The Wernicke syndrome affects the nervous system because of the lack of vitamin B1 or thiamine. This syndrome may also cause vision problems like rapid eye movements. This affection is often associated with chronic malnutrition or severe alcoholism. In case of obese people, the syndrome may be caused by frequent vomiting.

The syndrome may occur within a period of up to three months after surgery, especially for patients who vomit frequently. However, cases of Wernicke syndrome have occurred as far as a year and half from surgery.

Some of the subjects who participated to the study had other neurological symptoms after the surgery. The subjects complained of deafness, muscle weakness, seizures, pain in the feet or hands, or psychosis and needed medical attention, according to lead author Dr. Sonal Singh from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina.

Individuals with Wernicke syndrome are treated with vitamin B1 supplements. Although almost half of the subjects made a full recovery, the others still faced problems such as memory loss, movement coordination difficulties, or weakness.

It is still unclear whether the conditions after the surgery are more common to women. However, it is known that the Wernicke syndrome can appear after all kinds of bariatric surgery, including gastric bypass, lap-band surgery, and others.

The foods required for this diet include fruits, vegetables, fish, eggs, pasta, whole grain, and rice. The prohibited foods include sugar, fats, diary foods, bananas, grapes, and meat.

Breakfast should include a can of red tea with orange juice or orange slices, a slice of whole bread, or two musli bars.

For lunch, eat cold fish salad, rice with vegetables, or rice salad. You may also eat a fruit, and drink a mug of red tea. The snack should only include a cup of red tea.

Dinner consists of salad, fish with vegetables, pasta with vegetables, rice soup, or bean with vegetables. A fruit and a cup of red tea are good after dinner.

The vegetables should be eaten boiled or raw. The red tea also accelerates the liver`s metabolism and reduces fat absorption. The tea cleans the body, is anti-depressive, and stimulates digestive functions.

This diet is very low in proteins and if it is followed for more than five days, may lead to a severe decrease of the amount of proteins in the body. The red tea also interfere with iron absorption so the body`s capacity to absorb iron is limited.

The red tea diet should not be followed by pregnant women, children, people who are under medical treatment, or suffer from ulcer, insomnia, or anemia. The red tea diet is also not indicated for people with hearth problems.

This diet cleans the body from toxins. Always seek medical advice before starting a diet.

To stay healthy and independent you should do strength exercises, balance exercises, and stretching exercises. Strength exercises help build muscle and increase your metabolism; a higher metabolism will keep your weight and blood sugar in check.

Here are a few useful tips to avoid injury: don’t hold your breath while exercising. Use smooth and steady movements to poise your body. Avoid thrusting movements. Breathe out while you lift or push weights and don’t forget to breathe in as you relax.

Balance exercises help build leg muscles and prevent falls. While doing balance exercises, try to hold onto a table or chair for balance with just one hand. Then slowly lift one leg to side, eight inches out to the side. Keep your back and legs straight and hold position. Slowly lower leg and repeat with other leg. You must keep your back and knees straight throughout exercise.

Hip flexion strengthens hip muscles. Hip flexion is important for good balance. Use ankle weights if you need to. You must stand straight and hold onto a table or chair. Then slowly bend one knee toward chest, but without bending waist or hips. Hold this position for one second before you slowly lower your leg.Repeat this exercise with your other leg.
Before starting stretching exercises, warm up by doing some easy walking or pumping your arms first. It is normal to feel a mild discomfort or a mild pulling sensation. You shouldn’t bounce into a stretch – try making slow steady movements instead.

Triceps stretches lengthen muscles from the back of the upper arm. Try holding one end of a towel in your hand. Then raise and bend that arm to drape towel down back. Keep the arm in this position and hold onto the towel. Reach behind your lower back and seize the bottom end of towel with the other hand, and climb it progressively higher up the towel; that also pulls your right arm down. Continue as close as you can comfortably go. Don’t forget to reverse positions.

Endurance exercises include walking, jogging, swimming, raking etc. Build up your endurance gradually. Stretch after your activities, while your muscles are still warm; Drink water to avoid dehydration. Endurance exercises should not make you breathe too hard so you can’t talk, and should not cause chest pain or dizziness.

