New research suggests that many weight problems are all in the head, but not in the way you might suppose. Two studies published in the December 27, 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation indicate that the poor dietary choices that have led to much of the obesity in the U.S. might damage brain cells around the hypothalamus, an area that helps regulate hunger and thirst, possibly causing you to feel hungry even though you’ve eaten more than enough. The damage appears to stem from inflammation promoted by high fat diets. Although we’ve known for some time that high fat diets can lead to inflammatory changes in the body, these changes were believed to take weeks or months to occur. However, the researchers who conducted the two studies are now reporting that changes in the brain due to inflammation can develop within as little time as 24 hours based on their studies with mice and rats. The same effects were seen on MRIs of the brains of obese humans. The investigators found that while initial brain changes due to high fat diets were only temporary, they become permanent with continued high fat eating.]]>In April of 2011, Dr. Weil had the good fortune to visit McClendon's Select Organic Farm, a beautiful fruit-and-vegetable operation in Peoria, Arizona. Bob McClendon proves that you can grow abundant, top-quality vegetables in the low desert - and Dr. Weil is proud to use them at True Food Kitchen restaurants!
It’s natural to have emotional ups and downs. What’s not natural – yet all too common in the modern world – is to feel persistently sad or anxious for no obvious reason.
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Visit today to learn more about Spontaneous Happiness – I think you will find it a useful tool for achieving balance in the hectic world we live in today.
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Here’s more good news about the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and the vitamins found in fresh fruits and vegetables: seniors with high levels of these nutrients did better on tests of mental acuity and had less of the brain shrinkage that signals Alzheimer’s disease. (If you want the opposite effect, the researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University said that their study suggests that the best route is to eat a lot of junk foods.) To arrive at their conclusions, the investigators measured levels of these nutrients in the blood of 104 seniors (average age, 87) participating in the study and found that vitamins B, C, D, E and omega-3s conferred the most benefits on the brain. In addition to the blood tests, 42 participants had MRIs to measure brain volume. Many previous studies of nutritional effects on the brain have been based primarily on food questionnaires, which yield less precise data. The researchers said that their findings need to be confirmed by further research.
My take? We know from clinical research that the Mediterranean diet appears to help protect against the mild cognitive impairment that can develop with age, and that this style of eating may also delay the transition from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease. The Mediterranean diet provides its benefits by moderating inflammation throughout the body, and inflammation in the brain precedes the changes in the central nervous system that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. My anti-inflammatory diet is similar to the Mediterranean diet in its emphasis on high quality fresh fruits and vegetables, olive oil, yogurt, fresh fish and on vegetable rather than animal protein, and I believe following an anti-inflammatory diet may be the most effective strategy to preserve brain health as we age.
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A new study from the University of California, San Francisco, suggests that mindful eating plus stress reduction can prevent weight gain. In fact, the combination may even result in loss of dangerous fat you can’t see - deep abdominal fat linked to the risk of diabetes and heart disease. The research team divided 47 chronically stressed, overweight and obese women into two groups. One group received mindfulness training and practice; the other served as a control group. The women’s psychological stress, fat and cortisol (stress hormone) levels were tested before and after the four-month study. At the end, the researchers found no significant weight changes between the women in the stress reduction group and the controls. The investigators noted, however, that the most significant reductions in abdominal fat occurred among women who had shown greater improvements in listening to their bodies’ cues, and in those who had greater reductions in stress or cortisol levels. The researchers said their results must be confirmed by follow-up studies.]]>