The post You’re Getting Fit, but Where Do You Lose Weight First? appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

KUALA LUMPUR • A Malaysian woman who wanted to lose weight to look good at her wedding ended up losing her life instead when she underwent liposuction at a beauty salon that was not licensed to perform the procedure.

Malaysian police have detained the owners of the beauty salon in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, and are investigating the matter after the death last Saturday of 23-year-old Coco Siew Zhi Shing, whose hanyu pinyin name is Xiao Zhixin.

Ms Siew had been preparing for her wedding and wanted to look her best for the once-in-a-lifetime event, her brother Xiao Mingan told Sin Chew Daily.

She had found the beauty salon online while scouring the Internet for liposuction-related treatments, and signed up for a RM2,500 (S$820) procedure to extract fat from her arms, according to Mr Xiao.

Last Saturday, Ms Siew visited the salon for the first time, accompanied by a friend. She received an injection for anaesthesia upon arrival, local media reported.

About half an hour later, she started to feel unwell, and about an hour later, her heartbeat stopped, according to the reports.

Ms Siew was rushed to hospital but efforts to resuscitate her failed and she was certified dead at around 5pm.

Mr Xiao said his family members were especially grieved that they did not arrive at the hospital in time to see his sister before she died.

The owner of the beauty salon was not present during the procedure and did not appear at the hospital until 8pm, he said.

“After our repeated questioning, the person in charge of the salon finally revealed that they were not licensed to conduct such medical procedures, but were licensed only for normal beauty treatments,” Mr Xiao told Sin Chew Daily.

“The beautician who performed the procedure for my sister did not have a professional licence.”

The two owners of the beauty salon, a woman and her daughter, have been detained to assist in investigations into Ms Siew’s death, The Star newspaper reported.

“We are still ascertaining the cause of death,” Kuala Lumpur police chief Saiful Azly Kamaruddin told a press conference at the Sentul police headquarters yesterday.

Liposuction packages at the salon were being advertised for between RM1,500 and RM3,800, and it had performed the procedure for at least 10 customers, according to local media reports.

Mr Xiao said his sister led a healthy and fit lifestyle and cared greatly about her looks. She had come in first in an Asian modelling competition in 2014, he added.

“I hope my sister’s experience will serve as a warning to many young women,” Mr Xiao said.

The post Bride-to-be dies during liposuction procedure appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

01/6​ Foods to stop eating for quick weight loss?

Do you often feel that your diet and eating habits aren’t helping you lose weight? Well, it’s time to hit the pause and take a look at your food preferences that may be silently adding on to your weight and ruining your fat loss goals. So here are a few foods that you must avoid, if you are planning to lose weight and stay in shape.

02/6 ​Potato Chips

A bowl of potato chips or French Fries can be the best binging delight, when it comes to enjoying some quality time. A bowl of 100grams of potato chips contains as good as 536 calories. No wonder, these chips and fries are delicious, but at the same time the high calorie content as well as the addition of excessive salt and oil can silently spoil your weight loss plans. What’s more, packaged potato chips may often contain cancer-causing substances called acrylamides. Thus, the best way to eat healthy is by making chips or fries at home by baking or pan tossing with less or no oil.

03/6 ​Sugar loaded drinks

We often grab a bottle of juice or aerated drinks assuming that they are good for health, but did you know that 1 cup of packaged fruit juice may contain as good as 136 calories. Loaded with sugar and soda, these drinks can instantly spike your blood sugar level and in the long run can lead to weight gain and obesity. So, if you are planning to shed some weight, then ditch packaged drinks and go for homemade fresh juices and healthy blends.

04/6 ​Cookies and pastries

One of the most easily available on-the-go foods, cookies, pastries and other baked goods often seem like a treat to tastebuds, but you would be surprised to know that these baked goodies are packed with calories. So much so that 1 cookie may contain upto 40 calories. Apart from that, cookies and pastries are made of refined sugar, gluten rich flour and fats. Moreover, these baked goodies are also loaded with trans fats and sugar which adds on to the taste, but can end up spoiling your weight loss plans.

05/6​ White Bread

A meal without bread may seem incomplete, but have you ever wondered, this delicious addition to your meal may be secretly adding on to your weight? Well, if you are planning to lose weight or following a healthy diet, then consuming white bread can ruin all your efforts. Yes, white bread is loaded with gluten rich flour, added sugar and other ingredients that can simply add on to the calorie count.

06/6​ Caffeine rich drinks with milk and cream

Coffee is loaded with the goodness of caffeine, which helps in boosting metabolism and helps in burning fats naturally, but the addition of milk, cream, sugar and other ingredients like chocolate or caramel syrups can simply increase the calorie count and induce empty calories. Thus, if you are trying to stay in shape going for black coffee or cold brew can help in managing weight. However, too much consumption of coffee can lead to bloating and discomfort, so make sure you keep a check on your consumption patterns.

