Is fat really that bad for you? Survey reveals we are terrified of being overweight

Fat is often given a bad reputation. Many people wanting to lose weight will simply head straight to the fat content of any given food or drink product, disregarding all other nutritional values of said product. This is despite the fact that recently sugar has received more bad press as health experts continually warn against a diet high in sugar. Only last month UK cinema chains received fierce criticism for offering a glut of high-sugary treats to cinema goers in Britain.

According to a survey for Women’s Health magazine that quizzed over 4,000 people, over two-thirds of us believe we are fat, yet bizarrely a similar number of people from the same research say they aren’t overweight. It seems the nation has some self-esteem issues that need addressing.
Fat may get a bad rep and almost be a taboo subject, but we actually need fat to survive. “Science has shown us that a little fat both on our bodies and on our plates is actually healthy,” commented Women’s Health editor Farrah Storr.

“For years, fat has been seen as the enemy, but the tide is turning. As we become more nutritionally aware, many of us now realise fat could even be the secret to a longer life and a smaller waistline.”

So why do we need fats in our body? Firstly, fat is important as it provides the body with energy.  It is difficult to eat foods within a low fat diet to receive enough energy your body requires. Diets that are too low in fat (less than 20 – 25%) can trigger cravings and food binges. Fat aids the transportation, storage and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. A lack of fat could result in deficiencies of these particular vitamins. Fat also gives insulation under our skin from the cold and the heat, in addition to providing protection to organs and bones from shock.

However, this doesn’t mean you can start overloading on fat without worrying about the consequences. An average male should not consume over 30g of saturated fat per day, whilst it is just 20g of saturated fat per day for women. The NHS Choices website offer a fantastic guide into what fat we need and some of the foods it is advised to cut down on.

The Women’s Health survey showed a fascinating insight into the nation’s view of fat, with both sexes being afraid of it. Many who answered the questions would rather somebody viewed them as being stupid or old than fat and perhaps surprisingly, twice as many than women have contemplated using diet pills.

Women’s Views

. 76% go to the gym to lose weight.
. 72% think they are fat.
. 67% would prefer to be thought of as stupid than fat.
. 67% would prefer to look old than fat.
. 66% are aware they are not overweight.
. 63% look in the mirror and think they are fat at least once a day.
. 58% would prefer to be thin and unhealthy than overweight and healthy.
. 46% would not date a person they deem fat.
. 44% have thought about using diet pills.
. 36% think about their weight at least once a day.
. 20% have not gone on holiday because they felt fat.

Men’s Views

. 95% have thought about using diet pills.
. 77% would prefer to look old than fat.
. 74% go to the gym to lose weight.
. 71% would prefer to be thought of as stupid than fat.
. 65% think they are fat.
. 62% have not gone on holiday because they felt fat.
. 60% are aware they are not overweight.
. 57% would not date a person they deem fat.
. 48% think about their weight at least once a day.
. 47% would prefer to be thin and unhealthy than overweight and healthy.
. 35% look in the mirror and think they are fat at least once a day.

Pregnant women who work too hard risk having a smaller baby

It seems pregnant women are always being told different things may harm their baby, or to avoid certain foods, etc. It is common knowledge that smoking and drinking in particularly are most harmful to a developing foetus inside the mother’s womb and this is a subject we reported almost a year ago. Now however, pregnant women need to start taking extra precautions in the workplace according to a study to emerge from The Netherlands.

Scientists based at the Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, thoroughly quizzed over 4,600 pregnant working women during the years of 2002 to 2006. They waited until the women were at the halfway stage of their pregnancies and then asked questions such as how many hours each week they worked, how much of the day they spent standing on their feet, walking and also the kind of work they were involved in. The scientists documented the size of each baby throughout the duration of the latter half of each pregnancy and also once the baby was born they measured its size.

The results of the study have been made available in the journal ‘Occupational and Environmental Medicine’. All women who were recruited for the study were employed within teaching, childcare and sales positions. Half said they worked between 25 to 39 hours each week and a quarter even worked over 40 hours every week. It was found that 38% of the women spent a long period of the working day on their feet and of that total, almost half said they were walking for extended time periods. In addition, 4% of the total said that they worked evening shifts and 6% worked in a job where they had to do heavy lifting.

At the end of the study it was noted that generally, those who clocked over 25 hours of work a week, gave birth to babies with a head circumference that was 1cm smaller than the rest. Moreover, the women who worked more hours also were found to have babies that weighed approximately between 148g and 198g less than those working fewer hours. Experts say that the results would suggest that if the pregnant woman was standing up more at work, this could hinder the babies’ growth and development.

