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February 8, 2023

3 meal-related factors may drive caloric intake

clean empty dishes on metal rack — According to new research, there are three top factors that contribute to caloric intake at mealtime. Image credit: Carol Yepes/Getty Images

Researchers investigated the effects of different meal characteristics on caloric consumption.
They found that meals that are eaten quickly and that contain high-energy density, as well as highly palatable foods are linked to higher caloric intake across four diets.
They noted that further research is needed to confirm their findings.

The rate of obesity worldwide has almost tripled since 1975. Between 2017 and 2022, obesity affected 41.9{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of the United States population.

The main cause of obesity is long-term energy imbalance — consuming more calories than the body gets a chance to burn. Research into dietary practices for weight loss is thus key for treating obesity.

Studies have shown that eating quickly and higher energy density foods — foods that have more calories per gram — is linked to greater food intake. Other data have shown that highly palatable foods may be artificially rewarding to consume.

Meanwhile, higher protein intake has been linked to increased satiety and lower energy intake. Understanding more about key dietary characteristics could aid the design of diets to treat obesity.

Recently, researchers investigated how meal characteristics affect caloric intake in four different dietary patterns.

They found that meal energy density, how quickly meals were eaten, and consumption of hyper-palatable foods influenced caloric intake.

“I am not surprised by the findings — this is what I would have expected,” Prof. Alberto Ascherio, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, not involved in the study, told Medical News Today.

“‘Hyper-palatable foods’ means just that — that they are designed to make you eat more. The food industry works hard to design these foods, with several tasting rounds to perfect the recipe, and the most reliable measure that you like a food is that you eat more.”

– Prof. Alberto Ascherio

The new study appears in Nature.

The researchers analyzed data collected from 35 individuals who participated in two inpatient feeding studies. All participants were aged between 18 and 50 years and had a stable weight for the previous 6 months.

During the studies, they were exposed to either minimally processed diets, which varied widely in carbohydrate and fat content, or diets with moderate levels of carbohydrate and fat that varied in ultra-processed and minimally processed foods.

Participants were exposed to two different diets with 7-day rotating menus for two weeks each. They were asked to eat as much as they wanted from each dietary condition.

All in all, the researchers had complete data for 2,733 meals, including their energy density, protein content, speed of eating, and percentage of hyper-palatable foods consumed- defined as those high in fat, sodium, fat, and sugar, or high in carbohydrate or salt.

In the end, the researchers found that energy density, percentage of highly palatable foods consumed, and eating rate all correlated with increased energy intake across all diets: low-fat, low-carbohydrate, a diet based on unprocessed foods, and a diet based on ultra-processed foods.

They found, however, that higher protein intake correlated with increased energy intake only in unprocessed and ultra-processed diets with moderate levels of carbohydrates and fat.

They further found that previous meal protein consumption was linked to greater energy intake in subsequent meals in the low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets, but reduced intake during the ultra-processed diet.

The researchers wrote that their findings suggest that energy density, eating rate, and percentage of protein and highly palatable foods consumed are important predictors of energy intake.

To understand how higher energy density foods might increase caloric intake, MNT spoke with Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes, assistant professor at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study.

“Energy density means how many calories are [in] a certain amount of food,” she explained. “The higher the energy density of something, the less of it you need to take in to have [a] higher calorie intake. For example, one tablespoon of peanut butter has roughly 100 calories in it versus one tablespoon of cooked oats has 15 calories.”

Kimberly Spatola, a registered dietitian at Novant Health Heart and Vascular Institute in Charlotte, NC, not involved in the study, also told MNT:

“Hyper-palatable foods also tend to be energy dense and higher in refined carbohydrates, which make it easier to eat a large amount of these foods without being truly satisfied. Speed of eating can also make a big difference in how much you eat. It typically takes about 20 minutes for the fullness signals from our stomach to reach our brain. Therefore, if you are eating a large meal in only 10 minutes, it will take some time before you actually register your fullness cues.”

When asked about the study’s limitations, Dr. Kevin Hall, section chief of integrative physiology at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the senior author of the study, told MNT that “[t]he study is limited by the fact that it was a secondary analysis of previously published feeding trials in inpatient research participants housed at the Metabolic Clinical Research Unit at the NIH Clinical Center.

