How to have a pain-free January 1st

I hope that everyone has a safe, healthy, and happy New Year's celebration. And, in case you're worried about a pounding head tomorrow morning, here's some info you might find helpful...

From HealthDayNews:

For millions of Americans, the first day of 2005 will be a lot less thrilling than the last night of 2004, as ice packs and aspirin replace party hats and beer.

It doesn't have to be that way, according to one expert.

"One of the biggest problems with avoiding and treating hangover is recognizing the misconceptions," said Dr. Marc Siegel, an internist and clinical professor of medicine at the New York University School of Medicine.

He believes the best remedy -- and preventive -- for a hangover is also the simplest: Drink lots of water.

"Remember, the main cause of hangover is dehydration -- alcohol is a really powerful diuretic, and people get much more dried out when they drink than they may realize," Siegel said. "So the most important thing to do -- before and after a hangover -- is to drink water."

Smart partygoers ideally alternate one glass of water for every drink consumed, providing their body with extra fluid to compensate for what's been lost. "Some kind of electrolyte solution, such as Gatorade, might be good, too," Siegel suggested.

And remember, what you imbibe may be as important as how much you imbibe when it comes to hangover.

"While all alcohol can cause hangover, wine tends to cause more headache," Siegel said. "Also any drink with lots of sugar in it -- that has a dehydrating effect separate from the alcohol."

Despite the best precautions, a hangover can still rear its aching head come sunrise. Siegel advised that, besides drinking copious amounts of water, the following remedies may help:

- Coffee. A cup of java can cut headache, but watch out -- it's another diuretic, so don't refill that mug too often.

- Analgesics. Again, moderation is the key. "They're good to use for headache, but Tylenol [acetaminophen] is toxic to the liver, like alcohol, while aspirin is toxic to the stomach -- again, like alcohol," Siegel said. A regular Tylenol or two is fine, but any more than that might be hazardous.

- Exercise. A workout can be great for your circulation and might perk the body up, but it dehydrates, so be sensible about it.

- Prickly pear cactus flower. "It's a new remedy on the market now, and it seems to soothe the stomach, but it's also another diuretic," Siegel added.

Then there are more dubious hangover "cures," some of which might do more harm than good:

- Staying awake. There's a theory that keeping awake through the night somehow inhibits the buildup of toxins within the body. "That's a nice idea, but unfortunately it's never been proven," Siegel said.

- Hair of the dog. Many swear by a nip of alcohol the morning after to take the edge off a hangover. "It can work, but it's a really poor treatment," Siegel said. "Ultimately, you're hangover is going to catch up with you later on, with even more dehydration and more toxins."

- RU-21. This drug -- originally developed by the Russian KGB -- is designed to ward off a hangover even among those who drink heavily. "I'm not a fan of RU-21," Siegel said. The buildup of toxins "is a warning sign that we've drunk too much. Without it, you may drink more, get more inebriated, and do something like drive drunk."

- Spicy meals. While some are hot on the idea that Kung-Pao chicken for lunch thwarts a hangover, spicy meals "may add to the problem," Siegel said. "They simply give your [gastrointestinal] tract another problem to deal with."

In the end, he said, the best way to treat hangover is to avoid getting one in the first place. That means pacing yourself when it comes to drinking, and consuming lots of water. "Water is great, too, because it flushes out the kidneys," Siegel said, "increasing the rate at which toxins are gotten rid of."
More information:

Get a primer on hangovers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Study: Eat fast food, get fat and sick

From the University of Minnesota:

15-year study shows strong link between fast food, obesity and insulin resistance

Researchers have shown a correlation between fast food, weight gain, and insulin resistance in what appears to be the first long-term study on this subject. The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study by Mark Pereira, Ph.D., assistant professor in epidemiology, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and David Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Obesity Program at Children's Hospital Boston, reported that fast food increases the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The results of this 15-year study will be published in the Jan. 1 issue of The Lancet.

Participants who consumed fast food two or more times a week gained approximately 10 more pounds and had twice as great increase in insulin resistance in the 15-year period than participants who consumed fast food less than once per week.

"Fast-food consumption has increased in the United States during the past three decades," said Pereira. "While there have been many discussions about fast-food's effects on obesity, this appears to be the first scientific, comprehensive long-term study to show a strong connection between fast-food consumption, obesity, and risk for type 2 diabetes."

"The CARDIA study factored in and monitored lifestyle factors including television viewing, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and smoking, but determined that increase in body weight and insulin resistance from fast-food intake seemed to be largely independent of these other lifestyle factors," said Ludwig.

Fast-food frequency was lowest for white women (about 1.3 times per week) compared with the other ethnic and gender groups (about twice a week). Frequency was higher in African-Americans than in whites and in men than in women for every examination year. Age-adjusted fast-food frequency was relatively stable over time among African-Americans but fell in those who were white.

This study of cardiovascular disease risk factor evolution included 3,031 young (age 18-30 years in 1985) African-American and white adults whose frequency of fast-food visits, changes in body weight and insulin resistance were monitored and measured for 15 years. This was a multi-center, population-based study with study centers in Birmingham, Ala., Chicago, Ill., Minneapolis, Minn., and Oakland, Calif.

4 Weight Loss Resolutions Worth Making

From eDiets.com:

Can you believe it is this time of year again? What time? New Year’s Resolution-making time, of course!

Before we direct our attention to the things we should resolve to do in 2005, I would like you take a look back at this time last year. Did you make any resolutions last year? If so, how did you do with adhering to them?

I remember many times in the past when I would make resolutions such as, "I am going to lose weight this year" or "I am going to get happier and more organized this year." I would jump into the New Year with a commitment to realizing my resolves and an intense enthusiasm for doing so. The problem was that my resolves were too vague and I didn’t have a plan to follow, merely an idea of what direction I wanted to go. That was a plan to fail, or more simply put, I failed to plan!

This time, in the coming New Year, if you want to succeed and realize each of your resolutions -- PLAN to succeed and you will!

So, without further ado, 2005’s top resolutions AND who to realize them!!! (Applause, cheering, confetti is now being thrown. Prince is singing -- can you feel the excitement!?)

1. I resolve to make a plan that is realistic and contains small achievable goals to help me realize my bigger goals and resolutions!

