What you eat for breakfast can have an effect on what you eat the rest of the day. A recent study suggests that eating a protein-packed breakfast may help people feel less hungry the rest of the morning and eat less at lunch.

Participants in the study were divided into 3 groups and given a breakfast of approximately 300 calories that contained similar amounts of fat and fiber. The first group’s breakfast also had 30 to 39 grams of protein, the second group’s breakfast did not have added protion, and the third group skipped breakfast.

The researchers gave the participants questionnaires to measure appetite before they ate and every 30 minutes between breakfast and lunch. For lunch they were given tortellini and sauce and told to eat until they were full.

After lunch, the researchers noted that the protein-rich group had lower hunger, more fullness, and less desire to eat throughout the morning. They also ate fewer calories at lunch when compared with the protein-light and skipped breakfast groups.

Researchers from Biofortis Clinical Research conducted the study. It was presented at The Obesity Society’s annual scientific meeting in Atlanta the week of November 12, 2013.

Protein functions as a building block for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. It is also involved in the creation of some hormones, and helps form antibodies that help prevent infection and illness.

To get the optimal benefit from protein, it’s important to choose the right type. Some good sources of protein are fish, poultry, beans, lean meat, nuts and whole grains.

Scientists are discovering more and more links between gut bacteria and various ailments. One recent study has found that the presence of certain bacteria may be linked to the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

For the study, researchers performed DNA analysis on 114 stool samples from rheumatoid arthritis patients and controls. They performed additional shotgun sequencing on a subset of 44 of those samples.

The researchers found that people who had recently been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis were more likely to have high levels of the bacteria Prevotella copri (P. copri) than individuals without the disease and those who had had the disease for a long period of time.

More specifically, 75% of the people who were recently diagnosed had P. copri in their stools, compared with 21.4% of healthy participants, 11.5% with chronic rheumatoid arthritis, and 37.5% with psoriatic arthritis.

The researchers are not sure why P. copri levels spike around the time of diagnosis, but they hypothesize that it may be contributing to inflammation in those individuals.

Researchers from the NYU School of Medicine conducted the study. It was published on November 5, 2013, in eLife Journal.

If you’re looking to improve gut bacteria diversity and ward off harmful bacteria like P. copri, the solution can be as easy as taking a probiotic supplement. Having a varied composition of bacteria in your digestive system is essential for good gut health and for good health overall. Previous studies have linked healthy gut bacteria with strengthening the immune system, lowering cholesterol levels and improving digestion and oral health.

Losing weight and keeping the weight off can be very difficult. According to a recent study, white bean extract might help enhance the weight loss benefits of a restricted calorie diet.

Participants in the study included 123 people who followed a slightly low-calorie diet for 12 weeks. During that time, half of the group took 3 grams of a bean extract while the other half took a placebo. At the end of that time period, the white bean extract group had lost an average of 6.3 lbs., while the placebo group lost only 2 lbs.

49 of the participants continued taking either the placebo or the white bean extract for 12 more weeks following the initial study. They were told to eat whatever they wanted. During that time period, 73.5% maintained their weight loss.

Participants completed the Control of Eating Questionnaire at the end of the study. Researchers found that the extract group had a statistically significant decrease in desire, frequency, and strength of cravings for chocolates and other sweet foods. The placebo group, on the other hand, had increased difficulty resisting those foods.

The researchers noted that these findings suggest that white bean extract could be used in real life settings to aid with weight loss.

Researchers from InQpharm Europe Ltd. conducted the study. It was published online ahead of print on September 5, 2013.

Previous studies have found an association between white bean extract and regulating blood sugar, lowering insulin resistance, heart disease, increased energy, and helping relieve symptoms of arthritis.

A recent study suggests that the powerful antioxidants found in coffee known as polyphenols may improve endothelial function.

Endothelial function is the measure of how well the cells lining our blood vessels (the endothelium) are working. Poor endothelial function is associated with a higher risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

Participants in this study included 15 healthy, non-diabetic men. They were given a 75 g glucose load either by itself or with coffee polyphenols. The coffee polyphenols were prepared from green coffee beans using hot-water extraction and subsequently spray-dried and ground.

The coffee polyphenol group showed significant increases in the reactive hyperemia index compared to baseline. The reactive hyperemia index is a transient increase in blood flow and an indicator of endothelial function.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Studies in Japan. It was published online in the journal Nutrition Research on November 20, 2013.

