The road to weight loss is a long, winding, and often rocky road for most people. You follow all the right plans, dieting and exercising, but still unable to lose weight and in some cases even gaining. Until recently there weren’t many other factors to consider other than caloric intake, exercise, and metabolism. A recent study performed at The Ohio State University, and published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences seeks to suggest a factor that you might never expect: night time light exposure.

A lab test involving mice that were exposed to dim light at night over roughly 60 days gained 50% more body mass than ones who were subjected to a normal cycle of light and dark. They were fed the same amount of food, and shared the same levels of activity, and yet the group with the night time lighting appeared to get fatter. The lighting seemed to have the most effect in that even though they didn’t eat any more food than the other group; they were eating at times when they normally wouldn’t. In fact, as a control they were scheduled a precise feeding time instead of having food to eat whenever they were hungry. When this was the case, they did not gain more weight.

Now, the idea of lighting having an effect on weight gain may very well sound preposterous at first. However, after looking closer at the science of metabolism it makes a little more sense. The researchers believe that these dim levels of light have an effect on melatonin, a hormone that has important function in metabolism. They also believe that being exposed to light at night can disrupt genes that control when animals are active and when they eat.

Things that contribute to light exposure at night like TV and computer use have long been theorized to play a part in weight gain and obesity; however they are now being scrutinized from a different perspective. Before, the lack of physical activity that resulted from prolonged hours of TV watching and computer use at night was viewed as the main risk for obesity. With this new research it may be possible that the light exposure and opportunity for eating at the wrong times to properly metabolize the food could be as much or more to blame.

This data can’t be misconstrued as “just turn off the lights and you’ll lose weight”, but it can help some of the people who do everything else they’re supposed to and still struggle.

Home Hiccup Cure
Here’s a tip from one of our customers:  Nancy says “take a teaspoon of honey, agave nectar, or sugar and hold it in the mouth for less than a minute.  The hiccup just disappears.  Don’t know why, it just does.”  Thanks for the tip Nancy, more people suffer from hiccups than most people realize.

Trouble Sleeping
Your body needs the essential amino acid tryptophan in order to make serotonin and melatonin which help control your mood and sleep patterns.  If you don’t have enough tryptophan, you won’t be able to make enough serotonin or melatonin, and you may start to feel depressed or have trouble sleeping.  The easiest way to get tryptophan is by eating it.  It’s contained in many dairy products, fruits, and lean meats.  Ever wonder why Thanksgiving dinner is so nap inducing?  Turkey is very high in tryptophan.

Chocolate is Good for Your Heart
It sounds too good to be true, but evidence in recent years has been mounting steadily.  Dark chocolate especially is an excellent source of antioxidants.  A 2006 study among Dutch men showed that the ones who ate more foods made from or containing cocoa had lower blood pressure and their risk of death was 50% lower than those who ate little or no chocolate.

I “Swear” This Works
Ever wonder why people are more likely to utter expletives when in pain?  Recent research from Keele University in England suggests that swearing originates in the right hemisphere of the brain, and is more aligned with emotion than language.  It triggers adrenaline, and increases aggression, which in turn downplays pain and weakness.  So, depending on the company you keep don’t be afraid to let it out the next time you stub your toe.