Tag Archives: fat

Obese don’t see themselves as fat

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Increasing numbers of people are failing to recognise they have a weight problem, according to new research published in the British Medical Journal online.

It is well known that women often view themselves as ‘too fat’ while men typically underestimate their weight. But how far has people’s perception of their weight changed with the growing obesity epidemic?

Researchers from the Health Behaviour Research Centre at University College London, compared data taken from two household surveys carried out in 1999 and 2007. In each survey participants were asked to give their height and weight (from which their Body Mass Index (BMI) and clinical weight category could be determined) and also categorise themselves as either: ‘very underweight’, ‘underweight’, ‘about right’, ‘overweight’ or ‘very overweight’. The 2007 survey also included ‘obese’ as a category.

Professor Jane Wardle and colleagues found the proportion of respondents whose weight placed them in the clinically obese category had nearly doubled in eight years from 11% in 1999 to 19% in 2007. Yet, those whose weight put them in the overweight category were less likely to think that they were overweight in 2007 than in 1999.

In 1999, 43% of the population had a BMI that put them in the overweight or obese range, of whom 81% correctly identified themselves as overweight. But in 2007, 53% of the population had a BMI in the overweight or obese range, but only 75% of these correctly classed themselves as overweight.

The researchers suggest that the growing division between actual and perceived weight may be due to overweight becoming more widespread in the population and the appearance of mild overweight being increasingly accepted as ‘normal’. These changes may have increased the level at which people perceive themselves to be overweight.

According to the authors, these perceptions are reinforced by media images of people who are morbidly obese, which add to the misconception that extremely high weights are required to meet the medical criteria for overweight. This can also increase the stigma attached to the labels ‘overweight’ and ‘obese’.

The authors warn that despite media and health campaigns aimed at raising awareness of healthy weight, increasing numbers of overweight people are failing to recognise that their weight is a cause for concern, or that messages about healthy eating and exercise are aimed at them.

Overweight people, who underestimate their body weight, may be ignoring important messages about modifying their lifestyles, claims Professor Sara Bleich from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health in an accompanying editorial.

According to Bleich, the key to correcting misconceptions about weight is to treat obesity as a multilevel problem—focusing on broader society as well as the individual. Educating the entire population on the importance of a healthy lifestyle, rather than focusing on overweight individuals, may also reduce weight related stigma.

Does TV violence make you eat more?

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Rotterdam: TV violence triggers an increase in hunger, according to new research.

According to Dirk Smeesters, Associate Professor of Marketing at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, people who are thinking about their own deaths want to consume more.

In a paper published in the Journal of Consumer Research, “The Sweet Escape: Effects of Mortality Salience on Consumption Quantities for High- and Low-Self-Esteem Consumers”, Dirk Smeesters and co-author Naomi Mandel (Arizona State University) reveal that “consumers, especially those with a faced with images of death during the news or their favorite crime-scene investigation shows.”

Smeesters and Mandel conducted experiments in Europe and the United States on 746 subjects who wrote either about their own death or a visit to the dentist (the control group). The findings revealed that consumers with low self-esteem writing about their death ate more cookies and listed more items on a hypothetical shopping list compared to those who wrote about the dentist. Similar effects were obtained by subliminally presenting the word ‘death’ to consumers and exposing them to death-related news.

Smeesters and Mandel explain this effect using a theory called ‘escape from self-awareness’. When people are reminded of their inevitable mortality, they may start to feel uncomfortable about what they have done with their lives and whether they have made a significant mark on the universe. This is a state called ‘heightened self-awareness.’ One way to deal with such an uncomfortable state is to escape from it, by either overeating or overspending.

Follow-up research found that death-related news can not only increase consumers’ consumption behavior, but can also affect their preferences for domestic and foreign brands. More specifically, consumers who were exposed to death-related news (e.g. a news report about a fatal car crash) had more positive preferences for domestic brands, but more negative preferences for foreign brands compared to consumers not exposed to such news.

These effects were obtained because thinking about death made consumers more patriotic. These studies clearly demonstrated the potential negative effects of advertising foreign brands shortly after the broadcast of death-related programs on television.

About Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University

RSM is an internationally top-ranked business school renowned for its ground-breaking research in sustainable business practice and for the development of leaders in global business. Offering an array of bachelor, master, doctoral, MBA and executive education programmes, RSM is consistently ranked amongst the top 10 business schools in Europe. < a href="http://www.rsm.nl">www.rsm.nl

Join the obesity debate at Nottingham University

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London: Can we have our cake and eat it — then go to the gym? That is the subject of a debate with experts taking place at Nottingham University. You are invited to attend and put your questions to the scientists.

There is compelling evidence that both obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are strong independent risk factors for premature death — but is it healthier to be obese and physically active or a healthy weight and sedentary? In other words can we have our cake and eat it if we then hit the gym?

A public debate is being staged at The University of Nottingham on behalf of the Nutrition Society to discuss whether we can be ‘fit and fat’.

Speakers from the fields of metabolism, obesity, exercise and nutrition will open the event these talks will be followed by a public debate. All members of the public are welcome to join in.

The theme of the debate centres on the ‘fat and fit’ hypothesis which states that:

Regular physical activity reduces many of the health risks associated with being overweight or obese.

Physical activity appears not only to reduce the health risks of being overweight and obese but active obese individuals actually have lower morbidity and mortality than normal weight individuals who are sedentary.

Inactivity and low cardio-respiratory fitness are as important as overweight and obesity as mortality predictors.

Questions from the floor will be taken by Ian MacDonald, Professor of Metabolic Physiology in the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences at The University of Nottingham. Also speaking will be Nicky Gilbert, a freelance sports nutritionist who has worked with world class athletes and Dr David Stensel an expert in exercise and metabolism in the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Loughborough University.

Professor MacDonald said: “It is clear that being overweight and being sedentary are associated with an increased risk of ill health. It is not clear whether one of these is more unhealthy than the other, or just how many overweight people really are physically fit and whether this protects them against the problems caused by overweight”.

The public engagement event is part of the Nutrition Society Summer meeting which is being held at The University of Nottingham between 30 June and 3rd July 2008. The debate has been organised by Dr Alison Mostyn, a lecturer in Biological Sciences in the School of Nursing. Pupils from local secondary schools and members of the general public are invited to attend.

