"Healthy fried chicken" sounds like an oxymoron, but we make it happen with this healthy homemade Nashville Hot Chicken recipe. In this recipe makeover, we use a few clever tricks to cut down on calories and sodium while maintaining the crispy, juicy, delicious features that make fried chicken so finger-licking good. Here are a few hacks we used that can help you make fried chicken healthier at home.
Study shows no benefit, but staying active can help ease disease symptoms, experts say
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You want to celebrate that special occasion with a homemade cake, but time has gotten away from you. Cake mixes are an easy (and fairly foolproof) way to bake a cake, fast. But some mixes are overloaded with sugar and unnecessary additives. To pick the best boxed cake mix, choose a cake mix with the simplest, most recognizable list of ingredients—close to what you'd see in a recipe.
Related: Light & Luscious Cake Recipes
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Maybe you don't venture into the frozen food section unless it's 100 degrees outside. But I do! Along with frozen fruit and vegetables, I keep my freezer stocked with a handful of carefully curated convenience foods to turn into an easy dinner. Fish sticks, potstickers, veggie burgers, mozzarella sticks, meatballs and hash browns are among my favorites.
The BBC reports that, "The make-up of the bacteria found in human faeces may influence levels of dangerous fat in our bodies."
The article is based on a UK study looking at faeces samples taken from twins and various measures of obesity. The study showed that people who had fewer different types of bacteria in their faeces were more likely to be obese.
The link was strongest for visceral fat, which is stored around the internal organs inside the abdominal cavity. This type of fat is associated with a higher risk of metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, as well as cardiovascular disease.
The study also found that identical twins were more likely to have similar diversity of bacteria in their faeces than non-identical twins, suggesting it may be partly inherited. This could explain why obesity sometimes passes down through families.
While there's a clear link between bacteria in faeces and visceral fat, it's not yet known how the diversity and type of bacteria influences body fat. Further research is needed.
Eating a balanced diet and having an active lifestyle can help you maintain a healthy weight.
The study was carried out by researchers from the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London in the UK, the Department of Microbiology and the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell University, and the University of Colorado in the US, and the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Germany.
It was funded by the US National Institutes for Health (NIH), the Cornell Center for Comparative Population Genomics, the Wellcome Trust, the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme, the European Research Council, and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal, Genome Biology. It is open access, so it's freely available to read online.
The media reported the story accurately, with the BBC acknowledging that, although there is a link between bacteria in human faeces and levels of obesity, there is no known explanation yet.
This was a cross-sectional observational study carried out on healthy sets of twins.
It aimed to explore the association between the bacteria present in human faeces and obesity.
This type of study can't prove cause and effect, but is useful for looking at associations between risk factors and outcomes.
So while this study doesn't prove that bacteria found in human faeces cause visceral fat, it does show there is a relationship between the two.
Researchers studied health volunteers involved in the TwinsUK Adult Twin Registry. Data on body fat was collected from a sample of 3,666 twins.
They looked at the links between bacteria found in faeces and six different measures of body fat.
The sample was mostly of European descent, and the average age was 63.
Faeces samples were collected from 1,313 individuals, and the bacteria in these investigated. Almost all those sampled were female.
The information from study participants on the bacteria present in their faeces was compared with body fat levels.
The six body fat measures included three of visceral fat, two of body fat distribution, and one of body mass index (BMI).
Excess visceral fat in particular is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and metabolic disease, such as type 2 diabetes.
All but one measure of obesity were significantly associated with a lack of diversity of bacteria in the faeces.
However, the association was strongest for visceral fat, which is found around the internal organs and is a bigger risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Researchers found the higher the diversity of bacteria in faeces, the lower the level of visceral fat.
The reverse was also shown: the less diverse the bacteria, the more likely participants were to have more visceral fat.
Visceral fat was found to be highly heritable (relative risk [RR] = 0.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.58 to 0.74). This was true even when adjustments for body mass index (BMI) were made.
Dr Michelle Beaumont, lead author of the study from the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King's, said: "This study has shown a clear link between bacterial diversity in faeces and markers of obesity and cardiovascular risk, particularly for visceral fat.
"However, as this was an observational study we cannot say precisely how communities of bacteria in the gut might influence the storage of fat in the body, or whether a different mechanism is involved in weight gain."
Senior author, Dr Jordana Bell, also from the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, said: "There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that gut bacteria may play a role in obesity, and a number of studies are now exploring this in more detail.
"Further scientific investigation is needed to understand how precisely our gut microbes can influence human health, and if interventions such as faecal transplants can have safe, beneficial, and effective impacts on this process."
