Posts by: Zero to Hero Fitness

Want to live longer? Turns out dieting yourself thin isn't a good idea, according to a new study from Toronto. Publishing their findings in the Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health, researchers say that those who are statistically underweight, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) under 18.5, are the most likely to die prematurely, even more so than people who are overweight or obese. While being skinny may be more attractive, it's definitely not good for your health.…
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It's an all too common tale: Battling both depression and your weight. And for 47 year old Jodi Corbitt, who had been battling depression for decades, she knew she had to make a change--but what she did will surprise you. To help shed the weight she gained while she battled depression, Corbitt decided to cut gluten out of her diet, a type of protein commonly found in grain products. Immediately, she began losing weight--and her depression. "It was like a…
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From Paleo to gluten-free, which diet reigns supreme? That's a question researchers are trying to answer in a new study published in the journal Annual Reviews. The bad news? No diet reigns supreme--though some diets do have their advantages over others. "There have been no rigorous, long-term studies comparing contenders for best diet laurels using methodology that precludes bias and confounding, and for many reasons such studies are unlikely," says Dr. David Katz, a physician and researcher from Yale University.…
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For health experts, it's the ultimate mantra: Eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, and get your recommended 8 hours of sleep every day for a healthier body. Now research shows that sleep really does matter--even as early as 16 months old. The research is reported by the University College London, now published in the health journal The International Journal of Obesity. "We know that shorter sleep in early life increases the risk of obesity, so we wanted to understand whether shorter…
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They say sparing the rod spoils the child--but doing so now could save your child from becoming obese later in life, according to a new study. Presented at the American Heart Association's Science Sessions 2014 meeting, researchers say that children whose parents were authoritarian--that is, parents who are typically demanding but not responsive to their emotions and needs--are 37 percent more likely to become obese later in life. Worse yet, obesity in childhood often leads to full-blown obesity and eating…
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You swear it's true: Certain foods seem to make you fatter, regardless of how many calories you eat. Until now, however, nutritionists have denied such a theory, claiming that calories, not food, are the reason why people gain weight. As it turns out though, they may be wrong. In a new study conducted by Harvard University, researchers say that having a genetic predisposition to obesity--something that affects a small percentage of the population--makes you twice as likely to have a…
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Eat less, live longer? As absurd as this sounds, it's the claim now being made by Australian researchers, whose work was recently published in the journal BioEssays. Researchers didn't come to the conclusion by conducting a study, however--it's a theory they developed after observing how calorie restriction affected laboratory mice. "This effect has been demonstrated in laboratories around the world, in species ranging from yeast to flies to mice," says Dr. Margo Adler, an evolutionary biologist at the University of…
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Love sipping on a cool margarita? Turns out doing so could now have health benefits, according to a new study presented at the annual American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting in Dallas, TX. The research, which was carried out by researchers in Mexico, says that agavins, sugars derived from the agave plant, helped prevent diet-induced obesity in laboratory mice, as well as lower their risk of type 2 diabetes. Agave is an ingredient commonly used to sweeten alcoholic beverages, such as…
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