Latest news with #UrbanaChampaign
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
This 'Bad' Habit May Help You Lose Weight, New Study Suggests
Reviewed by Dietitian Annie Nguyen, M.A., RDA new study suggests that eating the foods you're craving may help you lose weight. Participants were advised to include foods they were craving as part of their meals. Study participants were also able to keep weight off longer when they satisfied you'd like to lose weight, you may be at a loss for where to start. Everywhere you turn, there's another ad, product or program promising big results. But the truth is, no one method works for everyone. Many variables come into play, and just as many obstacles pop up that need to be overcome. One of them is cravings. While we may think of cravings as something that's 'all in our heads,' that's not quite true. Cravings are a real biological phenomenon defined as 'strong and intense desires or subjectively non-resistible urges to consume a specific food or type of food, that often undermine efforts to maintain dietary changes.' So, having cravings or giving in to them is not a sign of weakness. It's your brain and body's way of telling you something. And cravings can be measured to some extent. With that in mind, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign decided to examine food cravings and see if they could actually help you lose weight. Sound counterintuitive? They recently published their findings in the journal Physiology & Behavior. Let's break them down. Related: 5 Mediterranean Diet Foods to Stock Up On to Lose Weight, According to Dietitians The purpose of this study was to determine the change in food cravings and their relationship with weight loss outcomes during a one-year dietary weight loss program followed by another year of weight maintenance. The goal was for participants to lose 5% of their body weight. Researchers recruited 30 participants with an average age of 53 at baseline; about 77% of them were women. The average BMI at baseline was 36—BMI over 30 is considered obese, and 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, though it's important to note that BMI does not take into account what the weight is made up of, including muscle and bone. To help level this out, waist and hip circumferences were also measured, as was body composition, which takes into account the amount of lean mass to fat mass. Food cravings were measured using two validated scales when the study began and after 12, 18 and 24 months. At baseline, 54% of participants reported experiencing food cravings ranging from sometimes to daily in the past month; the remaining 46% reported rarely having cravings in the past month. Participants received several online nutrition education sessions during the first 12 months, plus three individualized online advising sessions and weekly feedback emails from nutrition coaches. The goal of the education sessions was to educate participants about basic nutrition principles to empower them to make informed decisions on what to eat. Part of this was encouraging a higher intake of protein and fiber, and how to create a small calorie deficit to encourage weight loss. They also learned strategies for managing food cravings, including storing commonly craved foods in less accessible spaces, and using distraction strategies (i.e., going for a walk when feeling a craving coming on), as well as establishing a consistent daily eating pattern. Participants were also encouraged to follow the inclusion strategy. This involved incorporating small portions of their favorite foods as part of a well-balanced meal, instead of avoiding and excluding these foods or food groups (as a restrictive weight loss diet might suggest). Each participant received a Wi-Fi-enabled scale that transmitted information to researchers via an app. They were instructed to weigh themselves each day before breakfast. During the 12 months of maintenance, there was minimal contact with the research team, other than a 15-month check-in with a registered dietitian. At the end of the study period (24 months), researchers split participants into two groups: those who lost more than 5% of their body weight, and those who lost less than 5%. Twenty of the 30 participants made it through the whole 24 months, which was just enough to allow a meaningful statistical analysis. At baseline, there were no differences in craving traits between the two groups. But the group that lost at least 5% of their body weight showed consistent improvements in craving traits over the first 12 months, which was sustained through 24 months. The other group, however, showed no significant change in craving trait scores throughout the entire study period. Participants who used the inclusion strategy—allowing for small portions of their favorite foods—lost significantly more weight than those who didn't use the strategy. Plus, strategy users also experienced a significant reduction in overall cravings, especially for sweets, carbs and high-fat foods, compared to those who didn't use the strategy. Previous research suggested that cravings happen as a result of weight loss and emptying fat cells, which essentially triggers cravings to fill the fat cells back up. But this new research challenges that belief. 'This basically debunks the hungry fat cell theory, a longstanding hypothesis that fat cells become starved for energy and trigger cravings, causing dieters to eat and ultimately regain what they lost,' says Manabu Nakamura, Ph.D., the study's lead author, in a press release. 'But that is not the case. As long as you stay at a healthy weight, your cravings will remain low.' Results also suggest that those who established a consistent eating pattern also lost more weight. 'The popular myth is you have to have a very strong will to fend off temptation,' says Nakamura, 'but that is not the case. Fluctuations in eating patterns, meal times and amounts trigger cravings, too. You have to be consistent.' A limitation of this study is that it cannot establish causation, just correlation. In other words, it cannot be said that the inclusion strategy caused more weight loss and reduced cravings, just that there is an association between them. This study also does not mention other factors that can influence weight, like physical activity, sleep and stress. So it's unknown if the participants who lost more weight engaged in other healthy habits besides the strategies mentioned here. Plus, with only 20 participants completing the program, this study offers a limited picture of what weight loss may look like for various people. Related: The #1 Surprising Exercise for Reducing Visceral Fat, According to Experts This study supports our philosophy here at EatingWell—that all foods fit in a varied, balanced eating pattern, even when trying to lose weight. And that consistently fueling your body helps prevent dramatic blood sugar highs and lows—and consequently that hangry feeling that brings you to an irritable, brain-foggy, ravenous state, looking for anything to eat to help you feel better. Other recent research supports these findings, too. For example, one study found that those who participate in fasting—including intermittent fasting—were more likely to experience food cravings and binge eating. These studies suggest that cravings are your body's way of telling you that it needs something, like fuel or nutrients, and are not related to some lack of willpower. Our bodies are designed with many backup systems to warn