Cause of High Cholesterol Discovered

Canadian scientists have discovered that a protein called resistin, secreted by fat tissue, causes high levels of "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein or LDL), increasing the risk of heart disease.

The research, presented October 28 at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, proves that resistin increases the production of LDL in human liver cells and also degrades LDL receptors in the liver. As a result, the liver is less able to clear "bad" cholesterol from the body. Resistin accelerates the accumulation of LDL in arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease.

The research also shows that resistin adversely impacts the effects of statins, the main cholesterol-reducing drug used in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Shirya Rashid -- senior author of the study and assistant professor in the department of medicine at McMaster University -- notes that a staggering 40 per cent of people taking statins are resistant to their impact on lowering blood LDL.

"The bigger implication of our results is that high blood resistin levels may be the cause of the inability of statins to lower patients' LDL cholesterol," says Dr. Rashid.

She believes the discovery could lead to revolutionary new therapeutic drugs, especially those that target and inhibit resistin and thereby increase the effectiveness of statins.

"The possibilities for improved therapy for the causes of cardiovascular disease are very important," says Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson Dr. Beth Abramson. "About 40 per cent of Canadians have high blood cholesterol levels: it's a significant health concern in Canada."

Dr. Abramson notes that the research reconfirms the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and cholesterol level, two critical factors in the prevention of heart disease.

High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. It can lead to a build-up of plaque in the artery walls and narrowing of the arteries, causing a condition called atherosclerosis which can make it more difficult for blood to flow through the heart and body.

Being overweight also increases the likelihood of high blood pressure and diabetes, compounding the risks of heart disease and stroke.

"Fortunately, we know a great deal about heart disease prevention and how to reverse some of the risks," says Dr. Abramson. She urges Canadians to maintain their heart health through regular visits to their doctor, monitoring their weight and waist size, eating a variety of nutritious, low-fat foods and being physically active. "It's equally important to take your medications as directed by your physician to help further reduce risks."

From: ScienceDaily (Oct. 28, 2012)

Tips for a Healthy Halloween.

Have you bought your Halloween candy yet?  Did you buy the stuff that you love or the stuff that you know you won't eat?  If you're like many, you buy the candy that you like because you know that between visits from trick or treaters you'll indulge in a few of the snacks.  This can be a disaster if you're on a diet.

Better and Worse Halloween Candy

If you want to get candy that will do the least damage, stick to the choices that are lower in fat.  Tootsie Rolls, Starburst Fruit Chews, Dum Dum Pops, and York Peppermint Patties are among the better choices according to the American Council on Exercise.   Worse choices include Kit Kat Bars, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Almond Joy Snack Sized Bars.    These chocolate treats tend to have more fat and more calories.

Be Savvy and Practice Moderation

If you are handing out candy, or if your kids come home with a candy cache that defies avoidance, keep portion control in mind.  Remember that a single serving of most snack size bars is only one bar - not five.  Pick one or two items and set them aside to enjoy.  Then have healthier snacks available to munch on throughout the night.

You can also create a finger-food style dinner that you consume throughout the evening.  Make diet-friendly protein foods like chicken skewers or sushi along with some cut veggies, hummus and fruit.  Enjoy your dinner while playing cards or doing some other activity that keeps your mind, and your fingers, off the candy.

By Malia Frey

Raspberry Ketones for Fat Loss

  

The most recent investigations have found that the ketone enzyme that's discovered in raspberries can aid fight fat, specifically the stubborn fat that refuses to leave certain locations of one's physique.

If all it took was to eat raspberries to obtain the appropriate amount of raspberry ketone to combat body fat, that would be nice, but just not feasible.

Researchers took it a single step additional even so and have discovered a approach to extract the ketone and make it into a supplement to aid in reducing weight.

