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Our diets and lifestyle are of course to blame for being overweight or obese and these have been considered the main factors responsible. However, scientists have now turned their eyes to something much less obvious but which possibly carries almost equal weight–our genes. Geneticists have recently discovered a genetic component to obesity. The past two decades have in fact seen a number of studies in mice as well as humans that have attempted to identify exactly which genes play a role in the development of obesity. Obesity and obesity-related illnesses are a huge burden on health care systems across the world. Thanks to research, this global problem is now better understood on a genetic level. This understanding will enable more effective treatments to be developed.

Some interesting facts about obesity

Obesity is defined as the excessive accumulation of fat to the point where it interferes with health and well-being. Just a few established facts will show the extent of the obesity pandemic.

Recent photos of the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton in a bikini and the criticism of actress Jessica Simpson’s ballooning pregnancy weight show us celebrities are under a huge amount of pressure. They are expected to stay healthy and fit, even when pregnant.

Weight gain during pregnancy is a desired and expected outcome. A steady gain of 1.5-2kg (3-4lb) per month through a controlled calorie intake is to be celebrated not feared. It is the growing of your body and baby. By maintaining your pregnancy weight gain within the healthy range you are ensuring the kilos will be easier to shift after the birth.

Unlike celebrities, most women do not have a personal chef, prenatal trainer and personal assistant to manage their weight gain or postnatal weight loss. However there are plenty of celebrity tips for maintaining a healthy body and losing weight after the birth. We’ve listed down a few tips which won’t cost you a thing and will keep you looking like a star.

In the last couple of years, my love for bodybuilding has grown enormously. I have experienced several cycles of "cutting" and "bulking", in which I have learned invaluable knowledge on how to lose weight. With a "cut" meaning to shed body fat. And a "bulk" meaning to gain weight and muscle. My experience has helped me debunk several myths on the topic of losing weight and preserving muscle mass when dieting.

During each "cut" (see photo below) I had the task of losing 30lbs and achieving a six pack, whilst maintaining my muscle mass. Losing muscle during this process was my biggest anxiety.

My First Cut

In order to achieve my goal, I lost weight gradually, aiming for 2lbs max per week. This slow weekly weight loss allowed me to keep my calories fairly high at 2,000, yet still burning fat.

I also kept my protein intake high, consuming one gram of protein per lb of bodyweight, spaced out evenly throughout the day, across six meals. This high protein intake approach was adopted to keep my body in a positive nitrogen balance, with amino acids constantly fueling my muscles. This was to prevent breakdown and loss of muscle tissue.

I need you to get off that treadmill and ask yourself an important question: is your current cardio training routine WORKING? Honestly. Day-in and day-out there are people, maybe like you, who spend their precious time using ineffective cardio techniques that produce very little results.

Well, those days are over. I’m going to explain 10 ways for you to improve your cardio training routine, and start seeing the results you deserve. Let’s get started.

1. WARM-UP

Seriously…? Warming-up is a way to improve your cardio routine? You better believe it. Without an effective warm-up you won’t be able to perform any routine at 100 percent intensity. If you’re going to train, then you should commit your body all the way!

The most effective way to warm-up before any exercise is through dynamic stretching. Do not static stretch before exercise because it does not probably prepare the muscles and joints for explosive exercise.

Now, if we all happened to live in some sort of perfect world then I could tell you right now that we would all be shopping for delicious, fresh food down at the farmer’s market, eating healthy organic chickens that were grown locally, working with friends and family to buy whole entire cows for really fresh organic meat, and going down to local forests and jungles to actually find really fresh organic mushrooms to eat.

But while the ideal situation sounds great and will certainly make you a lot more healthier, the truth is that most people just aren’t able to live like this… simply because it isn’t that practical. Perhaps even if it was I really doubt most people would want to struggle so much.

Believe me, I really find it hard that anyone out there would prefer to spend the whole weekend hunting for food, when they can pop into any convenience store and get whatever they want and need in just 10 minutes flat.

Now, while most of us may not be prepared to actually get out there and hunt for food, I am pretty sure that almost all of us still want to be as healthy as we possibly can… ideally without scarifying any of the comforts that we have gotten used to. The best option for most of us would be to buy the few most important foods that should be organic and don’t cost a lot either.

New research unveils hidden mystery of pathogenesis of insulin- dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)

According to the reports of CDC, binge drinking is perhaps the most common pattern of alcohol consumption in most western countries and is strongly associated with metabolic issues like diabetes.  With over 347 million Diabetics worldwide and an increasing trend in the emergence of new cases, the need of aggressive research in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus has become even more necessary.

Alcohol consumption is closely associated with the development of a number of other metabolic irregularities that include obesity, cancer, hypertension, gastric irritability and liver issues.

Researchers and physicians long believed that the development of metabolic issues in individuals is directly proportional to the frequency of alcohol intake; however, recent research, conducted by Claudia Lindtner, Thomas Scherer and associates, concluded that binge drinking (even once a week) is strongly associated with intense metabolic abnormalities and increases the risk of diabetes mellitus type 2 due to relative insulin resistance.

As a kid I’d drink milkshakes, eat pasta, meat and cookies all day every day and never could gain a pound. Fast forward to my late twenties and I found myself weighing in at 220 pounds (height: 6 ‘1 1/2’). 

Gaining weight gave me a sense of pride. After all, I endured years of being a twig, wiry yet able to blow over during a strong wind. The extra pounds rounded out my face, made me look older and it was fine with me. But then the health issues started and my only way out was a change in what I ate, how often I ate and how I began to approach food.

This is usually the case, with most people falling into bad habits and not worrying about the consequences until they stare you in the face.  For me the consequence was sciatic nerve pain the shot down my legs. The first two years down my right leg and the last two down my left. At times this could be crippling so my 220 pound weight was not going to fly anymore.

It is a New Year and time to recommend the best elliptical trainer for your body and your budget. Elliptical trainers are an excellent way to lose weight and burn excess calories with minimal impact to your body, and that is one of the main reasons they have grown to be the second most popular fitness equipment on the market.

There are countless different styles and models, and selecting the right model for your fitness needs can be a daunting task. Therefore, these brief recommendations can assist you in narrowing down your selection.

Open any fitness magazines, turn on the TV or peruse the internet for exercise advice and chances are you’ll see at least a few adverts for sports drinks. The images used to promote these products make it look as though if you buy this particular product you’ll soon be sporting a six-pack, looking lean and mean and conquering all your opponents in your chosen competitive activity. You’ll certainly be crushing it in the gym! Reading between the lines it would seem that sports drinks are actually integral to your success but is this really the case?

There are hundreds if not thousands of sports drinks for you to potentially choose from but in reality, there are three main types. They all share a common ingredient – sugar. This might be labeled as dextrose, glucose, fructose, xylitol or maltodextrin but the main reason any sports drink gives you energy is its sugar content. The amount of sugar in each type of sports drink is how it is characterized.

“Exercise is really for the brain, not the body.”

- John J. Ratey, MD at Harvard Medical School

We all understand (I hope) that regular exercise is necessary to living a healthy life. But recently we have begun to, aside from theory, understand scientifically the direct benefits of exercise on our brain.

The two primary benefits our brain receives in response to regular exercise, in addition to a bevy of other benefits, are: mood enhancement and neurogenesis.

Mood Enhancement

It is commonly understood, by those who incorporate it into their routine, that exercise makes us feel better. More self-confident. Happier. Sexier. But why? Is this a placebo effect? Something that’s just in our minds? Well, in a sense, yes – it is just in our minds.