Chocolate has a key role in boosting blood flow to certain areas of the brain that lead to an improvement of brain performance for two or three hours, according to Ian Macdonald, lead author of the study.

The results showed that some ingredients in chocolate may be used for treating dementia, vascular impairment, or strokes. They may also be useful for maintaining cardiovascular health.

Macdonald detected increased activity in certain areas of the brain for people who consumed a drink of cocoa rich in flavanol with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

There are other sources of flovanol, beside chocolate. It may also be found in red wine, blueberries, or green tea. Researchers proved the effect of the high-flavanol cocoa drink on cerebral blood flow and suggested that some ingredients may enhance brain function especially for people who suffer from sleep deprivation or fatigue.

The cocoa beverage rich in flavanol was specially created for the purpose of the study and is not available in stores, says Macdonald. The beverage is efficient because it allows more blood to circulate throw blood vessels, and key areas of the brain receive more oxygen.

The results of the study were presented to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) from San Francisco.

The Atkins Diet: this diet eliminates glucides considered responsible for the weight gain. The advantage is fast weight loss, but the disadvantages are numerous. Specialists found a lack of essential vitamins and an increased risk for cardiovascular disease among people who followed this diet, and don’t recommend it to women who are on birth control.

The Shelton Diet: it includes only meals with proteins or glucides. The advantage is fast weight loss and the disadvantage is the lack of nutrients.

The Antoine Diet: for this diet you must eat the same food all day. For instance, only meat on Monday, only fruits on Tuesday, eggs on Wednesday, vegetables on Thursday, dairy food on Friday, fish on Saturday, and so on. It causes fast weight loss but also produces imbalances, and the weight is often regained shortly after the diet ends.

The Mayo Diet: it is a difficult low-calorie diet that leads to fast weight loss followed by lack of vitamins, fatigue, or anxiety.

The Victoria Principal Diet: it has low amounts of proteins that lower the muscular mass, and the weight is often quickly regained after the diet ends.

The Scarsdale Diet: created by a cardiologist, it`s a low-fat diet with the same meals for fifteen days. Alcohol, milk, and fruit juices are forbidden. For short periods, this diet is efficient but long term it may cause a lack of nutrients.

The Montignac Diet: this diet is based on the principle of food dissociation but it forbids the combination of glucides and lipids. However, calories are retained as fat even if they are separate from glucides, according to specialists.

The Susan Powter Diet: it reduces the protein and fat intake while encouraging (es the glucides intake. It may result in lack of vitamins.

The Zen Diet: ten days of rice only. It`s difficult to follow and results in a serious lack of nutrients.

The Hollywood Diet: it includes only fruits in any combination. Dieticians agree it`s hard to follow.

The Sulitzer Diet: this diet includes 2.20 oz of proteins per day, 0.3 oz of butter per day, 1.80 oz of bread per day, over three times per week, without other restrictions. It`s quite balanced and close to the regular food, according to specialists.

The Fricker Diet: this diet is based on the amount of weight that you need to lose. Dieticians agree it is a diet without risks or lack of vitamins. Usually, once this diet ends, there is a period of transition to normal food.

The study involved sixty-three overweight women and had them follow a low-calorie diet for fifteen weeks. First, the women had a daily calcium intake of 700 mg, below the 1000 mg recommended.

Later, the dosage was increased to 1200 mg of calcium with vitamin D. The study showed a significant improvement of the HDL, the good cholesterol, and a lower level of bad cholesterol (LDL) for the subjects.

The loss of weight registered by the subjects during the low-calorie diet did not seem to affect the level of good cholesterol. It appeared that calcium and vitamin D may lower the cardiovascular risk for women with low calcium levels.

The same research team previously showed that people may have a higher LDL level, higher fat percentage, or wider waists if their calcium intake is low, and that people with a reduced dairy consumption gained weight and suffered an increase of waist size and body fat percentage.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, concluded that people who want to follow a weight loss program but have insufficient calcium intakes should have calcium and vitamin D supplements during their workout period.

For instance, bananas are a source of potassium, oranges and kiwi have a lot of vitamin C, and apricots have considerable amounts of vitamin A. It`s good to know how to select, store and eat the fruits in order to preserve their freshness.

