Social & Family ties Influence Obesity

So can your friends and family members make you fat? That's what researchers at the Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center set out to answer.

In a study published by the journal Obesity, young adults ages 18-25 were more likely to have overweight romantic partners and best friends, casual friends and even family members compared to normal weight peers. Overweight young adults also reported having social connections with other people trying to lose weight, had great weight loss intentions.

Why is this important? Forty percent of young adults age 18-25 are considered overweight or obese. This age groups is also experiencing the highest rate of weight gain per year-about one to two pounds.

The participants completed questionnaires to determine their weight and height, number of overweight social contacts (including best friends, romantic partners, casual friends, relatives and colleagues/classmates) and perceived social norms for obesity and obesity-related behaviors.

Overweight and obese study participants completed additional questionnaires to assess how many of their overweight social contacts were currently trying to lose weight, perceived social norms for weight loss (such as how frequently social contacts encouraged them to lose weight or whether the people closest to them would approve if they were to lose weight), and intentions to lose weight within the next three months.

Compared to normal weight young adults, those who were overweight or obese were more likely to have an overweight romantic partner (25 percent vs. 14 percent) and an overweight best friend (24 percent vs. 14 percent). The data suggests that obesity 'clusters' in this population. But interestingly, social norms for obesity did not differ between the two groups and did not account for the clustering. Both groups reported low levels of social acceptability for being overweight, eating unhealthy foods and being inactive.

The study also showed overweight and obese young adults who had more social contacts trying to lose weight were more likely to want to lose weight themselves. Social norms for weight loss, such as encouragement and approval from social contacts, account for this association.

The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Research Center also points out that young adults are less likely to participate in behavioral weight loss intervention programs, but when they do, they tend to lose less weight than older adults. According to one researcher, the key to an effective obesity treatment and prevention program; is identifying the factors that influence both weight status and weight control in this high-risk group.

Enhance Romance by Going out With Other Couples

Romantic relationships often start out as enjoyable or even exciting, but sometimes may become routine and boring. A Wayne State University study reveals that dating couples that integrate other couples into their social lives are more likely to have happy and satisfying romantic relationships.

Richard B. Slatcher, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology in WSU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a resident of Birmingham, Mich., specializes in social and health psychology. His recent research suggests that spending quality time with other couples may be an important way to improve long-term dating relationships.

His study, "When Harry and Sally met Dick and Jane: Experimentally creating closeness between couples," which recently appeared in Personal Relationships, investigated 60 dating couples in a controlled laboratory setting. The object was to better understand how friendships between couples are formed, and to learn how these friendships affected each couple's romantic relationship.

Each couple was paired with another couple and given a set of questions to discuss as a group. Half of the groups were given high-disclosure questions intended to spark intense discussion, while the other half were given small-talk questions that focused on everyday, unemotional activities.

"In this study, we discovered that those couples who were placed in the "fast friends" group felt closer to the couples they interacted with, and were more likely actually to meet up with them again during the following month," said Slatcher. "We also learned that these same couples felt that this friendship put a spark in their own relationships, and they felt much closer to their romantic partners."

The couples in the high-disclosure group reported greater increases in positive feelings after the intense interaction. They also felt the interaction was more novel and that they learned new things about their romantic partner compared to couples in the small-talk group. In addition, one-third of the couples in the high-disclosure group contacted the other couple they met in the study, while none of the couples in the small-talk group initiated contact with the couple they had met.

"This study suggests that if your romantic relationship has a case of the doldrums, having fun with another couple may help make your own relationship more satisfying," said Slatcher.

 

(Science Daily)

The Benefits of a Vacation

If you haven't taken a vacation in a while, you probably should make plans for one soon. Your mind and body will thank you for it.

In our fast-paced, hectic world, we're plagued with negative economic news and a questionable job market which adds to the stress that so many people already endure on a daily basis. So much so that many people have avoided taking a vacation for fear of losing their job. All the more reason to take that vacation.

Studies have shown that taking a vacation can reduce the risk of dying from heart disease-often brought on by stress-in addition to contributing to a more healthier life. In a study conducted by the University of New York in Oswego; 12,000 men, ages 35-57, participated in a heart disease prevent program. The results showed the men who took vacations every year reduced their overall risk of death by 20 percent and their risk of death from heart disease by 30 percent.

Stress is the cruelest trick played upon the mind. When our mind is constantly occupied with work ,other responsibilities, and problems; it is the stress which often manifest itself into the health problems which cause us to get heart disease and other ailments. Its important to take a vacation; to have that time to relax the mind and body. By doing so, you can come back refreshed and better able to handle those challenges and stresses of work and other responsibilities that were slowly killing you from within. Finding that balance is what its really about. A study from the University of Pittsburgh's Mind-Body Center, says that people who had more leisure activities reported more life satisfaction and more meaning in their life.

So what makes for a good vacation? Here are some helpful suggestions:

1. Make sure to have a vacation budget. You shouldn't be thinking about whether or not you can afford a vacation during the process of taking one, or running out of money.
2. Let your boss and co-workers know about your vacation early.
3. Reserve the flights and hotels early. This will help avoid any confusion which can ruin a vacation.
4. Pack light. You're on vacation, not relocating.
5. Leave the laptop at home and the cell phone off or at home. Too many people take these devices with them to do work, which defeats the purpose. But as for electronic devices, do take a digital camera to record those fun memories. I would even suggest a journal, if you prefer to write about your experience.
6. If traveling outside your perspective country, make sure your passport and other documents are up to date.
7. Try taking a vacation somewhere you've never been before. Doing something you've never done before. New experiences are very stimulating to the mind, body, and soul.

