A new study from the Tel Aviv University found that eating dessert with breakfast may keep you from craving sweets later in the day. Many studies have shown the importance of eating breakfast for good metabolic function, in addition to showing that a bigger morning meal aids in weight loss. How can starting your day with chocolate or cake possibly help you reach your weight loss goals?

Researchers Prof. Daniela Jakubowicz, Dr. Julio Wainstein and Dr. Mona Boaz argue that cutting sweets entirely out of one’s diet makes it much harder for people to stick to their diet plans. However, the timing of your indigence is also important. The morning is the best time to eat a high-calorie meal, because it helps the body regulate the hunger hormone ghrelin. Gherlin levels always rise before meals, but they will rise less after eating a balanced breakfast.

The researchers, however, aren’t saying that you should abandon calorie counting. The 32-week study placed obese participants on calorie-controlled diets, with 1600 calories for men and 1400 calories for women. The subjects were then divided into two groups. One group of participants was placed on a low-carb diet that ate a 300 calorie breakfast. The other group was given a 600 calorie breakfast that was high in protein and carbohydrates, and also included a dessert item such as chocolate, cake or cookies.

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The pharmaceutical company Orexigen Therapeutics reached an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a heart-safety trial of the obesity drug Contrave. Regulatory officials worry that the previously rejected experimental drug may increase cardiovascular risks, which the placebo-controlled trial has been designed to measure.

The trial will enroll 10,000 patients and will study the long-term affects of Contrave on the heart. The trial has been designed under a “special protocol assessment” from the FDA, which indicates that the agency approves of that trial. If the trials succeed in showing that there in no increased danger of cardiovascular events associated with the diet drug, it is expected that Contrave will be approved. Orexigen has partnered with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. to help develop the drug for the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

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Many of us are bashing Paula Deen for her diet choices, raking Mitt Romney over the coals for acting like every other politician, or clamoring over reasons why Jillian Michaels decided to leave The Doctors. You might be shaking your head if you are one of the rare Americans who doesn’t really care who has diabetes, or who lied to the media, or who is keeping their personal decisions private. But, according to scientists from the University of California in Berkeley, gossip may be good for our health.

Gossip is defined as idle talk or rumor about the personal or private affairs of others. Gossip is also referred to as tattling or reporting someone who was caught in the act of doing something wrong. Often times we tell ourselves to leave it be, because our grandmother told us that if we don’t have anything nice to say about others we should just not say anything at all.

The scientists of UC Berkeley set up several trials with volunteers to test the mental and physical effects of gossiping. Subjects were asked to watch two people playing a game, one of which who cheated. Subjects then had the decision to either let the next player know he or she was going to be playing with a cheater, or just let it pass. Results indicated that voicing the incidence of wrongdoings by others actually made them feel better by lowering their heart rates and calming their anxiety about the matter.

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We should all have some kind of understanding by now that physical activity helps reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease in men and women. Leading a sedentary lifestyle is not healthy, and aside from putting you at risk for heart disease, sitting still all day can lead to other undesirable issues such as weight gain, stiff muscles, poor posture and low back pain. Many people heed this warning and hit the gym after work, but according to a new study, they are missing the point entirely.

In a study published in the European Heart Journal, physical activity was monitored in over 29,000 people in 52 countries both at work and during leisure time. Those who participated in light or moderate activity at work had up to 22% lower risk of heart disease compared with those whose jobs involve sitting at a desk in front of a computer.

Weekend fitness warriors and those who log a couple hours a week on the treadmill are chipping away at their risk of cardiovascular disease because all exercise lowers risk, but in order to get the maximum benefits, a lifestyle of frequent activity is recommended. Your good intentions at the gym are not going to cut it if your daily life involves sitting at your office desk all day.

If changing careers is not part of your 2012 agenda, at least make it a point to move your body more often while at work.

The following are some helpful tips to keep your heart healthy.
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In a recent study performed by Duke University on the artificial sweetener Splenda, research suggests that the sweetener causes adverse reactions to intestinal functions in rats.

Over a 12 week period, rats were given approved doses of Splenda, which is comprised of the high-potency artificial sweetener sucralose. Their fecal samples were collected weekly and tested for any changes. Test results showed several adverse reactions including:

• the amount of good bacteria in the intestines was reduced
• the pH level in the intestines increased
• the sweetener interfered with the absorption of certain medications

The study went on to show that Splenda alters the gut microflora. This is significant because “gut microorganisms refer to beneficial bacteria that live (are alive!) in the intestines,” says our resident registered dietitian Mary Hartley, RD, MPH.

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