The Surprising Benefits of Walking that You need to Know

Nutrition facts of Pear

Juicy, sweet and tasty

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What is mHealth Application?

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Mobile health is a general term for the use of mobile phones and other wireless technology in healthcare.

Nowadays is the phase for the rapid growth of mHealth Application. The most common application of mHealth is the use of mobile phones and communication devices to educate peoples about preventive health care services, eg. calorie tracker apps, SMBG/BP diary, steps tracker, sleep tracker and etc. However, mHealth is also used for disease surveillance, treatment support, epidemic outbreak tracking and chronic disease management. 

mHealth is becoming a popular option in the area where there are a large population and widespread mobile phone usage.

With the usage of mobile phone, users can easily store their health information and the health data can be shared with their doctors or healthcare providers.

5 Steps to Eats Mediterranean Style

In the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, olive oil, fruit, herbs, and spices are the foundation of every meal. The pyramid also emphasizes physical activity and the act of enjoying meals with others. Seafood and traditional cheeses and yogurts are frequently used but in small portions. Sweets are reserved for special occasions, such as weddings or religious celebrations, while water and wine (moderate intake) are the beverages of choice.

Mediterranean Style

1. Let fruits and vegetables be your base. 

In the Mediterranean, produce tends to play a starring role, sitting at the center of the plate instead of on the side. Various vegetable dishes such as chopped tomatoes, bell pepper, and cucumber, or roasted carrots paired with warm hummus and whole-wheat pita make up a standard Lebanese lunch.

2. Go for whole grains.

 The Med diet is far from low carb, but the carbs are typically from whole grains. You are encouraged to get rice cookers ready and enjoy more whole grains such as bulgur wheat, farro, and brown rice.

3. Flip your fats. 

Swap in more monounsaturated oils such as olive oil, nuts and seeds, and omega-3 fats from fish instead of saturated fats from meat and dairy. These monounsaturated fats help fight oxidative stress that can lead to inflammatory diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

4. Pick leaner proteins. 

People in the Mediterranean region rely on plenty of plant-based and/or leaner proteins such as beans and fish. Higher-fat meats are saved for special occasions or used more as a condiment compared with being the star of the dish. Enjoy beans several times per week.

5. Find fresh sources of flavor.

 The Med diet is intensely flavorful—thanks to the herbs and spices included in recipes. When peoples add flavor through herbs and spices, they can rely on less salt in their diets.

— Source: Prevention Mediterranean Table: 100 Vibrant Recipes to Savor and Share for Lifelong Health by the editors of Prevention and Jennifer McDaniel, MS, RDN.

Diet and Nutrition for Liver Health

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The liver is one of the hardest-working organs in the body, performing more than 500 functions vital for life and health, including carrying away waste and breaking down fats in the small intestine (thanks to bile), producing proteins and cholesterol, converting excess glucose into glycogen for storage, regulating blood levels of amino acids, storing iron, clearing the blood of drugs and bacteria, and regulating blood clotting. If any of these functions go awry, the illness that sometimes can lead to death occurs.

"Anyone with obesity, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, or metabolic syndrome is at increased risk of NAFLD"

Diet and lifestyle factors

Weight

The majority of people with NAFLD are either overweight or obese. Individuals with morbid obesity typically have greatly enlarged livers as a result of fat accumulation. Gradual weight loss can reverse the condition.

Several studies have found that a reduction in daily calorie intake by 500 kcal results in a significant decrease of fat in the liver. Weight loss is advisable for overweight (ie, BMI 25 to 30) and obese individuals (BMI >30) but shouldn't exceed 1 kg (2.2 lbs) per week. Very low-calorie diets should be avoided, as they can worsen the condition and increase inflammation in the liver.

Fat Intake

While there are no human studies linking diets high in saturated fat with NAFLD, animal studies have suggested that diets high in saturated fat worsen NAFLD, as well as insulin resistance and CVD. On the other hand, polyunsaturated fats, specifically omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids, may play a protective role in NAFLD.

