A Harvard economics professor makes the case that dealing with scarcity – of food, money, time, etc. – clogs the brain. People on diets tend to be so distracted by thoughts of calories that they end up making bad food decisions. The impact of scarcity on the brain extends beyond calorie counting. A similar impairment occurs whenever people must make do with less time or money. Poor people don’t make bad choices because they are inherently incapable. The real problem is “the mental strain that poverty imposes on anyone who must endure it”. As to dieting, the professor says the Atkins diet is probably popular because it simply bans certain foods: it doesn’t require mentally taxing calorie counting.
"The Mental Strain of Making Do With Less", The New York Times, September 21, 2013
Depression has been associated with a poor diet and low-quality nutrient intake. New research from Finland finds that a healthy diet may cut the risk of severe depression. Researchers said a healthy diet comprises fruits, vegetables, berries, whole grains, poultry, fish and low-fat cheese. These foods are associated with a high level of folate intake. The follow-up study of more than 2,000 men in Finland showed that weight loss with lifestyle intervention was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms.
"Diet and depression", Publications of the University of Eastern Finland. Dissertations in Health Sciences, September 16, 2013
British scientists have found a link between low blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids in children and problems concentrating and learning. For the study, blood samples were taken from 493 schoolchildren between seven and nine years old. Parents also reported on how often their children ate fish. On average, about 2.45 percent of the children's total blood fatty acids were omega-3 DHA and EPA, well below the recommended minimum of four percent. The low levels significantly predicted a child's behavior and ability to learn, the researchers found. Higher levels of omega-3 – DHA in particular – were associated with better reading and memory, as well as with fewer behavior problems as reported by parents and teachers.
"Docosahexaenoic Acid for Reading, Cognition and Behavior in Children Aged 7–9 Years: A Randomized, Controlled Trial", PLoS ONE, September 13, 2013
Scientists are finding that the other, often overlooked, element in table salt – namely, chloride – plays an important role in blood pressure. A U.K. study shows that low chloride levels in the blood signals an increased mortality and cardiovascular disease risk in people with hypertension. That is the opposite of what is known about sodium levels. The study analyzed data from 13,000 patients with high blood pressure, finding that people with the lowest levels of chloride in their blood were 20 percent more likely to die than people with normal levels. The researchers said it is too early to draw “any conclusions about relating this finding to salt intake and diet”.
"Serum Chloride Is an Independent Predictor of Mortality in Hypertensive Patients", Hypertension , September 08, 2013
Formerly overweight adolescents tend to have more medical complications from eating disorders, according to a Mayo Clinic study, and it takes longer to diagnose the disorders. The researchers said adolescents with a history of being overweight or obese make up a substantial portion of adolescents who are treated for eating disorders. The study looked at two examples of eating disorders that developed after obese adolescents reduced their weight. Both examples showed how difficult it was to identify eating disorders in formerly obese children and the subsequent delay in getting appropriate medical help.
"Eating Disorders in Adolescents With a History of Obesity", Pediatrics, September 05, 2013
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Pediatrics, September 16, 2013
Adolescent patients with obesity are at significant risk of developing an eating disorder (ED), yet due to their higher weight status their symptoms often go unrecognized and untreated. Although not widely known, individuals with a weight history in the ov, September 09, 2013
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