The post What foods to stop eating for quick weight loss? appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

The latest stats show that more than 70 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, and while many regain that weight, an important study that tracked successful dieters via the National Weight Control Registry found that over a ten-year period, the majority kept it off. I’ve spent much of the last two decades helping people on their weight-loss journey, and through my endless hours of research and writing, plus one-on-one coaching, I’ve picked up some important insight and great tips. Let me share them with you!

1. Forget what you know about calorie math

I’ve spent much of my career talking about the calories in vs. calories out equation, but I now know that you can’t rely on this paradigm. Instead, what the science shows is that as people lose weight, their metabolism changes; it takes fewer calories to maintain a smaller body size so the calorie rule doesn’t hold up. This cool online tool is based on that research, and shows you how you would need to adjust your calories over time in order to maintain the weight you lost.

The other thing I’ve learned about calories is that quality is probably more important than quantity — even when it comes to weight loss. For instance, there is good evidence that the Mediterranean diet, with unrestricted nuts and olive oil, can lead to improvements in body weight over a five-year period compared with a low-fat regimen. And while nuts themselves are high in calories and fat, studies show that they are helpful with weight loss. Importantly, nuts taste good — even indulgent — so including them on your menu may help you get more enjoyment out of your meals, and the fat helps keep you fuller, longer.

Newer research suggests that overly processed foods are especially easy to overeat because they can be eaten more quickly and they don’t produce the same level of contentment as more wholesome foods. On the flip side, whole and minimally processed foods typically take a longer time to eat and are linked with appetite-regulating benefits, so you’re more likely to fill up on portions that are right for your needs. In one particular study, folks were offered either a highly processed diet or a minimally processed diet for two weeks at a time. During the two weeks of the heavily processed diet, they gained two pounds, but on the whole foods diet, they lost that much. What’s interesting is that these were the same people who participated in each arm of the study. And all the meals were closely matched for macros (protein, carbs, fat) and calories. This suggests that your internal feel-full mechanisms kick in better when eating more whole and minimally processed foods, even if they’re identical in calories.

2. Eat more veggies

The one thing all diets have in common is veggies, and if you want to lose weight, you should start eating more of them. I’ve converted a lot of veggie haters to veggie eaters with a few simple strategies, starting with making veggies more fun! For example, try riced cauliflower to replace some (or all) of the grains with your favorite stir-fry. Or consider blending spaghetti or linguini with spiralized veggie noodles. (You can buy the pre-spiralized noodles in many supermarkets if you don’t want to invest in the gadget.) Or try adding a fistful of greens to smoothies, prepared soups and pasta sauce. If you’re not currently eating veggies with lunch and dinner, challenge yourself to try one new veggie recipe each week until you have a rotating menu of veggies you enjoy.

The idea isn’t to eat like a rabbit or substitute baby carrots when you’re craving potato chips. It’s about expanding your palate and being open to the possibility that there is a veggie lover inside of you waiting to come alive! If you’re looking for some inspiration, you can transform cauliflower in to just about anything, experiment with fresh, filling, and seriously delicious salad combos, or try veggie-centric dishes inspired by the Mediterranean diet. The key is to keep exploring the wide world of veggies until you find ways to enjoy them every day.

3. Don’t be afraid of carbs

Sure, a low-carb plan can help you lose weight, but plenty of research also supports carbohydrates — even whole-grain wheat — for slimming down. One recent study comparing grain avoiders to grain eaters found that the people who ate grains were less likely to be overweight or obese, and had a lower risk of metabolic complications, like type 2 diabetes. By contrast, avoiding grains was linked with a higher BMI and waist circumference, despite the fact that it was also linked with consuming fewer calories.

Another recent study showed that people who eat whole grains burned close to 100 more calories per day compared to people consuming similar calories but eating refined grains instead.

What I’ve learned is that you don’t need to take an all-or-nothing approach to carbs. Most often, I consider grains a side dish rather than an entrée, but I still eat them every day. What is important is that you consistently choose whole grains over their refined counterparts. That means mostly eating brown rice instead of white, whole-grain bread over the pillowy, white sandwich bread you may have grown up loving, and choosing whole-grain cereals, whether cold or hot, over hyper-processed refined versions.

4. Don’t attempt to out-exercise a bad diet

Exercise has many benefits, and everyone needs to do it, but the truth is, your workout routine may not be helping you slim down, and even worse, it may be stalling your weight loss. There are a few things at play here. First, we tend to drastically overestimate how many calories we burn while exercising, particularly if we’re doing something intense, like spinning or running. Exercise is so physical — you’re sweating, you’re toughing it out — so it seems as if you’re doing all the work. But it’s only a fraction of the job.

