Weight Loss » Natural Diet Articles & Stories

Obesity, along with the diabetes and heart disease that often accompany it, can quicken the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a series of four recent studies, which also point to the importance of adopting practices aimed at early prevention of brain ills.
   
“This is an important message,” said Ronald C. Petersen, chairman of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Council of the Alzheimer’s Association and director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the Mayo Clinic. He was not involved in the studies, which were published in the journal Neurology. “Development of cognitive decline need not be a passive process. We are not all just sitting here and aging, and sooner or later it’s going to hit us. In fact, there may be some modifiable lifestyle factors that may influence our risk of developing cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease down the road.”

Related Stories

- Weight Watchers
- Alternatives to Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs
- Fast Eating Increases Fatness

Obese children and teenagers can lose significant weight through lifestyle changes that are occasionally paired with medication, a Dutch team has found in reviewing 64 randomized, controlled studies from five continents.

The overview found that what is known as behavioral lifestyle therapy produces good weight-loss results. Such therapy focused on changing children's thinking patterns and behaviors by teaching them, for example, to have breakfast and to eat regular, portion-controlled meals. Teaching kids to reduce inactive conduct such as watching TV, and to increase physical activity, is also beneficial. To change thinking patterns that promoted unhealthy eating and lack of physical activity, children were educated in using techniques such as self-awareness, self-monitoring, stress management and goal setting. ( Read more about Lifestyle Changes Effective Against Child Obesity)

Related Stories

- Women, Obesity Rates, and the Fountain of Youth
- Weight Watchers
- 8 Ways Exercise Keeps You Young and Healthy

Wolfing your food and at the same time eating until you feel full cause a near tripling of the risk of being overweight, according to a recent study from Japan's Osaka University.

The researchers, who published their work in the British Medical Journal, used special questionnaires to analyze the eating habits of 1,122 men and 2,165 women ages 30 to 69. The subjects assessed their speed of eating (very slow, slow, medium, fast, very fast) and reported whether they ate until full. ( Read more about Fast Eating Increases Fatness)

Related Stories

- Asian Seaweed Diet
- 8 Ways Exercise Keeps You Young and Healthy
- Lifestyle Changes Effective Against Child Obesity

To understand more about the mystery of obesity, it's important to understand how fat cells are born, nurtured and matured. And the enlightenment that will flow from understanding obesity may sweep away mysteries relating to the generation of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which seem to be so much more prevalent among people who are obese. So it was with delight that scientists greeted a recent study identifying precursor cells that develop into full-blown fat tissue. The research, performed on "skinny" mice genetically modified to have no fat deposits, showed that injecting one particular type of cell into the mice caused them to form fat.

Related Stories

- Milk and Weight Gain
- Seven Breakthrough Strategies for Weight Loss
- Another Five Predictors of Long Life

Being conscious of fat and sugar in your diet, and working out at the gym, may seem like the keys to a long and healthy life. But you may easily tire of calorie counting and workouts. It seems the real signs of whether you will be blessed with considerable longevity is if you've adopted certain lifelong healthy lifestyles and attitudes - some of which you can still start. Here are five of them.

Related Stories

- Asian Seaweed Diet
- Five Foods to Slim By
- Fast Eating Increases Fatness

Overeating can cause the brain to lose control and cause damage potentially leading to diabetes, heart disease, and other ills - according to new U.S. research. Eating too much appears to make a usually dormant immune system pathway in the brain, sending out immune cells to attack and destroy non-existent invaders. The finding could help explain why obesity causes so many different diseases, and also may offer a way to prevent obesity itself.

Related Stories

- Alternatives to Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs
- Fast Eating Increases Fatness
- Quicker Dementia Linked to Obesity and Heart Disease

Instead of getting on a fad diet, only to crash and burn a few weeks later, it's best to eat wholesome, natural foods in five or so small meals a day, according to anti-aging expert Dr. Maoshing Ni. Dr. Mao, as the doctor of Chinese medicine and author of the best-selling book Secrets of Longevity is known, says a good weight-loss diet includes lean proteins, such as chicken breast; legumes, such as split peas and lentils; and whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Fad diets, he says, almost inevitably deny a person some important nutrients, leading to cravings all too often cause the dieter to regain his weight - and perhaps even more. He advocates eating the following as part of a sensible weight-loss program:

Related Stories

- Obesity Costs
- 8 Ways Exercise Keeps You Young and Healthy
- Fast Eating Increases Fatness

If you have high cholesterol and you're brimming with confidence in synthetic pharmaceuticals, then statin drugs such as Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor and Levitor are for you. If, however, you lean toward medicating your body with natural products, there are a variety of items that have been scientifically proven to lower cholesterol - without the serious side effects of statin drugs that include severe memory loss, muscle cramps, liver toxicity, hair loss, heartburn and nausea.

Related Stories

- Low Carb Diets
- 8 Ways Exercise Keeps You Young and Healthy
- Precursor Fat Cells May Shed Light on Diseases

Sixty-six percent of Americans are overweight, and 32 percent are obese, so many citizens have now gotten serious about losing weight. But many times a dieter or exerciser can hit a weight-loss plateau that's seemingly impossible to get beyond. Therefore, here follows seven areas to focus on to flank excess weight and, hopefully, lead to big improvements in health.

Related Stories

- Quicker Dementia Linked to Obesity and Heart Disease
- Lifestyle Changes Effective Against Child Obesity
- Fast Eating Increases Fatness

Exercise may not halt the aging process, but mounting evidence suggests people who stay active can slow its effects. The latest issue of Mayo Clinic Women's Healthsource offers 8 benefits to regular exercise. It Provides Energy: Feeling tired and lethargic is largely a result of being inactive. Endurance exercises like walking, swimming, jogging, biking, and rowing improves stamina and energy. Even after a few weeks in a walking program, people have more energy for activities. It Improves Mental Health: There's considerable evidence that regular physical activity can help reduce stress, manage mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety, improve sleep quality, boost mood, and enhance the overall feeling of well-being.

Related Stories

- Obesity Costs
- Weight Watchers
- Lifestyle Changes Effective Against Child Obesity