Sugar Intake

Simple carbohydrates in the diet, in particular, fructose, have been linked to NAFLD. People with NAFLD consume a larger quantity of soft drinks than those without the disease. Soft drinks are high in fructose (high-fructose corn syrup), and fructose stimulates fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis in the liver.

One study found that individual metabolic reactions to fructose vary, and those reactions can determine whether fatty liver will develop. Some researchers have suggested that short-term carbohydrate restriction may be more effective at reducing triglycerides in the liver than calorie restriction. However, not all studies have found fructose to be associated with increased risk.

Protein Intake

Limited evidence exists on the effect of proteins on NAFLD. In animals, researchers have observed a reduction in liver fat content when protein intake was increased. Findings from The Rotterdam Study in the Netherlands showed that a diet high in animal protein, but not total protein, was associated with a higher risk of NAFLD.

Physical Activity

Physical activity has been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes by 35% and CVD by 49% in people with NAFLD. One study found that reducing weight by 5% and exercising regularly was associated with a significant improvement in NAFLD.

Recommendations 

Lifestyle changes, including dietary changes, plays a critical role in the prevention and treatment of NAFLD. While no dietary recommendations exist that are tailored specifically to NAFLD, the research to date suggests that following dietary and lifestyle guidelines for maintaining a healthy weight and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and CVD apply to reduce the risk of and treating NAFLD and its complications.

Healthy Cooking Methods You can Try at Home

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Be your own CHEF at home with this cooking methods. Learn how to prepare and cook meals at home to have better control over the nutritional content of the foods you eat.

Bake: Cook foods slowly in dry heat like an oven.

Blanch: Boil the food briefly(about 30 seconds) then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. This is especially cool for veggies you want to keep a little bit crisp or almost-raw.

Braise: Cook food using both dry-heat from an oven or stovetop- and wet heat from liquid.

Broil: Cook directly under a heat source at high temperature.

Grill: Cook directly over a heat source.

Poach: Cook by immersing food in simmering liquid like water, broth or wine.

Roast: Cook uncovered in the oven.

Saute: Cook food in a pan over direct heat using a small amount of liquid like vegetable stock, fruit juice, healthy oil or cooking spray, or even water.

Steam: Cook in a covered pot over boiling water. Foods will retain of their shape, texture and flavor.

Stir-fry: Use a wok or large pan to cook food quickly over very high heat in a small amount of liquid or oil. Stir constantly to prevent sticking or burning.

Making eating with family more fun

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How to make eating with family more fun

Keeping mealtimes relaxed is key to making you are getting the most out of this time together, including talking, laughing and choosing healthy foods.

1. Remove distractions

Turn off the television and put away phones, tablets or any gadget, so that your attention is on each other.

2. Talk to each other

Making jokes or tell stories so that conversation more fun.

3. Pass on tradition

Tell children about food recipes that cook or recipe from your grandma. Especially you family tradition recipes that everyone loved to eat.

4. Let kids make choices.

 Cook healthy foods based on kids choices. Let them choose what they want to eat so that they enjoy eating together.

5. Let everyone help

Not only mother do the cook. Ask your kids to clean dishes, set the table, cut fruits, and cooks.

Let's enjoy eating together and eat healthy meals.

5 Tips to be Active Adult- How to start

Being physically active is important for your health. Adults who are physically active are less likely to develop some chronic diseases than adults who are active. So, if you are currently inactive and don't know how to start let's begin with tips below.

1. Start activities slowly and build up over time

If you are just starting doing exercise, start slowly. This will help to prevent injury. Remember to warm up before exercise also. After a few weeks later, increase the intensity and duration gradually.

2. Get your heart pumping

For health benefits, do at least 150 minutes each week of moderate physical activity. A few examples include brisk walking, biking, swimming, and gardening. Spread activities over the week, at least 10 minutes at a time.

