Monty Python’s sketch called “Hell’s Grannies” featured a gang of gray-haired, leather-wearing troublemakers with the slogan “Make tea, not war” on the back of their jackets. Not bad, but we’d like to suggest a different slogan, one that touts another remarkable power of this much-loved, leafy beverage: “Hello, oolong; so long, belly fat.”
Oolong is a tea that’s not as dark as black tea or as light as green tea -- but it’s just right when it comes to delivering the polyphenols that your body needs to burn off inflammatory visceral fat that gets deposited around your internal organs. Japanese researchers recently published a study in the journal Nutrients that showed drinking 11 ounces of oolong tea, containing around 48 milligrams of the flavanol called catechin, at breakfast and lunch for two weeks increased fat oxidation by 20% -- and it kept up the burn while the participants slept!
More study needs to be done to determine the long-term benefits of the fat attack that oolong launches, but along with previous animal and human research that indicates drinking tea may increase weight loss and reduce belly fat accumulation, it seems pretty smart to add it to your efforts to achieve a healthy weight. If you’re caffeine-sensitive, the good news is that the Japanese study indicates decaffeinated oolong can help battle the bulge too. So pour yourself a cup or two to go along with your high-fiber, plant-centered, lean-protein meals. And remember the words of the English playwright Arthur Wing Pinero, “Where there’s tea there’s hope.”
The importance of managing obesity before becoming pregnant
Leah Remini, Molly Sims and Milla Jovovich each gained 70-80 pounds while pregnant. They’re not alone. Around 48% of women gain too much, putting themselves and their fetus at risk for complications during pregnancy and birth.
As unhealthy as that is, for the 25% of women in the U.S. who go into pregnancy already obese, the health challenges are even more daunting. They’re at greater risk of gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (leading to post-birth diabetes and high blood pressure), and their children can develop health challenges that plague them throughout life.
According to researchers who wrote a viewpoint article in a recent issue of JAMA Network, “in utero exposure to obesity is associated with altered gene expression and metabolic abnormalities in offspring.” That is particularly worrying for two reason:
-- It increases the child’s risk for early obesity and that increases the risk of premature diabetes, heart disease, depression, and learning and social obstacles.
-- Research shows altered gene expression in the fetus, because of increased inflammatory conditions in the obese mom, may be passed down to her child’s future children, making serious health challenges an unfortunate family legacy.
We want you to have a healthy, happy pregnancy and for your child to thrive. So we suggest that any woman of childbearing age who is obese start a well-supported nutrition and activity regimen that offers expert guidance, group support and frequent monitoring. Also, consult with your doctor about having weight-loss surgery before conceiving. It’s a win-win for mom and baby.
