Whole Life Magazine

August / September 2018

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healthy living By Laura Owens R esearch from Iowa State University suggests people who have trouble regulating their blood sugar (Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes) may be more likely to have strong emotional responses to threats and negative events. This as a result, affects their quality of life and increases their risk for depression. Scientists in the study analyzed data on subjects' star- tle response, cortisol levels, brain activity, and cognitive assessment. "People with higher levels of insulin resis- tance were more startled by negative pic- tures. By extension, they may be more reactive to negative things in life," said Auriel Willette, an ISU assistant professor of food science and human nutrition. "It is one piece of evidence to sug- gest that these metabolic prob- lems are related to issues with how we perceive and deal with things that stress all of us out." Brain EEG results in subjects with prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes showed more activity on the right side of the brain which is associated with negative emotions and depression. "For people with blood sugar prob- lems, being more stressed and reactive can cause blood sugar to spike. If peo- ple with prediabetes and diabetes are trying to reverse or treat the disease, stressful events may hinder their goals," said Tovah Wolf, lead author and a grad- uate student working with Willette. D o you ever feel like your dog just gets you? That he's tuned into your emotions? Well in some regards, he is. Research from the University of Bari Aldo Moro found evidence to suggest just how connected dogs are to humans. Canines have long de- veloped the ability to process human emotions based on voice, body odor, posture, and facial expression which allowed them to better interact and communicate, and ultimately receive rewards (food, petting). In this study, researchers placed pictures of human faces in front of 26 dogs' line of vision while they ate. The photographs depict- ed a man or a woman with one of six basic emotions — anger, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise, disgust, or being neutral. It turns out when the dogs were shown pictures that expressed arousing emotional states such as fear, anger, and happiness, they had higher cardiac activity (suggesting stress). They also took lon- ger to resume feeding. Furthermore, the dogs turned their heads to the left (right-brain hemisphere) when they saw angry, fearful, or happy faces, but they turned their head to the right (left-brain hemisphere) when they saw faces with a surprised expression. Researchers think this is possibly because the dogs perceive surprise as non-threatening. Overall, the study suggests what people have long sensed — dogs are indeed sensitive to emotional cues conveyed by human expressions. F asting isn't fun. And deprivation dieting can be counterpro- ductive to maintaining long-term results. But what if fasting at only a certain window of time per day was scientifi cally prov- en to take off weight? Sound doable? Researchers with the UIC College of Applied Health Scienc- es allowed obese subjects to consume any type and quantity of food between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. as long as they only drank water or calorie-free beverages for the remain- ing 16 hours. Subjects consumed fewer calories, lost weight, and had improved blood-pressure. The 16:8 diet, as this fl exible weight-loss program is re- ferred, is based on time-restricted fasting. "The results we saw in this study are similar to the results we've seen in other studies on alternate day fasting, another type of diet," Krista Varady, associate professor of kinesiology and nutrition said, "but one of the benefi ts of the 16:8 diet may be that it is easier for people to maintain. We observed that fewer participants dropped out of this study when compared to studies on other fasting diets." However, time-restricted fasting produced less weight loss than other fasting programs (e.g., every other day). This is probably because other fasting programs resulted in lower overall caloric intake. DEPRESSION AND DIABETES THE 16:8 DIET. IT WORKS. YES, YOUR DOG SENSES YOUR MOOD F at only a certain window of time per day was scientifi cally prov- en to take off weight? Sound doable? es allowed obese subjects to consume any type and quantity of food between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. as long as they only drank water or calorie-free beverages for the remain- ing 16 hours. Subjects consumed fewer calories, lost weight, and had improved blood-pressure. ferred, is based on time-restricted fasting. "The results we saw in this study are similar to the results we've seen in other studies on alternate day fasting, another type of diet," Krista Varady, associate professor of kinesiology and nutrition said, for people to maintain. We observed that fewer participants dropped out of this study when compared to studies on other fasting diets." than other fasting programs (e.g., every other day). This is probably because other fasting programs resulted in lower overall caloric intake. assessment. "People with higher levels of insulin resis- tance were more startled by negative pic- tures. By extension, they may be more reactive to negative things in life," said Auriel Willette, an ISU assistant professor of food science and human nutrition. "It is one piece of evidence to sug- gest that these metabolic prob- lems are related to issues with how we perceive and deal with things that stress all of us out." Brain EEG results in subjects with prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes showed more activity on the right side of the brain which is associated with negative emotions and depression. "For people with blood sugar prob- lems, being more stressed and reactive can cause blood sugar to spike. If peo- ple with prediabetes and diabetes are trying to reverse or treat the disease, stressful events may hinder their goals," said Tovah Wolf, lead author and a grad- uate student working with Willette. said Tovah Wolf, lead author and a grad- 14 wholelifetimes.com Rock Body YOUR

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