3. Strength-train for healthy muscles and bones

Do strengthening activities at least twice a week. The activities include lifting weights, doing push up and sit up, working with resistance band, or heavy gardening.

4. Active choices throughout the day

Make active choices everyday example take the stairs instead of the elevator, go for a 10-minutes walk on your lunch break, or park further away from work and walk more.

5. Be active your way

Choose your favorite activity and mix it up for more fun. There are plenty of physical activity include walking, biking, dancing, martial art, gardening, swimming and playing ball. Try out different activities to see what you like best and to add variety. 

Good Luck!

The Challenge and Tips 001

The Challenge 

Happy Body. Happy Wallet.

Buying delicious, nutrient-dense food can be cheaper than you think. Seem many give excuse eating healthy is expensive. Start your weekly grocery list with a healthy and affordable snack, like carrots, bananas, oranges, and apple

Add one healthy, affordable snack to your grocery list.

Leave a comment I did it and share with your friend to accept this challenge also.

The Tips

FROZEN,FRESH & CANNED ALL COUNT

Fruits and vegetables don't have to be fresh to be a healthy choice. Frozen and canned are a great alternative and easy to always have on hand for when you can't make it to the store. Seem the fresh fruit and vegetables can be easily rotten so looking for frozen also good to avoid wastage.

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Tips to lower blood cholesterol

Remember to…

Ø  Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.

Ø  Eat less fat, especially saturated fat and trans fat. Use healthier oils in cooking and consume fish regularly at least two serving fish weekly.

Ø  Include wholegrain food, vegetables, fruit and beans as part of a well-balanced diet.

Ø  Be physical active

Together with the following 5 key recommendations, consume:

Ø  3 regular healthy main meals everyday.

Ø  1-2 servings of healthy snacks when necessary.

Ø  At least half of your grains from whole grains.

Ø  Non-fried & santan-free dishes everyday.

Ø  Home cooked foods more often.

Target to achieve

Ø  Healthy body weight: Maintain BMI 18.5 kg/m2-24.9 kg/m2

Ø  Physical activity: Minimum 30 min/day, 5 days/week of moderate intensity PA (i.e. 150 min/week)

Ø  Healthy eating include:

1.       Limit intake of saturated fat

a.       A diet high in saturated fat increases the level of LDL cholesterol in the body.

b.       Animal fat is one of the main sources of saturated fat. So, when you do eat meat or poultry, get the leanest portion. Remove visible fat and poultry skin as well.

c.       Select dairy products that are lower in fat – low fat or non-fat (skimmed) milk, yogurt and cheese are also healthier choices compared to whole or full cream varieties.

d.       Palm-based "vegetable oil" can contain a lot of saturated fat. When eating out, go for dishes prepared with healthier oil and cut down on deep-fried food too.

2.       Minimise trans fat

a.       Trans fat is formed when vegetable oils undergo hydrogenation, which is a commercial process to harden oil for production of fats like shortening and hard margarine. Trans fat raises LDL-cholesterol and reduces HDL-cholesterol in the body.

b.       Food containing trans fat include pastries, cakes, cookies and products made with vegetable shortening and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. So, watch out for trans fat in your food. Read food labels and look out for the ingredients used.

3.       Choose healthy oils(MUFA,PUFA)

Replacing saturated fats and trans fats with unsaturated fats helps lower blood cholesterol, especially LDL-cholesterol

a.       The MUFA, Some vegetable oils (e.g. olive oil, canola oil and peanut oil), most nuts (e.g. almonds, cashew nuts and hazelnuts) and avocados are great sources of monounsaturated fats. These oils tend to lower total and LDL cholesterol levels in the body. Use small amounts in cooking.

b.       (PUFA)Omega-3 fat reduces blood clotting in the arteries and protects them from hardening. Fish such as salmon, sardine, longtail shad (terubok)and Spanish mackerel (tenggiri papan) are examples of good sources of omega-3 fat.

c.       (PUFA)Omega-6 fats lowers total and LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. Good sources of omega-6 fat include vegetable oils (e.g. corn oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil) and seeds (e.g. sunflower seeds and sesame seeds).