Research shows that even high-tech watches and other devices can overestimate the calories we’ve spent working out. For people tracking what they’re eating and burning through exercise, the faulty math might be problematic.

It’s also common to reward yourself with food after a workout, which can interfere with your progress. (The reverse is true, too — people often punish themselves with workouts after overeating.)

Women, in particular, tend to eat what we expend in exercise, according to research on the matter. In plain terms, our bodies are well-regulated to know when we’ve done a session of HIIT or spent time on the elliptical. Unknowingly, we put a little more food on our plates or have a heftier snack in order to replenish what we burned off.

Other notable research found that for those new to exercise or for those exercising less frequently, there may be a slight impact on energy expenditure, meaning it might provide a small (but meaningful) drop on the scale. But here’s the bad news: Workouts among people doing the most exercise didn’t show up on the scale. They likely experience other benefits — improved mental health, lower risk of heart disease, for instance — but they don’t have an edge when it comes to weight loss.

I’m not saying you should take a lifelong pass on fitness, but what I am saying is that if you’re killing it on the cardio machine merely to burn calories and squeeze into your extra-skinny skinny jeans, you may need to re-think this strategy. When it comes to losing weight, it’s more about what you put in your mouth than what you’re burning off. Among participants in the Weight Control Registry, walking is the most frequent form of exercise, and there was no difference in weight maintenance after three years among people who participated in the most physical activity compared to those exercising the least.

My advice: Find movement experiences that you enjoy and that are sustainable for you. In other words, exercise shouldn’t feel like punishment and it’s probably unsustainable if you’re only exercising to burn calories and lose weight. Instead, try moving in ways that feel good to your body.

5. Make peace with the scale

This means different things to different people. Some people find the scale emotionally triggering, in which case, it’s not a useful tool. But research shows that other people benefit from daily or weekly weigh-ins and it doesn’t always lead to issues. In fact, studies suggest self-monitoring, which may include weigh-ins and tracking food, are predictors not only of weight loss, but maintenance, too. Your scale provides data points, allowing you to recognize small gains that might not be apparent in your clothing.

Weight fluctuates all the time, so the idea isn’t to get caught up in the actual day-to-day variations, but to notice trends. If you spot a trend upwards, it offers a chance to analyze your behaviors. Have you eaten out more frequently? Are you skimping on the veggies? Perhaps you’ve had a few extra causes for celebration lately. Whatever the case, monitoring your weight can allow you take action early, when it’s easier to manage.

As with all things, the decision to weigh yourself is highly personal so do what works for you. If it brings up negative emotions, there are plenty of other ways to monitor how your body is doing. Your lab results — for example, your blood sugar and blood pressure — are other helpful measures.

6. Redefine your ideal weight

Clients often come in with weight-loss goals that line up with when they graduated high school 10 or more years ago. Yet, some share that even at their thinnest, they felt broken inside. The reality is that it’s not necessary to be the thinnest version of yourself to be the happiest and healthiest version.

And keep in mind that you get massive benefits, like reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, by losing just 5 percent of your weight, according to research. If you’re motivated by a goal weight, consider aiming for this goal, and when you achieve it, you can decide where to take it from there.

7. Be prepared for hard work

Anyone who has lost weight, or even those who have maintained a healthy weight, knows that it takes some effort. But with time and practice, it becomes much easier. For those who have struggled with past attempts, I’ve found taking a micro-step approach works well. Start by setting mini goals, like adding a fruit or vegetable to your menu each day. With each success, take a moment to recognize your accomplishment. The satisfaction you gain from accomplishing these micro goals helps to strengthen your determination to tackle the next one. These mini successes add up over time and can lead to sustainable habits.

Though it takes some effort, be kind to yourself if you can’t give it 100 percent. Sometimes, life gets in the way of your intentions and you might only be putting in a little effort to stay healthy or reach a more comfortable weight; other days, you might have a lot of energy to devote to it. As long as you’re not putting in zero effort, it’s okay.

8. Do an immediate U-turn

Taking a break from your healthy habits — say, by ordering the plate of nachos at happy hour — is part of the journey. The reality is, these so-called slip ups are just part of a normal, healthy life. We all give in to the occasional indulgence. Where I’ve seen people go astray is to take that tiny slip and turn it into a massive binge or throw in the towel altogether. But I ask: If you took the wrong turn while driving, would you keep going? No! Nor would your GPS shame you for going in the wrong direction. Instead, the GPS provides a gentle reminder to get back on track. Take that mentality to your next food detour and remind yourself to do a U-turn at your next eating occasion.

9. Don’t give up

No matter how many times you’ve tried losing weight in the past, there is still hope. People who have successfully lost weight tend to continue to manage those behaviors and foods that got them there. In other words, they continue to practice.

