Weightloss Central

Study Suggests Genetics Determine Best Diet Plan

Jane St. Clair — Thu, 11 Mar 2010

The best diet is based on a person's individual genetic makeup, according to a new study from Stanford University.

Researchers took DNA samples from 101 women and divided them into three genotypes.
The first group was low carbohydrate responsive, the second group was low-fat responsive, and the third group was balanced diet responsive.
The women lost two to three times more weight over a year, compared to those on diets that were not suited for their genetic types.

Previous studies have shown that people react differently to nutrients based on their genetics. For example, Asians and Africans tend to be lactose intolerant, and members of some Inuit tribes can eat diets very high in fat without the usual consequences.

Schwarzenegger Encourages Adults to Help Kids Get Fit

Stefanie Hamilton — Wed, 10 Mar 2010

Adults who enjoy staying healthy should help kids do the same. This according to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who made the comments in an address to a Columbus, Ohio audience.

"The body builder and former movie star spoke Sunday to people attending an annual sports festival in Columbus that bears his name," the Associated Press reported. "Schwarzenegger said childhood obesity leads to high health care costs, which are best brought down through 'prevention, prevention, prevention,' as he put it. He added that that's what the Arnold Sports Festival is all about."

Studies have shown that nearly one-third of all children are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity has been linked to several health problems, including early onset of type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

No Homemade Treats in NY Schools' Bake Sales (But Doritos Get the Thumbs-Up)

WLC — Wed, 03 Mar 2010

In an effort to improve student health and assist in the effort to reduce epidemic levels of childhood obesity, New York has banned city schools from selling homemade treats in school-sponsored bake sales. However, the list of products that were approved for sale included some surprises, such as Doritos and Pop Tarts.

Sabrina Jaszi reported on the lastest regulations in a Feb. 23 article on gothamist.com:

Months after it barred schools from holding most food fundraisers, the city says bake sales can go on—as long as no homemade treats with undisclosed calorie counts grace the fold-out tables.

The new regulation, designed to combat ever-increasing childhood obesity, limits bake sales to "fresh fruits and vegetables, or one of 27 specific packaged items" that include low-fat Doritos, Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars (blackberry only) and Linden’s Cookies (butter crunch, chocolate chip or fudge chip cookies in two cookie packs) among other things.

The city has also recently slapped health regulations on school vending machines and is considering a "Meatless Monday" school lunch program.

Obese Toddlers at Risk for Heart Disease

Stefanie Hamilton — Tue, 02 Mar 2010

We know that obesity during the teen and young adult years makes people more prone to heart disease. But now, researchers say that even the very young can develop precursors to heart trouble.

"A study of 16,000 children and teenagers showed the most obese had signs of an inflammatory marker which can predict future heart disease. In all 40 percent of obese three-to-five-year olds had raised levels of C-reactive protein [CRP] compared with 17 percent of healthy weight children, Pediatrics reported." (Source: BBC)

CRP, which is found in the blood, is an indicator of general inflammation in the body. It is used to determine heart disease risk because most heart issues are caused by inflammation. Researchers say more study is needed to accurately determine how strong the link is between heightened CRP levels in young people and heart disease later in life.

Online Friends Can Help You Lose Weight

WLC — Wed, 24 Feb 2010

Encouragement from friends on the Internet could help you lose weight, according to a professor from University of California, San Diego.

Dr. James Fowler writes about people who use social network websites as a way of motivating in his new book, Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks.

One example Dr. Fowler cited was a woman who sends Twitter messages to her friends every time she goes to a gym. When she misses a work-out, her friends ask her why. Another example is a person who forms a private network of fellow dieters on Facebook - 15 friends who encouraged one another to work out and stick to their diet plans.

“You can’t keep fitness goals alone,” Dr. Fowler said in a recent interview. “You think you can, but it’s really vary hard to try to make any kind of change without getting your friends and family involved.

What online social networks help you do is to communicate with your friends and loved ones about the changes you would like to make, and the changes you would like them to make so that you can achieve your own goals.

Want Your Child to Be More Active? Make Exercise Fun!

Jane St. Clair — Tue, 23 Feb 2010

Many children who never exercise actually want to be more active -- and the best way to encourage them is to make exercising seem like fun, according to two new studies.

The first study was from the University of Leeds in England.

Professor Reema Sirriyeh and her colleagues sent text messages about exercise to 128 participants ages 16 to 19 years old.
Half the group received messages that made exercise sound like fun, such as, "Physical activity can make you feel cheerful."
The other half received messages that emphasized health benefits, such as, "Physical activity can keep your heart healthy."
After two weeks, the group with the "fun" messages increased their activity level by two hours a week, compared to a half-hour increase for the group as a whole.

"Our study shows that for inactive teenagers, emphasizing the emotional benefits of exercise may be a more effective way to increase exercise than highlighting traditional health benefits," said Dr. Sirriyeh, writing in the British Journal of Health Psychology.

