High-Fat, Low-Fat, High Carb, Low Carb; What’s the Best for Weight Loss?

You want to lose weight, right? So, you painstakingly watch every calorie you consume, and you shop for and plan your meals down to the last detail. But how can you be sure that what you’re eating is good for you waistline? What if your diet is actually making things worse? Well, new research may help to shed some light on the weight loss dilemma.

Researchers have found that two diets may offer the best results for healthy, long-lasting weight management. The study’s results, which were published in Archives of Internal Medicine, spotlight the benefits of both high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets (like the Atkins program) AND low-fat, high-carb diets.

A Bounty of Weight Management Benefits

The researchers found that that subjects following these two plans – all of whom consumed about the same amount of calories — experienced significant weight loss over the course of one year. According to the study’s author, Grant D. Brinkworth, both plans may offer valuable benefits.

“Both an energy-reduced, very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet and a conventional high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet are equally effective for achieving weight loss in overweight and obese individuals. In addition, he stated that both plans showed similar effects for cognitive processes, such as working memory and speed of processing. However, the low-fat diet was more effective for long-term improvement in mood.

A Potential Cause for Celebration

Nevertheless, healthcare professionals are very excited about the study’s findings. “This study looked at one factor, and prior studies haven’t focused on psychological factors,” said Dr. Ewald Horvath, interim chairman of psychiatry at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “This is a great study focusing on something very important.” The majority of health care organizations, such as the American Heart Association, typically advocate higher-carb, low-fat diets, rather than the high-fat alternatives that the overweight and obese prefer.

The study focused on 106 overweight and obese adults, with an average age of 50. These subjects were randomly assigned to the low-calorie, low-carb, high-fat plan or the high-carb, low-fat diet, for a full year. For both diets, the daily calories were restricted to about 1,433 to 1,672.

At the end of the year, it was shown that the subjects lost an average of 30.2 pounds, in both groups. As for mood, both groups showed improvements after eight weeks, but only those in the low-fat group maintained these benefits.
While the reason for this not known, it may be due to the neurotransmitter serotonin, which plays a role in mood. It’s been found that higher amounts of carbs may increase serotonin concentrations in the brain. Meanwhile, higher amounts of fat and protein may reduce concentrations.

The researchers believe that a negative mood may promote overeating. Therefore, they recommend consuming a very low-carbohydrate diet, for longer than one year, as this may help to maintain good dietary habits and weight loss maintenance.

SOURCE: http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20091110/hl_hsn/tofeelbetterlowfatdietmaybebest

As the holiday season approaches, losing those extra pounds — or even just maintaining your weight — becomes even more difficult. After all, you have to deal with office get-togethers, family reunions, late nights out on the town, etc. And as the calories multiply, and the amount of exercise goes down, the pounds can really add up. Now, a new study suggests that these poor dietary habits may actually change your body’s chemistry, making it more susceptible to weight gain!

According to a study published in Science Translational Medicine, the high levels of sugar and carbohydrates associated with the “Western diet” has been shown to target the bacteria in the stomachs of mice. When exposed to these bacteria, the mice became obese. Researchers believe that these results may hold true for humans, as well.

Targeting On the Bacterial Level

As a result, they are now focusing their weight management efforts on the microorganisms – and there are billions – that call the gut home. The researchers at St. Louis’ Washington University School of Medicine hope to gain a better understanding, and perhaps an eventual treatment, for obesity.

“Although how much you eat and how much you exercise are dominant drivers of your energy balance, it’s possible that microbial communities and how they work also comprise a factor that determines your risk for obesity or risk for malnutrition,” said Dr. Jeffrey I. Gordon, the study’s senior author director. “There are 10 times more microbial cells associated with adult human bodies than there are human cells, so we are 90 percent microbial and 10 percent human.”

Not All Bacteria Are Bad!

