For the first time, a direct link between a gene and fat production has been discovered. The results of recent research could reduce obesity altogether. The research was published in Nature Communications and brings an end to a four-year study and provides the perfect catalyst for further research.
Did you know it is now estimated more than two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese? Well, new genetic-based findings could help develop drug therapies that diminish the obesity percentage. While scientists already know that there are many reasons why two people with the same diets and exercise regimens can gain different amounts of weight and why fat becomes stored in different parts of their bodies there had been no significant evidence of genes playing a role in this. Recently, an international collaboration of scientists helped researchers hone in on genetic reasons for the crippling epidemic of obesity.
Recently published, the National Institutes of Health, led by the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, organized a working group of experts to discuss the problem of weight regain after weight loss.
Experts included integrative physiologists and behavioral psychologists, all with the goal of merging their perspectives regarding the barriers to scientific progress and the development of novel ways to improve long-term outcomes in obesity therapeutics. The ultimate goals of this panel were to:
A recent study has shown that being overweight or obese beginning in early adulthood is associated with increased aortic stiffness and decreased performance in a memory test around age 60. Similar to the impact of cigarette “pack-years” on health, the number of “obesity-years” has an impact on later memory as well.
Researchers investigated this in a 30-year follow up of participants in the United Kingdom Medical Research Council’s National Survey of Health and Development birth cohort study. They analyzed data from 1233 participants in the cohort study. Participants had complete data for BMI, aortic pulse-wave velocity, aortic calcification score and carotid IMT, which was determined at age 36,43,53 and 60 to 64. Participants were divided into seven groups based on their BMIs. Obesity and asthma are major public health concerns in the United States. The links between asthma and obesity are widely studied and well known; however, the effects of weight loss on asthma severity are not as evident. The following study aimed to examine whether weight reduction reduces asthma severity in adult obese-asthmatics especially by measuring airway hyper-responsiveness.
The main question: Do lifestyle interventions (weight loss and physical function) have a beneficial impact on older, sicker cancer survivors?
Researchers understand that cancer is most often a disease of aging, and frequently, a disease for which obesity is actually a high risk factor. As a result, many cancer survivors are older, overweight or obese, with higher risk of illness and comorbidities. The following study examined how overweight long-term survivors’ symptom severity prior to a diet and exercise intervention is associated with post-intervention function. The study also looked to determine symptoms’ effects on function through change in physical activity, diet quality and weight status. The study included 514 breast, prostate and colorectal cancer survivors. They participated in the one-year home-based diet and exercise intervention program. Researchers looked at both pre-intervention and post-intervention data including: pre-intervention symptoms, changes in weight, physical activity, diet quality and post-intervention overall physical health. Finally, researched looked at advanced lower extremity function. The results showed that weight loss and increased physical activity were significantly associated with higher physical function and advanced lower extremity function. Ultimately, symptom severity of older, overweight cancer survivors negatively affects physical function. However, greater weight loss and increased physical activity lead to higher physical function scores. The study highlights the importance of weight loss as a factor in maintaining function in older cancer survivors. Original article: AACR From Annals of Internal Medicine, American College of Physicians What is the problem?
Obesity is an important and prominent risk factor for diabetes, which is a disease that increases the risk for cardiovascular disease. While researchers know that exercise is important to help reduce waist circumference and improve cardiovascular health, the effects of high-intensity exercise are still not solidified. The researchers conducted this particular study in order to determine whether it makes a significant difference if an exercise regimen involving the same total amount of exercise is completed at a lower or higher intensity. How was the study completed? The researchers gather 300 adults with abdominal obesity, who did not currently have diabetes. They were then randomly assigned to complete five exercise sessions each week that involved either a lower or higher total amount of low- or high-intensity exercise. A trainer supervised each session in order to monitor the amount and intensity of exercise. Throughout the study, researchers measured: waist size, weight, cardiovascular fitness and the body’s response to blood sugar. What did the researchers find? Compared to the control group, which was asked not to engage in any structured exercise, each exercise group reduced wait circumference and greater reduction in body weight. According to the study, performing the same amount of exercise at a higher intensity did not result in a significantly greater reduction in waist size or more weight loss. However, the participants in the high-intensity exercise group did have a greater increase in cardiovascular fitness and there was an improvement in how well the body controls blood sugar. The research conducted suggests that waist size may be reduced by both low and high intensity exercise as long as the same amount of exercise is performed (i.e. walking the same distance in either 60 or 40 minutes). While this research is enlightening, it is still unknown what the long-term health benefits are of the improved blood sugar control seen in people without diabetes. There is no magic pill or silver bullet when it comes to weight loss – no matter what advertisers and infomercials might say. However, a new Consumer Reports survey has found that many Americans are misinformed and inevitably persuaded to purchase ineffective and potentially dangerous supplements. The report shows that based on 3,000 participants, 20 percent of respondents believed that the U.S Food and Drug Administration guarantees the safety and effectiveness of these weight-loss supplements.
These days, when we hear the word “diet” we cringe. We all hate the idea of denying ourselves the satisfaction of a bagel with cream cheese on a Monday morning or those slices of turkey bacon on a Sunday morning. However, a recent study reveals that all sensible diets do actually show results and that people should pursue the one that is easiest for them.
The study by Dr. Bradley Johnston pooled nearly 7,300 individuals, specifically overweight to obese adults. During the trials, Dr. Johnston randomized the adults and gave them each a specific diet to follow for a three-month period or longer. The analysis showed that both low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets revealed weight loss. Multiple studies have been conducted and are on going regarding the value and limitations of these specific diets. This research has shown that for a diet to succeed it must match the individual’s goals and personal challenges. But above all else, consistency is key. The good news is, there isn’t one specific miracle diet. However, your diet does depend entirely upon you and the effort you put in to guaranteeing a healthier and happier life style. To read more about this study, visit Boston.Com.
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MMSMedical Metabolic Specialists, located in Fort Collins, Colorado, is dedicated to using the latest scientific techniques to create a comprehensive, individualized. lifelong weight management program to improve your overall health. Archives
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