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| Wednesday, September 23, 2009 |
| It’s What You Eat, Not Your Genes |
Eating more fruits and vegetables and cutting down on saturated fat…the answer to avoiding obesity and dementia?
A few weeks ago there was interesting news about a study that looked at how the intake of fruits and vegetables influences cognitive performance due to their antioxidant content. And last week researchers reported that even if a person has a strong genetic predisposition to being overweight, a high fat intake is really to blame.
In the first study it was found that healthy people who consumed 400 grams (which is almost 1 pound) of “fruits and vegetables had higher antioxidant levels, lower indicators of free radical-induced damage against lipids, as well as better cognitive performance compared to healthy subjects of any age consuming low amounts (< 100 g/day)” of fruits and vegetables. It is interesting to note that these findings were independent of age, gender, body mass index, level of education, lipid profile and albumin levels, as all these factors can influence cognitive and antioxidant status.
The second study showed that people who have the FTO gene which acts in the hypothalamus (the part of the brain that regulates appetite and satiety), tend to eat more calories, especially in the form of fat. If someone has a double copy of this gene, they have a 2.5 times greater risk of becoming obese. But researchers found this to be true ONLY if that person consumes more than 41% of their calories from fat and has a low activity level. So, the fat intake and low activity level are stronger indicators of obesity than the genes according to this study. How about that!?
This is really important for people to realize, because too many people blame their genes and heredity for everything that goes wrong with their health. All diseases have a genetic risk but it appears that eating habits and lifestyle may be more powerful.
So what to do? Simple, follow the Mediterranean diet (Sensei’s of course) and stay active.
- Eat foods closet to their natural state.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables – at least 9 servings of colorful fruits and vegetables a day. 1 serving = ½ cup cooked, 1 cup raw or a fruit about the size of a tennis ball.
- Eat whole grain products.
- Eat more fish and only eat meat occasionally.
- Have some healthy fats like nuts and olive oil.
- Walk or move something every day.
That’s not so bad and you don’t even have to buy special products, detox or drink “funky” stuff. Just real eating with a good attitude, and wash it down slowly with a nice glass of red wine.
- Josée
Related Articles
Sensei Talks: Mediterranean Diet and Diabetes
Sensei Talks: Mediterranean Diet to Reduce Mortality
Labels: fruits and vegetables, healthy eating, healthy tips, Josee, Weight Loss
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posted by My Sensei @ Wednesday, September 23, 2009   |
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| 2 Comments: |
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Being heavy was normal in my family & extended family.. not obese but overweight form eating too much.
I gained those dreaded fat cells as a child & research still supports that they stay with you & will expand & shrink based on what you eat. I fight it coming & going.
Yes, it is hard but I fight it & I may have to do more than the next person over but doing something is better than giving in!
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I think genes definitely play into body shape, too...but yeah, it's mostly about what you eat. Even if you're predisposed to being heavy, you won't be obese if you eat right...maybe just a bit plump?
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Being heavy was normal in my family & extended family.. not obese but overweight form eating too much.
I gained those dreaded fat cells as a child & research still supports that they stay with you & will expand & shrink based on what you eat. I fight it coming & going.
Yes, it is hard but I fight it & I may have to do more than the next person over but doing something is better than giving in!