Question

I have two questions re diet drinks and artificial sweeteners that are used in them.

1. I would like to know what effects diet drinks (if any) have on metabolic rate.  I have read that there are studies in existence that they can affect insulin production in response to the sweet taste and therefore lead to fat deposition even though they have only one calorie.

2. What problems are linked to consuming artificial sweeteners?

Answer

Diet drinks have no dramatic impact on insulin release that would lead to fat deposition. In addition, they do not affect your metabolic rate. The caffeine intake in certain of the diet drinks may result in a slight increase in metabolic rate and disturb your sleeping habits or make you a bit jittery if you are caffeine sensitive. Certain artificial sweeteners were implicated in causing cancer, and were taken off the market. However, the studies were found to be inaccurate and their results unsubstantiated. I do believe in everything in moderation, and the fewer chemicals we can consume the better. Drinking water is healthier than consuming

Question

How long should I exercise for to lose weight. I only enjoy walking. At the moment I am walking four times a week for half an hour. Is this enough?

Answer

Losing weight is dependent on energy balance. The amount of food you are consuming versus the energy your body is utilising. When you are burning more energy than you are eating you will lose weight. For years it was recommended that you should do 30 minutes of exercise each day, however the recommendation is now changing to an hour every day of moderately intense activity such as brisk walking. I suggest you do as much as your schedule allows – but make exercise a priority. The amount of exercise you do is also dependent on how sedentary you are the rest of the day. I get my clients to wear a pedometer and to aim at doing 10000 steps each day. Obviously the greater the number of steps they accomplish, the faster the weight loss progress will be. I suggest you aim at doing an hours walk each day, and on the days you cannot manage the full hour try and walk at a faster pace.

Question

We hear a lot on the claimed benefits of drinking green tea. What are the potential benefits – and downsides – of green tea?

Answer

It’s difficult not to gush about green tea. More than a decade’s worth of research about green tea’s health benefits — particularly its potential to fight cancer and heart disease — has been more than intriguing, as have limited studies about green tea’s role in lowering cholesterol, burning fat, preventing diabetes and stroke, and staving off dementia. Still, real-world evidence is lacking; most of the consistent findings about green tea’s health benefits have come out of the lab. The few large-scale human studies that have focused on green tea’s impact on heart disease and cancer are promising, but many of those were conducted in the East, where green tea is a dietary mainstay. The outcomes are likely influenced by other lifestyle factors such as high consumption of fish and soy protein. Green tea has important antioxidants and compounds that help in maintaining good health. There does not appear to be any harm in drinking grebe team and many experts recommend including several cups a day in your diet.