Fat and Cravings!

We've all experienced intense cravings for fatty and/or sweet foods those insatiable yearnings for ice cream, pizza, candy or whatever gets our taste buds going. This occurs especially after a contest or a period of deprivation. Recent research that was performed at Rockefeller University in New York City suggests that food cravings are linked to at least two chemicals produced by our brains. Neuropeptide causes carbohydrate cravings, while galanin cause the urge to eat fat. Although there are numerous chemicals and hormones that also modulate cravings and food consumption, further research into these two substances should help us understand eating behaviors, which will enable us to have an easier time controlling our appetites.

Despite the fact that these are apparently complex processes, the findings of this study give credence to the belief that there's a brain-chemical link to eating behavior. In other words, we really weren't going crazy. Bodybuilding for a Healthy Life The diets that most competitive bodybuilders follow during contest preparation could be described as modified Pritikin or Ornish regimens because they're low in total fats, saturated fats and cholesterol and high in carbohydrates and fiber. The word "modified" applies because physique athletes, who have to meet the high- intensity-training demands of contest prep, eat more protein than what is recommended for sedentary or moderately active individuals.

While many people find it difficult to maintain a very low fat, vegetarian-type diet while getting in at least 90 minutes of exercise a day, for bodybuilders this is often a way of life. According to diet expert Dean Ornish, M.D., this lifestyle will not only reduce your risk of heart disease and other maladies that are associated with the sedentary lifestyle and high-fat diets that most Americans follow, but it may actually reverse artery blockage and lead to much better health in general. Sunlight and Skin Cancer. The aging effects of excessive exposure to sunlight, specifically the ultraviolet rays, on the skin are well documented, as is the sun's role in the development of skin cancer. In the past, however, it was believed that tanning salons in which the sun beds emitted only UV-B light and not UV-A light provided safer tanning without the aging or carcinogenic effects.

The existing research at the time these beds became popular suggested that UV-A light was the main culprit. Since then we've learned that UV-B light is also damaging, and many sunscreen products now protect against all forms of ultraviolet light. According to the latest series of studies, however, even visible sunlight may put people at an increased risk for melanoma, which is the most serious skin cancer. In fact, the researchers suggest that people should protect themselves from all sunlight, something that sunscreens don't do.

While we get physiological and psychological benefits from the sun, it turns out that using Pro-Tan or some other skin dye for your next contest instead of getting a real tan may be the best thing you can do for your skin and your health.