The authors gave their opinions of the information obtained from the study and commented, “We believe that optimising the work environment is important, since participation of women in the reproductive age in the workforce continues to increase.” They further added that it is advisable for women to try to refrain from doing shift and night work, prolonged periods of standing and limit any physical exertion in the workplace during their pregnancies.

Bicycle riding and erectile dysfunction

Department of Urology, Institute of Men's Health, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

For many years, reports in the literature have implicated bicycle riding as causing increased risk of erectile dysfunction (ED). Perineal compression during cycling has been associated with the development of sexual complications.

To review current literature on the rationale for ED from bicycle riding and outcome of bicycle riding on erectile function and to present available research on preventative measures specifically regarding bicycle riding.

A systematic comprehensive literature review. Results. There is a significant relationship between cycling-induced perineal compression leading to vascular, endothelial, and neurogenic dysfunction in men and the development of ED. Research on female bicyclists is very limited but indicates the same impairment as in male bicyclists. Preventative measures including use of a properly fitted bicycle, a riding style with a suitable seat position and an appropriate bicycle seat can help prevent impairment of erectile function.

There is a need for further research on safe bicycle and bicycle seat design and investigations that address the underlying mechanisms leading to cycling-related sexual dysfunction in both male and female bicyclists.

Survey on counterfeit drugs market

According to a survey conducted in 14 European countries, 77 million people (ie one in five Europeans) admitted to buying prescription-only medicines from unlawful sources. A majority prefer to buy prescription drugs on the internet, “without realising that between 50% and 90% of medicines sold online are counterfeit and that some contain dangerous substances, such as boric acid”. The ‘Cracking counterfeit Europe’ survey revealed that the counterfeit drug market is estimated to be worth €10.5 billion. The Germans, Italians and Spaniards are the three biggest consumers of medicines bought illegally. Weight-loss drugs, flu remedies and erectile dysfunction pills are the products sold most often. The survey, carried out between 27 October and 8 November 2009, was initiated by Pfizer, the world’s number one pharmaceutical firm and owner of one of the medicine falsified most often, Viagra.

Deadly erectile dysfunction drugs for women

Authorities raided a local direct-selling firm’s outlets yesterday for selling to women a health supplement that contains a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction.
Health Ministry enforcement officers seized RM1 million worth of health supplements marketed under the brand names “Extremen” and “Extrewomen”.

The officers conducted the nationwide raids simultaneously, including at the firm’s headquarters in Taman Shamelin, Cheras, here and a factory in Malacca.

Ministry pharmaceutical enforcement division director Hatta Ahmad said more than 200 officers were involved in the raids on more than 20 locations following a month of surveillance.

“Prior to the raids, samples of the product, which were sold in powder form, were sent to the Chemistry Department and the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry for tests.

“Results revealed that Extrewomen contained tadalafil while Extremen contained hydroxythiohomosildenafil, an analogue of sildenafil or Viagra.” Tadalafil is used to treat erectile dysfunction but can only be obtained with a doctor’s prescription, similar to Viagra. Those suffering diabetes, hypertension and coronary artery disease are not allowed to consume tadalafil as it can have massive repercussions.

The analogue hydroxyhomosildenafil is illegal in Malaysia as it causes health problems to those who consume it.

Hatta said: “I nvestigations revealed that users did not realise that there was tadalafil inside the product because the manufacturers claimed the product only contained natural herbs and collagen, a group of naturally-occurring proteins.

“But Extrewomen will make women feel amorous and randy. They will not realise that it is due to the tadalafil in the product.” He took the direct-selling company to task for selling the product as tadalafil was a controlled substance.

The side effects include headaches, stomach aches, blurred vision or, in extreme cases, sudden death.

The amount of tadalafil in the product seized is considered three times stronger than taking a Viagra pill.

Investigations revealed that the products had been distributed nationwide besides being exported to Indonesia, based on invoices found at the headquarters.

Future boob jobs will use excessive body fat

Every Women wants to look beautiful and now there is a good news for those looking to lose weight as well as have big bust. Using a new technique, called the "two in one" operation, surgeons transfer unwanted fat from hips, thighs and stomach into the boobs. The pioneering technique has been tested in the UK and the US and is expected to be offered to British women by early next year.

Photo Credit: charlietphoto.com

According to the Harley Medical Group, the technique has originated from reconstructive surgery and was tested in Britain after a 10-year study on global developments in fat grafting. They said that the results experienced by patients in the US and UK, who had the procedure four or five years ago, have shown that the effects are lasting.

Harley Medical Group chairman Mel Braham said: "This really is the most exciting breakthrough in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery that I have seen over the last two decades."

Should couples not sleep together?

Sounds a bit weird but yes this is what new research has suggested. According to Dr Neil Stanley, decent night's sleep is more important than cosying up with your partner. Research evidence suggests that sharing a bed is bad for sleep. One study found that if one partner moved in his or her sleep there was a 50% chance of it disturbing the other.

