Overeating can lead to weight gain and impaired blood sugar control and glucose levels. This in turn can increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. A new study suggests that chronic overeating effects blood sugar and glucose, but that short-term overeating may not.

Eight healthy, lean men with an average age of 22 participated in the study. They underwent a short-term overeating trial that lasted for five days, then continued overeating for 23 more days to model long-term, chronic overeating. The participants ate their regular diets, plus another 1,000 calories that came mostly from high calorie snacks such as chocolate, meal replacement drinks, and potato chips. They filled out 3-day diet diaries three times during the study.

The researchers measured the participants’ weight, fat mass, blood sugar, and insulin levels at baseline, five days, and 28 days.

Postprandical glucose and insulin responses did not change after 5 days, but had a modest increase after 28 days. Fasting levels of blood sugar, and C-peptide did not change after 5 days.

In addition, the amount of visceral fat present increased signifiocantly after 5 days, with no further change seen after 28 days. However, body mass and fat mass significantly increased only after 28 days. 

The study was conducted by researchers from Deakin University, Australia. It was published on April 9, 2019 in the American Journal of Physiology — Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Previous studies have suggested that diet soda may be linked with increased risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Now a new study has found that diet soda and artificially sweetened beverages may increase the risk of stroke in post-menopausal women.

Researchers looked at the data of 81,714 post-menopausal women who participated in the Women’s Health Initiative study. The women enrolled in the study between 1993 and 1998 and were followed for an average of 11.9 years. During their three-year evaluation, the women reported how often they had consumed diet drinks such as low calorie, artificially sweetened colas, sodas, and fruit drinks during the past three months.

When the researchers compared women who consumed diet drinks less than once a week or not all to women who consumed two or more diet drinks per day, they found that the high consumers were 23% more likely to have a stroke. They were also 31% more likely to have a clot-caused stroke, 29% more likely to develop heart disease, and 16% more likely to die of any cause.

In addition, the risks were even higher for certain women. Obese women who drank two or more diet drinks daily were 2.03 times more likely to have a clot-caused stroke compared to women who drank diet drinks less than once a week or not all. African-American women in the high consumer quartile were 3.93 more times likely to have a clot-caused stroke.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. It was published February 14, 2019 in the journal Stroke.

If you’re having trouble sticking to your diet, you may want to start incorporating exercise into your week. A new study has found that exercising regularly may be linked to healthier eating habits.

Participants in the study included 2,680 young adults who were not exercising regularly or dieting prior to the study. Participants underwent 15 weeks of 30-minute aerobic workouts three times per week. Exercise duration, intensity, and dose were recorded during each session using heart rate monitors. Participants were instructed not to change their diet in any significant way. Diet information was collected at baseline and at the end of the study.

At the end of the study period, the participants were more likely to choose healthy foods such as lean meats, fruits, and vegetables. Preferences for fried foods, sodas, and other unhealthy options decreased. A longer duration of exercise was associated with decreased preferences for the western and snacking dietary patterns. A higher intensity of exercise was associated with an increased preference of the prudent dietary pattern.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Texas Austin and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. It was published online ahead of print January 18, 2019, in the International Journal of Obesity.

A healthy diet is a cornerstone of good health. However, a recent study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that when people obtain food at work it tends to be high in calories, solid fat, sugars, and/or sodium.

The researchers analyzed data from the US Department of Agriculture Food Acquisition and Purchasing Survey. The survey was conducted from April 2012 through January 2013 and included 5,222 employed adult Americans. The survey assessed the prevalence of obtaining any foods at work overall, number of acquisitions and calories obtained, most commonly obtained foods, and leading food sources of calories. The foods analyzed were purchased from vending machines or cafeterias, or obtained for free in common areas, during meetings, or at worksite social events.

