2010 March | Health & Wellness

Chocolate Helps Prevent Heart Disease

chocolate 300x225 Chocolate Helps Prevent Heart Disease Oh yeah! First wine and now chocolate! A new study has found that some chocolate each day will keep the heart doctor away…even the teeniest bit will help fight heart disease. Chocolate — especially dark chocolate, which has been touted for its benefits before — may lower our risk of heart attack or stroke.

“Dark chocolate exhibits the greatest effects, milk chocolate fewer, and white chocolate no effects,” says lead author of the study, Brian Buijsse.

Previous research has found that dark chocolate has anti-oxidant properties and helps to lower blood pressure. It’s the lower blood pressure that this study focused on — as lower blood pressure equals lower risk of heart problems.

“The good news is that chocolate is not as bad as we used to think, and may even lower the risk of heart disease and stroke,” says Buijsse. “The bad news, at least for some of us, is that the amounts that are needed to benefit from these effects appear to be quite low.”

So, you don’t need to over-indulge: as little as a quarter of an ounce will provide heart protecting benefits.

Addicted To Junk: Obesity Linked To Drug-Like Food Impulses

junkfoodaddiction 300x220 Addicted To Junk: Obesity Linked To Drug Like Food Impulses Fatty and high-calorie foods may be as addictive as hard-core drugs like cocaine, which could be behind impulses to binge on junk food, a new study suggests.

In the research involving rats, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute in Florida found that eating high-calorie foods can trigger addiction-like responses in the brain and can turn rats into compulsive eaters. The study also found that similar to some humans who are addicted to drugs, dopamine levels were decreased in overweight rats. Humans with decreased dopamine have trouble feeling satisfied or rewarded, and therefore can’t stop behaviors.

“What we’re seeing in our animals is very similar to what you’d see in humans who overindulge,” lead researcher Paul Kenny said. “It seemed that it was okay, from what we could tell, to enjoy snack foods, but if you repeatedly overindulge, that’s where the problem comes in.”

An Hour A Day Keeps The Flab Away

treadmill 300x199 An Hour A Day Keeps The Flab Away Here’s a eye-opening, fitness wake-up call: a new study finds that as we age, women need an HOUR of exercise each day to keep our weight down. And, for overweight women, even more daily exercise is needed.

Sigh.

In a long term study, researchers at Harvard Medical School tracked the physical activity and weight of more than 34,000 healthy women over 13 years. Of the group, only 13% of women were “successful weight maintainers”— they started at a healthy weight and gained less than five pounds at 2 – 3 year checkpoints — and they were the ones who consistently got about 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per day.

The rest gained weight — even those that exercised on average for 30 minutes, 5 days a week. The study specifically looked at women over the age of 50, so it’s a good idea to get on a consistent exercise routine now to maintain the fitness level as we age.

“There is no sugar-coating it,” I-Min Lee, lead author of the study told USA Today. “This is what it takes to maintain weight given our diets.”

Why Men Cheat: Experts and Cheaters Weigh In

cheater 300x199 Why Men Cheat: Experts and Cheaters Weigh In A few months ago, when the Tiger Woods scandal first broke, we spoke to experts about why so many high-profile men — and even ‘regular’ men — seem to cheat. At the time, we found that 1 in 3 men in a serious relationship will cheat on their spouse or significant other, compared to 1 in 10 women.

With the most recent news about “America’s Sweetheart” Sandra Bullock being blindsided by her cheating husband, Jesse James, we thought we’d revisit some past research we did on the subject — by speaking to both experts on why men cheat and, actual cheaters on why they are unfaithful.

First, for An Expert’s Insight Into Why Men Cheat, we spoke to Terri Orbuch, Ph.D, an author and director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Early Years of Marriage Project, the longest-running study of married couples.

Her take on why men cheat? She pointed to three factors:

- Not enough satisfying sex. Having satisfying sex–not the same as frequent sex, she notes–with their wife is extremely important to men. Without it, they become extremely discontent in the marriage.

