The Science of Weight Loss: New Proven Ways to Shed Pounds

A lot of research has gone into the best ways to lose weight and take care of your wellness, so why do you still feel in the dark about the whole thing? Some of the findings have been, to put it mildly, counter-intuitive, even suggesting completely new ways of dieting. So, if you’ve struggled to lose weight in the past – and, let’s face it, who hasn’t? – then have a go at some new methods, based on the latest research, that work with your body rather than against it.

 

1. Eat on alternate days: The problem with cutting calories on a daily basis is that you’re constantly hungry and miserable. However, you can still lose weight and protect your wellbeing against health concerns without being in a permanent state of semi-starvation. A few years ago, a study at the National Institute on Ageing in Baltimore revealed that giving rats very little food one day and allowing them to eat plenty the next showed virtually all the benefits of a permanent calorie restriction diet. According to Dr. James Johnson, who has set up a website with information on how to do it, the same goes for humans. In fact, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have just published the results of a ten-week trial on obese patients, which showed that those on the alternate-day diet lost ten pounds to two stone.

 

2. Turn the heating down: If you’ve been dieting for a while, you may remember a dieter’s dream that went by the name of brown fat. In mice, brown-fat tissue was shown to burn off excess energy to keep you warm – unlike the undesirable white stuff that stores excess energy as fat. Because researchers couldn’t find much brown fat in humans, it kind of fell out of the scene. However, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has put brown fat back on our radar by exposing people to cold temperatures. If you’re cold, your body makes more brown fat and your weight drops. Women kept at 22˚C used up 27 more grams of body fat a day than those at 27˚C – cool!

 

3. Check your testosterone levels: Sorry, this one’s just for the lads. Middle-aged men with a spreading middle area may be producing too much oestrogen. Both men and women produce testosterone and oestrogen – using the former to make the latter – and this is particularly significant for older men. The ageing process causes older men to make less testosterone, as well as turning more of it into oestrogen. This encourages your body to lay more fat around your middle area, which is the place of fat storage that is connected to a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease. Exercising can give you the energy and muscle you need to boost your testosterone and you can also get a prescription for testosterone supplements if your level has become very low. Drinking too much makes your liver less efficient at getting rid of the extra oestrogen, so you might want to consider cutting back at the pub.

 

4. Get more vitamin D: Whether you get out in the sun without sun block, eat more fortified foods or start taking supplements, vitamin D is a superstar for lowering your risk of heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatism, as well as your weight. In 2008, a University of Minnesota researcher conducted a small trial which showed that those with more vitamin D in their blood lost more weight. For every extra nanogram per millilitre (ng/ml) they lost an extra half-pound.

Categories: alternate days, body, brown, excess energy, heart disease, Lose weight, middle area, older men, Testosterone, Vitamin D, weight

What Could the Cold and Chilies Do For Weight Loss?

A new study suggests that we can now burn fat with the combination of cold temperatures and chili peppers, providing effective weight loss. Researchers have found that exposure to low temperatures and the consumption of the chemicals found in chili peppers can increase the number and activity of brown fat cells, which burn energy. The study is the first to prove that the activity of brown fat cells can be induced in people who appear to have very few or no brown fat cells. The participants in the study who were also exposed to the cold also had less ‘bad’ white fat cells by the end of the study. Brown fat cells are currently the subject of intense research as the focus of anti-obesity drugs. In this new study, researchers exposed eight people with few brown fat cells to moderately low temperatures of 63 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours every day for the course of six weeks. Compared to the control subjects, who simply led a normal life, these people had around five per cent less body fat at the end of the study. They also burned more energy when they were exposed to the cold.

The researchers also looked at people who ate capsinoids, which are found in chilies, for six weeks. They found that these people also burned more energy than the control group when they were exposed to the cold temperatures, but they didn’t lose any more white fat than the control group. The experiment couldn’t have continued for long enough to see if there were any white-fat-burning effects on the compounds. The results of this study also help to explain the results of a previous study, which found that people who ate capsinoids had increased levels of fat breakdown. It was previously thought that brown fat, also referred to as brown adipose tissue (BAT), was only ever present in babies. But three independent research groups in 2009 found that brown fat cells do exist in the upper chest and neck of some adults. There is also another type of BAT known as beige fat, which is a subset of brown fat but formed from white fat cells.

Brown fat cells induced by the cold and capsinoids are likely beige fat, because they don’t show up on scans that are used to detect concentrated regions of brown fat cells. The study offers some interesting results because it suggests that chemicals which induce brown fat could be used to fight obesity. They would probably work better at keeping healthy people from becoming fat, rather than working as a diet alternative. However, with a rising obesity crisis, this could offer promising future developments. Capsinoids seem to induce brown fat in the same way as cold temperatures, by capturing the same cellular system that the body’s nervous system uses to create heat in the body. Developers are looking to create a drugs that activates this system, but capsinoids themselves won’t be used as they are a natural product and can’t be patented. The sweet chili peppers that capsinoids come from don’t actually taste hote, but they do produce the same physiological effects, such as making us sweat. Weight loss products are always popular with today’s society, and pharmaceutical companies are hopeful that this study could offer some inspiration for a new product to achieve the same effects in pill form.