This cross-sectional study found a strong association between visceral fat and bacteria diversity in faeces.
The use of measures other than BMI was one of this study's strengths, as BMI doesn't reveal whether weight is from fat tissue or muscle.
The findings suggest that body fat levels may be passed down through families.
However, this is early research and there are a number of things to consider:
It's important to eat a balanced diet and have an active lifestyle to maintain a healthy weight.
Body fat link to bacteria in faeces. BBC News, September 26 2016
How gut bacteria may predict belly fat. Time, September 25 2016
Beaumont M, Goodrich J, Jackson M. Heritable components of the human fecal microbiome are associated with visceral fat. Genome Biology. Published 26 September 2016
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The northern hemisphere’s summer is ending and that is definitely bad news. The good news is that this was not a silly season in health and healthcare research.
Here’s the best and worst news of the summer.
The best
Drug repurposing screening reveals possible candidates for anti-Zika therapy
Developing a new drug is a long process, but the Zika virus outbreak has created a global health emergency and a pressing need for therapies that is incompatible with the timings of drug development. This led to a major study published in Nature Medicine in which over 6,000 compounds were screened for possible drug repurposing, including approved drugs, clinical trial drug candidates and pharmacologically active compounds. This screening allowed the identification of compounds that were able to inhibit Zika infection, suppress the effects of infection in neurons, or inhibit viral replication. Furthermore, combination treatments using neuroprotective and antiviral compounds showed a potentiation of a protective effect from Zika-induced cell death in human neuronal cell progenitors and glial cells. Besides allowing a fast identification of potential anti-Zika therapies, these results also highlight the efficacy of this screening strategy. Maybe drug repurposing screenings should be a more common procedure.
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in post stroke management
Omega-3 fatty acids are known to have many beneficial effects. It has been suggested that their neuroprotective effects may be useful in post stroke therapy. To test this hypothesis, a study published in PLoS One used emulsions of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to treat mice with stroke-like brain injury. It was found that treatment with DHA was able to reduce oxidative damage and improve short- and long-term neurological outcomes. This effect was associated with an accumulation of DHA in brain mitochondria and DHA-derived bioactive metabolites in brain tissue that led to prolonged neuroprotection. Maybe diet can hold the answer to post stroke management.
A new opioid drug with less side-effects
Opioids such as morphine or oxycodone are highly effective pain killers but they have an extensive list of side-effects, including addiction and fatal respiratory depression. Finding a molecule that could have a similar efficacy without the side-effects could be a great discovery. A new study published in Nature therefore aimed at identifying molecules that could selectively act on opioid receptors with similar analgesic effects to current opioid drugs but without inducing respiratory depression. A computational analysis of over 3 million molecules was performed in order to determine which molecules could potentially bind to the mu-opioid-receptor. From all the compounds analyzed, one stood out: it is called PZM21 and it was shown to be an effective analgesic while being devoid of many of the side effects of current opioids.
Brain-machine interface therapies effective in paraplegic patients
There may be a new promising therapy for paraplegic patients. A study published in Scientific Reports tested the use of brain-machine interface training for rehabilitation of chronic spinal cord injured paraplegics. The training paradigm combined immersive virtual reality training, enriched visual-tactile feedback, and walking with two EEG-controlled robotic actuators, including a custom-designed lower limb exoskeleton capable of delivering tactile feedback to subjects. After 12 months of training, all the participants showed neurological improvements in sensation and regained voluntary motor control in muscles below the spinal cord injury level, which was associated with a marked improvement in walking. Half of the patients were even upgraded to an incomplete paraplegia classification. This was an impressive recovery that shows the tremendous potential of brain-machine interface therapies.
Exercise improves cognition in schizophrenia patients
Cognitive deficits are common among people with schizophrenia. Given the known cognitive benefits of exercise, it is possible that it may be helpful in counterbalancing the cognitive effects of schizophrenia. To evaluate this hypothesis, a meta-analysis of all controlled trials investigating the cognitive outcomes of exercise interventions in schizophrenia was conducted. The results were published in the Schizophrenia Bulletin and showed that exercise significantly improved cognition, including working memory, social cognition, and attention/vigilance. Interventions which were supervised by physical activity professionals were shown to be more effective. This study thereby indicates that regular exercise can be beneficial and have therapeutic potential for individuals with schizophrenia.
