Following on from our report on the European intervention into our dietary habits - the Diogenes Project, preliminary results from the study were announced today at the European Congress of Obesity.

Search for the Ideal Diet
The Diogenes Project is a pan-European study working towards lower obesity rates in Europe. It aims to finding a diet or diet-trend that will help people keep weight off in the long term. The project was funded by the EU Commission and is currently testing people in 8 centres around Europe to see..

The hype surrounding eating disorders has been increased following last year's controversy in the fashion world for its use of size zero models on the catwalks, and now the French government are stepping in to take action against what is a growing issue among young women in Europe.

Extreme Diets Outlawed
Last month, the French lower house of parliament approved a bill to outlaw mass communication that gives readers information and tips on how to successfully become anorexic or bulimic. Around 400 sites that extol the virtues of extreme weight loss and disordered eating have sprung up in France. If the bill is passed in the Senate, anyone found publishing..

Among other frightening catastrophes that are happening in the world today, the so-called "obesity epidemic" that Europe and the US is on the brink of, is a worrying one, and it appears that governments are working towards cracking down on fat people. However, there is a growing body of scholars and scientists who discredit claims that this is a killer disease that is spreading exponentially.

BMI now Reduced
The Body Mass Index (BMI), which is the calculation of height squared divided by weight squared, is something that many take to be a truthful indication of "good" and "bad" body types. However in 1997 and 1998..

If anyone's ever been food shopping on an empty stomach, then like me they would probably be guilty of buying lots of things that they didn't need, or at least something that looked appealing at the time.
Now research has found that this impulse is due to the secretion of a hormone that not only causes hunger but makes food look more appetising.
 
The Hunger Hormone
Researchers at the University of McGill in Montreal, Canada, have come up with another reason why we cave in to fast food when we're hungry, or why food advertising can be so effective at drawing us in.

When we are hungry, our brains release a..

The Authors of the new book “The Alternate-Day Diet" have seen fit to write to the Editor at The Independent in London to correct some errors in their original story, we publish below the full contents of their letter as it expalins better the concept behind the suggested diet regime. More information can be found on the Alternate Day Diet website.

Dear Sir,

I am responding to the numerous misquotes and errors in the review by Rachel Shields of our book, “The Alternate-Day Diet". It appears she did not read the book and has an agenda to create controversy rather than evaluate the science fairly. Her most egregious error is that we advocate overeating every other day, or "bingeing" as Ms Shields put it. The most important message of the book is that restraining oneself every other day is psychologically more feasible than restraining oneself every day, which as most dieters will agree, is impossible. Secondly, this method confers huge..

Many dieters think that by bingeing and starving, they are doing themselves a favour by "balancing out" the effects of one on the other. Unfortunately, scientists say that this couldn't be further from the truth and that we are doing more harm to ourselves than once believed.

Stunted growth
Glasgow University conducted experiments into the effects of a binge/starve diet on the life expectancy of stickleback fish, revealing worrying results. It was found that the fish on the extreme diet had only three quarters of the same life..

The feeling of having reached a weight loss goal is usually one of elation and relief. Finally you've got there after all that hard work! However, it's true that many people can lose weight initially but keeping it off is another matter altogether.

Now the EU has stepped in to offer some practical advice and support on keeping weight off in the biggest European "intervention" into our dietary habits.

Diogenes Project
The European Commission is funding the Diogenes Project, which will over 5 years, look into the effects of diet and genes on the obesity..

As if there wasn't enough evidence to suggest that it's healthy to eat lots of fruit and veg, there's another argument to tip the balance further. It has been found that an increased intake of dietary fibre can dramatically reduce the risk of obesity and can also aid with weight loss.

Soluble Fibre
Fibre comes in two forms, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre is found in varying quantities in all plant foods, including vegetables such as broccoli and carrots, fruit and fruit juices, legumes, oats, rye and barley. Insoluble fibre is found..

Sun exposure can be extremely harmful for our skin and can also increase the signs of ageing by giving us more lines and wrinkles. As well as putting on sunscreen, we can also change our diet to include tomato-based products as it has been found that tomato paste, of the cooked variety, can act as sun protection.

