healthbriefs
BREAKFAST
POWER
season and
recent findings
sniff
of the university
of minnesota
to shed pounds
school of
public health’s
A
fresh tactic for shedding unwanted holi-
day pounds is to fi rst season our food,
project,
take a sniff before biting and then chew well, “eating
suggests a new study that put the theory to
among teens,”
the test. Researchers asked overweight and obese participants to sprinkle a variety
of fl avoring crystals—savory or sweet—on neutral-tasting foods before eating them.
confirms that
A control group was given crystals with no fl avor. adolescents
Follow-up measurements of the volunteers’ weight and body mass index
who eat
over a period of six months revealed that those using the fl avored crystals lost an
average of 30.5 pounds. The control group reported an average drop of just two
breakfast
pounds. The researchers theorize that fl avorful food enhances our senses of smell daily enjoy a healthier
and taste, helps us eat less, savor more and ultimately, control our weight.
diet overall and are more
Source: The Endocrine Society, 2008
physically active than
peers who skip breakfast.
OREGANO FIGHTS INFLAMMATION
oregano does more than give pizza and spaghetti
THE
an unmistakable italian flavor. german and swiss
scientists have discovered that this herb
100-CALORIE
also contains substances that help
DIET TRAP
alleviate inflammation in the body. Chronic dieters are alerted
to beware of products la-
Source: Bonn University and ETH Zürich, 2008.
beled ‘mini packs’, warns a
study in the Journal of Con-
a spicy approach
sumer Research. the 100-
calorie food packages are
to diabetes
marketed to help people
control their calorie intake,
prevention
but appear to be
T
urmeric, a spice found in curries and other Asian typically over-
delights, has a long history of use in reducing
consumed by
infl ammation, healing wounds and relieving pain. Because
infl ammation plays a big role in various diseases, including
individuals con-
Type 2 diabetes, scientists at the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at
stantly trying
Columbia University Medical Center have put the rich, golden spice to the test.
Working with obese laboratory mice, they discovered that turmeric-fed mice
to manage their
were less susceptible to developing Type 2 diabetes, based on measures of glucose
food intake and
and insulin tolerance tests. The mice also showed signifi cantly reduced infl ammation
in their fat tissue and liver, compared with the non-turmeric-fed control group. The
their weight.
scientists speculate that these benefi ts can be attributed to curcumin, an anti-infl am- Source: University of Chicago Press
matory and antioxidant substance found in turmeric that lessens insulin resistance Journals, 2008
and thus, helps protect against Type 2 diabetes.
January 2009
13
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