Can Coffee and Green Tea Help Prevent Stroke?
Submitted by Renee Despres on Wed, 03/27/2013 - 14:11Last updated on March 29th 2013
Need another excuse to drink that cup of coffee in the morning? Do you regularly reach for a cup of green tea when you need a mid-afternoon pick-me-up? You may be lowering your risk of stroke, if research published March 14 in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association holds true. Study findings suggest that the benefits of green tea and coffee consumption may include a reduction in risk of stroke by as much as 20%.
A Fix for Fitness Failures
By Renee Despres, EhealthMD Contributor
May 31st 2012
If you’ve tried to start a fitness program only to lose it amongst a pile of forgotten New Year’s resolutions, don’t give up. Summer is just around the corner, and long, sunny days invite more outdoor activity. Here’s how to make a fitness program a fun part of your daily routine.
Obesity Adds $4 Billion to Gasoline Bill
Submitted by Renee Despres on Tue, 05/08/2012 - 15:09Last updated on June 15th 2012
Americans spend an extra $4 billion dollars a year to fuel their cars with the extra gasoline needed to carry overweight and obese people.
Moving 250 pounds requires two times as much energy as moving 125 pounds. So a vehicle carrying heavier passengers uses more gasoline than if it were carrying lighter passengers. About 34 percent of the U.S. population is obese, and about 34 percent is overweight.
The Price of Dieting
Submitted by Renee Despres on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 22:05Last updated on June 15th 2012
Americans spend more than $40 billion dollars each year on dieting and diet-related products. That's about the same as the U.S. federal government's annual education budget.
But the only thing that seems to be getting lighter are American wallets. Almost all -- 95 percent -- of dieters regain any weight they lost within one to five years. In 2011, 35.7 percent of American adults, and 17 percent of children were obese.
Kids Drink Just as Much Soda when Sugar-Sweetened Drinks are Banned in Schools
By Renee Despres, EhealthMD Contributor
November 10th 2011
Child Drinking Unhealthy Sugar-filled Beverage Kids drink as many or more sugary drinks when schools ban only soda – and not other sugar-sweetened beverages – as in schools that do nothing to decrease children’s access to high-calorie beverages. Even more discouraging, comprehensive policies banning sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda in school are only slightly more effective. Schools that ban all beverages with caloric sweeteners – including soda (sometimes referred to as soft drinks or pop), sweetened tea, sport drinks, energy drinks, juice and juice beverages, and others – reduce kids’ access to the drinks during school hours.
Spices May Help Boost Metabolism and Ward Off Chronic Disease
Submitted by Renee Despres on Sun, 08/28/2011 - 22:47Last updated on June 15th 2012
Adding a little spice to your diet might help increase your metabolism and help ward off chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, authors of a small but intriguing study reported August 1 in the Journal of Nutrition. Men in the study who added antioxidant-rich spices to their meals experienced several metabolic benefits, including lowered insulin and triglyceride levels.
Popular Bodybuilding Supplement Does Not Improve Muscle Strength
Submitted by Renee Despres on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 23:10Last updated on June 15th 2012
A popular bodybuilding supplement does not live up to its labels’ promises of improved muscle strength and endurance, said two unrelated groups of researchers this summer. The supplement, arginine-alpha-ketoglutarate (AAKG), is widely marketed as a strength-enhancer to weight lifters and bodybuilders. For example, AAKG is supposed to “extend muscle pump, enhance muscle growth, and get rock-hard muscles.” Evidence from these two studies, however, suggests that AAKG may actually decrease performance and have no effect on blood flow.
Eat More Fiber to Reduce Belly Fat
Submitted by Renee Despres on Thu, 08/11/2011 - 23:11Last updated on June 15th 2012
Eating more fiber could help you lose dangerous “belly fat,” the fat that surrounds vital organs in the belly. Also called visceral fat, belly fat has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other metabolic syndromes.
When Do You Need a Sports Drink?
By Renee Despres, EhealthMD Contributor
July 27th 2011
It’s hot. You’re exercising hard, you’re sweating hard, and you’re thirsty. Should you reach for a specially formulated sports drink – or plain water?
The Truth About the Health Benefits of Blueberries
By Renee Despres, EhealthMD Contributor
July 27th 2011
In recent years, media outlets have spread the word about the health benefits of blueberries, with headline after headline trumpeting claims that eating blueberries can prevent chronic disease, reduce belly fat, prevent diabetes, improve vision, memory, and balance, and more. But are blueberries worth all the hype? What’s the truth about blueberries and your health?
