by Mike Roussell

What’s the biggest nutrition breakthrough for the next 25 years? Our vote goes to nutrigenomics—the study of the interaction between what you eat and your DNA. Researchers have recently uncovered a handful of common foods that crank up your fat burning genes.

Here’s how it works: Each cell contains the DNA for your entire genetic code. This master cookbook of proteins, hormones, and molecules remains relatively unchanged through your life. What does change is the recipes (or genes) your body is using. Drugs, foods, hormones, and other molecules can tell your body what recipes to use to create more of the specific enzymes, hormones, and compounds that you need.

So what foods can crank up your body’s natural fat-burning power?

Green tea. Green tea—both as a supplement or the brewed leaves—turns off genes that are responsible for fat cells’ sugar uptake and turns on genes that mediate sugar uptake by muscle cells. The result: smaller fat cells and more active muscle cells. A review from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that drinking green tea every day will trim up to an extra inch off your waistline in 12 weeks. (Caffeine and the antioxidant EGCG are also part of green tea’s fat-fighting arsenal.) Click here to learn whic  tea beat out 14 others and was named the best green tea when we analyzed the antioxidant content of popular brands.

Fish oil. Touted for its many health benefits, the fats in fish oil—EPA and DHA—activate a group of specific proteins in your cells called Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). PPARs interact with your genes and can increase the burning of fat for energy as well as improve insulin sensitivity. Researchers from University of South Australia showed that when men combined a supplement of 1.9 grams of EPA and DHA each day with regular aerobic exercise, they lost 4.5 more pounds compared to men who just did regular aerobic exercise during the 12-week study.

Pistachios. Pistachios fight inflammation—a driving force of weight gain—by reducing the expression of the inflammatory gene IFN-stimulated response element by a whopping 78 percent. Researchers from UCLA showed that snacking on 1.5 ounces of pistachios per day instead of 2 ounces of pretzels helped subjects lose 2 extra pounds over 12 weeks. (Pistachios—which are higher in fat and protein—are also more satiating than pretzels, which could have helped subjects eat less overall.)

Pomegranates. Pomegranates are packed with high levels of a potent class of antioxidants called anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are famous for having beneficial effects on your blood vessels and your heart, and they are now also being show to be fat-cell killers. When exposed to anthocyanins, the growth of premature fat cells to full-blown fat cells is stopped. How? The anthocyanins down-regulate the expression of the pro-obesity and diabetes gene plasminogen activator inhibitor-1.

Olive oil. Subjects in a study ate on different days a high-carbohydrate meal and a meal high in monosaturated fats—including 2 tablespoons of olive oil. The high-carb meal suppressed the genetic sequence that creates adiponectin, a hormone that helps your muscles use sugar. The meal with olive oil, however, had the opposite effect

Women who eat fish during pregnancy ‘more likely to have brainy and sociable children’

• Children of mothers who ate oily fish during pregnancy had better motor and social skills

By Claire Bates

Women who eat fish during pregnancy are more likely to have brainy and sociable children, according to new EU-funded research.

Those mothers-to-be who tucked into oily fish like tuna, sardines and salmon produced infants who scored better in various tests of skill and intelligence, it found.

As part of a £5 million European Commission study into diet, Spanish researchers examined 2,000 women at the 20th week of pregnancy and again after birth.

Fish supper: Children of women who had consumed the most oily fish during pregnancy did the best in the tests

They questioned them on their diets and took blood samples to test for levels of omega-3 and omega-6, the healthy fatty acids found in oily fish in particular.

The infant children were subsequently tested with verbal intelligence quizzes and on their social and fine motor skills.

The offspring of women who had consumed the most oily fish during pregnancy did the best in the tests, said the University of Granada study.

Omega-3, in particular, contributes to the healthy development of the brain and eyes of a foetus, the researchers told the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

It contains the acid DHA which is a major component of brain cell membranes.

The report added: ‘The amount of DHA transmitted to the foetus through the placenta might be crucial for foetal development.’

The study is part of a bigger project into the effects of diet on newborn babies that will continue until 2013.

It follows a study last year that found eating fish during pregnancy could cut a woman’s odds of developing post-natal depression.

Post-natal depression affects up to 13 per cent of new mothers – and lasts more than a year in severe cases, even with counselling and medication.

However, too much oily fish in pregnancy can be bad for the baby’s development, so experts say it is important that mothers-to-be strike a balance when trying to boost their levels of omega-3.

