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ScienceDaily (June 25, 2012) Dieters have less hunger and cravings throughout the day and are better able to keep off lost weight if they eat a carbohydrate-rich, protein-packed breakfast that includes dessert. These findings come from a new study that was presented June 25 at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

"The goal of a weight loss diet should be not only weight reduction but also reduction of hunger and cravings, thus helping prevent weight regain," said Daniela Jakubowicz, MD, the study's principal investigator.

Jakubowicz, a senior physician at Tel Aviv University's Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Israel, and her co-authors studied nearly 200 nondiabetic obese adults who were randomly assigned to eat one of two low-calorie diets. Both diets had the same number of daily calories -- about 1,600 for men and 1,400 for women -- but differed mainly in the composition of breakfast.

One group received a low-carbohydrate diet, featuring a 304-calorie breakfast with only 10 grams of carbohydrates, or "carbs." The other group ate a 600-calorie breakfast with 60 grams of carbs, which included a small sweet, such as chocolate, a doughnut, a cookie or cake. Both diets contained protein (such as tuna, egg whites, cheese and low-fat milk) at breakfast, but the "dessert with breakfast diet" had 45 grams of protein, 15 grams more than in the low-carb diet.

Halfway through the eight-month study, participants in both groups lost an average of 33 pounds (15.1 kilograms, or kg) per person, which Jakubowicz said shows that "both diets work the same." However, in the last four months of the study, the low-carb group regained an average of 22 pounds (11.6 kg) per person, while participants who ate the dessert with breakfast diet lost another 15 pounds (6.9 kg) each, the authors reported.

In addition, the study subjects who ate the dessert with breakfast diet reported feeling less hunger and fewer cravings compared with the other group. Subjects' food diaries showed that the dessert with breakfast group had better compliance in sticking to their calorie requirements. Women who ate the dessert with breakfast diet were allowed 500 calories for lunch and about 300 calories for dinner. Men in that group could eat a 600-calorie lunch and up to 464 calories at dinner.

As further evidence supporting the dessert with breakfast diet, the levels of ghrelin, the so-called "hunger hormone," dropped much more after breakfast than in the low-carb group: 45.2 percent versus 29.5 percent, respectively, according to the abstract.

Jakubowicz attributed the better results from the dessert with breakfast diet to meal timing and composition. She said the diet's high protein content reduced hunger; the combination of protein and carbs increased satiety, or feeling full; and the dessert decreased cravings for sweet, starchy and fatty foods. Such cravings often occur when a diet restricts sweets and can result in eating many fattening foods that are not allowed on the diet, she said.

This study was published in the March issue of the journal Steroids.

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'Dessert with breakfast diet' helps avoid weight regain by reducing cravings

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire -06/25/12)- Smart Lunches (www.smartlunches.com), the Boston-based online solution that brings nutrition to kids and convenience to their parents -- while ensuring that schools, daycare centers and summer camps provide healthy lunches to their students and campers -- announced two new additions to its team of advisors.

Barbara Lynch, a James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur, and Debi Kleiman, President of the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX), join Smart Lunches at a time when the company and its business model are gaining tremendous momentum and acceptance. Since its launch in September of 2011, the company has added an impressive roster of 35 forward-thinking schools, daycare centers and summer camps, resulting in a tripling of the volume of lunches provided in the past two months alone.

Lynch, Founder and CEO of Barbara Lynch Gruppo which includes such acclaimed Boston eateries as No. 9 Park, B&G Oysters, The Butcher Shop, Sportello and Menton, brings her expertise in food and nutrition to advise the company. She will work closely with Smart Lunches' on-staff nutritionist. "I'm excited about helping Smart Lunches creatively serve an unmet need with well-balanced, kid-friendly lunches made with fresh fruits and vegetables and other minimally processed ingredients," said Lynch. "Smart Lunches is already highly rated by children and parents alike -- but the Company's management is determined to do even more, and I'm thrilled to be a part of a team that will clearly be proactive about setting new standards on children's everyday diets."

Debi Kleiman, President of MITX, brings deep experience in digital marketing and consumer brands. Previously, Kleiman was VP, Product Marketing & Sales Operations at Communispace. Before that, she held marketing management positions at Oral-B (a division of Procter & Gamble), Welch's and the Coca-Cola Company. Said Kleiman: "By combining today's innovation in ecommerce with entrepreneurship, Smart Lunches has found the most convenient way for parents to give their kids the lunches they'd like them to have. As a mom myself, I know that parents are busy and our kids want to eat good stuff for lunch. There just aren't a lot of options that can help on both fronts. But meals from Smart Lunches fit right in, and I'm eager to have the chance to help get the word out."