“While this environment allowed for accurate and precise measurements of food intake and provided excellent control over the food environment, it is difficult to know how our results extrapolate to more natural environments,” he cautioned.

Spatola added that the findings might also be limited due to their small patient sample size.

“Also the adults were all relatively young with the mean age being 29-31 years old, [and] fiber intake was not taken into consideration, which can greatly affect energy density consumed. […] More research would be needed to see if the patterns are consistent among other age groups,” she continued.

Dr. Hunnes explained: “As with anything in nutrition, one implication would be to consume a widely varied diet to get a wide range of caloric-density foods — such as low density from broths and salads, and high density from foods like nuts. Another implication of these findings would be that eating slowly is beneficial in terms of regulating overall calorie intake as is eating the least-processed/unprocessed foods possible.”

“When we eat unprocessed/ least-processed foods, we are getting a lot more water from the food- think fruit or vegetable rather than ‘veggie-flavored crackers,” she added.

“So, when we eat foods that are unprocessed, we eat fewer calories, and they are less calorically dense. These things all matter in terms of eating! A whole-food, plant-based diet fits this bill very nicely.”

May 7, 2022

Volkswagen Virtus Review, First Drive

If you are an 80s or a 90s kid, you know the vehicle that you’ve usually aspired for and it was most absolutely, a sedan. The smooth, exquisite, elegant and even sporty sedan is what you preferred to see your self in once you were being all grown up. But the convert of the millennium observed the sedan fade absent as other kinds of vehicles turned well-known and all hope was missing for the sedan until finally now. Warm on the heels of the Skoda Slavia’s start, will come in the VW counterpart christened, the Virtus and it should not just take you prolonged to realise that this could pretty very well be that ray of hope you ended up searching for, that ideal silhouette of a sedan that the Virtus looks to flawlessly mould by itself into.

The new Volkswagen Virtus glance outright sporty in the flesh albeit with the clean up, straight lines regular of VW automobiles that even now continue to keep issues stylish.

Allow me make things really clear ideal at the beginning. Certainly, this is the very same auto as the Skoda Slavia, they share the identical mechanical bits under the skin but despite the cars sharing the very same factories and sub-elements, the specific identities of the badges the autos adorn have to be maintained. The essence of sitting down and driving every of these cars and trucks have to resonate with what persons have occur to count on and affiliate with their respective brand names. So, VW put in a very good deal of energy into producing guaranteed that the Virtus stands out.

Interior of the new VW Virtus takes advantage of excellent excellent plastics and a combine of tender touch components, appears upmarket and classy while remaining functional at the same time.

The inside for starters appears to be like really distinct. The layout is in regular VW design with a extensive dashboard highlighted with a shroud surrounding the major 50 {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} and is exclusively obtainable in purple with the Wild Cherry exterior paint plan that you would’ve viewed advertised almost everywhere otherwise, you are going to get it in silver albeit on the lookout a tad plasticky. The infotainment and instrumentation screens make up a pretty seeking electronic cluster that’s practical and uncomplicated to use as a lot as it really is beautiful to see. The infotainment is loaded with contemporary wireless connectivity functions whilst there are additional present day characteristics abound in the cabin. Two-stage front seat cooling perform, wi-fi charging, nifty touch delicate air-con controls that can be a bit fiddly at instances but however a great function even so. All these include to conveniences that we’ve come to count on of cars of this group. And then, there is the exterior styling.

8-inch all-digital instrument panel and 10-inch infotainment offer a crisp exhibit, straightforward to navigate layout and intuitive characteristics.

This classic appear of a long, minimal sedan is just so interesting with the modern day VW spouse and children facial area supplying it a satisfying seem. The extra aspects of the bold, straight traces, combining to make this stretched sporty silhouette, skillfully hiding the 179mm of ground clearance is commendable. Reminiscing the Jetta, the Virtus appears to be like thoroughly sporty, quite possibly its most critical trait in building the sedan interesting. Chrome strains from the grille connecting the headlamps, blacked-out decrease bumper surrounds with a chrome strip on the reduced lip, flanked by fog lamps search just right. The virtually plain sides carrying a solid shoulder line and the rear styled with blacked-out LED tail-lamps, a lip spoiler introducing that hint of sportiness, the Virtus’ exterior design and style basically cannot be flawed.

Two-phase entrance seat cooling aspect is considerably appreciated for the harsh Indian summers but could’ve been a bit additional productive.

