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university of connecticut-related stories

Make time for breakfast

Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

Not a breakfast person? Well, if you want to lose weight and decrease your risk for metabolic syndrome, you may want to force yourself to be.

An analysis of government data on 4,200 adults revealed that that people who ate breakfast regularly tended to eat fewer calories overall during the day. And, a separate study out of the University of Connecticut found that eating three eggs daily can cut your risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and obesity -- three known risk factors that, along with others, are classified as metabolic syndrome.

So, if your usual breakfast is nothing more than a quick cup of coffee, it may be worth your while to take the extra ten minutes to cook yourself up some eggs.

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Low-carb diet reduces inflammation

Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

Now that we've thankfully moved well past the carb-starve days, it's good to see people enjoying starch again. Carbohydrates are an integral part of a healthy diet, which is why depriving yourself of this macronutrient is not exactly the best course of action. That all being said, keeping your carb intake under control is just as important, as evidenced by a recent study out of the University of Connecticut.

According to UConn researchers
, a low-carb diet can reduce inflammation, a known cause of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. Volunteers who went on either a low-carb or low-fat diet had blood samples taken after a 12-week period, revealing that only the low-carb group exhibited any significant reduction in their inflammation (by as much as 30 percent).

Finding a balance of protein, carbs, and fats can sometimes be a bit tricky. For a little guidance, try visiting our sister site, AOL Body, for a wealth of tips and nutrition tools that can help you along.

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Drink up

Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

Looking to get stronger? Wondering if supplements are right for you? Well, before you shell out big bucks at your local GNC, let me tell you about a very popular drink that has been shown to increase performance in the weight room. Best of all, it's free.

By now I'm sure you've guessed that I'm talking about water. In a University of Connecticut study, researchers discovered that men who drank plenty of water before lifting weights were able to complete 17 percent more reps in their sets than men who were not properly hydrated.

Because the central nervous system slows down your muscle activation when you're thirsty, drinking water before, during, and after your workout will keep you from falling short of your goals due to this physiological response.

White, white wine

A bottle of red. A bottle of white. Turns out both may keep you healthy tonight (Billy Joel, I am not). Though previous research suggested that red wine offered cardiovascular benefits, a new study out of the University of Connecticut reveals that a nice Chardonnay may also do the trick.

The previous misconception about white wine stemmed mostly from what was known of the actual wine making process. You see, to make white wine, the grape's skins are removed before fermentation. During the making of red wine, however, these skins are left in tact. And, since it is the skin that contains resveratrol, an antioxidant that has been shown to improve blood flow, it was assumed that red wine was far healthier.

But, researchers at UConn beg to differ. In their studies, they determined that an unidentified antioxidant found in white wine offers similar heart protection. According to the researchers, drinking a glass or two of either red or white wine should therefore have equal benefit.

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DHA taken during pregnancy may boost infant problem-solving skills

Vitamins and Supplements, Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Nutrition & Supplements

If you're an expecting mother, you may be interested in a new study out of the University of Connecticut and Louisiana State University on the potential benefits of supplementing with DHA during pregnancy. According to the findings of the study, which were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, consuming DHA (a naturally-occurring fatty acid derived from fish oil) while carrying may boost an infant's problem-solving skills during the first year of life.

In the study, 29 pregnant women were randomly assigned to one of two groups: Group A - who were given cereal-based snack bars that contained 300mg of DHA, and Group B - who were given cereal-based snack bars that did not contain the fatty acid. On average, the mothers ate five cereal bars per week.

After the babies of mothers from both groups were born, their intelligence and problem-solving skills were tested nine months later by the researchers. The infants born to the mothers who at the DHA-fortified cereal bars demonstrated signs of possessing better problem-solving skills.

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