New world record for Gebrselassie

Gebrselassie mixed with amateur runners in Berlin before the race

Haile Gebrselassie broke his own world record as he won the Berlin Marathon for the third time in a row.

The 35-year-old Ethiopian became the first man to run under two hours, four minutes as he clocked 2:03:59.

His time was nearly half a minute quicker than his previous record, set over the same course last year.

"I am so, so happy, everything was perfect, the weather was perfect, the spectators were perfect, everything - I am so happy," said Gebrselassie.

"Since I started running, Berlin is my lucky city."

James Kwambai went with the Ethiopian when he broke away just after the 33km mark but Gebrselassie stepped up the pace 6km out and the Kenyan wilted.

Gebrselassie, the first man to win the event three times, picked up £39,000 for the victory and the same amount for his world record.

His achievement was all the more impressive given that his training had been interrupted by a calf injury.

"Two weeks ago I had a bit of a problem with my calf muscle, but I took a week off," he said. "It gave me a few worries coming here, but I forgot about it as the race wore on.

"I knew before I came here I could do something special."

It is the sixth time the world record has been broken over the flat Berlin course.

Irina Mikitenko, who won the London Marathon earlier this year, won the women's race in a time of 2hrs 19mins 18secs.

It was a personal best for the German and the fastest time in the world this year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/7640394.stm

5 Fast Fat Loss Tips

By Chad Waterbury

Let's face it, no one likes to diet. Just mentioning the word conjures up feelings of anxiety, hunger pangs, and most of all, suffering. But here's something you probably don't know: you don't need to suffer to burn fat fast.

Ketosis is a good example of a dieting idea gone wrong. You see, just a few short years ago many fat loss gurus claimed that entering into ketosis (a metabolic state that forces your body to use ketones, by-products of fatty acid metabolism, for energy) was necessary for fat loss. This is accomplished by severely restricting all carbs, as close to zero as possible.

There are two problems with seeking ketosis. First, you're depriving your body of many fruits and vegetables that contain healthy, metabolism-boosting nutrients. Second, ketosis makes you feel like crap because your brain functions better when some carbs and their corresponding nutrients are present. Many figured it was necessary for fast fat loss, but it proved to be a lesson in futility. To the contrary, simply reducing your carbohydrate intake is often sufficient to get that fat burning.

With that in mind, here are the five steps you should take to boost fat burning, fast! No suffering or calorie counting required.

1. Big Breakfast: Most people skip breakfast, have a medium-sized lunch, then gorge themselves at night. This is a sure-fire recipe for fat gain. Your first meal of the day should be the largest, highest calorie meal. Research has demonstrated that people who front-load their calories have a higher metabolism and burn more fat than those who back-load their calories.

2. Limit Carbs in the PM: Your body works better when moderate amounts of carbs are available for neurotransmitter production and glycogen replenishment, just to name a few. Start your day by eating one piece of fruit with breakfast (this is a simple way to boost your calories). An organic apple is my favorite, but any will work. For the rest of the morning hours consume any form of berries as your fruit source. For the second half of the day focus on fibrous vegetables with each meal. This step helps control the insulin, the fat-storing hormone.

3. Start with a Salad: One of the simplest ways to control your hunger is to eat a salad before your meals. This is especially effective at night when most people want to pig out. You'll eat less, and feel satisfied, because it takes time to chew, and it allows for your brain to process feedback information about satiety. Research has demonstrated that those who eat a salad before a meal end up eating fewer calories before they feel full.

4. Stay Hydrated: Water is essential to metabolic processes. Research indicates that those who drink more water burn more calories. Your urine should always be clear. If it's not, you need to drink more water. A good trick is to drink 2-3 glasses of water as soon as you wake up. This jumpstarts your hydration for the day. Plus, when people drink enough water they often look leaner and feel less bloated.

5. Exercise 5 Hours per Week: I can't make up a fat loss list without mentioning exercise. Most people already go the gym around three times per week, for an hour at a time. This is a good start. Simply find time on the weekend for another hour, and throw a few 20-30 minute workouts into your week and you're good to go.

Here's a simple solution for an extra few workouts: two days each week go to bed 30 minutes earlier and wake up 30 minutes earlier. Spend that extra 30 minutes in the morning doing some sort of exercise that gets you sweating.