Try to choose fresh fruits, in-season fruits taste better. Some fruits should be smelled before buying them because of their characteristic scent, for example if the cantaloupe (muskmelon) smells too musty you shouldn`t buy it, avocado should have a spongy texture while kiwi shouldn`t be musty. The fruits should be heavier for their size; that’s a sign they`re juicy.

You may buy dried fruits because they are rich in dietary fiber, however they also have more calories than fresh fruits so it`s good to buy only those without added sugar. Choose frozen fruits without added sugar and canned fruits in fruit juice or water but avoid fruits in sugar-sweetened syrup.

The fruits should be kept at the room temperature if you want them to be ripened, such as bananas, kiwi, nectarines, and pears. For a longer storage, keep them in the refrigerator. Oranges, cherries, and apricots may be stored for two weeks in the refrigerator but raspberries, peaches, grapes, or strawberries shouldn`t be kept in the fridge for more than a few days.

Throw away the fruits that smell or look bad. For long-term use the fruits may be frozen. Particularly, grapes, melon, berries, and cherries are well preserved by freezing. For better results, try to cut into smaller chunks the bigger fruits or remove the skin of apples, nectarines, or peaches before freezing.

Take advantage of all the nutrients from fruits and enhance their flavor by preparing them no more than an hour before serving. The fruits should be properly washed with cold water before eating. The peels of pears, apples, or other fruits that have pits contain fiber and nutrients.

Make your diet richer in vitamins by adding fruits to your breakfast cereals, cookies, doughs, or just take them instead of a snack.

The potato diet may help you lose weight and stay in shape. However, remember that what`s good for others may not be good for you, and seek medical advice before you start a diet.

Day one:

Breakfast: Seven ounces of washed fruits like apples, oranges, or mandarins mixed up with five ounces of low-fat yogurt and three spoons of cereals.

Snack: Five ounces of yogurt

Lunch: Wash, clean, and boil four big potatoes. Cut in chunks a tomato and two peppers and put two ounces of rubbed cheese. Add salt and pepper, take two potatoes, cut them in four and put them into a pan along with the tomato, peppers, and cheese and leave them in the oven for ten minutes. Keep the other two potatoes for later.

Snack: an apple

Dinner: Cut the two potatoes from lunch, a red onion, and three ounces of pickled cucumbers into pieces and mix them with small cut parsley. Make a sauce from two spoons of low-fat yogurt, salt, white pepper, a little pound garlic, and a spoon of olive oil. Leave the sauce over the salad for ten minutes.

Day two:

Breakfast: A slice of toast with two ounce of low-fat cottage cheese and an orange.

Snack: A glass of low-fat milk

Lunch: Extinguish seven ounces of cauliflower, boil five ounces of potatoes in salt water, cut in stripes one ounce of boiled ham and mix it with two spoons of low-fat milk and half a tea spoon of olive oil. Spice it with nutmeg and the juice from half a lemon. Remove the cauliflower from the water, drain it, and put the blend above. The potatoes are served along with the cauliflower.

Snack: A slice of bread with two ounces of cottage cheese.

Dinner: Make a soup from three ounces of potatoes, a small carrot, half of teaspoon of butter, spices, one ounce of sliced ham, and parsley. The vegetables are boiling while the ham is broiling in butter. Put in the soup the ham, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Day three:

Breakfast: Five ounces of low-fat yogurt, a kiwi, and an orange.

Snack: a glass of fresh orange juice.

Lunch: Put seven ounces of boiled and sliced potatoes, an onion that is small cut and some sliced tomatoes into a pan. Lam an egg, mix it with three spoons of milk and one ounce of rubbed cheese, add salt pepper, and put it over the vegetables. Leave it in the oven for fifteen-twenty minutes.

Snack: A glass of tomato juice

Dinner: Bake two potatoes covered in aluminum sheet for thirty or thirty-five minutes and cut them in four. Mix two ounces of cottage cheese with a spoon of low-fat milk, some salt, pepper, lemon juice, and small cut parsley. Serve it with the potatoes.

Day four:

Breakfast: A slice of toast with two sliced of chicken chest and a grapefruit. You may have a tea if you want.

Snack: A glass of carrots juice and a slice of toast.