Then there’s the way the Virtus is to push. The two the 1.5 TSI and 1.-litre TSI driven cars and trucks drive quite likewise in which the suspension leans on the stiffer side aiding handling to a fantastic extent. The Virtus feels sharp and nimble, keen to flip in rapidly and complimenting the enthusiastic behaviour of each engines. For the passengers, the experience high-quality stays quite at ease on a wide variety of surfaces. The 1.-litre engine displays a slight latency with its throttle response compared to the additional impressive 1.5-litre engine but except outright electric power is a necessity, the 1. TSI is plenty of for all functions. The 6-speed automatic performs intuitive upshifts and downshifts and slotting the shifter into sport in flowing visitors retains the revs just underneath 2,000rpm, ready to speed up swiftly at the light press of the throttle as the turbo spools up. The 1.5-litre feels poised and calmer when driven sedately but displays a popular shift in character with a heavier suitable foot, revving rapid and really hard to get 3 digit speeds rapidly and very easily keeping there. It is functional adequate to trundle about effortlessly in visitors as significantly as it loves a distinct stretch of freeway. The included fat of the more substantial engine would make it come to feel much more planted than the 1. TSI variant but the latter compensates with a particular mild-footed sportiness in its dealing with and underneath most driving scenarios, it’s the a single to have.

Inspite of sharing the similar system as the Skoda Slavia as very well as the exact same mechanical underpinnings, the Virtus appears to be like it is sprung stiffer and that aids in its sporty managing when holding the over-all ride high-quality relatively cozy.

The Virtus is at any time so likeable in regardless of what parameter you want to gauge it for and towards the Skoda, it’ll truly boil down to your own desire for aesthetics and badge worth.

VW is envisioned to start the Virtus in the to start with week of June with an anticipated selling price ranging from Rs 11-18 lakh ex-showroom.

Verdict

We’re still a month absent from the car’s launch and on the lookout at how VW has established them selves apart with an extra perception of sportiness, covering all the bases and all the good bits that make a sedan desirable, I’m going to wager a guess that the VW will be priced at a slight top quality over the Skoda. The Virtus does every thing appropriate – it drives perfectly, seems to be smashing, the trip and managing package deal is sorted for each form of driver and most of all, it is spacious and realistic with its generous boot capability and split-folding rear seats. For now, there are only praises and not a lot to complain about and that lengthy-dropped aspiration of seeing by yourself in a attractive sedan can now be a truth. Be expecting to shell out everywhere amongst Rs 11 lakh to 18 lakh for that desire.

Technical specs

Engine – 999cc, 3-cyl, turbo-petrol / 1.5-litre, 4-cyl, turbo-petrol
Electric power – 115bhp@5,000rpm / 150bhp@5,000rpm
Torque – 178Nm@1,750rpm / 250Nm@1,600rpm
Gearbox – 6-speed MT & AT / 7-pace DSG
LxWxH (mm) – 4,561×1,752×1,507
Wheelbase (mm) – 2,651
Floor clearance – 179mm
Boot place – 521-1,050 litres
Fuel effectiveness (claimed) – 1. TSI MT – 19.4kmpl / AT – 18.12
1.5 TSI AT – 18.7kmpl
Predicted launch – June 2022

https://www.youtube.com/observe?v=Hjd4rH_2F50

February 25, 2022

Inflation, already high, could drive prices up further after Russia’s attack on Ukraine means these prices are going even higher

Economists are racing to evaluate the impression of the assault, which could spark the most important war in Europe due to the fact 1945. The conflict is unlikely to idea the world-wide economic system back into economic downturn, they say, but sector tumult, the threat of punishing sanctions and potential supply disruptions are previously pushing up the wholesale price tag of electricity and some agricultural merchandise. Shoppers will pay out more for gasoline and food stuff as a result.

“Inflation is probably to peak at greater degrees that we ended up envisaging just a couple times ago,” stated Ben Could, director of international macro exploration at Oxford Economics.

Here’s what could get far more expensive about the planet as a end result.

World oil costs jumped higher than $105 for every barrel on Thursday, hitting their greatest stage given that 2014. In the United States, oil costs approached $100 for each barrel.

That will make it much more costly for motorists to fill up their tanks. In the United States, the common cost of a gallon of gas rose to $3.54, up from $3.33 just one thirty day period ago and $2.66 this time very last yr.

