Encouraging Health

You’re eating right and working out, yet your pants keep getting tighter. What’s the deal? Could be your thyroid.

A sluggish thyroid — even one that is just a tad slow — can cause you to pack on the pounds. Read on to learn who’s most at risk . . .

The Thyroid-Weight Connection
As much as 2% of the U.S. population may have an underactive thyroid — called hypothyroidism. Women over 40 are at highest risk, but anyone can have it. And it matters, because your thyroid — the tiny gland right below your Adam’s apple produces hormones that control your metabolism. Too-low levels slow down everything, so your body burns fewer calories.

Strategies for Getting Slim
If your thyroid tests fine, try these tips for battling the bulge or getting over a weight loss plateau:

Revisit how many calories you really need. It changes with age and activity level.

Double-check your idea of a normal portion size: Here are three tips.

1. Retrain Your Eyes
Whether you are trying to lose weight or simply maintain your weight, controlling the amount of food you consume is just as important as the food choices you make. Simply by eating reasonable portions, you can eat the foods that you enjoy and still take off pounds. The first step is to retrain your eyes to recognize perfect portions for different types of food. Using smaller, 9-inch plates instead of large dinner plates also can help you retrain your eye. You’ll have a reasonable, yet filling, amount of food while still satisfying your psychological need to see a full plate.

2. Don’t Be Fooled by Misleading Food Labels
Comparing food labels at the supermarket is another good way to make healthier portion choices in your diet. But, be forewarned—a quick look at the label might not be giving you the whole story. If you’re like most shoppers, you notice the calories on the label first, but it’s important to consider the calories as well as the number of servings per package. Snack food favorites, such as cookies and chips, are especially prone to confusing food labels. Take, for example, a package of chocolate chip cookies: a serving of the regular cookies contains 160 calories while a serving of the peanut butter chip version of the same cookie brand has merely 80 calories per serving. An easy decision, right? Look closer—a serving of the peanut butter kind is only one cookie while the original flavor lists three cookies as a serving.

3. Use Nutrition Information to Your Advantage
Don’t sabotage your quest to eat the proper portions when dining out. Many fast-food restaurants now provide nutrition information about the foods they serve, allowing customers to choose a regular McDonald’s hamburger (260 calories) over a Big Mac® (560 calories). But at conventional restaurants where huge portions are the norm, the choice may not be so clear. An easy way to cut calories when dining out is to order a child- or appetizer-size plate, or ask for a doggy bag when your order arrives so you can put aside a part of your meal.

And, lastly, everyone’s favorite question: Are you exercising enough?

Browse Encouraging Health for exercise hints and tips.

Governments should stock several drugs to prevent resistance, experts say

Governments need to stockpile different sorts of flu drugs — not just Roche Holding AG’s Tamiflu — to counter the danger of resistance in a pandemic triggered by bird flu, British experts said on Wednesday.

The warning could boost demand for GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s inhaled medicine Relenza, which has been largely overlooked in favor of Roche’s more convenient pill.

Scientists analyzing the structure of a key flu virus protein found that both H5N1 and seasonal flu could develop resistance to Tamiflu, while still remaining highly susceptible to Relenza.

Most likely source of next flu pandemic
To date, H5N1 remains mainly a virus affecting birds, although it has killed more than 200 people since 2003. But scientists say it is the most likely source of the next deadly flu pandemic in humans, since it may soon mutate into a form transmitted easily from person to person.

Tamiflu, known generically as oseltamivir, and Relenza, or zanamivir, target the viral protein neuraminidase, which helps release newly-made viruses so that they can spread infection.

Using a technique called X-ray crystallography, Gamblin and colleagues examined the exact mutation in protein structure that can make some flu virus resistant to Tamiflu and showed the different nature of Relenza meant it was still effective.

Their results were published in the journal Nature.

The main seasonal flu virus circulating this year in the United States and Canada as well as parts of Europe has shown higher resistance to Tamiflu. But cases of resistance remain relatively rare.

Tamiflu, which was originally developed by Gilead Sciences Inc, had sales of $1.8 billion in 2007, making it a major profit driver for the Swiss group. Relenza, which Glaxo licensed from Australia’s Biota Holdings Ltd, sold $510 million last year.

Browse Encouraging Health.

Presliced fruit sure saves time. But here’s what you miss out on when you buy it: vitamin C.

Research shows that presliced fruit may have less vitamin C by the time you eat it than if you’d bought whole fruit and sliced it yourself.