2. I resolve to stop drinking all soft drinks and I resolve to stop eating all fried foods.

3. I resolve to increase my fitness level and get regular exercise.

4. I resolve to drink at least 64 ounces of water a day.

I promise you this, if you follow each of these resolves then 2006 will ring in with YOU being much healthier, more fit and highly empowered! That would make for a great 2005, wouldn’t it?

Now, the plan to realize these goals!

1. There is no better plan available to you today than using eDiets.com for your nutritional and support needs. And, if you want an extra dose of motivation, you should start January 1 with a LifeChanger in hand!

2. If you drink soft drinks or eat fried foods (vices!), figure out how many times a day/week you do consume them. Then, each week methodically cut back -- after 21 days you will be vice-free!

3. Whatever your current fitness level, you need to gradually increase what you are doing. Increasing duration, intensity or frequency of exercise and work to increase it each week until you are a living fitness guru! It can be done, I promise you that. If today you have trouble walking to the end of your driveway, this is still a start! Do that today and each day until it is not as hard, then walk a bit further and keep increasing, as you are able and ready.

I know an eDiets client who couldn’t walk for one minute; she took this advice to heart and is now 75 pounds lighter and walks around the park. She has improvement still ahead but her first steps were indeed her most important ones! Take yours!

4. If you "hate" water today, that is fine -- just drink ONE glass! And the same tomorrow and the next day; then increase weekly from that point until you are drinking at least 64 ounces of water a day. It is the most important resolution you can make and keep! You are made of 75 percent water and you need a constant flow of it to keep your body working optimally!

Sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it? It is easier than you can imagine. Have a happy and safe New Year’s Eve -- and remember, "Everywhere you go -- there YOU are!" That means, just because it says you can "eat all you want" at the buffet, doesn’t mean you should!

Learn more at eDiets.com...

Quitting Smoking Vs. Losing Weight

From Forbes.com:

If you're considering either losing weight or quitting smoking, doctors have a few words of advice: Quit the cigarettes, even if it means gaining a few pounds.

Read more...

Staying Active Keeps Mind Sharp in Old Age

From Reuters Health:

People who stay just as active after age 70 as they did before are less likely to experience age-related declines in mental functioning, new study findings suggest.

Previous studies have stressed the importance of keeping the body active in old age in order to keep the mind active, as well. The current research suggests that it's not just being active, but staying active, that can make a difference, the authors note.

"The results of this study suggest that stimulating elderly to be physically active with at least a medium-low intensity or becoming even more physically active (in duration or intensity) could be important for keeping their brains fit," write the researchers, led by Dr. B.M. van Gelder of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands.

In the journal Neurology, van Gelder and colleagues write that physical activity protects the brain by keeping the heart and blood vessels healthy, which boosts blood flow to the brain and reduces the risk of stroke.

In addition, some studies suggest that exercise may even help the mind by stimulating the creation of new brain cells.

Given that physical activity tends to change with age, the researchers investigated whether these changes can influence mental function in a study of 295 men aged 70 to 90 from Italy, Finland and the Netherlands.

The participants were asked about the intensity and duration of exercise, including activities such as walking, biking, hobbies, gardening, odd jobs and playing sports. The researchers followed the men for 10 years, noting who increased or decreased their amount of physical activity.

The researchers checked participants' mental functioning using a standardized test that examines memory, calculation, language abilities, and other aspects of brain acuity.

At the outset of the study, Italian men were the most active, typically spending their time on gardening. In Finland, the most popular activity was walking; for Dutch men, it was bicycling.

On average, Dutch and Italian men decreased the amount of time they spent exercising over the 10-year period, and all men exercised with less intensity over time.

However, men who decreased their amount of physical activity by at least 1 hour each day experienced the largest decline in mental functioning -- nearly three times greater than that seen in men who spent the same amount of time exercising as before.

And the more men reduced the amount of time they spent exercising, the larger was their mental decline over the 10-year period.

5 Ways To Cut The Fat

From eFitness.com:

The traditional TV makeover has recently risen to new heights. Modern day audiences, hungry for anything with shock value, aren't satisfied with total wardrobe, hairstyle and makeup changes. Plastic surgery has definitely moved to center stage, and is being broadcast directly into your living room.

According to a survey conducted by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), nearly 8.3 million surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures were performed last year. That’s up a whopping 20 percent from 2002! Topping the list of surgical procedures was lipoplasty or liposuction, with an astonishing 384,626 operations performed (up three percent from 2002).

But what about the millions of us who'd rather not go under the knife purely for vanity's sake? Is there any hope?

You bet there is! And I'm here to spell out exactly what you can and can't do to rid your body of excess fat, while you reshape, sculpt and dramatically alter your appearance. Sound good? Let's get started by taking a look at what can be achieved with an effective fitness program.

Exercise Can/Can’t Do List:

Exercise Can...

- Drastically reduce body fat percentages
- Firm, tone, and sculpt muscle, virtually changing the shape of your body
- Increase muscle size to fill out excess skin
- Eliminate cellulite
- Increase strength and endurance
- Lower chances of developing disease
- Strengthen your immunes system
- Encourage the release of endorphins (feel good hormones)
- Give skin a healthy glow

Exercise Can’t...

- Completely eliminate the effects of years of morbid obesity (100 pounds or more overweight)
- Restore elasticity to skin following multiple pregnancies with a major increase in body weight (greater than 25 percent)
- Restore elasticity to skin following a weight loss of 50 to 100 pounds or more
- Now that you know what exercise can do (as well as its limitations), how can it change your appearance, and help you avoid surgery?

First and foremost, you’ll need to customize a well-rounded (no pun intended), full-body resistance program that will deliver the bulk of your results. Most people make the mistake of focusing on a specific body part right off the bat, without addressing the larger issue of excess body fat and poor overall muscle tone.

Next, zero in on your specific problems or trouble spots, and tweak your program by adding or adjusting with exercises and activities that support what you’re trying to achieve.

Your Full-Body Program

Put together a basic beginner program that includes five or six resistance exercises. These movements should work an entire muscle group versus one small and isolated area. The bench press for the chest and shoulders, as well as the squat for the entire lower body are examples of multi-muscle exercises that unless they’re specifically contraindicated, should be part of every start up routine.

Initially, the full body program needs to be repeated twice per week. Start with one set of each exercise and work up to two or three. The entire routine should take no more than 20-30 minutes, tops. This will leave you plenty of time for your fat-burning cardiovascular exercise.