The tomato experiment
Research conducted at the University of Manchester, UK, aimed to investigate the effects of tomato paste in protecting human skin from the sun and premature ageing. 10 volunteers were given 5 tablespoons (55g) of tomato..

Maybe the world seems a bit upside down already, but when it's discovered that diet coke makes you put on weight, we seriously need a reality check. It has been found by researchers at Purdue University in Indiana, USA, that artificial sweeteners can actually cause the body to gain weight rather than aid it to lose weight.

Researchers Susan Swithers and Terry Davidson fed 27 rats with either real glucose or saccharin to monitor any changes in weight.

Their findings reveal that the super-sweet taste of..

Who knew that a recipe for a son starts with cereal? Research conducted by the Universities of Oxford and Essex in the United Kingdom indicates that women can influence the sex of their baby before, during and after conception.

Eat Breakfast for a Boy
Fiona Mathews, the research leader as Essex, revealed that after studying the eating patterns of 740 women they found that women who consumed more calories were 56% more likely to give birth to boys. Also, out of the women who ate breakfast..

The potato is having its own 21st century renaissance, and guess where? Ireland of course! Thanks to the efforts of celebrity chefs and a world-famous Irish cooking school, the Emerald Isle is staging a comeback for its delicious, wholesome and hearty traditional dishes.

Glamourising tradition
It has been claimed that one woman has single-handedly brought Irish cooking back into fashion, which seems quite an achievement. In 1964, Myrtle Allen opened..

Alternate Day Diet
Masterminded by plastic surgeon Dr James B Johnson, the Alternate Day Diet instructs dieters to follow a feast and fast principle. This means that you can eat whatever you want one day, then the next day restricting intake to 300 to 500 calories. The idea is that on the "fast" day, dieters will be balancing out the calories consumed during their "binge" day.

How it Works
Dr Johnson explains in his book that this up-and-down diet is extremely easy to follow due to the fact that dieters always have their "no-holds barred" day just around the corner, and practically nothing is off limits.

A promising new study into the beneficial effects of probiotics has revealed that they can be used to treat patients with alcoholic cirrhosis – a disease which scars the liver and is most commonly caused by heavy drinking.

Probiotics Boost
In the early stages of contracting cirrhosis, there are few symptoms and side-effects, but in time the liver function steadily worsens and could deteriorate to leave the patient in need of a liver transplant..

It is well-documented that drinking and related health problems are on the rise in Europe. However, instead of the consumer taking the blame, drinking establishments have recently come under fire for increasingly serving only large measures of alcohol and not giving us the choice to drink responsibly. Hurrah! Someone else to blame!

Irresponsible Bars
According to the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), pubs and bars are acting "irresponsibly" by deliberately increasing the size of their wine glasses and often giving double shots at standard prices..

Sleeping is one of the vital components of getting the most out of our day, and maintaining a regular sleep pattern is just as important as maintaining a healthy and energising diet. Below are the key tips for those who want to get the most out of those precious 8 hours. BANANAS & MILK : Warm milk is an excellent source of tryptophan, an amino acid that has a relaxing effect on the brain, and bananas are great sources of magnesium which is a muscle relaxant so have a little snack around half an hour before going to bed. However, be aware of your own digestion patterns and don't eat a whole banana if you feel it will sit in your stomach and cause discomfort during the night..

After a hard day at the office, the one word that should be on your mind is relaxation and everything you do should be towards the goal of relaxing! This is not only to benefit our bodies and relax our muscles, but to give our brains and our energy levels the best chance of waking up energized and raring-to-go the next day. If you always think in advance of the effects of what you're eating, you can't go wrong. Be aware that what you eat at dinner time has a direct effect on your sleep, so try and choose foods that naturally relax the body and mind. Tryptophan is an amino acid that our bodies cannot make, but the brain needs it in order to make serotonin – a neurotransmitter that has a calming effect on the brain..

