Chavez acknowledges that even he is overweight, but he recently lost 20 pounds, by eating better and exercising.

And admits he still has more weight to lose.

Chavez said, “There are lots of fat people in Venezuela.” And he is encouraging his supporters to improve their diets, and exercise more.

But he seems to be only talking to men. “I’m not saying fat women, because they never get fat,” he insisted. “Women sometimes fill out.”

That’s kind of a weird statement.

He wants Venezuelans to “learn how to eat,” recommending they drink soy milk, because it fights aging, and said his own diet has left him feeling stronger.

Many countries, such as the United States, Mexico, and China, face a growing obesity problem, and have tried dealing with it in various ways.

In Italy, officials in Varallo paid people to shape up, and recently Mexico put its police force on a diet.

Via the Associated Press.

Image credit: Flag Focus

Too many kids and young adults sitting around, not being active, not going outside, just sitting around eating and pushing buttons.

So when Nintendo Wii came along, it was revolutionary. A video game system that actually requires you to exercise, genius!

But does it actually work? Do those neat controllers and fancy video games really get people moving? A new study says yes.

Presented at this year’s American Heart Association Scientific Sessions meeting, Nintendo-funded research claims one-third of Wii’s games, like Wii Sport and Wii Fit packages, provide people with moderate intensity exercise.

Wii Fit showed it could get gamers’ exercise intensity as high as 5.6 METS, short for metabolic equivalent values, which are used to measure energy expenditure. Intense exercise starts at 6.0 METS. So not too bad for a video game!

But not all games are created equal. Wii Baseball and Wii Tennis scored 3.0 METS, but Wii Golf only worked up 2.0 METS.

Too bad those gaming systems are so expensive, that’s probably why most people stick to Minesweeper, which scores a 100 on the aggravation scale.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: 3lib.ukonline.co.uk

When weaning rats off a high-calorie diet, researchers found similar effects on their brain to stopping drugs and alcohol.

Granted, rats and humans have very different brains—most of the time—but scientists believe these findings help explain why diets fail.

Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, experts claim when overeaters try to go on a diet it causes stress hormones in their brains to run wild.

This freaks them out, leading to anxiety, decreased motivation, and unwillingness to try other foods. A similar effect is seen with drug addiction.

To test this out, researchers gave the rats regular food for 5 days, then switched them to a chocolate-flavored sugary food, and after eating the junk food, the rats didn’t want to go back to the regular stuff.

And when deprived of the sugar, the rats’ brains acted as if they were coming off booze or drugs.

Researchers say knowing how food effects the brain can help treat people with obesity.

Via HealthDay News.

Image credit: In Other Words

Scientists at the Nestle Research Center in Switzerland suggest compounds in dark chocolate may lower stress hormones during times of high anxiety.

After feeding study participants, both men and women, half a chocolate bar, or roughly 20 grams, every morning, researchers monitored their stress hormone production for two weeks.

Findings showed “chocolate therapy” lowered high hormone levels.

So experts suggest stressed out workers would benefit long-term from daily consumption of chocolate. They recommend 40 grams a day. A whole candy bar, nice!

Researchers believe flavanols in chocolate, which help prevent artery inflammation, are also responsible for the reduction in mental stress.

But dietitians warn not to go overboard with chocolate, since it’s usually high in fat and sugar.

Via The Daily Mail.

Image credit: Saida Online Magazine

A report by the American Institute for Cancer Research claims obesity causes 100,000 cases of cancer each year.

With more than 26% of Americans considered obese, and rising, the outlook will most likely get worse.

But the numbers are already pretty scary:

• 20,700 for endometrial cancer

• 5,800 esophageal

• 11,900 pancreatic

• 13,900 kidney

• 2,000 gallbladder

• 33,000 breast

• 13,200 colorectal

Experts urge that when compared to people of healthy weight, obese or overweight individuals have a higher risk of cancer.

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., and obesity-related medical expenses cost the country $147 billion a year.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: The Tonic

New research in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism suggests speed-eating may block the body’s natural appetite-control system.

In the study, scientists pitted 17 men against some ice cream in two trials.

First, participants ate two servings of ice cream over 5 minutes. And later, the men were asked to eat ice cream over 30 minutes.

After the experiments, men did not have different feelings of fullness and hunger from one trial to another, but after eating slowly, participants showed higher blood levels of peptides—a type of hormone—that control hunger.

Both peptides signal the brain to cut appetite, and stop calorie intake.

Researchers say the findings have major implications for people who eat a lot of fast food, and provides more reason for people to slow down when they eat.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: Dr. Robyn Silverman

This helped reduce the severity of flu symptoms, and even lowered the risk of contracting a bad cold or flu infection.

Writing in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, scientists believe the benefits of moderate exercise bolster the part of the immune system that defends against viral attack.

However, exhausting workouts may make people more susceptible to flu infection.

In the study, mice regularly scampering on a treadmill for over 3 months developed less-severe symptoms when infected with the flu virus.

Also, when compared to couch potato mice, active mice had lower levels of inflammatory substances in their lungs, after being infected with the flu.

Given the current Swine Flu hysteria, experts insist this is another reason to incorporate regular exercise into your routine.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: Easy Bingo

After all, healthy employees take fewer sick days, and fewer sick days saves money.

So it’s a good thing a new study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, shows workplace exercise programs do their job, and improve employees’ health.

A review of previous studies, involving 38,000 people, revealed on-the-job exercise initiatives lead to healthy changes in activity level, cholesterol, body size, work attendance, and job stress.

And surprise-surprise, the most effective exercise programs were also the most convenient, like those with a gym on site, and ones that allowed employees to work out during the day, instead of having to come in early or stay late.

But exercising at work doesn’t have to be as involved as weights and treadmills. Tai Chi is becoming a popular activity, and is easy to at or away from your cubicle.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: North Shore Brain Training