Awhile ago, the United Nations estimated that the world’s 7 billionth baby would be born on October 31. So today, everyone’s talking about what the world’s recent boom in population growth means for the world; particularly its economic and environmental resources. There are endless ideas about how we should all adjust our lifestyle choices to reduce our burden on the environment and make better use of natural resources, but one idea that’s particularly popular in health- and eco-conscious circles is getting everyone to go vegan.

In 2011, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) released a report that basically suggests we all go vegan:

Here are the top three reasons behind their thinking:

Productivity: Meat production requires more land and and resources to produce less food than other kinds of farming. The land area required to raise & feed cattle, for example, could feed a lot more people if it were used to grow grain and vegetables. In short, feeding 7 billion people with broccoli and soy takes less land and resources than feeding them with chicken and milk.

Environmental impact: According to the UNEP report, a breakfast of bacon and eggs could be worse for the environment than a daily commute: “Animal products cause more damage than [producing] construction minerals such as sand or cement, plastics or metals. Biomass and crops for animals are as damaging as [burning] fossil fuels.”

Health: As economies struggle to support growing populations, it will become harder and harder to foot the health bills that come along with heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and other diseases that come along with a meat-based diet. While a vegan diet may not create a population devoid of those problems, it has been proven to greatly reduce them, freeing up time, money and energy to spend on other problems, like housing, education and social welfare.

Full disclosure: I’m not vegan. I was vegetarian for years, and I’ve tried going vegan a couple of times. But in recent months I’ve eaten my fair share of meat and dairy as part of a protein-heavy diet that makes me feel (and, to be truthful, look) a lot better than a diet heavy on carbs and grains. But the 7 billionth baby is just one of several reality checks in the news and around lately that serve as a reminder that what we eat affects a lot more than our workout and weight. So while I’m not quite ready to call myself vegan or even vegetarian, I am starting to rethink my priorities when it comes to my grocery list.

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The high rate of people regaining weight after dieting is due to hormonal changes, according to a study just released by the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, published on October 27, measured 50 participants' hormone levels before, during, and after a 10-week diet. They were then allowed to resume eating normally, but were given periodic advice from a dietitian and were encouraged to regularly exercise for at least 30 minutes.

Following the diet, participants reported feeling hungrier than before and a year later had gained, on average, at least half the weight that had been lost. It was found that dieting leads our appetite-stimulating hormone, Ghrelin to increase significantly from its base level, while the appetite-suppressing, metabolism-boosting hormone, Leptin decreases significantly. These hormonal changes persist even a year after the intitial weight-loss, compelling people to eat more and regain lost weight.

"Maintaining weight loss may be more difficult than losing weight," lead researcher Joseph Proietto, PhD, a professor of medicine at the University of Melbourne's Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, told CNN. "This may be due to biological changes rather than [a] voluntary return to old habits."

The study findings support the concept that the body strongly resists any attempts to drop below its natural set-point. The hormone changes revealed by the study explain the tendancy for weight relapses, however Proietto says, will power may also play a role in an individual's ability to manage the effects.

"This may explain why some people maintain weight loss for longer than others," he says. "Maintenance of weight loss requires continued vigilance and conscious effort to resist hunger."Researchers say that further study is needed to find long-term, safe treatments to counteract the hormonal change and prevent relapse, particularly for obese people.

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Asked by Katherine in California

Does diet really make a difference when it comes to breast cancer?

Expert answer

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, this is the perfect time to answer this question.

And the answer is a resounding yes. To get you the best possible information, I turned to registered dietitians Sally Scroggs, MS,RD,LD, and Clare McKinley, RD,LD, at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, one of the leading cancer hospitals in the world. They explained that breast cancer risk could be decreased by up to 38% through lifestyle factors including maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet. In fact, less than 10% of breast cancer appears to have a genetic basis.

For prevention of breast cancer, limiting alcohol to one drink a day (5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 1.5 ounces of spirits) is one of the most important things that you can do. In addition, a plant-based diet loaded with at least two cups a day of a variety of produce is beneficial.

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, "no single food or food component can protect you against cancer by itself. But scientists believe that the combination of foods in a predominantly plant-based diet may. There is evidence that the minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals in plant foods could interact in ways that boost their individual anti-cancer effects. This concept of interaction, where 1 + 1 = 3, is called synergy."

