Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

Refined grains make up a large portion of the American diet, with whole grains accounting for only 11% of grain consumption in the US. Did you know that switching to whole grain wheat could potentially help you lose weight and lower your cholesterol?

Whole grains include the entire grain seed, which consists of bran, germ and endosperm. Refined grains have been milled to remove the bran and germ, which also removes dietary fiber, iron and B vitamins.

Researchers from several European institutions collaborated on this study. Their findings will be published in the April 2012 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

Participants in the study included 79 overweight or obese postmenopausal women who consumed a calorie restricted diet that included either refined or whole grain wheat products for 12 weeks.

At the conclusion of the study the whole wheat group showed an 8 lb weight loss, while the refined grain group showed a 6 lb weight loss. While the researchers did not feel those results were statistically that different, they did note that the changes in percentage of body fat were significant. The whole grain group exhibited a 3% reduction and the refined wheat group showed a 2.1% reduction.

They also noted a 5% increase in total cholesterol and LDL or “bad” cholesterol in the refined wheat group, but no increase in the whole grain group. Total and LDL cholesterol are two important risk factors of cardiovascular disease, so these results may suggest a possible cardioprotective role for whole grain.

Whole grains are full of vitamin B, dietary fiber and iron, all of which have been shown to provide numerous health benefits, including reductions in the risk of stroke, diabetes, heart disease and inflammatory disease. With the increased popularity of these grains, you can find products ranging from spaghetti to sandwich bread that will provide you with all of these benefits without sacrificing taste.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

While diet and regular aerobic exercise are the best ways to manage weight, a recent study suggests that catechin enriched green tea could encourage weight loss in obese adults. Catechins are powerful antioxidants found naturally in green tea.

The researchers are based at Peking University, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Japan’s Kao Corporation. Their findings were published online ahead of print on January 20, 2012, in the Journal of Functional Foods.

Study participants included 118 obese Chinese adults. Half consumed a placebo drink and half consumed an enriched 350 mg green tea beverage consisting of 609.3 mg catechins and 68.7 mg caffeine. Typically, a glass of green tea contains 86 mg of catechins and 40 mg caffeine.

The researchers measured abdominal fat area, body weight and composition at the onset of the study, at week 8 and at week 12. At the end of 12 weeks, the researchers noted reductions in measurement of all three areas in the participants who consumed the enriched green tea, when compared with those in the placebo group.

The researchers believe that the results seen here are a result of the antioxidant properties of the catechins working in tandem with the caffeine.

Catechins have been linked to other health benefits including lower cholesterol, weight loss, improved heart health, aiding in digestion and decreased risk of neurodegenerative diseases. They can also be found in red wine, apples, and berries.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

When you consider weight loss options, algae probably doesn’t come to mind. In fact, most people in the Western world probably don’t think of algae as food at all, but recent studies have shown that alginate supplements can increase your feelings of satiety and potentially help you lose weight.

The latest in the growing list of investigations into alginate supplements and weight loss comes from researchers at the University of Copenhagen. To be published in the May 15, 2012, issue of Food Chemistry, this is purportedly the first study to examine what the exact ratio of different types of alginates produces the best results.

Alginate is a compound found in the cell walls of brown algae. The three alginates used in the study supplement form a gel that is slow to empty from the stomach. The effectiveness of alginate supplement is depends on the ratio of mannuronic and guluronic acids.

For the study, the researchers used two solutions with different ratios of mannuronic and guluronic acids; 70% mannuronic and 30% guluronic and 40% mannuronic and 60% guluronic.

Eight participants consumed one of the two beverages 30 minutes before breakfast and 2 hours before lunch. The researchers found that the drink that was 40% mannuronic and 60% guluronic produced increased feelings of satiety, lowered the amount that participants wanted to eat, and decreased calorie intake by 10% when compared with the other beverage.

The researchers hope that this study will encourage other institutions to examine the effects of alginate supplements as obesity becomes a worldwide epidemic.

Algae isn’t just good for weight management; research has also shown that it may be effective for a wide range of health benefits including improving blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, boosting immune system, alleviating joint pain, colon and liver health, and boosting the immune system.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

Research has shown that the people who live along the Mediterranean have a right to be proud of their food: the “Mediterranean” diet is considered to be one of the healthiest diet options. Consisting of whole grains, cereals, fruits and vegetables, and a lot of olive oil, the Mediterranean diet has been linked to a wide range of health benefits, including lower rates of obesity and even decreasing the overall risk of mortality.

