In the news today was an interesting study regarding anti-oxidant supplements and the beneficial impact of exercise on insulin levels. Exercise has a very positive impact on our health, and when it comes to diabetes, it is both a weapon to prevent the risk and a weapon to reduce the severity of the disease. Eating fruits and vegetables, that are rich in anti-oxidants, is considered another key to preventing diabetes or managing it if you have the disease. But this new study showed that taking anti-oxidants like vitamin C and E actually blunts the beneficial impact of the exercise on insulin levels. This may be one of the many cases where vitamins sourced from food behave differently when they are taken as manufactured supplements. Always choose foods over supplements when it comes to vitamins. there are cases when we cannot get enough vitamins from food, and then your doctor can determine which supplements you need. (Source, Journal Watch General Medicine, June 4, 2009;citation http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0903485106)
There are alot of opinions regarding weight cycling or yo-yo dieting. Many experts and health professionals feel that an increasing/decreasing/increasing again burden of weight, can impact the heart negatively. Others say, keep trying to lose the weight, even if you have some weight gains and losses and gains again - overall, it is better to keep trying to get the excess weight off. A new study suggests that weight cycling does not increase mortality in middle-aged or older women. So the conclusion would be that you should persist in dieting and trying to get excess weight off, especially if you have risk factors for disease or frank disease. Hiring a personal trainer and/or nutritionist and allowing them to work as a team to help you (and your doctor) is one approach that might reduce the yo-yo dieting cycle, especially if you continue the relationship during early months after you hit goal weight.
Kelly Clarkson does not seem to be able to escape the weight discussion that fills the tabloids. In fact, she is "tired of hearing the fat joke." It's been going on for seven years, ever since she became the first American Idol and started her music career. She has always admitted to loving food and says she is just fine with her body. I cannot imagine the pressure of scrutiny that most high profile individuals are forced to endure. It's almost impossible to "feel pretty" when the measuring stick is so daunting. The reality is that most healthy people do not have picture perfect bodies. If they are well nourished with great energy stores they will appear clear eyed and energetic but they may not be size 4, nor perfectly proportioned and they may have cellulite. Healthy does not equal skinny. It does mean that you should know if your weight is in a safe range for your height and it does mean that your blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure and waist measurement should all be "healthy numbers." Let's let Kelly make that personal determination on her own.
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