Best Weight Loss Questions and Reviews

- THURSDAY, Oct. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Consuming too much fructose -- a sugar found in foods ranging from cookies to candies and soda -- can block the appetite-controlling hormone leptin from doing its job and increase the risk of obesity, a University of Florida study of rats suggests.

Leptin resistance has long been linked to obesity, and a number of studies have shown that overconsumption of fructose may be an important factor in the United States' obesity epidemic. This new study is the first to link fructose and leptin resistance.

The researchers found that rats became leptin-resistant after being fed a high-fructose diet for six months. There were no visible signs that leptin resistance was occurring, but the fructose-fed rats gained considerably more weight than rats that never received fructose when both groups of rats were switched to a high-fat diet.

The study was published in the American Journal of Physiology -- Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.

"Leptin resistance is a condition that leads to obesity in rats when coupled with a high-fat diet. The surprising finding here was that increasing the amount of fructose in the diet without increasing the amount of calories led to leptin resistance and later exacerbated obesity when paired with a high-fat diet," study senior author Philip J. Scarpace, a professor of pharmacology and therapeutics in the College of Medicine, said in a university news release.

"[Fructose] blocks leptin action most likely by blocking leptin entry into the brain," study author Alexandra Shapiro, an assistant scientist in the department of pharmacology and therapeutics, explained in the news release.

"If these findings are applicable to humans, then there could be consequences of eating a diet high in fructose, but only if you also consume an excessive amount of calories," Scarpace said.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about factors that contribute to overweight and obesity.

The word “cult” may conjure up an image of unorthodox or otherwise questionable or extreme religious followings, but the definition of “cults”, according to Webster, also defines them as;

1. A system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator;
2. Great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book).

Both of these definitions certainly relate to the world of diets. Here’s how to recognize a diet cult and how to deprogram from the diet cult mentality:

Recognizing a diet cult

• If you aren’t thriving on this diet, or something isn’t working for you – it’s your fault, according to the creator of the diet or their ardent followers.
• A dualist mentality where there are unambiguous “good” and “evil” components of the diet or lifestyle. (ie. a macronutrient, a substance, a supplement).
• Discouragement of critical thinking and a slant towards group-think mentality.
• Creating a dependency on the diet or the abolishment of personal autonomy or critical thinking.
• Overselling the appeal of vanity
• The creator of the diet and its proponents cry persecution when anyone raises a contrary opinion to it.

I would argue though that the cultism isn’t so much the diet itself, but rather the way it is practiced. For example:

Low carb diets: For the most part can be a sensible, healthy way of eating that can be good for the waistline.
Low carb cults: Apples will make you fat, fiber has no health benefits, tiny amounts of sugar will ruin your metabolism and Atkins was infallible. Oh, and let’s not forget Kimkins.

Vegetarian diets: Can be healthy if practiced carefully and not too high in refined carbs.
Vegetarian cults: Animal rights crusaders who fancy themselves enlightened and kind in their abstinence of meat. The belief that any meat or dairy in the diet will lead to disease.

Raw Food diets: Probably okay for a short time but limiting and potentially deficient in some vitamins and minerals.
Raw Food Cults: Anything cooked is toxic and destroys enzymes and will cause disease and shortened life. An exaggeration of the benefits of raw food lifestyles including the cure of diseases such as cancer.

Weight Watchers: Very good for accountability and can be helpful in teaching people about portion control
Weight Watchers cult: Obsessing about points to the degree that it interferes with the ability to choose healthy foods based on their nutrient densities.

Let’s not forget the hundreds of big and small commercial weight loss centers that claim to have “the answer” to your weight problems. Oh, and the multi-level marketing “super-juices” and other expensive meal-replacements and supplements may also have a place on the “cult list”.

Deprogramming

If you currently are, or have been a chronic dieter or have had negative experiences with dieting in general, you may feel discouraged or even hopeless. Here are some ways to re-wire your brain for sustainable healthy eating:

• This may seem common sense by now but the message bears repeating: There are no quick fixes or universally perfect solutions.
• Know that you and only you make the decisions regarding your health. Learn as much as you can about healthy eating and make decisions from there. You are in control!
• See food as the solution – not the problem to your health and weight.
• Reframe success: Look at markers other than scale weight to determine your goals. Set goals to eat more vegetables, eat out less or walk more.
• Join communities (in person or on-line) that are support-based, encourage critical thinking, individuality, and do not promote extreme measures.