As a rule of thumb, it's recommended to break up the five hours into three hours of resistance training and two hours of energy systems training. For the energy systems work, you don't need to run on a treadmill, and you definitely shouldn't sit on an exercise bike. Perform fun, challenging activities that require you to constantly move in different directions. Soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis, racquetball, etc. are all excellent options.

http://chadwaterbury.blogspot.com/

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Clean living 'slows cell ageing'

Healthy eating may boost telomerase

Taking more exercise and eating the right foods may help increase levels of an enzyme vital for guarding against age-related cell damage, work suggests.

Among 24 men asked to adopt healthy lifestyle changes for a US study in The Lancet Oncology, levels of telomerase increased by 29% on average.

Telomerase repairs and lengthens telomeres, which cap and protect the ends of chromosomes housing DNA.

As people age, telomeres shorten and cells become more susceptible to dying.

It is the damage and death of cells that causes ageing and disease in people.

Several factors such as smoking, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are associated with shorter-than-average telomeres.

This might be a powerful motivator for many people to beneficially change their diet and lifestyle The study authors

Professor Dean Ornish, from the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in California, and his team wanted to find out if improvements in diet and lifestyle might have the opposite effect.

They asked 30 men, all with low-risk prostate cancers, to take part in a three-month trial of comprehensive lifestyle changes.

These consisted of a diet high in fruit and vegetables, supplements of vitamins and fish oils, an exercise regimen and classes in stress management, relaxation techniques and breathing exercises.

Telomerase activity was measured at the beginning of the trial and again at the end.

Among the 24 men who had sufficient data for analysis, blood levels of telomerase increased by 29% on average.

Increases in telomerase activity were linked with decreases in "bad" LDL cholesterol and decreases in one measure of stress - intrusive thoughts.

The researchers say it is too early to tell if the boost in telomerase levels will translate to a change in telomere length.

But there is evidence to suggest that telomere shortness and low telomerase activity might be important risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular disease.

"This might be a powerful motivator for many people to beneficially change their diet and lifestyle," they told The Lancet Oncology.

Professor Tim Spector, from King's College London, who has been researching ageing and telomeres, said: "This work builds on what we already know.

"Lifestyle can affect your telomeres. It would be interesting to find out whether it is diet, stress or both that is important."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7616660.stm

20 superfoods for weight loss

It's time for a new slim-down mantra: Eat more to weigh less. No joke! The right foods help you drop pounds by revving your calorie burn and curbing cravings. We consulted top experts for the best picks and asked leading chefs for easy, tasty ways to prepare them. Add these eats to your plate today and you'll be slimmer and healthier in no time!

By Camille Noe Pagán

Quinoa

Curbing hunger is as easy as piling your plate with this whole grain. It packs both fiber (2.6 grams per 1/2 cup) and protein, a stellar nutrient combo that can keep you satisfied for hours, says chef Sarah Krieger, R.D., spokeswoman in St. Petersburg, Florida, for the American Dietetic Association.

Eat more Serve quinoa instead of rice with stir-fries, or try Krieger's take on a scrumptious hot breakfast: Cook 1/2 cup quinoa in 2/3 cup water and 1/3 cup orange juice for 15 minutes. Top with 1 tbsp each of raisins and chopped walnut

Steak

Beef has a rep as a diet buster, but eating it may help you peel off pounds. In a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women on a diet that included red meat lost more weight than those eating equal calories but little beef. "The protein in steak helps you retain muscle mass during weight loss," says study author Manny Noakes, Ph.D. Try to consume local organic beef; it's healthier for you and the environment.

Eat more Grill or broil a 4-ounce serving of top round or sirloin; slice thinly to top a salad, or mix with veggies for fajitas.

Eggs

Dig in to eggs, yolks and all: They won't harm your heart, but they can help you trim inches. Women on a low-calorie diet who ate an egg with toast and jelly each morning lost twice as many pounds as those who had a bagel breakfast with the same number of calories but no eggs, a study from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge reports. "Egg protein is filling, so you eat less later in the day," says David Grotto, R.D., author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life (Bantam).

Eat more Omelets and scrambles are obvious choices, but if you can't cook before work, bake a frittata on Sunday; chill it and nuke slices for up to a week. An easy recipe: Vegetable Frittata.

Kale

Long sidelined as a lowly garnish, this green belongs center stage on your plate. One raw chopped cup contains 34 calories and about 1.3 grams of fiber, as well as a hearty helping of iron and calcium. But kale's earthy flavor might take some getting used to. Spinach, another nutrient powerhouse, is a milder-tasting option.

