Why a pill just won't cut it

You can't turn on the television, open a web browser, or read the newspaper without an advertisement or study telling you a new way to be healthy. One study says chocolate will help you lose weight, another says it's all genetic anyway - how do you ever know what to believe? One way to think about it is to think about a time not too long ago before fad dieting and obesity were daily topics of conversation. How did your grandmother eat? How did her mother feed her? Many believe our ancestors were much healthier than we are today, and one way to boost our own health may be to mimic those diets. One thing they certainly didn't consume back then: dietary supplements and vitamins.

It may seem like popping a calcium pill is a great, easy way to get your nutrients. Maybe it even sounds more appetizing than having some yogurt. But did you know that a study by the British Medical Journal found a connection between taking calcium supplements and thirty percent rise in the risk of suffering a heart attack. That risk was not seen in those who got their calcium the old fashioned way - by ingesting it in their food - or in people who also took vitamin D with their calcium.

Another major drawback of going the supplement route is the risk that you will encounter adverse side effects. One report found that excessive amounts of vitamin A supplements can cause headaches and birth defects, lower bone strength and can even cause liver damage. Zinc has been associated with nausea, vomiting, and internal organ damage.

Supplements can also have interactions with your prescription medications. For example, blood-thinning medication and vitamin K can be a dangerous combination, potentially increasing risk for blood clots. Vitamins E and C may decrease the effectiveness of chemotherapy. So if you're taking a prescription and you add a dietary supplement to your daily regimen, you may find yourself experiencing some unexpected and unpleasant reactions.

What does all of this tell us? It's hard to say exactly, except that when you pop a pill, you don't really know what the effects will be. Something else you don't know: what's actually in that pill. While the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture technically regulate what can and cannot appear on a food label, there is no government regulator out there keeping track of what a dietary supplement's label out there. So the health claims made on those bottles could be - and some likely are - entirely made up out of thin air. Is that the kind of product you want to buy? Probably not.

The truth is that we can get all the nutrients we need by eating a balanced diet that relies on a variety of foods and food groups. And food offers a lot of great things that you can't buy in a pill. It brings people together; it teaches us about new cultures; it tastes good. Why would you want to skip all of those benefits for a questionably beneficial supplement? Especially when that supplement comes in a non-regulated bottle and costs money? Do yourself, your wallet, and your taste buds a favor and skip that morning dose.

About the Author: Steven Madison freelances about health-related topics for this website. He's a personal trainer who has seen one too many diets based on supplements go terribly wrong.

Obese 'lose memory sooner'

Those who are obese, and have other health problems such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, lose their memory and thinking skills almost a quarter faster, found researchers at University College London.

Their study was based on almost 6,500 Whitehall civil servants, whose health was monitored between the ages of 50 and 60.

They were weighed and measured, their blood pressure and cholesterol levels were taken, and they were also asked what medication they were taking.

In addition, they were asked to perform mental tests three times during the decade, which were used to assess memory and other cognitive skills.

Of the 6,401 civil servants in the study, nine per cent (582) were obese. Of those, 350 were also classed as "metabolically abnormal" - meaning they had two additional risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, were taking medication for either condition, or were diabetic.

The researchers found the obese tended to lose their mental powers faster than their thinner colleagues, while those who also had additional conditions lost their memory and thinking skills fastest of all.

The latter group experienced a 22.5 percent faster decline on their cognitive test scores over the decade than those who were healthy.

Archana Singh-Manoux, of the Paris research institute Inserm, who contributed to the study, said their results indicated the idea that people could be obese but still healthy was flawed.

Shirley Cramer, chief executive of Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "We do not yet know why obesity and metabolic abnormality are linked to poorer brain performance, but with obesity levels on the rise, it will be important to delve a little deeper into this association.

"While the study itself focuses on cognitive decline, previous research suggests that a healthy diet, regular exercise, not smoking and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol in midlife can also help stave off dementia.

"With dementia figures spiralling towards a million, the findings suggest we should be conscious of our general health throughout life."

By Stephen Adams at The Daily Telegraph

4 Negative Emotions that Trigger Binge Eating and How You Can Avoid Them

Being smart about your weight doesn't just involve counting your calories and measuring your body mass index. It also involves taking a hold of your emotional state and being disciplined when it comes to handling your food cravings. A lot of us soon realize that emotional episodes are the reason behind binging and over eating.

The best way to triumph over the weight loss battle is to understand what triggers the overeating and take control of it. Making sure that you take on a practical approach with regard to coping styles you use can ensure your lifelong success in conquering weight problems.

Experts agree that some eating triggers can be attributed to human genetics, though most eating cravings are directly associated with emotions. Here are a few identified emotional triggers and some advice on how to manage them.

Suppressed anger is one of the biggest factors that drive a person to seek out the comforts of food. Most often than not angry people end up managing their anger by succumbing to food cravings. Food does seem like a reliable source of solace, but the problem is that it leaves you in more trouble than before. The best way to manage anger is to understand what is causing it and face it. Once you have conquered your anger issues it will become easier to avoid giving into cravings and overeating.

Stress is probably the most common trigger that is associated with overeating. You want to ask yourself if your response to stressful situations is grabbing for the first sugary treat you can find or do you often find yourself eating a bag of your favourite chips whenever its time to do your taxes? You may not be able to avoid these stressors in your life but you can surely lower the anxiety level that leads to binge eating. Get enough rest and treat your body life a temple. You can be prone to anxiety when you aren't getting enough sleep and relaxation.

Is boredom an appetite inducer? It has happened to everyone. You are home on a Friday night, there is nothing good on TV and you don't have anything planned so you decide that raiding the refrigerator is better than washing the dishes or cleaning your room. Before you make the decision to reach for the freezer and pop open that pint of ice cream, do yourself a favor and compel yourself to shift your focus from food to something more meaningful.

Everyone goes through some level of depression at one point or another. Depression prevents people from doing activities which are part of a normal routine and sometimes can lead to doing things which aren't conventional for a person, such as binge eating. You can empower yourself to use your depression as a wakeup call and avoid giving in to the temptation of drowning your mood in food.

Engaging in physical activities is an effective way of battling bouts of depression. Exercise and physical activity are clinically proven to increase the level of endorphins in the body. Endorphins are chemicals in the brain that stimulate a sense of well-being. Regular exercise is the key to help your body take control and win the binge eating battle.

Author Bio: Read More at weightlossdiets4women.com, a site that aims to provide information about weight loss and diet plans for women and also about the trx promo code

By Praveen Sivaraman