The most common bread sold and consumed by the American public is by far white bread.

We have all grown up eating our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread and our morning toast on white bread, but why?

Most likely because it’s cheaper and lasts longer then any other style bread. The issue I bring up though is it’s nutritional value, which is close to none. Read the rest of this entry »

Although many people know the health risks that come with obesity, new research finds that it may increase the risk of cancer.

According to a study published in the journal Cell, obesity can lead to an increased risk of liver cancer. Researchers believe if they could curb obesity, they may be able to reduce cancer deaths by as many as 90,000 a year. Read the rest of this entry »

Hypertension increases the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke.

Diet and lifestyle are among the various factors that can contribute to hypertension, along with age, sex, genetics and stress. In addition to stopping smoking and exercising regularly, the following dietary advice is appropriate:

Reduce salt intake – There is evidence that high sodium intake increases the risk of hypertension and that reducing salt intake may reduce risk. Read the rest of this entry »

Vigorous exercise may be an especially good way to keep kids lean, but sitting around, in and of itself, doesn’t appear to have a major role in making them fat, new research shows.

Nevertheless, there are still plenty of reasons to avoid too much sedentary “screen time,” Dr. Ulf Ekelund of the MRC Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge, UK and colleagues say, given potential negatives including “violence and aggressive behavior, poor academic performance, and poor body image.” Read the rest of this entry »

The scientists are modifying a well known additive used as a thickener in foods like salad dressings and ice cream into a weapon against obesity.

The team is converting the starch-like substance called gellan gum into a liquid which can be drunk but then turns to a gel when it reacts with the digestive juices in the stomach.

The substance, which contains virtually no calories, then slowly breaks down in around six hours. Read the rest of this entry »

Parent’s have an important role to play in the case of obese children. Children learn from their parents. Parents should be an example to them by displaying discipline, being physically active, taking part in games with them, encouraging them to go out and play, eat a healthy diet, avoid eating fast foods.

Great  number of children growing in the United States are obese. How can parents keep their kids from becoming obese without triggering an eating disorder, particularly in young girls? Read the rest of this entry »

Sugary soft drinks and energy drinks are taking it on the chin these days. First, two public-health experts floated the idea of a specific tax on sodas and energy drinks, and now, two other researchers are saying the drinks contribute to obesity and need an extreme makeover.

Walter Willett, who chairs the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health, argues that there is a “direct causal link” between sugar-sweetened soft drinks and energy drinks and obesity, which is in turn linked to heart disease, some types of cancer, arthritis, and type 2 diabetes. Read the rest of this entry »