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Fitness Mantra del.icio.us page Welcome to “FitnessMantra Weekend”, your once-a-week health news update. As always you can also stay updated with the latest in fitness news by subscribing separately to the Fitness Mantra del.icio.us feed.

sprinting running What happens when one health agency tells you that even a little bit of exercise is enough to keep you healthy? Well, another agency immediately comes forward and states quite clearly that you need to step it up or else!

At least that’s what I could glean from two news articles that were featured just this week on the BBC News site.

First “Even light exercise’ aids health” seemed to reassure us that even mild physical activity was enough to ward off most evils and keep us healthy and fit:

Experts say walking for half an hour, five days a week, is the minimum required to achieve health benefits. But a Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health report from Northern Ireland found walking on just three days a week gave similar benefits.

A study at Queen’s University in Belfast found that after a 12 week exercise program, of the 106 subjects even those who only walked moderately had a significant drop in blood pressure, waist and hip measurements.

That was Monday.

By Friday we had “Exercise ‘must be tough to work’” which aims to push the “No Pain No Gain” agenda. Basically members from the American College of Sports Medicine are worried that the advice to do 30 minutes of gentle exercise each day might be misunderstood:

They now stress that adults need to top up their routine activities, such as casual walking and housework, with structured exercise. This should include vigorous (jogging) and moderate aerobic exercise (a brisk walk), as well as twice-weekly activities, such as weight training, which maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance.

Great! Now just try telling that to the hundreds who are strolling placidly through the park after reading Monday’s newspaper. After you catch your breath running away from the enraged walkers, read the week’s top health and fitness stories:

Zero trans fat doesn’t always mean none: “When it says zero grams, that means something different from no trans fat,”
Obesity ‘affects prostate risk’: Obese people may be less likely to develop prostate cancer but more likely to die of the disease, a study says.
Coloring Compound in Fruits, Veggies May Cut Colon Cancer Risk: Compounds called anthocyanins, which give color to most red, purple and blue fruits and vegetables, may help protect against colon cancer, an Ohio State University study says.
Looming obesity epidemic impact could exceed that of smoking: Clinics and hospitals across Canada need a major investment to prepare for the impact of an obesity epidemic that could outweigh the effects of smoking on the health-care system
Calorie needs can change like your weight: Calorie needs depend on weight, age, gender and activity level, as well as individual metabolic rate.
Too much exercise may speed heart failure: Though exercise can be a key part of managing high blood pressure and heart disease, new animal research suggests there can be too much of a good thing.
Exercise ‘must be tough to work’: To be healthy, you really do need to break into a sweat when you exercise, say experts.
Fat ‘crucial’ in children’s diet: While parents may be increasingly worrying about childhood obesity, they must ensure their offspring eat enough fat, research from the US urges.
Pennsylvania Task Force to Study Trans Fat: A statewide panel has been formed to examine the health risks of trans fat consumption and develop ways to educate the public about them, Pennsylvania’s top health official said Tuesday.
‘Western’ Diet Tied to Colon Cancer: Former patients in the study who ate the most red and processed meats, refined grains, fats, and sugars were about three times as likely to die or have their cancers recur as patients who ate these foods the least.
Few obese patients receive weight-control plans: Few obese adults receive a formal weight-management plan from their doctors, despite the proven health benefits of even modest weight loss, a new study suggests.
Vitamins no help for women’s hearts: Middle-aged women at risk for heart disease received little benefit from taking vitamins C, E or beta carotene, researchers said on Monday.
Hypertension in pregnancy predicts weight gain: Women who develop high blood pressure during pregnancy are more likely to gain weight over the following two decades than women who have uncomplicated pregnancies, a new study shows.
Docs: Pregnancy weight limits too high?: Before Jennifer Lepine became pregnant, she heard other soon-to-be moms say she should “eat for two.”
Craving for junk food ‘inherited’: Mothers who eat junk food during pregnancy may be condemning their children to crave the same diet, according to animal tests.
Italian town to pay residents to shed flab: Overweight residents of an Italian town will be paid to lose weight, the mayor said on Monday.
More smoothies cutting the calories: Concerned about losing the calorie-conscious, smoothie makers are whipping up no-sugar and faux-sugar blends.
Diet foods might cause kids to overeat: The diet sodas and snacks so popular with weight-conscious adults may backfire in children
‘Even light exercise’ aids health: Even low levels of weekly exercise could help reduce blood pressure and improve fitness, scientists say.
Pot belly linked to heart disease: Even a small pot belly can increase the risk of heart disease, scientists warn.
Kids can learn to eat healthy fats, study says: Teaching children from a young age to eat a low-fat diet can be effective - even as they reach their teens and begin eating more meals away from home
Weight-Loss Bullshit: I’m here to tell you that while exercise, food, lifestyle and education are indeed important variables in the process, without doubt, the biggest determinant of weight loss (or gain) is what’s going on in that nine pound (four kilo) thing sitting on the t
Estrogen loss contributes to obesity, high blood pressure: The loss of estrogen that accompanies menopause contributes to the development of obesity and high blood pressure
Fortify your diet with nature’s heart healers: Sterols and stanols are found naturally in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and oils. Adding 2g of either to your daily diet can help lower your total cholesterol by about 10%
Obese ‘under-report’ sugar intake: Obese people underestimate the amount of sugar they eat, making studies into the condition based on self-reporting very unreliable, UK researchers say.
Top 9 Fitness Myths - Busted!: Some myths are just harmless half-truths, but many others can actually be harmful.