Dr Moystn said: “It’s great that the University of Nottingham and the Nutrition Society can open this debate up to the public. Obesity is in the news almost daily at the moment; this event will give people from the East Midlands the opportunity to hear some expert speakers discuss exercise and obesity — a topic which affects many of us”

The event, which has been funded by the Nottingham branch of the British Association for the Advancement of Science and the West Midlands branch of the Institute of Biology, will take place in the Maths and Physics Building on University Park at 6pm on Monday 30 June 2008.

About the University of Nottingham: The University of Nottingham is ranked in the UK’s Top 10 and the World’s Top 70 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and Times Higher (THES) World University Rankings.

It provides innovative and top quality teaching, undertakes world-changing research, and attracts talented staff and students from 150 nations. Described by The Times as Britain’s “only truly global university”, it has invested continuously in award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia.

Twice since 2003 its research and teaching academics have won Nobel Prizes. The University has won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in both 2006 (International Trade) and 2007 (Innovation — School of Pharmacy).

Its students are much in demand from ‘blue-chip’ employers. Winners of Students in Free Enterprise for four years in succession, and current holder of UK Graduate of the Year, they are accomplished artists, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, innovators and fundraisers. Nottingham graduates consistently excel in business, the media, the arts and sport. Undergraduate and postgraduate degree completion rates are amongst the highest in the United Kingdom.

Additional information: The Nutrition Society was set up to advance the scientific study of nutrition and its applications to the maintenance of human and animal health.

Banned slim pill gets UK go-ahead

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London: Acomplia, a weightloss pill banned in the US over concerns that it may increase the risk of suicide has been given approval for patients in the UK.

The once-a-day pill which is also available in Germany and France can now be prescribed by the public health authority, the National Health Service, to patients who have failed to loose weight on other pills such as Xenical and Reductil.

It has failed to get US authorisation because it it thought to increase suicidal thoughts in people already suffering from depression.

The European Medicines Agency has already issued a warning highlighting the fact that it may ber unsafe for anyone suffering from depression or taking anti-depressant drugs.

It has demonstrated success is helping two out of five patients shed 10 per cent of their weight.

Exercise does not suppress appetite in obese women

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New York: Researchers at the University of Michigan have found that exercise does not suppress appetite in obese women, as it does in lean women.

Katarina Borer, PhD, a University of Michigan researcher and lead author of the study said that this lack of appetite suppression may promote greater food intake after exercise in obese women.

“This information will help therapists and physicians understand the limitations of exercise in appetite control for weight loss in obese people,” she added.

Borer and her co-workers sought to better understand how changes in body fat level influence appetite and a hormone called leptin, which in animals curbs appetite when body fat increases.

When leptin levels rise, it supposedly shuts off appetite and motivates physical activity to burn calories. However, as obese people become fatter, their leptin levels rise, but they become resistant to the actions of this hormone.

“The hormone doesn’t do the job it’s supposed to do in lean people,” Borer said.

In research funded by the National Institutes of Health, Borer’s group studied 20 postmenopausal women: 10 lean and 10 obese women. The women ate three weight-maintenance meals a day while participating in three experiments on three separate days. During one experiment they did not exercise.

In the other two experiments the women exercised on a treadmill in the morning and the afternoon. They burned 500 calories each time, for a total of 1,000 calories a day.

These two experiments differed by exercise intensity. One involved walking at high intensity, or 80 percent of maximal effort, for 7.5 minutes, with 10-minute rest periods between 10 walking sessions. The other experiment was half as intense (40 percent of peak effort) and involved walking for 15 minutes and resting for 5 minutes.

Every hour and before each meal, subjects recorded their appetite level on a 10-point scale ranging from not at all hungry to extremely hungry. Blood samples were collected every 15 to 60 minutes for hormone measurements.

Obese women claimed they were less hungry than lean women before meals and reported no appetite suppression during exercise, Borer said.

As expected, obese women had much higher leptin levels than in lean women, study data showed.

But during intense exercise, obese women did not have reduced production of leptin, as lean women did. Only moderate-intensity exercise lowered leptin in obese women.

“Obesity interferes with leptin’s detection of exercise energy expenditure and with appetite suppression,” Borer said.

“Obese women perhaps need to consciously watch their calories because some of the hormonal satiety [fullness] signals don’t seem to work as well.”

Why diets fail most women – new research from Nintendo

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All women diet but 57% of them say not one of the diets they’ve tried has worked, according to research by My Health Coach, the new weight game from Nintendo.

Slimmers are bombarded with information on dieting wherever they go, and as a result are trying every fat-busting fad there is. Every woman polled had tried some form of fad diet or eating regime but 57% said no diet had actually worked for them in the long term.

Only 5% of British women can say they never think about dieting or weight loss. 14% think about it on a weekly basis and 12% think about dieting or start a new diet every single day. This obsession appears to be caused by social pressures with 48% of women saying they feel they’re expected to live up to catwalk models.

Although we clearly do want to be slimmer, 51% of women said they lack the motivation to make it a reality. Over a third fail to facilitate themselves in weight loss by exercising alongside their diet. These findings beg the question: are we asking too much of ourselves in terms of body image or are we not pushing ourselves hard enough to achieve our goals?

For more information visit www.ubisoftgroup.com

Get lean and mean – eat turkey

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London: With the Olympics coming up, Britain’s athletes could find they have a secret weapon for success – a plate of turkey meat.

Eating turkey could enhance an athlete’s performance by up to 20%, according to scientists. Turkey breast contains one of the highest concentrations of the muscle-building dipeptides, anserine & carnosine. When we eat a food containing these dipeptides it is broken down into beta-alanine and histidine. We all have plentiful supplies of histidine in the body, but it is beta-alanine we need to consume to counteract the effect of pH acidity that causes muscle fatigue, as the body is only able to manufacture small quantities from uracil in the liver.

Researchers at the University of Chichester’s School of Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences carried out tests on the effect of consuming carnosine and beta-alanine on volunteers who underwent muscle biopsies and performance tests. The 800mg beta-alanine supplements they used, the equivalent to 145g portions of turkey breast meat, increased muscle concentrations by 40% and improved cycling performance by 13%.

Research leader Glenys Jones said: “The exciting thing is, I believe we are nowhere near the top. In fact, I suspect if we raise the dietary intake of beta-alanine to 250-300g of turkey a day for 6-12 months we will see a progressive rise in the values of a possible 80% increase in muscle concentrations and further performance improvements, as seen in high-dose/short-term supplementation studies.”

Jones is looking to start a longitudinal investigation into the effect on muscle concentrations of introducing a regular dose of turkey into the diet and the subsequent effect on performance in the very near future.