Lunch is the time when many people will either stock up on heavy carbs such as potatoes or pasta because their energy has been flagging all morning, or when people simply skip lunch altogether because there is no time to fit it in between meetings. Either way, the body isn't receiving the treatment it needs and in order to properly refuel, lunch has to be manoeuvred with extreme care. Eating things that can boost your brain functioning and mental agility is a great idea at midday, as this will aid in combatting any afternoon energy slump and keep you revived til closing time..

Forget everything you've ever heard about alcohol being bad for you – it's not, at least in moderation, scientists have now actually proven that alcohol can be beneficial for your heart. In a study conducted at the University of Carolina, it was found that middle-aged non-drinkers were likely to benefit from protection against heart disease if they took to drinking something once a day. The research was conducted over a four-year period and involved 7,500 people, all of whom were tee-total to begin with. Scientists were looking to find a connection between drinking in moderation and the reduction of artherosclerosis, the hardening of..

Obesity is definitely the hot topic of the moment, with people adding on the pounds all over the world and governments struggling to come up with new ideas about how to encourage people to keep their weight down. Well, now it has been proven that simply by eating breakfast you can do just that. Teenagers who often worry about their weight tend to be the worst culprits of skipping breakfast, thereby denying themselves the nutrition and energy they require in the mornings. In a study of over 2,000 young people conducted by the University of Minnesota it was found that those who did not eat anything in the mornings weighed an average of 5lbs (2.3kg) more than those who had breakfast. Mark Pereira, who led the team of researchers, said. "They skip breakfast because they worry about..

It appears that more and more Europeans are putting "healthy chocolate" high on their shopping list- or at least their shopping lists- but can there be such a thing? According to data collated by the Zurich-based chocolate company Barry Callebaut, 27% of people in Belgium, Switzerland, France, Germany and the UK buy some sort of "functional" chocolate each month- meaning chocolate that claims to contain a health benefit of some sort. The market research company Euromonitor reports that the market for "functional foods" has grown by an average of 15% each year over the past four years, and over a quarter of us want the "bad" food we eat to be good for us in some way. Types of so-called "healthy chocolate" include those which are pumped full of..

Given the choice, would you eat dairy or meat produce from an animal that had been cloned? It's an ethical question that we consumers will face in the coming years, as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has now approved the production of food derived from cloned animals. Under the new ruling, meat and other produce from..

Many people claim that when dieting, you are restricted to such tasteless and boring foods that we are prone to losing our way very quickly. The allure of our favourite fatty foods is perhaps too strong! Well this may be about to change, as scientists are creating a way to "lock in" the fat that creates that great taste in desserts..

It is perhaps slightly unlike the French to conduct a study into the benefits of tea, as they often pride themselves on their fantastic coffee making skills. However at INSERM, France's national institute for medical research, a research program was set up to study the effects of tea on the build up of plaque in the arteries of older men and women, with interesting..

Calorie control has always been something associated with weight-loss obsession and the only people thought to want to count calories are dieters hell-bent on the latest fad. However, research into the world of calorie restriction (CR) has produced evidence that a diet restricted to 1800 calories per day can increase our life span..

People are eating low fat food to lose weight, is the earth shattering conclusion of yet another study into our diet habits. This survey conducted across Europe, US, parts of the Middle East and Australasia included 9000 participants, and found that 66% percent are working on some method to control their weight, with 33% saying they use low fat foods, and 20% relying on giving up carbohydrates as the way to shed the pounds..

San Francisco recently announced a ban on the cities departments using money to buy bottled water, while New York is recommending their citizens use tap water to reduce the high levels of plastic waste. The city has to foot the bill for recycling this junk plastic, and ultimately that bill ends up with us the consumers..

Over 80 per cent of our salt intake comes from eating processed foods. But if we could reduce our intake by only 15% through some simple dietary changes, then many lives could be saved according to research published in the Lancet. Many experts now believe that eating too much salt increases blood pressure leading to cardiovascular problems responsible for almost 50 per cent of deaths in Europe..

Three new studies lend convincing support to the Omega 3 bandwagon. All claim that eating Omega 3 rich fish can improve your brain functions. Whilst much past research has focussed on the heart health benefits, the emerging consensus is that this particular fatty acid is also good for the thought processes..