The Biden administration is checking out techniques to blunt the rise in fuel rates, although it is really not obvious how a great deal can be completed presented high demand from customers and limited provide.

The selling price of purely natural gasoline, which is utilised to warmth homes and energy field, is also spiking. The benchmark cost in Europe soared 29{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} to €114.65 ($127.80) for each megawatt hour on Thursday, according to knowledge from Impartial Commodity Intelligence Providers.

That is beneath the all-time substantial reached before Xmas, but will nonetheless strike pocketbooks if prices continue to be elevated. Bank of The us beforehand estimated that European households would spend €650 ($724) additional for energy this yr, bringing ordinary shelling out to €1,850 ($2,061).

Bigger electrical power fees will raise expenses for businesses, much too. Jet fuel will get pricier for airways, likely triggering better air fares, while companies that use a ton of energy, like steelmakers, will be squeezed. That could ripple across the financial state.

Food

International food stuff price ranges were being previously in close proximity to a 10-12 months high. Now, the Russia-Ukraine conflict could make matters even worse.

Russia is the world’s major exporter of wheat, while Ukraine is a sizeable exporter of equally wheat and corn. They also export vegetable oils.

Wheat rates jumped to their greatest amount due to the fact 2012 on Thursday. The cost of corn leaped, way too. Soybeans, which usually trade in line with corn, also pushed larger.

Egypt and Turkey are top rated prospective buyers of Russian wheat. But they will never be the only kinds affected if shipments are delayed or sanctions disrupt exports.

“No matter of particularly where foodstuffs go, evidently if you can find a shortage normally in the earth, then the price is likely to be driven up,” Might claimed.

Ukraine still wanted to export 15 million metric tons of corn and between 5 million and 6 million metric tons of wheat this time, in accordance to Rabobank commodities analyst Michael Magdovitz.

Now customers like China are turning to Europe and the United States to fill the gap. If preventing drags on, constrained supplies there could turn into even extra constrained.

“If you have a protracted conflict, then you will need to find a significantly better total,” Magdovitz explained.

Helima Croft, head of worldwide commodity technique at RBC Money Marketplaces, stated the possibility of higher food items cost inflation “appears acute” mainly because Russia and Ukraine alongside one another account for a 25{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of world wide wheat exports, while Ukraine on your own accounts for 13{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of corn exports.

And you can find another possible blow to farmers: Russia is the major producer of ammonium nitrate, a key element in fertilizer, RBC added.

US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack mentioned Thursday that European consumers could be a lot more exposed to a leap in foodstuff rates than People in america.

Metals

The selling price of metals utilized in a extensive array of purchaser merchandise is soaring as buyers dig into the ramifications of the invasion and weigh whether sanctions could impact provides.

“Russia is a big producer of metals such as aluminum and nickel and is also a sizeable copper producer,” stated analysts at S&P Worldwide Platts. “Industry sources believe that the near-certainty that stricter sanctions will be launched on trade with Russia could additional squeeze supplies in worldwide markets that are by now limited.”

Aluminum prices in London shot up to a record high on Thursday.

Russia’s Rusal, which has been sanctioned by the United States previously, is a single of the world’s most significant aluminum producers. If refreshing penalties are imposed, it could cause costs to skyrocket.

Costs ended up by now elevated because smelters in Europe have experienced to slice their output thanks to mounting energy prices. Even if Rusal is just not sanctioned, the hottest spike in electrical power prices could exacerbate the circumstance.

Metals these kinds of as aluminum are made use of in hundreds of products close to the planet, from cans for food items and beverages to autos and electronics.

October 2, 2021

2021 MG Astor review, first drive

The MG Astor retains the silhouette of the MG ZS EV albeit in a brand name new variety with the MG celestial grille that dominates the front stop and appears to be like stellar. This is complemented by new smooth LED headlamps and DRLs along with a redesigned entrance bumper. The aspect profile stays the identical as the ZS EV but provides new 17-inch alloy wheels and the rear is full with LED tail lamps and a sporty rear bumper with bold badging on the tailgate. The structure is up to date and uses the compact SUV crossover concept very well to stand out from the ever-rising inhabitants of cars and trucks in this section. It is an attractive automobile that departs from Hector’s design and style language and appears smashing in this black exterior paint.