us when they need something. When we don't eat enough, for example, our bodies and brains assume we're starving and trigger biological processes to make sure we eat. These processes include food cravings and food thoughts—aka food noise and constantly thinking about food. Related: 5 Foods You Should Be Eating for Dinner for Weight Loss You can help calm your brain—and cravings—by making sure it has what it needs—fuel. The brain's primary and preferred source of fuel is glucose, found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes. And as this study suggests, including small amounts of foods that you would normally avoid when you're trying to lose weight may not only reduce cravings, but also aid weight loss. It's also important to consider other areas of health that not only support healthy weight, but also health in general. Be careful about focusing solely on calories, and make sure you're eating a variety of foods to get the nutrients you need. You can meet a calorie goal with one or two foods, but it's difficult to get the wide range of fats, proteins, carbs, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals your body needs by restricting what you eat. You can also lose weight and, in the process, lose a lot of muscle and bone mass if you're not eating enough protein and including strength training in your routine. You can restrict certain foods and food groups and lose weight, and end up an anxious, irritable mess because you're not eating enough calories to sustain you. This, in turn, increases stress, which can also affect your sleep (not to mention your relationships). If you'd like some guidance for your weight loss journey, making an appointment with a registered dietitian can help individualize your approach. Or if you just need some tasty ideas of what to eat, we've got lots of meal plans to choose from, like our 30-Day No Sugar Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan for Weight Loss. If you're on a GLP-1, check out our Simple 7-Day GLP-1-Friendly Meal Plan for Beginners. All of our meal plans are designed by registered dietitians, so you know that they're not only delicious but also nutrient-dense. Related: 7 Foods You Shouldn't Cut Out If You're Trying to Lose Weight, According to a Dietitian This study suggests that following a few simple strategies, like including small portions of your favorite foods with balanced meals and maintaining a consistent eating pattern, can help with weight loss and reduce food cravings. Barring food allergies or sensitivities, cutting out whole foods and entire food groups is rarely beneficial. Also, beware of only focusing on calories and weight. Take a whole health approach by engaging in regular physical activity for a stronger heart and muscles (not just weight loss), managing the things that stress you out, getting plenty of quality sleep and spending time with loved ones. All of these factors work together for your overall health, including disease prevention and longevity—and that's more important than hitting a specific number on the scale. Read the original article on EATINGWELL
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
World's smartest shell? New armor material reacts in real time to crashes and impacts
Nature has spent millions of years building better protection. Think of a turtle's shell, the hard outer shell of a crab, or the shiny inside of a seashell. These aren't just for show. They help animals survive by spreading out force, soaking up impacts, and bending instead of breaking. Now, engineers are using those same ideas to create a new kind of man-made material. Inspired by seashells in particular, they've built a layered synthetic material that doesn't just take a hit but adapts to it. Each layer is designed to react differently, and all the layers work together to soften the blow. The new study, led by civil and environmental engineering professor Shelly Zhang from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and professor Ole Sigmund from the Technical University of Denmark, shows how this material could one day make things like car bumpers or wearable protection much smarter and safer. A practical way forward might seem simple: just copy how natural protective layers work. But the researchers chose to go a step further. Instead of reverse-engineering nature, they developed a method to program individual layers to work together under stress. One natural material in particular stood out: nacre, or mother-of-pearl. Found inside seashells of mollusks like oysters and abalones, nacre is made of microscopic layers that make it both hard and surprisingly tough. Scientists have long admired it for how well it absorbs force without cracking. Inspired by nacre's toughness, they designed synthetic layers that respond in a coordinated, adaptive way. 'We landed on the idea to design multilayered materials with each layer being capable of exhibiting different properties and behaviors,' Zhang said. This collective behavior marks a shift from earlier approaches that treated layers as isolated or static. In this new design, the layers actively collaborate, changing how force travels through the material. Buckling is what happens when a material suddenly bends or collapses under pressure, like when a metal can crumples under too much force. In most cases, it signals failure. But here, the researchers use it as a controlled response. Depending on the impact, the synthetic layers buckle in stages. This staggered response helps spread out the force and absorb more energy than traditional shock-absorbing materials. 'This work was born out of a discussion with my collaborator, Professor Sigmund, about how we already can achieve some very extreme behaviors, but there's always a physical limit or upper bound that single materials can achieve, even with programming,' Zhang said. 'That led us to consider what kind of engineering could enable some of the crazy material behaviors needed in real life. For example, extreme buckling behaviors could help dissipate energy for things like car bumpers.' The researchers didn't just assign properties to each layer. They programmed the micro-level connections between them, creating a material that acts like a single, intelligent unit. 'Our new framework presents several advantages over existing methodologies for nonlinear stress-strain responses,' Zhang said. 'It optimizes nacre-like multiple layers along with their interconnections in a continuum setup, which significantly expands the design space compared to similar work involving a single-layer setup or lattice structures.' When the team built physical prototypes, the materials didn't behave exactly as the models predicted. But the researchers saw that as useful. 'The discrepancy we found is something that will always happen in real life,' Zhang said. 'But we can harness this information to intentionally program the sequence of the buckling of each of the individual cells in assembly, store some information inside, and then later we can decode the information. It was fascinating to capture this discrepancy and for it to end up providing information needed to improve the work.' Zhang says large-scale manufacturing is still a hurdle. But the core idea is already a breakthrough. 'I think it works the same for materials,' she said. 'When different materials collectively work together, they can do things that are much more impactful than if they do things individually.' The study findings are published in the journal Science Advances.
