Obesity: How Intestinal Bacteria May Cause Weight Gain
March 5, 2010
Obesity: How Intestinal Bacteria May Cause Weight Gain - Yahoo! News
Obesity: How Intestinal Bacteria May Cause Weight Gain
If you’re fighting the battle of the bulge, most of your attention - and frustration - is probably aimed at your midsection. It makes sense, since that’s where the extra pounds tend to gravitate, especially with the creep of middle age, piling on to form that dreaded spare tire.
But a growing body of research suggests there’s another, less visible reason to focus on your gut if you want to lose weight. Scientists led by Andrew Gewirtz at Emory University reveal that your intestines harbor a universe of bacteria - the so-called gut microbiota - that may play an important role in whether your body will store the food you eat as extra pounds.
Impact of Abdominal Obesity on Incidence of Adverse Metabolic Effects Associated With Antihypertensive Medications — Cooper-DeHoff et al. 55 (1): 61 — Hypertension
January 7, 2010
Impact of Abdominal Obesity on Incidence of Adverse Metabolic Effects Associated With Antihypertensive Medications — Cooper-DeHoff et al. 55 (1): 61 — Hypertension
Impact of Abdominal Obesity on Incidence of Adverse Metabolic Effects Associated With Antihypertensive Medications
Rhonda M. Cooper-DeHoff; Sheron Wen; Amber L. Beitelshees; Issam Zineh; John G. Gums; Stephen T. Turner; Yan Gong; Karen Hall; Vishal Parekh; Arlene B. Chapman; Eric Boerwinkle; Julie A. Johnson
From the Colleges of Pharmacy (R.M.C.-D., S.W., J.G.G., Y.G., J.A.J.) and Medicine (R.M.C.-D., J.G.G., K.H., J.A.J.) and Center for Pharmacogenomics (R.M.C.-D., S.W., J.G.G., Y.G., J.A.J.), University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla; School of Medicine (A.L.B.), University of Maryland, Baltimore, Md; US Food and Drug Administration (I.Z.), Silver Spring, Md; Mayo Clinic College of Medicine (S.T.T.), Rochester, Minn; Morehouse School of Medicine (V.P.), Atlanta, Ga; School of Medicine (A.B.C.), Emory University, Atlanta, Ga; Human Genetics Center and Institute of Molecular Medicine (E.B.), University of Texas at Houston, Houston, Tex.
Correspondence to Rhonda M. Cooper-DeHoff, Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, 1600 SW Archer Rd, Box 100486, Gainesville, FL 32610-0486. E-mail dehoff@cop.ufl.edu
We assessed adverse metabolic effects of atenolol and hydrochlorothiazide among hypertensive patients with and without abdominal obesity using data from a randomized, open-label study of hypertensive patients without evidence of cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus. Intervention included randomization to 25 mg of hydrochlorothiazide or 100 mg of atenolol monotherapy followed by their combination. Fasting glucose, insulin, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and uric acid levels were measured at baseline and after monotherapy and combination therapy. Outcomes included new occurrence of and predictors for new cases of glucose ≥100 mg/dL (impaired fasting glucose), triglyceride ≥150 mg/dL, high-density lipoprotein ≤40 mg/dL for men or ≤50 mg/dL for women, or new-onset diabetes mellitus according to the presence or absence of abdominal obesity. Abdominal obesity was present in 167 (58%) of 395 patients. Regardless of strategy, in those with abdominal obesity, 20% had impaired fasting glucose at baseline compared with 40% at the end of study (P<0.0001). Proportion with triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL increased from 33% at baseline to 46% at the end of study (P<0.01). New-onset diabetes mellitus occurred in 13 patients (6%) with and in 4 patients (2%) without abdominal obesity. Baseline levels of glucose, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein predicted adverse outcomes, and predictors for new-onset diabetes mellitus after monotherapy in those with abdominal obesity included hydrochlorothiazide strategy (odds ratio: 46.91 [95% CI: 2.55 to 862.40]), female sex (odds ratio: 31.37 [95% CI: 2.10 to 468.99]), and uric acid (odds ratio: 3.19 [95% CI: 1.35 to 7.52]). Development of adverse metabolic effect, including new-onset diabetes mellitus associated with short-term exposure to hydrochlorothiazide and atenolol was more common in those with abdominal obesity.
