Sweet Treats That Won't Make You Gain Weight

The moment we decide to follow a diet, we reduce the amount of sugar intake first. Studies show that this method helps fight against obesity and excess weight pretty well. Nevertheless, you shouldn't completely exclude it from your diet as sweet products enrich us with energy. Here we take a look at what kind of sugar can replace high-calorie cupcakes and other sweet treats that make us gain weight. 

 

1. Sorbet

Sorbet (which is basically an ice cream without milk) is fat-free. It also contains fewer calories. Sorbet also comes in a variety of flavors, including frozen berries and other fruit which contains the same amount of vitamins as fresh ones.

2. Fruit
Fruit is a popular food and one that can be used in place of candies. Studies show that eating fruit doesn't lead to excess weight. However, if you count calories, you're recommended to eat a grapefruit (which contains 30kcal and 7g of carbs per 100g) instead of a banana (which contains 95kcal and 21g of carbs per 100g). To keep the sugar to a minimum try to eat perfectly ripe fruit as overripe ones contain too much glucose. 

3. Berries

Berries come in a variety of forms - from cranberries to raspberries, strawberries and red currant which are all considered to be low-calorie berries. Cherries, pomegranates, blueberries, and apricots, however, do have high sugar levels. In addition, berries are also pretty good for you. Raspberries, for instance, remove excess fluid from the body. Berries also have a good effect on the digestive system and speed up the metabolism. 

4. Jam
Essentially, jam is high in sugar. However, it does have its benefits when taken in its natural form. Jam contains a great amount of pectin, a polysaccharide that normalizes gastrointestinal transit and maintains the bacterial balance in our body. 

5. Pastries

If you're looking to lose weight, people know that they have to stop eating muffins and cakes since they are high in sugar and calories. However, there are certain tricks that you can do to enjoy your favorite sweets. Try to replace high-calorie wheat flour with corn, flax, buckwheat, rye or oat flour. Use stevia instead of sugar and vegetable fats (such as olive oil) instead of butter and margarine.

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Nicotine normalises brain activity in schizophrenia patients

A steady stream of nicotine normalises genetically-induced impairments in brain activity associated with schizophrenia, according to a new study that could lead to new non-addictive, nicotine-based treatments for the 51 million people worldwide who suffer from the disease. 

The finding sheds light on what causes the disease and why those who have it tend to smoke heavily. 

It could also potentially have applications for treating addiction, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Bipolar disorder and other psychiatric conditions. 

"Our study provides compelling biological evidence that a specific genetic variant contributes to risk for schizophrenia, defines the mechanism responsible for the effect and validates that nicotine improves that deficit," said Jerry Stitzel, researcher at the Institute for Behavioural Genetics (IBG) in the US. 

The study found that when mice with schizophrenic characteristics were given nicotine daily, their sluggish brain activity increased within two days. Within one week it had normalised. 

"Basically the nicotine is compensating for a genetically determined impairment. No one has ever shown that before," said Stitzel. 

The scientists set out to explore the underlying causes of "hypofrontality"?a reduction of neuronal firing in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. 

Hypofrontality is believed to be the root cause of many of the signature cognitive problems experienced by schizophrenics, including trouble paying attention, remembering things, making decisions and understanding verbal explanations. 

Previous genome-wide association studies have suggested that people with a variation in a gene called CHRNA5 are more likely to have schizophrenia, but the mechanism for that association has remained unclear. People with that variant are also more likely to smoke. 

Eighty to 90 per cent of people with schizophrenia smoke and most are very heavy smokers, a fact that has long led researchers to suspect they are self-medicating. 

The research team first took mice with the CHRNA5 gene variant and used state-of-the-art brain imaging technologies to see if they had hypofrontality. 

Then they conducted behavioural tests to see if the mice shared key characteristics of schizophrenics, like being unable to suppress a startle response and being averse to social interaction. 

The results validated that the gene variant likely plays a role in schizophrenia by causing hypofrontality, said Stitzel. 

Nicotine appeared to reverse this in the mice, normalising brain activity by acting on nicotinic receptors in regions of the brain key to healthy cognitive function. 

The study appears in the journal Nature Medicine. 

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