Those who have given a raspberry ketones assessment for any in the common berry ketone labels offered, love that it's an all-natural supplement. Physicians suggest that patients usually do not take supplements that are not totally all-natural to slim down given that the long-term effects are unknown and could pose to become detrimental to your health.
Considering that raspberry ketones are all-natural, medical doctors approve of them as an aid to fat loss in mixture with correct diet regime and exercise.

Raspberry ketones are recognized to do so much more than just assist you slim down. Needless to say with any diet aid, correct diet regime and physical exercise are suggested. As an added benefit for the fat loss that you will acknowledge from the ketones in raspberries, is an increased metabolism and increased energy.
This really is in proportion to those that are trying to shed weight, who tend to eat appropriately and get adequate sleep, all of which contribute to elevated energy as well as higher metabolism, however the ketones inside the raspberries definitely support to improve these levels.

Raspberry Ketone has been featured on a top rated health show. The users that spoke about their outcomes immediately after taking the supplement claimed to begin shedding weight throughout the very first week of taking it. Obviously everyone's final results will differ according to how their physique reacts to the supplement also as just how much they diet program and workout.

Men and women that have tried raspberry ketone supplements typically adore their results. Numerous individuals claim that it truly is the only way they've been able to attain the flat belly that they have often wanted. Other individuals enjoy the locations that this supplement has helped them to burn stubborn fat in that other supplements and also workout routines have failed to help with.

When ordering particular brands of Raspberry Ketones, you could also be given a fitness system to accompany the solution. The combination with the recommended workout strategy, diet regime strategy and drinking the recommended amount of water is what delivers the top final results if you are attempting to lose weight.
 

General Assessment from the Supplement

Scientists have verified that the ketones in raspberries are advantageous to fat loss when they are taken in specific amounts. As is the situation with any weight loss system, a strict diet program and exercise plan demands to be followed so that you can obtain maximum final results. In case you strictly take supplements from the ketones in raspberries and expect to shed weight, you may be disappointed. The directions that accompany this supplement explain that diet program and physical exercise are necessary to attain maximum final results.

The general feeling from reading raspberry ketone critiques from various buyers is the fact that they may possibly provide a renewed power, higher metabolism and less fatigue. This really is in part because of the strict diet plan and workout system which is suggested to accompany this supplement. But a large portion can also be on account of the ketones in the raspberries, helping individuals further their fat loss within a much faster time frame than just normal diet program and physical exercise could provide.

Author: Randall Killingsworth 

Proven Benefits of a Weight Loss Forum

Do you feel like you are being ostracized and left out in the cold by your friends, loved ones and work peers; just because you're fat? Have you felt the emotional and physical drain of depression because of your weight? Would you really like to find people who can fully understand what you're going through? Have you ever heard of a Weight Loss Forum?

You will be astonished at the number of people on-line who can make you feel like the very special person you are. It's possible they can help you dispel the feelings of inadequacy, not being loved and the gut wrenching loneliness. This article will help you to decide if a on-line discussion group can be your weight loss salvation.

There are so many weight loss forums online today that it is difficult to find one that you can call home. A good quality weight loss forum will provide some basic things such as:

1. An understanding and supportive community
2. Free membership
3. Easy to use interface
4. Helpful moderators
5. Active member base
6. Accurate advice

You might think a forum like this is easy to come by, but think again! Most forums only offer a few of the above points.
The key is to find a forum which covers all of the attributes above; plus more. A forum is more than a place to chat; it is a community of like minded people hoping to reach a goal; in this struggle of losing weight. You will be amazed at how much more motivated you feel if you're talking with people like yourself on a daily basis.

One great use for a forum is to publicly state your plans and goal. By telling the world about your plan to lose weight, you are setting a psychological seed in your mind. You are not only holding yourself accountable for your weight loss, but you are now accountable to the forum members as well.

More than ever, you will not want to fail. You will however want to impress your fellow forum friends with tales and photos of your weight loss journey. By doing this you can also inspire other people to lose weight.

What are some of the benefits of joining a weight loss forum?