Women who had taken a regular omega-3 pill scored better on a questionnaire designed to spot symptoms of post-natal depression than those given a placebo.

For example, they were less likely to say they suffered from anxiety or a loss of self-worth.

Lead researcher Dr Michelle Price Judge from the University of Connecticut added while some women may prefer the thought of supplements, eating fish is the more nutritious option.

Sugar ‘is toxic and must be regulated just like cigarettes’, claim scientists

• ‘A little is not a problem but a lot kills – slowly’
• Sugar ‘contributes to 35m deaths a year’ worldwide
  

By Fiona Macrae

Sugar is a poison and its sale should be as tightly regulated as cigarettes and alcohol, scientists say.

They warn that sugary foods and drinks are responsible for illnesses including obesity, heart disease, cancer and liver problems.

And they claim it contributes to 35million deaths a year worldwide and is so dangerous it should be controlled through taxation and legislation.

Sugar is ‘toxic’ beyond its calories, warn scientists. They suggest a sales tax licensing requirements on vending machines

In an article entitled The Toxic Truth About Sugar, published in the journal  Nature, the scientists add: ‘A little is not a problem but a lot kills – slowly.’

The U.S. authors warn obesity is now a bigger problem than malnourishment across the world, and that sugar not only makes people fat but also changes the body’s metabolism, raises blood pressure, throws hormones off balance and harms the liver.

The damage done mirrors the effects of drinking too much alcohol – which the scientists point out is made from distilling sugar.

The authors, led by Robert Lustig, a childhood obesity expert at California University, say that, like alcohol, sugar is widely available, toxic, easily abused and harmful to society.

They say teaching children about diet and exercise is unlikely to be effective and instead the answer lies in taxes and restricting availability.

The study recommends using taxation to double the price of fizzy drinks, restricting their sale to those over 17 or 18, and tightening regulations covering school vending machines and snack bars.

Dr Laura Schmidt, also of California University, said: ‘We’re not talking about prohibition. We’re not advocating a major imposition of the government into people’s lives.

‘What we want is actually to increase people’s choices by making foods that aren’t loaded with sugar comparatively easier and cheaper to get.’

The article also reveals that consumption of sugar has tripled in the past 50 years and that there are now more obese people than malnourished ones across the world.

It concludes that responsibility lies with the food companies, saying that while they may resist change, shifts in policy are possible if the pressure is great enough. Examples include the ban on smoking in public places and the fitting of airbags in cars.

The article ends: ‘These simple measures are taken for granted as tools for our public health and well-being. It’s time to turn our attention to sugar.’

However, other scientists have described the essay as ‘puritanical’, saying sugar is only toxic when eaten in unrealistic amounts.  

Barbara Gallani, of the Food and Drink Federation, which represents the UK food and drink industry, said that while urgent action was needed to beat heart and other diseases, it was wrong to focus on sugar alone. 

 She added: ‘The causes of these diseases are multi-factorial and demonising food components does not help consumers to build a realistic approach to their diet.

‘The key to good health is a balanced and varied diet in a lifestyle that includes plenty of physical activity.’

by Cassie Shortsleeve

Inhaling your food? Blame your fast-eating friend. New research published in the journal PLoS ONE shows that you match your dining partner’s eating pace—and even take bites at the same time as them.

Why? “We automatically mimic many aspects of the people with whom we interact, including their postures, gestures, mannerisms, and speech accents,” says Roel Hermans, lead researcher of the study.

But we also copycat to fit in, Hermans adds, because the way people eat can lead to negative judgments. Case in point: When men in a study were asked to rate women on how desirable they were as a friend or a potential romantic partner, the ones who ate small meals were rated higher than women who ate larger meals. Scarfing down food also leads to weight gain. Since it takes about 20 minutes for your body to register hunger, people tend to eat more when they eat faster. So if you’re with a friend who’s known to shove a burger down his throat, take a sip of water after every bite. It’ll prevent you from falling into his food groove, and the extra H₂O will help you feel fuller, faster.

By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES

Now is the PERFECT time to share this secret, a secret that some have known about for years.

And this secret is so POWERFUL that you will be surprised at how easy it is to include this into your daily plan.

I will give you a hint: it has to do with the type of food you eat.

More specifically, it has to do with the CARBOHYDRATES you eat.

Carbs have a bad reputation, but certain carbs could be the best food for reducing inflammation in your body.

And, it can stimulate your body to release a POWERFUL protein which will stimulate FAT BURNING.

