It's Been Endlessly Raining - But Are You Getting Enough Water?

Exercise and brain training, according to scientists, may treat chronic Fatigue Syndrome, commonly known as ME. They say other methods used to combat ME are less successful.

Reports have indicated that over a quarter million people in the UK alone suffer from ME. Scientist are yet to discover the cause of the condition. Symptoms of ME include excessive tiredness, poor concentration and muscle and joint pain.

To carry out the study researchers analysed three methods of treatment and evaluated their effectiveness towards ME treatment. The study used the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exercise and planning activities on 641 ME sufferers.

Results showed that CBT and exercise therapy were the most successful methods of treatment.

CBT was found to return 30 per cent of patients to normal levels of physical functioning and fatigue.

However Action for ME believed that the results of the study were exaggerated and previous results of alternative studies did not reflect the outcomes of this study.

The findings were welcomed by The Association of Young People with ME. It called on the group to repeat the study using children.

Running on a treadmill is one of the most beneficial workouts we can do on a regular basis.

Running uses nearly every muscle in the body, and also helps to improve overall cardiovascular health, as well as improving balance and stamina.

Although running is highly beneficial some people struggle to run due to muscle or joint issues, an advanced weight problem, or an injury that precludes the ability to engage in high-strain, high-impact activities.

If you find it difficult to run then we recommend walking on a treadmill rather than running.

Walking provides many of the same benefits as running, but with far less physical stress on the body; and as with running you have to be sensible when first starting a walking routine.

If you walk at a faster pace you will burn calories at a faster rate.
Your size, stride and speed will affect how many calories your burn in 10,000 steps. For an 11 stone woman walking at a fairly brisk pace of 3.5 miles an hour, it would take around 90 minutes and burn more than 400 calories.

Walking will make a huge impact on the way you both look and feel. Walking will also increase your muscle tone, boost metabolism, ease stress, raise energy levels and improve sleep and help you to lose weight. 

A recent review has highlighted that red meat, when consumed in moderation, has positive benefits.

According to research from the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), consumption of moderate amounts of meat makes a positive impact on both micronutrient and macronutrient intakes without risking any negative health effects. The link between red meat and health is a positive one, contradicting the SACN report that was conducted by the government, which urges us to reduce the consumption levels of red meat, due to claims of links between consumption and cancer.

The SACN report recommends those consuming large amounts of red meat (more than 140g per day) should consider a reduction. However, at 96g per day for men and 57g per day for women, average intakes of red meat in the UK are well below the high intakes observed in previous studies which have raised concern. 

The study highlights that eating red meat in moderation is an important part of a healthy balanced diet. It also lays to rest many of the misconceptions about meat and health.

“Lean red meat is a good source of many vital nutrients and, thanks to modern farming methods, is lower than ever in saturated fat and calories, making it suitable for all the family. Given that current intakes, on average, are well within health targets, there is no reason to eat less red meat if you enjoy it.” Dr Carrie Ruxton

Cheap portable exercise bike could be used in offices around the country in order to improve our health and fitness.

The researchers, writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, said sedentary lifestyles were a serious health problem.

Researchers have suggested that implementing small exercise bikes in offices could be a cheap solution to tackling our sedentary lifestyles.

This wouldn’t be the first time that fitness equipment was introduced into offices previous attempts have included hooking up a treadmill to an office computer.

The idea to introduce mini exercise bikes into offices is being investigated by researchers at East Carolina University. The study was made up of 18 workers who tested how feasible it would be to introduce exercise bikes into their work space.

On average, the workers each used the machine on 12 out of the 20 days of the study and pedalled for 23 minutes at a time.

The results indicate that workers would use an exercise bike if they were offered one by their employer.

The researchers said: "Portable pedal machines may serve as a tool to reduce sedentary times in the work environment without necessarily influencing the sitting time necessary for performing computer-related tasks."

The authors note that the novelty factor of having an exercise bike did wear off so additional motivation would be needed to keep employees using them.  

Professors in Berlin have developed the perfect handheld health accessory that gauges the effects that smoking and junk food have on your body.

The device only takes 30 seconds to analyse your body and the level of antioxidants, then provides you with a read out. It is expected to hit the high street in summer 2011 and will retail at £175.

The health accessory uses works by directing a beam of light at the body, which then collects the reflected light and analysis it for information on which wavelengths have been absorbed. This allows it to measure levels of health-boosting antioxidants in the skin.

Professor Jürgen Lademann, of the Charité medical school in Berlin, said: ‘Everybody wants beautiful skin.

‘Smoking, alcohol consumption and lack of sleep abuse the antioxidants in the skin because of free radical formation.

The scanner takes just 30 seconds to determine the level of antioxidants in your body, and then rates it between 1 and 10. It isn’t only antioxidants that are picked up, the device can also detect changes in diet and lifestyle.

The device is being tested on 50 secondary school pupils in the hope that it will encourage them to address bad habits.

It is reported that cancer specialists may find the device useful when monitoring the side effects of chemotherapy.

Eating a bowl full of berries a day may lower your risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to new study.