Too often, I find people treat dieting like a hop-on-hop-off bus. After reaching their goals, they hop off the bus, reverting back to their unhealthy foods or behaviors. They may hop back on the bus and lose some weight again, but over the long-term, there is a yo-yo pattern.

To be successful at weight loss, you need to make sustainable changes. It’s less about what diet you follow (low-carb, Paleo, Mediterranean, etc.) but more about what works for you so you can stick with the changes you’ve made. So the next time you’re hopping back on the weight-loss bus, consider where you’ve struggled in the past. Make sure to address those issues by making adjustments this go-around.

The post How to lose weight for good, according to a dietitian appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

A woman has told how being denied a visa and described as a “health hazard” because of her size gave her the determination to lose 100 lbs.

Effy Murphy weighed 21st 12 lbs when she applied for entry to New Zealand but was refused because of her “dangerous weight”.

The embarrassing incident was the trigger that finally pushed the woman from Youghal, Co Cork, to tackle her unhealthy lifestyle.

She told the Irish Mirror: “That feeling when the visa was denied was one of the lowest points in my life.

“Being informed that I was a threat to their health system was mortifying.

“I was pushing 22 stone with no other medical problems aside from asthma but it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me as it kick-started my weight loss journey. I dropped three stone in three months and I was approved to travel.”

However, the dream life she had hoped for on the other side of the world turned to devastation as the 35-year-old’s marriage came to an end.

She decided to pack up and leave and soon returned home to her home in Youghal.

Crushed that her relationship had ended, Effy sought comfort in food and her weight blew up again.

The self-confessed food addict revealed: “I ate for every single emotion. I ballooned back up to almost 22 stone when I returned.

“I had put on so much weight, when I was in Disneyland with the kids I got stuck on one of the rides. I was so big I couldn’t lift myself out.”

Struggling with her weight since she was 14, Effy says she experimented with every diet possible.

Unable to restrict herself, she decided the only way she could stop herself from eating was to make the drastic decision of gastric sleeve surgery.

She admitted: “I was out of control, I booked my flight to Turkey and flew to Istanbul with €3,000 cash.

“I was picked up by my driver and driven to Irmet International Hospital. Six days later I was cleared to fly home.

“In the beginning it was tough adjusting but I got used to it. The hardest thing is dining out with friends. I can’t even finish a starter portion.

“I knew I had the determination in me to keep the weight loss going as my traumatising visa incident never left me.

“That was the moment I hit rock bottom. As bad and all as the experience was, if it hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have gotten the surgery and I couldn’t be where I am today.”

After losing over 100 lbs and currently weighing 14st 13lbs, the qualified beauty therapist’s goal is to see 12 stone on the scales once again – a weight she hasn’t witnessed since she was 14 years old.

The proud mother of Aisling, 15, Cian, 12, and five-year-old Ollie plans to go back to Disneyland next month and is looking forward to “actually fitting into the rollercoasters”.

The busy mum also plans to have more surgery as she has promised to make herself a priority.

She said: “I’ll never forget how low I was lying on my back on the hospital bed about to go for surgery and knowing I did this to myself. I will never look back.

“I’ll be flying back to my hospital in the summer for a tummy tuck and mummy makeover. The best decision I’ve ever made was to put myself first.”

The post Cork woman tells how being denied New Zealand visa due to size sparked determination to lose weight appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

An overweight engineer told by doctors he would need a kidney transplant if he didn’t lose weight has shed an impressive 10 stone.

Andrew Hembra, from Margate, admits he reached 24 stone from eating too much due to medication he was on and when he wasn’t at work spent much of his time in his armchair.

The 64-year-old, who had a transplant more than 20 years ago due to a kidney condition, received a huge shock when, following a routine blood test, he was told he would end up back on the transplant list.

“I had a kidney transplant in 1998 and I was on steroids so I put on a lot of weight,” he said.

“In 1999 I lost eight stone through Slimming World but I left the group and started to put weight on again as I was eating lots because of the steroids.

“I was going on cruises, eating too much and I wasn’t very active.

“I’d had kidney failure as a child but they’d manage to stop the disease and I lived with my own kidney until I was in my forties, when I had the transplant.

“But my blood results for my kidney were getting worse due to my lifestyle.”

Mr Hembra, of Northdown Park Road, says after the doctor’s warning about needing another transplant, he joined Slimming World again in January 2016 and has never looked back.

“It’s more like a social club, so it’s really enjoyable,” he said.

“I’ve learned to manage and maintain how I eat so now it’s part of my life.

“You get meal ideas from people, you get support.

“Before I went I was a bit shy about going to a group which is predominantly women, but that soon passes.