The Whole Picture
Kiwifruit, pineapple, and cantaloupe seem particularly prone to vitamin C loss, according to John La Puma, MD, author of ChefMD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine.

More Ways to Make a Good Thing Better
Why stop with whole fruit when you want to make the most of good foods. Here are more top choices for making a good thing even better.

Heat your olive oil this way so you don’t kill the health benefits:

You’ll kill the health benefits if you overheat it. It can become rancid and generate toxic chemicals. One solution: Instead of heating the oil in the pan, just spritz some on your veggies, meats, or taters before cooking them.

Tastes Bad, Too
It’s fairly easy to overheat both olive oil and cold-pressed canola oil, because they have relatively low smoking points (the point at which they begin to burn). You’ll know if you’ve overheated the oil, because it leads to that burned, charcoal flavor. Yuck.

Different Temps, Different Tastes
Semirefined sesame oil, peanut oil, grape-seed oil, and virgin olive oil may be your best choices for cooking, because they contain mainly unsaturated fat and have relatively high smoking points; all of the oils can be heated in excess of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Extra-virgin olive oil starts to burn at about 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Unrefined canola and sunflower oils are even more delicate, burning at about 225 degrees Fahrenheit. (Read our ultimate guide on good and bad fats.)

Once an oil has been overheated, you end up canceling out the major benefits. But treat the oils right and they’ll treat your body right, too.

For more health information, browse Encouraging Health.

Forget the plastic surgery. Here’s a simple, cheap way to get back your youth: Start walking.

People who regularly lace up their walking shoes and get moving may be as much as 10 years younger than their couch-potato peers. Still sitting down? Read on.

All About Aerobics
Your aerobic power (read your body’s ability to take in the maximum amount of oxygen) declines as you age. So, over time, you simply don’t have the same energy as you used to. But here’s the good news: Research shows that regular aerobic exercise, such as walking, can boost your aerobic fitness so much that it’s like being 10 years younger!

1. I wish I had more energy.
A short brisk walk has both a calming and an energizing effect, according to research. And walking may help you feel more alert and well-rested because of its ability to improve the quality of your sleep. Walking at a moderate pace later in the day can help encourage deep, restful sleep. Finally, the mood boost you experience from walking may further enhance your energy levels.

Walking toward a good night’s sleep.
In a study, people who walked more than 6 blocks per day reduced their sleep problems by one third. Using a “brisk” pace cut their sleep problems in half.

2. I wish I could think more clearly.
Need to sort out some things in your head? Few activities help improve your perspective as quickly as a brisk walk, which will boost circulation in all parts of the body, including your brain.

Some research also has shown that walking is associated with less cognitive decline and a reduced risk of dementia later in life.

3. I wish I could protect myself from my parents’ diseases.
Your genetics determine only a small part of your health profile. Research shows it’s how you live your life that really counts, and walking regularly can prevent and improve many serious chronic diseases.
Here is a short list of ways that walking can reduce the impacts of disease. Moderately intense activities such as walking can: • Reduce cardiovascular disease by as much as 30-50 percent.
• Decrease osteoarthritis pain, and improve stability, endurance, and agility.
• Reduce the risk of colon cancer and possibly breast cancer.
• Protect against diabetes in high-risk people, and lower blood glucose and improve insulin action in diabetics.
• Lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack.

4. I wish I could lose weight.
Although you might think that losing weight is the only way to enjoy an improved health profile, the truth is that regular walkers may not have to worry quite as much about what the scale says.

5. I wish I felt happier in general.
Protecting and nurturing your mental health is an important part of overall wellness, and studies show that walking regularly has the ability to lower your stress levels. Also, studies show that aerobic exercise such as walking may bring long-term benefits to your mental disposition by warding off both depression and anxiety.

For more health tips, browse Encouraging Health.

Eating four of these a week can cut your kidney-cancer risk in half. Hint: You need to peel it.

Yep, we’re talking bananas. They’re bursting with phenolic compounds that appear to thwart renal-cancer cells. And that’s not all the monkey’s favorite fruit brings to your body . . .

Phenols, Potassium, and More
Phenols — plant-based substances linked to all sorts of health benefits, from cancer prevention to heart health — aren’t the only goodies that bananas have to offer. No doubt you already know about the super potassium stores in the yellow-skinned fruit (450 milligrams in one banana!). But they’re also a good source of B vitamins like B6 and folate, plus calcium, magnesium, and vitamin C.

Benefits of B Abound
Along with reversing moodiness, irritability, impatience, tension, anger, and depression, B vitamins may increase energy and promote a sense of well-being, writes Jack Challem in The Food-Mood Solution.

