The conversation around dieting is gradually changing. You might agree that it’s positive to see the world embracing healthier notions about weight loss, such as Adele’s recent stance that losing weight should be a byproduct of overall good self-care. Now, a new study seems to support this milder, more modern attitude toward getting trimmer—because, as the researchers’ experiment has shown, aggressive food restriction might cause some dieters to become more susceptible to catching illnesses.

Keep reading to learn more about the findings—and, for more on the link between eating and your health, check out The #1 Food Putting You At Risk of Heart Disease, Says Science.

A new Iranian study published in the American Journal of Translational Research aimed to evaluate whether significant calorie restriction would affect the immune system. To achieve this, a team of doctorate clinicians specializing in nutrition and public health gathered 29 female participants who were overweight, with body mass index greater than 30 kg/m² (which is the benchmark the American Heart Association considers obese).

Sign up for the Eat This, Not That! newsletter for wellness news delivered daily.

The researchers divided the 29 women into two groups. The experimental group went on medication for weight loss, in addition to going on a diet that called for them to consume 600 fewer calories per day than the standard caloric requirement.

The other group of participants were able to eat freely.

RELATED: Eating This One Type of Food Could Slash Your Alzheimer’s Risk, New Study Finds

Both at the start of the experiment and after the experimental group had lost 10% of their body weight, the researchers measured the number of lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell that supports the body’s immune function) in each of the participants.

They state that for women who underwent calorie restriction and medication to lose 10% of their body weight, their “natural killer cells”—cells that are key to the body’s immune system—decreased.

Meanwhile, for the control group that ate freely, the researchers report that no significant changes were observed in the immune markers that were measured.

RELATED: The Verdict on Taking Vitamin D Supplements for Your Immunity

Of their findings, the researchers conclude: “Caloric restriction-induced weight loss might independently weaken the antiviral immune defense.” They note that further clinical trials on the subject are warranted.

You should always talk with your licensed healthcare provider before starting out on a new wellness plan. But for the purpose of this report, this study shouldn’t discourage you from losing weight to reach a size that’s healthier for you.

However, minding both nutrition and physical activity are jointly important focuses in your weight loss journey. And perhaps most importantly, as this study may be interpreted to convey, eating fewer calories than experts suggest are healthy may help you slim down… but in other ways, it could prove detrimental to your health.

Get more food and wellness news here:

Source link

The post One Major Side Effect Losing Weight Could Have on Your Immunity, New Study Says appeared first on Heal your health yourself.

We’ve all got days we’re lethargic, maybe even cranky—when suddenly, the thought of an indulgent snack seems like the perfect way to brighten the mood. A candy bar or bag of chips may be an OK pick-me-up on occasion. However, new research suggests that lazy feeling may be associated with your calorie consumption in a way you never realized. The good news is, you might be able to fix it.

We all know that too much snacking can lead to weight gain and even obesity in the long-term, but to kick a snacking habit is usually easier said than done. The problem seems to affect a lot of people, as a recent survey concluded that seven in 10 Americans never leave the house without a snack. Similarly, another poll found that just under half of surveyed Americans (48%) routinely keep a “snack stash” hidden away from even their closest loved ones for covert munching.

If you’ve been working to establish healthier habits, new research at the Ohio State University that was just published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics may interest you. Read on to learn more about the surprising connection between sleep patterns and snacking. Also, don’t miss This New Study Just Discovered The #1 Weight Loss Lie About Eating Nuts.

The research team at OSU reports that failing to attain at least seven hours of sleep per night is associated with eating more snacks that are high in carbohydrates, added fats, sugar, and caffeine.

So why does neglecting sleep lead to more snacking? The study’s authors explain that when we stay up late, we give ourselves more opportunities to carelessly chow down. It’s a simple equation: If you’re sleeping, you can’t be snacking!

Moreover, this research finds that pretty much everyone, regardless of sleep habits, prefers salty or sugary foods and non-alcoholic soft drinks when it’s snack time. This is one more reason people with poor sleep patterns end up ingesting more unhealthy calories on a daily basis.