Brisk walking, jogging or biking two or three days each week should do the trick. Depending upon your goals and fitness level, cardio can be handled with short and intense activities like running and jumping rope, or with gentler and longer brisk walks, bike rides or even hiking.

To qualify as a candidate for liposuction, one should have already attempted to address the problem through diet and exercise. This will ultimately reduce the amount of fat that needs to be removed surgically, as well as promote better results with a faster recovery.

The combination of resistance and cardiovascular exercise will leave your metabolism revved up and burning fat like you never thought possible. Once you start seeing results, you can apply the specific makeover tweaks. I’ll list the five most common issues people seem to have, based on thousands of clients I’ve worked with.

Remember to never totally abandon your full body program. If necessary, make specific adjustments that include some or all of the following suggestions.

Complaint # 1

The back of my arms are flabby, preventing me from wearing a sleeveless top.

Tweak

Be sure to continue with your bench press, or you can substitute with push-ups. To increase the effect on the area in question, narrow your grip on the bar, work with hands closer together doing push-ups.

Addition

Bench Dips or Tricep Kickbacks

Complaint # 2

I’ve lost a lot of weight (either following a pregnancy or obesity) but can’t get rid of my belly fat.

Tweak

Sometimes you just need to crank up the cardio with longer, faster or more frequent sessions. Unfortunately, when it comes to stretched-out skin, exercise has limitations.

Addition

Bike kicks and crunches, if done correctly, can deliver rock hard abs with very few reps and sets.

Complaint # 3

My hips, my hips, my hips! No matter how hard I exercise I can’t reduce the size of my butt.

Tweak

In the gym, stay with a moderate weight and high repetitions on all your lower body exercises. Cardio should be long and gentle versus short and intense to avoid more growth here. If necessary, increase your amount of weekly cardio.

Addition

Some people will store their fat almost exclusively on their hips, and your upper body will look thin before the lower body gives up the fat. Increase upper body and core focus in the gym.

Complaint # 4

I have no trouble keeping myself lean and trim, but can’t firm, tone or develop my chest.

Tweak

If you’re satisfied with your overall fitness and body fat levels, but just want to fill out that suit jacket, you’ll need to keep cardio and lower-body work to minimum, while you focus on building pecs.

Addition

The push-up is the best overall upper body exercise, period. Its effect on your chest is legendary, and can be added to, or become your entire chest routine. Form is king, and slow controlled repetitions will produce dramatic results.

Complaint # 5

My thighs are riddled with cellulite. Help!

Tweak

Cellulite is fat deposits poking out between underdeveloped muscle fibers. Two simple solutions are to burn the fat and tone the muscle. Be sure you stick to a common sense diet, because no amount of exercise can overcome a diet riddled with fats and refined sugars.

Addition

Lunges attack the thighs, and there are at least a dozen variations. In addition to the traditional lunge. I like the lunge walk, where you literally walk around the gym or apartment in a lunging fashion.

Learn more at eFitness.com...

7 ways to lose BIG in 2005!

From eDiets.com:

You will succeed by resolving to make these small changes in your day-to-day life. Listen, it's not going to happen automatically... it happens a day at a time, a pound at a time. Just try it my way this year. Small changes pay off big time. I challenge you to make the following resolutions. These resolutions can be made without pain, without you having to make any announcement to anyone. They're small changes, but if you resolve to make them, you'll be healthier and slimmer by next year, January 1, 2006.

1. MOVE! Make time for activity every day. You don't have to join a gym, or be a body builder, but you do have to move. Start your engine at least once a day, and take it out on the road for a minimum of 25 minutes. It can be as simple as getting out of your home and walking down the street; you can put on a radio and dance around your kitchen! However, the best predictor of permanent weight loss is exercise. I do it… you can too. Get a pedometer -- I highly recommend it as a motivational tool. It shows you how many steps you've taken that day,and it's a constant but gentle and personal reminder to you to stay active. You may want to begin some light weight training -- as you lose weight you'll have more energy. Lean muscle mass helps master weight managers to maintain their weight.

2. CHOOSE! Choose fiber, the "secret" ingredient that master weight managers use. Choose a piece of whole fruit over juice; choose whole grain bread instead of white; choose high-fiber cereal instead of refined, sugared cereal. High-fiber foods make you fuller, take longer to digest, and cause a slow, gradual rise in blood sugar.

3. LOWER FAT! See… I didn't say "No Fat." Fat tastes good, and you need a certain amount of fat in your diet daily. However, not all fat is equal! Fat is quickly stored in your fat cells, and contains more than double the calories of protein and carbohydrates, so choose wisely. Diets higher in saturated fat and trans fat (hydrogenated oils found especially in margarine, crackers, cookies and fried fast food) are associated with an increase in heart disease and stroke. Resolve to avoid fried foods, especially restaurant-fried foods, usually made with trans fat. Bake, broil, grill, steam, sauté in a non-stick pan, poach or stir-fry.

4. BALANCE! Balance your diet; never exclude any one nutrient in favor of another. All foods fit into a healthy diet -- it's the portion size and preparation method that counts. Don't eat the same foods day after day, resolve to try different fruits and vegetables. Make each week a new opportunity to taste a fruit that you have never tried before, or one you've not had in a long time. Try a kiwi, a persimmon, a mango; some of these fruits and vegetables are powerful packages of nutrition, much more nutritious than the typical apple, pear or orange.

5. PLAN! Change isn't easy, but when you have the foods and ingredients right at hand, then you're going to more likely eat those healthy foods. Especially in the beginning, resolve to print out your weekly menu and shopping list so you can shop for your ingredients. Shopping with a list is a great strategy to stick to your program, and saves you time, too.

6. RELAX! This is SO important. Resolve to take merely 5-10 minutes each morning, and again before you go to bed: breathe deeply, roll your shoulders and tense all your muscles, starting in your fingers, then arms, then shoulders, then abdomen, then thighs, then calves, and finish with your toes. This will relax your entire body, and give you more energy.

7. ATTITUDE! Weight control is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Instead of saying, "I ate that piece of cake, so I might as well have the cookies and candy too," resolve to make your attitude reflect your new philosophy of control. All foods can fit into your diet… but some you can eat every day, and some you can eat only occasionally. Make food your friend, and you'll not abuse it.

Learn more about healthy weight loss at eDiets.com...

Happy Holidays from the Really Useful Fitness Blog!