“I first started going with my wife but she no longer goes as she doesn’t have the weight to lose.”

Mr Hembra, who now weighs 14 stone, says his life has changed and he is is now much healthier – but that he also still gets to enjoy good food and treats.

He doesn’t have to have medication for his blood pressure and has also been told he is no longer at risk of needing another transplant.

“I’m much more active,” he added.

“I did Race for Life earlier this year, I joined a gym, I walk much more – I can now walk up all the stairs at work without feeling like I need an oxygen mask.”

The post Overweight engineer from Margate loses 10 stone after doctor’s kidney transplant warning appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

The word ‘diet’ comes from the Greek word diata, which means ‘way of life’.

But today, when we use the word diet, we think of eating less or eating selectively, very often to lose weight.

What’s interesting about diets is that they come and go. The Atkins diet, Dukan diet, raw food diet and the alkaline diet have something in common.

They were all immensely popular in their time, but none stood the test of time. At best, some of them have been around for six or seven years, but none have been seen as viable ways to lose weight.

The post Want to lose weight? Say no to dieting appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

In a recent turn of events, science has found diets that favor the “cavemen” way of eating might not be the best health bet. What a shame, considering the Paleo and its stricter high-fat cousin, the Ketogenic diet, have both quickly risen the ranks to become two of today’s trendiest diets.

A study published in July 2019 in the European Journal of Nutrition looked at the gut microbiome (the bacteria) of 90 subjects. Half of the subjects were on the Paleo diet, and the other half was the control group. The study followed these subjects for over a year, focusing on looking at the impacts of decreased resistant starch consumption on serum trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO, for short).

TMAO is a by-product of our digestive system’s breakdown of fatty foods, and elevated levels of TMAO have been associated with a higher risk for heart disease. The study also looked at the diet’s impact on the abundance of gut bacteria.

The participants of the study were separated into control and experimental groups. The control group was required to make no changes to their diet for the year and practice a well-rounded diet that included dairy, grains, and legumes (the latter are restricted on the Paleo diet).

The experimental group was required to follow the Paleo diet, and consume no more than 1 serving a day of grains and dairy products.

Because that’s a pretty f*cking strict rule to stick to for a year, they ended up dividing participants into two groups, those who stuck to the rule (the die-hards) were under the Strict Paleo group (SP) and those who broke the rules were under the Pseudo Paleo group (PP). OOP!

They pretty much called a whole group of them fake, and I am here for it.

The post The Keto diet might be bad for your heart, a new study finds appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

According to the World Health Organisation, obesity represents a rapidly growing threat to the health of populations in an increasing number of countries. This is indeed a cause of concern. Obesity can lead to coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, certain types of cancer and non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Other health risks include gallbladder disease, dyslipidaemia, osteoarthritis and gout, and pulmonary diseases, including sleep apnoea.

Obese Women Less Likely To Use Oral Contraceptives: Study

Now a study says that it an also affect your sexual health. A study at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Medicale in Paris says that the ‘rate of unplanned pregnancies is four times higher among single obese women than normal weight women’. This is despite them being less likely to have been sexually active in the past year. Researchers also say that obese women are less likely to seek contraceptive advice or to use oral contraceptives. They noted that obese men have fewer sexual partners in a 12 month period. They are also more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction and develop sexually transmitted infections than normal weight men.

This is the first major study to investigate the impact of obesity on sexual activity and sexual health outcomes such as sexual satisfaction, unintended pregnancy and abortion. The study was published in the British Medical Journal.

Obese Men More Likely To Suffer From Erectile Dysfunction: Experts

For the purpose of the study, researchers undertook a survey of sexual behaviours among 12,364 French men and women between the ages of 18 to 69 years. Among the participants 3,651 women and 2,725 men were of normal weight. The other 1,010 women and 1,488 men were overweight. The rest 411 women and 350 men were obese. Researchers saw that obese women were ‘30 per cent less likely to have had a sexual partner in the last 12 months. Obese men were 70 per cent less likely to have had more than one sexual partner in the same period and were two and half times more likely to experience erectile dysfunction’.

However, sexual dysfunction did not have a link with BMI among women. Researchers also noted that obese women under 30 were less likely to seek contraceptive advice or use oral contraceptives. They were also more likely to report an unintended pregnancy. Obese men under 30 were far more likely to have had a sexually transmitted infection. Obese women were also five times more likely to have met their partner on the Internet. They were more likely to have an obese partner, and less likely to view sex as important for personal life balance.

Looking at the results of the survey, researchers concluded that ‘the scale of the problem and the magnitude of the effects (particularly the fourfold increase in risk of unintended pregnancy among obese women) warrants focused attention. In terms of targeting advice and care, a considerable proportion of the population is obese, is easily identified as such, as is at increased risk in terms of poorer sexual health status’.