4.       Reduce cholesterol intake

Food high in cholesterol include organ meats (e.g. liver, kidney and brain) egg yolks, and shellfish. Moderate your intake of organ meats and shellfish, and have no more than 4 egg yolks per week.

5.       Increase intake of wholegrains, fruits and vegetables

Including wholegrain food (e.g. brown rice, wholemeal bread and oats) vegetables, fruit and beans in your diet will help to lower blood cholesterol levels. Many of these food are good sources of soluble fibre, which have the ability to bind cholesterol in the gut, reducing absorption and increasing excretion. Such food are also rich in vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals which all work together to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Last but not lease eat according to Malaysian Healthy Plate ( #QuaterQuaterHalf)

A diet high in fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and fish and low in salt and saturated/trans-fat is linked to a lower CV risk.

The #QuarterQuarterHalf plate recommendation of food portions consist of:

Ø  Quarter of the plate* being carbohydrate – rice, noodles, bread, cereals

Ø  and other cereal products and/or tubers.

Ø  Quarter of the plate* being protein- fish, poultry, meat and/or legumes.

Ø  Half of the plate* being fruits and vegetables.

Ø  Drinking plain water (instead of sugary drinks).

Reference: CPG Primary & Secondary Prevention of CVD 2017

                   CPG Management of Dyslipidaemia 2017 (5th Edition)

5 steps to lose weight

Losing weight is recommended if you are overweight and obese because it can increase risks for disease. Hopefully, those steps are helpful.

Birth weight predicts childhood BMI in children with brain tumours

Birth weight predicts childhood BMI in children with brain tumours

Adapted from MIMS: https://specialty.mims.com/topic/birth-weight-predicts-childhood-bmi-in-children-with-brain-tumours?topic-grouper=news

A recent study has shown, in children with brain tumors, higher birth weight appears to lead to higher body mass index (BMI) in childhood and may be useful in identifying patients at risk of future obesity. 

The study used cross-sectional data from 78 children with brain tumours (42.3 percent female) and 133 noncancer, healthy controls (45.1 percent female). BMI was calculated for all participants, and adiposity was determined using a body fat monitor and body composition analyzer.

Majority of the participants were born at full term (57.70 percent of patients; 48.90 percent of controls), but significantly more controls were born preterm (15.80 percent vs 3.80 percent; p=0.008). Early-term (p=0.32) and late-term (p=0.15) births were statistically comparable between the groups.

A multivariable logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, puberty, sex and percentage fat mass, showed that birth weight was significantly correlated with childhood BMI. Specifically, for every unit increase in birth weight, BMI increased by 0.18 units (95 pe0rcent CI, 0.03–0.33; p=0.02) in patients and by 0.17 units (0.07–0.27; p=0.001) in controls.

BMI z-scores also significantly increased by 3.69 (1.12–6.25; p=0.006) and 2.15 (0.75–3.55; p=0.003) units in patients and controls, respectively, for every unit increase in birth weight.

The effect of birth weight on childhood BMI (p=0.08) and BMI z-scores (p=0.13) was statistically comparable between controls and patients.

The researchers said, “The emergence of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes in survivors of childhood brain tumours are likely to contribute to adverse prognoses, and there is an urgent need to identify the drivers of these outcomes to mitigate their effects on the lifespan and quality of life,”. 

They added, “In this study, we demonstrate that birth weight is a risk factor for higher body mass in [children with brain tumours] during childhood, and this relationship was similar to that noted in nonancer controls,”

Sci Rep 2018;8:1642

CVD- CPG 2017

In Malaysia, CVD has been the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for more than a decade. CVD is the main cause of global mortality and contributor to disease-related disability. Reducing/modifying CVD risk factor is very important.