Now researchers at the University of Cordoba in Spain have discovered a way to make this diet even more beneficial. They conducted a study that found that supplementing the Mediterranean diet with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) may provide benefits ranging from reducing inflammation to improving heart and joint health.

Their findings were published in the January 2012 issue of The Journals of Gerontology.

Participants in the study included 20 people, all over the age of 65. They were assigned to receive each of the following three diet interventions:

• “Western,” which was rich in saturated fats

• “Mediterranean,” as described above

• “Mediterranean” supplemented with a 200mg per day dose of CoQ10

All of the participants followed all three diets for 4 weeks each, so they were able to act as their own controls.

The researchers noted that both the Mediterranean diet and the supplemented Mediterranean diet produced lower expression of genes associated with inflammation. However, the CoQ10 supplemented diet showed even lower expression of these genes. Chronic inflammation has been linked to heart disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline, type-2 diabetes and arthritis.

CoQ10 has been linked in previous studies with improved cognitive health and reversing the effects of aging. This is largely due to its powerful antioxidant and cell protection properties but after the age of 20 our bodies become less and less capable of naturally synthesizing this essential antioxidant, making it more important to ensure that it’s included in your diet.

If you want to increase your CoQ10 intake, try adding oily fish, organ meats (such as liver, hearts, etc.), and whole grains. If these foods aren’t a part of your current diet, consider a high quality, high potency supplement.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

If you’re looking to lose some visceral belly fat, then you’ll be interested to know that supplements of vitamin D and calcium may help you do just that. This conclusion is the result of a joint study funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness of The Coca-Cola Company and the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center.

The findings were published online ahead of print on December 14, 2011, and will appear in the January 2012 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Visceral fat is the layer of fat located deep inside your belly. It’s the fat that surrounds your organs and is also known as intra-abdominal fat. Reducing your visceral fat can have significant health benefits. Large amounts of visceral fat have been linked to cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes and inflammatory disease.

Study participants included 171 overweight and obese adults with an average age of 40. Over the course of 16 weeks, the researchers conducted two parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. One trial used three daily 8 ounces servings of an orange juice fortified with 1,050 mg of calcium and 100 IU of vitamin D. The second trial tested the same amounts of calcium and vitamin D in three daily 8oz servings of a lower calorie version of the orange juice. Both versions were tested against a placebo.

At the end of the trial, the fortified juice group showed a 12.7 cm2 reduction in visceral fat, while the placebo group showed a reduction of only 1.3 cm2. The fortified low-cal juice group showed slightly greater reductions, with 13.1 cm2 less visceral fat when compared with 6.4 cm2 in the placebo.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

A recent study from researchers at the Queen Mary University in London shows that certain lifestyle choices can have a serious effect on your risk of developing cancer. In fact, the researchers believe that over 40 percent of cancers could be avoided by making different lifestyle choices.

The results were published in the British Journal of Cancer on December 6, 2011.

The researchers found 14 environmental and lifestyle cancer causes. A third of those 14 were related to smoking, alcohol, diet and obesity. Smoking was the number one cause of cancer,responsible for 23 percent of cancers in men and 15.6 percent of cancers in women. The second leading cause for men was a lack of fruit and vegetable consumption, but for women it was obesity.

Other dietary factors included lack of fiber, too much salt, and eating too much red and processed meat. Additional causes of cancer included radiation exposure, lack of exercise, occupational exposure to chemicals, excessive sunlight exposure and specific infections. Specifically for women, both hormone replacement therapy and choosing not to breastfeed were found to be causative factors.

The study is yet another contribution to the body of knowledge showing that it’s a good idea to follow a healthy lifestyle. While there are certainly no guarantees, this study shows that long term lifestyle changes can lower your cancer risk.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

A healthy diet and plenty of exercise are the best way to maintain a healthy weight but a little extra help is always welcome. A study from researchers at the Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE) at the University of Copenhagen suggests that dietary fibers from brown algae (alginates) may create a sense of satiety or fullness and promote weight loss.

The findings were published online ahead of print on July 21, 2011, in Obesity.

The three year study included 96 overweight men and women. For twelve weeks, half of the group consumed a drink with alginates before each meal every day and half the group consumed a placebo.

