Source: New England Journal of Medicine

Viewing a stressful soccer match more than doubles the risk of an acute cardiovascular event, according to a study of the FIFA World Cup held in Germany in 2006.
 
Cardiovascular events occurring in patients in the greater Munich area were prospectively assessed by emergency physicians during the World Cup.

Events were compared with events that occurred during the control period: May 1 to June 8 and July 10 to July 31, 2006, and May 1 to July 31 in 2003 and 2005. Acute cardiovascular events were assessed in 4279 patients.

On days of matches involving the German team, the incidence of cardiac emergencies was 2.66 times that during the control period (P for men, the incidence was 3.26 times that during the control period, and for women, it was 1.82 times that during the control period.

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Source: Tony Ferguson

Ingredients

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 x 120g lean chicken breast pieces (females)
4 x 220g lean chicken breast pieces (males)
1 cup of button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup salt reduced chicken stock
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 small zucchini sliced

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Source: The Times

READY meals, savoury snacks, cakes, chocolate and biscuits that help to fight flab by suppressing the appetite could be on sale within two years.

Scientists are using extracts from plant leaves and cereals to develop a technique that interferes with the digestive process and reduces hunger.

The project is seen as a way to improve the nutritional quality of convenience foods and would be a vital tool in tackling the obesity crisis.

Health experts are convinced that additives can be put in foods that trigger a natural response telling the body it is full.

The secret for sating the appetite is in a range of natural fatty molecules called galacto lipids found in cereals such as oats and most edible green leaves.

The molecules slow down the breakdown of fat in the gut, allowing the residual fat to continue the digestive process to the small intestine.

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Many members experience some slowing or delay in weight loss at some point during the program. After the first few weeks of great progress, this can be disappointing, but remember, it can be managed.

Some of the reasons for stalled weight loss may include:

• Not sticking 100% to the weight loss program
• Diagnosed or undiagnosed insulin resistance, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, PCOS or thyroid disease
• Medication doses may be incorrect and preventing weight loss, particularly with thyroid disease
• Slow metabolism
• Steroid medications
• Skipping meals and snacking
• Overdoing exercise, or for some people, lack of exercise
• Having your period
• Lack of bowel function

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Source: General Hospital Psychiatry

Researchers have found a strong and consistent association between depression and obesity among middle-aged women, which is independent of confounding factors such as age, race, marital status and level of education.

Obesity and its consequences are a major public health problem. Since the 1970s epidemiological studies have examined a possible association between obesity and depression with mixed results – some found a negative association, others a positive association limited to women, and some found there to be no association at all.

Simon and co-workers suggest that methodological differences may account for this variability. In their current research, they used data from a large sample of middle-aged women to assess the association between various levels of obesity with depression severity.

A total of 4641 women aged between 40 and 65 years completed a population-based survey. The survey was conducted via a structured telephone interview that included self-reported height, weight, ethnicity, marital status, tobacco use and educational background, as well as an assessment of depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ).

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