Non-modifiable risk factors:

Increasing age, Gender – females develop CVD about a decade later, Family history of premature CVD, Ethnicity (South Asian-Indian)

Modifiable risk factors:

Diet/Dietary patterns, Smoking, Physical inactivity, Obesity/Overweight, Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, Diabetes mellitus, Cardio-Metabolic Risk

*Diet and lifestyle factors such as smoking, physical inactivity, and alcohol consumption, may contribute by as much as much as 70% towards the development of other CV risk factors such as abdominal obesity, hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia.

Management

Nutrition – A diet high in fibre, fruits and vegetable, whole grain, low in salt and saturated/trans-fat is associated with lower CV risk. A healthy food portion recommendation is the #QuarterQuarterHalf plate

Physical activity (PA) - Any amount of PA is better than none. Regular PA reduces all causes and CV mortality. Minimum 30 min/day, 5 days/week of moderate intensity PA (i.e. 150 min/week) or 15 min/day, 5 days/week of vigorous intensity PA (75 min/week) recommended

Overweight and obesity - Overweight and obese individuals should reduce weight at least a 5-10% weight loss. A small 3-5% weight loss itself is associated with a clinically significant reduction in CVD risk factors – blood pressure (BP), blood glucose and lipid.

Malaysian Healthy Eating Recommendations

A diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish and low in salt and saturated/trans-fat is linked to a lower CV risk.

The #QuarterQuarterHalf plate recommendation of food portions consist of:

1.       Quarter of the plate* being carbohydrate – rice, noodles, bread, cereals and other cereal products and/or tubers.

2.       Quarter of the plate* being protein- fish, poultry, meat and/or legumes.

3.       Half of the plate* being fruits and vegetables.

4.        Drinking plain water (instead of sugary drinks).

Together with the following 5 key recommendations, consume:

1.       3 regular healthy main meals everyday.

2.       1-2 servings of healthy snacks when necessary.

3.       At least half of your grains from whole grains.

4.       Non-fried & santan-free dishes everyday.

5.       Home cooked foods more often.

Remember and Practice Daily: 88888**

1.       Stop eating before you are full (approximately 80%).

2.       Have your dinner before 8 pm.

3.       Drink 8 glasses of water.

4.       Sleep 8 hours.

5.       Walk at least 8000 steps a day (10,000 steps are better).

Where is Malaysia in the midst of the Asian epidemic of diabetes mellitus?

Abstract by (Zaini, 2000)

Population studies all over the world have clearly showed that the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is escalating at phenomenal scale and very likely we are heading towards epidemic proportions.

In 1985, the estimated population of diabetic individuals in the world was 30 million but by 1995 this figure soared to 135 million. Based on current trends, epidemiologists predict that the population of diabetic individuals will swell up to a staggering 300 million by the year 2025. Almost half of that will be in the Asia Oceania region alone. Dr Hilary King of WHO pointed out that there will be a projected rise of about 42% in developed countries whereas the developing countries will see an escalation to the magnitude of 170% (H. King, R.E. Aubert, W.H. Herman, Global burden of diabetes, 1995–2025: prevalence, numerical estimates and projections, Diabetes Care 21 (1998) 1414–1431; WHO Health Report 1997, WHO Switzerland). There will be a 3-fold rise of the disease in Asia and much of these will be seen in China (40 million) and India (55 million) by virtue of the massive population of these countries.

Nevertheless, the other rapidly developing Asian nations like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and those making up Indochina will experience the surge. At the same time the prevalence and incidence of diabetes complications will also increase. Based on recent WHO prediction (WHO Newsletter, The global burden of diabetes 1995–2025. World Diabetes 3 (1997) 5–6), it is estimated that by the year 2000 the following figures will be seen:

Taiwan                 35% with retinopathy

Japan                    35% with nephropathy

Thailand               20% nephropathy

Sri Lanka              12% cardiovascular disease

Diabetes complications are major causes of premature death all over the world and most of these are avoidable. DCCT and UKPDS are landmark studies showing strong evidence that major complications can be drastically reduced by maintaining to near normoglycaemic control.

