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…
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Central Obesity: Weight and Brain, Central Obesity: Weight and Stress
Central Obesity & Dementia; Diet, Vitamin D, Calcium, & Colon Cancer
October 29, 2008
Robert A. Wascher, MD, FACS
Central Obesity & Dementia; Diet, Vitamin D, Calcium, & Colon Cancer
2008-10-05 at 5:09 pm ·
The information in this column is intended for informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice or recommendations by the author. Please consult with your physician before making any lifestyle or medication changes, or if you have any other concerns regarding your health.
CENTRAL OBESITY & DEMENTIA
We are, quite plainly, the heaviest society in the recorded history of mankind. More than 60% of adult Americans are overweight, and one-fourth of the U.S. population is frankly obese.
There is ample clinical evidence showing that obesity is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and premature death. Some cancers also appear to be more common among obese patents, including cancers of the breast, pancreas, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, uterus and kidney.
Although generalized obesity is a risk factor for all of the life-threatening diseases that I have described, the accumulation of excess body fat within and around the abdomen (central obesity) appears to be linked with an especially high risk of obesity-associated illnesses. Now, a new research study, just published in the journal Neurology, suggests that dementia may also be more common among patients with central obesity. ” More on this…
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Central Obesity: Risks of
Food Restriction Increases Dopamine Receptor Levels in Obese Rats
October 17, 2008
Food Restriction Increases Dopamine Receptor Levels in Obese Rats:
“Food Restriction Increases Dopamine Receptor Levels in Obese Rats Evidence for interplay of brain’s ‘reward’ chemical with availability of food in obesity October 25, 2007 Photo of Thanos Peter Thanos
UPTON, NY – A brain-imaging study of genetically obese rats conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory provides more evidence that dopamine – a brain chemical associated with reward, pleasure, movement, and motivation – plays a role in obesity. The scientists found that genetically obese rats had lower levels of dopamine D2 receptors than lean rats. They also demonstrated that restricting food intake can increase the number of D2 receptors, partially attenuating a normal decline associated with aging.
‘This research corroborates brain-imaging studies conducted at Brookhaven that found decreased levels of dopamine D2 receptors in obese people compared with normal-weight people,’ said Brookhaven neuroscientist Panayotis (Peter) Thanos, lead author of the current study, which will be published online in the journal Synapse on Thursday, October 25, 2007.
It’s not clear whether reduced receptor levels are a cause or consequence of obesity: Overeating may chronically reduce receptor levels, which, over the long term, could eventually contribute to obesity. But having genetically low receptor levels may also lead to obesity by predisposing the individual to overeating in an attempt to stimulate a ‘blunted’ reward system. Either way, revving up receptor levels by restricting food intake could enhance the impact of this common strategy for combating obesity.
‘Consuming fewer calories is obviously important for people trying to lose weight, plus improving the brain’s ability to respond to rewards other than food may help prevent overeating,‘ Thanos said. Because food intake can have such a dramatic effect on dopamine receptor levels, ‘this study also provides further evidence for the interplay of genetic factors with the environment in the development of obesity in our society,’ he said.
The finding that food restriction can attenuate the effects of aging on the brain’s ability to respond to dopamine may also help explain why food restriction slows down other changes associated with aging, such as declines in locomotor activity and sensitivity to reward. “
(Via Food Restriction Increases Dopamine Receptor Levels in Obese Rats.)
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Obesity Research, Weight Gain, Weight Management Research
Obesity, Abnormal ‘Reward Circuitry’ In Brain Linked: Gene Tied To Dopamine Signaling Also Implicated In Overeating
October 17, 2008
“Obesity, Abnormal ‘Reward Circuitry’ In Brain Linked: Gene Tied To Dopamine Signaling Also Implicated In Overeating ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2008) — Using brain imaging and chocolate milkshakes, scientists have found that women with weakened ‘reward circuitry’ in their brains are at increased risk of weight gain over time and potential obesity. The risk increases even more for women who also have a gene associated with compromised dopamine signaling in the brain.”
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Weight Gain, Weight Management Research, Obesity Research
All US adults could be overweight in 40 years says study | HEALTH | NEWS | tvnz.co.nz
August 8, 2008
Doctor’s Comment: Maybe this isn’t literally true, but we are well on our way. All US adults could be overweight in 40 years says study | HEALTH | NEWS | tvnz.co.nz: “All US adults to be obese by 2040Aug 7, 2008 12:15 PMIf the trends of the past three decades continue, it’s possible that every American adult could be overweight 40 years from now, a government-funded study projects.The figure might sound alarming, or impossible, but researchers say that even if the actual rate never reaches the 100% mark, any upward movement is worrying; two-thirds of the population is already overweight.’Genetically and physiologically, it should be impossible’ for all US adults to become overweight, said Dr Lan Liang of the federal government’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, one of the researchers on the study. “However, she said, the data suggest that if the trends of the past 30 years persist, that is the direction we’re going. (Via All US adults could be overweight in 40 years says study | HEALTH | NEWS | tvnz.co.nz.)
A whey-protein supplement increases fat loss and spares lean muscle in obese subjects: a randomized human clinical study
April 15, 2008
Diabetes Study Partially Halted Due to Cardiac Risk
February 8, 2008
Diabetes Study Partially Halted Due to Cardiac Risk: “A new study on Type 2 diabetes was partially halted after research showed lowering blood sugar levels for some high-risk patients increased their chances of dying from a heart attack. The head of the American Diabetes Association details the surprising findings.”
(Via Diabetes Study Partially Halted Due to Cardiac Risk.)
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