Move over Facebook! It turns out that joining a group (a real one, not online) helps people stay on an exercise routine and stay loving it, says Jane Brody this week in her Personal Health column. People who join a group to get fit — whether walking, running, working out, or swimming — can end up looking forward to the experience and may even find good friends in the process. The primary enemy of staying on a fitness regime is that we make it a chore, a “should,” instead of a gift we give ourselves, according to Michelle Segar, a motivational psychologist at the University of Michigan, whom she quotes in her column. Brody talks about her own morning walk group, saying “Two to five of us walk for an hour every morning. We chat about our days, share our thoughts and problems, seek and offer advice, bolster sagging spirits … No matter how awful I may feel when I get up in the morning, I always feel better after that walk. And so I always do it, come rain, shine or blizzard.”

– Joyce

Look for more pressure on food companies and restaurants to do a better job regulating themselves when it comes to marketing to children.  “Despite the industry’s self-regulatory system, the vast majority of food and entertainment companies have no protections in place for children,” said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan. ” If food, toy, and media companies fail to adopt those voluntary standards, they will be clanging the death knell for their self-regulatory initiative and inviting strong government involvement in food marketing aimed at kids,” Wootan said.   – Rich

Danish scientists have discovered that Vitamin D is crucial to activating our immune defenses and that without sufficient amounts, the killer cells of the immune system — T cells — will not be able to react to and fight off serious infections in the body.  It seems T cells are activated by Vitamin D and remain dormant if no D is detected in the blood.  Professor Carsten Geisler, whose team did the research, notes that the findings “could help us to combat infectious diseases and global epidemics.  They will be of particular use when developing new vaccines.”   Vitamin D is found in fish liver oil, eggs and fatty fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel or taken as a dietary supplement, as well as in exposure to sunlight.
– Joyce
Read the whole story here.

Gluten-free diets are on the rise as food influencers suggest we drop gluten from our diets.    Mark Sisson, blogger and author of “The Primal Blueprint,” and Elisabeth Hasselback of The View and author of the “G Free Diet,” both claim benefits to eliminating gluten, a special type of protein commonly found in rye, wheat, and barley.   Gluten has long been linked to celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in which the
lining of the small intestine is damaged.  Hasselback says “a gluten-free diet can increase energy, lower cholesterol, help you lose weight and restore health.”  Shelley Case, author of “Gluten-Free Diet,” reports that the gluten-free products market increased from $560 million in annual sales in 2004 to $1.56 billion in 2008.  She estimates it will reach $26 billion in 2012.     – Rich

The wine producers should be lifting their glasses about a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and reported in today’s New York Times.  The study shows women who drink moderately are actually less likely to gain weight. The study also finds that this is even more true with red wine because of a compound called resveratrol, which has “antiobesity properties.” Someone should bottle that!  – Dana

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/women-drinkers-gain-less-weight/

Cutting our salt intake can save the country $32 billion in healthcare costs.  The U.S. government estimates that if Americans cut down on salt by 10 percent it would save $32 billion in healthcare costs.     The Seattle Post Intelligencer posts an interesting blog about this.  Expect to see more pressure on brands to cut sodium in foods.  – Rich

According to USA Today, a new study published by a nutritional biologist at Stanford University points to the fact that essentially, not all diets are created equal. Rather than going the route of cutting carbs or shunning fat, it’s actually our individual DNA that controls the way we burn and store calories from various foods. The study found that women on diets that were best suited to their genetic makeup (defined by the test) lost approximately five times more weight than those on unsuitable diets.

What does this mean for the future of diet-friendly food marketing? It will be interesting to see if and how health food marketers adopt this information. Maybe “low fat” or “low carb” won’t be enough anymore to entice savvy dieters who may become more in tune with their individual bodies’ needs. Perhaps we’ll soon see more customizable nutritional facts on our favorite healthy snacks. Then again, this new data may go nowhere. After all, we all know how the nebulous ‘blood type diet’ panned out…even Elizabeth Hurley’s endorsement couldn’t save that one!

-Jessica

Scientists have found that our brains respond more powerfully to jingles for brands such as Intel and McDonald’s than to more natural noises such as bird singing or a baby giggling. Hmmm, this could lead to marketers tapping into background noise as a powerful branding opportunity, and it’s probably just a matter of time before our brains hear sizzling steaks or sparkling sodas and immediately register them to brands.  Is this just coincidence, or does sound make us desire more, purchase more, eat and dream more?

-Kristen

A researcher at Georgia Tech is testing to find out if a mobile phone-based reminder program can get people to eat healthier, says an article in Science Daily today.  Andrea Grimes, a Ph.D. candidate at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Computing, designed “EatWell,” a system that enables people to use their mobile phones to record and share audio stories that encourage other group members to overcome unhealthy food temptations and live a healthier lifestyle.  With so many people using mobile phones, Grimes saw an opportunity to use technology to create a “community” of people who want to eat better and share their experiences with others in the group.  People in the EatWell group reported that they felt a connection to the other members even though they did not know them personally.  Text messaging is also being used by government agencies, health groups, and even food marketers to help Americans deal with obesity, weight problems and dieting challenges.

– Joyce

Lynn Sweet, columnist and blogger for the Chicago Sun Times does a great job summarizing First Lady Michelle Obama’s new initiative on childhood obesity: Let’s Move!   Sweet is quick to note that in addition to partnerships with states, communities, non-profits and corporations, parents play a key role in making healthy choices for their children and teaching kids to make healthy choices for themselves.   There are numerous ways companies can get involved including exploring opportunities to partner with the President’s Physical Fitness Challenge.   M Booth’s Better4You offering is looking into this for one of our clients. – Rich