ZAINI, A. 2000. Where is Malaysia in the midst of the Asian epidemic of diabetes mellitus? Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 50, Supplement 2, S23-S28.

Carbohydrate Estimation by a Mobile Phone-Based System Versus Self-Estimations of Individuals With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Background

Diabetes mellitus is spreading throughout the world and diabetic individuals have been shown to often assess their food intake inaccurately; therefore, it is a matter of urgency to develop automated diet assessment tools. The recent availability of mobile phones with enhanced capabilities, together with the advances in computer vision, have permitted the development of image analysis apps for the automated assessment of meals. GoCARB is a mobile phone-based system designed to support individuals with type 1 diabetes during daily carbohydrate estimation. In a typical scenario, the user places a reference card next to the dish and acquires two images using a mobile phone. A series of computer vision modules detect the plate and automatically segment and recognize the different food items, while their 3D shape is reconstructed. Finally, the carbohydrate content is calculated by combining the volume of each food item with the nutritional information provided by the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

Objective

The main objective of this study is to assess the accuracy of the GoCARB prototype when used by individuals with type 1 diabetes and to compare it to their own performance in carbohydrate counting. In addition, the user experience and usability of the system is evaluated by questionnaires.

Methods

The study was conducted at the Bern University Hospital, “Inselspital” (Bern, Switzerland) and involved 19 adult volunteers with type 1 diabetes, each participating once. Each study day, a total of six meals of broad diversity were taken from the hospital’s restaurant and presented to the participants. The food items were weighed on a standard balance and the true amount of carbohydrate was calculated from the USDA nutrient database. Participants were asked to count the carbohydrate content of each meal independently and then by using GoCARB. At the end of each session, a questionnaire was completed to assess the user’s experience with GoCARB.

Results

The mean absolute error was 27.89 (SD 38.20) grams of carbohydrate for the estimation of participants, whereas the corresponding value for the GoCARB system was 12.28 (SD 9.56) grams of carbohydrate, which was a significantly better performance ( P=.001). In 75.4% (86/114) of the meals, the GoCARB automatic segmentation was successful and 85.1% (291/342) of individual food items were successfully recognized. Most participants found GoCARB easy to use.

Conclusions

This study indicates that the system is able to estimate, on average, the carbohydrate content of meals with higher accuracy than individuals with type 1 diabetes can. The participants thought the app was useful and easy to use. GoCARB seems to be a well-accepted supportive mHealth tool for the assessment of served-on-a-plate meals.

Reference

RHYNER, D., LOHER, H., DEHAIS, J., ANTHIMOPOULOS, M., SHEVCHIK, S., BOTWEY, R. H., DUKE, D., STETTLER, C., DIEM, P. & MOUGIAKAKOU, S. 2016. Carbohydrate Estimation by a Mobile Phone-Based System Versus Self-Estimations of Individuals With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Comparative Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 18.

5 Simple Tips to Maintain Healthy and Slim Body

Tip 1  You must exercise to burn calories

To maintain slim body, you not only need to watch the amount of calories intake but you must exercise to burn excess calories. Physical activity is the most effective way to keep your body in the best shape yet healthy. Try to exercise at least 150 minutes weekly. If you are overweight and obese and want to lose weight and achieve your ideal weight you may need to exercise up to 300 minutes a week.

Tip 2  Eat when you're hungry not when you want

Watch your food intake, eat enough and right. You have to manage your eating behaviour if you demand a slim body. Eat slowly and mindful eating to determine your level of fullness, instead of rushing down your meal until your stomach stretch. It takes about 20 minutes to signal your brain that you are full. Concentrate while eating and avoid distraction such as using a smartphone, watching TV or talking to others while having a meal. Beside, drinking a glass of water before meal also helps to reduce the amount of food intake, since it make you feel full and may reduce the chance of overeating. Also, try to avoid any cues of overeating. 

