A lifetimes worth of the exercise and lifestyle habits of over 4,000 women was recently conducted at the University of Northern Colorado that has found that women over the age of 30 could see a benefit in increased exercise levels ? a lower risk of developing breast cancer.

The studies involved women being asked to recall physical activity during several key ages, from 10 to 15, 15 to 30, 30 to 50 and 50 and older. Although no link was found between the younger age groups, the over 30s showed positive results.

Lead Researcher Lisa Sprod explained the study: ?An average amount of exercise was defined as 60 minutes per week, so anyone exercising less than 60 minutes was below average, above 60 minutes was above average, and anyone that considered themselves ‘highly competitive’ chose that category.”

Ms. Sprod suggested the ?take home? message was that increased physical activity over the age of 30 could reduce cases of breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women today, and the most common cause of cancers in the UK, with more than 125 new cases every day. The cancer can also affect men although cases are quite rare.

Across the world, over a million people are diagnosed with breast cancer every year.
General UK exercise guidelines recommend around 30 minutes a day (210 minutes a week) of light exercise, which can involve non-strenuous activities, such as walking.

There are plenty of reasons out there why children and adults shouldn?t be eating fast food regularly, including an increased risk of heart disease and a high level of obesity. Now recent research has shown we have another one to add to that list ? intelligence.

Studies have shown that children who eat junk food on a regular basis are less clever than those on a healthy diet. It is the first time a link has been discovered between junk food ? which typically contains a high level of fat and sugar and little nutritional value ? and a child?s academic ability. The finding may well cause many parents to rethink what they feed their children. Parents will need to think how snacks like hamburgers and hot dogs might affect a Childs test scores as well as their weight.

More than 5,500 children between the age of 10 and 11 were tested as part of the study. The children are at an age when many in the UK would be taking tests to determine their future academic life. The results found that there was a significant drop in test scores amongst those who ate fast food regularly, even after taking into account social and economic factors.

The average score in literary tests is 141.52, but children who had been eating junk food three times a day saw their scores drop by nearly 20 points. Those who ate junk food a more casual 4 times a week still found that their scores dropped by nearly 10 points. The study found similar results when looking at average maths scores.
Researchers said that it?s possible that rather than the food affecting scores, unseen factors such as parents attitude to school and involvement in a child?s education could also have been contributing factors.

Kerri Tobin, leader of the research conducted at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee stated: ?Continued investment in school nutrition plans, and curricula designed to make pupils and parents aware of the academic consequences of their food choices, would be one positive step that schools could take.?

Anyone remember when they were told that chewing gum will stay in your stomach for seven years after it was swallowed? That might be widely known as a myth, but there?s general consensus amongst people that gum generally isn?t much good for your body and is usually something that isn?t consider part of a healthy diet.

However, while chewing gum may not be the next new miracle food in terms of making you thin or preventing heart disease, a new study has found that chewing gum that can lead to better academic performance in schools ? an interesting discovery considering the vast majority of schools across the country ban chewing gum from classrooms.

A test performed in Texas, United States took over 100 students and separated them into those allowed to chew gum during homework and tests, and those who were not. The gum chewers did better academically seeing an average 3% rise in math test scores and better final grades. Teachers also believed that students? chewing gum paid more attention in class and were less disruptive.

?Chewing gum is an easy tool students can use for a potential academic edge.? Claimed lead researcher on the study, Craig Johnston PhD.

Don?t be too quick to hand loads of gum over to your children yet though ? the research was funded by Wrigley Science Institute. Wrigley is one the biggest producers of chewing gum in the world. Marion Nestle PhD, Nutritionist at New York University, was quick to find fault in the studies: ?Sponsored studies almost invariably produce results favourable to the economic interests of the sponsor. [They] are always designed in ways that fail to control for alternative explanations for the results?

There is however plenty of non-industry funded research that proves that chewing gum after meals can seriously reduce the threat of tooth decay and that chewing sugar free gum may help you control your weight by providing an alternative to snacking. Even if it doesn?t, you can still lose an impressive 11 calories just chewing gum for an hour.