Which diets/programs do you think are cults? How do you keep from falling into the diet trap?

A compelling study has been released that supposedly uncovers the brain pathway responsible for obesity. Once again, inflammation seems to be right in the thick of things. The findings, published in the journal Cell, point to a potentially revolutionary way to fight obesity…or maybe not. Let’s see what all the fuss is about.

• The researchers (led by Dongsheng Cai at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health) looked specifically at the hypothalamus – the metabolic mothership of the brain. They found that a pathway primarily associated with inflammation also influences the regulation of food intake.
• Stimulating this pathway led the mice to eat more, while suppressing it helped them maintain normal food intake and henceforth body weight.
• “Metabolic Inflammation”, a condition whereby low grade inflammatory responses occur at the molecular level, can disrupt many physiological processes, according to Cai and has been associated with many of the chronic diseases that plague modernized societies.
• Feeding mice high sugar, high fat diets appeared to interfere with the pathway that metabolizes fats, sugars and proteins in liver, fat and muscle tissue.
• It would appear that this impact has a ripple effect – impacting the hypothalamus
• Research also keyed in on the impact of the Endoplasmic Reticulum (such as in this study). A stressed ER appears to be caused by overnutrition – pushing the undesirable pathway into an active state, while suppression of this stress preserves normal food regulation.

You guessed it – more studies needed

There is still a lot we don’t know about the complex interaction between our genes and the environment. This pathway discovery, while fascinating, appears to be an effect, not a cause of our overeating. Am I foolish here to assume that if our ER’s aren’t stressed to begin with that this pathway will not be activated and we will hence not inflame our bodies? Well it turns out that mice genetically predisposed to obesity have shown high activity for this pathway.

We still have to map out the complexities of the genetic/environmental continuum, though. One day I’m sure we’ll be able to pinpoint predispositions and tweak pathways here and there to help regulate metabolisms.

The Advice Remains the Same

While the research continues to sort itself out and pharmaceutical companies frenzy to develop the “anti-metabolic inflammation super-pill”, go with scientific and common sense nutritional strategies that control inflammation. Eat plenty of whole foods including an array of colourful produce, lean meats and a variety of other 1-ingredient foods and add exercise to your daily routine and you will be on a path towards better health.

Story Source: Eureka Alerts

Many of us know the health risks associated with being overweight or obese – but we’re not always aware of how dangerous it can be to be underweight. Being too thin is worse for your health than being slightly overweight, and there are a number of complications associated with having a BMI of under 18.5 (the official definition of “underweight”).

For many people being underweight means their bones aren’t as strong as they could be and they have fewer ‘reserves’ if they fall ill. It can also affect a woman’s fertility.
- BBC health

Here are seven health problems which can be caused by being underweight:

1. Weak immune system

If you’re underweight, you’re probably not taking in enough nutrients. This affects your body’s immune system, making it more likely that you’ll catch a cold, flu, or whatever else is going around.

2. Low muscle mass

Particularly when being underweight is caused by illness or deliberate food restriction, people who are thin are likely to have a low muscle mass. In teenagers in particular, who are still growing, being underweight can mean that muscles don’t develop well.

3. Hair loss

Being underweight affects your hair – often meaning that you lose hair from your head. You may also end up growing body hair in odd places (especially if you’re female) if you’re too thin. Your hair, just like your body, needs to be nourished by adequate food intake.

4. Osteoporosis

Also known as “brittle bones”, osteoporosis makes fractures much more likely. This can be an especial danger if you’re underweight because you do a lot of sport and don’t take in enough energy. Women who have passed the menopause are at especial risk of osteoporosis.

5. Anemia

Anemia occurs when the body cannot transport enough oxygen around in red blood cells. It’s often caused by iron deficiencies – not uncommon in women, especially those who are dieting or restricting food intake. Anaemia can make you feel exhausted and can cause heart palpitations and dizziness or fainting.