Lunch: Boil for ten minutes four ounces of sliced potatoes. Cut two peppers in slices, cut an onion in small pieces and harden it with a teaspoon of oil, then put the potatoes, peppers, and five ounces of canned sliced tomatoes and leave it in the oven for fifteen minutes.

Snack: An orange and an apple

Dinner: Boil three potatoes in their peal, cut in small pieces half an onion, and some garlic. Mix the onion and garlic with two ounces of low-fat cottage cheese, two ounces of yogurt, and two teaspoons of lemon juice. Put salt, pepper and serve it next to the potatoes.

Day five:

Breakfast: Four ounces of low-fat yogurt, an orange, and a chuck

Snack: Two apples

Lunch: Remove the peal from five ounces and cut then into chunks. Clean a carrot, a small onion and celery and boil them in two liters of water for twenty minutes, add some spices and finally put some parsley and a yolk of egg.

Snack: Five ounces low-fat yogurt and a slice of toast

Dinner: Bake in the oven for thirty minutes nine ounces of potatoes then cut them in half. Mix four ounces of cottage cheese with a spoon of yogurt, half an onion cut really small, salt, pepper, and the juice from a lemon. You serve it with the potatoes.

Although this diet does not guarantee weight loss, the foods may have a positive influence by helping you stay in shape. Always consult a specialist before starting any diet program.

People who follow a very low-calorie diet (VLCD) consume up to 800 calories per day. VLCD formulas shouldn`t be confused with meal replacements like bars, shakes, or entrees. The formulas must include vitamins and micronutrients according to the nutritional requirements of each person.

VLCDs may be used to produce short-term weight loss for people who are obese and deal with medical problems because of it, like blood pressure. The very low-calorie diets are not good for children or teenagers, except in specialized treatments. People over fifty may not tolerate VLCD because of its side effects.

After a week of very low-calorie diet, weight loss of three to five pounds is registered by moderately to extremely obese people and the high cholesterol, diabetes, or high blood pressure may be improved.

VLCDs have side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, constipation, or fatigue. Although the side effects usually disappear within a few weeks and don`t stop people from ending their program, another side effect is gallstone formation (especially for women) because of the increased level of cholesterol from gallbladder.

Weight gain after VLCD is common but may be prevented. You may combine a VLCD with physical activity and a follow-up treatment to prevent unwanted weight gain.

Activities such as jogging, walking, aerobic dancing, cycling, swimming, or skiing are benefic for your health. Choose activities that make you feel good, so you can have fun and relax while practicing. Listening to your favorite music should keep you entertained.

Does regular physical activity bring any benefits for your health? Sure. It gives you more energy, makes you more resistant to stress and better looking, it tones your muscles and controls your appetite. It helps you lose weight or at least keep it under control. Not to mention that it gives you confidence in yourself, helps you fall asleep quickly, and may help against anxiety or depression.

If you want to lose weight, you can be more active and eat the same amount of calories or be more active and eat fewer calories. Almost three-fourths of the energy burned daily comes from basic activities such as breathing, sleeping, or digesting. If you have more activities, you burn extra calories.

The list presented below shows how many calories are burned per hour by a person of about one hundred-fifty pounds. If a person weights less, it burns fewer calories but if it weights more, it burns more calories:
- Bicycling six mph – 240 cals/hr
- Jogging 5 mph – 740 cals/hr
- Jumping rope – 750 cals/hr
- Running – 650 cals/hr
- Swimming twenty-five yds/min – 275 cals/hr
- Tennis – 400 cals/hr
- Walking three mph – 320 cals/hr

Physical inactivity is a risk factor for coronary heart disease along with high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes, smoking, or high blood cholesterol. A physical activity with the right frequency and intensity help you control your blood pressure, blood lipids, protect you against heart disease, and maintains the health of your lungs. The best exercises for heart and lungs are the aerobic ones.

The common risk of exercising is injury to the muscles. This usually happens when you practice too hard, especially if you were a sedentary person. Another important aspect is the heat exhaustion during hot days. A risk of a regular physical activity is that you may aggravate your heart problems (existing or hidden) and that`s why you should follow the advice of a specialist when you want to start a fitness program.