Researchers in Great Britain studied 12 genetic variants known to increase the risk of obesity and tracked the physical activity levels of 20,430 people.

They created a genetic summary score to quantify a person’s risk of obesity and then examined whether an active life could reduce the genetic influence.

Findings: Physical activity can reduce the genetic tendency toward obesity by 40%, according to the research, reported Tuesday in PLoS Medicine.

“Our findings challenge the popular myth that obesity is unavoidable if it runs in the family,” says senior researcher Ruth Loos of Great Britain’s Medical Research Council in Cambridge. “We see this as a hopeful message.”

You can get the benefits without running marathons, she says. You can walk the dog, bike to work or take the stairs: “Being active about 30 minutes a day is a good start in reducing the effects of the genes.”.

From USA Today.

At his research clinic in Dallas, psychologist Jasper Smits is working on an unorthodox treatment for anxiety and mood disorders, including depression. It is not yet widely accepted, but his treatment is free and has no side effects. Compare that with antidepressant drugs, which cost Americans $10 billion each year and have many common side effects: sleep disturbances, nausea, tremors, changes in body weight.

This intriguing new treatment? It’s nothing more than exercise.

That physical activity is crucial to good health — both mental and physical — is nothing new. As early as the 1970s and ’80s, observational studies showed that Americans who exercised were not only less likely to be depressed than those who did not but also less likely to become depressed in the future.

Here’s the full article.

Drinking water before meals can help dieters shed extra pounds, according to a new study.

Slimmers can lose an average of 5lb (2.3kg) extra if they drink two cups of water before meals, three times a day.

The study was funded by the charity the Institute for Public Health and Water Research.

While it has long been believed that drinking water can help people feel full, there has been very little scientific evidence to support the claim.

So a team of experts in the US decided to test the theory on 48 adults split into two groups

The first group followed a low calorie diet but did not drink any extra water before meals. Meanwhile, the second group followed the low calorie diet but also drank two cups of water before each meal.

Over the course of 12 weeks, those drinking water lost about 15.5lb (7kg) compared with the non-drinkers, who lost about 11lb (5kg). All adults were aged 55 to 75.

The experts presented their findings at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Boston.

Dr Brenda Davy, senior author on the study, said it was the first randomised controlled trial looking at water consumption and dieting.

Dr Davy, from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, said water may be so effective simply because it fills the stomach up with a liquid that has no calories.

Eighty percent of people suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections. Most cases of back pain are mechanical or non-organic, i.e., not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture, or cancer.

What Causes Back Pain?
The back is a complicated structure of bones, joints, ligaments, and muscles. You can sprain ligaments, strain muscles, rupture disks, and irritate joints, all of which can lead to back pain. While sports injuries or accidents can cause back pain, sometimes the simplest of movements-for example, picking up a pencil from the floor-can have painful results. In addition, arthritis, poor posture, obesity, and psychological stress can cause or complicate back pain. Back pain can also directly result from disease of the internal organs, such as kidney stones, kidney infections, blood clots, or bone loss.

Back injuries are a part of everyday life, and the spine is quite good at dealing with these often “pulled” muscles. These very minor injuries usually heal within 1 or 2 days. Some pain, however, continues. What makes some pain last longer is not entirely understood, but researchers suspect that the reasons may include stress, mood changes, and the fear of further injury that may prevent patients from being active. In addition, sometimes a painful injury or disease changes the way the pain signals are sent through the body, and, even after the problem has gone away or is inactive, the pain signals still reach the brain. It is as if the pain develops a memory that keeps being replayed.

Read more…

While most of the focus involving heart health has revolved around diet, exercise and prescription medications, there’s some indication that certain chiropractic procedures could help to improve the overall health of the heart. Adjustments to the spine may lower blood pressure in individuals suffering from hypertension and provide a better heart rate for everyone.
Systolic Blood Pressure

In a study conducted by the Department of Preventive Medicine at Rush University in 2007, realignment of the atlas vertebrae, also known as the C1 vertebrae of the cervical spine, can help to lower systolic blood pressure in people suffering from hypertension. Systolic blood pressure is the topmost number in a blood pressure reading. It’s the pressure felt along the arterial walls when the heart contracts. There appears to be a link between compression of the vertebral artery and an unhealthy elevation in blood pressure. By realigning the C1 vertebrae in the neck, restriction along the arterial wall is relieved and you may experience a decrease in blood pressure. Further studies are necessary to ensure that chiropractic realignment could improve systolic blood pressure.

Read more…

How much water, just plain water, do you drink? Would you wash your car or your dishes with anything other than water?

Now here’s something you wouldn’t expect. Coca-Cola is being sued by a non-profit public interest group, on the grounds that the company’s vitaminwater products make unwarranted health claims. No surprise there. But how do you think the company is defending itself?

In a staggering feat of twisted logic, lawyers for Coca-Cola are defending the lawsuit by asserting that “no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage.”

When in doubt, water, just plain water is the best thing for your body!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/the-dark-side-of-vitaminw_b_669716.html

(NaturalNews) When you look at statistics about breast cancer, it’s no wonder that the very mention of the disease causes dread in many women. After all, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) says about 210,000 Americans, almost all females, will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and about 40,000 will die from the disease. However, although it’s rarely reported in depth by the mainstream media, there’s actually a lot of good news accumulating about specific ways to stop breast cancer from ever developing in the first place.

Continue Reading…

Chiropractors have always known prevention and being pro-active is the key to great health later in life. And this study helps to show just that:

Teen exercise could lower dementia risk at 65

Exercise has previously been linked to possible benefits in staving off dementia, but a new look at the topic suggests the earlier the better.

The prevalence of cognitive impairment was significantly lower in women aged 65 and older who reported they were physically active as teens than in those who were inactive in their teen years, the study found.

‘Physical activity can be fun and engaging, and we have to convince people of that in order to prevent some of these diseases of old age.’— Researcher Laura Middleton

“If we want to optimally prevent dementia, it’s important to start physical activity as early in life as possible,” said principal investigator Laura Middleton of the Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.

“More and more people are starting to recognize physical activity as one of the most promising means to prevent cognitive impairment and dementia. And what this study adds is that it’s not only important in mid and late life — that we really have to start as early as possible.”

Read more.