6. Menstrual irregularities

If you’re female, your periods can become irregular or stop altogether (known as amenorrhea) when you’re underweight. This is because your body thinks you’re starving – if you’re not taking in enough food to stay at a healthy weight, your body definitely doesn’t want to be giving what little energy you have to a baby.

7. Pregnancy complications (or unable to get pregnant)

Even if your periods don’t stop, you’ll have trouble conceiving if you’re underweight. And it can be extremely dangerous for the growing embryo if the mother is too thin: a study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that:

Women who are very underweight before they become pregnant are 72% more likely to miscarry in the first three months of pregnancy.

Are you underweight?

If your BMI is under 18.5 (you can http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ find your BMI here), you’re underweight. Even if your BMI is between 18.5 and 20, you are thin for your height and could suffer from some of the problems above. Your doctor will be able to help if you are experiencing symptoms that you think might be caused by being underweight – please get the advice of a medical professional if you’re at all concerned.

I’ve sort of resigned myself to the fact that I will never even come close to figuring out that deeply complex bundle of circuitry known as the female brain. This was further emphasized to me after reading about this peculiar study, which showed that although images of thin models hawking products made women feel worse about themselves – they were more likely to purchase those products than those products pitched by women of regular girth.

And things get more interesting from there…

Business professor Jeremy Kees and his research team found that, although female subjects felt badly about themselves after looking at ads with skinny models, they also regarded those brands more highly. The subjects who saw ads with regular-sized models didn’t feel bad about themselves, but they also gave the brands a lower value.
Interesting, but then the study swerves into a different direction….cookies.

Upon seeing the ads, subjects were offered Oreo cookies as thank you tokens for participating in the study. Predictably, the group who had just seen the thin models were 4 times less likely to accept them!

Dove Commercials: Empowering, but not Profitable

Dove's campaign for beauty received a lot of attention when it was unveiled a couple of years back. Sales of Dove have leveled off after an initial boost, but Procter & Gamble's Olay, L'Oreal's Age Perfect cream and a new Garnier lineup – which target younger women, made inroads using ads that employed celebrities and models.

Kees sees the Dove campaign as more of a PR benefit for the brand.

I think people see the ads and . . . and think that Dove really cares about young females and their distorted sense of beauty created by the media,” he said.

Kees cautions though that one mustn’t hastily jump to a conclusion that refusing cookies will lead to eating disorders.

Janet Polivy, psychology professor from the University of Toronto has an interesting opinion on the matter;

If a woman looks at photos of models in context and gets information or enjoyment out of doing so, or if she fantasizes about looking like or living like a model, then it appears thin models make her feel good about herself.

She goes on to say;

“If they’re asked to compare themselves, naturally, they feel inferior,” she says. But in general, women don’t buy magazines to compare themselves to the models inside, so advertising usually makes them feel good, not bad…Women aren’t stupid, they don’t go seeking – and paying for – things that will make them feel worse about themselves.”

I don’t profess to have the slightest clue as to the deep model of purchase decision-making and how it intertwines into the even more complicated matrix of body image and self-esteem. For what it’s worth though, I do think those Dove commercials are great and even if it doesn’t impact their bottom line, taking a stance against the conventional and potentially detrimental way beauty products are marketed is a good thing.

Story Source: The Vancouver Province

Vitamin D may be the new fish oil. If you’ve followed the research over the past couple of years, it seems that there is very little vitamin D doesn’t help. Depending on where you live, you may be heading into the not-so-sunny seasons, so now may be a good time to think about getting enough D.

Why Vitamin D is in the News

The continually-emerging research on vitamin D is that it curbs diseases such as; diabetes, multiple sclerosis, congestive heart failure and some cancers (breast, prostate, colon, leukemia, pancreatic) and has even been shown to extend life. Not too shabby. It has also been shown to have immune-boosting potential – warding off diseases such as; lupus and rheumatoid arthritis as well as skin conditions such as psoriasis. It is also vital for bone formation.

Almost every tissue in the body (brain, bone, breast, colon, intestine, heart, kidneys and prostate) has a receptor for the active form of vitamin D. As the theory goes, the active form of vitamin D is one of the most potent hormones in inhibiting cell proliferation. This means that a wayward cancer cell growth may be inhibited by vitamin D.