Approximately a quarter (23.4%) of working adults obtained food from work during the week. The foods they obtained had an average of 1,292 calories per person per week. The leading foods purchased were pizza, regular soft drinks, cookies, brownies, cakes, pies, and candy. Using the 2010 Healthy Eating Index, the researchers determined that work foods tend to be high in empty calories, sodium, and refined grains, and low in whole grains and fruit.

Obesity and low dietary quality are important risk factors for chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. The researchers recommend that companies develop worksite wellness programs aimed at offering employees appealing and healthy food options.

The study was  published in January, 2019, in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

It is often recommended to avoid snacking or eating a meal shortly before bedtime to help control blood glucose levels. However, a new study has found that leaving a 2-hour gap between the last meal and bedtime is not associated with a difference in blood glucose levels in healthy adults.

For this study, the researchers examined the health check data of 1,573 healthy, middle-aged and older Japanese adults with no underlying conditions associated with diabetes. The health checks were performed in 2012, 2013, and 2014. The researchers looked at eating habits, physical activity levels, weight gain since the age of 20, eating pace, amount of alcohol consumed daily, and smoking status. They found that 16.1% of the men in the study and 7.5% of the women fell asleep within 2 hours after dinner.

When the researchers looked at HbA1c levels over time, they found no association between increased levels and going to sleep less than 2 hours after the last meal. However, they did find that weight, blood pressure, triglyceride levels, physical activity, smoking, and drinking were more strongly associated with changes in HbA1c levels. HbA1c is a measure of average blood glucose over the long term, and considered a an indicator of future health risks.

Based on their findings, the researchers recommend that people focus on maintaining a healthy BMI and abstaining from smoking and consuming alcohol.

Researchers from Okayama University in Japan conducted the study. It was published on January 21, 2019, in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.

A recent study suggests that high blood levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, carotenoids, lycopene, riboflavin, folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin D may be associated with better cognitive performance later in life.

Participants in the study included 116 healthy adults between the ages of 65 and 75. The researchers examined the participants’ blood for nutrient biomarkers and used functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess how efficiently various brain networks performed. Participants also completed several cognitive tests.

The researchers found that omega-6 fatty acids, lycopene, omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids, vitamin D, and vitamin B were associated with enhanced cognitive performance. They also found that omega-6 fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids, and carotene were associated with enhanced functional brain network efficiency.

The researchers also found that omega-3 PUFAs moderated the fronto-parietal network and general intelligence, while omega-6 PUFAs and lycopene moderated the dorsal attention network and executive function.

Researchers from the University of Illinois led the study. It was published in the March 2019 issue of NeuroImage.

For this study, researchers examined 32 nutrients found in the Mediterranean diet, which is characterized by high amounts of vegetables, legumes, cereals, fish, fruits and nuts, healthy mono-saturated fats such as olive oil, low amounts of saturated fats, moderate alcohol intake, and low intake of meat and dairy products.

A recent study suggests that eating a lot of red meat may be connected with high levels of a gut-generated chemical called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). TMAO has been linked with heart disease.

Participants in the study included 113 healthy men and women who followed one of three diets for one month, then switched to the next diet, then the next. The three diets contained protein from red meat, white meat, or non-meat sources. The red meat diet included approximately 8 ounces of steak per day or two quarter-pound beef patties. Half of the participants were also placed on high fat versions of the three diets.

After the red meat month, the researchers found that the participants’ TMAO levels were three times higher than when they were following the white meat or non-meat protein diets. They also found that when people stopped following the red meat diet, their TMAO levels significantly decreased.

Similar results were found for the participants who consumed the high fat versions of the diet compared to those who did not.

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic led the study. It was published on December 10, 2018, in European Heart Journal.

The Mediterranean diet — which is characterized by high amounts of vegetables, legumes, cereals, fish, fruits and nuts, healthy mono-saturated fats such as olive oil, low amounts of saturated fats, moderate alcohol intake, and low intake of meat and dairy products — has been shown in numerous studies to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. A recent study suggests that this may be due to its effect on a number of biomarkers.