To be fair, these bacteria are vital for some pretty important functions. Specifically, they’re essential for digestion, and they aid in the absorption of those foods that would otherwise be indigestible. Unfortunately, the digestive system is pretty complicated and inaccessible to study, as there are many factors affecting both digestion AND obesity.

In the study, the researchers transplanted microbes from human feces into mice without gut microorganisms of their own. Then, they switched the mice from a low-fat diet to one high in fat and junk food. The results showed that in as little as 24 hours, the animals’ stomach bacteria actually changed. These mice were greeted by new bacteria species, while the overall numbers jumped. Plus, these mice all became obese. Researchers believe that these obesity-causing bacteria can actually be passed from mothers to their newborn children, as well.

These findings will probably have a huge effect on weight management products and practices. Scientists feel that the microbes and bacteria themselves could be modified within patients’ stomachs and actually reduce or eliminate excess weight.

SOURCE: http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20091112/hl_hsn/gutbacteriamightbemakingpeoplefat

Does it seem like the lines at the pharmacy are getting longer? Well, it’s not your imagination! In a new nationwide study, it was revealed that more than half of all insured Americans are taking prescription medicines regularly for chronic health problems.

According to the findings, the percentage of those taking prescription drugs with health insurance is steadily creeping up, from 47% in 2001 to 2007’s 51%. And as yet another sign of the nation’s growing issue with obesity and its related conditions, the leading drugs prescribed were those for high blood pressure and cholesterol. “It’s a sobering statistic and one I think should make us all take account of just what we’re doing,” said Dr. Tom Rosenthal, professor and chairman of the University at Buffalo’s Department of Family Medicine.

The study was conducted by Medco Health Solutions, the company responsible for managing prescription benefits for about one in five Americans. They analyzed a small part of over 2.5 million customers’ prescription records from 2001-2007, which included age groups ranging from newborns to the elderly.

Understanding the Research Findings

The study’s findings are both good and bad. On the one hand, patients are receiving more aggressive and better
treatment and diagnoses by doctors, as well as improved medications. On the other hand, many Americans have been shown to have unhealthy lifestyles. “I don’t think there’s any one answer. [Americans] have huge lifestyles issues with fast food and dietary concerns and lack of physical exercise. A large part of it is that,” states Dr. Irene S. Snow, an internal medicine practitioner with the Buffalo Medical Group.

Many physicians and medical experts believe that the last 20 years have seen a new wave of development of prescription drugs, which have helped people lead a better quality of life and live longer. The increase in medication use may also be due to the more accurate diagnoses patients receive. And, more patients are being diagnosed with chronic diseases, especially high blood pressure and cholesterol. These conditions are being more aggressively treated now than in years past. Physicians now have a better understanding of the long-term effects of some of these diseases, as well.

Unfortunately, it’s not too surprising to learn that Americans are now less physically active than in the past. In addition to adult obesity, both childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes, previously considered to be an adults-only condition, are being diagnosed in more and more young people.

But there is good news! Medical professionals estimate that up to 70% of chronic diseases could be avoided if America’s population changes their behaviors regarding diet, nutrition, exercise, and stress management. And even if someone does develop a chronic condition, it’s been shown that making significant behavioral changes may reduce – or even eliminate – the need for medications.

“The caveat is that exercise is the most underwritten prescription today,” says Dr. Snow. “If you can engage in behavior modification and lifestyle modification, it may not completely eradicate [a chronic condition], but the patient may need to use less medication, and maybe a patient can get off those meds completely.” “It’s never too late,” adds Thomas Haney, wellness administrator at Independent Health. “The human body is an amazingly adaptable organism. It’s outstanding in the way it can alter biochemistry.”

If you suffer from asthma, you know that there are many “triggers” that can set off your symptoms. For instance, you know to stay away from animal hair, pollen, dust mites, mold, and chemicals, all of which can affect how you feel on a given day. But did you know that how you deal with your asthma can be directly affected by your weight?

