(Best Syndication News) - Reducing sugar intake may slightly lower body weight, according to a new study,. The researchers found sugar intake reductions helped reduce body weight by an average of 1.76 pounds. The study results were published online at bmj.com.

Previous research suggested that an excessive intake of sugar is related to obesity. One common finding: people who drank sugar-sweetened beverages were at an increased risk for becoming obese. However, the authors noted that some studies could not establish a significant link between sugared beverages and obesity.

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Original post by Marsha Quinn

(Best Syndication News) - Researchers found that people who drank sweetened beverages had an increased risk for depression. The risk was especially elevated with those who drank diet drinks. However, people who drank coffee had a slightly reduced risk for depression. The study results will be shared at the American Academy of Neurology’s 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, which is scheduled to be held March 16-23, 2013.

The study author, Honglei Chen, MD, PhD, a member of the American Academy of Neurology, along with the National Institutes of Health in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, explained that drinking sweetened beverages versus coffee and tea might affect mental health in addition to physical health.

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Original post by Marsha Quinn

(Best Syndication News) - With the New Year comes a list of resolutions or goals that people want to achieve during the coming year. One of the top goals is to lose weight and to get physically fit. To help get on the right track, there are many weight loss programs and books available. Many of the weight loss programs cost money, but there are some free ones available.

Some of the trends in weight loss are counting and tracking the calories you eat, focusing on eating nutritionally dense foods, keeping physically active, and staying away from processed foods. Here are some of the weight loss tools that are interesting in 2013.

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Original post by Marsha Quinn

(Best Syndication News) - Women who had deficient levels of vitamin D early on during their pregnancy were at an increased risk for having a baby with a lower birth weight. The study results will be reported in the January print edition and online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and was conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburg Graduate School Of Public Health. Lead author, Alison Gernand, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D., post-doctoral associate in Pitt Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology, explained that being deficient in vitamin D during the first trimester put the fetus at twice the risk of restricted growth during the pregnancy.

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Original post by Marsha Quinn

(Best Syndication News) - Researchers found that overweight type-2 diabetes patients increased their chances of partial and complete remission with intensive lifestyle intervention. The results, which showed modest remission rates, were reported in the December 19, 2012 issue of JAMA.

Many people diagnosed with type-2 diabetes wonder if the disease is reversible. Diabetes is thought of as a disease that is progressive that will eventually lead to vascular and neuropathic damage. Other studies involving bariatric surgery on type 2 diabetes patients suggested that some cases could be resolved. There were no studies on the rate of remission with lifestyle modifications alone. This prompted Edward W. Gregg, Ph.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and his colleagues to investigate.

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Original post by Marsha Quinn

(Best Syndication News) - Duke researchers found aerobic exercise offered optimum fat burning and weight loss compared to weight lifting (resistance training), or a combination of the two exercises. The study results were reported in the December 15, 2012 issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology.

To investigate, researchers conducted a randomized trial with 234 overweight and obese adults. The participants were randomly assigned to a resistance group, an aerobic group, or a combination of resistance and aerobic exercise group.

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Original post by Marsha Quinn

(Best Syndication News) - People lost an average of 15 pounds when they used a mobile phone app to track calories and physical activity during a study conducted by researchers from Northwestern University. The study results were published in the online first edition of the December 10, 2012 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The researchers point out that the mobile app was only partly responsible for the weight loss; the participants also attended regular classes that educated them about proper nutrition and exercise. The study also found that the people participating in the study were able to keep the weight off for more than one year.

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Original post by Marsha Quinn

(Best Syndication News) - Dunkin’ Donuts is reminding consumers that they have brought back their holiday flavored coffees. New this year is Gingerbread Cookie flavor. Other seasonal blends are Pumpkin Spice and Mocha Mint. The coffee comes in festive packaging, which is meant to be an easy-to-give stocking stuffer, hostess gift, or holiday treat to brew at home. Dunkin’ Donuts also has special limited-time holiday flavors that are ready-to-drink at their store locations.

Dunkin Brands Group Inc (NASDAQ:DNKN) will offer these holiday flavored coffees for a limited time. In Spring/Summer, the company will have different seasonal flavored coffees available for consumers to enjoy.

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Original post by Nancy Connors

(Best Syndication News) - Using a rate model, researchers investigated breast tumor growth associated with menopause, obesity and overeating. The rat model demonstrated the potential increased risk for breast-cancer tumor growth and progression with post-menopausal women who are obese and overeat. The results were published in the American Association for Cancer Research journal, Cancer Research.

Paul S. MacLean, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center in Aurora, Colorado explained that obese post-menopausal women are at an increased risk for developing breast cancer and for having less desirable clinical outcomes.

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Original post by Marsha Quinn

(Best Syndication News) - Researchers from the University of East Anglia found that reducing the amount of fat in a person’s diet could help them lose around three-and-one-half pounds without reducing their food intake. In addition to slimming down, the participants had shown reductions in their “bad” LDL cholesterol levels. The study trial results were published in the British Medical Journal.

The weight loss occurred when the person was picking low-fat foods. The report was commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG) Subgroup on Diet and Health to determine if their recommendations for total fat intake were up-to-date.

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Original post by Marsha Quinn