Throughout the course of the study, the researchers noted that the alginate group ate less than the placebo group and expressed that they were not as hungry. Eighty of the participants completed the study and the alginate group showed an average 4 lbs greater weight loss than the placebo group.

The researchers believe that the alginates form a gel inside the participants’ stomachs, taking up space that would otherwise be filled with food. The stomach then signals the brain that it is full, creating a sense of satiety and the individual stops eating.

Algae isn’t just good for weight management; research has also shown that it may be effective for a wide range of health benefits including improving blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, boosting immune system, alleviating joint pain, colon and liver health, and boosting the immune system.

As algae isn’t a common part of the western diet, your best bet for obtaining all of these benefits is to find a high quality supplement. Make sure your supplement is from a certified source to avoid impurities.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

A preliminary study from researchers at the University of California at Irvine shows that goji berry juice may help slim waist lines and increase metabolic rate in overweight individuals.

The findings were published in October 2011 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

The small study included 8 overweight adults with an average BMI of 29 kg/m2 and an average age of 35. The researchers conducted two tests: one examined energy expenditure or metabolic rate and the other examined the effect of goji berry juice on the waistline.

In the first test, all of the participants were given 1 ounce, 2 ounces, and 4 ounces of goji berry juice and a placebo on separate occasions. Energy expenditure was measured 1 hour post intake. The researchers noted a 10% increase in energy expenditure when 4 ounces of the juice were consumed compared to when the placebo was consumed. No significant effect was seen at the lower doses.

In the second test, half of the participants received 4 ounces per day of goji berry juice for 14 days, while the other half received a placebo. At the end of two weeks, the goji berry juice group had a reduced waist circumference of 2.16 inches, whereas the placebo group showed a 0.35 inches reduction.

Goji berry juice has been used in Asian holistic medicine for thousands of years. It is believed to have a positive effect on vision, kidney and liver functioning, and to help reduce the effects of aging.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

An unwanted side effect of losing weight is that it can be accompanied by a loss in bone mass and density. Researchers from McMaster University in Canada have discovered that eating dairy products and higher amounts of protein while losing weight could help maintain good bone health.

Their findings were published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism on November 9, 2011,

The study included 90 overweight or obese premenopausal women. The participants were split into three groups:

1. One group followed a high protein, high dairy diet

2. One group followed an adequate protein, medium dairy diet

3. One group followed an adequate protein, low dairy diet.

All of the diets included a modest calorie restriction and all of the participants followed a routine that included daily aerobic exercise and resistance training.

Weight loss was consistent across the groups, but the scientists noted that the high protein, high dairy group showed improvements in markers of bone turnover, calcium, vitamin D status, and bone metabolism when compared with the other groups. The high protein, high dairy group also showed reductions in markers of bone degradation.

The researchers concluded that women who are dieting in order to lose weight should consume more protein from dairy sources in order to avoid adversely affecting bone health.

Dairy consumption has also been linked with diabetes prevention, weight loss, and improved mental functioning. These health benefits are most likely the result of the many healthy nutrients found in dairy, such as vitamin D, phosphorous and magnesium.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Are you one of the millions of people finding it hard to lose the extra pounds? Well, a recent study from the University of Pavia in Italy suggests that a supplement consisting of kidney bean and artichoke extracts may help people feel full, curtailing their desire to eat more.

The findings were published in the September 2011 issue of Phytotherapy Research.

Participants in the study included 39 overweight adults who were split into two groups. For two months, one group received an extract of kidney bean and artichoke and the other received a placebo.

The researchers used the Haber scale to judge satiety, or feelings of fullness. The scale ranges from -10, which represents extreme hunger, to +10, which represents being full to the point of nausea.

The supplement group started with a score of -2.84 and ended with a score of +0.61. The placebo group, on the other hand, started at -2.76 and ended at -2.86. These numbers clearly show that the supplement group was registering much higher levels of satiety than the placebo group.

Additionally, the placebo group registered a 3.5 lb weight loss at the conclusion of the study compared to a weight loss of almost 6 lbs for the supplement. The researchers hypothesize that the higher levels of satiety led the participants to eat less, resulting in greater weight loss.

Kidney beans have also been shown to lower cholesterol and help maintain a healthy blood sugar level, which may help reduce the risk of diabetes. Artichokes have been shown to lower cholesterol and are very high in antioxidants, which combat dangerous free radicals in the body.