Nutrition News: August 2016
Connection Between Abnormal Reward Response and ObesityThe journal Diabetes just published a new study by M. Yanina Pepino et al, and the results indicate that, according to Medical News Today, “age and receptor levels of the reward-associated chemical dopamine influence preference for sweet foods among people of a healthy weight, but not for people who are obese.”Tamara Hershey, another author of the study, asserts “There is a relationship between insulin resistance and the brain's reward system, so that might have something to do with what we saw in obese subjects […] What's clear is that extra body fat can exert effects not only in how we metabolize food but how our brains perceive rewards when we eat that food, particularly when it's something sweet.”For more information, check out the article “Insulin resistance may impair brain's reward response to sugar."Stick to Cancer Prevention Guidelines for Better HealthThe article, “Adherence to Diet and Physical Activity Cancer Prevention Guidelines and Cancer Outcomes: A Systematic Review” has great news for cancer prevention.According to the study’s authors, “"If you adhere to [cancer prevention] guidelines, you may reduce your risk of getting or dying from cancer, though the risk is not totally eliminated […] However, following these recommendations will lead to healthier lives overall and, in turn, reduce the risk for many major diseases.”So what are these recommendations?Lindsay N. Kohler, one of the study’s authors, explains, “Behaviors such as poor diet choices, physical inactivity, excess alcohol consumption and unhealthy body weight could account for more than 20 percent of cancer cases, and could, therefore, be prevented with lifestyle modifications.”Naturally, those modifications include healthy and balanced diet choices, regular physical activity, moderate to no alcohol consumption, and maintaining a healthy body weight.For more information, be sure to read the article “Adherence to cancer prevention guidelines may reduce risk."