Previous studies have shown that coffee has a number of health benefits, including reducing the risk of developing diabetes, prostate cancer, cirrhosis and oral cavities.

However, be careful how you take your coffee. A double latte with whipped cream and three sugars may provide the health mentioned above, but the high fat and sugar content can have other negative effects.

Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of death among American men. A recent study suggests that eating a low-fat diet and consuming omega-3 fish oil supplements may lower the risk of prostate cancer becoming more aggressive.

For the study, researchers followed up with men who had participated in a previous study. In the initial study, the men were separated into two groups. Half ate a typical Western diet – which consists of 40% fat – and half were instructed to eat a low-fat diet (15% fat), supplemented with five grams of omega-3 rich fish oil daily.

The low-fat diet supplemented with fish oil supplements was found to slow the growth of cancer cells in prostate cancer tissue.

In this follow-up study, the researchers sought to identify the biological mechanisms affected by the low-fat fish oil diet that were responsible for the protection against the growth and spread of the cancer. They measured pro-inflammatory substances in the blood and examined the prostate cancer tissue to determine the cell cycle progression (CCP) score.

The CCP score is associated with a more aggressive cancer, and can be used to predict which patients will have a recurrence of the disease and potentially die.

They found that taking fish oil was associated with a lower CCP score as well as lower levels of pro-inflammatory substances associated with cancer. Closer examination of the pro-inflammatory substance LTB4 revealed that one of its receptors is found on the surface of the prostate cancer cells. They plan to do more research into that receptor in order to discover exactly how it effects the progression of prostate cancer.

Researchers from the University of Los Angeles conducted the study. It was published online ahead of print on October 29, 2013, in Cancer Prevention Research.

Omega-3s have been linked to a number of health benefits, including alleviating arthritis pain, better moods, improved joint mobility, helping with age related macular degeneration, and aiding your immune system.

Because omega-3 fatty-acids are not found naturally in the human body, it is especially important to make sure that they are a part of your daily diet. Oily, dark fish such as tuna and salmon are high in DHA and EPA omega-3s.

Cranberries have long been associated with urinary tract health, but a recent review of 150 studies has found that the unique nutrition profile of cranberries may offer a number of other health benefits.

Cranberries contain A-type proanthcyandidins (PACs), whereas most other fruit contain B-type PACs. The A-type PAC appears to be the mechanism behind the anti-adhesion effects of cranberries, which can prevent harmful bacteria from attaching to cells in the body.

The researchers who conducted the review found that consuming cranberries in a variety of forms may lower blood cholesterol levels, blood pressure, inflammation and oxidative stress. They also found evidence suggesting that cranberries may help improve endothelial function and reduce arterial stiffness.

Researchers from Tufts University, Pennsylvania State University, Boston University, Rutgers University, French National Institute for Agricultural Research, University of East Anglia in the UK and the Heinrich-Heine-University in Germany conducted the review. It was published in the November 2013 issue of Advances in Nutrition.

Cranberries have anti-microbial and anti-carcinogenic properties, and are packed with beneficial vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and antioxidants. They have been shown to provide a lengthy list of health benefits including improved urological health, protection against heart disease, and inflammatory diseases. They also have been linked with lower plaque formation on teeth and improved cholesterol levels.

Cranberries have a sour taste, so people usually drink cranberry juice with added sugar. However the added sugar can be detrimental to overall health, so it is best to stick with a low-calorie version.

Scientists are discovering more and more links between gut bacteria and various ailments. One recent study has found that the presence of certain bacteria may be linked to the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

For the study, researchers performed DNA analysis on 114 stool samples from rheumatoid arthritis patients and controls. They performed additional shotgun sequencing on a subset of 44 of those samples.

The researchers found that people who had recently been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis were more likely to have high levels of the bacteria Prevotella copri (P. copri) than individuals without the disease and those who had had the disease for a long period of time.

More specifically, 75% of the people who were recently diagnosed had P. copri in their stools, compared with 21.4% of healthy participants, 11.5% with chronic rheumatoid arthritis, and 37.5% with psoriatic arthritis.

The researchers are not sure why P. copri levels spike around the time of diagnosis, but they hypothesize that it may be contributing to inflammation in those individuals.

Researchers from the NYU School of Medicine conducted the study. It was published on November 5, 2013, in eLife Journal.