It’s universally recommended that adults sleep for at least seven hours per night in order to maintain ideal health and wellbeing, and lack of sleep has long been linked to a long list of health issues like increased risk of heart disease and obesity. Still, this study takes things a step further by drawing a straight line from lack of sleep to more unhealthy snacking. “We know lack of sleep is linked to obesity from a broader scale, but it’s all these little behaviors that are anchored around how that happens,” said senior study author Christopher Taylor, professor of medical dietetics in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The Ohio State University.

Sign up for the Eat This, Not That! newsletter for wellness news delivered daily.

The study analyzed data on nearly 20,000 American adults between the ages of 20 and 60 years old. All that information had originally been collected between 2007 and 2018 for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a health poll led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Each participant had filled out a series of dietary surveys asking about their daily eating and sleeping habits.

Using that data, the research team separated subjects into various categories based on the amount of sleep they were getting, the nutrition value of their usual snacks, and the usual time of day in which said snacking occurred.

A subsequent analysis produced a number of revelations. To start, most participants (95.5%) said they habitually ate at least one snack per day. Over 50% of all snacking calories among all participants came from—you guessed it—not-so-healthy foods and beverages such as soda, energy drinks, chips, cookies, and pastries.

Notably, in comparison to adults who routinely slept seven or more hours per night, those with less-than-ideal sleep patterns were more likely to eat a morning snack. They also consumed more snacks with little to no nutritional value in general.

This finding regarding morning snacking is important because it shows not all snacking occurs in the evening. One possible explanation for this is that those who don’t sleep enough requiring more caloric energy to get going in the A.M. (due to inadequate sleep).

RELATED: The #1 Best Supplement for Sleep, Says Dietitian

Another important element of these findings is the observation that nighttime snacking has particular consequences, since many people avoid workouts or strenuous activities.

The end result is that those extra calories go to bed with you, instead of being burned off with activity.

“At night, we’re drinking our calories and eating a lot of convenience foods,” Taylor explained. “Not only are we not sleeping when we stay up late, but we’re doing all these obesity-related behaviors: lack of physical activity, increased screen time, food choices that we’re consuming as snacks and not as meals. So it creates this bigger impact of meeting or not meeting sleep recommendations.”

RELATED: This Is the #1 Worst Nighttime Snack for Your Waistline, Says an Expert

There are plenty of reasons to prioritize sleep, but researchers hope their findings encourage at least a few readers to hit the hay earlier. Besides just keeping you refreshed, a steady sleep schedule also promotes cleaner eating.

Meeting sleep recommendations is also tied to not doing the things that can harm health, Taylor concluded. “The longer we’re awake, the more opportunities we have to eat. And at night, those calories are coming from snacks and sweets. Every time we make those decisions, we’re introducing calories and items related to increased risk for chronic disease, and we’re not getting whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

“Even if you’re in bed and trying to fall asleep, at least you’re not in the kitchen eating,” Taylor said, “so if you can get yourself to bed, that’s a starting point.”

Get more food and wellness news here:

Source link

The post One Major Side Effect Not Sleeping Enough Has on Weight Gain, New Study Says appeared first on Heal your health yourself.

If you’ve been certain that your metabolism began to slow down years ago, well… you’ll definitely want to read this. A new study suggests your metabolism stays steady for a way longer range of time than you’ve previously thought. Check out why your fifties really are the new forties… and thirties… and, even twenties.

A study published last month in Science examined how humans’ energy expenditure changes over our lifetime. The concept of “energy expenditure” translates in large part to calorie-burning—so this study’s question was, from birth through adulthood, how does the body’s efficiency change in its use of input (food) for energy?

RELATED: 15 Underrated Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work

An international team of more than 80 researchers in biology, anthropology, nutrition, and other fields investigated by analyzing 40 years of data from 6,500 participants (males and females) who ranged from eight days old to 95 years. To measure variations in metabolism, the scientists employed a technique that estimates the amount of carbon dioxide the body eliminates.

You might be thinking they found what we’ve known all along: That metabolism starts to decelerate around our late twenties and just continues to taper off from there. Actually, that wasn’t the researchers’ discovery at all.