Some of their top picks for cancer prevention include beans, berries, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts), dark leafy green vegetables (spinach, kale, chard, romaine, mustard greens), flaxseed, garlic, grapes/grape juice, green tea, soy, tomatoes and whole grains. A recent study in mice suggests that walnuts may also play a role in breast cancer prevention, but these findings need to be confirmed in humans.

There is also a growing body of research suggesting that curcumin, one of the active components of curry, may play a role in both the treatment and prevention of various types of cancer including breast cancer.

Being overweight is strongly associated with the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Adult weight gain of 22-44 pounds is associated with a 50% greater risk and a weight gain above 45 pounds is associated with an 87% increased risk.

Excess belly fat seems to be particularly harmful, most likely because of its effects on inflammation and its association with elevated insulin levels, so if you tend to be more "apple shaped" and carry extra weight in your belly, it is especially important to lose weight, exercise regularly, and limit refined grains, sugar sweetened beverages, and added sugar in your diet.

When it comes to breast cancer survivors, a healthy lifestyle is just as important, if not more so. Many women are concerned about soy consumption, which I've written about before. Sally and Clare agree that up to three servings per day is safe, but they emphasize that soy should come from whole foods like soy milk, edamame and tofu, and that supplements like smoothies, bars and soy fortified cereals should be limited.

Finally, during treatment, diet is very important to maintain health and optimize energy levels, but before taking any supplements, it is best to consult with a registered dietitian, preferably one that has experience with cancer treatment, because some supplements may actually interfere with chemotherapy or radiation.

In general, the emphasis should be on whole foods rich in anti-oxidants. Vitamin C may need to be supplemented in some cases if not enough is consumed in the diet. To find a registered dietitian, go to the American Dietetic Association website.

I hope you are encouraged by the fact that you can make a difference in your risk of breast cancer through lifestyle. Here a few breast cancer fighting recipes from M.D. Anderson to get you started in the right direction.

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Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- The off-and-on experience for dieters who shed pounds and gain them back may be due to the persistence of hormones that drive the urge to eat even a year after people lose weight, a study suggests.

Researchers tracked diet losses and changes in hormone levels in 50 people who agreed to consume only Nestle SA's Optifast, and two cups of vegetables for 10 weeks. A year after the volunteers lost 10 percent of their weight, hormones that affect appetite -- including leptin and ghrelin -- continued to send signals urging the body to eat more, according to a study released yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Scientists have long known the body reacts vigorously to weight loss, lowering resting metabolism rates and tweaking levels of hormones, peptides and nutrients. The study followed physiological changes over time to measure how long the body's response to a diet would last. The answer: At least a year.

People "who have lost weight need to remain vigilant and understand that once they have lost weight the battle is not over," Joseph Proietto, professor of medicine at the University of Melbourne and a lead author, said in an e-mail. "Indeed, the most difficult part of the weight loss program is the maintenance phase, which may be indefinite."

There are more than 1.5 billion overweight people in the world, including two of every three adult Americans, studies show. While cutting calories helps people slim down, few maintain the lower weight, Proietto said.


Leptin, Ghrelin
In normal times, leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells, sends signals to brain receptors to reduce food intake once a person is full, and boost metabolism. During the 10 weeks of the study's diet, leptin levels plunged 65 percent. They remained 35 percent below their original levels a year later. The amount of ghrelin, which stimulates hunger, rose significantly with weight loss and remained higher at the end of the study.

The end result was that volunteers reported a significant increase in appetite while losing weight, and said they still felt hungry a year later, the researchers said. Similar fluctuations were recorded with a half-dozen other compounds believed to regulate appetite.

While it's still not clear whether the changes are temporary or long-term, the study suggests the relapse rate "is not simply the result of the voluntary resumption of old habits," the researchers said.

The findings also bolster the idea that each person has a "set-point" for their weight, and efforts to get below that level are vigorously resisted within the human body, the researchers said. If this is correct, safe, effective and long- term treatments are needed to counteract changes in hormone and reduce appetite, they said.


Appropriate Changes
It's not proven that the hormonal changes causes dieters to regain weight, said Donald Hensrud, the chairman of preventive medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in a telephone interview. Researchers don't know if the changes in hormone levels are appropriate given the weight fluctuation, or if they are driving appetite and weight back up, he said. Hensrud wasn't involved in the study.

Additional studies, such as one comparing hormone levels from people who have lost weight to those who are a similar size and build who have weighed the same for years, would be helpful, he said in a telephone interview. Until researchers understand the hormone swings better and doctors can use the information to help patients shed pounds, overweight people should stick with the tried and true, he said.