Tip 3  You are what you eat

Being healthy is also about eat right. Never skip your breakfast! Start your day with healthy breakfast speed up your body metabolism, allow your body to burn more calories throughout the day. Choose healthy carbs, leaner protein and eat more fruits and vegetables. They can keep you satisfied longer and keep your body in shape. Avoid processed food and sugary food that have imbalanced nutrition. Do not waste your calories on unhealthy food!! Choose wisely.

Tip 4  Sleep enough!

Sleep is essential in helping you maintain good body health. Inadequate sleep affects the production of your hunger hormone, leptin and ghrelin level, which make you hard to stick to optimal portion sizes and might increase your food intake up to 30%! Recommended sleep duration is 7-9 hours per day. You may try to use tracker to keep tracker sleep duration.

Tip 5  Free from stress

When stress is not managed well, steroid hormone such as cortisol will be released by the body. Disorders of cortisol production will make your body perceive that you might be starving, hence it will hoard the fat into the abdomen, where it has more cortisol receptors. What's more, stress will increase appetite, make you crave for sweet food as sugar can stimulate your brain to release chemicals that make you conform. You may find relaxing exercise help to manage stress. Share problem with others also might help as well.     

Obesity: Causes and Prevalence

Highlights

• Obesity is a global epidemic primarily resulting from unhealthy environments that cause excess caloric intake and insufficient physical activity
• Obesity increases the risk of adverse health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and musculoskeletal disorders

Abstract

Obesity is a global epidemic primarily resulting from unhealthy environments that cause excess caloric intake and insufficient physical activity. An estimated 3.4 million adult deaths annually are attributed to overweight and obesity, making them the leading causes of death worldwide. Prevalence of adult obesity is 11% globally and 35% in the United States.

Obesity increases the risk of adverse health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and musculoskeletal disorders. Furthermore, obese individuals face stigma and discrimination. The economic costs are substantial as well. Although extensive research is dedicated to managing obesity with lifestyle interventions, medications, and surgery, success has been limited. Short-term weight loss has been achieved, but further research is needed to discover how to maintain healthy weight long term.

Several studies support the use of fiscal and regulatory measures such as taxing sugar-sweetened beverages; however, these measures are often not politically feasible.

               

ALEXANDER, E., SELWYN, A., CALITZ, C., YACH, D. & WANG, Y. C. 2016. Obesity: Causes and Prevalence. Encyclopedia of Food and Health. Oxford: Academic Press.

Microbiota and lifestyle interactions through the lifespan

Abstract of the study

Background

The human intestinal microbiota is an adaptive entity, being capable of adjusting its phylogenetic and functional profile in response to changes in diet, lifestyle and environment. Providing the host with functions important to regulate energetic homeostasis and immunological function, the gut microbiota is strategic to keep metabolic and immunological homeostasis during the entire lifespan.

 Scope and approach

(Rampelli et al., 2016) review studies exploring human gut microbiota variations at different age, describing the trajectory of ecosystem changes during the course of our life, from infancy to the old age. Gut microbiota variation mirroring subsistence strategy is also explored, with a particular focus on how the gut microbiota changes in response to modifications in the diet. Finally, the study illustrates how an abnormal dietary intake could force microbiota to an obese-associated configuration, which concurs in compromising the host metabolic homeostasis.  

