MONDAY, May 26 (HealthDay News) -- Memorial Day marks the start of the summer holiday season, so it's a good time to remind you not to take a vacation from your diet, cautions Elizabeth Schaub, a dietitian at Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano, Texas.

Dining out is common when people are on holidays, so it's important to make healthy eating choices.

Schaub offers the following tips:

• Order your meal from the appetizer menu, which offers healthier portion sizes.
• Limit the amount of bread and chips you eat before a meal.
• Examine the menu before you go out and decide ahead of time what you want. You're more likely to make healthier choices if you make a decision before you're hungry.
• Select baked, broiled or grilled foods instead of fried or breaded.
• Monitor your portions to keep track of how much you're eating. One ounce is about the size of four dice and three ounces of meat is about the size of a deck of cards.
• Have your dressings, toppings and sauces served on the side. On your salad, choose vinaigrette-based salad dressing instead of creamy dressings.
• Drink regular or low-calorie water, iced tea or black coffee rather than soft drinks, which are high in calories.
• Instead of the high-carbohydrate continental breakfast, have nuts, fruits and yogurt.
• Don't plan on losing weight while on vacation. Maintaining your weight is a more realistic goal.
• If you have a treat, try to share it with other people. What you eat is often less of a problem than how much you eat.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about nutrition  .

FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- A new study says you might be able to blame your sweet tooth on your genes.

Having a specific variation in the GLUT2 gene -- which controls the entry of sugar into the cells -- may explain why some people crave sugary foods far more than others, according to the online edition of Physiological Genomics.

Researchers analyzing blood samples and food and beverage preferences of two distinct groups -- older adults who were either overweight or obese and generally healthy young adults who were mostly lean -- found that those with the GLUT2 variation in either group consumed more sugars than those without the variation.

"These findings may help explain some of the individual variations in people's preference for sugary foods. It's especially important given the soaring rates of obesity and diabetes throughout much of the world," study senior researcher Ahmed El-Sohemy, of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, said in a prepared statement. "We have found that a variation in the GLUT2 gene is associated with a higher intake of sugars among different populations."

More information

The American Diabetes Association has more about sugar and sugar substitutes  .

TUESDAY, April 29 (HealthDay News) -- Increased levels of exercise can reduce but not eliminate the risk of heart disease in overweight and obese women, a U.S. study finds.

The researchers analyzed data from 38,987 women who took part in the recently completed Women's Health Study. At the start of the study in 1992, information was gathered about the women's height and weight, the average amount of time per week they were physically active, other health habits, and medical history. The women were then followed for an average of 10.9 years.

At the start of the study, 34 percent of the women were considered physically active, 31 percent were overweight, and 18 percent were obese.

During the follow-up, 948 of the women developed coronary artery disease. Both body-mass index (BMI) and physical activity levels were individually associated with the risk of heart disease. The risk was lowest for normal weight women who were active, slightly higher for inactive normal-weight women, higher still for active women who were overweight or obese, and highest for inactive overweight or obese women.

Dr. Amy R. Weinstein, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues noted that fat cells (adipocytes) release chemicals that may harm the heart by accelerating the hardening of the arteries and increasing inflammation, clotting and dysfunction of the blood vessels.

"We postulate that the beneficial effect of physical activity may directly reduce and combat the ill effect of the prothrombotic factors released by adipocytes," the researchers wrote.

But they noted that exercise didn't eliminate the effects of being overweight.

"Even high quantities of physical activity are unlikely to fully reverse the risk of coronary heart disease in overweight and obese women without concurrent weight loss," the study authors concluded. "Regardless of body weight, these data highlight the importance of counseling all women to participate in increasing amounts of regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight to reduce the risks of coronary heart disease."

The study was published in the April 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

More information

The U.S. National Women's Health Information Center has more about heart disease.

FRIDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- A specific type of yoga may help improve stability and balance in women over age 65, possibly helping them to avoid falls, a preliminary study reports.

After nine weeks of participating in an Iyengar yoga program designed for senior citizens, 24 elderly females had a faster stride, an increased flexibility in the lower extremities, an improved single-leg stance and increased confidence in walking and balance, according to the findings of researchers at Temple University's Gait Study Center.

The researchers, scheduled to present their findings Friday at the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society's annual meeting in Richmond, Va., suggested that improving balance and stability through yoga could help reduce the risk of falling.

"We were very impressed at the progress our participants made by the end of the program," principal investigator Dr. Jinsup Song, director of the Gait Study Center, said in a prepared statement. "Subjects demonstrated improved muscle strength in lower extremities, which helps with stability. There was also a pronounced difference in how pressure was distributed on the bottom of the foot, which helps to maintain balance."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that falls are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma among people aged 65 and older. Almost a third of older adults suffer some type of fall each year, the CDC reported.

The program was crafted specifically for elderly people who have had little or no yoga experience. The Iyengar technique, which is known for the use of props such as belts and blocks, was chosen to help participants gradually master the poses while building their confidence.

"In the past, similar studies have been done that look at gait and balance improvement in elderly females using a more aggressive form of yoga," Song said. "For this study, we worked to create a very basic regimen that taught participants proper ways to breathe, stand and pose."

Researchers also found that some participants who had unrelated back and knee pain were pain-free by the end of the study.

Song said he hoped the work will pave the way for a larger study on how Iyengar yoga affects the function of the foot to improve balance and stability and prevent falls.

More information

The National Institute on Aging has more about how to prevent falls and fractures  .