"There are examples of people who have lost weight and maintained it," Hensrud said. "Until we know more, we should continue to promote the things we know - sustainable lifestyle choices, physical activity and a healthy diet. We're not ready to turn that upside down yet."

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U.S. researchers suggest prostate cancer patients who change to a low-fat diet with fish oil supplements may slow prostate cancer cell growth. First author Dr. William Aronson at the University of California, Los Angeles, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center said a low-fat diet with fish oil supplements eaten for four to six weeks prior to prostate removal slowed the growth of cells in human prostate cancer tissue, when compared to a traditional, high-fat Western diet.

The finding, published in Cancer Prevention Research, found the low-fat, fish oil diet reduced the number of rapidly dividing cells in the prostate cancer tissue -- which is significant because the rate at which the cells are dividing can be predictive of future cancer progression. The lower the rate of proliferation, the less chance the cancer will spread outside the prostate, where it is much harder to treat.

"You truly are what you eat," Aronson, who also serves as chief of urologic oncology at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center, said in a statement. "Based on our animal studies, we were hopeful that we would see the same effects in humans. We are extremely pleased about our findings, which suggest that by altering the diet, we may favorable affect the biology of prostate cancer."

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Consuming a low-fat diet high in fish oil four to six weeks prior to prostate removal surgery has been shown to slow down the growth rate of prostate cancer cells, according to a new study published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

Researchers at  UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center also found that the men on the low-fat, fish oil supplement diet were able to change the composition of their cell membranes in both the healthy cells and the cancer cells in the prostate. They had increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil and decreased levels of omega-6 fatty acids from corn oil in the cell membranes, which may directly affect the biology of the cells, though further studies are needed.

The study also found that blood obtained from patients after the low-fat, fish oil diet program slowed the growth of prostate cancer cells in a test tube as compared to blood from men on the Western diet, which did not slow cancer growth.

The Western diet consisted of 40% of calories from fat, generally equivalent to what many Americans consume today. The fat sources also were typical of the American diet, and included high levels of omega-6 fatty acids from corn oil and low levels of fish oil that provide omega-3 fatty acids.

The low-fat diet consisted of 15% of calories from fat. The participants also took 5 grams of fish oil per day in five capsules, three with breakfast and two with dinner, to provide fish oil omega-3 fatty acids.

The study, which evaluated blood samples before and after the diet commenced and examined tissue from the removed prostate, validated previous studies on cell lines and in animal models. The study using human blood and tissue also proved that the changes prompted by what the men were eating were clearly evident in their prostate tissue—the “treatment" was indeed reaching the targeted organ because of the changes in the prostate cell membrane’s fatty acid composition.

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Fed up of hearing people tell him that he did not know what it was like to be fat, Drew Manning, a personal trainer from Utah in the U S, decided to gain weight and feel what it was like to be fat. Manning, 30, has spent the last six months converting his washboard abs into a pot belly to feel what it is like to live off chips, pizza and soda and no exercise.

His yearlong program of going from fit to fat and then back again has won a lot of popularity as his fans watched his videos and read his blog entries ever since he started gaining the weight on May 7. They could even vote on what he could eat that week.

After 23 weeks Manning had gained 32 kilograms and weighed 119.5 kilograms on October 15. His wife, who supports her husband’s need to do this, understands that he was doing this to help people who were overweight. Manning has being following the typical American diet of chips, juice, cereal, soda, pizza and other things. He has also eaten a family – sized bucket of K F C and two burgers that stood at a height of 20 centimeters, filled with beef and bacon in under an hour.

When asked how he was proposing to get back in shape, Manning said that the best thing for him to do was to burn more calories than he took. He said that in the beginning it was fun to eat but then the result of binge eating on his body had caused him to feel different physically. And it did not feel good to have gained so much weight.

He fears that losing the weight may take longer than gaining it. He also says that determination and a lot of support from all his fans would help him achieve his goal.

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Changing your diet might actually do a better job to lower your cholesterol than cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, which can sap your energy and cause problems for your sex life, according to a new study.

A nutrient-poor diet filled with added sugars and unhealthy trans fats is understood to cause high cholesterol, so healthy food, like fruits, vegetables and nuts might help better fix the problem, the study said.

The researchers followed 345 people with high cholesterol who were placed on one of two vegetarians, low-cholesterol diets for six months. The first was a low-saturated-fat diet and participants were told simply to eat low-fat dairy and get more fruits and vegetables into their meals.