Participants in the study included more than 25,000 female health professionals who took part in the Women’s Health Study. All of the participants completed food intake questionnaires and the researchers took blood samples to measure cardiovascular health biomarkers. The women were followed for up to 12 years. The study examined incidents of cardiovascular disease, defined as first events of heart attack, stroke, coronary arterial revascularization, and cardiovascular death.

Based on the questionnaires, the researchers placed the participants into three groups: low, middle, or upper Mediterranean diet intake. They found that 428 of the women (4.2%) in the low group experienced a cardiovascular event compared to 356 (3.8%) in the middle group and 246 (3.8%) in the upper group. That means there was a relative risk reduction of 23% and 28% respectively. That risk reduction is similar to statins and other preventive medications.

Additionally, the researchers noted changes in signals of inflammation (accounting for 29% of the cardiovascular disease reduction), glucose metabolism and insulin resistance (27.9%) and body mass index (27.3%).

Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health  conducted the study. It was published on December 7, 2018, in JAMA Network Open.

It’s commonly believed that blood pressure naturally rises with age. However, it may actually be a result of diet. A recent study involving two South American tribes suggests that a Western diet may contribute to higher blood pressure later in life.

For this study, researchers examined two tribes: The Yanomami, living in near-isolation with no Western influences on their diet and the Yekwana, a nearby tribe whose diet includes some processed foods and salt. The researchers took blood pressure measurements from 72 Yanomami between the ages of one and 60 and from 83 Yekwana in the same age range.

They found that the Yanomami had an average blood pressure of 95 mmHg systolic over 63 diastolic. In comparision, the Yekwana had similar blood pressure measurements in childhood to the Yanomami. However, they showed increases of approximately 0.25 mm Hg per year. By age 10, the Yekwana had blood pressure averaging 5.8 mmHg higher than the Yanomami and by age 50 it was an average 15.9 mmHg higher.

In US adults, the average blood pressure measurements are 122 systolic and 71 diastolic. Systolic blood pressure in the US rises by approximately 1.5 mm HG and 1.9 mm HG per year among boys and girls respectively, and 0.6 mm HG per year among adults.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University led the study. It was published on November 14, 2018, in JAMA Cardiology.

Previous research suggests that the healthiest diet is one that is rich in fish, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and low in processed foods and sugars. If you’re trying to make a dietary change, try moving slowly. Change one unhealthy habit at a time for best results.

When it comes to heart health, what you’re eating is extremely important. A recent study suggests that cardiovascular risk factors track closely with a person’s current diet, and with changes in eating patterns.

For this study, researchers examined data from two previous studies. In one, participants followed the DASH-diet, which focuses on reducing sodium for heart health. In the other, participants followed the Mediterranean diet, which focuses on healthy fats. Both diets were rich in vegetables, whole grains, and fruits.

In both studies, the participants followed their intervention diet for five or six weeks, after which their cardiovascular risk factors were assessed, including blood pressure, fasting serum lipids, glucose, and insulin. They then went back to their regular diets for four weeks and had their risk factors assessed a second time. Finally, they returned to the healthy diet for five or six weeks and had their risk factors assessed a last time.

At the conclusion of the study, the researchers noted that the participants’ cardiovascular risk factors were significantly higher when they were following their own diets and significantly lower when they were following the healthy diets. They also noted that the risk factors lowered quickly once people started following a healthy diet. Lower blood pressure and cholesterol were seen within a few weeks of healthy eating.

Researchers from Purdue University led the study. It was published on November 10, 2018, in Nutrients.

The DASH diet is high in nuts and legumes, low-fat dairy, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and low in red and processed meat, sugar-sweetened drinks, and sodium.

The Mediterranean diet is characterized by high amounts of vegetables, legumes, cereals, fish, fruits and nuts, healthy mono-saturated fats such as olive oil, low amounts of saturated fats, moderate alcohol intake, and low intake of meat and dairy products.