Sensible sun Exposure

Vitamin D is especially important for those who do not live in southern climates and hence don’t get the sun exposure to manufacture vitamin D. Even a sunscreen with an SPF of 8 reduces the ability of our bodies to make vitamin D by 90%! Michael Holick, director of the vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory recommends sensible exposure. He defines “sensible” as no more than 10-20 minutes of sun exposure on the arms, legs or face 2-3 times per week between the hours of 11 and 2. (We don’t make as much before or after these times).

How Much?

Newer research is now recommending 1000 International Units (IU’s) for older people as well as those with dark skin. Some scientists believe that amounts up to 2000 IU’s are warranted for these people. There are reports that safety up to 10,000 IU’s has been demonstrated. It is important to consider sun exposure, dietary sources and supplementation and strike the right balance. Many researchers think a 1000 IU daily supplement is warranted and safe, even if there is additional exposure and dietary sources.

Food Sources of Vitamin D

Cod Liver oil (1 tablespoon) 1400 IU’s
Salmon (3.5 ounces) 360 IU’s
Tuna, canned (3 ounces) 200 IU’s
Sardines, canned (1.75 ounces) 250 IU’s
Milk, cow’s (1 cup) 100 IU’s

Are you “D”-ficient?

References

• Yee YK, Chintalacharuvu SR, Lu J, Nagpal S. (2005). “Vitamin D receptor modulators for inflammation and cancer”. Mini Rev Med Chem
• van Etten E, Mathieu C. (2005). “Immunoregulation by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3: basic concepts”. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 97 (1-2): 93-101
• Holick MF (2004). “Sunlight and vitamin D for bone health and prevention of autoimmune diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular disease”. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Full Text 80 (6): 1678S-88S.
• Holick MF (2005). “The vitamin D epidemic and its health consequences Full Text”. J Nutr 135 (11): 2739S-48S
• Grant WB (2002). “An estimate of premature cancer mortality in the U.S. due to inadequate doses of solar ultraviolet-B radiation”. Cancer 94 (6): 1867-75.

As promised earlier in the year, the new exercise guidelines were released with a “more is better” theme. (read: Get your butts off the couch and do something…ANYTHING). The target number? 2 ½ hours per week, which works out to (whips out scientific calculator)… 30 minutes per day. Which is exactly the same as it has been for years, although there seems to be less emphasis on how and when you get your 2½ hours. Here are some other highlights of the recommendations with my $.02.

The idea is that moderate activity adds up for those who aren’t used to moving at all. Says Home Health Services Secretary Michael Leavitt; “The easy message is get active, whatever your way is. Get active your way”.

Advocates are trying to spread the word that your activity level may be the most important indicator of your health.

Quick stat: ¼ of U.S. adults are not active at all in their leisure time and more than half do not get enough of the physical activity necessary to boost health.

Here is a synopsis of some of the details of the guidelines:

• You can do bits at a time (as little as 10 minutes) or do just about all of it in one day.
• You should be able to talk but not sing while active and for more vigorous activity you should only be able to say a few words at a time
• Children should exercise daily for an hour – most of which should be moderate to intense.
• Adults should aim to strength train twice per week while children and teens should aim for 3 times per week. Children should engage in strength activities such as; tug-of-war, sit-ups and bone-strengthening exercises such as skipping and adults should train with weights or do push-ups or heavy gardening (not sure what constitutes heavy gardening… uprooting a redwood perhaps?).
• Older adults should follow guidelines also if they are able to and emphasize balance training.

Are the Guidelines Sound?

Combining simplicity with adequate specificity and rolling it into scientifically-sound advice is never easy. In this case I think the recommendations are as basic as you can possibly get and for the deconditioned, pretty apt. The hope is that people will perform the minimum and progress from there. The big question remains however…

…Will people listen?

How are they planning on marketing this idea? What sort of campaigns will they come up with to inspire people towards change? I believe this will require a broad-based (and quite costly) media campaign to raise awareness. Activities and sport need to be accessible to all socio-economic groups as do health-promotion programs that advocate a comprehensive approach which includes good nutrition.

Do you think these guidelines are enough? Will people buy in?