It’s true! A new study published in the journal CHEST suggests that for male and female asthmatics, being obese may cause poorer asthma control than if you’re of normal weight. The study’s findings indicate that these obese asthmatics may carry a specific trait causing the poorer control. They may experience different asthmatic properties than non-obese people, as well.

In the study, Canadian researchers compared 44 obese subjects with asthma and 44 non-obese subjects with asthma. The subjects were examined for various medical categories, including:

• pulmonary function changes
• methacholine challenge scores – “methacholine” is a chemical compound shown to diagnose bronchial “hyperresponsiveness,” the contracting of the lungs’ small airways
• sputum induction cell counts – “sputum” is fluid released orally
• symptom perceptions
• BMI/waist circumference
• waist-to-hip ratio

The study’s findings found that the obese subjects displayed poorer asthma control than the non-obese. In addition, the obese subjects had lower measures of total lung capacity, expiratory reserve volume, functional residual capacity, and residual volume.

There was an interesting article that recently appeared in The New York Times Magazine about the advent of bariatric surgery, which was likened to what economists call a “commitment device-a means with which to lock yourself into a course of action that you might not otherwise choose but that produces a desired result.” [Read more →]

An interesting article in the New York Times appeared in January regarding a recent scientific study, which shows that people who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes within the past 2 years now have a way to rid themselves of the disease, possibly for good: weight-loss surgery. [Read more →]

Here’s a “weighty” fact; the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 70% of all dieters regain the weight they’ve lost. Faced with such statistics, how can you be sure you’re ever really eating the “right” foods? And if you’ve undergone bariatric weight loss surgery, these choices can dramatically affect your overall health.

However, a recent article in Newsweek magazine may make it a little easier to dine as nutritiously and deliciously as possible. The article suggests that dieters with weight that “yo-yos” may not be eating enough of the following food groups:

1. Protein — the multi-part “Diogenes” (a blend of the words “diet,” “obesity” and “genes”) study focused on the benefits of consuming protein. In the study, 205 people who’d lost weight on a fixed diet over two months were divided into five groups. Each group consumed a different kind of diet, in order to see which group was most successful at keeping the weight off. Early results found that those participants who ate more protein were least likely to regain weight. But those who consumed a diet focused on low-glycemic foods (such as that of diabetics) were not as successful.

2. Nuts — while high in calories, studies show that nuts may effectively help to keep weight off. Not only are they very filling, but nuts may actually “push” the body to burn additional fat. As nuts contain mostly unsaturated fat, especially monounsaturated fats, they may increase “good” (HDL) cholesterol. In a study conducted at California’s Loma Linda University, overweight women were given almonds to eat , while otherwise being allowed to eat as they chose. It was shown that these women lost weight over six months. And a University of Navarra (Spain) study, involving more than 8,000 participants, found that over the course of two years, those who rarely or never ate nuts gained slightly more weight than those who consumed them at least twice a week.

3. Fruits and Vegetables — the CDC has determined that women who consume five or more fruit and vegetable servings daily are more likely to maintain weight loss than those who eat fewer servings. But how much is in a serving? Well, one serving is about a half-cup of cut-up fruit, berries, or non-leafy vegetables,. And, it’s also one full cup of leafy veggies or one medium-size whole fruit.

4. Berries — OK, you’re eating the right amount of fruits and vegetables every day. But are you eating enough berries? Japanese researchers have found that anthocyanins — the flavonoids (compounds) that give berries their color — may effectively alter the activity of genes in human fat cell. Another study, in which mice were fed anthocyanins, found that these mice never gained weight, even when fed a high-fat diet!

The notion of “baby-fat” has always been the sign of a healthy, thriving child. But in light of new research, parents may want to be very careful and even monitor their babies’ weights.

Three new studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggest that there may be a link between infant weight gain and the risk of adult obesity. These studies showed that rapid weight gain during the first few months of infancy may accurately predict increased risks for obesity in adolescence or adulthood.