You can get all the B you need from a B-complex supplement or a multivitamin.
Or stock up on some of the best food sources of B:
For B1 (thiamin): wheat germ, peas, long-grain brown rice, lentils, pork, and whole-wheat bread
For B2 (riboflavin): fortified cereals, milk, almonds, and broccoli
For B3 (niacin): tuna, chicken, salmon, fortified cereals, and peanuts
For B5 (pantothenic acid): yogurt, avocadoes, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and chicken
For B6: fortified cereals, bananas, salmon, and spinach
For B12: chicken, turkey, milk, and eggs
For folate: fortified cereals, lentils, garbanzo beans, orange juice

A fresh, whole banana makes a great snack. But why stop there with this versatile fruit?
For a healthy (and satisfying) snack, top rice cakes with bananas and natural peanut butter.

For more heath tips, browse Encouraging Health.

bEver wish there were a happy pill to spritz up your spirits when you’re out of sorts?

To make you laugh when you’re feeling down? Or to calm your nerves when you’re about to bite someone’s head off? Well, get this: There are several things in your kitchen that might just do the trick, and they taste a lot better than any pill.

A Little Dessert: Sugar soothes us when we’re stressed — or at least it soothes stressed-out rats — which are remarkably good models for stress in people. But before you race to the vending machine with a license to binge, know that while a little sugar may soothe rattled nerves, too much will re-rattle them by causing havoc with your blood sugar. Here are some treats that’ll give you just enough:

· A small slice of angel food cake with 1/2 cup of strawberries
· 2 Fig Newman cookies and a 6-ounce glass of juice
· Fast Fruit-and-Chocolate Fondue:

o 1 cup fresh strawberries
o 1 peeled, sliced kiwi
o 1/4 cup fat-free chocolate syrup

Dunk fruit into syrup, lean back, and smile!

Toast and Jam: “Carbs raise levels of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin, which lifts our spirits,” says Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of Food & Mood. That’s why we crave bread and other carbohydrates when we’re down. Opt for whole-wheat bread and other whole-grain carbs, because they also help stabilize blood sugar levels — unlike refined grains (white bread, pasta, rice), which send blood sugar on a roller-coaster ride, leaving you jittery, grumpy, and hungry. Get a happy serotonin boost from these snacks:

· Half a toasted whole-wheat English muffin or bagel with jam or honey
· A small bowl of oatmeal with some dried cranberries and a bit of brown sugar
· A comforting, creamy open-faced peach sandwich:

o 2 tablespoons fat-free cream cheese
o 1 teaspoon honey
o 1 peach, peeled and chopped
o 1 slice 100% whole-grain bread
o 1/2 teaspoon chopped walnuts
o 2 tablespoons fat-free cream cheese
o 1 teaspoon honey
o 1 peach, peeled and chopped
o 1 slice 100% whole-grain bread
o 1/2 teaspoon chopped walnuts

Blend cheese, honey, and chopped peaches; spread mixture on bread, and sprinkle with nuts. Yum!

Yogurt and Eggs: Numerous studies show that getting more of the omega-3 fatty acid called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in your diet may boost your mood and your brainpower. Even people battling tough-to-treat depression may feel as much as 50% better when they get lots of DHA. To keep your chin cheerfully up, aim for 200 milligrams (mg) of DHA a day. Mix and match DHA-fortified foods like these:

· 1 container Rachel’s Wickedly Delicious Yogurt (32 mg of DHA)
· 1 Gold Circle Farm egg (150 mg)
· 1 Oh Mama nutrition bar (115 mg)
· 1 cup of Horizon Organic reduced-fat milk plus DHA (32 mg)
· 18-ounce Odwalla Soy Smart drink (32 mg)

Popeye’s Fave: No wonder he was always in such a high-energy mood. Spinach is full of folate, a B vitamin that’s a must for making feel-good serotonin. Like DHA, folate may help ease depression, according to researchers. So if you’re trying to stay on the sunny side of life, make chowing down Popeye-style a habit. To get plenty of this happy green, (about 2 cups of cooked spinach) try these tasty tips:

· Add a 10-ounce packet of frozen chopped spinach to soups, stews, and casseroles, homemade or not.
· Use spinach instead of lettuce in sandwiches and wraps.
· Whip steamed chopped spinach into mashed potatoes.
· Make a meal of it: Pile your plate high with fresh baby spinach leaves, and top it off with a grilled chicken breast or broiled salmon fillet (another great source of DHA).

