Recurring miscarriages more common for obese women |
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The links between miscarriage and maternal obesity are well documented. But a new study looks at recurrent miscarriages for which there are no explanation. UK scientists found that the risk of a further miscarriage for obese women was significantly higher than that of normal weight women (odds ratio of 2:3). |
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They recommend counseling should be given to obese women planning on becoming pregnant. The study was conducted by a team from London’s St. Mary’s Hospital and published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (September 2008). Source: |
How much exercise is enough?
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Studies show that exercise is more important than ever. But how much is enough? Confusing guidelines can make it difficult to figure out. Depending upon which recommendation is used, either about half or about two-thirds of Americans meet minimum goals, the team at the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention found. The U.S. Health and Human Services Department suggests a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week. Just fewer than 65% of adults reached that goal, according to the CDC. The government’s Healthy People Objective 2010 calls for at least 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week, or 20 minutes of vigorous activity three days a week. Only 49% of those surveyed met these goals. |
| Emotional IQ may
drive food choices |
A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research reveals that the key to better food choices may lie in understanding how menus and advertising affect our emotions. Researchers from the University of Kentucky examined the “emotional intelligence” of consumers, including obese people. They found that people who made the healthiest choices had high correlations between their emotional intelligence and confidence in their emotional intelligence. This is what the authors call “emotional calibration”. In the first of two studies, they found that people with emotional miscalibration chose foods higher in calories, even more so than people with low levels of nutritional knowledge. In the second study, researchers found that emotional miscalibration leaves obese people susceptible to impulsive eating triggered by vivid pictures of food. |
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