"If you want to live a happy and healthy life, diet and exercise are important but so is sleep," said Dr Stanley, speaking at the University of Surrey in Guildford.

Dr Stanley, who set up one of Britain's leading sleep laboratories at the University of Surrey, said poor sleep was linked to depression, heart disease, strokes, lung disorders, traffic and industrial accidents, and divorce. Yet sleep was largely ignored as an important aspect of health.He said the modern tradition of sleeping together began with the industrial revolution, when people moving to overcrowded towns and cities found themselves short of living space however before the Victorian era it was not uncommon for married couples to sleep apart.

So what do our readers think about this story?

Hair

Hair loss Facts.

Hair loss affects approximately 40% of men and 20% of women aged 50 and over. In the US there are an estimated 40 million men and 12 million women suffering from some degree of baldness. The estimated market size for hair regeneration products and treatments is over $1 billion for both men and women but only 2% of patients suffering hair loss currently seek any treatment.
Existing Treatments.
Hair loss treatments available today a few and far between, so far there is only two medicines which have been licensed for use as a Male hair loss product. 1 Propecia & 2 Regaine.
Propecia is the more successful treatment out of the two and has many papers and happy customers that have used the product who have either stop hair loss in its tracks or regained lost hair.
Regaine can be bought over the counter at most pharmacies & supermarkets and has worked on a smaller percentage to some degree.

Hair Cloning
But now a company in Manchester called Intercytex have been busy working on cloning, hair cloning that is. Already phase 1 & 2 of the hair cloning trials have been completed and are showing some promising results.
The ICX-TRC procedure
A small sample of hair follicles is taken from the patient during a simple 30 minute operation carried out under local anaesthetic at a hair or skin clinic. The clinic sends the biopsy to Intercytex’ GMP compliant manufacturing facility where the DP cells are dissociated from the rest of the follicle. These cells are cultured and expanded in proprietary media over three weeks and subsequently returned to the clinic in a sterile suspension.
sing a specialised delivery system, the DP cells are microinjected intradermally into the patient’s scalp. The treatment is performed under local anaesthetic and comprises a single procedure of superficial injections, each injection delivering a minute volume of media containing DP cells. These cells are able to stimulate the generation of new hairs when injected in close proximity to the epidermal cells which generate the hair. Following the procedure, new hair growth should become evident after approximately three months.
ICX-TRC clinical and commercial development

For the full article please visit http://www.medical-specialists.co.uk/news/index.php/2009/07/16/hair-regeneration and feel free to leave comments either on here or on our main website..

The Best Methods For Aging Skin Care

Looking young is a trend in this era and that's what everyone wants. Everyone will have aging effect due to the environmental conditions and natural traits. Fight against aging is not a complete success, but it can be delayed. The anti aging skin care tips and diets will help to reduce the aging effects rather than using anti aging skin care products.

There are various anti aging skin care products available in the market such as pills, creams, fluids etc. But the best way is to have a proper diet. A diet rich in vitamin C helps in replacement off dead skin cells as well as in growth of new skin cells. It also helps in maintaining the tenderness of the skin. Fruits such as orange and green leafy vegetables are source of vitamin C. Use of natural oils such as olive oil, corn oil or vegetable oil instead of cocking oil are more beneficial as they have more nutritional value.

Moderate exercise is another anti aging skin care tip. When the rate of oxygen flow reduces in our blood due to slow blood circulation, the rate at which the skin cell replacement takes place also reduces. Blood circulation can be increased by doing regular exercise. A good exercise routing is to be maintained to stay healthy and to reduce the aging effect. It can even start from a brisk walk to pumping irons in a gym.

Sleep is an important aging skin care factor. Lack of sleep or improper sleeps add wrinkles to the face. Good sleep is required for rejuvenating the skin after a long day work. Lack of sleep even adds ugly looking eye sacks.

Lot of anti aging skin care products is available in the market. But the best one to use is the natural skin care products. The skin care products available in the markets contains chemical which cause side effects such as allergies, abrasion and irritations. Aging is a natural process which can't be stopped but reduced if proper care is taken.

Discover the benefits of the best skin care line that are made from breakthrough natural ingredients. Learn about the dramatic results you can get and how to get rid of wrinkles, fine lines and damaged skin by checking out: http://www.natural-skin-care-resource.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jean_Helmet

Low Vitamin D Levels Raise Breast Cancer Death Risk by 75 Percent

Women who are deficient in vitamin D at the time they are diagnosed with breast cancer are nearly 75 percent more likely to die from the disease than women with sufficient vitamin D levels, and their cancer is twice as likely to spread to other parts of the body.

Complete article here