The benefits are numerous. They include:

- Motivation
- Diet and exercise plans as set out by real people who have real results
- The ability to chat one on one with people like yourself who are struggling with your weight
- Being able to inspire and encourage other people to lose weight and make the most of their lives
- 24 hour access so even if you are feeling down at 3am, instead of going to the fridge, go online! There is bound to be someone else there to chat too.

If you're new to the on-line forums no special skills are needed to become familiar with them. You will be able to find weight loss forums by searching the net.

Simply type in “weight loss + forums” in any search engine and using the above guidelines find one you feel will fit your needs.

Using a forum is simple. You just sign up with a new account then log in with your username and password. It's wise to post an introduction thread telling the members about yourself. If it is an active and quality forum then you will soon have countless replies welcoming you, pointing you to helpful posts and asking about your plans and progress.

Once this happens then you know you have found a weight loss forum you can call home.

Free List of Negative Calorie Foods

You will find a free list of negative calorie foods below, but first let's consider what this means. There is no such thing as a negative calorie - a calorie is a unit of heat and it cannot be negative. So when people talk about negative calorie foods, this just means a food whose calorie level is low enough that it takes more energy to eat and digest it than the food contains.

For example, if you consider water to be a food, then cold water is certainly a negative calorie food. It contains no calories at all and the body has to expend energy to bring it up to blood temperature. So every time we drink a glass of cold water we burn up a couple of calories and lose a little weight. But there are very few foods like this. Most foods that are on the list do not really use more calories than they add, or if they do the effect is negligible ... until you remember that at the same time the body expends energy just to keep alive and breathing. Celery for example does not give us enough calories to cover both the energy that it takes to digest it, plus the energy that we expend even when we are doing nothing. So that is why people call it a negative calorie food.

Negative calorie foods are most attractive to anorexics. A negative calorie diet would obviously result in starvation in the long term and nutritional deficiencies can occur surprisingly quickly. The calories burnt usually come from muscle mass, and the result is debility and wasting.

A more healthy way to use a negative calorie diet is as a form of fasting or detox. It is something you can do for one to three days right after the Christmas season or another time when you have been eating a over-rich diet. Provided you are otherwise healthy it can be a great way to clean out the system. However it is still best to take medical advice before attempting this.

If you decide to use a negative calorie detox, keep the following points in mind:

1. It is never a good idea to eat huge quantities of one type of food, especially fruits. A lot of foods contain substances that can be damaging if consumed to excess. For example, the acid in grapefruit and pineapple can damage your stomach lining. Other foods put an excessive burden on the liver or may cause diarrhea. So try to use all the different foods in small quantities.

2. Do not spend all day eating. You will just become bloated and feel sick. If you are only doing this for a couple days, you should not feel too hungry. Plan four or five salad meals each day, and let your digestion rest at other times.

3. You will feel more satisfied if you eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly. You will also use more calories that way. So if the foods can be eaten raw, that will be more effective than cooking them. Foods like carrots and beets will also be more satisfying if you eat them grated.

4. Schedule time when you do not have any important commitments. As with fasting or any kind of detox, you may suffer some uncomfortable symptoms including headaches, tiredness, depression and irritability. If these become severe, stop the diet and see a doctor.

5. When you end the detox, plan a gradual return to normal eating.

If all the above points are checked and passed, let's move on to the list of foods.

    * Apples

    * Asparagus

    * Beets

    * Blueberries

    * Broccoli

    * Cantaloupes

    * Carrot

    * Cauliflower

    * Celery stalk

    * Celery root

    * Cranberries

    * Cucumbers

    * Eggplant

    * Endives

    * Garden cress

    * Garlic

    * Grapefruit

    * Green beans

    * Green cabbage

    * Lamb's lettuce

    * Lemons

    * Lettuce

    * Onions

    * Papayas

    * Pineapples

    * Prunes

    * Radishes

    * Raspberries

    * Spinach

    * Strawberries

    * Tangerines

    * Tomatoes

    * Turnips

    * Zucchini

Please use this free list of negative calorie foods wisely.

