An Israeli study released in the latest issue of the journal, Steroids, has suggested that adding dessert foods such as cakes, cookies or chocolate to a balanced breakfast meal, could aid in the functionality of weight-losing dieting to help control cravings. The study was conducted by a team of scientists led by Dr Daniela Jakubowicz, a leading professor Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine. Over 32 weeks, One hundred and ninety three clinically obese, non-diabetic adults were randomly... ...Read more »

A research conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and Harvard University has found that women who consumed a diet high in animal fat and cholesterol before pregnancy were at higher risk for gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes seen during pregnancy that increases the risk for certain pregnancy complications and health problems in the newborn. Moreover, the increased risk for gestational diabetes seen with animal fat and cholesterol appeared to be... ...Read more »

A new study from the University of Sydney has found that high protein diets are more effective in helping young women manage their weight than diets high in carbohydrates. The study looked at the effect of diet, exercise and behaviour change in overweight and obese women aged 18-25. Researcher Dr Helen O’Connor and her colleagues tracked 71 overweight and obese women aged 18-25 years over 12 months. The women were randomly placed the women on either a higher-protein or a higher-carbohydrate diet,... ...Read more »

New research from Uppsala University, in Sweden, has found a new link between poor sleeping habits and increased risk of becoming overweight. The research, which was published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, found that a specific brain region which contributes to a person’s appetite is more active when the person is deprived of sleep. In the latest study, Christian Benedict, together with Samantha Brooks, Helgi Schiöth and Elna-Marie Larsson from Uppsala University and... ...Read more »

One of Australia’s leading public health research bodies, The George Institute, has launched a new smartphone app which gives a Traffic Light rating based on the amount of total fat, saturated fat, sugars and sodium per 100 grams – green for ‘low’, amber for ‘medium’ and red for ‘high’. The new app, called ‘FoodSwitch’, is able to rate 20,000 packaged food products found in Australian supermarkets. The initiative is part of a new partnership with Bupa, one of Australia’s... ...Read more »

The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) today launched a campaign calling on Australians to kick-start 2012 year by taking part in a healthy ‘pledge’. The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) has launched the social media-based campaign in the lead-up to Australia’s Healthy Weight Week (22 – 29 January 2012). Under the theme ‘One change at a time’, it aims to motivate Australians, and especially young women, to pledge to take on healthy eating and exercise habits. The campaign... ...Read more »

The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) has urged young women in Australia to ‘ditch the detox’ and instead pledge to eat a balanced diet, after new research found that many women are resorting to unproven detox diets to try to shift unwanted kilos. A Newspoll survey of 200 women aged 18-24, commissioned by the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA), found 60 per cent have tried to lose weight in the past year. Of those, one in four have used a ‘fad diet’, with lemon detox and liver... ...Read more »

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which is the Australian government regulatory agency for medicines, legal drugs and complementary health products, has issued a public safety advisory to notify consumers (or potential consumers) of  serious risks that a product known as Lipro Diet Pills may pose to health. The TGA points out that the commercial supply of Lipro Diet Pills in Australia is illegal. However a number of people in Australia appear to have bought the product, seemingly through... ...Read more »

A diet high in polyphenols could help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and associated health risks, according to a new study by the University of Glasgow. Researchers from the university’s Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences (ICAMS) say their findings suggest that as far as polyphenol-containing fruit drinks go, there are possible benefits for cardiovascular health. Their research, published today in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, was funded by The Coca-Cola... ...Read more »

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)’s new draft dietary guidelines, published today, have been welcomed by leading Australian scientists and nutrition experts. Emphasis on whole foods rather than nutrients Associate Professor Catherine Itsiopoulos, Head of Department of Dietetics at La Trobe University, in Victoria, said the revised dietary guidelines are “critically important” for healthy eating in Australia. Professor Itsiopoulos said that healthy eating and physical... ...Read more »