men-era office smoke breaks. But until then, you may have to take it upon yourself to watch your diet. As Shellenbarger reports, Melanie Meek, an employee of a Canton, Ohio, real-estate firm, has lost 80 lbs. since 2009, in part by asking her co-workers keep their unhealthy snacks out of sight. She told them: “If I have to smell it, I will move it.”

There are so many healthy reasons to eat vegetables that it feels redundant to keep enumerating them. But if a stronger immune system, cancer-fighting antioxidants and heart-healthy fiber aren’t reason enough for some, perhaps we can appeal to their vanity: a study published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour found that eating foods high in carotenoids — a nutrient found in some fruits, leafy greens and root vegetables — gave them a healthy glow that rivaled a sun tan and made them more attractive in tests. (More on Time.com: Eat Veggies, Cheat Death)

“We found that, given the choice between skin color caused by suntan and skin color caused by carotenoids, people preferred the carotenoid skin color,” Dr. Ian Stephen, the study’s lead researcher, now of the School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus, said in a statement. “So if you want a healthier and more attractive skin color, you are better off eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables than lying in the sun.”

People with diets high in fruits and vegetables had demonstrably yellower skin, the researchers found. But the scientists weren’t sure if the veggie glow would be perceived differently than one achieved by sitting in the sun. So they asked study participants to look at 51 different Caucasian faces and adjust the skin tones to the hues, ranging from those typical of a day in the sun to the glow from a carotenoid-rich diet, that they thought looked healthiest. (More on Time.com: 5 New Rules for Good Health)

Reported California Watch:

The students could adjust the skin tone of the photographed faces, making them more yellow, more suntanned or more pale.

According to the new study, the students found yellower faces more attractive and healthy looking.

Want the glow? Try upping your intake of carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, cantaloupe, spinach and kale.

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