I sincerely hope that all of our loyal readers have a happy and healthy holiday season. And, in case you're worried about those fatty, mega-calorie holiday meals, here's some interesting information...

From the Journal of the American College of Cardiology:

Exercise Before Fatty Meal May Curb Bad Effects

People gearing up for an indulgent holiday feast may want to make time for some pre-meal exercise. A small study out Monday suggests that a long walk before a fatty meal can lessen the effects of high fat intake on blood vessel function.

Eating high-fat foods is known to transiently elevate levels of blood fats such as triglycerides, and recent research has shown that a rich meal can also temporarily impair the functioning of the lining of blood vessels-called the endothelium.

The new study, published in the December 21st issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, suggests that moderate exercise can blunt these effects in both thin and obese middle-aged men.

The 20 men in the study ate a rich meal -- featuring whipped cream, chocolate and a whopping 80 grams of fat -- under two conditions on separate days. In one condition, the men spent 90 minutes walking on a treadmill the day before the meal; in the other, they had their meal after an exercise-free day.

The researchers found that the men's post-meal triglyceride levels rose to a lesser degree when they exercised before the meal. Moreover, their blood vessel function -- specifically, the dilation of small vessels in the forearm in response to increased blood flow -- was better when compared with the no-exercise condition.

"Our results do suggest that exercise can help to lessen the potential adverse effects of fatty meals on blood vessel function," Dr. Jason Gill, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health.

But that's not to say that people who exercise regularly have a license to indulge, according to Gill, of the University of Glasgow in the UK.

There was a general decrease in blood vessel function after the fatty meal, whether the men exercised or not, Gill and his colleagues found. The impairment was less pronounced, however, when the meal came after a long walk.

Past research has shown that high-fat meals, but not low-fat ones, can temporarily dampen normal blood vessel dilation. The concern, according to Gill's team, is that if these post-meal effects are repeated daily over time, there will be consequences for a person's long-term cardiovascular health.

Gill said the average person downs about 70 to 100 grams of fat per day, which indicates that their blood fats are elevated for the majority of the day, every day. The new findings suggest that regular exercise can curb the potential damage to blood vessel function -- and offer another possible reason for why exercise improves heart health.

It's not clear exactly how pre-meal exercise countered the effects of the fatty meal. According to Gill, activity may help by lowering blood fat levels and giving fat particles less opportunity for "interacting" with the vessel walls, or by giving a boost to blood flow that can last for hours afterward.

The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, included 10 normal-weight men and 10 obese men. For the exercise condition, they walked at a moderate pace for 90 minutes. According to Gill, shorter exercise sessions may also be helpful for blood vessel function, since the researchers previously found that 30 minutes of activity can lower post-meal blood fat levels.

Why microflora matters

From the University of Michigan Health System:

Healthy mix of GI tract microbes are key to preventing allergies and asthma

If you want to avoid allergies or asthma, scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School suggest you start paying more attention to what's in your gut.

In the January 2005 issue of Infection & Immunity, U-M researchers report new evidence suggesting that changes in the normal mixture of microflora – bacteria and fungi in the gastrointestinal tract – can intensify the immune system's reaction to common allergens, like pollen or animal dander, in the lung and increase the risk of developing chronic allergies or asthma.

"Our research indicates that microflora lining the walls of the gastrointestinal tract are a major underlying factor responsible for the immune system's ability to ignore inhaled allergens," says Gary Huffnagle, Ph.D., an associate professor of internal medicine and of microbiology and immunology in the U-M Medical School. "Change the microflora in the gut and you upset the immune system's balance between tolerance and sensitization."

To test their hypothesis, Huffnagle and Mairi C. Noverr, Ph.D., a U-M post-doctoral fellow, have developed the first mouse model designed to mimic how humans develop allergies following antibiotic therapy. In a just-published study in the current issue of Infection & Immunity, they report results of new experiments linking changes in GI tract microflora to an overzealous allergic response in the lung.

Instead of sensitizing them to an allergen in advance, Noverr gave normal Balb/C laboratory mice a five-day course of antibiotics, which killed their gut bacteria, followed by a single oral introduction of the yeast Candida albicans. Increased growth of C. albicans in the gut is a common side-effect of antibiotics.

After stopping the antibiotics, Noverr inserted ovalbumin – a commonly used experimental allergen derived from egg whites – via the nasal cavities of all the mice in the study. Then, she examined the mice for the presence of an allergic response in the airways and compared results between mice that received antibiotics and those that did not.

"The antibiotic-treated mice showed increased airway hypersensitivity to ovalbumin

compared to mice that didn't receive antibiotics," Noverr says. "These results confirm our previous experiments, in which we used a genetically different strain of laboratory mice [C57BL/6] and a different type of allergen – mold spores, instead of ovalbumin."

Results of Huffnagle and Noverr's previous work were published in the August, 2004 issue of Infection & Immunity. It was the first study linking changes in GI tract microflora to an allergic response in the lung.

"In our new study, we found that differences in host genetics and the type of allergen used didn't matter. The immune responses were literally identical," Huffnagle says. "It confirms our earlier findings that gut microflora are the key to maintaining a balanced immune response, that changing the composition of microflora in the gut predisposes animals to allergic airway disease, and that allergic sensitization can occur outside the lungs."

Noverr and Huffnagle suspect that changes in gut microflora caused by widespread use of antibiotics and a modern high-fat, high-sugar, low-fiber diet could be responsible for a major increase, over the last 40 years, in cases of chronic asthma and allergies in Western industrialized countries.

"The recent increase in allergies and asthma has been attributed to what's called the 'hygiene hypothesis,' the idea that children in Western countries are not exposed to enough infections early in life to prevent the immune system from reacting to harmless antigens," Noverr explains. "We're coming at it from a different angle. Our emphasis is on what's going on in the GI tract."

The link between lung and gut may not seem obvious at first. But Huffnagle points out that every time we swallow, particles of dust, pollen and spores – trapped by mucus-producing cells and tiny hairs lining the respiratory tract – are washed into the stomach where they come in direct contact with immune cells in the GI tract.

"Think of the body as a big tube with everything from nose to rear end exposed to allergens from the outside world," Huffnagle says. "The immune system's normal response to all this stuff we constantly inhale is to actively ignore it – a reaction we call tolerance. The key to tolerance is an immune cell called a regulatory T cell."

Discovered just a few years ago, regulatory T cells are under intense research scrutiny, because of their ability to moderate or cool down the immune response.