"Barbara and Debi joining as advisors has added excitement to the atmosphere at our new headquarters in downtown Boston. Their enthusiasm and knowledge of today's food ecosystem and their skill at building great brands will be invaluable assets," said CEO Emily Green. "Based on feedback from kids, parents and schools, we're continuing to raise the bar on providing appetizing, nutritious meals. Our summer menu has parents across the state thrilled to get a break from packing their campers' lunch every day. Adding Barbara and Debi to our team will help us achieve our goal of having 50 Boston-area partners by Fall."

About Smart Lunches: Smart Lunches' online ordering and meal delivery service brings nutrition and convenience to parents and kids, while making life easier for schools, daycare centers and camps.

Smart Lunches is located in Boston, Massachusetts and is a proud member of 12 x 12 (www.twelvebytwelve.org), which brings together leading entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and business service providers committed to accelerate promising new businesses in Massachusetts. The company gives back by sharing a portion of its earnings with its partners and by contributing to other programs to support underprivileged children -- proving great businesses can do great things while having a higher purpose.

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Smart Lunches Adds Barbara Lynch and Debi Kleiman as Advisors to Enhance Category Leadership and Support Growth

Public release date: 19-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology

Human Insulin Suppresses Mosquito Immune System: Increasing Cases of Type II Diabetes Could Abet Malaria's Spread

Human insulin suppresses the mosquito immune system, according to a paper in the June Infection and Immunity. And while mosquitoes and malaria might seem to go together like baseball and hotdogs, mosquitoes' immunological resistance to the malaria parasite actually slows its spread among H. sapiens.

"A fair portion actually fight off the infection," says first author Nazzy Pakpour of the University of California, Davis.

But now the rate of type 2 diabetes is climbing in Africa as in most of the rest of the world, to the point where by 2030, one in five adults there are predicted to be so-afflicted. More diabetes means more hyperinsulinemiamore human insulin to inhibit mosquitoes' immune response to Plasmodium falciparum, thus aiding and abetting transmission of this dread disease.

As horrific as the medical consequences of all this might be, the science is intriguing. "It's crazy to think something in our blood could change how mosquitoes respond to parasites," says Pakpour.

In earlier work, Pakpour and collaborators showed that ingested human insulin activates the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway in Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes, making them more vulnerable to invasion by P. falciparum. The new study showed that insulin signaling reduced expression of certain mosquito immunity genes that are under the same regulatory control, and that human insulin suppressed mosquito immunity by activating the so-called PI3K signaling pathway, and that artificially inhibiting that pathway could reverse the immunosuppressive effects of human insulin.

(N. Pakpour, V. Corby-Harris, G.P. Green, H.M. Smithers, K.W. Cheung, M.A.Riehle, and S. Luckhart, 2012. Ingested human insulin inhibits the mosquito NF-KAPPAB-dependent immune response to Plasmodium falciparum. Infect. Immun. 80:2141-2149.)

Download the journal article at http://bit.ly/asm061912a

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Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology

WHAT WORKS FOR YOU? Different kinds of diets work for different kinds of people. For Dr. Davis' patients, it's getting rid of wheat. Screen grab from YouTube

MANILA, Philippines - Its one thing to posit that organic lechon (roasted pig) may in fact be healthier than transfat-logged fastfood meals.

Its quite another to be advocating an ample amount of meat in ones diet.

The hypothesis is more than enough to raise a few people's eyebrows in curiosity, and yet is easily dismissed due to age-old correlations between meat, cholesterol and heart disease.

Yet this is exactly what a new wave of nutritionists are doing. The startling thing about it: the way these nutritionists champion eating food that has traditionally been deemed unhealthy.

They also fight against what people have considered to be a staple in many countries around the world: grains, whether they come in the form of steaming hot rice or the breakfast pan de sal (bread of salt).

Cardiologist Dr. William Davis is quick to suggest the elimination of wheat in his patients diets whenever they have an unexplainable ailment. He narrates in his best-selling book Wheat Belly how his patients quickly lost much of their unhealthy weight, effectively cured their diabetes, regained energy and even slowed down their aging process by doing so. A myriad of glowing testimonials are also included in the book; theyre almost too good to be true.

He suggests that much of the United States obesity problems started when the countrys Food and Drug Administration began to advocate wheat products.