Sharron Davies, former Olympic swimmer and mother of three, says: “New dietary research is something all athletes welcome – especially when the food recommended is as easy to obtain, cook and eat as turkey. When I was swimming competitively, I always included turkey in my diet because it’s low in fat and high in protein and even today, turkey remains an important part of my balanced diet. But even non-athletes should be interested in keeping their bodies as healthy as possible so this research could have positive benefits for very many people in all walks of life.”

Rowing, cycling, speed skating and certain distances in running are the other disciplines researchers say are most likely to benefit.

The research at Chichester University, overseen by Prof Roger Harris, discovered anserine and carnosine was high in certain muscle meats, including whale, prawns and turkey. The scientists chose to concentrate their research on turkey for practical reasons.

Prof Harris said: “Whale meat is not exactly available, or desirable in the UK, and you would have to eat an unpalatable amount of prawns, which are themselves high in cholesterol, to achieve the same results.”

The turkey is a relatively recent domesticated farm animal and closely related genetically to the wild turkey of North America, one of the heaviest flying birds. The flood of adrenaline that a wild turkey needs to lift its body weight off the ground to escape danger is the key. This involves rapid mobilisation of energy in the wing and breast muscles, and a concentration of histidine containing dipeptides called anserine and carnosine. Our digestive systems split these dipeptides into beta-alanine and histidine, which then reform as carnosine when transported into muscle.

Funding by the British Turkey Federation has allowed Prof Harris and PhD student Glenys Jones to continue their research. Jones is currently evaluating how putting beta-alanine into the drinking water of turkeys increases the concentration in their muscle.

She said: “Our aim is to get the highest concentration of the histidine dipeptides possible for inclusion in people’s regular diets. The implications of which could provide health benefits for the elderly, who suffer a reduced acid-based regulatory system as they get older, and indeed for all individuals who want to maintain an active life is tremendously exciting.”

Interest in the research at International Conferences has been extremely high and supportive. The potential uses of beta-alanine and the dipeptides as supplements led Prof Harris to stating “Literally, the sky’s the limit!”

The British turkey industry has welcomed the findings. Dr Cliff Nixey, a world authority on turkeys, said: “If we can help British athletes find Olympic success we would be delighted. But we are also pleased at the potential health benefits in all walks of life.”

Dr Nixey explains why turkey meat would contain high levels of substances involved in energy metabolism.

“The turkey is a relatively recent domesticated farm animal and as such is closely related genetically to the wild turkey in North America. The wild turkey is one of the heaviest flying birds, with males weighing around 16lbs (7.25kg) and females 10lbs (4.5kg). To avoid danger, they have explosive flight upwards to gain height rapidly and then they glide long distances. The take off of such heavy birds must involve very rapid mobilisation of energy in the wing and breast muscles. It follows that this species has evolved a system to cope with this which logically would involve high levels of substances involved in energy mobilisation.”

Supporting Research:

Influence of b-alanine supplementation on skeletal muscle Carnosine concentrations and high intensity cycling capacity
School of Sports, Exercise & Health Sciences, University of Chichester, Chichester, UK

Summary: Muscle carnosine synthesis is limited by the availability of b-alanine. Thirteen male subjects were supplemented with b-alanine (CarnoSyn tm) for 4wks, 8 of these for 10wks. A biopsy of the vastus lateralis was obtained from 6 of the 8 at 0, 4 and 10 wks. Subjects undertook a cycle capacity test to determine total work done (TWD) at 110% (CCT 110%) of their maximum power (Wmax). Twelve matched subjects received a placebo. Eleven of these completed the CCT 110% at 0 and 4 wks, and 8 and 10wks. Muscle biopsies were obtained from 5 of the 8 and one additional subject. Muscle carnosine was significantly increased by +58.8% ad +80.1% after 4 and 10 wks b-alanine supplementation. Carnosine, initially 1.71 times higher in type IIa fibres, increased equally in both type I and IIa fibres. No increase was seen in control subjects. Taurine was unchanged by 10 wks of supplementation. 4 wks beta-alanine supplementation resulted in a significant increase in TWD (+13.0%); with a further +3.2% increase at 10 wks. TWD was unchanged at 4 and 10 wks in the control subjects. The increase in TWD with supplementation followed the increase in muscle carnosine.

Protein rich diets prevent weight gain – new research

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Madrid: A diet rich in proteins can help to avoid regaining weight after weight loss, according to new reseach.

Increasing the consumption of proteins in one’s diet can help to avoid regaining weight after successfully losing weight through diet and exercise; on the other hand, the glycemic index does not play a significant role.

This was the preliminary conclusion of the Diogenes project (diet, obesity and genes, the largest European study into nutrition and obesity.

Adult participants from 400 families from eight countries (Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Greece, Czech Republic, Germany and Spain), were tracked over the course of six months, during which they were required to lose at least 8% of their body weight.

At this stage the entire family was included in the weight-loss regimen. In total, 763 individuals lost an average of 11.2 kilograms per person, for a total of 8,500 kilograms, the equivalent of four adult elephants.

Five randomly-assigned diets

In the next phase of the experiment, 565 families (763 adults and 787 children) followed one of five randomly-assigned diets; four of these diets combined diverse proportions of protein and carbohydrate intakes, and the fifth was based on the previous eating habits of the family, with advice on healthy diet.

Those families which were assigned a high-protein diet did not recover the weight previously lost, whereas those assigned other diets recovered between 2 and 2.5 kg of the weight lost during the prior stage.

The definitive findings of the project will be known in May of 2009, when the project’s researchers will participate in the European Congress on Obesity in Amsterdam.

Mediterrean diet cuts diabetes risk

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Madrid: A Mediterranean diet that includes fruit, vegetables, fibre and healthier fats may protect against type two diabetes, a new study suggests.

The study monitored the eating habits of 14,000 Spaniards over a four year period to see who developed the condition.

The results indicated a 83% lower risk for those who followed the diet, the British Medical Journal reported.

The traditional lifestyle of the Mediterrean includes regular exercise, but also plenty of fish, fruit and vegetables, usually cooked in olive oil, and red wine.

This diet has already been shown to be good for heart health. In addition olive oil helps control blood sugar and lower blood pressure.

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Low fat diet helps prevent prostate cancer in mice

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Los Angeles: Us scientists have found that have demonstrated that lowering intake of the type of fat common in a Western diet helps prevent prostate cancer in mice.

UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center and the Department of Urology carried out the study, which is published in the April editon of the journal Cancer Research.