Categories: ate capsinoids, brown, cells, chili peppers, chilies, control group, induce brown, new study, people, study, Weight Loss

Five Forgotten Body Areas that Could be Ageing You

There are countless products, articles and tutorials for tips to anti-age our faces, but what about the rest of your body? It seems that there is more to anti-ageing than simply reducing the wrinkles around your eyes, and forgetting these overlooked areas could be adding years to your appearance without you even realise it. These areas include your hands, chest, arms, neck and legs. Think of where the sun hits your body – these areas very rarely get covered, particularly not in the summer, and they age just as quickly as your face when left exposed. UVA rays cause wrinkles, pigmentation, brown spots and broken blood vessels, all of which age you significantly. The best prevention of sun-induced ageing is to use an SPF every day and to cover up when the sun is high. There are other ways to improve your appearance though, from getting plenty of exercise to eating foods which are great for your skin. To start with, your neck is an area which can age you beyond your years if you don’t look after it. Many people extend their moisturising routine to their neck to ensure that the fragile skin in this area stays hydrated. There are treatments that can help reverse any damage as well. Radio-frequency treatments can help to firm up the delicate area on the neck – lasers such as Intense Pulsed Light can also be very effective in improving the colour and texture of the skin here.

 

Your chest can be exposed to the damaging effects of the sun every day without you ever really realising. Because the skin here is thin, it can age very quickly. You can prevent any further damage by applying sunscreen every day, and using fillers to reduce the appearance of deep creases. Lasers that are recommended on the neck will also work here, or you may prefer to use radio-frequency tightening. Your hands are a quick giveaway to your age, so keep yours smooth and supple for as long as you can. When it comes to reversing the damage on your hands, fillers such as hyaluronic acids can work wonders on wrinkles and lines. Laser treatments can reduce the appearance of brown spots  and there are plumping treatments available too – speak to your dermatologist about which is right for your needs.

Your arms are an area that most people don’t think to worry about when it comes to ageing. However, they can add years on if you’re not careful. They are a magnet for brown spots and skin damage because they are exposed to the sun all day. You may want to try retinoids to thicken the skin and build up collagen, and laser therapy can be effective in treating brown spots and damage to the skin here. If you want to tighten up the loose upper arm skin which can develop as you age, then radio-frequency treatments may be useful to you. A firming body lotion can be quite effective in the meantime though, and will also keep your skin hydrated and soft. Your legs are in a similar position to your arms, in that they can catch the sun more often than you think. Cellulite can also develop as you age, which can lead to an unsightly appearance. Try radio-frequency treatments to firm up the skin here and rid your legs of cellulite. If you have varicose veins, sclerotherapy or laser therapy can fade them. Use a moisturising lotion regularly in the meantime to keep the skin supple and smooth.

Categories: ageing, appearance, Body image, brown, brown spots, frequency treatments, laser therapy, Neck, radio frequency, skin, skin care, Treatments

The Weight Loss Myths: Separating the Fads from the Facts

Weight loss gets so confusing that sometimes you just feel like giving up. There are so many new rules and discoveries that you have no idea which are steeped in research, and which are more fad than fact. Let’s take a look at some of the things that confuse you about weight loss:

 

1. Water weight: It’s true that speedy weight loss is mainly water weight. The number on the scale measures more than just your body fat and muscle, it also accounts for your bones, organs, bodily fluids, waste inside your digestive you’re yet to eliminate and glycogen (back-up carbohydrate fuel, which is stored with water). Although the last three on that list will always fluctuate, they can drastically shift when you change your diet. It’s far more difficult to shift fat. Still, while it’s easy to get caught up in the numbers, this won’t do your wellbeing any favours. You should go by how you feel and how your body looks as, after all, that’s more important than a number on a scale. A lean, toned, hydrated and well-nourished body – which is vital to your wellness – will weight more than one that’s thin but flabby, undernourished, and dehydrated. Focus on a long-term strategy that allows you to safely and sanely lose fat.

 

2. Brown vs. white fat: You may have seen in the news recently that brown fat is the supposed saviour of the obese. While there is certainly intriguing research into how brown fat may help fight obesity, there are still many unanswered questions. Still, wellness experts know there are two types of fat in your body; white fat and brown fat, which is richer in blood and calorie-burning mitochondria. Up until now, it was thought that your brown fat diminishes with age, but researchers have recently revealed that adults still have brown fat, albeit some more than others. If you have an extra three ounces of the fat, you can burn hundreds of calories more a day, which may explain those annoying friends you have who seem to stay slim without trying. However, there’s no way to determine how much brown fat you have or how white fat gets converted to brown.

 

3. Negative calorie foods: Odds are that someone has told you celery or carrot sticks are worth “negative calories” because they trigger your body to burn more calories than the foods themselves contain. Or you might have heard that metabolism-revers like hot peppers and green tea do the same job in a different way. While there is a nugget of truth in this, don’t think you’re going to drop three dress sizes just because you’re munching on a few jalapenos. Most of these foods might drag the calorie count down a bit, but they won’t quite tip it into the read. Including a few of these foods as part of your weight loss plan can help things along, but negative calories foods as a sole weight loss strategy just doesn’t pan out.

 

4. Set point: The theory goes that your body has a certain “set point” determined by your genes – thanks Mum and Dad – which means it will fight to stay at this comfortable weight, either by releasing hunger hormones to make you add on pounds, or anti-hunger hormones so you shed them. Although research shows a clear genetic aspect to your waistline, the set point theory is at odds with our current obesity epidemic. Plus, a larger component to your weight is due to environmental factors; if there’s a chocolate bar on your desk, you’re more likely to eat it than if it’s hidden in your bag.

Categories: body, brown, brown fat, hunger hormones, loss, Negative Calories, set point, Water Weight, weight, Weight Loss