Dr. Davis noticed a pattern among his patients who consciously tried to live healthy lifestyles with proper diet and exercise. Most will say, I dont get it. I exercise five days a week. Ive cut my fat and increased my healthy whole grains. Yet I cant seem to stop gaining weight, Davis writes.

He cites many reasons as to why wheat is a culprit of poor health: the wheat we eat today is not the wheat that our grandparents used to consume (thanks to rampant and uncontrolled cross-breeding); high glycemic indices in wheat products that raise blood sugar more than table sugar or a bar of Snickers; wheats addictive properties that cause overeating, and more.

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Eating like a caveman

The OMG diet is a global phenomenon. The book that promises to help you drop 20lb in just six weeks has outsold the Dukan Diet. Written by personal trainer Paul Khanna (under the pen name Venice A. Fulton) and inspired by TV show The Only Way Is Essex, Six Weeks To OMG: Get Skinnier Than All Your Friends has been dismissed by many doctors as gimmicky at best, and dangerous at worst. The advice, which includes skipping breakfast and going easy on the broccoli, might be bizarre, but it has sold 120,000 copies. Most bizarre of all, it has some scientific basis. MARIANNE POWER and ALICE SMELLIE spoke to experts and found what to do and what to ditch.

PUBLISHED: 16:23 EST, 16 June 2012 | UPDATED: 07:20 EST, 17 June 2012

The only way is skinny: The perpetually slimming TOWIE girls Billie Faiers, Lauren Goodger and Lydia Bright bestelling OMG diet, which makes a number of bizarre claims as to how to shed the pounds

THE CLAIM The books title is inspired by the stars of The Only Way Is Essex and their obsession with competitive dieting. Author Venice A. Fulton urges readers to be skinnier than all your friends.

THE SCIENCE A British study of 2,000 women aged 18 to 45 found that 54 per cent said the first thing they noticed about another woman was her weight and they then compared themselves with her. So playing on this competitive aspect is clever of Fulton. A US study in 2011 said our food choices are affected by our friends and if we hang out with skinny women, we are more likely to be slim too.

EXPERT SAYS Six Weeks To OMG is a catchy slogan that attracts the Facebook generation, says Donovan Pyle, cognitive behavioural therapist at The Insight Network. The quirky advice has a novelty factor and the six weeks angle appeals to our love of a quick fix. The competition of Get Skinnier than all your friends can be motivating but Id hate to think the book encourages girls to focus on being skinny rather than healthy.

VERDICT DITCH IT

THE CLAIM No carbs before Marbs, as they say in TOWIE. Fulton claims that if you want to be slim, you must aim for no more than 120 grams of carbohydrate a day. It makes no difference if you get all of your carbs from cans of coke or plates of broccoli, says the book.

THE SCIENCE Despite the sensational comparison of broccoli to Coke, Fulton is not saying broccoli is bad just that we need to limit our carbohydrate intake and make every meal half-protein if we want to stay slim. A 2008 study involving more than 1,000 overweight adults found those on high protein and low glycaemic index (slow-burning carbs) diets had more successful maintenance of weight loss than those on low-fat, low-calorie diets. Another study in Seattle showed an increase in protein resulted in rapid loss of weight and body fat.

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OMG diet: Controversial new slimming book inspired by TOWIE might just work

As mounting evidence leads to the tart truth that sugar is a toxic substance and fueling America's biggest health problems, more medical experts are going sugar-free, and more policymakers are seeking ways to clamp down on its consumption.

Next week in Chicago, delegates to the American Medical Association a group that creates much of the country's medical advice will vote on whether taxing sugar-sweetened beverages would be an effective way to reduce their consumption.

Such news is bittersweet: bitter because Americans love their sugar. Sweet because just one dietary change eliminating added sugars could reverse America's deadliest and costliest ills, including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and many cancers, experts say.

The United States now spends three out of every four health-care dollars treating these diseases, according to the authors of a recent article in Nature, which said that because of sugar's potential for abuse coupled with its toxicity and pervasiveness in the Western diet it should be controlled like alcohol and tobacco.

"I agree with all of it," saidDr. PhilWood, a scientist at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in Lake Nona, where he's a professor of metabolic disease. "All these diseases could be largely avoided or prevented if Americans consumed less sugar."

Wood, 55, got serious about kicking his sugar habit 10 years ago. He hasn't had a soft drink since. "I'm disgusted by the whole industry."

Four years ago, his frustration with the food industry's unwillingness to cut sugar in its products led him to walk away from his role as a paid consultant for a large cereal company.