"If lungs are repeatedly exposed to an allergen, regulatory T cells learn to recognize the allergen as not dangerous and something that can be safely ignored," Huffnagle says. "Most researchers think that tolerance develops in the lungs, but we believe it actually occurs in the gut. When immune cells in the GI tract come in contact with swallowed allergens, that interaction triggers the development of regulatory T cells, which then migrate to the lungs."

Everyone has a personal microbial fingerprint – a unique mix of bacteria and fungi living in the stomach and intestines – which develops in the first years of life. As long as the balance of gut microflora remains stable, tolerance continues. But anything that alters this intestinal balance – taking antibiotics, switching from breast milk to formula, eating a high-sugar, low-fat diet – interferes with the system and can lead to problems.

"One short course of antibiotics is not going to give everyone allergies," Huffnagle says. "But if you are taking antibiotics while your diet consists of white bread and fried food, you are not going to maintain the healthy microflora balance you need to maintain tolerance. If you inhale mold spores or pollen during this period, our studies indicate you are much more likely to become sensitized to them."

In future research, Huffnagle hopes to learn whether changing only the diet of his experimental mice will alter gut microflora and change the immune response to allergens in the same way as antibiotics. Noverr plans to focus on identifying the microbial compounds that activate the immune response and learning how bacterial dietary supplements called probiotics can affect this microbial balance in a positive way.

"We are not advocating that people stop using antibiotics when they are medically necessary," Huffnagle cautions. "But we are advocating that people understand the importance of eating a healthy diet, with lots of fruits and vegetables, after taking antibiotics to help restore the normal mix of GI microflora as quickly as possible."

Noverr and Huffnagle's research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and a New Investigator Award from the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund. Other U-M collaborators in the study were Nicole R. Falkowski and Rod A. McDonald, research associates, and Andrew N. McKenzie of the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK.

Tips for Keeping Kids Active and Healthy

From the Associated Press:

As if keeping children fit and trim isn't challenging enough, now you have dreams of dancing sugar plums to contend with.

But helping the tykes get through the holidays without developing bellies like bowls full of jelly will involve more than just keeping tabs on the sweets and treats of the season.

That's because children's physical fitness bottoms out this time of year, making it all the more difficult for them to burn off those extra Christmas cookie calories.

In fact, children burn only half as many calories in winter as they do in summer, says Dr. Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise.

So how is a parent to handle December's seemingly endless buffet of candy canes and gingerbread men?

It's all a matter of balance between calories in and calories out.

First, the calories going in. Health officials say the average child and teenage girl should eat about 2,200 calories a day. Teenage boys should get 2,800. But try not too obsess too much about the numbers.

It's more important to set a positive tone about food, says Lisa Young, a professor of nutrition at New York University who specializes in diet counseling for children. Parents who demonize food sabotage their children's efforts at healthy eating.

"You don't want to set up a whole negative persona about food," she said. "The whole issue of food becomes good or bad, and then the kid becomes good or bad because they ate the food."

Young instead urges parents to set a tone of moderation that includes clear expectations. For example, tell the children it's fine to indulge, but that they should eat only one dessert per holiday event.

And be sure to make it clear when indulgence is and is not allowed. Treats at parties and special events are fine, but discourage random sweets at home. In fact, don't keep them in the house at all, even as decorations.

Young also suggests keeping children away from the empty calories of sugary drinks. Keep those calories for cookies, cakes and pies, which are more likely to leave the children satisfied.

When it comes to parties, avoid setting out platters of goodies, which encourage eating to excess, says Ellen Carroll, a spokeswoman and food development director at Cooking Light magazine.

Instead, give each child a party favor bag with individual portions of good and not-so-good treats. Alternatively, set out platters of healthy treats, but serve only individual portions of sweets.

Children also never should be sent to a party hungry. Give them a healthy snack before they leave the house.

Carroll says routine can help, too. The empty days of Christmas vacation can lend themselves to all-day snacking. Combat that by setting and sticking to a schedule of meals and snacks.

Even with these precautions, it's best to accept that children will eat more than normal during the coming weeks. That brings us to how to handle — and increase — the number of calories going out.

Rather than obsess over every morsel your child eats, especially if you've made reasonable efforts to foster moderation, encourage more physical activity to burn up those extra calories.

Rule No. 1: Never use food as the focus of any children's event. Instead of a pizza party, have a bowling or craft party. That puts the focus on activity, not edibles.

Rule No. 2: Set the right example. If you expect your children to be active, you'll need to be active, too.

"We as parents tend to look at it as little down time," said Bryant. "We're just as guilty as the children of sitting in front of the television."

But none of this means packing your children off to the gym every day. And while a day on the ski slopes or at the skating rink is great, fitness can be plain old fun and games, too.

Any activity, from playing Simon Says to building pillow forts in the living room, counts in terms of burning calories.

Even activities that normally quash fitness can be put to good use, including video games. Some games now have motion-sensing pads that children must move around on in order to play the game.

Activity also can be meaningful. Carroll suggests bringing children to a homeless shelter or other charitable event where they can help out and start holiday traditions that aren't food-centered.

"Kids are so full of energy this time of year that you've got to do something to redirect that energy to take some of the emphasis off the holiday treats," she said.

Low-carb on downslide

From USAToday:

Cutting carbohydrates has been the hottest diet craze of the decade, but there are signs the trend is cooling. The percentage of people who are following low-carb diets has dropped dramatically since January, according to new data from two market research firms.

Among the possible reasons: Overall dieting usually is down at this time of year, and interest in the Atkins' meat-lovers plan simply might be waning.

The latest data:

• Low-carb dieting peaked the last week of January, when 9.1% of people said they were on the program. By Nov. 17, only 3.6% were following the plan, according to the NPD Group, one of the country's leading market research firms. NPD interviews 1,000 people twice a month about dieting.

• Another monthly poll of 1,100 people from Opinion Dynamics Corp. shows that 11% to 12% of people from December 2003 through August said they were on a low-carb program such as the Atkins or South Beach diet. (The latter starts out low in carbs and then becomes moderate.) In October, the percentage dropped to 8%.

Read more...

Live longer, be healthier with "Polymeals"

More good news for chocolate and wine lovers...

From Reuters News:

If you enjoy good food and don't like the idea of taking pills to reduce the risks of heart attack or stroke, it could be time to try the Polymeal.