In spite of retaining the silhouette of the ZS EV, MG has given the Astor its individual styling that seems unique from the crop of mid-sized SUVs out there.

Stage inside of the Astor and you are greeted with a top quality-seeking cabin that employs a whole lot of leatherette not only on the dashboard but extends to the centre console and doorway pads. Complementing the seats and with, this alternative of a twin-tone deep crimson and black, the Astor’s cabin appears to be just as eye-catching as its exterior, alongside with a superior healthy and end. The top quality truly feel is correct up there with its competition in the section, quite possibly surpassing them with the supplies utilized.

The generous use of leatherette across the cabin, like the centre console and door pads together with the good match and, end ups the quality come to feel of the Astor’s cabin.

The 10.1-inch centre console appears to be like excellent in this landscape orientation and uses a thoroughly clean structure with various widgets giving weather, music playback and navigation facts, among the other folks. Scrolling by means of the menus is sleek but application activation does have a slight hold off. However, it is loaded with the most recent connectivity functions and in-designed apps for all your entertainment requirements. The instrument console is a 7-inch all-digital screen that displays the car’s autonomous driving and safety graphics amid the standard running data. The spotlight of the cabin, while, has to be the quirky own AI assistant that turns to you in response to Good day Astor and will then go on to help you with preset instructions to conduct a handful of features like opening the sunroof or placing the local climate management to the ideal temperature. You could also question generic inquiries which it’ll reply making use of Wikipedia as its supply. A excellent function that is distinctive is only marred by the sluggish response in comprehending your instructions and doing the wished-for function.

The highlight of the Astor’s cabin has to be this quirky Personal AI Assistant that is powered by Wikipedia for generic queries and also understands about 35 Hinglish commands for undertaking in-automobile capabilities.

Out on the highway, the Astor’s 1.4-litre turbo-petrol motor executed as anticipated mated to a 6-velocity automated transmission, though there is another possibility of a 1.5-litre obviously aspirated petrol motor also with selections of a 5-speed guide or an 8-step CVT. The Astor is also really dynamically adept and handles substantial-pace cornering with a superior amount of body management. The outstanding Buddh Intercontinental Circuit wasn’t the right site to take a look at the engine’s actual-planet tractability or the suspension’s means to handle terrible streets, but the natural environment available the excellent location to safely take a look at the plethora of state-of-the-art driver guidance characteristics.

The Astor amazed with its dynamic skills on the track and the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol motor with the 6-speed automatic transmission done just as expected, albeit we’ll have to push the auto on community roadways to adequately assess and examine the efficiency variety of the motor and gearbox.

This is where by Astor trumps its levels of competition as MG has released numerous security options (up to 49 with the major-end trims) like autonomous stage 2 driving aids. Just take, for case in point, the lane capabilities which alert of a car in the blind spot if you are transforming lanes. Or even the lane departure warning and lane-maintaining assistance that will work earlier mentioned 60kmph to preserve the Astor in its lane by self-correcting the steering. Then there is the Adaptive Cruise Command that manages computerized acceleration and braking based on the behaviour of the car or truck in entrance, decelerating, accelerating and also accomplishing unexpected emergency braking if the motor vehicle in entrance slows down, speeds up, moves out of your lane or even arrives to a standstill.

The Astor’s autonomous driving options done flawlessly for the duration of our brief 1st generate of the automobile and proved to be practical even if the bulk of its software would only be feasible on our highways instead than in crowded cities.

These devices done flawlessly and would be most handy on the highways if not generally in city circumstances. A extensive street exam outdoors of a racetrack would give us extra perception into the Astor’s real-entire world performance, area and other areas, but we’ll have to hold out a even though until the auto is released and we get our palms on it again.

Specifications

Engine – 1.4-litre, turbo-petrol / 1.5-litre, NA petrol

Energy – 140bhp @ 5,600rpm / 110bhp @ 6,000rpm

Torque – 220Nm @ 3,600rpm / 144Nm @ 4,400rpm

Gearbox – 6-pace automatic / 5-speed MT or 8-phase CVT

Autonomous Stage 2 – 14 features, employs cameras and radar assistance

Autonomous Level 2 – Lane capabilities, adaptive cruise handle, collision prevention

Cost – Rs 11-18 lakh (believed ex-showroom), start in October

https://www.youtube.com/observe?v=gwspBRep598