Since the eighties doctors have been recommending that pregnant women put on weight during pregnancy, regardless of their weight at the start. The suggested extra of around 15-30 pounds was believed to reduce the chances of fetal death or other complications during birth giving women a great reason to enjoy food throughout their pregnancy.

However recent studies show that this may not actually be useful, and doctors claim that women don?t need to eat for two, but more ?one and 1/20th. Not quite as appealing, by any account.

The study led by Yvonne S. Thorton, MD, MPH set out to test whether established guidelines made a difference in birth outcomes amongst obese women. The study followed 232 obese women. Half were told to eat, essentially, whenever and whatever they liked. The other half was put on a diet which included a daily food dairy. First group gained an average weight over 30 pounds, while the second only slightly above 11. 23 patients even lost weight during their pregnancy.

Dr. Thorton, who works as a clinical professor at New York Medical College stated: ?Women who are obese when beginning a pregnancy are, by definition, unhealthy. To say that they should gain even more weight is counter-intuitive, and our study bears that out.?

There were no deaths or other complications in the group that had been made to diet, and there were fewer babies weighing over 10 pound, which is good news as any birth over 10 pound can cause hazards to both child and parent.

Women on the diet also gained less weight, had fewer c-sections and retained less weight after the pregnancy. Quite impressive results, although it?s worth noting that all the people in the study group were obese, with a BMI of over 30, and the results don?t apply to other women, yet.

?Gaining weight during pregnancy contributes to obesity?, Claims Dr Thorton, who believes that attitudes like this have contributed to the obesity epidemic in the states, were 35% of adult woman are labelled as obese. ?It makes it that much harder for overweight women to return to their normal weight after pregnancy.? she concluded.

Losing weight is easy, you know. At least, it is easy providing you?ve got the cash to pay for expensive diet food and medication, gym membership, a personal trainer, a dietician? But what if you?re one of the normal every day people that actually can?t afford the extra cost of gym membership in a recession, or someone who balks at the idea of having to nearly double their food bill because healthy options don?t come cheap.

Here are a few tips in order to combat that. They?re all simple little changes you can make to your lifestyle that cost either nothing or very little and can make a huge impact on the effectiveness of your diet if followed correctly.

Out

When at the supermarket, don?t be drawn in by special offers and deals until you?ve done the math, and be aware about the way supermarkets draw in customers by using special marketing techniques. Even the layout of the store is designed to make you buy more, but don?t relent ? stick to buying only what you need. The two key things to do before going shopping are to eat before your trip and to make a list of everything you need. The list will keep you focused on what you require rather than what you want, and it?s a well researched fact that people who shop when hungry are far more likely to buy excess food.

Consider buying canned food instead of frozen. Canned vegetables may taste a little different but they are still very nutritious and if you use them in recipe combined with other food, there?s a good chance you won?t notice the difference. Your wallet will though, with canned vegetables considerably cheaper than their frozen counterparts.
Shopping at the same store will help you quickly plan your way around, but it has another bonus in that you?ll get to know which store brands are worth buying. Try to avoid totally budget and basic brands and instead opt for the supermarket own brand products which are likely to remain rich in nutrients while being much cheaper than branded products. Which products you buy branded and which you don?t will be a matter of personal taste, but try to buy as little as possible from big name companies.

Outside the supermarket, don?t forget the power of walking and jogging. You might need to invest in some decent shoes but after that, they the activity is totally free. Many people buy expensive gym memberships only to then drive all the way to the Gym. If these people had instead jogged the same distance, they could often have lost a similar amount of calories.

At home

You can exercise at home using DVDs and exercise videos. Although these might look expensive you?ll find a vast amount of budget copies of exercise videos in your local charity and second hand stores. You can also visit your local library which is likely to have quite a large amount of its DVD collection dedicated to health and fitness.

Before going out, be realistic about any food you might need. There?s no use saving money at the supermarket if you then don?t pack enough for lunch and then end up using expensive vending machines to make up the difference.

While at home, consider buying a water filter for your tap or fridge and then drink tap water instead of bottled water. They may look nice and talk about spring water coming all the way from Italy or somewhere, but in reality they are incredibly expensive diversions and often don?t taste any different to filtered tap water. If you absolutely have to buy bottled water, buy supermarket brands and try to buy it in bulk as much as possible.