They found that our metabolism actually stays the same from around age 20 until our early sixties! And, even though the scientists had hypothesized that menopause would cause metabolism to slow for women, that period of hormonal changes that typically occurs in the late forties into the fifties wasn’t a huge factor—said the study’s lead author Herman Pontzer, PhD, an evolutionary anthropologist: “We just didn’t see that.”

So stay healthy, stay active, and stay encouraged: As it turns out, your age may not be the biggest predictor of your body’s ability to maintain balance and stay trim.

This same metabolism study revealed lots more compelling discoveries—be sure to check it out.

Sign up for the Eat This, Not That! newsletter for wellness news you need.

Get more:

Source link

The post The One Major Lie About Your Metabolism Women Need to Stop Believing, New Study Says appeared first on Heal your health yourself.

Summer picnics and outings with pals sometimes suggest that the world could be divided into two groups of people: Those who adore spicy foods, and those who don’t. If you’re someone who’s not wild about spice but you’ve been eating it to rev up your metabolism—or even if you love spice and are convinced that it’s helping you get slim—well… it might be time to set down that saucy little Tabasco bottle, and listen up.

If you’ve ever downed a spicy cuisine like Mexican or Indian (or even put a few drops of hot sauce in your coffee—it’s a thing) and thought to yourself, I am totally making my metabolism faster with these foods!, well, you’re sort of right… except, not exactly.

RELATED: The One Vitamin Doctors Are Urging Everyone To Take Right Now

According to Jillian Kubala, MS, RD via Medical News Today, it’s true that chili peppers contain capsaicin, which is the compound that gives a hot pepper its kick. Capsaicin can help heat up metabolism, Kubala says, but not in the way you might have imagined. “…[T]he capsaicin in chili peppers can increase metabolic rate when taken in concentrated supplements,” Kubala explains. “But the amount of this compound in a typical dish containing chili peppers is unlikely to significantly [affect] metabolism.”

Indeed, researchers in a 2017 study cited an earlier project which had concluded that a 135-milligram capsaicin supplement led to a “significant increase in resting energy expenditure” when it was taken over a three-month period. With cayenne pepper as a common active ingredient in capsaicin supplements (which can often be found in nutrition stores), research has also suggested that turbo-amounts of capsaicin may help fight cancer, inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, and even dementia. The science says you just need that seriously concentrated dose to make it worth your while.

Hey, props for seeking out ways to keep your metabolism active, even when you’re not. But, the next time you order a meal extra-spicy, keep in mind that of all the things that might burn after you take a bite, a ton of calories may not be on the list.

Sign up for the Eat This, Not That! newsletter for daily nutrition insights you can use, and keep reading:

Source link

The post One Major Side Effect of Eating Hot Peppers, Dietitian Says appeared first on Heal your health yourself.

It’s the most-sipped beverage in the world next to water, and it’s no wonder so many of us love it: That’s right, it’s coffee. In addition to the recent discovery of the link between coffee and liver health, and the even newer study that suggests coffee may help prevent COVID-19, now a dietitian is giving us one more reason to pour that beautiful brew. If you’ve been curious about whether coffee can help you lose weight, you’ve been right. A dietitian for the Mayo Clinic is revealing how it happens.

Katherine Zeratsky, RD, LD is a registered dietitian at the Mayo Clinic. Zeratsky recently took to the renowned health system’s blog to reveal several ways coffee may play a role in boosting your weight-loss efforts. Keep reading to understand how coffee can support weight loss, and don’t miss One Secret Fitness Trick That Can Add Years to Your Life, Says Top Trainer.

Though we don’t suggest that the healthiest way to lose weight is to stop eating, you might find that quieting your appetite slightly when it’s growling can help you from overdoing it next time you sit down to a meal. Zeratsky says: “Caffeine may reduce feelings of hunger and your desire to eat for a brief time.”

RELATED: This Is the Best Coffee for Weight Loss, Says an Expert

Especially for those of us who work in some activity most every day, we all need a little rest on occasion. Thanks to its impact on the body’s thermogenesis process (more on that here), coffee can help your metabolism stay active when you do. Check out other ways you can help your body burn fat even while you’re taking it easy.