Lose Weight Now

Now you have all the more reason to lose weight. It will help you reduce your risk of many health complications. It will also give a boost to your sexual health. Start exercising and leading an active life. Eat well-balanced and nutritional meals to keep obesity at bay. Have more of fruits and vegetables. Get regular check-ups done to rule out any medical reason behind your weight gain. Timely treatment of any such condition will go a long way in ensuring a healthy and fit life.

The post Lose weight now: Obesity is bad for sexual health appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Followed by many celebrities and fitness enthusiasts to lose weight, the keto diet might seem a bit unreasonable for good heart health. After all, what you eat is a low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat diet.

The keto diet is all about getting in the state of ketosis, a metabolic process that is achieved when your body uses up fat for energy. Typically, your body uses up carbs for energy.

Although many criticize the keto diet, including fitness coach Jillian Michaels, it has produced some good results for a registered dietician Susan Ryskamp from the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center.

Earlier this year, Ryskamp said, “It [keto diet] can be very effective in treating and supporting weight loss,” noting that ketosis “kind of mimics a fasting state in the body.”

A 2017 study has found that losing even a small amount of weight through the keto diet can reduce obesity and high blood pressure, which are the potential cardiovascular risk factors. The study found that the keto diet reduced LDL (bad) cholesterol and increased HDL (good cholesterol), protecting heart health.

The post Keto Diet And Heart Health: Is There A Risk? appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

The ketogenic diet isn’t new. But over the past few years, it has emerged as one of the most popular and polarizing ways to lose weight. 

The eating plan has many people slashing their carb intake and loading up on healthy fats in an effort to reach the holy grail of the keto diet: ketosis, or the metabolic state in which the body starts burning its own fat for fuel.

Here are the basics of how things go down when you’re on keto: Your body’s cells typically get their energy from carbohydrates. But when you’re on keto, “what you’re really doing is starving your body of carbohydrates so it needs to go to the next energy source, which is fat,” explained Rabia De Latour, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at New York University’s Langone Health. Your body then burns that fat.

The diet doesn’t restrict you in terms of calories or the amount of food you eat. Instead, it’s all about what you eat. Most keto plans include lots of seafood, red meat, poultry, cheese, low-carb vegetables (sorry carrot and corn fans), eggs, plain yogurt and fats (hello, avocado). You’re instructed to avoid foods with sugar and carbs, like many fruits, grains and legumes.

Because of this, people who try keto can experience a range of side effects and symptoms as their bodies adapt to the low-carb, high-fat style of eating. Here are some of them: 

You feel like you have the flu

When you first start the keto diet, your body has to go through a lot of adjustments to hit ketosis. During that time, many people report feeling as though they’ve come down with the flu and experience flu-like symptoms like a headache, brain fog, nausea and lethargy, according to Priya Khorana, a doctor of nutrition education and exercise physiologist. 

The key is to stay hydrated and replenish your salt intake, Khorana said. The good news is the keto flu doesn’t last the entire time you’re following keto, and these symptoms should clear up within a few days. 

You crave carbs

If you’re used to eating a ton of carbs, you’re going to crave them when they’re off-limits. 

“Logically speaking, if someone tells you you can’t have carbohydrates for a week, you’re going to crave them initially,” De Latour said. On top of that, your body’s cells will want what they’re accustomed to using for energy. 

However, once you hit ketosis and your body gets used to the diet, your cravings for starchy, sugary foods will likely subside. (But this is also a good time to remind you that carbs are not necessarily an “enemy” and you do generally need some in your diet in order to function optimally. Even on keto, you will eat some carbs.)

You may feel less hungry

You’d expect to feel hungrier on any diet, but the opposite’s typically true with keto. This is essentially because you’re not limiting the amount of food you’re eating, just the types. 

De Latour said that protein and fat make you feel more satiated sooner and longer because it takes the stomach more time to digest these types of foods. Carbs, on the other hand, are broken down quickly, causing you to feel hungry again soon after eating them. 

You’ll likely experience fat loss

If you’re following keto strictly — where your diet is 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbs — you will likely see a loss in body fat (and a lower number on the scale). 

“A small decrease in fat mass in the short term has been found in research studies of individuals eating a ketogenic diet. But, in real life, it is difficult to maintain a ketogenic diet, composed of 70-75% fat,” said Ania Jastreboff, an endocrinologist at Yale Medicine.

Most experts agree that it’s not safe to follow this plan in the long run and don’t recommend trying to do so. Plus, there’s little research on the long-term effects, such as if the fat loss will continue or if it will dissipate the longer you try to stick with the restrictive diet.

You pee a lot

When your body’s in ketosis, the kidneys churn out more sodium and fluids, which causes the bladder to fill up. Expect to pee a lot. 