The worst
Traumatic brain injury increases the risk of neurodegenerative changes later in life
According to a new study published in JAMA Neurology, traumatic brain injury can increase the likelihood of developing neurodegenerative disorders later in life. This work compiled data from other studies to include a total of 7130 participants. A history of traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness was compared with the incidence of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Pakinson’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, and neuropathologic outcomes such as neurofibrillary tangles, neuritic plaques, microinfarcts, cystic infarcts, Lewy bodies, and hippocampal sclerosis. Data indicated that traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness is associated with an increased risk for Lewy body accumulation, progression of parkinsonism, and Parkinson’s disease. No association was found with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, neuritic plaques, or neurofibrillary tangles.
Poor sleep increases inflammation
Good sleep is essential for good health. Since sleep disturbances have been associated with an increased risk of inflammatory diseases, a systematic review and meta-analysis published in Biological Psychiatry aimed at assessing the evidence linking sleep disturbance, sleep duration, and inflammation in adult humans. It was found that sleep disturbance and long sleep duration, but not short sleep duration, are associated with increases in markers of systemic inflammation. Increased systemic inflammation has been associated with a number of disorders, including neurological and metabolic disorders; it also plays an important role in aging. This study therefore reinforces the notion that poor sleep can contribute to the development of various pathologies.
What happens when we stop exercising?
There is extensive evidence showing how exercise is great for health, including brain health. But what happens to the brain when we stop exercising? One answer to this question was recently published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. The effects of 10 days of detraining on physically fit older adults was assessed and it was shown that the interruption of regular exercise induced a decrease in resting cerebral blood flow in eight gray matter brain regions, including the hippocampus. A decreased cerebral blood flow can have a significant negative impact on cognitive functions. This study indicates that the beneficial effects of exercise may rely on the maintenance of regular physical activity throughout life.
The effect of lead on brain development
Lead is a toxic heavy metal that can affect brain development in children. However, little was known about the mechanisms of lead neurotoxicity in children. A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives assessed the effect of lead on neural stem cells aiming at linking changes in those cells to neurodevelopmental outcomes in children who were exposed to lead. It was shown that lead exposure significantly alters the expression of 19 genes, including genes associated with oxidative stress response and neuroprotection. By interfering with the expression of these genes, lead can have a significant impact on cognitive development, explaining the neurodevelopmental deficits observed in children exposed to lead.
Calcium supplementation may increase the risk of dementia
Recently, the use of calcium supplements has been questioned due to possible detrimental effects on health. A study published in Neurology therefore aimed to determine if calcium supplementation may be associated with the development of dementia in women. The study followed dementia-free women aged 70–92 years for five years. Data showed that calcium supplementation was associated with the development of dementia in women with a history of stroke or presence of white matter lesions, but not in groups without these conditions. Although further studies may be needed to validate these findings, this indicates that calcium supplementation may increase the risk of developing dementia in elderly women with cerebrovascular disease.
References
Alfini AJ, et al (2016). Hippocampal and Cerebral Blood Flow after Exercise Cessation in Master Athletes. Front Aging Neurosci, 8:184. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2016.00184
Crane PK, et al (2016). Association of Traumatic Brain Injury With Late-Life Neurodegenerative Conditions and Neuropathologic Findings. JAMA Neurol [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.1948
Donati AR, et al (2016). Long-Term Training with a Brain-Machine Interface-Based Gait Protocol Induces Partial Neurological Recovery in Paraplegic Patients. Sci Rep, 6:30383. doi: 10.1038/srep30383
Firth J, et al (2016). Aerobic Exercise Improves Cognitive Functioning in People With Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Schizophr Bull [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbw115
Irwin MR, et al (2016). Sleep Disturbance, Sleep Duration, and Inflammation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies and Experimental Sleep Deprivation. Biol Psychiatry, 80(1):40-52. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.05.014
Kern J, et al (2016). Calcium supplementation and risk of dementia in women with cerebrovascular disease. Neurology [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000003111
Manglik A, et al (2016). Structure-based discovery of opioid analgesics with reduced side effects. Nature, 17:1-6. doi: 10.1038/nature19112
Mayurasakorn K, et al (2016). DHA but Not EPA Emulsions Preserve Neurological and Mitochondrial Function after Brain Hypoxia-Ischemia in Neonatal Mice. PLoS One, 11(8):e0160870. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160870
Wagner PJ, et al (2016). In Vitro Effects of Lead on Gene Expression in Neural Stem Cells and Associations between Upregulated Genes and Cognitive Scores in Children. Environ Health Perspect, [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1289/EHP265
Xu M, et al (2016). Identification of small-molecule inhibitors of Zika virus infection and induced neural cell death via a drug repurposing screen. Nat Med [Epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1038/nm.4184
Image via WikiImages / Pixabay.
via Brain Blogger Read More Here.."Fitness trackers may not help weight loss," reports Sky News on a new trial which investigated whether using wearable technology helped people lose more weight compared to standard weight-loss programmes.
