Blog Posts by alice d

Overweight or obese couples are more likely to wait longer before having a baby, compared to healthy weight couples, according to Danish researchers. The chances that an obese couple waits almost a year before the woman gets pregnant are three times higher compared to a normal weight couple.

Obesity affects fertility for both men and women, said the Danish experts. The study proved a connection between the body mass index (BMI) of a couple and their fertility.

An even higher risk of low fertility arises in couples where both partners are overweight. Pregnancy delays were also noticed among couples where the man is overweight and the woman underweight, according to lead author Cecilia Ramlau-Hansen.

Infertility risks as much as four times higher were noticed in couples where the woman is overweight and the man underweight says Ramlau-Hansen.

Researchers studied couples where the woman had an initial BMI of eighteen or more and previous pregnancies. They noticed that

The hypnotic state is a high state of concentration, relaxation, and suggestibility. Hypnosis can make people learn positive eating behaviors. More and more people are starting to see hypnosis as an easy solution to the difficult problem of losing weight.

Through hypnosis, the attitude towards food is changed. Many people overeat as a substitute for love, well-being, or safety. Hypnosis sessions help people reduce the importance of food from their perspective and enjoy their food, only in smaller amounts.

Hypnosis also identifies triggers for eating, brings more confidence and self-esteem, and increase the desire for healthy foods.

The few studies that researched the connection between hypnosis and weight loss showed positive results, but were poised by certain methodological problems that question their accuracy. In one such study, overweight subjects lost almost twenty pounds after eight sessions of hypnosis treatment and twelve weeks of self-hypnosis. However, the

Moderate exercise does not have any positive effects against the breast cancer risk, found a recent study made by University of Southern California researchers. Only long-term, strenuous exercise may help to some extent, according to the researchers.

The study researched the workout history of the participants and their predisposition to breast cancer. Participants were asked if they have engaged in moderate exercise, such as golf, brisk walking, or volleyball, or strenuous exercise, such as aerobics, swimming laps, or running, since high school and until their current age, or within the last three years.

The researchers collected information about breast cancer risk factors of the participants, including family history, race, and use of hormone replacement therapy.

Women who exercised less than thirty minutes of strenuous exercise per week were more predispose to develop breast cancer, found the study. Only women who did strenuous exercise for more than five hours per

If you're an office assistant, waiter, nurse, lawyer, police officer, teacher, or factory worker, then you are predisposed to gain weight, according to a study of the American Council on Exercise (ACE). Researchers examined on-the-job physical activity for ten common occupations.

Most people are not aware of their time spent moving during a normal day. ACE researchers wanted to encourage them to move more.

All participants were assigned a basic pedometer and had to wear it during work hours for three consecutive days. The subjects went to work as usual. They were asked to complete a daily log recording to the total walked distance, number of steps taken, and a summary with the duties they performed on that day.

Secretaries, police officers, teachers, and lawyers walk fewer steps and less distance toward other jobs. Secretaries were found to walk only an average of 1.7 miles daily. Mail carriers and custodians accumulated a lot more daily mileage. Mail carriers held the

The Warrior diet allows people to eat in the evening as much as they wish, without any calorie restrictions, while during daytime it allows for only small amounts of food. The diet, which controversial due to the fact that it does not use any form of calorie counting, was designed by a former Special Forces soldier, who reportedly relied upon military methods of dieting.

After a few weeks, this diet reduces hunger during the day. However, if there it is the urge to eat something during the day, this diet allows for only healthy food like fruits, fresh vegetables and low amounts of proteins. Carbohydrates are not allowed.

Long periods without proteins are thought to increase their efficiency when they are consumed. Those who follow this diet aim for burning fats, cleaning the body of toxins, and making hormones reach the maximum level of efficiency.

The Warrior diet has two phases. During the first phase, only low amounts of food are allowed, while in the second phase

Obese men suffering from prostate cancer are two-and-a-half times more likely to die from it compared to normal-weight men, according to a recent study from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center .

The study involved almost eight hundred middle-aged men who were recently diagnosed with prostate-cancer, and followed the subjects for ten years. Seventeen percent of the subjects were obese and six percent of them died of prostate-cancer.

The mortality risk from prostate cancer for obese men is not related to the treatment, or prostate cancer stage at the time of the study, said Dr. Alan Kristal, senior author of the study. The risk for obese men is of 2.6 times greater compared to healthy weight men, regardless of the cancer diagnostic profile.

The results of the study are not related to whether the patient is subjected to radiation treatment, radical prostatectomy, or androgen-deprivation therapy. It does not matter if the subject suffers from a high grade cancer, or

Low-carb diets limit the intake of certain carbohydrates. Researchers believe that carbohydrate intake increases the insulin level, which leads to weight gain. Two of the most popular low-carb diets are the Atkins diet and the South Beach diet.

The Atkins diet has four phases. The first three focus on weight loss, while the last one centers on maintaining the weight lost during the first three phases. During the first two weeks the carbohydrate intake is almost totally restricted. Following the first two weeks, the carbohydrate intake is increased step by step.
The first phase allows dieters to eat no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates daily. The second phase is similar to the first one, except that the amounts of carbohydrates are increased, and nuts, seeds, and some plants with berries are allowed.

When the dieter has about twelve pounds left to lose to reach his or her target weight , the third phase starts. New food along with up to ten grams of carbohydrates is

The more time a three-year old child spends in front of the TV, the more calories he consumes, according to Harvard researchers. Increased TV watching is associated with larger intake of junk-food and decreased intake of healthy foods, such as vegetables, fruits, dietary fibers, or calcium.

Every hour spent in front of the TV makes children drink more sugar-sweetened beverages, and brings almost forty-seven extra calories per day, said Sonia Miller, lead author of the study.

Although forty-six extra calories per day may seem unimportant, in time this can make a difference, according to Matthew Gillman, co--author of the study. The study proved that poor dietary habits are strongly related to increased TV or video watching.

Most of the children watched TV or video for almost two hours per day. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children under two years old do not watch TV or video, while the two-years or older watch TV for no more than two hours per day.