People who drink a lot of diet soda tend to compensate for what they see as a healthy choice by overeating unhealthy foods. That’s the conclusion of a recent study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Researchers from the University of Illinois Department of Kinesiology and Community Health analyzed 10 years’ worth of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Participants were asked to recount everything they ate and drank during two nonconsecutive days. Rather than just focusing on what the food items were, the study zeroed in on their nutritional value, or lack thereof.

Results showed that people who chose to drink diet soda regularly generally were likely to also consume larger amounts of unhealthy foods, such as cookies, ice cream or French fries, compared to people who chose a non-diet drink, including sugary drinks and alcohol.

In fact, obese participants who drank diet beverages were more likely to consume larger amounts of unhealthy foods compared to average-weight participants who drank sugary beverages.

Researchers believe these findings support the “compensation effect,” meaning someone mistakenly thinks they can overindulge in what they eat because they’ve chosen what they see as a healthy option in what they drink.

This Week’s Slice of History: Discovery of Bacteria: Sept. 17, 1683

Sourced from: medicalnewstoday.com, Diet beverage drinkers make up the calories by snacking on unhealthy foods

People who frequently smoke marijuana may be more likely to develop prediabetes, according to a study published in the journal Diabetologia.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health analyzed specific populations from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study. The team looked at these targeted areas: people who smoke marijuana, people who are overweight or obese based on their BMI, gender, and race.

Once the results were adjusted for various factors, they suggested that people who currently smoke marijuana have a 65 percent increased risk of developing prediabetes compared to people who never smoked marijuana. People who formerly smoked marijuiana over the course of their lifetime–at least 100 times or more by young adulthood–have a 49 percent increased risk of developing prediabetes compared to people who never smoked marijuana.

However, no direct correlation was found between smoking marijuana and developing type 2 diabetes.

It is believed that heavy use of marijuana can lead to poor blood sugar control and, therefore, prediabetes. More research is needed to better understand the association between smoking marijuana and developing prediabetes and why, at least according to this study, there may not be similar link to full-blown diabetes.

This Week’s Slice of History: Discovery of Bacteria: Sept. 17, 1683

Sourced from: medicalnewstoday.com, Link established between marijuana and prediabetes

There are a number of reason why you should cut back on how much of your day you spend sitting. Here’s another–it could increase your chances of developing liver disease.

A study from Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in South Korea, published in the _Journal of Hepatology, f_ound that people who sit for 10 hours per day or longer had nine percent increased risk of developing a certain type of liver disease—a condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)—compared to people who sit for five hours per day or less.

Plus, those who were physically active were 20 percent less likely to develop liver disease compared to those who were inactive.

Researchers analyzed 139,000 Korean men and women who reported their activity levels and sitting periods and had the liver condition. The average age of the participants was 39.9 years. The researchers noted that because the participants were relatively healthy and young–their average age was just under 40–it is unlikely that other health factors led to the condition.

Extended periods of sitting are known to increase the risk of insulin resistance and lower cardiovascular function. The researchers noted that even light activity, such as walking breaks, can help reduce the risk of developing NAFLD.

This Week’s Slice of History: Discovery of Bacteria: Sept. 17, 1683

Sourced from: livescience.com, Another Reason Not to Sit for Too Long: Liver Disease

New results from a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute study suggests that lowering the blood pressure targets now used by doctors could greatly reduce heart problems for people over 50.

In the study, researchers found that by aiming for a systolic value of 120 instead of 140, patients reduced rate of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure by almost 33 percent and risk of death by almost 25 percent. 

The study took place between 2010 and 2013, and included 9,300 hypertension patients who used combined medications to reduce systolic heart pressure. With an average age of 68, a quarter of the patients were over 75 and had a higher risk of heart disease, or had kidney disease. The “intensive” group, those aiming for a systolic pressure level of 120, took three medications on average, while those who aimed for a 140 pressure reading took an average of two medications.

Currently, physicians recommend patients aim for a blood pressure reading of 140/90 as a common target. However, experts now say aiming for a 120/80 value is a better target.  

This Week’s Slice of History: Discovery of Bacteria: Sept. 17, 1683

Sourced from: Medical Daily, Aggressive Blood Pressure Reduction Cuts Death, Heart Problems: Study