Wrong thoughts…wrong metabolism!

“Temporary or permanent?” of course the latter would be the most popular answer unless you are the type who is strangely inclined with quick-constant-changes in your life. In whatever field it is, people find security and stability in permanence. It is funny to think that in dieting however, they give in to short-term solutions.

These short-term solutions come in different ways such as skipping meals, working out with an empty stomach and so forth.

What are the most common metabolism malpractices?

Dieters only think of one factor affecting metabolism. There are different factors that lower or heightens metabolic rate like age, sex, sleeping habits, amount of muscle mass. The tendency for most of us wanting to lose weight is to get carried away with just one area of consideration. The most typical example is that he focuses on building muscles but neglect sleep. This is not a good way because it will not give positive outcomes.

Dieters just exercise for the fat zone. This thing does not sound new to us. Even gym instructors give this as an advice. So, the dieters think that doing this would really shape them up. The truth is, they need an over-all work out to maintain weight or even improve it to the level you want to.

Another big malpractice is when dieters restrict calories too much. For experts, when food goes down too low, metabolism slows down to create a balance inside for bodily activities. There is a big possibility that you lose weight, but this may come from wrong portions of the body like the muscles or organs. You just lose weight temporarily but in the long run, you will lose muscle mass, and eventually gain weight.

The worst malpractice is the use of diet pills to lose weight. Metabolism is greatly affected by this wrongdoing. They think that taking these pills would tame their appetite and lose weight. This is just for short-term results, you have to think of long-term wellness over a temporary rejoice.

You must put in mind that health will always be the most important one not only for diet-conscious individuals but for all people. Therefore, we must not be blinded with these glittering diet malpractices.

Winter Weight Gain - Why Does It Happen And What Can We Do?

Winter weight gain is a common complaint of many people. It seems that every winter we add a few pounds, and come summer we don't lose them all again either. A few of them always stick around, making us a little heavier every year. They seem to be very hard to lose extra pounds! Why does this happen and what can we do?

There are many contributing factors. First, it seems likely that we have a genetic disposition to store more fat as winter approaches. Many animals do this and it was probably vital to survival for our ancestors. Extra layers of fat on the body protect us against the cold and then can be used as fuel in the late winter and early spring when food stocks would historically be very low. We probably have a tendency to eat more in the fall, when food is plentiful after harvest time, to help this process along. We may also unconsciously choose foods that are higher in fat content at this time.

Hormone levels can also influence our weight gain. The interaction of hormones and other chemicals in the brain can bring about variations in appetite and cravings. Some neurotransmitters can also influence the way we eat. People who are overweight often have low levels of these neurotransmitters and the results can include excessive appetite, depression and sleep disorders. At the same time, the lack of daylight caused by the shortening days during late fall and winter can bring on seasonally affected disorder or winter depression. One of the quickest ways to give a boost to the energy levels and emotions is to eat high carbohydrate foods including sugar treats, chips and cereals that give us a fast blood sugar 'fix'. So people who feel low in the winter will tend to overeat or eat the wrong foods, leading to weight gain, more depression and a vicious cycle that is hard to break.

           

So altogether there are many reasons why we eat more high carbohydrate foods such as cookies, pies and chocolate in the winter, and of course most of these foods also contain high levels of fats. The best way to handle this is generally to substitute other foods that are also high in carbohydrate so that we get what our body craves, but which have low fat content and plenty of fiber. This means potatoes, wholegrain bread without butter, wholegrain rice, cereals, and fresh whole fruit.

It is also important to take more exercise. Often our physical activity levels drop in the winter and we have a tendency to want to stay home and rest. This is natural when it is cold outside. But we are not cavemen! We have heating in our homes and can be sure that there will still be plenty of food in the stores come February. We do not need to stow fat the way that they did. Sign up with a gym or get a stationary bicycle for the den. Transform those carbs into energy now instead of keeping it on the waistline until spring. Winter weight gain is easily avoidable this way.