Men seem to switch off thoughts of food

When volunteers didn’t eat for a day and then were asked to suppress thoughts of food, men reported fewer cravings and less feeling of hunger than women did, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. When given brain scans the men also had less activity in areas of the brain related to memory and emotion, suggesting that men weren’t retrieving memories of food as much as women were. This may partly explain the fact that women have higher obesity rates, and it may in turn be explained by differing female hormones.

Successful dieters do it on their own

There’s a huge industry in selling people on the latest diet fads and products that are supposed to make it easier to lose weight, but Consumer Reports says most people who are successful losers lose weight on their own by eating better and exercising more. That conclusion came from a survey of more than 21,000 Consumer Reports subscribers, 15 percent of whom were successful losers. Most of the 16 percent of people who’d always been thin followed the same kind of plan as those who’d lost weight: regularly eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains, staying away from high-fat foods, using portion control and getting regular, vigorous exercise.

UK school bribes kids for better performance

A failing school in Stoke-on-Trent is bribing students with fish and chips and pizza if they attend study sessions, a move called “outrageous” by health advocates but that the school says is working. More than half of the students that took part in the sessions got passing grades in both math and English, double the number from the year previous. The school says it will use the incentive again because it’s a quick way to get kids interested in studying, and there have never been so many kids at the extra sessions as when food was offered.

Green tea may help reduce belly fat

If you’re looking to give your weight loss program a boost and lose more belly fat at the same time, you might want to consider drinking green tea. A study from the Journal of Nutrition found that people who were dieting and exercising as well as drinking green tea daily lost an average of 4.4 pounds in 12 weeks, compared to two pounds in a group that dieted and exercised but got caffeine from a non-tea source. People who were drinking tea also had greater losses of total abdominal fat and subcutaneous abdominal fat, as well as lower triglycerides than people who didn’t drink tea. It’s thought that tea may increase the rate at which the body breaks down fat.

Irish obesity expert wants to stop Subway

Finally, an Irish obesity expert says there should be a limit on Subway restaurants in his country because the chain serves too many products that are too high in calories. Donal O’Shea says there’s no need for the proposed 119 new stores within the next two years in the country, and that increasing numbers of fast food outlets go hand in hand with increased obesity. What’s more, at least two sandwiches sold in Ireland have more than 1,000 calories, more than half the calories most people should eat in a day. A representative of the chain says they have plenty of healthy options and are working on cutting salt levels in their products.

(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 and is filed under Beverages, Diet Tips, Diet programs, Fast food and restaurants, Foreign stories (non-U.S.), Kids and families, Motivation and mental, Nibbles: diet news shorts, School lunches and junk food. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. Permalink.