Diet high in protein lowers stroke risk

A new study suggests that people with diets higher in protein, especially from fish, may be less likely to have a stroke than those with diets lower in protein."The amount of protein that led to the reduced risk was moderate-equal to 20 grams per day," study author Xinfeng Liu, MD, PhD, of Nanjing University School of Medicine in Nanjing, China said."Additional, larger studies are needed before definitive recommendations can be made, but the evidence is compelling," Liu said.The meta-analysis looked at all of the available research on the relationship between protein in the diet and the risk of stroke. Seven studies with a total of 254,489 participants who were followed for an average of 14 years were included in the analysis.Overall, the...

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Contrave Waiting On The FDA For Approval; Orexigen's Diet Pill Waiting For Drug Classification

A new pill might soon be available for obese people who are trying to lose weight. The drug in question is Orexigen Therapeutics' Contrave, currently known as NB32. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to make a decision by this Wednesday and according to analysts, that decision will go in favor of the drug.The FDA had previously rejected Contrave in January 2011. In order to resubmit an application for FDA review and approval, Orexigen conducted a multiyear study to find evidence that Contrave is safe for patients' cardiovascular health. So far, the ongoing study that involves 8,900 patients has found evidence that the drug is safe or safe enough.The researchers reported that 53 percent of the people taking Contrave were...

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Obesity research confirms long-term weight loss almost impossible

There's a disturbing truth that is emerging from the science of obesity. After years of study, it's becoming apparent that it's nearly impossible to permanently lose weight.As incredible as it sounds, that's what the evidence is showing. For psychologist Traci Mann, who has spent 20 years running an eating lab at the University of Minnesota, the evidence is clear. "It couldn't be easier to see," she says. "Long-term weight loss happens to only the smallest minority of people."We all think we know someone in that rare group. They become the legends — the friend of a friend, the brother-in-law, the neighbor — the ones who really did it.But if we check back after five or 10 years, there's a good chance they will have put the weight back on....

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How Can Oatmeal Help You to Lose Weight?

Oatmeal is a versatile hot cereal that can help you lose weight and stay healthy. Rolled oats, steel-cut oats and instant oats all provide health benefits, and eating oatmeal for breakfast is the best way to include it in a weight-loss regimen. Oatmeal fills you up, gives you energy and provides essential nutrients. Breakfast When you eat oatmeal it's likely that you are eating it for breakfast. Starting the day with a healthful breakfast fills you up, making it easier to avoid high-fat and sugar laden snacks later in the day. The energy you get from eating breakfast boosts your metabolism and can make you more physically active during the day and better able to burn more calories. As a whole grain, oatmeal is one...

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Fitness and 'fatness' both matter to the heart

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Losing fitness or packing on fat with age each can be bad for the heart -- but avoiding either one of those fates may protect the ticker, a study published Monday suggests. U.S. researchers found that of more than 3,100 healthy adults they followed, those who improved -- or simply maintained -- their fitness levels were less likely to develop high blood pressure, high cholesterol or other well-established heart disease risk factors. Similarly, people who maintained their weight had fewer of those red flags than people who became heavier over time. That may sound logical, but part of what's new in the findings, researchers say, is that changes in fitness and "fatness" each appeared important on their...

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Study Says Short Men Live Longer—But Only if You're Really Short

RESEARCH HAS SHOWN time and again that being tall offers rewards way beyond the satisfaction of dunking a basketball or reaching the highest shelf in the cupboard. You may have read the study, for example, that found that tall people (especially men) earn more money, get more respect, and amass higher status than short people. Or that voters prefer taller presidents over shorter ones; the bigger candidate won 58% of the time between 1789 and 2008. Then there are the pop-cultural references, perhaps best embodied by singer-songwriter Randy Newman's perennially popular 1977 hit song "Short People," with its stinging opening line: "Short people got no reason to live." Well, society can laugh its big head all it wants at short men,...

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