In one study, children from birth to age 5 were observed by researchers from the French health research organization Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale. These children were observed during two critical periods of life; during the first few months of life, and then, after the age of 2. The researchers considered these to be times in which early-life weight gain was thought to influence later obesity risk. And these three studies may only be the tip of the iceberg; in a 2005, a meta-analysis (group) of 24 similar studies was published.

Indeed, experts believe that rapid childhood weight gain after age 2 or 3 is now generally recognized as a definite obesity risk factor. “All parents want to know, ‘How big should my baby be?,’” says Matthew W. Gillman, MD, of Harvard Medical School. “Researchers, clinicians and the public health community need to be able to respond not only to that question, but also to the follow-up challenge of what we can do to ensure that babies are the right size.”

Follow These Guidelines To Minimize Obesity Risks

According to Gillman, there are certain early-life interventions that may reduce the risk of obesity later in life. These include:

• Exclusive Breastfeeding – Two leading medical organizations, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization, both recommend exclusive breastfeeding, for at least the first six months of life. Babies receive the proper amount of nourishment from breastfeeding, thereby making, overeating difficult. As a result, obesity risks are greatly reduced.
• Excluding Early Solid Foods – Research suggests a link between the introduction of solid foods before the age of 4 months and increased obesity risks later in childhood.
• Recognize the Signs of Satiety – Parents must watch for their babies’ signs of satiety (fullness). This is especially important for bottle-fed babies. Regardless, parents should be able to recognize whether their babies are crying due to hunger or for other reasons, as this can minimize overfeeding.

Does it seem like no matter how much you exercise and diet, you just can’t keep that weight from coming back? Well, it may not be your fault!

New research shows that your body may be holding on to a steady number of fat cells every year. A study published in Nature found that the human body continually maintains about 90% of its fat cells, with about 10% being replaced annually. The amount of fat cells is actually set at the end of adolescence. And after that, it will never change.

Basically, this means that no matter how much weight you gain or lose, the only thing changing will be the amount of fat inside the cells, NOT the cells themselves. This may explain why overweight men and women find it difficult to keep that lost weight off for good!

Exploring New Treatments for Obesity

Previously, genetic and lifestyle factors were thought to be the only factors contributing to obesity. But these new findings may help researchers better understand how the body controls the turnover of its fat cells. And that, in turn, may lead to new treatments for obesity. “Your body regulates that number of fat cells fairly constantly throughout adulthood,” said researcher Bruce Buchholz. “There’s some pathway that’s controlling this, which could be a target for therapies for obesity.”

Buchholz and his team isolated the DNA of fat cells taken from obese and lean people who underwent liposuction or abdominal wall reconstruction. This enabled them to identify the age of the subjects’ fat cells. “If you’re obese during childhood, it’s very difficult to get thinner,” Buchholz said. “Once you have the fat cells, your body has the capacity of retaining extra fat.”

Lean and obese adults retain the same yearly proportion of cells. But obese people may replace a higher number of cells. Therefore, the difference in total number of fat cells is thought to be set before adulthood. Researchers found that even drastic weight loss – such as bariatric surgery – had no effect on the total number of fat cells. Additionally, studies show that over 75% of obese children go on to be obese adults, whereas only 10% of children of normal weight become obese adults.

Statistics compiled by the U.S. Center for Disease Control have shown that 31% of San Antonio residents are obese and 65% are overweight, prompting the American Obesity Association to dub the Texas town “the fattest city in the U.S.” To remedy this troubling trend, doctors and health care professionals are attempting to treat obesity by focusing on the diet and exercise habits of San Antonio’s smallest citizens. They feel that instilling proper eating and exercise habits in children as early as 0-3 years old is vital in the fight against obesity. It is believed that enforcing these habits during the important formative years will increase their chances of staying fit and eating healthy as they grow, habits they hope will continue as they become adults. [Read more →]