fat

Turbo-charge weight loss with this potent herbal secret

It's the supposed breakthrough that the clueless media claim will lead to a powerful new weight-loss drug.

Pop this magic pill, and your dangerous and unsightly layer of fat will transform into a calorie-burning machine.

And you'll have a slimmer, trimmer you in no time at all.

But don't get your hopes up yet... because I've got the skinny on what this attention-getting new report really means.

Hint: It's not going to do much for your waistline.

Don't worry. There IS a way to transform your waistline, and I'll give you the effortless belly-shrinking secret in a moment.

First, let me chew the fat on this new report.

The media are all excited over what they're already predicting will become the future of weight loss... but this is just one itsy-bitty little study on mice, not people, and it's got some pretty big flaws in its paws.

In the study, researchers found that blocking a protein in the mice called PexRAP triggered a reaction inside the cells of white fat, causing it to turn into beige fat.

That's not a process that gets much attention, but it's an important one.

White fat is the "stored" stuff that builds up around your middle. It's the main fat found in people who are overweight and obese, and it's been linked to metabolic syndrome and other risks.

Beige fat is more like brown fat. It's a healthy form of fat that turns up the heat in your metabolism, helping to burn off that unsightly and unhealthy white fat.

And that's exactly what happened in these mice when that protein was blocked.

Of course, there's a huge downside to doing this in humans -- one not getting nearly as much attention as the headline-making weight loss potential.

This same protein plays a role in your body temperature. If you block it, you'll get bone-shattering chills, and your body temperature will jump off the charts.

Does that sound like fun to you?

Me neither!

Clearly, this "discovery" is not even close to ready for prime time -- and even if it does someday turn into some kind of treatment, it'll likely be a med with risks and chilling (perhaps literally) side effects.

There's a better solution available right now, with no risk of chills and fever.

An herbal remedy called berberine can trigger the reaction that helps convert white fat into the better and more efficient brown fat, leading to faster weight loss -- especially if you combine it with a sensible back-to-basics diet.

Bigger bellies boost disease risk -- even when you're not obese

Obesity is one of the biggest risk factors for diabetes, and slashing that risk of course means losing weight. But while the numbers on the scale are important, there's another number that can be just as critical.

And that's your pants size.

Bigger waistlines usually mean bigger weights -- usually, but not always. Some people have a round-in-the-middle shape without actually being obese.

It's not just an unflattering figure. It's a dangerous one, and new research on 30,000 Europeans finds that overweight -- but not obese -- men with a waistline of 40 have a higher risk of diabetes than obese people with more moderate waistlines.

For overweight (but not obese) women, the risk shoots up when the waistline reaches 35.

The reason is simple: How your fat is distributed is just as important as how much you have. Fat that builds up around organs is a disease risk factor. And too much fat right in the belly -- the fat that causes waistlines to bulge -- can produce excess hormones, leading to insulin resistance, and ultimately diabetes.

In other words, getting into shape means not just losing weight, but making sure your body takes on the right shape as well.

But avoiding diabetes isn't just about the big changes, like the dietary makeover needed to shrink both pounds and waistlines. There are also smaller, easier steps you can take -- including simple nutrients you can add to your diet that can slash your risk.

Start with selenium.

That's the trace mineral found in Brazil nuts that can protect against certain cancers. And, as I told you just a few weeks ago, it can slash your risk of death by heart disease when combined with coenzyme Q10.

Now, new research finds this mineral can also help you to avoid diabetes. In a study of some 7,000 men and women tracked for decades, those who had the highest selenium levels had a 24 percent lower risk of getting the disease.

That's three of the world's leading killers -- cancer, heart disease, and diabetes -- slashed by this one mineral needed in only the tiniest doses.

Just don't go overboard with it. It's called a "trace" mineral for a reason, and too much of it is not a good thing.

On the other hand, many people can drink tea all day without suffering any ill effects -- and if that's you, you might already be enjoying a lower risk of diabetes without even realizing it: Four cups a day or more can slash the risk of the disease by 20 percent, according to the latest research.

Tea, especially green tea, is a great source of healthy polyphenols. Along with lowering your diabetes risk, a steady tea habit can help prevent cancer, dementia and heart disease, boost the immune system, ease depression and more.

Now, it's easy to get carried away with these studies. People read about a certain benefit, and then load up on those foods without making the other changes they need for good health.

But a handful of Brazil nuts or a couple of extra cups of tea won't keep disease at bay if you're eating processed foods and other junk the rest of the time. So, add these things to your diet if you wish -- but it's far more important that you have a healthy lifestyle in the first place.