Wellness Bites: The Real Research Behind Latest Health Claims
Health and beauty expert Paula Simpson weighs in on red wine’s anti-aging properties, dietary supplements, diet soda and weight gain, and eating nuts to help manage diabetes.
Every once in awhile I like to take a break from the usual blogs and highlight some recent hot topics of interest that you may not be aware of. Here are some of the most recent findings that have heightened my interest to learn more. I hope you find them interesting too.
FDA Attempts to Strengthen Regulation of Dietary Supplements
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates dietary supplements under a different set of regulations than those covering conventional foods and drug products (prescription and over-the-counter). Recently, the FDA released new guidelines for supplement manufacturers in order to strengthen regulatory control and consumer safety. Although many are debating the effectiveness of this guideline, it should be noted that many supplement manufacturers already follow stringent quality control guidelines and it is therefore important to do some background research on the supplement company you are considering.
Moreover, seek products that are backed by health professionals who have no commercial endorsement with the manufacturing company. Watch out for outrageous claims, proprietary blends and/or products that do not provide a detailed supplement facts panel.
Diet Soda Causes Weight Gain?
If you think that drinking diet soda is helping you save calories, you may be wrong. The University of Texas researched diet soda consumption over 10 years and found that people who drank two or more cans of diet drinks a day saw their waist measurements expand five times faster than those who never touch the stuff.
The researchers believe that the consumption of diet sodas encourage a sweet tooth, interfere with appetite and even damage key brain cells. If you remember, during the 1990s, studies came out giving the opposite results, leading many to switch from sugar-laden beverages to artificially sweetened sodas. My opinion, keep it simple and stick with water!
Just 2 Ounces of Nuts Per Day to Regulate Blood Sugar?
Researchers from St. Michaels Hospital in Toronto found that consuming two ounces of nuts daily as a replacement for carbohydrates proved effective at glycemic and serum lipid control for people with Type 2 diabetes. The research, published by the journal, Diabetes Care, concluded that by taking just 2 ounces of raw, unsalted mixed nuts per day had benefits for balancing blood sugars and lipids and may help better manage diabetes and help to control weight.
Red Wine Ingredient Resveratrol, Hot Anti-Aging Ingredient?
A recent review of human clinical research on Resveratrol conducted at the University of Florida confirms that Resveratrol is safe for human consumption, improves blood flow and insulin resistance, and decreases oxidative stress and inflammation in humans. As we are aware of the ill health effects that chronic inflammation has on our health, Resveratrol continues to prove effective in combating inflammation both within the body and the skin.
As strange as it sounds, a new research study published in the FASEB Journal, suggests that the “healthy” ingredient in red wine, Resveratrol, may prevent the negative effects that spaceflight and sedentary lifestyles have on people. As many of us try to maintain a healthy body composition as we age, this could be something of interest for future research. Food for thought … or drink to that!
For more from Paula Simpson on genConnect:
- The “Clean 15″ and “Dirty” Dozen, by Paula Simpson
- Foods to Naturally Detoxify and Help Trim Your Waistline!
- Skin Cancer Awareness Month; How Antioxidants Can Help
- How Nutrition Influences Your Skin’s Aging Process
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These are one expert’s views on the news. Share with us your thoughts in the comments box below.
