Latest Weight Loss NewsReality TV raises interest in surgical weight lossThu. Sep 04, 2008 
A dramatic increase in Australians seeking cosmetic and weight reduction surgery may be the result of reality TV programs according to an editorial in the Medical Journal of Australia. Commenting on reality shows like The Biggest Loser, Professor Keith Petrie, from the University of Auckland's Department of Psychological Medicine, says that the difficulty of these physical changes is usually distorted in TV programs which compress time making the process seem easier and less significant than it really is. He believes that the effect of reality TV on viewer's self esteem may be driving the increase in cosmetic and weight loss surgeries throughout the world and at the same time fostering unrealistic expectations of what these surgeries can achieve. Professor Petrie points out that medical reality TV programs focus on people selected because they can achieve dramatic results. This selection exaggerates the outcomes and minimizes the behind the scenes effort required to achieve these results. Most people do not have access to the level of resources available to participants in TV reality shows. Open access to equipment, personal trainers, chefs and other support resources are available in the artificial environment of a TV show but this is not something that normal people can rely on while they are attempting weight loss. . Professor Petrie also voices concern about the effect of these shows on participants. "Given the dissatisfaction that participants typically express about themselves and their lives at the programs' commencement, the extreme psychological pressure that is creating during filming, and the difficulty of maintaining rapid weight loss, it would be surprising if all participants and their families walked away unscathed," he said. He urges the adoption of ethical safeguards to protect participants who may be vulnerable to these potentially damaging situations and also suggests that more research is needed to explore the effects on both viewers and participants. SOURCE: Medical Journal of Australia New tricks to shift soda demandTue. Aug 26, 2008 
As portion sizes have increased, Americans' waistlines have expanded. And as a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research demonstrates, consumers are tricked into drinking more soft drinks when retailers eliminate small drink sizes. SOURCE: Journal of Consumer Research Group identification affects junk food eatingTue. Aug 26, 2008 
Decisions regarding healthy eating may be less influenced by role models we want to be similar to, than by people we don't want to be confused with, say researchers Jonah Berger from the University of Pennsylvania and Lindsay Rand from Stanford University. Berger and Rand found study participants reduced unhealthy behaviors when the behaviors were linked with groups that participants did not want to be associated with. To demonstrate this, the researchers associated behaviors such as junk food eating and binge drinking with groups considered by freshman college students to be undesirable or what the researchers termed "outgroups." In a series of experiments, behaviors associated with "outgroups" decreased in study participants while remaining unchanged in students unaware of the association. The study authors suggest this effect highlights the importance of identity in health behavior and suggest promising directions for future health promotion appeals. "Decisions are not only based on risks and benefits, but also the identity that a given choice communicates to others. Consequently, shifting perceptions of the identity associated with a risky behavior can help make better health a reality" write Berger and Rand. They go on to say, "We suggest that public health campaigns will be more successful if they attend to how behaviors act as markers or signals of identity," the authors write. SOURCE: Journal of Consumer Research Fattening things come in small packagesMon. Aug 25, 2008 
Buying things in small packages as a way to regulate calorie intake may result in eating more calories than you intended say researchers. People appear to consume more high-calorie snacks packaged in small servings than when the snacks are in a large bag. Additionally, having snacks available in small packages may increase the likelihood of people eating them in the first place. People believe that small packages help control temptation and assist with self restraint. However, it appears that people are less likely to open larger packets than smaller ones and tend to eat less from larger packs. A key component to limiting consumption is activation of what the researchers call "dietary concerns." Weighing and measuring subjects in front of a mirror and having them complete questionnaires on body satisfaction, drive for thinness, and concern for dieting before being exposed to situations where snacking was common, tended to limit consumption. "The increasing availability of single-serve and multi-packs may not serve consumers in the long-run, but-because they are considered to be innocent pleasures-may turn out to be sneaky small sins," conclude the authors. They suggest relying more on personal responsibility and monitoring internal cues of sufficiency instead of using package size take maintain control. SOURCE: Journal of Consumer Research Reduce cancer risk with more fruit and vegetablesFri. Aug 22, 2008 
Nutritionists at the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) advocate eating plenty of fruit and vegetables to reduce cancer risk and control weight. With only 12% of the US population eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables daily, WCRF nutritionist Silvia Pastorino offers the following advice:
World Cancer Research Fund is a global network of national charities commited to raising awareness that cancer is largely preventable and helps people make choices to reduce their chances of developing the disease. SOURCE: American Institute for Cancer Research Sleep apnea requires monitoring after bariatric surgeryTue. Aug 19, 2008 
Although weight loss resulting from bariatric surgery improves obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the degree of improvement is more closely related to the severity of the condition before surgery than an individual's initial weight and subsequent weight loss. OSA is common among obese individuals and its severity usually increases with the individual's weight. However, losing weight does not automatically resolve OSA, especially in severe cases, say researchers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In post surgical follow up studies of a small group of bariatric patients, many still had moderate to severe OSA one year after surgery. Surprisingly, even though their condition remained severe, most people thought they had improved to the point that they could discontinue treatment. According to Christopher J. Lettieri, MD, Chief of Sleep Medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, people should not assume that their OSA will automatically resolve after weight loss. The baseline apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), a measure used to identify the presence of OSA and define its severity, is the most important determinant of whether or not an individual will be cured of the disease. Individuals with a lower AHI may experience complete resolution of their OSA. While many individuals can expect to experience improvement in symptoms of OSA, assessment of the severity of OSA should continue after surgery so that adjustments in treatment match more precise medical measurement of the condition instead of subjective improvements in symptoms such as snoring or daytime sleepiness. SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine Dietary adjustments reduce the risk of type 2 diabetesMon. Aug 18, 2008 
People who drink more sugar-sweetened beverages or eat fewer fruits and vegetables have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. By 2030, health experts expect type 2 diabetes to affect more than 11% of the US population and suggest that dietary changes are an effective way to reduce the risk of the disease in vulnerable populations. Recent studies indicate that two areas of diet that significantly effect type 2 diabetes are increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and decreasing sugary drinks. Research from Boston University showed that drinking two or more soft drinks each day was associated with a 24% increase in diabetes risk and drinking two or more fruit drinks each day was associated with a 31% increase in diabetes risk compared to women who had less than one soft drink or fruit drink per month, respectively. The study confirmed that fruit drinks are not a healthy alternative to soft drinks with regard to obesity and the risk of type 2 diabetes. Diet soft drinks, grapefruit juice, or orange juice did not appear to increase diabetes risk. The researchers noted the increase in diabetes risk associated with soft drink consumption was mostly due to increased weight. The authors said, "Reducing consumption of soft drinks or switching from sugar-sweetened soft drinks to diet soft drinks is a concrete step that women may find easier to achieve than other approaches to weight loss."