Black Bean Dip: Black beans, like most legumes, are a nifty source of iron. And if you’re low on iron — as many active women are — you may have trouble sleeping, or you might feel constantly tired, both of which can turn you into a major grouch. Here’s how to help keep your iron levels — and your mood — up:

· Mix black beans with chopped spinach, roasted red peppers, and salsa as a dip for a toasted whole-wheat tortilla.
· Heat black beans with onions, garlic, and cumin and serve over brown rice.
· Toss black beans and turkey cubes into a salad (the heme iron in poultry and meat helps you absorb more of the nonheme iron in beans).
· Add black beans to chili and soups.

Two quick tips: To help your body absorb optimal amounts of iron, combine iron-rich foods with foods that are high in vitamin C — like tomatoes, broccoli, red peppers, and OJ. But don’t wash them down with coffee, tea, or milk; all three can block iron absorption.

For more health articles, browse Encouraging Health.

If you’ve got nasal allergies, you know what a godsend antihistamines, inhalers, and nasal sprays can be. This herbal remedy is winning votes now, too.

It’s called butterbur. In a recent small study, butterbur tablets held their own — helping relieve sneezing, congestion, runny noses, and itchy, watery eyes. But there are cautions . . .

Best Approach to Butterbur
Extracts of butterbur may help ease allergy symptoms by inhibiting the production of inflammatory chemicals called leukotrienes — something some allergy medicines do as well. But only a handful of short-term studies have been done on butterbur. So if you’re interested in the herb, it’s important that you talk with your doctor first — especially since butterbur contains compounds that can be toxic to the liver. (People with liver problems are obvious noncandidates.) Also, butterbur could make ragweed allergies worse because the herb shares similarities with that plant. One bonus with butterbur? It didn’t cause daytime drowsiness in a recent study.

Sleep better through an allergy flare-up with these tips:

Behaviors to avoid:
* Having caffeine after lunch
* Having alcohol within 6 hours of bedtime
* Watching television right before going to bed
* Having a cigarette before bedtime
* Going to bed hungry or when you’ve had a big meal
* Going to bed before you are sleepy
* Exercising too close to bedtime

Behaviors to adopt:

* Using your bedroom only for sleep and sex
* Exercising regularly, preferably in the morning or early afternoon
* Keeping a regular bedtime and waking time, even on the weekends
* Creating a relaxing bedtime routine, such as taking a leisurely stroll, soaking in a tub, listening to soothing music, or massaging your legs or feet before bed
* Practicing relaxation techniques, such as progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and deep-breathing exercises
* Creating a comfortable environment that is conducive to sleep by eliminating uncomfortable bedding, wearing loose clothing, keeping the bedroom temperature slightly cool, and eliminating any bothersome noise or light

More Ways to Soothe Your Sinuses
Follow your doctor’s advice regarding allergy medication.
Get tested so you know what to avoid.
Picture a peaceful, allergy-free place.
Try a little nasal irrigation.
Take a hot shower to soothe nasal congestion.
Check your local allergy forecast.

For more health tips, browse Encouraging Health.

Do low-carb diets help reduce your risk of diabetes?

Not if the carbs are upstaged by meat, cheese, and other unhealthful sources of fat. A better way: Get your protein and fat from vegetable sources. It could whittle your risk of diabetes along with your waist.

Low-Carb Lingo
When women in a study took a smart approach to low-carb eating — sticking to plant sources of fat and protein instead of loading up on cheese, bacon, and the like — their risk of diabetes actually dipped a bit on the low-carb plan. More studies are needed to determine what impact low-carb eating has on other health factors, like heart health, cancer risk, and long-term weight management.

Carb Conundrum
The other caveat with a low-carb diet is that some of them seriously restrict whole grains and veggies. Not exactly a recipe for good health!

Carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap, and that’s a shame. Eat the right kind of carbs — the low-glycemic index (GI) kind — and you’ll lose weight and lower both LDL and total cholesterol. Eat the wrong kind and . . . well, your heart suffers the consequences. GI index refers to how quickly starches break down and affect your blood sugar. Opt for low-GI lentils, beans, bran cereal, and high-fiber fruits and veggies to reach your lighter, heart-healthier goals.

Don’t be swayed by low-carb diets. You need carbs to supply your body with energy, fiber, B-vitamins, magnesium, and other important nutrients. Completely eliminating carbs from your diet isn’t healthy. Instead, go for low-GI carbs, the kind your body digests slowly, to help keep your blood sugar steady. You’ll stay full longer, have more consistent energy, and feel better overall.