It’s true: As Zeratsky explains, just by definition, caffeine’s role as a stimulant can bring greater efficiency to the body’s calorie-burning capacity.

RELATED: The Most Surprising Drink for Weight Loss, Says Dietitian

You might be inspired to brew a fresh cup now… but, as you consider any habit that could impact your health—coffee-drinking and losing weight included—it’s always best to talk with your healthcare provider to choose the routine that’s right for you.

For more like this, get the Eat This, Not That! newsletter and read up on The 3 Best Drinks to Speed Up Your Metabolism, According to Experts.

Source link

The post One Major Effect Coffee Has on Weight Loss, Dietitian Says appeared first on Heal your health yourself.

With summer in full swing, nothing feels more tempting than jumpstarting your weight loss goals and achieving a perfectly flat stomach anyone could get jealous of. While diet and exercise can help shave off stomach flab, taking fat-burning supplements feels like an easy way to reach your goal. But are they even healthy for you to take?

Activated charcoal and probiotics claim to reduce bloating and fight water weight, leading to a slimmer waistline, while enzymes and synbiotics guarantee to burn off fat around your waist. While a ton of these supplements have flooded the market, many of these quick shortcuts to flat bellies hide one common side effect that could get anyone thinking twice before putting these items into their body.

“Among several side effects of fat-burning supplements, the most dangerous one is high blood pressure and heart rate that puts your heart under great stress,” says Amber O’Brien, RD from Mango Clinic. “These supplements work after heating up your body, boosting the metabolism and causing the burning of fat at a higher resting rate to promote weight loss. But unfortunately, in doing so, increased heart rate and blood pressure result in poor blood circulation, which can put your life in danger by increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.”

“Fat-burning supplements contain several unregulated ingredients that are fatal for [your] health,” says O’Brien. “Moreover, weight loss supplements can interact with other medications therefore it is highly recommended to consult your doctor before choosing any product from the market.”

All in all, it’s important to note that taking these supplements may help with debloating and weight loss efforts, but they aren’t a magical pill—meaning you need to be careful with your dosage.

“In order to avoid potential side effects, it’s important to consider all the precautions while taking fat-burning supplements,” says O’Brien. “If you have started taking the supplements, do not exceed the recommended dosage mentioned on the label. Besides, do not expect rapid results from these supplements if you are not working on your diet and lifestyle choices.”

Can fat-burning supplements even help with weight loss?

While fat-burning supplements have the potential to cause cardiac damage through raised blood pressure, some supplements can still help you on your weight loss journey.

“I would recommend going for natural fat burners that are very less likely to cause side effects,” says O’Brien.

Items like green tea extract or ginseng can help speed up your metabolism, resulting in a flatter stomach. You can even turn to hibiscus and berberine to supercharge your fat-burning goals. While these natural items pose less of a danger, they can’t beat diet and exercise.

“However, remember that the most effective and healthier way to burn fat is to perform exercises that target fat and avoid foods that are high in calorie count,” O’Brien continued. “If you’re looking for shortcuts to lose your fat, even supplements can’t work effectively if you are not working out and choosing the right diet plan.”

When it comes to slimming down, don’t rely on any shortcuts. With the help of diet and exercise, you can achieve every body sculpting goal you put your mind to (like following these 20 Healthy Eating Habits to Lose Weight Right Now). If you opt to include some fat-burning supplements in your diet, make sure to keep a keen eye on their side effects and avoid putting your heart at risk for the sake of your stomach.

Get even more healthy tips straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter! After, read these next:

Source link

The post One Major Side Effect of Taking Fat-Burning Supplements, Says Dietitian appeared first on Heal your health yourself.

With summer and swimsuit season rolling in, you might be in search of some easy ways to make your everyday diet choices help you feel your best. Well, here’s some sunny news: According to a dietitian at a weight loss clinic in one of Florida’s hottest beach cities, your metabolism ramps up as soon as you take your first sip of coffee, which can set you up to eat healthier, burn more calories, and even lose weight.

Keep reading to find out how coffee helps you burn fat, even when you’re not moving. And for more, make sure to check out Making This One Change to Your Diet Could “Reprogram” Your Metabolism, New Study Says.

