PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

FOOD CRAVINGS: HOW TO OUTSMART THEM   Cravings are the Achilles' heel of most diets. Anyone who's ever tried to lose weight knows the struggle: you start strong, but eventually those forbidden treats—cookies, fries, cake—start calling your name. Most diet plans tell you to avoid them at all costs, but what if that’s making things more complicated? Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have some good news for anyone tired of the endless battle with willpower. Their recent study found that including small portions of your favorite “craved” foods as part of a balanced meal can help you shed pounds and keep them off—without the usual roller coaster of cravings. The study followed 30 adults with obesity and health issues like hypertension and diabetes. Over a year, participants learned how to build meals that balanced protein, fiber, and calories, all while strategically including foods they craved—think dessert after dinner, not a binge at midnight. Dieters che...

  NATURAL DEPRESSION REMEDIES: WHAT WORKS A recent review published by Frontiers (July 28, 2025) set out to clear some of the confusion around over-the-counter (OTC) supplements for depression. While plenty of products like St John’s Wort and omega-3s have been recommended for years, the real question is—how strong is the evidence for any of them? The research team analyzed over 200 clinical trials covering 64 different OTC products, and the results are both hopeful and sobering. Which Supplements Have the Most Evidence? Some products do stand out. St John’s Wort, saffron, probiotics, and vitamin D have the strongest track records, each supported by more than ten clinical trials. St John’s Wort and saffron, in particular, were often as effective as prescription antidepressants in reducing symptoms. Probiotics and vitamin D also showed clear benefits over placebo, while omega-3s had mixed results—some studies found positive effects, others found none. What About Other Natural Produc...

BACON, AND EGGS: WHICH IS HEALTHIER? For years, eggs have been painted as the bad guys when it comes to cholesterol and heart disease. But new research from the University of South Australia is flipping that story on its head. According to this groundbreaking study, eggs—despite being high in cholesterol—aren’t the culprits behind high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. The real issue? Saturated fats are found in foods like bacon and sausage. Researchers ran a world-first trial, looking at how dietary cholesterol and saturated fat each affect LDL cholesterol. The result: eating two eggs per day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat, can help lower LDL cholesterol. That’s good news for anyone who loves their morning scramble. The study challenges old-school advice and puts the spotlight on saturated fat—not eggs—as the absolute risk for your heart. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death globally, with nearly 18 million lives lost each year. In Australia alone, someone dies from cardio...

  WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS IMPACT IS TEMPORARY A new global analysis has found that most people regain weight soon after stopping prescription weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, semaglutide, and tirzepatide. The study, which reviewed data from 11 major trials, shows that while these medications can lead to impressive weight loss when taken regularly, much of the lost weight comes back within weeks of discontinuing the drugs. Researchers looked at nearly 2,500 patients across multiple studies, focusing on changes in body weight and BMI after stopping several FDA-approved anti-obesity medications. These drugs include orlistat, phentermine-topiramate, and especially the GLP-1 receptor agonists now popular for both diabetes and weight loss. No matter which drug was used, the trend was the same: people gained back weight, typically starting as soon as eight weeks after stopping their prescription. The amount of weight regained was influenced by factors like which medication was used, how long ...

CONVERTING WHITE FAT TO BROWN FAT Researchers at Pennington Biomedical have uncovered a surprising new way your body can burn fat—by tweaking levels of a single amino acid called cysteine. Their study, published in Nature Metabolism, shows that cutting calories doesn’t just help you lose weight the old-fashioned way. It also lowers cysteine levels in your fat cells, and that drop flips a metabolic ‘switch’ that turns ordinary white fat into calorie-burning brown fat. The science is quite interesting. White fat is the kind your body stores for later; brown fat, on the other hand, is much more active. It burns energy to produce heat, helping you stay warm and slim down at the same time. In both people and animal models, researchers found that restricting calories led to a drop in cysteine. That drop triggered the transformation of white fat into brown fat, revving up metabolism and accelerating weight loss. Dr. Eric Ravussin and Dr. Krisztian Stadler, who led the project at Pennington, d...

  WEIGHT LOSS DOUBLED ON THIS DIET A diet built around minimally processed foods helped people shed twice as much weight as one heavy on ultra-processed meals—even when both diets offered similar nutrients and let people eat as much as they wanted. That’s the big takeaway from a new long-term study out of University College London, published in Nature Medicine, which suggests that how food is processed may matter as much as what’s actually in it. The study followed 55 adults who rotated between two eight-week diets: one based on minimally processed foods (think overnight oats or homemade spaghetti Bolognese), and the other packed with ultra-processed options (like breakfast bars or ready-made lasagna). After each round, participants took a four-week break on their usual diets before switching to the other eating plan. Both diets were carefully matched for fat, protein, carbs, fiber, salt, and even included plenty of fruits and vegetables. Participants received more food than they c...

SUPERFOOD: GRAPES CHECKS THE BOXES Fresh grapes aren’t just a sweet snack—they’re packed with more than 1,600 naturally occurring compounds that offer profound benefits for your heart, brain, skin, gut, and even your genes. Recent research is putting grapes in the spotlight, arguing that they deserve a place among the world’s top superfoods. A new article in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, written by renowned resveratrol and cancer expert Dr. John M. Pezzuto, dives into why grapes should be recognized as a true superfood. While the term “superfood” gets tossed around a lot and isn’t strictly defined, it usually refers to foods loaded with plant-based compounds linked to good health. Grapes, Dr. Pezzuto points out, are often left off these lists—despite packing a bigger punch than most people realize. What makes grapes stand out? They’re a natural source of a vast variety of polyphenols, including things like flavonoids, anthocyanidins, catechins, phenolic acids, and the ...