“As your body burns through the stored glucose in your liver and muscles within the first day or two of starting a ketogenic diet, you’ll be releasing a lot of water in the process,” Khorana said.

When you urinate frequently, you lose a lot of electrolytes and minerals. This can lead to dehydration and cramping, so it’s crucial to chug lots of water and stay hydrated. 

You get backed up

Many people also become constipated on the keto diet. Whenever you lose fluids, you run the risk of becoming constipated, according to De Latour. 

“Your colon’s main job is to regulate fluid within the body, so if your body is dehydrated, the colon’s going to slurp up more water from stool and then you have hard [infrequent] stools,” De Latour said. 

To combat this, drink lots of water and try to increase your fiber intake (think avocados, chia seeds, collard greens, and nuts like pecans and almonds). 

Your energy will dip and then potentially soar

When you first start the diet, your energy levels will likely plummet.

But, like many of the other side effects, your body should bounce back and your energy should eventually climb back up. You’re still energizing your body, it’s just a different type of energy that takes some getting used to, De Latour said. Some keto followers claim they experience more focus and energy once their bodies adjust to ketosis. 

Every body is unique and responds differently to various diets, Jastreboff pointed out. You may experience all of these symptoms or none at all. 

There’s no perfect eating plan that’s one-size-fits-all. Check in with a doctor before you drastically overhaul your diet. If you end up trying the keto diet and don’t like the way it makes you feel, talk to your doctor as well, as they’ll be able to recommend an eating plan that works best for your body.

The post This Is Your Body On The Keto Diet appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Google searches indicate celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian and Halle Berry swear by the keto diet.

The diet was conceived in the 1920s as a way to prevent seizures in epileptic patients.

So what is the keto diet, and why has it become so popular?

Zelda Ackerman, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for Association for Dietetics in South Africa (ADSA), said: “A ketogenic diet is a high fat, low carb diet.”

She said typically 80% to 90% of the energy from the keto-approved foods comes from fat and 10-20% from protein and carbs.

On a ketogenic diet, you may not eat more than 50g carbs a day.

The keto diet has been used to treat epilepsy and in the past 10 years has gained popularity as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.

Dr Andreas Eenfeldt, a Swedish doctor specialising in low carbohydrate, high fat dietary advice, said on a ketogenic diet, your body switches its fuel supply from sugars mostly on fat, burning fat 24/7.

“When insulin levels become very low, fat burning can increase dramatically. It becomes easier to access your fat stores to burn them off. This is great if you’re trying to lose weight, but there are also other less obvious benefits, such as less hunger and a steady supply of energy. This may help keep you alert and focused,” said Eenfeldt.

Ackerman said fatty acids are converted to ketone bodies – the only fuel other than glucose that can be used by the brain.

After three to seven days on the diet, the body starts to go into ketosis.

It may take up to a month to reach full ketosis.

In this diet you are allowed to eat:

• Fats such as avocado, cream, butter, oil, fatty bacon, nuts.
• Berries in small amounts.
• Low-carb vegetables like lettuce, tomato, cucumber, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, gem squash, mushrooms, onions, peppers, baby marrow, patty pans, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.
• For protein, fatty meat, chicken, fish, cheese and eggs in moderation.

Ackerman said in the first few days you will probably not feel well while your body adjusts and goes into ketosis.

“People often report headaches, feeling tired and sick, muscle weakness, insomnia and having ‘brain fog’.

“If you deviate from the ketogenic diet by eating a lot of carbs or drinking alcoholic drinks like beer or ciders on occasion, your body will go out of ketosis and you’ll experience the same bad symptoms as in the first few days.

“So this is not the diet for you if you plan to ‘cheat’ or if you aren’t willing to limit alcoholic drinks.”

When you go into ketosis you will have bad breath. This is due to the ketone body acetone. You’ll need to brush your teeth several times a day or use sugar-free gum to help alleviate the bad breath.

The diet is low in fibre so you may become constipated.

You can easily develop nutritional deficiencies and will have to take supplements daily.

“If your body can’t digest fat well, you may experience diarrhoea. If you experience greyish, smelly stools that float, it’s best to choose an alternative diet strategy,” said Ackerman.

A ketogenic diet for weight loss is not the same as a ketogenic diet used to treat epilepsy in children.

Before making any changes to your child’s diet, consult a paediatric dietitian.

The post Everything you need to know about the keto diet appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

 A ketogenic (keto) diet is high in fat and protein and low in carbohydrates. Most of the body’s cells prefer to use blood sugar (glucose) as their main source of energy. The keto diet forces your body to use a different type of fuel. Instead of providing your body with glucose from carbohydrates, the keto diet relies on the liver to break down stored fat into molecules called ketones. (This process is called ketogenesis; that’s where the diet’s name comes from.)

