Mediterranean diets like all others are variable but the general theme is that they tend to be high in fruit and vegetables, high in olive oil compared with dairy fats and lower in meat than in the UK.

A recent analysis of 500,00 people from 50 studies was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology was reviewed by the team at “Behind the Headlines.”

MORE EVIDENCE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

“Importantly, some of the analyses combined studies that were very different from one another in terms of the sample size, study duration, trial quality and context of intervention. These analyses had a high ‘statistical heterogeneity’, which is a way of measuring whether it is appropriate to pool them or not (higher heterogeneity means pooling is less appropriate). The researchers say that this “introduces a warning about the generalisation of the present results”.
The outcomes were related to risk factors for cardiovascular disease, not the disease itself. It is, therefore, an extrapolation, although perhaps not an unrealistic one, to claim that this study proves that the Mediterranean diet has an effect on cardiovascular disease outcomes.

Overall, this research provides further evidence of the benefits of eating a Mediterranean-style diet and quantifies the benefit in terms of the individual risk components of metabolic syndrome.”

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COUNTRY : UK (COMMENT)

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Fat folk used to be able to obtain some comfort about the effect of their shape on their health risk. Being pear shape was thought to be less unhealthy than being apple shape.

A report funded by the British Heart Foundation and the UK Medical Research Council in this weeks Lancet  disputes this concept. Fat anywhere is a problem. The BBC covers the main points in the article.

DOUBTS EMERGE OVER HEART RISK TO “APPLE SHAPE” – BBC

COUNTRY : UK

“Doubts have been raised over the idea that being overweight and “apple shaped” increases heart attack risk.

A study in the Lancet found the risk of heart attack was not increased by fat being concentrated around the waist.

It contradicts previous work that found overweight people with “apple shaped” bodies were three times as likely to suffer heart attacks than those with more generally distributed fat.

But experts warned obesity was bad for the heart, no matter where the fat was.”

The BBC website links to the abstract of the original article in the Lancet. Thanks, BBC, hope you continue to do this linking because some readers may want to examine the article critically for themselves (although access to the full Lancet article requires a subscription).

LANCET ABSTRACT OF ORIGINAL ARTICLE

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Chocolate is OK…..
but not great slabs of it all at once!

All foods are OK for most people who have no food intolerances or allergies. The difficulty is in how much and how often fattening and sugary foods are eaten.

Great Ormond Street Hospital has an easy to read website for kids to introduce them to to principles of healthy eating.

It starts off with a section on obesity, asking the question “How do you know if you are obese?” Following this is a section on how to measure BMI (Body Mass Index) and a section on why obesity in children is increasing and what they can do about it if they are overwight.

The section on food science covers :

Milk and dairy products
Fruit and vegetables
Carbohydrates
Meat, fish and vegetable proteins
Fats

There is a section on how to magic up smart meals and snacks and another on how to end your hang-up with getting fit and the Exercise Centre.

There is even something the call “Poo Corner”

FOOD SCIENCE FOR KIDS : GREAT ORMOND STREET

COUNTRY: UK

Sometimes working out if you are obese can be hard. You might feel fine and happy, and after all, children grow fast! Sometimes though you may get comments from other kids or relatives, or hear people talking about ‘puppy fat’ or ‘filling out’.

t might be boring to hear… but you should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Fruit is important for the diet and a good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. So don’t say ‘whatever,’ tuck in! If you’re not keen on certain fruit and veg, try them again or mix them with other foods like yoghurt or cheese to help them go down!

Breakfast is a very important meal. You’ve probably heard that before, but want to know why?
After going 10 – 12 hours overnight without food, your energy reserves are low. Your body and brain now need fuel!
Breakfast keeps you going until lunchtime. This helps you do better at school. It also stops you feeling hungry mid-morning. This is the danger zone when you might be tempted to eat crisps or chocolate at break time!

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Watch this weight gain shockers slide show and find out surprising reasons why you might gain weight.

WEIGHT GAIN SHOCKERS

COUNTRY : UK

Why are you gaining weight?
…
If you start taking in more calories than usual or cut back on exercise, you wouldn’t be surprised if the numbers on the scales crept higher.
…
But what if you’re doing everything the same as you always do and your weight still goes up? It’s time to delve a little deeper into what might else be going on.

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