Women who eat fish during pregnancy are more likely to have brainy and sociable children, according to new EU-funded research.

Those mothers-to-be who tucked into oily fish like tuna, sardines and salmon produced infants who scored better in various tests of skill and intelligence, it found.

As part of a £5 million European Commission study into diet, Spanish researchers examined 2,000 women at the 20th week of pregnancy and again after birth.

They questioned them on their diets and took blood samples to test for levels of omega-3 and omega-6, the healthy fatty acids found in oily fish in particular. [Read more...]

Debunking the long-held belief that fried foods spell disaster for your cardiovascular health, a new study conducted in Spain, has found out that as long as you use olive or sunflower oil, fried foods may not be so bad after all. Published in the British Journal of Medicine earlier this

week, the findings reveal no increased risk of heart disease or premature death when food is fried in “healthy” oils.

Researchers at the Autonomous University of Madrid in Spain studied 40,757 adults regarding their diet in an 11-year study. The participants were surveyed about their diets and food preparation, with findings showing no link between fried foods in the diet and heart disease. [Read more...]

Researchers have confirmed what many people have long suspected – mouthwatering images of food in advertisements is fuelling obesity epidemic.

A team at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry has found that it only takes a picture of tempting food to cause a change in the level of ghrelin hormone which control people’s appetite – and this makes many hungry, the ‘Daily Mail’ said.

In fact, the effect of the hormones are so powerful that a photograph can make you want to eat a slice of cake just two hours after breakfast , says the study. The researchers suggest that people trying to shed the flab should avoid looking at pictures of tempting food. [Read more...]

Take to healthy foods that fight cholesterol and keep the heart healthy, urges dietician Ishi Khosla

Oats:

Dietary fibre plays an important role in maintaining our health and protecting us against many diseases like diabetes, heart disease. Oats, oat bran, and oatmeal contain a specific type of fibre known as beta-glucan. It is a soluble fibre that helps in decreasing LDL (bad cholesterol). One of the special things about the way oats work unlike other fibres is that it lowers only bad cholesterol while levels of good cholesterol (HDL) remain unchanged. This means an even better ratio between total cholesterol and HDL, ensuring increased protection against heart disease. Oatmeal is the only wholegrain food recognised by the FDA to lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease, thereby allows its claim as a heart protective ingredient in food labels. Studies also show that in individuals with high cholesterol (above 220 mg/dl), consuming just 3 grams of soluble oat fibre per day (an amount found in a bowl of oatmeal) typically lowers total cholesterol. [Read more...]