Scientists excamined the effects of fat from corn oil, which is made up primarily of omega-6 fatty acids, or the polyunsaturated fat commonly found in the Western diet. Omega-6 fats are found in high levels in baked and fried goods, said William Aronson, a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher and the study’s senior author.

Researchers fed one group of mice a diet with about 40 percent of calories coming from fat, a percentage typical in men eating a Western diet. The other group received 12 percent of their calories from fat, a figure considered to be a very low fat diet.

The low-fat group had a 27 percent reduced incidence of prostate cancer. They also studied cells in the prostate that were precancerous, or would soon become cancer, and found that the cells in the mice eating the low-fat diet were growing much more slowly than those in the high-fat group.

Previous studies in Mr Aronson’s lab showed that a low-fat diet slowed the growth of aggressive human prostate cancers in mice and helped the mice live longer. However, whether such a diet could prevent prostate cancer was unknown.

“We didn’t know what to expect in terms of the role of reducing dietary fat in preventing prostate cancer,” said Aronson, a professor of urology. “We think this is an important finding and we are presently performing further studies in animal models and conducting clinical trials in men.”

Using a novel mouse model that develops cancer within the prostate over a period of six to nine months, Mr Aronson and his team were able to study cancer incidence and cell growth. The mice were assigned to a dietary fat group at three weeks of age, when they first started ingesting food. The prostates and prostate cells were studied at seven months.

During the growth phase when the precancerous lesions develop, called PIN or prostate intraepithelial neoplasia, Aronson found that mice on the low-fat diet had higher levels of a protein in their bloodstreams that binds to insulin like growth factor, which spurs prostate cancer growth. Aronson believes that lowering dietary fat and increasing levels of the binding protein slows prostate cancer development by cutting off the growth factor that allows prostate cancer to thrive.

“A low-fat, high-fiber diet combined with weight loss and exercise is well known to be healthy in terms of heart disease and is known to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, so that would be a healthy choice to make,” Aronson said. “Whether or not it will prevent prostate cancer in humans remains to be seen.”

Mr Aronson is now conducting a short term study in men who are randomly assigned to a Western diet higher in polyunsaturated fat or a low-fat diet with fish oil supplements. The next step is to see how these diets affect malignant and benign human prostate tissue, Aronson said.

“We’re looking at specific markers and growth factors in human tissue known to be important for development and progression of prostate cancer,” he said. “It’s this work we hope will lead to longer term prevention strategies incorporating dietary changes.”

Scientists discover fat genes

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London: A gene sequence linked to an expanding waist line, weight gain and a tendency to develop type 2 diabetes has been discovered as part of a study published today in the journal Nature Genetics.

The study also shows that the gene sequence is significantly more common in those with Indian Asian than European ancestry. The research, which was funded by the British Heart Foundation, could lead to better ways of treating obesity.

Scientists from Imperial College London and other international institutions have discovered that the sequence is associated with a 2cm expansion in waist circumference, a 2kg gain in weight, and a tendency to become resistant to insulin, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. The sequence is found in 50% of the UK population.

“Until now, we have understood remarkably little about the genetic component of common problems linked with obesity, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes,” said Professor Jaspal Kooner, the paper’s senior author from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London. “Finding such a close association between a genetic sequence and significant physical effects is very important, especially when the sequence is found in half the population.”

The study shows that the sequence is a third more common in those with Indian Asian than in those with European ancestry. This could provide a possible genetic explanation for the particularly high levels of obesity and insulin resistance in Indian Asians, who make up 25% of the world’s population, but who are expected to account for 40% of global cardiovascular disease by 2020.

The new gene sequence sits close to a gene called MC4R, which regulates energy levels in the body by influencing how much we eat and how much energy we expend or conserve. The researchers believe the sequence is involved in controlling the MC4R gene, which has also been implicated in rare forms of extreme childhood obesity.

Previous research on finding the genetic causes of obesity has identified other energy-conserving genes. Combining knowledge about the effects of all these genes could pave the way for transforming how obesity is managed.

“A better understanding of the genes behind problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease means that we will be in a good position to identify people whose genetic inheritance makes them most susceptible,”
added Professor Kooner. “We can’t change their genetic inheritance. But we can focus on preventative measures, including life-style factors such as diet and exercise, and identifying new drug targets to help reduce the burden of disease.”

The research was carried out as part of the London Life Sciences Population (LOLIPOP) study of environmental and genetic causes of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity in approximately 30,000 UK citizens of Indian Asian and European ancestry. The scientists looked at the association between unique genetic markers, called single nuclear polymorphisms, and physical traits linked with obesity, such as waist circumference and insulin resistance.

“The studies we carry out through LOLIPOP are providing unique and important data,” explained lead author Dr John Chambers from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Imperial College London.
“The number of people involved, the comparisons between two ancestries, and the detail with which we can explore genetic and environmental effects are helping us identify crucial linkages.”

This research was carried out by scientists at Imperial College London, University of Michigan, USA, and the Pasteur Institute, France.

Background:
1. “Common genetic variation near MC4R is associated with waist
circumference and insulin resistance” Nature Genetics, Sunday 4 May 2008, doi 10.1038/ng.156

Download an embargoed copy of the paper here:
FileExchange
(available until 16 May)

2. Imperial College London – rated the world’s fifth best
university in the 2007 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings – is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 12,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment – underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture. Website: www.imperial.ac.uk

3. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is the UK’s heart
charity, dedicated to saving lives through pioneering research, patient care, campaigning for change and by providing vital information. But we urgently need help. We rely on donations of time and money to continue our life-saving work. Because together we can beat heart disease. For more information visit bhf.org.uk

A big waist is bad news for your brain

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New York: A big waist by the time you reach your 40s, may triple the threat of dementia in old age, according to new US research.

Obesity is a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s, but scientists found even those of normal weight were more at risk if they had a large waist.

However, the study, by health provider Kaiser Permanente used evidence from 6,500 people, is published in the journal Neurology, found obesity and bulging stomach was still the most dangerous combination.

An obesity expert said waist size was a good guide to several future health problems.Research linking obesity to dementia does not reveal precisely why being overweight can affect your ageing brain, but many specialists believe that associated problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol levels may contribute.

Thickness of fat around the waist is thought to correspond closely with its presence around the major organs of the body.

The latest study suggests that while the standard measure of obesity – body mass index – can help predict those at risk, the lifestyles which produce large bellies may have a closer relationship with the long-term causes of dementia.

