According to a recent study, thinking too much can make you fat. Researchers found that the stress of over thinking can make people seek out more calories and they believe that the details of their discovery could explain the current obesity epidemic.

A research team from the University Laval in Quebec, Canada, who published their research in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, measured the spontaneous food intake of 14 students after each of three tasks. The first task was to relax in a sitting position, the second task was reading and summarising a test and the third task was completing a series of memory, attention and vigilance tests on a computer. After 45 minutes of each task all the students were invited to eat as much as they wanted from a buffet. The researchers had previously discovered that each session of intellectual work only requires three more calories than the rest period. However, despite the low energy cost of mental work the students spontaneously consumed 203 more calories after summarising a test and 253 more calories after computer tests. This suggests a 23.6 percent increase and 29.4 percent increase respectively compared to the rest session. Blood tests taken before, during and after each task revealed that mental work causes bigger fluctuations in glucose and insulin levels than periods of rest.

 

The researchers believe that increased calorie consumption following mental work combined with the fact that people are less physically active when they are doing intellectual tasks could be contributing to the obesity epidemic currently observed in industrialised countries where a large proportion of the working population are desk bound.

A new study from Texas A&M University in America has suggested that eating red grapefruit may reduce the risk of osteoporosis by boosting bone density. Researchers found that feeding red grapefruit pulp to rats with thinning bones significantly slowed down the rate at which bone cells died – perhaps by boosting levels of immune boosting, disease fighting antioxidants.

The other possibility, from my point of view, is that although grapefruits are thought of as acidic fruits, which they are as we eat them, after digestion they create an alkaline effect. The more acidic the diet becomes with too much animal protein, sugar, caffeine etc, the more calcium is leeched from the bones. So by making the diet more alkaline, e.g. more fruit and vegetables, the calcium remains in the bones. If you would like to read more about the acid/alkaline connection and osteoporosis, see my book ‘Osteoporosis – the silent epidemic’. 

 

Osteoporosis currently affects one in two women, a much higher rate than breast cancer, which is one in nine. Women who have a family history of the disease, those who don’t get much exercise, those who smoke and those who drink heavily are most at risk.

Pregnant women who are deficient in vitamin D are more likely to need a Caesarean, according to the latest study from Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Centre, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

 

Researchers checked the blood levels of vitamin D in pregnant women. In total 253 women were enrolled in the study, of whom 17% had a Caesarean section. Some 28 per cent of women with low levels of vitamin D had to have a surgical delivery compared with 14 percent of women with high levels. The researchers also believe there may be a clear link between lack of vitamin D and the pregnancy disorder pre-eclampsia, which requires immediate delivery of the baby and usually involves Caesarean section. The reason vitamin D deficiency causes problems in childbirth are unknown, but it may be related to the fact that lack of vitamin D is linked to poor muscle strength.

 

Other studies have shown a link between lower levels of vitamin D and a higher risk of cancer, joint pains, heart disease, diabetes and, of course, osteoporosis. Fatty fish, such as mackerel and salmon, is a good source of vitamin D and so are egg yolks. One of the most beneficial sources is the manufacture of vitamin D through the skin from exposure to sunlight. 

 

Testing vitamin D is done with a simple blood test and if you are deficient then you would supplement with vitamin D for three months, then re-test to make sure that the level is back to normal. If you would like to be tested for vitamin D deficiency then do contact my clinic on 0870 5329244 or go to www.marilynglenville.com.