Yet more research has come out in favour of red wine as a powerful anti-oxidant supporting the 'French Paradox' theory that found locals can eat large amounts of saturated fatty acids with little effect on their long term health, providing they also consume regular amounts of red wine with their food. Ah, such hardship ! Michelle Micallef of University of Newcastle, Australia is the author of a detailed research paper (below) describing red wine as containing a naturally rich source of antioxidants..

Men who try not to think about chocolate end up eating more of it, Women however have more self control, according to latest research into thought control. “For example .. trying not to think about having another drink makes it more likely.." says Dr Erskine of Hertfordshire Uni. He decided to research into how your thoughts can affect your actions..

It's no wonder kids don't like what parents dictate. Regardless of being told from an early age what diet we must eat, apparently we all have pre-programmed likes and dislikes written into our genes which override our upbringing. Working with 3,000 twins, Prof. Tim Spector of Kings College set out to see if our food preferences are influenced mainly by our environment or are already pre-determined in our genetic makeup. Previously it was thought our food preferences were formed by our environment whilst growing up, he says: "This (research) has blown that theory out of the water..

“Our message to parents is whenever possible, eat family meals and try to keep television viewing to a minimum.." says a concerned Ph.D, Dianne Sztainer. Dianne heads the Project EAT study which discovered that watching TV has a bad influence on your diet. She believes that the advertisements being watched are directly influencing children..

Nirvana for Switzerlands' Nestle Research centre would be to find out the reason why some people crave chocolate and why some do not. Their recent study which showed a link between what bacteria type we have in our stomach, and the chocolate we crave has got everyone excited. Mr S. Kochar writing the study found that 'glycine', an amino acid, was more prevalent in chocolate eaters, but taurine was higher in those who claim not to eat chocolate..

A study completed by University College London has made a connection between certain centres of the brain and our appetite, suggesting that it is now a simple matter of developing the right chemical and we can all control our weight, through modified eating habits, at will..

We could inceasingly see big brother taxes on food to persuade us what to eat. Applying a so called 'Fat Tax' to unhealthy foods changes peoples buying habits and persuades them to buy more healthy options, so says a study lead by Buffalo Uni in New York. UK academics have also suggested that 3,000 deaths could be avoided if the government were to apply a targetted Fat Tax..

Only 32% of children are taking vitamin supplements and these are normally from non-smoking families that have good income and spend less time watching TV. Vitamin D and Calcium are typically under supplied in a normal diet for a child says the National Institute of Health in the US. Suprisingly 41% kids aged 4 to 8 were reported as taking a supplement making them the most active age group..

Our thinking processes can be sharpened and speeded up by eating more carbohydrate, improving our mood at the same time. Going on low carb diets would seem to impair your speed of reasoning and thought. Dr Brinkworth of the Scientific Research Organisation in Adelaide ran comparison tests on dieiting overweight..

Where in the world are 102 roasted steers, 144,000 pairs of sausages, almost half a million roast chickens, and 43,000 knuckles of pork eaten in 11 days ? Yep, Munichs' Oktoberfest is upon us once more. The great German beer and sausage institution running since the year 1810 should be experienced at least once in a lifetime. Throw away all thoughts of diets..

60% of us European consumers are looking for healthy snacks that are both convenient and indulgent according to a recent Datamonitor report, leaving the food manufactureres scratching their heads. We are apparently now looking for healthy snacks, the idea is to be able to snack freely, but without the downside consequences of high calories and overprocessed junk foods. In contrast to this however ..

New EU studies show that Italians are piling on the pounds as they abandon their traditional Mediterranean Diet in favour of highly processed and fast foods with high sugar and fat content. The EU quotes 35% of the population are now officially obese or overweight. Rising to the challenge a small town in the north of Italy..

Losing weight by enjoying your food would at first glance seem a contradiction in terms, but the combined benefits of better digestion and enjoying a stress free approach to meal times can lose you 20 pounds every year without changing your diet. The Slow Food organisation quotes many benefits to relaxing at meal times..

This time it's the Aussies who are waxing lyrical about our super healthy Mediterranean diet ! They claim that it is rich