A reduction in carbohydrate consumption can promote the loss of belly fat, even with little or no weight loss, according to a new study.

When paired with weight loss, however, a moderately-reduced carbohydrate diet can help achieve a reduction of total body fat.

University of Alabama researchers say that these changes could help reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, stroke and coronary artery disease, which can all be spurred by excess abdominal fat.

Lead researcher Barbara Gower, PhD, a professor of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and her team observed 69 overweight but healthy men and women over a period of 16 weeks.

Participants either received a low-fat diet or a reduced-carb diet.  The low-fat diet contained 55 percent of calories from carbohydrates and 27 percent from fat, while the reduced-carb diet contained 43 percent calories from carbohydrates and 39 percent calories from fat.  Protein made up the remaining 18 percent of calories in each diet.

Over the course of 16 weeks, the reduced-carb diet resulted in a 15 percent greater loss of deep abdominal fat than the low-fat diet.

“A modest reduction in carbohydrate-containing foods may help [dieters] preferentially lose fat, rather than lean tissue,” Gower said in a press release. “The moderately reduced carbohydrate diet allows a variety of foods to meet personal preferences.”

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society.

Every day, it seems we’re getting a new health product flung in our faces.  All these advertisers and “experts” are telling us we need to eat this, drink that, or add some new supplement to our diet in order to live a long, healthy life (and maybe even drop a few pounds while we’re at it!).

But which of these products are really worth the cash?  In this series, we’ll take a look at some common products that promise health or beauty or weight loss and use some solid research to let you know if you should buy them or not.  This week’s product:

Protein Drinks

Want defined abs?  Huge biceps?  Toned legs?

All this and more is yours if you drop by your local health food store and pick up a container of protein drink mix, according to protein drink companies.

But is it true?

New research from Colorado State University says yes, buy this product.

After following study participants for a period of six weeks, researchers found that drinking protein drinks after exercising – in comparison to carbohydrate drinks – led to the formation of more new muscle structures in the body.

Now, the key words here are “after exercise.”  Protein drinks alone aren’t going to give you muscles – in fact, the calorie-packed drinks may just lead to weight gain.

But if you are working out, and this includes aerobic activity and weight lifting, then look into buying this product, which can help maximize the postive effects of exercise and keep your muscles healthy as you age.

“If you want to age gracefully, this study shows that proteins taken after exercise keep your muscles strong and fit,” said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal. “You’ve got to feed your body with the proper nutrients after a work-out. Fortunately, protein shakes are cheap, readily available and some say taste good.”

Recommended buys: Look for protein shake mixes with Whey or Casein.

A new study has found that Americans are eating more and eating more often – a likely contributor to the obesity epidemic in the country.  Part of the problem, researchers say, is that we’re thinking about eating all day.  Do you suffer from constant food cravings?  Check out these 5 tips to stop them.

Eat a Protein Rich Breakfast

Starting your morning off with protein – eggs and bacon, for example – has been proven to increase satiety and reduce hunger throughout the day.  It also reduced brain signals that control food motivation and reward-driven eating behavior.  Breakfast in general is important for avoiding weight gain, but protein-heavy breakfasts seem to be the most effective for reducing appetite, according to researchers.

Eat at Regular Intervals throughout the Day

If you let yourself go too long without eating during the day, your blood sugar will plummet.  Not only will this make you feel hungrier, it will also negatively affect your self-control, according to researchers.  That means you’ll be less likely to be able to say no to those high-calorie, nutritionally-empty foods you’re usually so good at staying away from.  Try keeping a baggie of almonds or a pack of yogurt on you during the day for a healthy snack to keep you satisfied.

Picture the Sights and Smells of a Garden

According to a new study, cravings are mainly fueled by picturing a specific (usually high-cal) food in your head and imagining how it smells.  But as any multi-tasker knows, the more occupied your brain is, the more likely you are to forget something.  Same concept here – occupy the visual and olfactory parts of your brain with other sights and smells, preferably strong images and scents, like those in a garden, and your brain will have to push out the idea of food to accommodate.

Tell Yourself What You’re Eating is Indulgent

In another study, researchers gave participants the same 300 calorie shake.  However, in one group, they told the participants they were drinking an indulgent 600 cal shake, and in the other group, they told participants what they were drinking was a healthy 300 cal shake.  Guess which group felt more satisfied afterwards?  The fact is, visualizing food as an indulgent treat leaves you feeling much fuller afterwards.  So appreciate what you eat!

Surf the Web for Funny Videos

Sometimes, our strongest food cravings don’t come from hunger.  When we feel depressed or just “down”, we’re more likely to engage in emotional eating as a way of comforting ourselves.  Instead of reaching for that ice cream, pull up Youtube (or your favorite comedy website) and click on the links that’ll make you laugh and lift your mood.  Even a small lift in your mood can restore your self-control.

Whether it’s Hershey’s, Skittles or Reese’s, candy is often the bane of health-conscious parents who want to instill healthy eating habits in their children.  However, new study suggests that kids who eat candy actually weigh less and are less likely to be overweight than those who don’t.

Louisiana State researchers tracked the eating habits of more than 11,000 children aged two to 17 between the years of 1999 and 2004.  They found that children and teens who ate candy were 22 percent less likely to be overweight and 28 percent less likely to be obese.

Despite the findings, lead researcher Carol O’Neil warned that parents and children should still follow proper food guidelines and eat candy sparingly.

“The results of this study should not be construed as a hall-pass to overindulge,” O’Neil said. “Candy should not replace nutrient-dense foods in the diet; it is a special treat and should be enjoyed in moderation.”

O’Neil speculated that the children who ate candy were able to balance “calories in, calories out” over time, meaning they ate other foods that were lower in calories.

Another potential explanation was that the children who ate more candy and weighed less were more active than the children who did not eat candy and weighed more.

Overall, however, she said the whole group had very poor eating habits – a likely contributor to the U.S. obesity epidemic.  O’Neil recommended that parents not only keep tabs on their children’s candy consumption, but also on their consumption of other high fat foods, such as potato chips, and on the amount of time per day they spent being sedentary.

The study was published in the Food & Nutrition Research journal.

They’re both popular fruits ideal for easy snacking, but in terms of getting fit and staying healthy, it’s better to swap out grapes for blueberries, according to nutrition experts.

Blueberries are known for being a fantastic source of antioxidants, which help fight free radicals in your body.  They also help boost concentration and memory.

Furthermore, one cup of blueberries has less calories (79 cals per serving) and carbohydrates (18.9 g per serving) than red grapes but nearly four times the fiber.  This means they keep you full for longer.

Blueberries make a great topping for a number of healthy breakfast foods, like oatmeal or Greek yogurt.  Just stay away from that blueberry muffin!

Sometimes, it’s the little things that add up.

According to new research, simple, daily activities such as walking to the photocopier and fidgeting while sitting a desk can improve cardiorespiratory fitness.

Of course, as with all exercise, duration and intensity of the physical activities are related to their effectiveness, with intensity being particularly important.

Just a 30-minute increase in moderate physical activity can offer significant benefits for fitness and long term health, the researchers said.

“It’s encouraging to know that if we just increase our incidental activity slightly, we can really benefit our health in the long-term,” said Ashlee McGuire, lead researcher and a graduate student in the Canadian School of Kinesiology and Health Studies.

“Best of all,” she added, “these activities don’t take up a lot of time, they’re not difficult to do, and you don’t have to go to a gym.”

Other incidental activities, besides fidgeting, include doing housework, climbing stairs, or walking around the office.

However, the researchers said, it is still important to keep up healthy diet and exercise habits in order to combat obesity and improve general health.

The study was published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.