- Not enough affective affirmation. Men become extremely distressed and unhappy in their marriages when they don’t get enough attention from or feel unnoticed by their wives. This is called “affective affirmation”–and men need it far more than women do…because women get it regularly from people other than their spouse. Affective affirmation consists of compliments, support, encouragement, and subtle (nonsexual) rewards, such as tender physical endearments like a kiss or hand squeeze.

- Poor communication. When couples haven’t developed healthy ways to share information and concerns, conflict can build up, along with negative feelings such as resentment, mistrust, hurt, and anger. For both men and women, Dr. Orbuch’s study found that establishing patterns for dealing with conflict and for staying in tune with each other’s inner life was key to relationship longevity and fidelity. Why? Because communication makes two people feel like they’re “in this together”–the antithesis to cheating.

Then, we spoke to three men who admit to cheating on their wives or girlfriends on their reasoning. Read their reasons here and weigh in with your take on the hot topic.

Can The Pill Make Your Life Longer?

thepill 300x200 Can The Pill Make Your Life Longer? New research finds that women who take birth control pills may live longer — despite warnings about blood clot risks associated with the pill. In a long-term study of more than 45,000 women, Scottish researchers found that women who use oral contraceptives had lower rates of death due to cancers, heart disease and stroke.

Because the study looked at women over the past forty years, lead researcher Philip Hannaford did qualify the findings, saying:

“It would be wrong for me to say these results directly apply to today’s pills, today’s women, but from the few studies that have been done on the newer pills we are finding similar effects as the older pills. So one would suppose that the overall benefit from the newer pills is equally as good.”

But ultimately, the findings do indicate that birth control pills do protect women from serious illness and could make us live longer.

Gloss Find: Functionalab Personalized Vitamins

functionalab personalized pack 300x179 Gloss Find: Functionalab Personalized Vitamins For everyone who has ever stared at the vitamin aisle wondering what to take, Functionalab takes the guesswork out of picking vitamins. Created by Dr. Barry W. Ritz, who believes in an holistic approach to wellness, the doctor spent several years researching nutritional supplements. Functionalab studies the connection between inner health and outer beauty and creates supplements to help people maximize their health objectives.

First, Functionalab offers a Personalized Nutrition Program test that analyzes each person’s needs. Then, they send back vitamins sorted into super-convenient blister packs. Made from high quality natural ingredients, with no artificial flavorings or colorings, Functionalab supplements exceed the quality control standards established by the FDA.

Plus, having someone make any aspect of our day more efficient is priceless.

FUNCTIONALAB: Personalized Nutrition Program – $99 for a 4-week supply at Functionalab.com

Do You Fake It Between The Sheets? 1 in 10 Women Do

boredsex 300x256 Do You Fake It Between The Sheets? 1 in 10 Women Do Do you fake it between the sheets? According to a new survey of 3,000 women, one in ten fake an orgasm almost each time they have sex! And, 48% of those surveyed said they’ve faked it at least once.

Some other fun nuggets from the survey conducted by Stimul8, a British aphrodisiac / soft drink:

- 7% of women broke up with a partner because of unsatisfying sex, but only 1 out of 10 of those who broke up told their partner the real reason they were calling it quits

- 16% complained of lack of foreplay; 11% complained that their partners climaxed too quickly

- Here’s a good one: 38% said that their partners couldn’t tell the difference between a real orgasm and a fake one

- Another fun fact: 1 in 5 of the women surveyed said thinking about another man helped them climax

So, tell us: what do you think of the survey? Sound accurate to you?

Study: Red Wine Keeps Pounds Off

redwine 300x205 Study: Red Wine Keeps Pounds Off Despite some diets that shun alcohol because of the calories and sugars that come with it, a new study further proves the benefits of wine, specifically red wine — in moderation, of course. Experts at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that women who routinely enjoyed a glass of wine with meals gained less weight than those who drank beer or spirits…or even sparkling water or soda.

In a long-term study of almost 20,000 women over the age of 39, those who didn’t drink alcohol at all gained the most weight over 13 years.

What is it about wine that helps keep women slim? The researchers think it may be because the liver breaks down alcohol differently than other beverages, and turns the surplus energy into calorie-burning power instead of fat.

Red wine has also been touted for it’s beneficial effects on cholesterol, preventing blood clots and heart disease.

So, cheers!