Eat more Mix chopped raw kale into cooked black beans, says Jennifer Iserloh, founder of Skinny Chef Culinary Ventures, in New York City. Or slice kale into thin strips, sauté it with vegetable broth and top with orange slices. Make it a meal by tossing the mix with quinoa.

Goji berries

These chewy, tart berries have a hunger-curbing edge over other fruit: 18 amino acids, which make them a surprising source of protein, Krieger says. (They also have more beta-carotene than carrots.) Snack on them midafternoon to stay satisfied until dinner. The calorie cost? Only 35 per tablespoon.

Eat more Mix 1/4 cup of the dried berries (from health food stores) with 1/4 cup raisins and 1/4 cup walnuts for a nourishing trail mix. Or for dessert, pour 1/4 cup boiling water into a bowl with 2 tbsp dried berries; let sit 10 minutes. Drain, then spoon over 1/2 cup lowfat vanilla frozen yogurt.

Buckwheat pasta

Swap plain noodles for this hearty variety; you'll slip into your skinny jeans in no time. "Buckwheat is high in fiber and, unlike most carbs, contains protein," Zuckerbrot says. "Those two nutrients make it very satiating, so it's harder to overeat buckwheat pasta than the regular stuff."

Eat more Cook this pasta as you do rice: Simmer it, covered, over low heat. For a light meal, toss cooked buckwheat pasta with broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and onions. Or make buckwheat crepes using our tasty recipe.

Almond butter

Adding this spread may lower bread's glycemic index (a measure of a food's effect on blood sugar). A study from the University of Toronto found that people who ate almonds with white bread didn't experience the same blood sugar surges as those who ate only the slice. "The higher blood sugar levels rise, the lower they fall; that dip leads to hunger, causing people to overeat," says study author Cyril Kendall, Ph.D. "Furthermore, blood sugar changes cause the body to make insulin, which can increase abdominal fat."

Eat more Try it for a change from peanut butter in sandwiches, or make a veggie dip: Mix 1 tbsp almond butter with 2 tbsp fat-free plain yogurt, Iserloh suggests. Or add a dollop to oatmeal for flavor and protein.

Pomegranates

The juice gets all the hype for being healthy, but pomegranate seeds deserve their own spotlight. In addition to being loaded with folate and disease-fighting antioxidants, they're low in calories and high in fiber, so they satisfy your sweet tooth without blowing your diet, Krieger says.

Eat more Pop the raw seeds on their own (many grocery stores sell them preshucked) as a snack at your desk. "Use them in salads instead of nuts," Iserloh says. "They're especially delicious on raw baby spinach with lemon–poppy seed dressing." For another take on the seeds, use our easy recipe for sweet and spicy pomegranate salsa.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/20-superfoods-for-weight-loss-212436

Broccoli 'may help protect lungs'

Sulforapane is found in broccoli and brussel sprouts

A substance found in broccoli may limit the damage which leads to serious lung disease, research suggests.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often caused by smoking and kills about 30,000 UK residents a year.

US scientists found that sulforapane increases the activity of the NRF2 gene in human lung cells which protects cells from damage caused by toxins.

The same broccoli compound was recently found to be protective against damage to blood vessels caused by diabetes.

Brassica vegetables such as broccoli have also been linked to a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Cell pollutants

In the latest study, a team from John Hopkins School of Medicine found significantly lower activity of the NRF2 gene in smokers with advanced COPD.

Writing in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, they said the gene is responsible for turning on several mechanisms for removing toxins and pollutants which can damage cells.

We know broccoli naturally contains important compounds but studies so far have taken place in the test tube and further research is needed to find if you can produce the same effect in humans Spokeswoman, British Lung Foundation

Previous studies in mice had shown that disrupting the NRF2 gene caused early onset severe emphysema - one of the conditions suffered by COPD patients.

Increasing the activity of NRF2 may lead to useful treatments for preventing the progression of COPD, the researchers said.

In the study, they showed that sulforapane was able to restore reduced levels of NRF2 in cells exposed to cigarette smoke.

"Future studies should target NRF2 as a novel strategy to increase antioxidant protection in the lungs and test its ability to improve lung function in people with COPD," said study leader Dr Shyam Biswal.

A spokeswoman for the British Lung Foundation said: "This is an important study for the 3 million people in the UK with COPD because of its findings about the imbalance of oxidants and antioxidants in the lungs.

"We know broccoli naturally contains important compounds but studies so far have taken place in the test tube and further research is needed to find if you can produce the same effect in humans."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7612813.stm