   To help plan your vacation, visit these helpful links which offer a wealth of information on great deals that can fit into your budget.

   Smarter Travel.com

   Vacation Outlet.com

   Orbitz.com

Scam.com

This is the time of year when many scams are abundant on the internet. Those holiday bills are coming in and debts are starting to increase as a result. With job market looking scarce; many people tend to seek out online money-making opportunities-usually in form of some home-based business or work-at-home job which promises a lucrative income. Unfortunately, many of these deals require you to pay fee or subscription to access a specific website or to download the materials needed to work the business/program.

Of course the flashy advertising doesn't hold back on the claims it makes and it is these claims which entice you to buy. Unfortunately, the claims made by many of these ads are not true or they are overly exaggerated. Which all comes down to one word; scam.

When considering buying into an online money-making program, its important to do your home work first.

Being internet street-smart can save you a lot of time, money, and headaches.

• First and foremost, make sure the business has contact information-a phone number and address. I would suggest calling the business and ask some questions about the program or opportunity before buying. Make sure you get to speak with a live human being and not just leaving messages on a voice mail.
• Check if the business is listed with the Better Business Bureau. Note: not every business/advertiser is listed in the BBB, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they're not legit, but in all honesty, it does add to their credibility.
• Making a payment, make sure the website is secure. Look for the "https" in the address bar. This indicates a secure site. FYI: not all websites are truly secure. Some phishers use websites which appear to have padlocks. To check, click on the padlock icon on the status bar to see the security certificate.
• Use a PayPal account when making purchases on line. Its separate from your checking or savings account and PayPal can take steps to refund your money if necessary. Which reminds me.
• Stay away from online money-making deals that don’t have a refund policy. This can be a red flag of a scam. Make sure the policy is clearly stated. You might even want to copy and paste it to a note pad for your records. There are numerous sites that make it easy for you to buy, but make it very difficult to get your money back.
• Spam-junk e-mail is often used to promote bogus investment schemes. With bulk email software, spammers can send out millions of email ads, some even personalized with your name and address on it. Many scam artists use spam to reach potential victims.
• Work at home deals. Be very careful of those work-at-home opportunities. There are so many of them which require you to pay a fee. Hmmm, paying a fee to work for a company. That should be a red flag to you. Keep in mind that truly legit work-at-home deals will not require a fee.

If you are scammed, you are not powerless. There are steps you can take to recoup your money and even bring the scammers to justice.

If you're having a problem with a online business your dealing with, don't hesitate to contact the Better Business Bureau. Businesses hate complaints filed against them and this is particularly true if they are members of the BBB. Another option is contacting the state's Attorney General in the state where the business is located. Many state Attorney Generals' offices have websites where you can file a complaint online and report scams. You can even contact your local FBI office or go to their website where you can report a scam at http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/ . Try working out the matter first with the business, often just the threat of filing a complaint or being reported to the authorities is enough to get justice.

Roasting Coffee Beans Dark Brown Produces Valued Antioxidants

Food scientists at the University of British Columbia have been able to pinpoint more of the complex chemistry behind coffee’s much touted antioxidant benefits, tracing valuable compounds to the roasting process.

Lead author Yazheng Liu and co-author Prof. David Kitts found that the prevailing antioxidants present in dark roasted coffee brew extracts result from the green beans being browned under high temperatures.

Their findings will appear in a forthcoming issue of Food Research International.

Liu and Kitts analyzed the complex mixture of chemical compounds produced during the bean’s browning process, called the “Maillard reaction.” The term refers to the work by French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard who in the 1900s looked at how heat affects the carbohydrates, sugars and proteins in food, such as when grilling steaks or toasting bread.

Antioxidants aid in removing free radicals, the end products of metabolism which have been linked to the aging process.

“Previous studies suggested that antioxidants in coffee could be traced to caffeine or the chlorogenic acid found in green coffee beans, but our results clearly show that the Maillard reaction is the main source of antioxidants,” says Liu, an MSc student in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems (LFS).

“We found, for example, that coffee beans lose 90 per cent of their chlorogenic acid during the roasting process,” says Kitts, LFS food science professor and director of the Food, Nutrition and Health program.

The UBC study sheds light on an area of research that has yielded largely inconsistent findings. While some scientists report increased antioxidant activity in coffee made from dark roasted beans, others found a decrease. Yet other theories insist that medium roast coffees yield the highest level of antioxidant activity.

(RedOrbit.com)

Super Bowl could be hazardous to your health

(Health.com) -- This Sunday's Super Bowl could prove to be a real heartbreaker for some fans of the losing team.

A new study suggests that the emotional stress fans feel after a loss may trigger fatal heart attacks, especially in people who already have heart disease. Stress generates the so-called fight-or-flight response, which causes sharp upticks in heart rate and blood pressure that can strain the heart.

For people with heart disease -- or for those who are at risk due to factors such as obesity, smoking, and diabetes -- such strain can prove harmful, if not fatal.

In the study, which was published Monday in the journal Clinical Cardiology, researchers analyzed death records in Los Angeles County for the two weeks after the 1980 and 1984 Super Bowls, both of which featured teams from Los Angeles. (The game days were included.) Then, as a control, the researchers looked at the same data from the corresponding days in the intervening years.

In 1980, when the Pittsburgh Steelers staged a fourth-quarter comeback to beat the underdog L.A. Rams, heart-related deaths shot up 15% among men and 27% among women in the subsequent two weeks, compared with the same period in 1981 through 1983.

There was also a significant increase in deaths among people ages 65 and older, the study found.