FitSugar

Get in Gear: Personal UV Monitor

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 02:30:00 PDT

There are two ways in which a lot of us don't get the most out of our sunscreen: We don't apply enough and we don't apply often enough. For the first problem, you should apply at least an ounce of sunscreen. For the second issue? Well, you should apply sunscreen at least every two hours of being in the sun.

Problem is that oftentimes I am usually doing so many things (gabbing with my friends, running after my girls, swimming laps, etc.) while I am outside, that I often forget when I need to reapply. The Personal UV Monitor ($29.95) from Oregon Scientific is just what I need. After programming in your skin type and your sunscreen's SPF level, this genius little device will alarm when you've hit your limit in the sun. The coolest part? The exposure time automatically updates with changes in UV intensity. While you may not be paying any attention to the time, it's good to know that something's got your back -- So strap it onto your bag or belt loop (or anywhere really). Cool right? You can buy one from OregonScientific.com.

Is Ice Cream Addictive? The Truth About "Addictive" Foods

Self — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 06:58:37 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar!

You've heard the ice cream calling your name from the freezer (or is that just me?) - but are you actually addicted to the stuff? A new study takes a look at how eating ice cream literally affects your brain.

Researchers Kyle Burger and Eric Stice of the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene studied how the brain responds to eating ice cream over time, and made a fascinating discovery: the more ice cream you eat, the more you need to eat in order for your brain to send signals that it's enjoying the treat!

Burger and Kyle surveyed 151 teenagers with healthy body weights about their food cravings. Then they showed the teens pictures of a chocolate milkshake while scanning their brains to see how strong their cravings were. Then they gave the teens real milkshakes while scanning their brains again. The results? The teens who reported eating the most ice cream in the few weeks prior to the study enjoyed the shakes the least, according to scans that tracked activity in the brain associated with reward. "Our results provide novel evidence that frequent consumption of ice cream, independent of body fat, is related to a reduction in reward-region responsivity in humans, paralleling the tolerance observed in drug addiction," the researchers say in the study. In other words: the more you have it, the more of it you need in order to experience pleasure from it.

So is it possible to be chemically addicted to food, like this study and other recent studies suggest? Bloomberg reported that 28 scientific studies and papers on food addiction were published as of November 2011, in an article that compared processed foods and sugary drinks to cocaine. Self contributing editor Janis Jibrin, a registered dietician, believes the answer is "yes." "This study is consistent with other research that shows there is definitely something about the brains of people who report being addicted to foods," she says.

"It seems to be twofold - if you eat these sugary, high-fat foods regularly, you build up a kind of tolerance and you need more and more to get the same hit," Jibrin says. "Some people might also have a genetic predisposition to food addition, and then we live in an environment where it's so easy to access these types of food."

Read on for more reasons why we become addicted to high-fat, high-sugar foods.

The Truth About the Health Benefits of Tea

Health — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 04:13:17 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

Tea - does it really fight cancer? Lower cholesterol? We filter the research to find out which health claims actually hold water.
By Kate Lowenstein

The way scientific studies and health gurus alike have touted the perks of tea over the past few years, you'd think the stuff was some kind of all-powerful magical elixir. Improving heart health, reducing cancer risk, warding off dementia and diabetes - there's barely a health benefit that hasn't been credited to tea. It's true that the brew has disease-fighting antioxidants, and, as far as anyone can tell, should be great for us.

"The science is certainly promising," says David L. Katz, MD, director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center. "But the hype goes beyond it and tends to make promises which the science can't yet deliver." (No, tea probably will not cure depression, eliminate allergies, or boost your fertility!) We talked to the experts and weighed the studies to separate the truth from the hype.

Health.com: Drink This Tea to Lose That Belly

Why tea is so hot
First, a definition: When scientists talk about tea, they mean black, green, white, or oolong teas - all of which are made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Herbal brews, like chamomile and peppermint, are not technically considered tea; they're infusions of other plants with different nutritional characteristics. If you're not sure what kind you're drinking, check the ingredients for the word "tea."

Keep reading to learn even more about tea.