Donald Mankie is a registered dietitian at the Sarasota Memorial Bariatric and Metabolism Center who just spoke to Sarasota Magazine to answer the burning question about whether coffee fuels metabolism. Mankie told the local outlet: “The stimulating effect is definitely there.” (In fact, this has been demonstrated in a number of great studies.)

Related: Sign up for our newsletter for the latest healthy eating and weight loss news.

Mankie said that in the simplest sense, coffee helps your metabolism because its caffeine gives you more energy. He noted that “caffeine can reduce the perception of fatigue” during exercise, which might simply give you that extra “oomph” to power through your workout to maximize your output.

RELATED: Eva Longoria Reveals the Exact At-Home Workout She Uses to Stay Fit

According to Mankie, coffee can also keep your metabolism raised even when you’re not hard at work, thanks to “thermogenesis,” which is the body’s process for producing heat.

As Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian at the Mayo Clinic, has said, caffeine amps up the amount of energy your body uses even when you’re inactive… and this translates to the burning of a greater number of calories than baseline rest levels. (Read more about thermogenesis, and another drink that drives it, here.)

Anyone who’s ever hit pause on their exercise routine, whether for illness or any reason, might know how amazing it feels to complete that first workout after a break. Part of that is from the endorphins—mood-boosting chemicals—that the body produces during exercise.

Mankie said that similarly, coffee increases endorphin production, which can “produce an increased feeling of wellness and excitability,” as well as “improve concentration, energy levels, and mood.”

RELATED: Are You Unhappy? Walk This Far Before Breakfast, Says Science

These days, there are a lot of cool ways people are maxing out their coffee routine to make it work for their nutrition and well-being goals—like this creative coffee/protein shake combo.

For more healthy eating and weight loss news, keep reading:

Source link

The post One Major Effect Coffee Has on Your Metabolism, Expert Says appeared first on Heal your health yourself.

If a little extra weight around your middle has left you feeling less than your best, now may be time to take a look at trimming that torso. A groundbreaking new study has revealed that abdominal obesity may be a contributing factor behind the second most common cancer in American men (and the first for guys in Canada).

You might already be aware that in recent years, “belly fat” has been linked to endocrinological disorders like diabetes, as well as other health issues such as cardiovascular problems. Now, a new Canadian study has honed in on another serious problem for men with abdominal obesity: prostate cancer. (RELATED: 15 Underrated Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work)

But there’s a glimmer of hope—researchers say the findings create an opportunity for doctors to work preventively with patients. Read on to learn about this link between being overweight and cancer. Also, don’t miss the Best Supplements for a Longer Life, According to Dietitians.

Published in April in the peer-reviewed journal, Cancer Causes & Control, the study was led by five public health and epidemiology researchers from Canada’s Institut national de la recherche scientifique (National Institute of Scientific Research) with support from the Canadian Cancer Society.

Knowing that obesity had previously been linked to prostate cancer, the team sought to understand whether the distribution of excess weight throughout the body played a role cancer development.

The researchers examined data collected from more than 1,900 adult male participants with a maximum age of 75 between 2005 and 2012. Researchers took measurements of the participants’ waists and hips, as well as interviewed them about their height, weight, and other statistics to determine their body mass index (BMI).

RELATED: This 7-Minute Walking Trick Could Add Years to Your Life, Says Study

After running the data, the researchers discovered that “abdominal obesity appears to be associated with a greater risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer.” They also found that as BMI increased, so did the chance of developing advanced prostate cancer.

Getting more granular, they added that a waist circumference of 40 inches or higher was associated with an even more elevated risk of aggressive advanced prostate cancer.

Interestingly, the researchers found that general obesity was not in and of itself a cause of prostate cancer. Instead, it’s specifically belly fat that they believe can lead to the proliferation of prostate cancer cells.

“Abdominal obesity causes hormonal and metabolic variations that can promote the growth of hormone-dependent cancer cells,” Éric Vallières, a doctoral student at the University of Montreal who served as the study’s main author, said. “Abdominal obesity is believed to be associated with a decrease in testosterone, as well as a state of chronic inflammation linked to the development of aggressive tumors.”

