5 Habits you may want to adopt based on the Health Research of Summer 2018

1. Skip breakfast before workout? Think again. Eating breakfast helps you burn more carbs during the workout & accelerates metabolism for next meal

A new study published 2 weeks ago in The American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism has indicated that eating breakfast before an exercise session may ‘prime’ the body to burn carbs during exercise and, better yet, to more rapidly digest food after working out.

It was found that compared to skipping breakfast, eating breakfast before exercise increases the speed at which we digest, absorb and metabolise carbohydrate that we may eat after exercise. To note, that the carbohydrate-burning wasn’t just coming from the breakfast that was just eaten, but also from carbohydrate stored in our muscles as glycogen.

This is the first study to examine how breakfast before exercise impacts how we burn carbohydrates & affects our metabolism. The study focused entirely on the short-term responses to breakfast and exercise. Long-term implications were not examined and further studies will look at this

Note that breakfast was consumed 2 hours before exercise in the study.

2. Worried about the pollution in your area? Adopt a Mediterranean diet.

In May this year, some very interesting research was presented at the ATS 2018 International Conference. It was the very first study to examine the link of long-term pollution and diet.

The study indicated that eating a Mediterranean diet may protect people from some of the harm of long-term exposure to air pollution, and reduce their risk of dying from heart attacks, stroke and other causes of death.

Undoubtedly, this is due to the Mediterranean diet being rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules that disarm oxidized and highly reactive molecules, or free radicals, that are known to cause cell and tissue damage.

3. Want to cut calories? Adopt a “health-focused mindset” before eating

Adopting a health-focused mindset caused people to eat smaller portions than focusing on pleasure or the desire to fill up.

Brain scans showed that by focusing the mind the right way, activity was triggered in the prefrontal cortex, which is linked to self-control and future meal planning.

The research was carried out by University of Tübingen, Germany, and was presented mid-July at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior, an international conference of experts on eating research.

4. Eat after 9pm in the evening? Schedule it earlier to cut cancer risks

People who have their evening meal before 9 p.m. or wait at least two hours before going to sleep have lower risk of breast and prostate cancer.

This was the main finding of a July study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) which was published in the International Journal of Cancer. The study was the first of its kind to analyse the association between cancer risk and the timing of meals and sleep.

If these findings are confirmed, they will have implications for official cancer prevention recommendations.

5. Need inspiration to lose weight? Significant health benefits to be had from losing just 5-10% of your body weight.

A new study led by Greg Knell, published 2 weeks ago in the Journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings demonstrates how losing just 5 percent of your body weight has surprising benefits for metabolic health.

The study revealed that participants who managed to lose 5–10 percent of their weight were 22 percent less likely to develop metabolic syndrome, which is an umbrella term that describes several risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. People who lost over 20 percent of their weight benefited even more. These individuals were 53 percent less likely to have metabolic syndrome.

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