The second group had help from nutritionists to incorporate specific cholesterol-lowering foods into their meals, including soy proteins, nuts, oats, peas, and beans. The later group saw a drop in cholesterol three times higher than the group on the regular low-saturated-fat diet, and both diets proved to be at least as successful as early trials of statins.

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The “road diet” on Fauntleroy Way in West Seattle was controversial when it was introduced, to say the least: Drivers, used to being able to speed along four general-purpose traffic lanes, feared that reducing the road to two traffic lanes, a turn lane, and a lane for cyclists would lead to total gridlock and chaos (sample comment from the West Seattle Blog: “They want to inconvenience 95 percent of the people who drive on Fauntleroy Way for the 5 percent who use bicycles? This can’t be allowed”).

Well, the data is in, and it turns out, the doomsayers were (once again) wrong. How wrong? SDOT’s data show that the road diet has dramatically reduced collisions and reduced speeding in general on that corridor. The total number of collisions went down 31 percent after the road was striped for bike lanes and given a center turn lane, and collisions resulting in an injury went down 73 percent. Collisions between cars and cyclists went down to zero.

Speeding went down, too. According to SDOT, the number of drivers driving over the speed limit declined 7 percent, while the number of drivers going more than 10 mph over the speed limit declined a whopping 13 percent. Those downward trends took place even as traffic volumes increased, on average, 0.2 percent.

But the real story, for drivers anyway, may be that travel times barely increased at all. During morning rush hour, the time to get from Alaska to California on Fauntleroy increased four seconds southbound and 45 seconds northbound. During the afternoon rush hour, travel times increased 76 seconds southbound and five seconds northbound.

Road diets, in other words, work—improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists and calming traffic while keeping car traffic moving smoothly. That isn’t pro-cycling, anti-car propaganda talking; it’s hard facts, based on a year’s worth of traffic data. One of these days, the anti-bike-lane forces will have to start listening.

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Many of us are unhappy with the numbers on the scale. Dieting is a normal part of life for numerous men and women of all ages and body types. Unfortunately, many of these diets fail. There are several mistakes that prevent a diet from being effective, from poor eating habits to lack of physical activity.  
 
EATING TOO MUCH
Eating too much is a major mistake many dieters make. Some diets promise that you can eat anything you want, with no restrictions on sweets or fats. The problem is that many people fail to realize that yes, you can eat anything you want, but you must consume it in moderation. Overeating will not make your waistline slimmer; in fact, it might even cause you to pile on a few more pounds.  
 
EATING TOO LITTLE
It's important not to overeat while you are on a diet, but it's equally important to make sure that you do not eat too little. When you fail to consume enough calories, your body goes into starvation mode and begins to create excess fat reserves. This causes you to gain, rather than lose, weight from your decreased caloric intake. Failure to eat enough also increases the risk of binge eating. You might be so hungry that you find yourself eating bag after bag of potato chips or downing an entire carton of ice cream.
 
NOT DRINKING ENOUGH WATER
Do you know when you are thirsty? It may surprise you to learn that many people don't. People often mistake thirst for hunger, causing them to eat when they are not even hungry. Prevent this potential problem by frequently drinking water throughout the day. Carry a refillable water bottle with you to make it easier to drink plenty of water.  
 
LACK OF PREPARATION  
A diet will fail if you fail to prepare for it. You must do whatever it takes to stick to your diet, which means something different for every dieter. Some dieters find it difficult to resist the sweet treats at parties and other social functions; if you can relate to that, try eating before an event or bringing a healthy snack to the party.
 
Other people find that they fail to allow themselves enough time to follow the guidelines required for a particular diet. If your diet requires special meals, prepare them in advance and freeze them. Chop fruits and vegetables ahead of time and keep them in storage containers or plastic bags. Fill baggies with the appropriate portions of snacks or cereals. Anybody can follow a diet properly, no matter how busy they are.
 
NOT EXERCISING
While some diet plans claim that you don't need to exercise to lose weight, this is usually not the case. You can lose weight without exercising, but exercise improves your metabolism and speeds up the weight loss process. Make it a goal to sneak in at least 20 or 30 minutes of exercise each day.
 
NO SUPPORT SYSTEM
Making positive changes requires a considerable amount of effort and dedication. Make sure to surround yourself with friends and family members who support your weight loss goals. Failure to do so may result in peer pressure from friends who encourage you to order a large piece of cake for dessert or replace your daily workout routine with a trip to the mall. Don't let others sabotage your diet; you deserve to achieve your weight loss goals.

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