Australian researchers have found that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish can help in weight loss when combined with moderate exercise. The omega-3 found in fish oil increases fat-burning ability by improving the flow of blood to muscles during exercise. The study monitored 68 overweight and obese people, divided into four groups, over three months. One group took small daily doses of fish oil and another was given sunflower oil with no other alteration to their normal diet. Both groups undertook a 45-minute walk or run three times a week. The study found that those who took the fish oil doses and exercised lost an average of 2 kg over the three months. The groups that took sunflower oil, which does not contain omega-3 fatty acids, as well as exercising did not lose any weight. Source: University of South Australia
One drink can make you “blind drunk”
Just one drink can make you miss big things in your field of vision. “Inattentional blindness” is a term used to describe that moment when you are so focused on one thing that you completely miss the iceberg that has floated into view. This study wanted to find out if alcohol consumption could make inattentional blindness worse. To test the gave one half of their participants a non-alcoholic drink and the other half received a vodka and tonic designed to raise their blood alcohol to 0.04. They were asked to watch a ten minute video of two basketball teams and to count how many times the white team passed the ball. In the middle of the video a woman dressed in a gorilla suit walked onto the court, beat her chest, and then walked off. Only 18 per cent of those who had the alcoholic drink noticed the gorilla girl, compared to 46 per cent in the placebo group. So even under the legal limit, beware of what you do after drinking alcohol, particularly if there are girls in gorilla suits around. Source: Applied Cognitive Psychology
Cherry juice soothes sore muscles
Cherries contain a number of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. To see if cherries may protect exercising muscles, researchers had male college students drink 350mls of a blend of fresh cherry juice and apple juice or a placebo drink twice a day for eight days. On the fourth day, the men participated in several rounds of elbow exercises. In those drinking the placebo, muscle strength fell by 22 per cent but only by four per cent in those drinking cherry juice. Muscle strength even improved slightly after four days in those drinking cherry juice and the cherry drinkers had lower average pain scores. This is not only relevant to people who work out as the researchers suggest that people with "chronic, nagging pain," might also try supplementing their diet with cherry juice. Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine
Warm watermelon is better for you
That ice-cold watermelon may be refreshing, but it can be less nutritious than watermelon served at room temperature. Researchers looked specifically at the antioxidant nutrients lycopene and betacarotene. They tested several popular varieties of watermelon stored for 14 days at 21C, 13C and 5C. Whole watermelons stored at 21C had substantially more nutrients compared to freshly picked fruit. When stored at the warmer temperature watermelon gained up to 40 percent more lycopene and up to 139 percent extra betacarotene compared to the chilled melons. All watermelons were fully ripe when harvested. The findings show that watermelons continue to produce these nutrients after they are picked and that chilling slows this process. At refrigerated temperatures, like 5 C, watermelon starts to decay and develop lesions after a week. Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Virgin oil best for hearts
When it comes to heart health, virgin olive oil may have an edge over other vegetable fats because of its high level of antioxidant plant compounds. In a study of 200 healthy men, researchers found that virgin olive oil has more going for it than its supply of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. Polyphenols, they say, may account for some of the health benefits that have been attributed to the oil. In fact, virgin olive oil is the only vegetable oil that's rich in polyphenols. All vegetable oils other than virgin olive oil are submitted to a (refining) process in which polyphenols are practically lost. Even "ordinary" olive oil has a lower polyphenol content. The trial had young and middle-aged men use each of three olive oils for three weeks apiece. One oil was a virgin olive oil high in polyphenols; the other two were more heavily processed varieties with moderate to low polyphenol levels. The men used the oils in place of other dietary fats. At the end of the study, the researchers found that the men's levels of "good" HDL cholesterol were highest after their three weeks on virgin olive oil. They also showed a greater decline in markers of so-called oxidative stress, a process that helps deposit particles of "bad" LDL cholesterol on the artery walls and can lead to a hardening and narrowing of the vessels supplying the heart. Monounsaturated fat is well known to be a healthier alternative to the saturated fat found in animal products like butter. That fact, along with the benefits of polyphenols, makes virgin olive oil "a good source of fat." SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine
Ozone on the mend - slowly
The earth's ozone layer is finally repairing after decades of damage. However, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) says it is recovering more slowly than originally hoped. By the year 2049 the layer will be back to pre-1980 levels over huge areas of Europe, North America, Asia, southern Australasia, Latin America and Africa. This is five years later than forecast in the last major scientific report in 2002. This is a sign that the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which committed signatory nations progressively to ban the use of ozone-harmful products, is working. The delayed recovery though is a warning that the ozone layer cannot be taken for granted. Over Antarctica, so-called "ozone holes" have grown over the past 30 years and recovery is likely to be delayed until 2065, 15 years later than earlier hoped. The good news is that the level of ozone-depleting substances in the stratosphere continues to decline from its 1992-94 peak. Source: World Meteorological Association
Infra-red light trims thighs
Exercising on a stationary bicycle burns significantly more fat when you are warmed with water-filtered infrared-A during the workout. Fatty tissue contains a large amount of energy and normally has a slow metabolism with low tissue temperature. So it seemed "physiologically plausible" that warming fatty tissue with infrared combined with moderate physical exercise would help fat burning more than exercise alone. In the study an infrared unit was used to irradiate the waist, hip, and thighs of overweight women while they exercised on stationary bikes. The infrared used was similar to sun heat radiation found in moderate climates. According to the report the sum of circumferences of the waist, hips and both thighs decreased during the four weeks significantly more in the infra-red exposed group than in the control group (8.0 cm lost compared to 1.8 cm in the control). No doubt infra-red lamps will be appearing in a gym near you but here’s a radical thought; try exercising in sunlight. Source: German Medical Sciences
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