Foods ranging from wine to fish and fruits and vegetables have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, so Dr Oscar Franco, a public health expert at the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, decided to combine them in one meal.

If people over 50 years old consumed roughly the daily equivalent of the Polymeal, the researchers calculated, they could slash the odds of suffering from heart disease, one of the world's biggest killers, by 76 percent.

"The message of our paper is that a healthy lifestyle and a good balanced diet is a good alternative to prevent cardiovascular disease," Franco said in an interview.

He and his team searched scientific literature to find foods that have a proven protective effect against cardiovascular disease and then used a mathematical model to determine how much the combined effects of the individual ingredients would reduce the risk of the illness. The results are reported in the British Medical Journal

The Polymeal consists of wine, fish, dark chocolate, fruit and vegetables, garlic and almonds. The ingredients should be taken daily, apart from fish which could be eaten about four times a week, as part of a balanced diet.

Wine and chocolate must be consumed in moderation.

The scientists said the results of eating the Polymeal would be most dramatic for men, whom they estimated would live 6.6 years longer in total than their counterparts not eating the meal. They would also delay the onset of heart disease by 9 years.

Women would gain nearly 5 years and keep heart disease at bay for about 8 years.

The scientists devised the Polymeal as a non-pharmaceutical alternative to a Polypill, a combination of drugs taken in one dose to cut heart disease, which was proposed in 2003.

Polymeals, combined with exercise and non-smoking, are the ingredients for a healthy lifestyle to prevent heart disease, Franco added.

In a separate report in the journal, renowned chef Raymond Blanc created a three-course dinner of watercress soup, grilled fillet of mackerel with winter root vegetables, chickpeas, toasted almonds and garlic and chocolate mousse, based on the Polymeal ingredients.

Chocolate can be good for you

This holiday season you may be tempted to eat some chocolate or have some tasty hot cocoa. Well, guess what? You should! Chocolate - especially dark chocolate - is loaded with healthy antioxidants and other important nutrients. But, of course, you have to eat it in moderation. Also, if possible, choose the healthiest of all chocolate: organic, sugar-free, dark chocolate.

Some candy companies are even introducing ´healthy´ chocolate candies. Click here to learn more...

Study: High-Pressure Deadlines Boost Heart-Attack Risk

From Bloomberg.com:

People who are under short-term but intense pressure to meet deadlines run a six times higher risk of having a heart attack within the next 24 hours, according to a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Read more...

Study: Men stop trying when they remarry

From the British Medical Journal:

Men seem to stop trying when they remarry, suggests research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. They put on weight and cut down on exercise.

But, overall, remarriage is good for their diet, boosting their vegetable intake and reducing their alcohol consumption particularly in younger men, the research showed.

The findings are based on almost 40,000 participants of a long term study into chronic illness. All of the participants were male health care professionals, excluding doctors, and they were between 40 and 75 years of age at the start of the study in 1986.

The men were surveyed every four years on their marital status, diet, and health, up to 1994.

Compared with men who remained widowed or divorced/separated, men who remarried put on weight and cut down on the amount of exercise they took.

But their diet improved, and they ate more vegetables, lean poultry and cut down on sugary drinks. The effects were stronger in younger men who remarried after the loss of a spouse.

Compared with men who stayed married in any four year period, men whose wives died increased their alcohol consumption and decreased their vegetable intake. Marital break-up signified weight loss.

The authors conclude that the break up of a marriage through death or divorce is bad for men's health, and especially their diets.

6 Women's Fitness Myths

From MSN Health & Wellness:

Myths are perfect for bedtime and stories around the campfire, but less-than-truthful tales have no place in your fitness routine. Buying into these popular exercise myths will not only hinder your get-in-shape goals, but some may actually harm you.

Myth # 1: "If I'm not sore the next day, I didn't work out hard enough."

Truth: The self-suffering adage "No pain, no gain" simply isn't true. "You should be sore for only the first few days of a new exercise routine, because your muscles aren't used to the activity," says Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., fitness research director of the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts. In fact, if you exercise consistently, feeling sore means you've overextended yourself -- you've gone above and beyond where you need to go, and it makes sense to take a day off, says Shay McKelvey, R.N., M.S., a spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise.

Myth # 2: "If I drink water when I exercise, I'll get cramps."

Truth: Guzzling fluids while biking, hiking, running or aerobicizing does not bloat your body or hamper your athletic performance, says McKelvey. In fact, it helps. "After an hour of exercise, your body can lose more than a quart of water, and if you don't replenish that fluid, you run the risk of dehydration," says McKelvey. More than simply making you feel parched, losing an excess of water during workouts can result in exhaustion, muscle cramps and loss of coordination -- all of which can lead to injury and potentially fatal heatstroke. To prevent dehydration, drink eight ounces of water right before your workout, and eight ounces every 15 minutes during exercise. Afterward, gulp another eight ounces. And if you have a long, intense workout (more than 45 minutes), go for a sports drink such as Gatorade to replace lost electrolytes. (Electrolytes are nutrients that affect fluid balance in the body and are necessary in order for our nerves and muscles to function.)

Myth # 3: "If I don't make it to the gym three days a week, I'll never get fit."

Truth: Can't make it to the gym on a regular basis? Don't toss your get-fit dreams out the window. While the surgeon general recommends that you get moving for 30 minutes a day, the activity doesn't necessarily have to be hard-core -- nor does it need to take place in a gym. Say you sweat up a storm once a week in step class or you spend Sunday afternoons lifting weights. If you supplement those tougher workouts throughout the week by toting your toddler through the mall, taking a brisk lunchtime walk and scrubbing the windows, you'll meet your activity quota. Every activity counts -- taking the stairs, hoofing it in the parking lot, pulling weeds in your garden. When you're super time-crunched and can't spare even one 30-minute session on the treadmill or in the weight room, run or walk for just 15 minutes, or ratchet down the number of strength-training sets from two to one; you'll still be doing enough to maintain a healthy body, says Dr. Westcott.

Read more...

10 Best Healthy Heart Foods

From eDiets.com:

Follow my logic here...

# The number one killer in America is cardiovascular disease.

# More than two out of every five Americans die of cardiovascular disease.

# Today, more than one in five Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease, with more than 2,500 Americans dying from it each day.

# Clearly, heart disease is a national concern.

# 60 percent of the deaths in U.S. due to heart disease are diet related.

# Research proves that healthy foods can actually reduce the risk of heart disease.

You do the math, eating a healthy diet is a no brainer!