Researchers working for Kaiser Permanente, one of the biggest healthcare providers in the US, looked at 6,583 people aged between 40 and 45, measuring their abdominal fat levels with calipers.

They then followed all of these people into their 70s to see who became ill, and who managed to maintain relatively good health.

They found the 20% of people with the largest waistlines had a 270% greater risk of dementia than those with the smallest waists.

Even those reckoned to be normal weight using body mass index calculations had approximately an 90% increased risk of dementia if they had a large rather than a small waist.

People who were measured as overweight or obese using body mass index, but who didn’t have a large belly, had an 80% increase in dementia risk but a combination of all these factors led to a bigger overall increase.

Being overweight and with a large waist raised the risk by 230%, but those who were large-waisted and were so overweight they could be officially classed as obese recorded a 360% rise in dementia risk compared to small-waisted people who met guidelines on normal weight.

Dr Rachel Whitmer, who led the research, said: “It is well known that being overweight in midlife and beyond increases risk factors for disease.

“However, where one carries the weight, especially in midlife, appears to be an important predictor for dementia risk.”

She said that autopsies suggested that the changes in the brain characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease started to appear decades before any symptoms became apparent.

Plant sterols are mega cholesterol busters

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Plant sterols, also called phytosterols, can reduce cholesterol levels, no matter how much fat is in your diet, says Canadian researchers in the journal, Metabolism.

So if you have a diet high in saturated fats including those in read meat, cheese and fried foods you can still fight bad cholesterol (LDL) by taking phytosterol supplements.

Although the new research has revealed that phytosterols continue to work evne if you eat bad dietary fats it makes sense to improve the foods you eat. As well as supplements there are also added phytosterols in some foods, particularly the fats and drinks in the Flora range of products.

Why a healthy colon is key to good health

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Many of us can’t even bring ourselves to say the word ‘colon’ in public, yet a healthy digestive tract could be the key to long life and, far from being a dirty word, if you are going to look after just one bit of your body, make sure its your colon, because that takes care of everything else.

Dao Earl, from the UK colonic and fasting retreat Sura Detox, explains: “The colon was designed to generate nutrients from food, and propel the wastes out of the body, but our modern lifestyle stresses, combined with increased toxins in food, are putting too much strain on our digestive system. As a result, the tract becomes clogged, which both inhibits digestion and results in these poisons being reabsorbed into your bloodstream. So, whether you are looking to get more wastes out (weight loss, allergies, cholesterol), or get more nutrition in (osteoporosis, deficiencies) clearing your bowel is the best place to start.”

“Why is it that despite the high intentions to eat more healthily, and find the perfect, stress-free work/life balance, more and more of us are struggling with the pressures of everyday life, under which we reach for food to relax us, alcohol to enjoy ourselves, and caffeine to wake us up? We are working hard and fast against our wants and needs. For many the time has come to step off the merry-go-round for a moment, get some perspective, and start asking some pretty loft questions about all this.”

Sura Detox offers week long retreats once a month at its beautiful retreat in the heart of rural Devon. Each retreat takes the form of a juice or water diet and twice daily colonics.

Fasting gives your body the chance to naturally purge itself of its toxins, as it redirects the energy normally required for digestion, and focuses upon purifying itself. The general program and frequent colonics ensure the thorough elimination of waste, so that yo! ur body has the utmost opportunity for restoration.

All Sura Detox programmes are supported by powerful nutritional talks to encourage visitors to adopt healthier eating patterns, as well as complementary therapies such as yoga, massage and homeopathy.

Results from Sura Detox speak for themselves. Many visitors find that lifetime ailments such as arthritis and asthma are substantially improved, and the effects of the retreat itself, actually result in a feeling of mental cleansing too.

Sura Detox retreats are held once a month in Devon. For more information on the retreats, visit www.suradetox.com or call 08456 343 895.

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Exercise for 10 minutes a day improves health

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New York: Just 10 minutes of exercise daily can improve the lives of overweight or obese older woman, new research has found.

In a study of 430 overweight, postmenopausal women who took part in various amounts of exercise each week- some as little as 70 minutes a week and others as much as 190 minutes a week, over a six month period.

Most of the exercise was done in three to four sessions per week. When the women were not enrolled in some kind of organized exercise, they were fitted with pedometers and told to simply go for walks to fill their exercise quotas.

Those who did the most exercise reaped the most benefits. But even those women who exercised just 10 minutes a day noticed improvements.

The women reported they felt better physically, emotionally and they could perform everyday tasks better, such as climbing stairs and carrying groceries. The women improved:

* almost 7 per cent in physical function and general health,
* 16.6 per cent in vitality,
* 11.5 per cent in performing work or other activities,
* 11.6 per cent in emotional health
* and more than 5 per cent in social functioning.

Some of the women did lose weight over the six months. But the researchers found that it didn’t matter even if they didn’t; just getting out and about exercising improved their overall quality of life.

Researcher and study co-author Angela Thompson of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, La said: “The public health message is tremendous, because it provides further support for the notion that even if someone cannot exercise an hour or more daily, getting out and exercising 10 to 30 minutes per day is beneficial, too.”

The research was presented Thursday at the American Heart Association’s Conference on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism.

“This is the first large controlled study of postmenopausal women to look at the effect of exercise training on the quality of life,” added Dr. Timothy S. Church, principal investigator and research director at Pennington. “It shows that exercise gives you energy and makes you feel better.”

“Walking a little bit every day will help tremendously,” Thompson added. “Walk with your mother, a neighbor or friend. A little physical activity will improve your quality of life.”

Average person’s heart is five years older than their real age

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London: The average person’s heart is five years older than their chronological age, according to a new study.

Based on an analysis of heart health checks conducted at branches of Lloydspharmacy, and using a protocol developed by Unilever and Boston University, the study shows that people’s hearts are aging faster than they should.

The research is based on a sample of more than 3000 tests conducted on adults less than 60 years old. The study should be a real wake up call for smokers in particular. The findings reveal that puffing away results in a heart age which is a full 14 years older than smokers’ actual age. The figure for non smoking men is 4 years. Women, however, fare better. The average Heart Age of non-smokers in this age group is the same as their chronological age.

Recently it emerged that while death rates from coronary heart disease are falling among the old they are levelling off or rising among people aged 35 to 54, suggesting that there is a middle aged heart disease bulge caused by over-indulgence and sedentary lifestyles.