"The company executives refused to listen to my advice," Wood said. "They tried to gloss over the harmful effects of sugar. The food industry is in denial because it will cost them to change their ways."

The association between America's sugar habit and its skyrocketing rate of metabolic diseases already has caught the attention of policymakers.

Last month, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg touted a plan to ban supersized soft drinks in restaurants and movie theaters, citing the sugary drinks' ill effects on health and wallets.

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Suicide by sugar? Sweet tooth is killing us, many doctors say

Lack of time to exercise, an increase in the number of takeaways and endless sleepless nights are to blame

By Daniel Miller

PUBLISHED: 23:35 EST, 14 June 2012 | UPDATED: 23:35 EST, 14 June 2012

British men are putting on an average of one and a half stone after having a child, recent research has found

Experts believe a lack of time to exercise, an increase in the number of takeaways and endless sleepless nights are to blame for the growing problem.

Paul Keenan, of Benenden Healthcare which carried out the study in conjunction with the Mens Health Forum, said: 'The modern lifestyle is a hectic one and this study clearly shows the impact this is having on fatherhood.

Big change: The average British father puts on more than one and a half stone after having a child

'As we approach Fathers Day, we discover that the modern dads health is suffering under the strain from diverging pressures such as work and family life.

'As a result, dads are taking shortcuts with their diets - leading to increased weight, a more sedentary lifestyle and eventually running the risk of health scares.

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Dad's got a baby bump: British men put on one and a half stone after having a child

PLYMOUTH, England, June 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

June 15th 2012 represents a ground-breaking date in the history of diabetes research. After twelve years the EarlyBird project has made significant advances in understanding what triggers diabetes and cardio-vascular disease and the means to determine how advanced these conditions are. The Earlybird research has worryingly shown just how early in life the underlying symptoms of diabetes start, and how focus must move to early prevention through diet not simply physical activity, despite the current focus of government policy.

The EarlyBirds, a randomly selected group of 300 healthy children, have undergone an intensive series of measurements and tests from the age of five to seventeen. Since 2000, the Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, Terence Wilkin has been leading the 'EarlyBird study' to find which factors in childhood cause diabetes in later life.

The project aim is to help parents, teachers and decision makers in government to understand the preventable factors in childhood that are responsible for the current epidemics of diabetes and heart disease. This radical medical research will provide evidence to help academics identify the causes of diabetes.

The EarlyBird study has been distinctive in combining objective measures of physical activity and body composition, with annual fasting blood samples. These measures reach beyond simple body composition (BMI and body fat) to metabolic health (glucose control, insulin sensitivity, blood fats, cholesterol, blood pressure).

Critical to the success of the programme has been the funding of Dr Chai Patel, his Bright Future Trust and the Patel family who will have donated over 1million by the time the study is completed September 2013.

Dr Chai Patel, said:

"EarlyBird has developed and harnessed critical new advances in medical science in order to challenge some of the misconceptions surrounding diabetes, and its causes, and will undoubtedly lead to better medical practices being implemented to tackle the root cause of diabetes-onset.

"We are all incredibly grateful to the volunteers who have shown commitment, motivation and maturity which has been truly remarkable and would daunt most adults.

"I am proud to have been associated with a project that has massive potential to change lives across the world."

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Ground-breaking Research Reveals Government Must Focus on Healthy Children's Diets to Prevent Diabetes

FRESNO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

A Pennsylvania State University study published online this month in Hypertension, an American Heart Association Journal, reveals that including pistachios in a healthy diet may positively reduce the bodys response to the stresses of everyday life.

Adults with elevated cholesterol were enrolled in a randomized, controlled clinical trial comparing diets containing pistachios to a low fat diet. The results show that a healthy diet supplemented with pistachios helps decrease systolic blood pressure, peripheral vascular resistance and heart rate during acute stress. Cardiovascular responses were measured while participants engaged in a challenging mental arithmetic test and again as they immersed their foot in cold water.

The study conducted at Pennsylvania State University by Drs. Sheila G. West and Penny M. Kris-Etherton and colleagues examined how diets containing pistachios (one-and-a-half and three ounces per day) versus a low-fat diet without pistachios, affect responses to stress on subjects with elevated LDL cholesterol, but normal blood pressure. This study is the first to show that including both salted and unsalted pistachios in a healthy diet helps reduce blood pressure and lessen the vascular load on the heart.