Okay, so now we know that an unhealthy diet plays a major role in heart disease and a healthy diet could be your best defense. Doesn’t it make sense that you should try to eat a healthier diet? The answer is a big "hearty" yes! (Pardon the pun).

Now, in order to incorporate a "heart healthy" diet into your already hectic life, you should know first understand what a heart healthy diet looks like and what makes it healthy in the first place. (Try saying that three times fast).

Food For Thought

A heart healthy eating plan is simply consuming a variety of nutritious foods each day so you get the nutrients needed for a good strong heart. Here’s what this type of eating plan looks like:

# It’s high in fruits and vegetables.
# It’s high in plant-based foods (legumes).
# It’s high in whole grains (fiber).
# It’s includes low-fat dairy and low-fat meat selections (low in saturated fats).
# It’s low in fast food meals.
# It’s low in processed snacks and desserts (low in trans fats, sugar and sodium).

This eating plan is healthy because it consists mainly of whole foods like whole grains, fruits and veggies, it’s low in saturated fats and it’s low in processed foods -- which means it’s automatically lower in trans fats, refined sugar and sodium. We stress these smart choices along with portion control, because together they produce permanent weight loss and help prevent heart disease.

Okay, that’s all fine and good, but now you need to know how to incorporate this type of eating plan into your everyday life! Read on.

Top 10 Powerhouse Foods for the Heart!

Since no single food provides all the nutrients the body needs, eating a wide variety of foods ensures that you get the nutrients necessary to promote good health! Below are some of the healthiest food choices. These foods are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals -- all of which have the power to keep your heart healthy and your body slim!

# High fiber cereals and breads
# Fish (salmon and tuna)
# Legumes (beans and peas)
# Nuts (walnuts and almonds)
# Skim milk
# Blueberries
# Apples and oranges
# Carrots
# Tomatoes
# Spinach and kale

Now we are going to show you how easy it is to incorporate these powerhouse foods into some very basic meals that pack a nutritional punch!

Breakfast:
We took a typical cereal meal and made it heart healthy by doing the following:

We chose a high-fiber cereal (we like Fiber One, it packs a whopping 14 grams of fiber in one serving), added a serving of skim milk and topped it off with a cup of blueberries and a sliced apple. This meal packs four out of the 10 powerhouse foods into your diet before 9:00 am.

Lunch:
We took a typical salad meal and turned it into a heart healthy meal by doing the following:

We took two cups of baby spinach (pre washed), added extra servings each of shredded carrots and diced tomatoes. Next, we added one-half cup of black beans (canned for convenience -- but we rinsed them to get rid of some of the sodium) and a handful of chopped walnuts. We topped it off with two tablespoons of balsamic vinegarette (made with olive oil) and added a whole wheat roll.

In just one simple meal, you’ve more than satisfied your veggie quota. Combine this with the cereal meal and you’re on your way to meeting your fruit and veggie goal for the day. Are you beginning to see how easy it is pack these superstars into your daily meals?

Dinner:
Now, let’s really drive the point home with our dinner example! We took a typical fish dinner and turned it into a heart healthy meal by doing the following:

We chose a salmon steak (one of the healthiest fish choices) and brushed it with olive oil, seasoned it with paprika on both sides and baked it for 15 minutes. We served it with steamed broccoli, a small spinach salad, and a whole wheat roll.

Get it? With three easy-to-prepare meals, we have successfully included the top 10 powerhouse foods over the course of one day. The trick is having these powerhouse foods on hand so you can create you’re your own heart healthy meals by adding as many of these foods as possible (with an emphasis on fruits and veggies) to your basic meals. The result will be top-notch nutritious meals that are easy to prepare, with health benefits that are priceless!

If you want a complete list of meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts that include these powerhouse foods and many more, check out The Last Diet Book Standing for a meal plan that is guaranteed to keep you healthy and slim! We even include a list of Best Brands to make shopping a breeze -- we provide the healthiest brands for breads, cereals, pastas, snacks, frozen foods and even desserts -- we read all the labels so you won’t have to!

We thought it would be important to show you what an "unhealthy heart" diet looks like too -- just to make sure you DON’T include these types of food into your daily eating plan.

Portrait Of An Unhealthy Diet

An unhealthy diet consists of highly processed, packaged convenience-type foods that are loaded with artificial colors and flavors, and chock-full of bad fats. Here’s a closer look, it is:

# Deficient in fruits and vegetables and other plant based foods.
# Too low in fiber and too high in refined (processed) grains.
# Too high in saturated fats from animal foods.
# Too high in trans fats from fast food meals and packaged goods.
# Too high in sodium and refined sugar from commercially baked goods.

What’s Wrong With This Diet?

For starters, this diet contains almost no whole foods. By whole foods, we mean fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts and whole grains. Instead, it’s made up of too much fat, too little fiber, and a bunch of man-made, processed ingredients that are hard to pronounce. This type of diet, over a long period, combined with lack of exercise, has been proven to contribute to the onset of many chronic diseases. These unhealthy foods actually help to lower the immune system's ability to ward off heart disease and they make us fat to boot!

Below are the leading food categories contributing to the high rate of heart disease in our society. Do a mental check to see how many of these foods you eat in a single week, or worse, in a single day. If your diet consists of mainly these foods, you just might be nutritionally bankrupt!

Full-fat meats: are high in saturated fats and calories, and some are high in nitrates. Examples include: prime rib, bacon, deli meats, hot dogs and regular ground beef.

Full-fat dairy products: are high in saturated fats and calories. Examples include: whole milk, yogurt, cheese, cream cheese and ice cream.

Unhealthy oils: these are hydrogenated and contain trans fats. Examples are: lard, palm oil, coconut oil, margarines and vegetable shortening.

Fast foods: are high in saturated fats, high in trans fats and calories. Examples (like you need any) include: double cheeseburgers, burgers with sauces and high-fat dressings, hot dogs, french fries and onion rings.

Commercially baked goods: are high in processed white flour, trans fats and refined sugars. Examples include: donuts, pastries, pies and cakes.

Packaged snacks: many of these are made with partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats), artificial additives, high sodium and refined sugars. Examples include: potato chips, crackers, cookies and breakfast foods (i.e., cereals, breakfast bars and toaster pastries).