Key Words: atenolol • hydrochlorothiazide • abdominal obesity • metabolic syndrome • new-onset diabetes mellitus • hypertension
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Central Obesity: Risks of, Abdominal Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome
Obesity In Mid-Life Linked To Risk Of Frailty
May 30, 2009
Obesity among middle-age people increases the risk of illness and death later in life, according to Finnish researchers.
A team of researchers studied more than 1,000 men from age 25 to mid-70s and found that those who were overweight during their 40s followed by a period of weight loss were more susceptible to illness and death as they got older.
Writing in the European Heart Journal, researchers said that while obesity has been linked to risk of heart disease, other studies have shown that being overweight can actually help in situations of heart failure.
Posted on: Monday, 25 May 2009, 11:23 CDT
Here’s the article…
Microbe Composition In Gut May Hold Key To One Cause Of Obesity
January 20, 2009
Microbe Composition In Gut May Hold Key To One Cause Of Obesity
Microbe Composition In Gut May Hold Key To One Cause Of Obesity ScienceDaily (Jan. 20, 2009) — Biodesign Institute in collaboration with colleagues at the Mayo Clinic, Arizona, and the University of Arizona, reveal a tantalizing link between differing microbial populations in the human gut and body weight among three distinct groups: normal weight individuals, those who have undergone gastric bypass surgery, and patients suffering the condition of morbid obesity—a serious, often life-threatening condition associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and psychosocial disorders. Obesity affects around 4 million Americans and, each year, some 300,000 die from obesity-related illness.
Non-alcoholic Fatty liver disease: the new epidemic and the need for novel nutritional approaches.
January 12, 2009
Non-alcoholic Fatty liver disease: the new epidemic and the need for novel nutritional approaches.
J Med Food, Vol. 10, No. 4. (December 2007), pp. 563-565.
The epidemic of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the United States is staggering, and there is an enormous void in our understanding of the clinical epidemiology other than the common themes of obesity and insulin resistance. There is also a public health need to better define effective treatments of NAFLD, including dietary interventions and appropriate nutritional supplements. There is, however, a wealth of basic science that helps to set the stage for defining the mechanisms leading to liver pathology. In this article we will attempt to put these concepts in perspective to highlight the need for future research including the use of medicinal food.
C Selmi, CL Bowlus, CL Keen, ME Gershwin
Weight-Loss Potions Have Hidden Surprises - Heart to Heart (usnews.com)
December 30, 2008
Weight-Loss Potions Have Hidden Surprises - Heart to Heart (usnews.com)
Weight-Loss Potions Have Hidden Surprises
December 23, 2008 04:44 PM ET | Bernadine Healy M.D. | Permanent Link | Print
The Food and Drug Administration is not the Grinch who stole Christmas for warning just before the holiday that a passel of weight loss drugs—28 to be exact, all currently available over the counter or on the Internet—can be dangerous to people’s health. In fact, the agency may be a health savior for lots of people who have been lulled into taking diet potions that might work but bear surprise ingredients, two of which are particularly concerning.
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Central Obesity Dieting
Body Shape and Heart Disease Risk: Apple Or Pear Shape Is Not Main Culprit To Heart Woes — It’s Liver Fat
December 30, 2008
Body Shape and Heart Disease Risk:
ScienceDaily (Dec. 8, 2008) — For years, pear-shaped people who carry weight in the thighs and backside have been told they are at lower risk for high blood pressure and heart disease than apple-shaped people who carry fat in the abdomen. But new findings from nutrition researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggest body-shape comparisons don’t completely explain risk.
In two studies, they report excess liver fat appears to be the real key to insulin resistance, cholesterol abnormalities and other problems that contribute to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Having too much fat stored in the liver is known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
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Central Obesity: Risks of
Myths vs Reality in the Fight Against Belly Fat
December 1, 2008
Newsweek.com
Six Facts About Belly Fat
Do those flat-abs diets work? We sort through the myths and realities of fighting waistline weight gain.