The people in the study were healthy, non-smoking men and women with elevated LDL cholesterol (commonly regarded as bad cholesterol) but normal blood pressure. All of the meals were provided and calorie levels were customized to maintain body weight. Pistachios were substituted for other foods in the diet to prevent weight gain. Participants followed three different diets one low fat diet (25% fat ) without pistachios, and two with different levels of pistachios (approximately 1.5 oz or 10% of calories from pistachios and 3.0 oz or (20% of calories from pistachios). The pistachio diets contained higher amounts of potassium, healthy fats and protein. All diets were rich in fruit, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains, consistent with current food-based dietary recommendations. Participant demographics and the diet design have been published previously.2

Daily events, such as work stress, a tight deadline, or public speaking can increase blood pressure, and we know that we cant avoid all of the stressors in our lives. These results are significant because they show that physiological responses to stress are affected by the foods we eat, stated Sheila West, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health and the studys lead author. Dr. West continues, These changes in blood pressure occurred even though self-reported mood, anxiety, and tension were not changed.

The largest drop in blood pressure, - 4.8 mm Hg, was associated with eating about one-and-a-half ounces of pistachios a day versus a -1.8 mm Hg on the low-fat diet and, -2.4 mm Hg, three ounces of pistachios per day. The diet containing three ounces of pistachios resulted in a significant decrease in peripheral vascular resistance, a measure of artery stiffness and heart rate versus the control diet. Fifty percent of the pistachios were given salted as a snack and the other half were unsalted and incorporated into recipes. Interestingly, although high sodium intake is typically associated with high blood pressure, the largest drop in in blood pressure was not associated with the lowest sodium diet. Pistachios do provide potassium (8% Daily Value) and magnesium (8% Daily Value) which are important in maintaining a healthy blood pressure.

In addition, these results are very exciting because they demonstrate further benefits of pistachios on another risk factor for cardiovascular disease, added Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., R.D., Distinguished Professor of Nutrition, and a lead researcher for the study. Dr. Kris-Etherton adds, Our previous research suggests including pistachios in a healthy diet lowers LDL cholesterol in a dose-response fashion2 and increases antioxidants in the blood.3

This research adds to the growing body of literature on the health benefits of pistachios, added Constance J. Geiger, Ph.D., R.D. who serves as a nutrition research consultant with the American Pistachio Growers. Dr. Geiger continues, Nuts, such as pistachios, are an important part of a healthy diet.

For more information and to read the full study, go to hyper.ahajournals.org.1

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Pistachios Shown to Help Reduce Blood Pressure and Biological Responses to Everyday Stress

Dear Dr. Gerhart: I ordered a weight-loss drink mix that is organic, but it says I need to consult my doctor first. How do I know if this diet will work and if it's safe? Do I really need to see a doctor?

Dear Reader: Most over-the-counter health products and pharmaceuticals have package warnings asking you to contact your physician prior to use. The same warning is given for exercise programs and dietary supplements. This is because some diet and exercise plans can be harmful to certain people.

Often, a second warning will be listed on the packaging, stating, "These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA." In other words, they are not subject to the same rigorous Food and Drug Administration testing that most of our prescription medications are. This means the items may vary in quality and efficacy from product to product, and even from bottle to bottle, despite what the ingredients say.

To determine if a product is safe for you to try and if it may work, I suggest you do call your physician. You may not need an actual appointment. If you have an established relationship with your provider, then he or she likely can discuss your weight-loss reasons and goals over the phone and may be able to determine if a given diet is safe for you.

The key words here are "for you." Diets are not one-size-fits-all. And just as some may not be effective for you, there likely are some that are not safe for you, either.

For example, if you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure, a high-protein, high-fat diet likely isn't for you. Such individuals may want to research the Mediterranean Diet, which might be a better alternative.

Another example of an unsafe diet is the HCG diet. HCG is a hormone produced in pregnancy, which is now being used as pills or drops for weight loss. Be sure it's not in your drink mix. Not only is it unsafe, but it actually is illegal as a weight-loss supplement, according to a January 2012 FDA report.

Based on the description of your product, I would ask you to check the label of the drink mix to see if there is protein (like soy or whey protein) in it. Lean protein will help you curb your hunger, and is part of a balanced diet along with fruit, vegetables, dairy and nuts.

Since you say the product is organic, you may be less subjected to the artificial flavors and sweeteners of many other meal replacements. However, again, unless it says it is "certified USDA organic," you can't be sure any claims or advertising are true.

Finally, the reason many of these meal-replacement plans work is simply calorie restriction and convenience. You don't need to think about counting calories because they are "pre-packaged."

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Dr. Jacqueline Gerhart: Physician can tell you what's best 'for you'

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