The June 5, 2014 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell published the finding of Valter D. Longo and colleagues at the University of Southern California (USC) of a rejuvenating effect for fasting on immune system cells.

“The good news is that the body got rid of the parts of the system that might be damaged or old, the inefficient parts, during the fasting,” he continued. “Now, if you start with a system heavily damaged by chemotherapy or aging, fasting cycles can generate, literally, a new immune system.”

“When you starve, the system tries to save energy, and one of the things it can do to save energy is to recycle a lot of the immune cells that are not needed, especially those that may be damaged,” stated Dr Longo, who is the director of the USC Longevity Institute. “What we started noticing in both our human work and animal work is that the white blood cell count goes down with prolonged fasting. Then when you re-feed, the blood cells come back. So we started thinking, well, where does it come from?”

Dr Longo and his associates determined that the reduction in these immune system cells triggers the stem cell-based regeneration of new cells. Fasting was found to reduce an enzyme known as PKA, which, when lowered, extended the life span of simple organisms in previous research conducted by the team. “PKA is the key gene that needs to shut down in order for these stem cells to switch into regenerative mode,” Dr Longo explained. “It gives the ‘okay’ for stem cells to go ahead and begin proliferating and rebuild the entire system.”

• Your pupils dilate when you look at someone you love-and someone you hate.
• Do you dream frequently? According to scientists, that indicates you have a higher IQ.
• You can reduce allergic reactions by laughing.
• Men with hairless chests are more likely to get cirrhosis of the liver than hairy-chested men.
• Schedule that dentist appointment for your heart’s sake! People with gum disease are twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
• It takes the average person 25 percent longer to read from a computer screen than a book or newspaper.
• More than 90 percent of diseases are caused or complicated by stress.
• The total width of your arms stretched out to the sides is equal to the total length of your body.
• Smokers are more likely to have a girl, especially if both partners are smoking around the time of conception.
• Left-handed people make up about 10 percent of the world’s population.
• By age 35, you start losing about 7,000 brain cells a day-cells that can never be replaced.

Losing weight is tough. It takes dedication, persistence and patience. But as anyone who has ever lost a significant amount of weight can tell you, it can be just as hard—and in some cases, even harder—to maintain that weight loss.

A meta-analysis of 31 diet-related studies found that 83 percent of dieters who were followed for at least two years gained back more weight than they had originally lost. Additionally, 50 percent of dieters weighed more than 11 pounds over their starting weight five years after dieting.

So, we know that weight loss maintenance can be a challenge. But why? Are there certain factors that make it easier, and others that hinder all the efforts to keep the pounds off for good?

A recent study sought to answer this question by looking at various psychosocial aspects—specifically social support, quality of life, depression and stress—that could promote or suppress weight regain.

The researchers hypothesized that those who had greater social support, higher quality of life, lower depressive symptoms and less stress would be more likely to maintain their weight loss successfully over the years. To test their theory, they enlisted 1,685 overweight or obese people to take part in a two-phase study.

During phase 1 of the experiment, the participants were enrolled in a six-month weight loss program, which required them to attend weekly group counseling sessions and follow the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. Exercise—180 minutes or more per week—was also encouraged.

People who lost more than 4 kg  during phase 1 moved on to phase 2 of the study. A total of 1,025 people (mostly women; 61 percent white, 38 percent black and one percent Hispanic) were randomly assigned to one of three maintenance groups:

• Self-directed/minimal intervention
• Interactive technology (participants were given unlimited access to an interactive weight loss maintenance website)
• Personal contact (participants received monthly personalized contact via phone, and quarterly in-person contact from a study interventionist)

Both interactive technology and in-person contact interventions offered the same content; the only difference was mode of presentation.

Researchers evaluated everyone at 12 and 30 months using various surveys that assessed social support for exercise and eating habits, health-related quality of life, depression and stress.

Results showed that at 12- and 30-months follow up, higher scores on the quality of life survey usually meant more successful weight loss maintenance.

 Better Mental Health, Higher Success

 

Overall, the researchers determined that the better one’s mental health, the greater the chances at long-term weight loss maintenance.

If you’re in the process of losing weight, or if you’re trying to maintain your weight loss, put whatever measures into place that you personally find inspiring or motivational. You know better than anyone else what outside influences will keep you on the right path toward long-term success.

That may mean eliciting the help of family and friends to cheer you on and keep you accountable. On the contrary, you may prefer to keep loved ones out of it and instead attend anonymous group meetings. One-on-one counseling may also boost your mental and emotional health, and therefore quality of life—another very important factor to boost your success.

• It takes the interaction of 72 muscles to produce human speech.
• The moon-shaped white part of your fingernail is called the lunula.
• A person under the age of 30 takes in twice the amount of oxygen as someone over the age of 80.
• Laughing and coughing exert more pressure on your spine than standing or walking.
• Your nose can detect more than one trillion unique smells. Yes, trillion.
• The average person has nearly 70,000 thoughts per day.
• Only 14 percent of your weight consists of bone.
• 25 percent of all your bones are located in your feet.
• The average person sleeps 122 days of the 365 in the year.
• Choose the first stall in a public bathroom! A study of 51 public restrooms found that the first stall had the lowest bacteria levels.
• Black pepper has analgesic, antibacterial and antiseptic properties.
• People with sleep apnea are nearly twice as likely to develop glaucoma.
• A study published in 2008 in Metabolism found that adding strawberries to your diet can lower oxidation and improve blood lipid levels.
• Castoreum is an orangeish brown substance used in vanilla and raspberry flavoring. It is made from the anal gland secretions of beavers.
• Top three leading causes of death for men of all ages? Heart disease, cancer and accidents.
• A study published in the Journals of Gerontology found that people with the fewest wrinkles had lower blood pressure and lower risk of heart disease.
• 70 percent of cancers in men are prostate and colon cancers.
• A study from the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago found that the smell of green apples helps to reduce the  severity of migraines.

 

 

You’ve heard the hype, you’ve likely even bought pre-made versions, but I’ll bet you had no idea just how easy it is to make baked kale chips at home! Not only are they a delicious and healthy alternative to potato chips and corn snacks, but they are naturally packed with fiber and vitamin K.

 

1 bunch fresh kale

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon parmesan cheese (optional)

 

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with olive oil.

3. Trim the kale by remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces.

4. Wash and thoroughly dry kale. It is critical that the kale be dry, or your chips will be soggy.

5. Toss kale with olive oil and sea salt (and parmesan cheese if you choose).

6. Bake 10-15 minutes, until the edges brown but are not burnt.

7. Serves 6.