The findings of the research coincide with the launch of a tie-up between Lloydspharmacy and Flora pro.activ. The initiative was launched by Gloria Hunniford who has been working with Flora pro.activ on a number of heart health campaigns.

Heart health is an issue that Gloria feels passionate about. She lost her first husband, Don Keating, as a result of an undetected heart condition and then her husband Stephen Way suffered a heart attack just after they got married.

Gloria herself had raised cholesterol (6.35mmol/l), and these experiences alerted her to what she describes as, “the silent killer cholesterol”, and made her realise that she needed to take serious steps to protect her own heart.

As part of the link between Lloydspharmacy and Flora pro.activ, people can get a free Cholesterol test and Heart Check worth £15 at more than 600 branches of Lloydspharmacy nationwide in return for two proofs of purchase of any Flora pro.activ products.

The Lloydspharmacy Cholesterol and Heart Check is a 10-15 minute consultation involving, amongst other things, cholesterol and blood pressure tests and a lifestyle assessment. Based on these results a percentage risk score of developing heart disease over the next ten years is estimated.

Heart Age

Heart age is calculated using a range of factors including blood pressure,
blood cholesterol, diet and lifestyle. The Heart Age Calculator was
developed through collaboration between Unilever (the parent company of
Flora) and the Boston University Statistics and Consulting Unit, the department that was involved in identifying the factors that increase people’s risk of heart disease in the world-famous Framingham Heart Study.

About Lloydspharmacy

Lloydspharmacy has 1,700 pharmacies across the country. These are based predominantly in community and health centre locations. The company employs over 16,000 staff, of which 80 per cent are women and dispenses 120 million prescription items annually. The pharmacies have over two million visits per week by customers who are also predominantly women.

Lloydspharmacy is the trading name of Lloydspharmacy Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Celesio AG based in Stuttgart. Celesio is the leading pharmaceutical distribution company in Europe and is represented in 15 countries. With its three divisions, Celesio Wholesale, Celesio Pharmacies and Celesio Solutions, the group covers the entire scope of pharmaceutical trade and pharmaceutical-related services.

Lloydspharmacy which is a community pharmacy has primary care at the heart of its business. This is why has launched a range of products aimed at community health such as affordable blood pressure monitors, Solar Safe products and is a supporter of NHS initiatives such as NHS Choices by providing terminals in-store for patient information.

High GI foods linked to lifestyle diseases

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Sydney: Scientists in Australia have found conclusive evidence that a high GI diet, generally rich in food that is burnt by the body quickly, leads to a higher risk of common lifestyle diseases.

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a measure of how different foods affect your blood glucose levels, with those that are “low GI” released more slowly and deemed better for health. This slow release means that less insulin is released into the bloodstream and the body’s stores less fat.

A team of nutrition experts at the University of Sydney evaluated 37 diet studies involving nearly two million people worldwide to analyse the effect of eating high GI foods, which are usually highly processed.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found a link between a high GI diet and a high risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.The diet was also linked to gall stones and some types of cancer.

Lead researcher, Alan Barclay said: “The key message from this study is that the GI of your diet is a powerful predictor of disease risk.Grandma was right, you are what you eat.”

He said the link with diabetes was “not surprising” because eating high GI foods inflates your blood glucose and insulin levels.

“You may literally ‘wear out’ your pancreas over time and eventually it may lead to type 2 diabetes in older age,” Mr Barclay said.

The researchers were more surprised by the “strong relationship” between GI and cancer.

High GI foods cause constant spikes in blood glucose which increase insulin and a related substance called ‘insulin-like growth factor one’, both of which have been shown to increase the risk of developing cancer.

“Other research shows that a high GI diet tends to reduce ‘good’ HDL cholesterol levels and raise triglycerides levels; bad news for cardiovascular diseases,” he said.

“And people with low HDL cholesterol and high triglyceride levels are more prone to gall stones.”

The researchers said their findings support eating a low GI diet to maintain healthy weight and help avoid disease.

Caryl Nowson, a professor of nutrition and ageing at Deakin University in Melbourne, said because high GI foods were typically high in fat and sugar and low in fibre, they were also ready known to be linked with disease.

“This review is just a new way of breaking down dietary information we already have,” Prof Nowson said.

She said while the benefits of eating according to GI rating had been proven, it was just one of many ways to structure a healthy diet.

“If you focus on having a classically balanced diet high in fibre and low in sugar, fat and refined foods you’ll find you’re eating relatively low GI anyway,” Prof Nowson said.

Diabetics face increasing risk of heart attack, says new research

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London: As the number of people with diabetes continues to grow, the number of diabetics who have a heart attack has doubled over the last ten years, UK researchers say.

The number of people with type 2 diabetes, the form associated with being overweight, has grown in the UK from 1.4 million in 1996 to two million. Thousands more are believed to have the disease without realising.

And around 13,000 people with type 2 diabetes are now treated for a heart attack every year, compared with less than 6,000 in 1996.

Hospital admissions for other associated diseases such as strokes and angina has also doubled among diabetics, along with keyhole heart surgery, according to a new Imperial College in London and Leicester University.

They compared the records of cardiac treatments carried out in English hospitals between April 2005 and March 2006 with those from April 1995 to March 1996.

The analysis showed that diabetics accounted for 13.9 per cent of patients treated for a heart attack in the later period, up from 7.2 per cent a decade ago.

Angina admissions had more than doubled, from 6.7 per cent to 15.3 per cent, while the proportion of diabetics among those being treated for strokes had risen from 6.1 per cent to 11.3 per cent.

The researchers looked only at type 2 diabetes, the most common form. This is usually identified in middle age, although Britons’ expanding waistlines mean more children are being diagnosed with it.

Type 2 diabetes is often controlled initially with a stringent diet and exercise regime, but many sufferers will see their condition worsen over time and will eventually need tablets or insulin injections.

The high blood sugar levels among those with diabetes make them five times as likely to develop heart disease as the rest of the population.

Can fizzy drinks cause obesity?

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St Pauls: Drinking carbonated diet drinks is linked with metabolic disorders, researchers at the University of Minnesota have concluded.

Metabolic syndrome is an increase in risk factors toward cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This includes a larger waistline, high blood pressure and higher levels of fats found in the blood.

The research which took over nine years and examined data on 10,000 individuals.

The study showed that people who drank one can of diet soda every day were 34 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome, but those who drank one can of regular soda were only 10 percent more likely to develop it.

Does this new information cause people to want to steer clear of carbonated diet drink?

The researchers say more research is required to establish the link with diet drinks.

