DIET DETAILS: Who's choosing cigarettes? Junk food? Exercise?

Discusses several studies that are related to diet and psychology. Role of the desire for weight loss in the drive to smoke; Effect of breast-feeding on children's intelligence levels; Effect of oatmeals on the memory.

By Jesse J. Logan, Kaja Perina, published on January 01, 2002

DIET DETAILS: WHO'S CHOOSING CIGARETTES? JUNK FOOD?EXERCISE?

SURRENDERING TO CIGARETTES

When it comes to weight loss in the military, it's what the sergeant--not the doctor--ordered. A study of 252 Air Force servicemen found that active-duty personnel were four times more likely than other participants to resume smoking if it prevented them from gaining five to 10 pounds. They were seven times more likely to do so if near the Air Force's maximum allowable weight. Exceeding the weight allowance can lead to involuntary discharge from the Air Force. The study was published in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

AN UNMOTIVATED MAJORITY

Would you find it tedious to record your exercise and diet regimen for three months? You're not alone: More than 19,000 women failed to complete the American Heart Association's Choose to Move questionnaire, which asked them to self-report on five occasions. But the 3,775 who did emerged invigorated. Two-thirds engaged in moderate exercise, and 91 percent said they had decreased their fat intake. Women who chose not to move presumably got some exercise on their initial trip to the mailbox.

BRAINIER KIDS BREAST-FEED LONGER

Breast milk provides immense cognitive benefits, but they are not immediate. Babies breast-fed for at least six months had higher IQs than babies who had nursed for just three months. Scandinavian researchers tested 345 children at 13 months and at five years. Those breast-fed longer scored an average of 7.4 IQ points higher, after factors including the mother's IQ, education and smoking habits were controlled for. The study was published in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST

Mom was right about that fortifying bowl of cereal. Tufts University researchers found that children who ate instant oatmeal performed 5 to 12 percent better on spatial memory tests than did children who ate sugar-coated cereal or no breakfast at all. The fiber and protein in oats supply the brain with glucose, which boosts cognitive performance.

The study was presented at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting and was sponsored by Quaker Food and Beverages.