By Karen Springen | NEWSWEEK
Published Nov 7, 2008
There’s an abs diet, a flat-belly diet and a host of other plans out there for getting rid of a paunch. But is there really a specific exercise formula or particular food that can give you Michael Phelps-like abs without swimming eight hours a day?
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Flat Belly Diets, Central Obesity Dieting
Weight loss associated with a daily intake of thre…[Nutrition. 2003] - PubMed Result
November 2, 2008
Weight loss associated with a daily intake of thre…[Nutrition. 2003] - PubMed Result
: “Weight loss associated with a daily intake of three apples or three pears among overweight women.
Conceição de Oliveira M, Sichieri R, Sanchez Moura A.
Instituto de Medicina Social, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of fruit intake on body weight change. METHODS: Hypercholesterolemic, overweight (body mass index > 25 kg/m2), and non-smoking women, 30 to 50 y of age, were randomized to receive, free of charge, one of three dietary supplements: apples, pears, or oat cookies. Women were instructed to eat one supplement three times a day in a total of six meals a day. Participants (411 women) were recruited at a primary care center of the State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Fifty-one women had fasting blood cholesterol levels greater than 6.2 mM/L (240 mg/dL) and 49 were randomized. Subjects were instructed by a dietitian to eat a diet (55% of energy from carbohydrate, 15% from protein, and 30% from fat) to encourage weight reduction at the rate of 1 kg/mo. RESULTS: After 12 wk of follow-up, the fruit group lost 1.22 kg (95% confidence interval = 0.44-1.85), whereas the oat group had a non-significant weight loss of 0.88 kg (0.37-2.13). The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.004). To explore further the body weight loss associated with fruit intake, we measured the ratio of glucose to insulin. A significantly greater decrease of blood glucose was observed among those who had eaten fruits compared with those who had eaten oat cookies, but the glucose:insulin ratio was not statistically different from baseline to follow-up. Adherence to the diet was high, as indicated by changes in serum triacylglycerols, total cholesterol, and reported fruit intake. Fruit intake in the oat group throughout treatment was minimal. CONCLUSIONS: Intake of fruits may contribute to weight loss.”
Brain Inflammation Pathway Linked to Murine Obesity
October 29, 2008
By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent,
MedPage Today
Published: October 02, 2008
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
MADISON, Wis., Oct. 2 — Blocking an inflammatory pathway in the hypothalamus can prevent obesity, at least in mice, researchers here said.
The pathway involves a mediator of metabolic inflammation — dubbed IKKß/NF-kB — that is normally inactive in the hypothalamus, even though it is enriched in hypothalamic neurons, according to Dongsheng Cai, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin, and colleagues.
A series of animal and in vitro experiments showed that IKKß/NF-kB can be activated by either an acute or chronic oversupply of nutrients, Dr. Cai and colleagues reported in the Oct. 3 issue of Cell.
The ‘discoveries offer potential for treating these serious diseases’ caused by overnutrition, such as type 2 diabetes, the researchers said.” More on this…
Technorati Tags:
Central Obesity: Weight and Brain, Central Obesity: Weight and Stress
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Latest Headlines
- Obesity: How Intestinal Bacteria May Cause Weight Gain
- Impact of Abdominal Obesity on Incidence of Adverse Metabolic Effects Associated With Antihypertensive Medications — Cooper-DeHoff et al. 55 (1): 61 — Hypertension
- Obesity In Mid-Life Linked To Risk Of Frailty
- Microbe Composition In Gut May Hold Key To One Cause Of Obesity
- Non-alcoholic Fatty liver disease: the new epidemic and the need for novel nutritional approaches.
- Weight-Loss Potions Have Hidden Surprises - Heart to Heart (usnews.com)
- Body Shape and Heart Disease Risk: Apple Or Pear Shape Is Not Main Culprit To Heart Woes — It’s Liver Fat
- Myths vs Reality in the Fight Against Belly Fat
- How to Wake Up Your Brain and Metabolism
- Weight loss associated with a daily intake of thre…[Nutrition. 2003] - PubMed Result