Sugary beverages: contain artificial dyes, refined sugar and corn syrup. Examples include: sodas, punches and fruit drinks.

------------
Kerry McLeod is a freelance marketing consultant and a sports nutrition certified instructor. For most of her adult life, Kerry's diet consisted of empty calories from highly processed foods, sans anything remotely healthy. She decided there was a real need for a no-nonsense, simple nutrition and weight loss program that could be applied to any lifestyle. With this, she set out to create the ultimate eating plan for women and wrote The Last Diet Book Standing.

Learn more at eDiets.com...

20 Good Reasons To Work Out

From eFitness.com:

With all we now know about the benefits of exercise, it's hard to believe more Americans don't work out. It's the closest thing yet to the fountain of youth, and truly the ONLY way to change the appearance, shape, and strength of your body. In addition, the health benefits associated with an intelligently orchestrated strength, flexibility and cardiovascular training program can add quality years to your life.

Everyone exercises for different reasons. But no matter your motivation, you still get all the benefits. Below is a list of 20 reasons you should work out. If you can find even one benefit on this list, you'll have enough reason to begin an exercise program.

Regular exercise can...

1. Help you lose weight, especially fat
2. Improve your physical appearance
3. Increase your level of muscular strength and endurance
4. Maintain your resting metabolic rate to prevent weight gain
5. Increase your stamina and ability to do continuous work
6. Improve fitness levels, or your body's ability to use oxygen
7. Provide protection against injury
8. Improve your balance and coordination
9. Increase bone mineral density to prevent osteoporosis
10. Lower resting heart rate and blood pressure
11. Lower Body Mass Index (BMI), your fat to height ratio
12. Reduce triglycerides, bad cholesterol (LDL), raises good cholesterol (HDL)
13. Enhance sexual desire and performance
14. Reduce heart disease risk and stroke
15. Reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer
16. Increase insulin sensitivity, prevents type 2 diabetes
17. Reduce your level of anxiety and help you manage stress
18. Improve function of the immune system
19. Improve your self-esteem and restore confidence
20. Help you sleep better, relax, and improve mood

To learn more about Mike Stefano and his fat burning, body sculpting workouts go to www.firefightersworkout.com.

Meditation may change the brain

Two of the most effective ways to naturally control stress and reduce anxiety are exercise and meditation. In fact, people who do both on a regular basis are often the most relaxed and 'balanced' people you'll ever meet. They're also usually very healthy! Now, new research shows that consistent daily meditation can create lasting positive changes in the human brain...

From WebMD:

Meditation May Bolster Brain Activity - Buddhist Meditation May Produce Lasting Changes in the Brain

Meditation may not only produce a calming effect, but new research suggests that the practice of Buddhist meditation may produce lasting changes in the brain.

Researchers found that monks who spent many years in Buddhist meditation training show significantly greater brain activity in areas associated with learning and happiness than those who have never practiced meditation.

The results suggest that long-term mental training, such as Buddhist meditation, may prompt both short and long-term changes in brain activity and function.

Buddhist Meditation May Change the Brain

In the study, which appears in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, researchers compared the brain activity of eight long-time Buddhist monks and 10 healthy students.

The average age of the monks was 49, and each had undergone mental training in meditation for 10,000 to 50,000 hours over the course of 15 to 40 years.

The students' average age was 21. They had no prior experience in meditation and received one week of meditative training before the start of the study.

Both groups were asked to practice compassionate meditation, which does not require concentration on specific things. Instead, the participants are instructed to generate a feeling of love and compassion without drawing attention to a particular object.

Researchers measured brain activity before, during, and after meditation using electroencephalograms.

They found striking differences between the two groups in a type of brain activity called gamma wave activity, which is involved in mental processes including attention, working memory, learning, and conscious perception.

The Buddhist monks had a higher level of this sort of gamma wave activity before they began meditation, and this difference increased dramatically during meditation. In fact, researchers say the extremely high levels of gamma wave activity are the highest ever reported.

The monks also had more activity in areas associated with positive emotions, such as happiness.

Researchers say the fact that the monks had higher levels of this type of brain activity before meditation began suggests that long-term practice of Buddhist or other forms of meditation may alter the brain.

Although age differences may also account for some of the differences found by this study, researchers say that the hours of meditation practice, rather than age, significantly predicted gamma wave activity.

Researchers say more studies are needed to look at whether differences in brain activity are caused by long-term meditation training itself or by individual differences before training.

SOURCE: Lutz, A. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, online early edition, Nov. 8, 2004.

Related resource: Natural stress reduction

Study: More sleep = Less hunger

Yet another reason to make sure you get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night...

From Reuters Health:

Consistently getting a good night's sleep may be one of the answers to maintaining a healthy weight, if early research findings are correct.

The small study found that when healthy young men slept for only fours hours on two nights in a row, they showed dips in a hormone that suppresses appetite, coupled with increases in an appetite-stimulating hormone.

On top of that, the volunteers reported being more hungry after their sleep-deprived nights than after nights when they slept for 10 hours.

Though more research is needed, the new findings suggest that "if you do not run a sleep debt, you will be able to curb your appetite more easily and maintain or lose weight," study leader Dr. Eve Van Cauter, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, told Reuters Health.

Van Cauter and her colleagues report the findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The two appetite-regulating hormones in question are leptin, which is released from fat cells and helps alert the brain that it's time to stop eating, and ghrelin, which is produced in the stomach and helps trigger hunger.

Van Cauter's team found that when the 12 men in their study slept for four hours on two consecutive nights, their levels of leptin were 18 percent lower and their levels of ghrelin were 28 percent higher than they were after two nights of spending 10 hours in bed.

When the men were asked to assess their appetites after sleep restriction, they showed a 24 percent increase in their "hunger ratings." And the foods they craved most were sweets, salty foods like chips and nuts, and starchy fare like bread and pasta.

The exact reasons for the hormonal changes associated with sleep deprivation are not yet known. According to Van Cauter, the mechanism may have to do with a small area in the brain where neurons respond to both eating and sleeping.

"We hypothesize that these neurons would be activated by sleep deprivation and stimulate ghrelin and decrease leptin," she explained.

Van Cauter and her colleagues point out that the rise in obesity in the U.S. has occurred in concert with a decline in time spent sleeping. Currently, less than one-quarter of young American adults sleep eight to nine hours per night -- down from about 41 percent in 1960.

Whether these trends are related is unclear