Nearly 50% of adults don’t know their fats

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London: Nearly half the population (45%) do not realise that too much saturated fat (SAFA) is bad for their health.

This latest research from independent UK body, The Fat Panel, also reveals that whilst one in seven fail to link coronary heart disease with excessive SAFA intake, nearly one in four believe that reining in saturated fat consumption will improve their love lives.

These findings re-enforce the panel’s claims that Brits do not understand fats – unaware of which are good and which are bad for their health. As a result, on average the UK eats 17% too much saturated fat; raising the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. In view of this, the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) has commissioned a consultation on how to reduce the nation’s intake of saturated fat and energy.

“Most of us should be worrying less about the amount of fat we are consuming, and more about what types of fat we’re including in our diets. The research is worrying, as it shows that many of us are still unaware of the risks of eating too much saturated fat, despite health professionals and academics long-term concerns backed by a wealth of clinical evidence,” said Dr Sarah Berry of The Fat Panel.

“It’s good to see the Government shining a spotlight on this harmful fat. If it hopes to see a reduction in the amount of saturated fat that people are eating, we need to help people to understand SAFA and why it’s so bad for your health”.

There is a lot of public confusion over which foods are high in saturated fat, making it difficult for the public to know which fats and foods they should avoid or cut down on. More than one third of those questioned (35%) believes that sunflower oil is high in saturated fat (it contains just 12%), whilst more than one quarter think that rapeseed oil is high in this bad fat (it contains just 8% saturated fat).

Nearly one in 10 of those questioned do not realise that butter is high in saturated fat. A further one in eight does not think cakes and biscuits have a high SAFA content. In addition, one in 10 are unaware of meat products, such as meat pies and sausages, containing high levels.

Sian Porter of The Fat Panel says “By understanding that saturated fat is bad for the body, the next step is for people to recognise which foods contain these. Snacks such as cakes, biscuits and pastries contain high levels – but this can easily be rectified by simply swapping these for healthier options like fruit or even toast with spread – which on average contains 25% less saturated fat. It’s all about education, and having the knowledge to make informed – and as a result – healthier choices”.

Recent moves on food labelling should help people make these choices; however just half of us even look at the on-pack information when buying butter or spreads for instance, and only one in six look at how much saturated fat is in the pack. When thinking about saturated fat content, all spreads are at least 25% lower in saturated fat than butter and some contain much less with certain spreads offering up to 83% less saturated fat. More and more people are opting for low-fat products, whether on health or diet grounds, but it seems like few consider what type of fat a product contains.

The Fat Panel
Dr Sarah Berry BSc Msc PhD RNutr
Dr Berry is a registered nutritionist, working at kings College, and her specialist area of knowledge and research is lipid metabolism and coronary heart disease risk.

Sian Porter MScBsc(HONS) RD
Sian is a state registered dietician and holds an MSc in Health Economics.

Dr Paul Stillman MB ChB DRCOG PGCHE
Dr Stillman is in general practice in Crawley, Sussex and is a general practice trainer with the British Postgraduate Medical Federation.

Dr Pamela Mason, PhD, MSc, MRPharmS
Dr Mason is a nutritionist and pharmacist.

Dr Chris Steele MB, ChB
Dr Steele is a general practitioner and is the regular ‘doc’ on ITV’s ‘This Morning’ show. He is Health Journalist of the Year.

Dr Amanda Kirby MBBS MRCGP MFFP
Dr Kirby is a GP in Cardiff, with specific experience in community paediatrics.

Research was undertaken by Kember Associates with adults across the UK.

www.TheFatPanel.org.uk

Is salt fuelling child obesity?

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London: Salt-rich diets could be the reason why many children are getting fatter, University of London researchers say.

In a study of data on 1,600 children, they found that children eating a salty diet tended to drink more, including more fattening, sugary soft drinks.

They reported in journal Hypertension that halving the average daily salt intake of six grams a day could cut 250 calories a week from a child’s diet. They said the the food industry should reduce salt content in products.

One in five children in the UK is overweight and there are fears that this will contribute to a rising trend in adult obesity, heart disease and stroke in years to come.

Eating products high in salt tends to make people thirsty and it is known that in adults, a salt-laden diet tends to increase the amount of sugary soft drinks consumed.

This is the first study to see if the same effect was found in children.

The team from St George’s, University of London, looked at data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, conducted in 1997.

They used a sample of 1,600 four to 18-year-olds who had all had their salt and fluid intake measured precisely.

They found that children eating a lower-salt diet drank less fluid and estimated that one gram of salt cut from a daily diet would reduce fluid intake by 100 grams per day.

Approximately a quarter of those 100 grams would be sugary soft drinks, they predicted.

The researchers estimated that if children cut their salt intake by half – an average reduction of three grams a day – there would be a decrease of approximately two sugar-sweetened soft drinks per week per child.

That, in turn, would decrease each child’s calorie intake by almost 250 calories per week.

They urged parents to check the salt content of their children’s meals and manufacturers to find ways to reduce this content.

They said reductions in the salt content of 10% or 20% cannot be detected by human salt taste receptors and do not cause any “technological or safety problems”.

Professor Graham McGregor, one of the paper’s authors and the chairman of Consensus Action on Salt and Health, said that while some manufacturers had acted to reduce salt levels in bread and cereals – the main sources of salt for children – there was still plenty left for the industry to do.

“Unfortunately some food specifically targeted at children has to be laced with salt otherwise it would be inedible, because it is made from mechanically-recovered meat,” he said.

“The salt levels in some of these products have been brought virtually up to the level of sea water.

“This is evidence of another, hidden way in which eating too much salt may harm the health of children and the industry needs to do a lot more.”

Dr Myron Weinberger, from the Indiana University Medical Center, wrote that reductions in salt and soft drink consumption in children, coupled with an increase in physical activity, could help reduce the “scourge of cardiovascular disease” in western society.

A spokesman for the British Heart Foundation said that better food labelling would help parents to choose healthier foods for their families.

“When children regularly swill down salty foods with sugary, calorie-laden soft drinks, it can mean double trouble for their future heart health.

“This report is yet more proof that children must be supported to make healthier food choices to avoid becoming obese or increasing their blood pressure.”

Fast food harms the liver

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Too much fast food and too little exercise can harm the liver in just one month, research suggests.

A small study found that people who ate junk food twice a day experienced varying degrees of damage to their liver.

They also put on large amounts of weight in a relatively short amount of time.