But not just any carbs will do.

Let me explain…

Low Glycemic vs. High Glycemic

There are two types of carbohydrates: Low and High glycemic foods.

And both raise blood sugar and insulin levels.

However, low glycemic foods release sugar much slower release than high glycemic foods.

The reason: high glycemic foods consist of white flour and white sugar.

High glycemic foods lead to spikes in blood sugar and encourages FAT STORAGE.

When your body digests high glycemic foods, there is a sharp increase in your blood sugar.

This then leads to an rise in insulin to shuttle that sugar into your cells to be used as calories.

The problem: left over sugar tends to get stored as fat in your body.

Low glycemic foods take longer to digest.

This leads to a SLOWER release of sugar into your blood.

Which then prevents dangerous insulin spikes and could prevent some of that sugar being stored as fat.

Low glycemic foods tend to contain whole grains (or sprouted whole grains) and plenty of fiber.

The fiber content is the key to slowing digestion.

And slowing digestion could potentially prevent your fat cells from getting “sick”.

As a review, there are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble.

Soluble fiber mixes with water and creates a viscous gel in your stomach, which then wraps itself around food particles.

By wrapping around undigested food, the food then takes longer for stomach enzymes to reach the food and break it down.

This slows digestion and gastric emptying (the contents of your stomach entering into your intestines), which slows the absorption of nutrients.

And slowing absorption can lead to a slower release of sugar into your blood.

There are many reasons why a sudden rise in blood sugar can wreck your weight loss goals.

A sudden sugar rush,  increases insulin levels, possibly leading all that leftover sugar to be stored as fat.

But there is something even more important.

A sudden rise in blood sugar has the ability to increase inflammation in your body.

As a review, antioxidants are  recommended to quell the fires of inflammation.

And there are many ways to get more antioxidants into your diet- increasing your fruits and vegetable intake, or a potent Green Drink.

Antioxidants may possess the ability to stop free radical damage.  Damage from free radicals can increase inflammation in your body.

Inflammation, could lead to sickness and may decrease the secretion of potent hormones that regulate fat storage and your energy levels.

Your fat cells, especially, become sick which has the potential to reduce their function.

Being overweight causes your body to reduce the production of adiponectin, a protein released by your fat cells that has many different functions in your body.

It has been shown the more overweight or obese you are, the lower your levels of adiponectin could be.

But losing weight can cause adiponectin levels to increase, which in turn could cause your body to burn more fatty acids for energy.

And it even helps maintain proper glucose levels.

But, what does adiponectin and inflammation have to do with low glycemic foods?

I am glad you asked…

Interestingly enough, low glycemic foods could have the ability to increase adiponectin levels

And this could possibly help you maintain weight or even LOSE WEIGHT.

Plus, low glycemic foods have shown the ability to reduce inflammation levels.

Let me explain…

The Research

Researchers recruited 80 participants in an effort to see if low glycemic foods might alter adiposity and blood sugar levels.

And their results will SURPRISE you!

The 80 people they recruited were normal weight, overweight, or obese.

They were given 2 28-day diets, alternating low and high glycemic foods.

All diets were equal in calories and macronutrients, and the participants were instructed to maintain normal daily activities such as exercise and weight maintenance.

The researchers tested different components, but were mainly interested in C-reactive protein and adiponectin.

C-reactive protein is a marker for inflammation in your body.

They noticed in the group with high body fat mass, that the low glycemic foods lowered c-reactive protein and increased adiponectin levels.

They determined the quality of the carbohydrate, independent from the energy of the food, can improve inflammatory markers and increase adipokines (adiponectin) in overweight or obese individuals.

Quality of Food Products

Diabetics have known for years about the glycemic index, and how certain foods can cause devastating effects on blood sugar.

Now more than ever, a proper diet and exercise program can be used as a means to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.

Most people avoid carbohydrates because they are afraid of gaining extra weight.

Now, researchers are on to something.

First, you need to increase your intake of antioxidants from super foods, like Acai berry or including more fruits and vegetables into your daily routine.

The second way may be to increase your intake of low glycemic foods.

Antioxidants are powerful nutrients for reducing damage caused by free radicals, and this damage potentially can increase inflammation in your body.

Including the RIGHT amount of fruits and vegetables, though, may give you the right level of antioxidants that your body needs to stay healthy.

However, including and maintaining the right servings of fruits and veggies may become more of a task than a pleasure.

That is why it is important it to include a poweerful greens drink into your daily routine.