Other fruits such as apples, oranges are also highly beneficial to men as they contain dietary components called flavonoids.

Flavonoids are also found in food such chocolate and citrus fruits.

The Harvard study involved 49,281 men and 80,336 women. Researchers gave participants questionnaires and used a database to calculate the intake of flavonoids. 

Once the study began the researchers then began to analyse the link between foods rich in flavonoids and Parkinson’s disease. Each of the 129617 participants were followed for 20 to 22 years.

Over the course of the twenty-year study, 805 people out of 129617 developed Parkinson's disease. In men, the top 20 per cent who ate the most flavonoids were about 40 per cent less likely to develop Parkinson's disease than the bottom 20 per cent of male participants who consumed the least amount of flavonoids. 

In women, there was no relationship between overall flavonoid consumption and developing Parkinson's disease.  

The study was the first ever study research the association between flavonoids and risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

'Our findings suggest that flavonoids, specifically a group called anthocyanins, may have neuroprotective effects.  

'If confirmed, flavonoids may be a natural and healthy way to reduce your risk of developing Parkinson's disease.' 

The study is due to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 63rd annual meeting in Hawaii in April.

A study released today has revealed toddlers who consume large amounts of junk food such as chips, biscuits, sweets and crisps generally have a lower IQ then those who don’t.

Researchers have warned parents that feeding toddlers a high in content junk food diet may lead to lasting damage to their brainpower.

Compared to children who consume healthier diets, the difference in IQ could be as much as 5 points.

Researchers at Bristol University took into account factors such as social class, age, maternal education and breastfeeding, as well as the influence of home environment.

The study highlighted that a rich nutritional diet is crucial in the first three years of life when the brain grows at its fastest rate. Consuming a diet of fats, sugar and processed foods with few vitamins and nutrients, means the brain never grows to its optimal levels.

The researchers stress that this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give your child unhealthy food such as chips or sweets, just don’t let junk food dominate the diet.

Scientist from the University College of London have discovered a link between having your heating on at a high temperature and gaining excess weight.

Having the heating on means that we don’t have to burn calories in order to warm our bodies up naturally.

When we do venture out of the house in the winter to do our daily chores, it is usually via transport to places such as offices where the temperature will often be controlled by heating units. Throughout this time our body no longer feels the need to work to burn calories.

Research has shown that if your body is warm then it does not need to convert a specific type of fat known as ‘brown’ fat (adipose ­tissue) into energy to generate heat, the study said. Previously it was thought that adipose tissue was only in the body of infants, which in turn helped in keeping them warm, but recent studies into the human body have found it also present in adults.

The study suggest that the more exposure you have to heat then the less likely your body will be able to burn ‘brown fat’.

So think twice before cranking up your heating on a cold winters night, as it could have an impact up on your energy balance and eventually begin to have an impact on body weight. 

Earlier this week the American public and the fitness industry worldwide received some sad news, ‘the godfather’ of American Fitness, who once said “I can’t die, it would ruin my image”, Jack LaLanne, passed away at the age of 96.

LaLanne was the pioneer of the American workout, he single handedly revolutionised the countries attitude to fitness.  LaLanne brought the concept of daily exercise to the masses of Middle America, which soon filtered through to the rest of the world.  He was the founder of the first ever American gym, in Oakland, California in 1936, and the inventor of many pieces of commercial gym equipment such as the cable pulley system, the leg extension and the Jumping Jack aptly named after the man himself.

Throughout his life LaLanne followed a series of self-generated pointers, which he believed helped him to stay active and healthy into his golden years.  

Consume a Healthy Diet - He was a keen believer of a healthy, high fiber diet, his philosophy was if you consume substandard food today then the next day you yourself will be substandard.

Continue to Push Yourself - Throughout his life LaLanne continuous strived to better himself and to take things up to the next level. At the age 42 LaLanne set a record for the most number of push ups reaching a staggering 1033 in just 23 minutes. Although his greatest achievement came at age of 62, LaLanne swam one mile in Long Beach Harbor, handcuffed and shackled whilst towing 13 boats containing 76 people. He set about recreating a similar challenge at in 1980 at the age of 66, this time around towing 10 boats in Miami, Florida. The boats carried 77 people and he managed to tow them for over a mile in just less tan one hour.

Lift Weights – Before LaLanne came onto the fitness scene exercising with weights was regarded as a form of exercise that only bodybuilders used. Through the use of his fitness clubs and his TV fitness show, he changed the mindset of America, in proving that exercising with weights isn’t just for those with bulging biceps, using weights in your workout regime can help to boost metabolism, burn fat and keep you healthy.

It’s How You Feel Not What the Scales Tell You - Jack LaLanne was a firm believer that to gauge your fitness you have to take into account the way in which you feel, how your clothes fit and how strong and physically fit you are rather then relying on your bathroom scales.

LaLanne is a credit to the health and fitness industry, But most importantly, says Carolyn Katzin a nutritionist who was friends with Mr LaLanne, he did it all the natural way. "He was an everyman, and I guess his legacy was to tell people that anyone could get fit. And he always did it with a smile on his face."

LaLanne died of respiratory failure brought on by pneumonia.