Twelve men and six women – 17 of whom were students – were recruited for the study, published online in the journal Gut.

They were all healthy and slim, but for the study they ate at least two fast food meals a day, preferably from well-known fast food restaurants.

Exercise was also restricted to under 5,000 steps per day each.

Blood samples were taken at the start of the study, two weeks into the study and after four weeks.

Participants were urged to greatly increase their daily calorie intake, and only stopped the trial early if they gained 15% in weight.

Another group ate a normal healthy diet and acted as controls.

National Bike Week – 14-22 June

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London: Bike Week, the UK’s biggest mass participation cycling event, is this year challenging families to get out of their cars, step away from the TV and get on their bikes. The call to action is ‘Free the Family’ and rediscover how much fun you can have together on a bike.

From Bristol to Belfast and Edinburgh to Eastbourne, thousands of free cycling events will provide the opportunity for everyone from total novices to passionate cyclists to get on their bikes. This year’s focus on the family means there will be children’s rides, free bike safety checks and advice on getting started.

Andre Curtis, Manager at Bike Week said; “Plenty of parents have forgotten how much fun cycling was as a child. This year’s Bike Week will help to revive those memories and encourage families to spend quality family time together, have fun and get fit at the same time. We hope that taking part in a Bike Week event will act as a catalyst for people to cycle more regularly and enjoy the long term benefits of a healthier lifestyle.”

Why not join the 500,000 people who came along last year? To find out what is taking place in your local area, visit www.bikeweek.org.ukand enter your postcode. If you’d like to take part but don’t have a bike – this shouldn’t stop you – you can simply search for your nearest bike rental outlet on the website. All participants get the chance to win a Center Parcs family holiday – giving another reason to get on your bike!

For further information, or if you’d like to organise your own event, log on to www.bikeweek.org.uk or phone 0845 612 0661 (within UK)

Five reasons to get on your bike:

1. Cyclists live on average at least two years longer than non-cyclists and their fitness levels are equivalent to being ten years younger – so forget nip and tuck, think pedal and push!

2. Cycling is the ultimate family activity; it’s healthy, fun and encourages children to be independent.

3.Twenty minutes of gentle cycling burns up to 100 calories, so if you cycle to work, you’ll be able to have that afternoon treat without feeling an inch of guilt!

4. Studies show that car drivers are exposed to five times as much polluted air than cyclists, making cycling good for the environment, as well as your health

5. In a rush? Cycling is often much quicker than public transport or taking the car – even better, you won’t spend a penny on public transport, road tax, parking, MOT or fuel.

Bike Week will run from 14-22 June 2008
Bike Week is one of the UK’s biggest annual promotions of cycling and provides a national umbrella for locally organised events and activities up and down the country.

Bike Week began as a grass-roots organisation in 1923 and receives funding from the Department for Transport, Cycling England, Transport for London, Northern Ireland Executive, The Welsh Assembly Government and The Scottish Government. Bike Week also receives funding from the cycle industry via Bike Hub.

The partners that run Bike Week are drawn from the whole cycling community including the cycle industry, Cycling England and Cycling Scotland, Sustrans, CTC and Cycle Campaign Network. More information can be found at www.bikeweek.org.uk

Boost your fitness regime with the new Salter Body Analyser

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Christmas parties, Christmas lunch, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, mince pies and mulled wine, edible and drinkable Christmas presents… the list goes on and on and results in many of us bearing a closer resemblance to the traditionally rotund Old Saint Nick than we might like. And the result; come 12pm NYE we pledge that in the New Year we will be healthier, fitter or slimmer, but that is easier said than done.

Luckily Salter is at hand to aid on this journey with the convenient and innovative #9106 Glass Body Analyser Scale. Beneath the sleek exterior the scale features five smart analyser functions which measure weight, body fat %, body water %, muscle mass and bone mass. There is also an athlete mode and a ten user memory which will help all members of the household to understand what they are made of, as well as keeping track of weight or slimming goals whilst simultaneously giving a helpful health update.

As well as being easy to use, the Salter 9106 Body Analyser Scale is certainly easy on the eye; it’s contemporary stylish design and functional easy to read 40mm LCD display with illuminated icons makes the Salter 9106 Body Analyser Scale the perfect addition to any bathroom.

The Body Analyser Scale retails at around £50 and is available in the UK online and in store from Argos and John Lewis.

Salter is offering six 9106 Body Analyser Scales to ElixirNews readers. The six lucky readers will be selected in a draw. To take part in the draw please email us at readeroffer@elixirnews.com by January 15, stating Salter in the email headline, and giving us your name and address. Please note that no money eqivalent is being offered and the Editor’s decison is final.

Nosh Detox – bespoke food delivery within the M25 area only

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10% off

Email: info@noshdetoxdelivery.com T: 0845 2576674
Web site www.noshdetoxdelivery.com

· Put on extra pounds that just won’t shift?
· Feeling lethargic and low?
· Post-pregnancy weight and no time to spend on yourself?
· Too tired after work to cook and eat properly?

Then Natural Organic Safe and Healthy is for you

At last, innovative company, Nosh has created a unique service that delivers nutritious and appetising organic, dairy and gluten free meals direct to your door.

Eating healthy, delicious meals and getting in shape, all become much easier when you have a dedicated chef working for you. No longer just the preserve of stars and the super rich, Nosh’s highly trained chefs specialise in a variety of international cuisines and use only the highest standards of fresh, organic produce to create delicious, dairy and gluten free meals tailored to your lifestyle.

And it’s all so easy! Every morning Nosh will deliver specially prepared gourmet meals and snacks, for both you and your family that will both delight your taste buds and satisfy your dietary needs. So whether your aim is weight-loss, detox, or simply a long needed energy boost, you can forget recipe books and supermarkets, and concentrate on enjoying all your new found free time.

Brainchild of Geeta Sidhu-Robb, author of the best selling, ‘Food for All: Gluten, Diary, Egg and Nut Free Cookbook’, Nosh was founded in 2005, initially providing healthy food for babies and children. Geeta’s own son was diagnosed with anaphylaxis as a baby and went on to develop multiple food allergies, leading Geeta to retrain as a food technician with a mission to educate people in correct eating patterns and the benefits of a balanced diet.

Nosh is based in Chelsea and caters for customers within the M25 area of Greater London. At £39 Nosh is the only food delivery service that guarantees its customers organic diary and gluten free food – and you can taste the difference.
info@noshdetoxdelivery.com T: 0845 2576674
Website: www.noshdetoxdelivery.com