If you’re looking to improve gut bacteria diversity and ward off harmful bacteria like P. copri, the solution can be as easy as taking a probiotic supplement. Having a varied composition of bacteria in your digestive system is essential for good gut health and for good health overall. Previous studies have linked healthy gut bacteria with strengthening the immune system, lowering cholesterol levels and improving digestion and oral health.

Stroke is a major cause of disability and death, especially in older adults. A recent study suggests that taking a walk for an hour or two may lower the risk of stroke by up to one-third, while walking three hours or more per day may lower the risk by up to two-thirds.

Participants in the study included 3,500 men between the ages of 60 and 80. The researchers asked the men how often they walked per week and then placed them into five different groups: zero to three hours a week, four to seven hours a week, eight to 14 hours a week, 15 to 21 hours a week and more than 22 hours a week.

The researchers then followed the men over the next 10 years. They found that the men who walked from eight to 10 hours weekly (42%) had a one-third lower risk of developing a stroke when compared to those who walked zero to three hours weekly. Men who walked more than 22 hours weekly (9%) had a two-thirds lower risk of developing stroke.

The benefits were the same regardless of the speed of walking.

Researchers from the University College London conducted the study. It was published online ahead of print on November 14, 2013, in the journal Stroke.

Previous clinical studies suggest that even moderate exercise can reduce your risk of dying prematurely, help with blood sugar control, reduce body weight, improve heart health and improve respiratory health.

Even a brisk ten-minute walk a day can help. Look for ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine; you’d be surprised how many opportunities there are to get up and get moving.

A new study has found that participants who follow the Mediterranean diet may have slower decline in mental functioning than those who follow a Western diet. This was especially true for people who carried the genetic marker APOE4, which is a sign of increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The Mediterranean diet is based on the eating habits of people in the Mediterranean region of the world. It consists of a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. Additionally, this diet has a very limited amount of refined grains, saturated fats, and sugars.

527 healthy older adults who participated in the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle Study of Aging and who had completed the Cancer Council of Victoria Food Frequency Questionnaire took part in the study. The 74-item questionnaire is a report on daily food intake over the year prior to participation in the study.

The participants also underwent neuropsychological testing at the onset of the study, at the 18 month mark, and at 36 months.

After controlling for a number of lifestyle factors, the researchers found that male participants who followed a Mediterranean diet had notable improvements in mental functioning. The results were particularly notable in those with the APOE4 gene.

Participants that adhered to a Western diet high in red meat, processed foods and refined grains showed a significantly increased risk of decline in visual and spatial functioning.

Researchers from the Edith Cowan University in Western Australia conducted the study. It was presented at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience conference, which was held from November 9-13, 2013, in San Diego.
Previous research has shown that the Mediterranean diet may improve heart health, lower the risk of diabetes, asthma, lower rates of obesity and even decrease the overall risk of mortality.

The key components of the Mediterranean diet are eating primarily plant-based foods, replacing butter with olive oil, using herbs and spices instead of salt, eating red meat no more than a few times a month, eating fish and poultry at least twice a week.

High levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol can lead to adverse cardiac events and are often treated with statins. However, taking a supplement of resveratrol may help lower LDL cholesterol in obese and overweight people by reducing the production of apolipoproteins B (ApoB).

ApoB is responsible for the transport of LDL cholesterol to tissues. High levels of ApoB appear to be related to heart disease.

Participants in the study included eight overweight or obese people who had slightly elevated triglyceride levels. The researchers examined them on two occasions that were four to six weeks apart.

Half of the group was instructed to take a resveratrol supplement while the other half took a placebo. For the first week, the resveratrol group took 1000 mg daily and for the second week they took 2000 mg daily.

At the conclusion of the study, the resveratrol group had no changes in insulin sensitivity or triglyceride levels but they did have lower levels of both ApoB48 (by 22%) and ApoB100 (by 27%).

The researchers noted that this was a small-scale study and more research should be conducted to determine the exact effects of resveratrol on cholesterol levels.

Researchers from the University of Toronto in Canada and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Italy conducted the study. It was published online ahead of print on September 26, 2013, in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

Previous studies have shown resveratrol to be a powerful antioxidant with health benefits that include increasing energy levels, improving brain health, reducing the appearance of aging, lowering the risk of lung cancer, improving metabolism, regulating blood glucose levels in diabetics and improving liver function.

This antioxidant can be found in red wine, grapes, grape seed extract, and peanuts. A glass of red wine a day can provide a good amount of resveratrol, but excess drinking will reverse the positive health benefits. Another good way to get resveratrol is through a high quality supplement.