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Most certainly the big news of the week is the effect that simply packaging any food in a McDonald’s wrapper has on kids: they just seem to like it better! As we read about how McDonald’s marketing tricks tots’ taste buds, we can also learn about how even the youngest among us can be influenced by advertising and marketing by big firms.

In the study, when identical foods like hamburgers, french fries, carrots or milk were tested on 63 kids using both McDonald’s wrappers and plain packaging, the McDonald’s wrapped foods seemed to taste better for a majority of the kids (as high as 75%).

Study author Dr. Tom Robinson said the kids’ perception of taste was “physically altered by the branding.” The Stanford University researcher said it was remarkable how children so young were already so influenced by advertising.

Of course McDonald’s has promised to curb advertising to children and says it will serve fruit in its happy meals which the company says will now contain less fat and fewer calories. But the study can be an important find for parents trying to get their kids to eat nutritiously.

In what can be considered a follow-up article, Think like a marketer to get kids to eat healthy, tells us how we can use what we have learned from the study to our advantage. Most of the appeal created by McDonald’s is around making eating there a fun event for the whole family in a cheery and stress-free environment. Well, then isn’t it time we created such an atmosphere at home during mealtimes?

“We need to create that fun atmosphere at home — turn off television, sit at the table and eat, talk and have a good time.” There should be healthy food and a positive feeling around eating at the dinner table.

Another tip revolves around the high prevalence of children-targeted advertising on the TV. The solution? Why keep the TV out of sight, of course:

“The biggest vehicle for exposure [to unhealthful foods] is sitting right in the middle of the living room — and far too often also in the kitchen and bedroom,” says Ludwig, whose first rule is to the get the TV out of the kitchen.

Read both articles for the problem and (few possible) solutions to getting kids to eat more healthfully. If we cannot beat the folks at McDonald’s at their multi-billion dollar game, then maybe it’s time we joined them!

Here are the week’s top health and fitness stories:

Overeat? Hormone may be to blame: The hormone that tells us we are full also regulates our desire for certain foods, researchers said Thursday.
Obese kids miss the most school: Obese elementary schoolchildren miss a couple more school days on average than their normal-weight classmates, according to a study that says being fat is a better predictor for absenteeism than any other factor.
To Gain Muscle And Lose Fat, Drink Milk, Study Suggests: Part of an ongoing study into the impact of drinking milk after heavy weightlifting has found that milk helps exercisers burn more fat.
Americans see fat as normal as weights rise: study: Carrying a spare tire or two around the waist has become socially acceptable in the United States as the population’s waistlines have expanded, according to a study released on Tuesday.
Body fat ‘weighs up love choices’: People often choose partners with similar body fatness to their own, according to new research.
Diet food ‘may fuel obesity risk’: Diet foods for children may inadvertently lead to overeating and obesity, say researchers.
McDonald’s label tricks tots’ taste buds: Even carrots, milk and apple juice tasted better to the kids when they were wrapped in the familiar packaging of the Golden Arches.
A Link Between Bones and Obesity: No one suspected just how powerful a role the bones play in so fundamental an activity as regulating sugar.
Obesity ‘linked to birth defects’: Women who are obese when they conceive are more likely to have babies with birth defects than are mothers of normal weight, a US study suggests.