For most people to begin using stored fat as fuel, they need to limit daily carbohydrate intake to fewer than 20 to 50 grams depending on body size. (For comparison, a medium-sized banana has about 27 grams of carbs.) But this is a highly individualized process, and some people need a more restricted diet to begin producing enough ketones. It typically takes two to four days to reach a state of ketosis (when fat becomes a main source of energy).

There’s no shortage of keto-inspired diets. The Atkins, South Beach, and Paleo diets are some of the best-known examples. But a true ketogenic diet is different and calls for up to 90% of your daily calories to come from fat. That is often hard for people to maintain. However, research has shown that people can achieve faster weight loss with a keto diet compared with a calorie-reduction diet. In the short term, a keto diet is probably safe. But over time, it’s tough to keep off the weight this way.

If you do try a keto diet to jump-start weight reduction, choose healthier sources of fat and protein, such as olive oil, avocados, and nuts (almonds, walnuts). But after a few weeks, switch to a reduced-calorie Mediterranean-style diet and increase your physical activity. This will help manage your weight loss for the long term.

The post Can the keto diet help me lose weight? appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

(MENAFN – The Conversation) If you want to reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease, there is no end ofadviceon theinternet telling youhow to do it: keep your blood pressure and blood sugar in check, lose weight, exercise more, avoid getting type 2 diabetes. Of course, doing these things is good for your general health, but ourlatest studyshows they probably do nothing to reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer’s.

Around50m peoplesuffer from dementia, and that number is expected to triple in the next three decades. The most common form of dementia isAlzheimer’s . People with this disease have a build-up of two proteins in the brain (beta-amyloid and tau), but it is not known if these proteins are a cause or a consequence of the disease. What we do know is that this proliferation of tangled proteins stops brain cells working properly, hence the typical symptoms of dementia: memory loss, confusion, difficulty performing everyday tasks, changes of behaviour, hallucinations.

In the past decade, there has been an emphasis on the role of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in the development of dementia. For a while, researchers have known that these things are associated withvascular dementia . Vascular dementia occurs because of damage to blood vessels, such asatherosclerosis , which increases the risk of dangerous bleeds or blood clots in the brain. Blood clots and bleeds stop oxygen getting to parts of the brain which then leads to the death of those brain cells.

Atherosclerosis increases the risk of bleeds and blood clots in the brain.
logika600/Shutterstock

High blood pressure and diabetesincrease the risk of atherosclerosis and so will affect the delivery of oxygen to the brain. Some argue that the consequence of these diseases increases the changes seen in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease, so it is believed that high blood pressure and diabetes increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

When considering the link between these factors, it is important to bear in mind how accurate dementia diagnoses are. With the tools we have today, a person will get a dementia diagnosis, for example, Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia, with a60-90% accuracy . So between 10-30% of the people diagnosed with dementia get the wrong diagnosis.

The only accurate diagnosis

Most research about the association between high blood pressure, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease is done in a clinic. This means that the people in these studies are alive and may have been wrongly diagnosed. The only way to diagnose a person’s dementia disorder with nearly 100% accuracy is through autopsy, analysing brain samples under a microscope, so the best way to do research on this topic is through studies based on autopsies where you can confirm that the subjects had the correct diagnoses. And this is the approach we took with ourlatest study .

We wanted to investigate if the occurrence of high blood pressure and diabetes differed between people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s compared with those diagnosed with vascular dementia. Our research was based on 268 deceased patients, older than 65. We analysed brain samples to confirm a diagnosis of Alzheimer´s or vascular dementia. Using medical records and theSwedish National Diabetes Registerwe were able to determine if our subjects had hypertension or diabetes, or both.

We found a high occurrence of both high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes among the subjects with vascular dementia. The subjects with Alzheimer’s showed a distinctly lower frequency of the two diseases.

In the group with Alzheimer’s, 37% had had high blood pressure. The corresponding proportion was 74% in the group with vascular dementia. And 12% of the group with Alzheimer’s had suffered from diabetes, compared with 31% in the group with vascular dementia. AmongSwedes , 16% above 65 years have diabetes. One may speculate that by having Alzheimer’s you have a lower risk of getting diabetes, or by having diabetes you have a lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s.

Despite these results, it is still important to keep controlling your blood pressure and avoid getting type 2 diabetes. These are factors that lead to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the world. Instead, we hope that our findings can increase the knowledge about these risk factors and dementia types. The correct associations between risk factors and disease types will help scientists avoid drawing misleading conclusions and refrain from meaningless treatment attempts.

The post Alzheimer’s disease not linked to type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure new study appeared first on MyMedicPlus.