Key findings and conclusions

(Rampelli et al., 2016) work allows appreciating the importance of the physiological flexibility conferred by the microbiota for modulating our metabolic and immunological phenotype along the course of our life. Further, the key role of the gut microbiota in providing an extra means of adaptive potential during our evolutionary history is highlighted, suggesting the importance of the intestinal microbiota-host interplay for the maintenance of human health and homeostasis in changing environments. On the other hand, different lifestyle and dietary factors, such as sanitization and antibiotic usage or high-fat diet, can force maladaptive changes in the microbiota configuration which could have negative effects on human health. Thus, it is important to modulate diet and lifestyle habits to keep a mutualistic gut microbiota layout along the course of our life.

Rampelli, S., et al. (2016). "Microbiota and lifestyle interactions through the lifespan." Trends in Food Science & Technology 57, Part B: 265-272.

A pro-inflammatory diet is associated with increased risk of developing hypertension among middle-aged women

Highlights

• A pro-inflammatory diet is associated with higher hypertension incidence in women.
• The pro-inflammatory diet was low in fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, potatoes, pasta/rice and high in high-fat dairy.
• No interaction between inflammatory potential of diet and BMI or diabetes was found.

Abstract study

A pro-inflammatory diet is thought to lead to hypertension through oxidative stress and vessel wall inflammation. We therefore investigated the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and developing hypertension in a population-based cohort of middle-aged women.

The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health included 7169 Australian women, aged 52 years (SD 1 year) at baseline in 2001, who were followed up through 4 surveys until 2013. The DII, a literature-derived dietary index that has been validated against several inflammatory markers, was calculated based on data collected via a validated food-frequency questionnaire administered at baseline. Hypertension was defined as new onset of doctor-diagnosed hypertension, ascertained through self-report between 2001 and 2013. Generalised Estimating Equation analyses were used to investigate the association between the DII and incident hypertension. The analyses were adjusted for demographic and hypertension risk factors. During 12-years follow-up we identified 1680 incident cases of hypertension. A more pro-inflammatory diet was associated with higher risk of hypertension in dichotomised analyses with an ORfully adjusted of 1.24, 95% CI: 1.06–1.45.

A pro-inflammatory diet might lead to a higher risk of developing hypertension. These results need to be replicated in other studies.

Reference: Vissers, L. E. T., et al. (2017). "A pro-inflammatory diet is associated with increased
                  risk of developing hypertension among middle-aged women." Nutrition, Metabolism
                  and Cardiovascular Diseases 27(6): 564-570.

Short and long-term energy intake patterns and their implications for human body weight regulation

Abstract view

Adults consume millions of kilocalories over the course of a few years, but the typical weight gain amounts to only a few thousand kilocalories of stored energy. Furthermore, food intake is highly variable from day to day and yet body weight is remarkably stable. These facts have been used as evidence to support the hypothesis that human body weight is regulated by active control of food intake operating on both short and long time scales.

The study demonstrate that active control of human food intake on short time scales is not required for body weight stability and that the current evidence for long term control of food intake is equivocal. To provide more data on this issue, the study suggest for developing new methods for accurately measuring energy intake changes over long time scales.

They propose that repeated body weight measurements can be used along with mathematical modeling to calculate long-term changes in energy intake and thereby quantify adherence to a diet intervention and provide dynamic feedback to individuals that seek to control their body weight. Thus mathematical modelling of human metabolism and body weight dynamics suggest that the large day to day variations in energy intake are irrelevant for body weight regulation. Rather, persistent changes in energy intake can lead to substantial weight changes over long time scales.


 
Fig.. Schematic of a method for personalized model-based feedback control of body weight. Using individual anthropometric and demographic data, a personalized mathematical model of metabolism is created to plan a lifestyle intervention to achieve a goal body weight in a specified time frame. By monitoring body weight and physical activity repeatedly, adherence to the intervention can be calculated and used iteratively to provide quantitative feedback regarding revised body weight predictions or changes in the prescribed intervention required to achieve the body weight goal.

Reference abstract: Chow, C. C. and K. D. Hall (2014). "Short and long-term energy intake patterns and their implications for human body weight regulation." Physiology & Behavior 134: 60-65.