If you are looking for a size zero figure, then following a vegan diet that includes no animal products could offer better results than other weight-loss plans, says a study.

"Vegetarian diets are more effective than non-vegetarian diets for weight loss," said researcher Ru-Yi Huang of E-Da Hospital in Taiwan.

The study reviewed the results of twelve diet trials, involving 1,151 dieters who followed a specific eating regime for between nine and 74 weeks.

Overall, individuals assigned to the vegetarian diet groups lost significantly more weight (around 2.02 kg) than dieters who ate meat and other animal products.

Vegetarians who followed a vegan diet lost even more weight. Comparatively, they lost around 2.52 kg more than non-vegetarian dieters. Vegetarians who consumed dairy products and eggs lost around 1.48 kg more than those on a non-vegetarian diet.

According to Huang, the abundant intake of whole grains, fruits and vegetables might play a role in the favourable results seen in vegetarian diets.

Whole-grain products and vegetables generally have low glycaemic index values and do not cause blood sugar levels to spike. Fruits are rich in fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals and protective chemicals that naturally occur in plants.

Whole-grain products contain soluble fiber. Such so-called good fiber helps to delay the speed by which food leaves the stomach and ensures good digestion.

The researchers found that people following vegetarian diets that prescribe a lower than normal intake of calories (so-called energy restriction) also shed more kilograms than those without any such limitations being placed on their eating habits.

The findings appeared in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

A new study has linked tree nuts to lower body weight and risk of obesity.

Researchers compared risk factors for heart disease and metabolic syndrome of tree nut consumers versus those who did not consume tree nuts. Tree nut (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts) consumption was associated with lower body mass index, systolic blood pressure, insulin resistance and higher levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (good cholesterol).

In addition, tree nut consumers were 25 percent less likely to be obese and 21 percent less likely to have an elevated waist circumference than those who did not consume tree nuts.

Research has shown that nuts can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome (MetS). The latter is a cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes and includes elevated blood lipids, blood pressure, blood sugar, insulin resistance and abdominal obesity.

Maureen Ternus, Executive Director of the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation (INC NREF), said that just 1.5 ounces of nuts per day (about 1/3 cup) can give you many of the important vitamins, minerals and energy you need throughout the day.

The study is published in Nutrition Journal.

A new study has suggested that tart cherry juice can reduce post-race respiratory tract symptoms after a marathon.

The study found that Montmorency tart cherry juice reduced upper respiratory tract symptoms associated with marathon running in study participants. Post-race sniffles are a common problem among endurance athletes.

The team, led by Glyn Howatson at Northumbria University and Lygeri Dimitriou at Middlesex University, found that marathon runners, who consumed the tart cherry juice had lower markers for inflammation than a placebo group at 24 and 48 hours post-marathon and had no reported incidences of upper respiratory tract symptoms (URTS) up to 48 hours after the race. For the runners who did not drink the tart cherry juice, 50 percent suffered from URTS.

Howatson said that many athletes can suffer from colds and sore throats following strenuous bouts of exercise, like marathon running and triathlons. This is the first study to provide encouraging evidence of the potential role of Montmorency tart cherries in reducing symptoms associated with the development of exercise-induced respiratory problems.

He added that researchers should be looking at all the potential ways they can help athletes recover from strenuous exercise, and protection of the respiratory system is another dimension.

The authors conclude that the results of this pilot study offer an important new opportunity for research, building on the existing body of evidence providing support for the use of Montmorencytart cherry juice in exercise recovery. They suggest future work should examine the prevalence of URTS beyond 48 hours post-marathon.

The study appears in International Society of Sports Nutrition Journal.

New research suggests that drinking at least three cups of coffee a day can help reduce mortality risk, particularly from stroke and heart disease.

"It is important to acknowledge factors which might have a protective effect against cardiovascular disease mortality," researcher Doutor Antonio Vaz Carneiro, said in a news release. "Moderate coffee consumption could play a significant role in reducing cardiovascular disease mortality risk which would impact health outcomes and healthcare spending across Europe."

The research was based on two 2014 meta-analyses suggesting an association between coffee consumption and reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The findings suggested that drinking anywhere between three to four cups of coffee per day is associated with an approximate 25 percent reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes when compared to consuming none or less than two cups a day.

However, it's important to note how the study's results differed basted on varying populations, suggesting that lower or higher amounts of coffee may benefit certain groups over others. (For instance, two cups a day may provide the greatest protection for a Japanese population while three cups a day is better for populations in the United States and the United Kingdom.)

"It is important to acknowledge factors which might have a protective effect against CVD mortality. Moderate coffee consumption could play a significant role in reducing CVD mortality risk which would impact health outcomes and healthcare spending across Europe," added Professor Doutor Antonio Vaz Carneiro of the Faculdade de Medicine da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal.

The exact link between coffee consumption and lessened cardiovascular disease mortality risk is unclear at this time. However, areas of interest regarding new research and the topic include anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties on coffee and the known association between coffee consumption and type 2 diabetes risk reduction as well as CVD mortality rate.

The study results highlight research presented at a Satellite Symposium held during the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation 2015 congress in Lisbon, Portugal, on the subject of "Coffee and CVD Mortality."

New York: Generic drugs used to treat heart diseases also have the potential to bolster the immune systems of patients with Ebola virus and some other life-threatening illnesses, research has found.

Unlike other medications in development for Ebola, which attack the virus, statins and angiotensin receptor blockers typically used for heart disease work on the host response, or a person's biological reaction to the virus, said lead study author David Fedson, retired professor of medicine at the University of Virginia in the US.

The statin/angiotensin receptor blocker combination was found to help improve survival in 100 Ebola patients treated in Sierra Leone, Fedson said.

"This approach to Ebola treatment has two advantages," Fedson said.

First, it uses inexpensive generic drugs that are widely available in any country with a basic healthcare system, and most physicians who treat patients with cardiovascular diseases are familiar with these medications.

Second, because this strategy targets the host response to infection, these drugs might be used to treat patients with any form of acute infectious disease in which a failure to overcome endothelial dysfunction could lead to multi-organ failure and death, Fedson noted.

In a pilot study, patients were given the drugs atorvastatin (40 mg/day) and irbesartan (150 mg/day) at several hospitals in West Africa.

The researchers found rapid clinical improvement in most patients.

Specifically, the drugs stabilise or restore the integrity of endothelial cells lining the blood vessels.

Endothelial cell dysfunction has been a central feature of human Ebola virus disease, leading to severe fluid and mineral losses, Fedson explained.

The findings appeared in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.