RELATED: 40 Best Weight Loss Tips If You’re Over 40

According to Marie-Elise Parent, the study’s lead researcher, the revelations from this study create an opportunity for doctors to work preventively with patients.

“Pinpointing the risk factors for aggressive cancer is a big step forward in health research because it’s the hardest to treat,” Parent stated. “This data creates an opportunity to work preventively, by monitoring men with this risk factor more closely.”

Don’t forget to check out the 50 Best Foods That Lower Your Cancer Risk and sign up for the Eat This, Not That! newsletter to get all of the health and nutrition news you need.

Read more: 

Source link

The post One Major Side Effect of Being Overweight for Men, New Study Says appeared first on Heal your health yourself.

The findings of a big, year-long weight loss study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine revealed some eye-opening news for obese people who struggle with not only losing weight but also keeping it off. After all, as any weight loss expert can tell you, the only thing that’s perhaps more difficult than losing weight in the first place is actually keeping it off—and avoiding the dreaded rebound weight gain. According to the researchers, the combination of moderate-to-vigorous exercise along with taking one weight loss drug were successful at helping people lose 20 pounds or more and keep it off for a full year. Read on for more, and if you’re in the market for a great new workout, see here for 3 Workouts Proven to Change Your Body Shape.

The study put the weight-loss drug Saxenda (liraglutide), a prescription anti-obesity drug that’s FDA-approved in the United States, to the test. The researchers who oversaw the clinical head-to-head trial recruited obese adults and put them all through an 8-week, low-calorie diet. After that, the study participants were randomly assigned into four groups.

Those in the first group were put on a “moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise program” while taking a placebo. Group two took liraglutide (3mg per day) and didn’t exercise. Group three exercised and took liraglutide, while group four took a placebo and didn’t exercise. By “exercise,” here’s what the researchers mean: “The mean weekly duration of exercise was 118 minutes at an intensity of 78% of the maximum heart rate in the exercise group, and 111 minutes at an intensity of 79% of the maximum heart rate in the combination group,” observed Healio.

The program then went on for a full year.

At the end of a year, all of the people who exercised lost more weight than those in the placebo group. However, the study participants who combined exercise with liraglutide enjoyed the greatest weight loss of all. On average, participants who did both lost 12 more pounds that people who exercised alone. They also lost more weight than those who just took the drug.

“It is great news for public health that a significant weight loss can be maintained with exercise for approximately 115 minute per week performed mostly at vigorous intensity, such as cycling,” Signe S. Torekov, PhD, professor in the department of biomedical sciences at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, explained to Healio. “By combining exercise with obesity medication, the effect is twice as good as each of the individual treatments.”

Saxenda (liraglutide) is an a prescription weight loss drug designed for obese people with a BMI of 30 or over that was approved by the FDA for use in the United States in late 2014. It’s an injectable drug—delivered through a pen. In 2017, researchers found that it was also effective in bolstering heart health.

It works by reducing your body’s leptin resistance and making you feel full. When you go on a diet, your hunger hormone leptin moves to increase your appetite and slow your metabolism. The hormone that triggers this process is leptin, and the more you try to diet, the more your leptin spikes, until you eventually develop a leptin resistance. Liraglutide works, the researchers say, by reducing that leptin resistance and allowing your weight loss to happen.

It’s worth noting that it’s quite pricey, and can cost upwards of $40/day.

Now, if you’re looking to lose 5 pounds before summer, this study doesn’t apply to you. But it’s a major breakthrough for obese people who are susceptible to diabetes and other health conditions, and who truly struggle to keep weight off in the long term.

Even if you don’t take the drug, the study shows that obese people can lose and maintain their weight by exercising alone.

“Our trial showed that 1 year of mostly vigorous-intensity exercise, performed approximately 2.4 times per week, as a weight-loss maintenance strategy was feasible in persons with obesity with a very low initial level of fitness,” conclude the researchers. “The finding that the 1-year trajectories with regard to body weight, waist-to-hip ratio and adherence were stable in the exercising groups—in which participants had a loss of fat mass and increase in lean mass, along with improved emotional well-being—also support feasibility.” And for more weight loss advice, see these Secret Exercise Tricks for Keeping Your Weight Down for Good.

