Atkins has long been a divisive and controversial diet. There have been studies supporting the diet, and others that don’t. The latest doesn’t.
Dr. Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, said that Atkins caused LDL (bad cholesterol) levels to rise by about 7 percent. The Ornish and South Beach diets had the opposite effect, causing LDL levels to lower by 7 – 10 percent.
While there have been varying results in previous studies, Miller claims his study is different because he designed it to see how people fared once they stopped losing weight on the given diet. Studies show that people usually lose weight rapidly on any diet if they follow it properly. It’s what people do after that is key.
“We don’t recommend the Atkins diet,” Miller said. “Why not start out with a diet that will be healthier for you in the long run after weight loss?”
Do you want to decrease your chances of getting heart disease? Don’t eat. Well, consider fasting once in a while.
In the 1970s, scientists found that Mormons had a smaller chance of dying from heart disease than the general population. This was accredited to the prohibition of smoking. But in a recent study, fasting seemed to play a role as well.
In the current study of 4,500 people, those who fasted were 39 percent less likely to be diagnosed with coronary artery disease than those who didn’t fast.
While 90 percent of the people in the Utah study were Mormons, the results applied the same to the other 10 percent. The study did not put any time frame on fasting, but one can probably assume that 24 hours was typical.
Fasting is definitely not for everyone, especially diabetics who need to monitor their blood sugar levels.
When you think of ways to prevent cancer, the first thing that comes to mind is probably not smoking. But, the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) says the link between body fat and cancer is something else you should consider.
It found convincing evidence of a fat link to six types of cancer, five more than in its previous report from 10 years ago.
The WCRF reviewed 7,000 studies on diet, exercise, weight and cancer. Among their finding was that processed meats (bacon, pastrami, etc.) increase the risk of colorectal cancer, and should be eaten sparingly.
They also found the link between red meat and colorectal cancer to be stronger than ever. People should not eat more than 500 grams of cooked red meat a week.
A further finding reaffirms evidence that alcohol can cause cancer. The study authors suggest limiting your intake to two units a day for men, and one for women. A unit is a half pint of beer or a small glass of wine.
These finding continue to support my philosophy of everything in moderation. If you totally deprive yourself, you’ll most likely end up miserable and resentful. Enjoying life doesn’t have to be a death sentence.
Too much TV means too little exercise for kids. And we all know that means our youngsters are heavier than they were in years past. But a new study says the boob tube could be responsible for higher blood pressure for kids, too.
Researchers at the University of California and University of South Alabama found that the critical time is four hours of daily TV viewing. That is, obese children who watched four or more hours of TV every day were three times more likely to have high blood pressure than children who watched less than two hours a day.
We usually associate high blood pressure with stressed adults. So, it’s not a surprise that it’s often undiagnosed in children. But if it goes undetected, high blood pressure can damage organs, specifically the kidneys.
Doctors recommend two hours or less of daily viewing for kids, which is very doable for parents to enforce.
We thought it was about time you found out a little about the people behind those bylines. Introducing the Diet Column contributors!
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