How Processed Foods Lead to Weight Gain
People who eat a diet high in ultra-processed foods, such as Cheerios, canned beef ravioli, and white bread, consume about 500 calories more per day than people who eat unprocessed foods. The findings, published in Cell Metabolism, came as a bit of a surprise to the researchers because the meals consumed by the two groups were designed to be matched for carbs, fat, sugar, salt, and calories. However, all participants could eat as much of the meals as they wanted—and those who ate the ultra-processed foods simply ate more than those on the unprocessed meal plan. Participants on the unprocessed meal plan ate foods such as Greek yogurt, berries, nuts, broccoli, beef roast, and rice pilaf. Over the two-week research period, those on the ultra-processed diet gained an average of two pounds. Researchers theorized that people who consumed the processed foods ate faster, which led to overeating. Additionally, the hunger-regulating hormones decreased in those on the unprocessed meal plan. However, the study didn’t take into account convenience or cost of processed versus unprocessed food.
Regulate Anxiety by Managing Gut Bacteria
Those who suffer from anxiety might benefit from regulating the microorganisms in their gut, suggests a review of studies published in General Psychiatry. The trillions of microorganisms play a number of roles in the body, affecting everything from the immune system to metabolism, but scientists have theorized they could also affect brain function through the “gut-brain axis.” Eleven of the 21 studies reviewed found that regulating intestinal microbiota had a positive effect on the symptoms of anxiety.
More than a third of the 14 studies that used probiotics—foods and supplements that contain “friendly” bacteria that fight harmful bacteria from settling in the gut—to regulate the microorganisms resulted in reduced anxiety symptoms, while the seven remaining studies looked at regulating the microbiota in another way. Of those, six of the studies found regulation to positively affect anxiety.
Seven Factors Predict Heart Disease Risk
People who score well in seven key indicators of heart disease risk are less likely to develop the condition, concludes a study published in JAMA Network Open. Improving your health in those categories helps to lower your risk.
Nearly 75,000 study participants were assessed based on their history of smoking, body weight, exercise, diet, blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure over a period of four years. “Only about two percent of people in the United States and other countries meet all the ideal requirements for these seven factors,” Penn State Associate Professor Xiang Gao says in a statement from the university.
The study also examined whether any one factor was more important than the others, but found that each test indicated future CVD risk in similar ways. “This suggests that overall cardiovascular health is still the most important thing, and that one factor isn’t more important than the others,” Gao says