Researchers recently tested this out with four groups of obese men and women. Each group followed a different diet, but calorie intake was the same (women 1,400 calories a day, men 1,900). The diets varied in their percentage of protein, high-GI carbs, and low-GI carbs. After 12 weeks, all groups lost weight, but the people who got the most calories from low-GI carbs also lowered their LDL and total cholesterol levels. The people in the high protein/fewer carbs (mostly high-GI carbs) group experienced an increase in LDL and total cholesterol levels. Ouch!

For more healty eating tips, browse Encouraging Health.

A type of fat that accumulates around the hips and bottom may actually offer some protection against diabetes, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

They said subcutaneous fat, or fat that collects under the skin, helped to improve sensitivity to the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar.

Mice that got transplants of this type of fat deep into their abdomens lost weight and their fat cells shrank, even though they made no changes in their diet or activity levels.

“It was a surprising result,” said Dr. Ronald Kahn of Harvard Medical School in Boston, whose study appears in the journal Cell Metabolism.

“We actually found it had a beneficial effect, and it was especially true when you put it inside the abdomen,” Kahn said in a telephone interview.

Kahn said he started the study to find out why fat located in different parts of the body seems to have different risks of metabolic disease such as diabetes.

Researchers have known for some time that fat that collects in the abdomen — known as visceral fat — can raise a person’s risk of diabetes and heart disease, while people with pear-shaped bodies, with fat deposits in the buttocks and hips, are less prone to these disorders.

Now it turns out that subcutaneous fat — fat found just under the skin — may be actively protecting people from metabolic disease.

Kahn and colleagues conducted a series of experiments on mice where they transplanted subcutaneous fat from donor mice into the bellies and under the skin of mice.

Mice that got subcutaneous fat transplanted into their bellies started to slim down after several weeks, and they also showed improved blood sugar and insulin levels compared to mice that underwent a sham procedure.

“What we found was that when we put it in either place, there was some improvement in metabolism,” Kahn said.

“I think it’s an important result because not only does it say that not all fat is bad, but I think it points to a special aspect of fat where we need to do more research,” he said.

Kahn’s team is working to find the substances produced in subcutaneous fat that provide the benefit with the hope of developing a drug that might copy this effect. Although fat is known to produce several hormones, Kahn said none of the known hormones appeared to be involved in this process.

“If we can capture those (substances), we might have an opportunity to convert them into drugs or use them as guides to help develop drugs,” he said.

For more health tips, browse Encouraging Health.

Seven years later, patients in small study still enjoy a mysterious remission

An experiment that went wrong may provide a new way to treat multiple sclerosis, a Canadian researcher said on Tuesday.

Patients who got bone marrow stem-cell transplants — similar to those given to leukemia patients — have enjoyed a mysterious remission of their disease.

And Dr. Mark Freedman of the University of Ottawa is not sure why.

“Not a single patient, and it’s almost seven years, has ever had a relapse,” Freedman said.

Multiple sclerosis or MS affects an estimated 1 million people globally. There is no cure.

It can cause mild illness in some people while causing permanent disability in others. Symptoms may include numbness or weakness in one or more limbs, partial or complete loss of vision, and an unsteady gait.

Freedman, who specializes in treating MS, wanted to study how the disease unfolds. He set up an experiment in which doctors destroyed the bone marrow and thus the immune systems of MS patients.

Then stem cells known as hematopoeitic stem cells, blood-forming cells taken from the bone marrow, were transplanted back into the patients.

“We weren’t looking for improvement,” Freedman told a stem cell seminar at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

“The actual study was to reboot the immune system.”

Once MS is diagnosed, Freedman said, “you’ve already missed the boat. We figured we would reboot the immune system and watch the disease evolve. It failed.”

They had thought that destroying the bone marrow would improve symptoms within a year. After all, MS is believed to be an autoimmune disease, in which immune system cells mistakenly attack the fatty myelin sheath that protects nerve strands.

Patients lose the ability to move as the thin strands that connect one nerve cell to another wither.

Instead, improvements began two years after treatment.

Freedman reported to the seminar about 17 of the patients he has given the transplants to.

“We have yet to get the disease to restart,” he said. Patients are not developing some of the characteristic brain lesions seen in MS. “But we are seeing this repair.”

MS patients often have hard-to-predict changes in their symptoms and disease course, so Freedman says his team must study the patients longer before they can say precisely what is going on.

“We are trying to find out what is happening and what could possibly be the source of repair,” Freedman said.

But he has found some hints that may help doctors who treat MS by using drugs to suppress the immune system.

For more heatlh information, browse Encouraging Health.