Using blood levels of vitamin C as an indicator of fruit and vegetable consumption, researchers from Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, England found that higher blood levels of vitamin C were associated with a substantially lower risk of developing diabetes. They suggest that eating even a small quantity of fruits and vegetables may be beneficial and that the protection against diabetes increases progressively with the quantity of fruit and vegetables consumed. SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine Preschool years shape fruit and vegetable eatingThu. Aug 14, 2008 
Creating a fruit and vegetable friendly home environment can shape your child's eating habits for a lifetime. Combating the increasing problem of childhood obesity requires early home intervention to help children learn eating behaviors that are associated with better weight control. "We know that parents have tremendous influence over how many fruits and vegetables their children eat," says Debra Haire-Joshu, Ph.D., a professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work. "When parents eat more fruits and vegetables, so do their children. When parents eat and give their children high fat snacks or soft drinks, children learn these eating patterns instead." Working with parents in their homes, Haire-Joshu and researchers from the Saint Louis University School of Public taught parents how to improve access to fruit and vegetables for preschool children. They also taught children about fruit and vegetables using sing-along-stories with audiocassettes and coloring books. It was noticed that changes in how parents served fruit and vegetables predicted changes in their children's diet. An increase of one fruit or vegetable serving per day in a parent was associated with an increase of half a fruit or vegetable serving per day in his or her child. Haire-Joshu says many children today are taught patterns that lead to obesity. "We want families to provide their child with an environment in which they not only learn how to eat healthy but have the opportunity to practice what they learn." SOURCE: American Journal of Preventive Medicine Neighborhood environment associated with weightWed. Aug 13, 2008 
Living in a community with a high density of fast food outlets, few parks and recreational areas, and few sidewalks increases the likelihood of residents being overweight and obese say researchers at the Oregon Research Institute. Researchers surveyed health information from 1200 residents between the ages of 50 and 75, in 120 Portland neighborhoods. They associated the reported health and lifestyle habits of respondents with the characteristics of their communities which included land use, fast food outlet density, public transportation, and the presence of recreational space. The study confirmed that a significant association exists between environmental factors and the rates of overweight and obesity in those areas. Areas that reduced barriers to healthy eating and exercise had lower rates of obesity while those that increased accessibility to unhealthy foods and lacked recreational areas were associated with higher obesity rates among residents. According to researcher Fuzhong Li, Ph.D., "34% of U.S. adults aged 20 and over are obese. Part of the rise in this disease may be attributed to our surroundings; for example, increased accessibility to unhealthy foods. The built environment is also creating barriers for our ability to exercise. Many neighborhood areas lack parks and other recreational facilities and suburbs are often designed to discourage neighborhood walking. Simply focusing on encouraging people to change their lifestyles, to eat better and to get more exercise, is insufficient. Measures are also needed to improve features of the built environment, which are often modifiable (e.g., via changes in city zoning, development policies), to support people in making such changes." SOURCE: American Journal of Preventive Medicine Less activity and more television problematic for immigrant Hispanic childrenFri. Aug 08, 2008 
Immigrant children are less active than their US-born counterparts say researchers who suggest the need for lifestyle interventions targeting ethnic minority groups. With childhood obesity continuing to rank as a major health risk in the United States, researchers from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services were prompted to analyze national child health survey data for greater insight into the issue. They found that more than 11 percent of U.S children were physically inactive, but this figure doubled when restricted to immigrant Hispanic children. Similarly, 67 percent of immigrant Hispanic children did not participate in sport compared to 42 percent of children in the general population. When compared with native white children, the odds of physical inactivity and lack of sports participation were both 2 times higher for immigrant Hispanic children with foreign-born parents, and the odds of television watching over 3 hours per day were 1.5 times higher. K. Singh, Ph.D., of the Health Resources and Services Administration and author of the study says, "Given the health benefits of physical activity, continued higher physical inactivity and lower activity levels in immigrant children are likely to reduce their overall health advantage over U.S.-born populations during adulthood." He continues with the recommendation, "To reduce disparities in childhood physical activity, health education programs designed to promote physical activity should target not only children from socially disadvantaged households and neighborhoods but also children in immigrant families." SOURCE: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine |
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