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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2013
Eating protein for breakfast will keep you slim- scientists By Amanda Williams
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high protein breakfast of eggs and steak could help you stay slim and stop dieters snacking at night, scientists say. Experts at the University of Missouri have found that a breakfast rich in protein significantly improves appetite control and reduces unhealthy snacking on high-fat or highsugar foods in the evening. But according to research some 60 per cent of American young people consistently skip 'the most important meal of the day.' Now, Heather Leidy, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology says a proper breakfast could hold the key to solving the American obesity crises, which currently sees more than 25 million overweight or obese young adults in the U.S. Leidy is the first to examine the impact of breakfast consumption on daily appetite
Surprisingly, the tests found that food such as Mexican burritos (left) could be more likely to help you stay slim than breakfast cereals such as muesli (right) and evening snacking in young people who habitually skip breakfast. In her study, 20 overweight or obese adolescent females ages 18-20 either skipped breakfast, consumed a high-protein
breakfast consisting of eggs and lean beef, or ate a normal-protein breakfast of ready-to-eat cereal. Every breakfast consisted of 350 calories and was matched for dietary fat, fiber, sugar and energy density.
Experts at the University of Missouri have found that a breakfast rich in protein - such as lean beef significantly improves appetite control and reduces unhealthy snacking in the evening
The high-protein breakfast contained 35 grams of protein. Participants completed questionnaires and provided blood samples throughout the day. Prior to dinner, a brain scan using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed to track brain signals that control food motivation and reward-driven eating behavior. The consumption of the highprotein breakfast led to increased fullness or 'satiety' along with reductions in brain activity that is responsible for controlling food cravings. The high-protein breakfast also reduced evening snacking on high-fat and high-sugar foods compared to when breakfast was skipped or when a normal protein, ready-to-eat cereal breakfast was consumed, Leidy said. 'Eating a protein-rich breakfast impacts the drive to eat later in the day, when people are more likely to consume highfat or high-sugar snacks' Leidy said. 'These data suggest that eating a protein-rich breakfast is one potential strategy to prevent overeating and improve diet quality by replacing unhealthy snacks with high quality breakfast foods.' People who normally skip breakfast might be skeptical about consuming food in the morning, but Leidy says it only takes about three days for the body to adjust to eating early in the day. Study participants ate egg and beef-based foods such as burritos or egg-based waffles with applesauce and a beef sausage patty as part of a highprotein breakfast; Leidy also suggests eating plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or ground pork loin as alternatives to reach
Going to work on a high protein breakfast of eggs and steak could help you stay slim
the 35 grams of protein. Future research will examine whether regularly consuming high-protein breakfasts improves body weight management in young people. The article, 'Beneficial effects of a higher-protein breakfast on the appetitive, hormonal, and neural signals controlling energy intake regulation in overweight/obese, 'breakfast skipping,' late-adolescent girls,' was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology is a joint effort by MU's College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; College of Human Environmental Sciences; and School of Medicine. Funding for the research was provided by the Beef Check-off and the Egg Nutrition Center/ American Egg Board. Source: Dailymail.co.uk
People who suffer from cold sores could have 'impaired' memory and thinking skills By Emma Innes
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old sores may increase the risk of impaired memory and thinking skills, new research suggests. The herpes simplex virus that causes cold sores is one of a number of infectious agents associated with reduced mental ability. Scientists tested the thinking and memory of 1,625 people from New York City with an average age of 69. Participants had their blood tested for five common infections oral and genital herpes, cytomegalovirus, the respiratory form of chlamydia, and the stomach bug Helicobacter pylori. They found that those with higher levels of infection in the blood were 25 per cent more likely to deliver low score results in a standard mental function test.
Repeated tests over an average of eight years showed no sign of the effect worsening with time. The findings appear in the latest issue of the journal Neurology. Study leader Dr Mira Katan, from Columbia University Medical Centre in New York, said: 'We found the link was greater among women, those with lower levels of education and Medicaid or no health insurance, and most prominently, in people who do not exercise. 'While this association needs to be further studied, the results could lead to ways to identify people at risk of cognitive impairment and eventually lower that risk. 'For example, exercise and childhood vaccinations against viruses could decrease the risk of memory problems later in life.' This research comes just after another study which suggested that undertaking physical activity four
or more times a week from childhood helps improve brainpower in later life by up to a third, and could help stave off the onset of dementia. While all adults suffer mental decline with greater age, scientists at King's College London found regular exercise, such as playing sport, j o g g i n g , attending the gym or even a brisk walk with the dog, can have a protecting effect on the brain. More than 9,000 individuals took part in a 40year study from
age of 11. Researchers quizzed them on levels of exercise at regular age intervals, and participants also undertook
tests of memory, attention and learning. Source: Dailymail.co.uk
Cold sores may increase the risk of impaired memory and thinking skills