Researchers tracked 470 overweight or obese people aged 18 to 35, for 24 months. Everyone in the study was put on a low-calorie diet, given an exercise plan and invited to regular group counselling sessions.
After six months, half the group was given a wearable device to track activity and feed it into a computer programme that also allows people to record their diet.
The other half were simply told to continue the weight loss programme and monitor their exercise and diet by themselves.
The group using the Fit Core tracker lost an average of 3.5kg over two years, compared with an average 5.9kg in the self-monitored group.
The spread of obesity across the globe has been increasing rapidly in recent years and public health bodies continue to struggle with tackling the issue.
Along with the usual weight-loss diets, the use of wearable technologies promoting fitness, such as FitBit and Jawbone, is also on the rise.
The study authors say there are many possible explanations for this surprising finding but, as yet, no proof.
BBC News quotes lead researcher Dr John Jakicic saying: "People have a tendency to use gadgets like these for a while and then lose interest with time as the novelty wears off.
"And we did see a drop off in the usage data as the study went on."
Although the study's findings are interesting, it may be the case that the use of fitness trackers and other devices may be more effective for some people than others.
Until more conclusive research is available, the best advice for losing weight is to follow a calorie-controlled diet combined with regular exercise.
The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in the US. It was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Interestingly, the researchers were affiliated with Weight Watchers International.
The findings from the trial were published in the peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA. It is free to read online.
Generally, media coverage around this topic was accurate.
This was a randomised controlled trial (RCT) which aimed to compare the effectiveness of a wearable technology weight loss intervention (fitness tracker) with standard weight loss strategies to see which would result in greater weight loss.
RCTs such as this are one of the best ways to investigate the effectiveness of public health interventions.
In such trials there is the possibility that the individuals' knowledge of being monitored by the wearable technology could influence their diet, activity and weight loss. This is known as being non-blinded to the intervention group, which can normally be a potential source of study bias. However, in this case it's probably just part of the way the intervention was intended to work.
The 24-month Innovative Approaches to Diet, Exercise and Activity (IDEA) randomised controlled trial at the University of Pittsburgh recruited 471 participants (aged 18-35) with a body mass index (BMI) between 25.0 and 40.0.
Participants were randomised to one of two treatment groups: a standard behavioural weight loss intervention and a weight loss intervention enhanced by using wearable technology.
For the first six months both groups received the same behavioural weight loss intervention and were instructed to self-monitor dietary intake and their physical activity in diaries. This information was given to the study staff who offered feedback.
At six months, the standard behavioural weight loss group started self-monitoring their diet and physical activity via an website designed for the trial. No feedback was given. At this time, the enhanced intervention group were given their wearable technology device which had access to education materials via a web-based interface (BodyMedia FIT Core). This monitored their diet and physical activity.
During months 7-24, both groups also received telephone counselling sessions, text message prompts and access to online study materials.
The main outcome of the study was to assess weight change at 24 months. Participants were also assessed at months 0, 6, 12 and 18, and received monetary compensation for completing each assessment. The researchers analysed the findings between both treatment groups.
Overall, there was significant weight change over time in both treatment groups. However, there was greater weight loss in the standard behavioural intervention group compared with the technology-enhanced intervention.
Additionally, there was a greater decrease in body fat (%) in the standard behavioural intervention group compared with the technology-enhanced intervention.
Researchers concluded: "Among young adults with a BMI between 25 and less than 40, the addition of a wearable technology device to a standard behavioural intervention resulted in less weight loss over 24 months. Devices that monitor and provide feedback on physical activity may not offer an advantage over standard behavioural weight loss approaches."
This trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of a wearable technology weight loss intervention (fitness tracker) with standard weight loss strategies to see which would result in greater weight loss at the end of 24 months.
It found the addition of a wearable technology device did not aid weight loss, and participants in the standard behavioural intervention group lost more weight when compared to the technology group.
This was an interesting study with a reliable study design. However there are a few things to note:
Fitness trackers offer no weight-loss benefit and can make users fatter, says study. The Daily Telegraph, September 21 2016
'No proof' fitness trackers promote weight loss. BBC News, September 20 2016
Fitness trackers may not help weight loss. Sky News, September 21 2016
Fitness trackers may not aid weight loss, study finds. The Guardian, September 21 2016
Study finds fitness trackers don't pull their weight. The Daily Mail, September 21 2016
Jakicic JM, Davis KK, Rogers RJ et al. Effect of Wearable Technology Combined With a Lifestyle Intervention on Long-term Weight Loss: The IDEA Randomized Clinical Trial. Published September 21 2016
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