Source link

The post New Study Says These 2 Things Result in Major Long-Term Weight Loss appeared first on Heal your health yourself.

If you prefer walking for exercise and you often go out with your spouse or significant other, new research suggests you’d be wise to leave them in the dust—or at least encourage them to pick up the pace. A study just published in the academic journal Gait & Posture found that couples who go walking together also end up walking at a much slower pace. If the couple was the hand-holding type? Their speed went down even further.

“If someone substantially slows down when they are walking with someone else, that could negate some of the health benefits recognized if they walked alone at a faster pace,” said Libby Richards, Ph.D., MSN, RN, CHES, an associate professor of nursing at Purdue University, which conducted the study.

Though other studies have shown that working out with friends and family is hugely beneficial for achieving more fitness gains—and imposing a greater sense of accountability on all of those involved—the act of walking, perhaps because it’s an exercise performed at a conversational pace, appears to be an exception. “We were hoping that there would not be a reduction in speed where partners walked together,” explained Richards. “We hoped that slower partners would speed up to match the faster partner, but that was not the case.”

For the study, the researchers studied the times spent walking and gait speeds for 72 couples that ranged in age from 25 to 79 years-old. They performed all sorts of walks “in numerous settings,” said the study, “including clear or obstacle-filled pathways, walking together, walking together holding hands, and walking individually.”

As countless studies have shown, gait speed is enormously important to the quality of exercise you’re getting when you’re out walking. “Gait speed is important to measure because it is related to overall health. Typical gait speed is predictive of fall risk, functional ability, disability recovery and mortality,” said Shirley Rietdyk, Ph.D., M.S., a professor of health and kinesiology at Purdue, in the study’s official release. (For further proof of the importance of gait speed, know that a new study of cancer survivors published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention concluded that “those who walked at the slowest pace had more than twofold increased risk of death from any cause, compared with those reporting the fastest walking pace.”)

Ultimately, the researchers found that in all types of walking conditions, “both partners reduced speed when walking together, and reduced speed further while holding hands, when compared to walking alone. While walking with a partner may increase walking activity due to social support, reduced speed when walking together may unintentionally reduce health benefits and gait quality in both partners.”

So remember this the next time you’re headed out for a stroll with your SO. For just some of the added benefits you’ll enjoy after picking up your walking pace, read on, because we’ve listed them right here. And for more great advice for making the most of your walks, don’t miss the Major Mistakes You Should Never Make While Walking, According to Experts.

A new study of cognitively impaired, older adults, which was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, has found that going out for brisk, half-hour walks promotes healthy blood flow to the brain and improves its cognitive performance, while boosting memory function.

If you’re looking to stabilize your blood sugar, you could find worse ways than taking a short and brisk walk in your neighborhood after eating. A study published in the journal Diabetologia in 2016 found that just a 10-minute walk after eating helped people with Type 2 diabetes lower their blood sugar levels. For more great ways to be fitter starting now, consider trying This Total-Body Home Workout That Builds Strength and Burns Calories Fast.

According to a study published in 2015 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a brisk 20-minute walk every day could reduce your risk of death by upwards of 30%.

“Having a regular walking schedule can be great for your health, and I am not just talking about physical, but also your mental health,” Dr. Amy Lee, Head of Nutrition for Nucific, previously told Eat This, Not That. “[You have a] feeling of accomplishment by burning calories, [you] can lower your daily stress, and you let the body secrete natural endorphins which is the ‘feel-good’ hormone.”

A study published this year in the journal Scientific Reports says you should take more brisk walks for the sake of your creativity. And get this: The more you walk, the more your mind will flourish. “The most active of the volunteers proved to be also the most creative, especially if they often walked or otherwise exercised moderately,” explained The New York Times. And if you’re walking to lose weight, make sure you’re aware of How Far You Should Walk Every Day to Burn More Fat, Says Top Doctor.

Source link

The post One Major Side Effect of Going for Walks with Your Partner, Says Study appeared first on Heal your health yourself.