The second study surveyed 1,000 children in fifth and sixth grades as well as their parents, teachers and principals.

The average student in the study spent three hours a day in front of television, video games, or computers.
Nevertheless, the students were aware of the benefits of exercise, and 75 percent of the girls and 65 percent of the boys told the researchers that they would do more exercise if they had the chance.
Their parents perceived their neighborhoods as safe for children so that was not the issue.

This study, by Professor Leonard Piché at Brescia University College at the University of Western Ontario appeared in the Journal of Nutrition and Education and Behavior.

Beverage Association Endorses First Lady's Anti-Obesity Effort

Stefanie Hamilton — Mon, 22 Feb 2010

The American Beverage Association has expressed its support of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign to fight childhood obesity, and has pledged to improve the ways that calorie information is provided to consumers.

The ABA made this announcement in a Feb. 9 post on the association's blog:

In support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity campaign, “Let’s Move,” our member companies are taking the extra step of putting information on the front of all containers (total calorie count per container, up to and including 20-ounce products), as well as company-controlled vending machines and fountain machines – making the calories on its products more clear and useable for consumers. The more easy-to-use information we give consumers, the better they’ll be able to choose the refreshing beverage that best meets their tastes and needs.

The industry is starting work on this immediately and going above and beyond what is required by law to bring calorie information to consumers. Implementation will begin this year with completion in 2012. Industry will coordinate with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its new calorie labeling initiative to ensure that the information on the front and back of a package is consistent.

Many Overweight Teens Think They're Thin

WLC — Fri, 19 Feb 2010

Thirty percent of overweight teenagers actually think they are thin, or just about right, according to a new study from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Dr. Nicholas Edwards and colleagues reviewd data that had been collected on 65,000 U.S. high school students.
Male teens were found to be twice as likely as female teens to incorrectly identify their weight status.
African-American and Hispanic youth were found to be "significantly more likely to misperceive their weight" than were their Caucasian peers, according to a Feb. 9 UPI article.

"The number of overweight adolescents who misperceive their weights has held steady between 1999 and 2007," said Dr. Edwards said in a statement that accompanied the release of the repot.

The Cincinnati study was published on the website of the journal Pediatrics.

With Parents' Approval, More Overweight Youth Undergoing Weight Loss Surgery

Jane St. Clair — Wed, 17 Feb 2010

The number of children, adolescents and teenagers who are having surgery for obesity continues to increase, even though there are very few scientific studies that document either the safety or the long-term effectiveness of these procedures.

Few patients have been followed for more than two years after their operations, and the studies that have been done on gastric banding found that teenagers and children tend to lose a lot of weight very quickly, and then level off at above normal weights.

One problem is that people undergoing stomach surgery for obesity need to follow dietary rules and undergo counseling.
Patients must understand that their stomach and digestive systems will be altered and that they must also change their diets on a permanent basis.
These rules can be hard for adults to understand and follow, and even more difficult for children under 18 years old.

"If you don't follow the rules after the surgery, you can die," Dr. Mary Brandt, a pediatric surgeon from the Texas Children's Hospital, told the New York Times.

Another problem is that the surgery usually involves putting a band around the stomach to make it smaller. Dr. Brandt explained that this band is a man-made device that carries certain risks and cannot be guaranteed for a lifetime.

"There is no way you can give a 70-year guarantee," she said.

More parents are taking their children to specialists and inquiring about the surgery, which is usually not covered by insurance. Some doctors report seeing patients as young as eight years old.

Are TV, Movies to Blame for Childhood Obesity Epidemic?

Jane St. Clair — Tue, 16 Feb 2010

Two new studies found that children who watch television and movies are exposed to ads and promotions for junk food and sugary sodas. This in turn may contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic.

The first study came from the University of California School of Public Health in Los Angeles.

Frederick Zimmerman and Janice Bell had caretakers keep diaries of which programs 3563 children watched on television.
Problems with obesity and being overweight were associated with watching television shows that have commercials for junk foods.
The UCLA study did not find such a correlation when children watched educational television programs or DVDs without commercials.
The authors said that by the time children are five years old, they have seen more than 4,000 television commercials a year for food. Saturday morning cartoon shows offer one food ad every five minutes, and the majority of the ads are for junk food.

"Commercial television pushes children to eat a large quantity of foods they should consume least: sugary cereals, snacks, fast food and soda pop," Dr. Zimmerman wrote in the American Journal of Public Health.

The second study was from Dartmouth Medical School where researchers found that movies for children feature food product placements.

Six companies purchase 45% of these placements: PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Nestle USA, McDonald's, Dr Pepper/Snapple Group, and Burger King.
While television ads tend to show ads for cereals and snacks, one in four movie placements involves sugar sweetened soda.

"Food placement in movies is one of many factors (contributing to childhood obesity)," lead author Dr. Lisa Sutherland wrote in the journal Pediatrics, "but it is one that may be far more influential than previously realized and perhaps the least well understood."