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Dieters who lose varying amounts of weight each week may not shed as many excess pounds as people who consistently lose the same amount week in and week out, a U.S. study suggests.

Researchers examined data on183 overweight and obese adults who participated in a weight loss program with meal replacements provided along with goals for calorie monitoring and exercise.

After two years, the dieters who had the most consistent weight loss during the first three months of the program shed more excess pounds than the people who initially had more fluctuation, researchers report in the journal Obesity.

While the study cant explain whether or how consistency in weekly weight loss might contribute to success, its possible that different approaches to dieting played a role, said study co-author Michael Lowe, a psychology researcher at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Those who lose weight steadily may have had more consistent eating and exercise habits before they joined our program and continued with that pattern as they cut back on calories and exercised more, Lowe said by email.

Those with more variable patters may be trying to lose weight as quickly as possible - so they sometimes have big weight losses, but this leaves them starving and unable to stay on their diet for a week or so, Lowe added. They regain some of their weight, get upset, and try to lose as much as they can again.

At the start of the study, participants were 51 years old on average and typically obese. The majority were white, and most were women.

Overall, participants weekly weight loss tended to vary by about 1.09 pounds during the first six weeks and by 1.33 pounds during the first 12 weeks of the study.

Women tended to be more consistent dieters than men, with less variation from one week to the next at both six weeks and 12 weeks.

The researchers found that higher weight variability during the initial six and 12 weeks of weight loss treatment predicted poorer subsequent, long-term weight control at one year and at two years.

For example, someone who lost four pounds one week, regained two and then lost one the next tended to fare worse than someone who lost one pound consistently each week for three weeks.

Interestingly, individuals who reported lower emotional eating, binge eating and preoccupation with food at the start of the study showed higher weight variability and less weight loss overall.

This suggests that initial weight change, rather than relationships with or behaviors toward food, is much more important in predicting who will succeed in weight loss and maintenance, the authors conclude.

Its also possible that variation in weight loss from one week to the next slows down overall weight loss, making it harder for people to achieve long-term weight loss goals, said Susan Roberts of the USDA Nutrition Center at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

So people who are on their program some weeks but not others will inevitably lose less weight because you cant really catch up in the sense of making up bad weeks, Roberts, who wasnt involved in the study, said by email. At best, you can only get back on track.

Participants who had more consistent results might also do more thorough job of tracking what they eat and how much they exercise, said Dr. Anne McTiernan of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Perhaps the people with variability are having a harder time being careful about counting calories, watching what they eat, and staying active, McTiernan, who wasnt involved in the study, said by email. Slow and steady wins the race.

2017 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.

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Steady May Win Weight-Loss Race - Newsmax

Fifty years ago this month, Bob and Iris Machiz and their partners, Jerry and Isabelle Appell, boarded a plane with their five kids and flew from New York, where they were born and bred, to Phoenix to open the states first Weight Watchers franchise.

A teaser ad in the local paper announcing the arrival of the company that was founded three years earlier, in 1963, by Queens housewife Jean Nidetch, attracted 16 people to the first informational meeting in September 1967, six to the second, one to the third and no one to the fourth.

Although the low turnout did drive the partners to find a bit of solace at a local ice cream parlor, they were encouraged by the fact that all 16 people in the first meeting signed up to become members.

Based on digital records since 1986, Weight Watchers of Arizona has helped more than 620,000 men and women lose more than 6.3 million pounds.

Today, Weight Watchers has 225 employees in Arizona conducting more than 250 weekly meetings at 55 locations, including 11 Weight Watchers centers, plus workplace meetings for employees at 56 companies.

When I came down to scout the territory, all I saw were long stringy cowboys with bolo ties, Bob Machiz said. But we made a go of it and its been an incredible run. We offer our members hope, support and a way to meet their goals for a healthy lifestyle. When you can inspire hope and help people make healthy choices, you get so much back. Were looking forward to the next 50 years.

Weight Watchers of Arizona has planned a celebratory dinner in October and other anniversary-related specials.

Losing weight is just one long-term success factor of the Weight Watchers program, said Weight Watchers of Arizona General Manager Deborah Wright. Weight Watchers focuses on living life fully through healthy eating habits, better fitness and positive mindset, all based on personal goals.

That approach intrigued Oprah Winfrey enough to make a significant commitment as both a member and an investor. Its also what member Gina Gemma said has made a significant difference for her.

I never thought I would be able to lose weight while still enjoying the foods I previously did, but Weight Watchers absolutely proved me wrong, she said. Weight Watchers helped transform me not only physically but mentally as well and for that, I cannot put into words how appreciative I am for this wonderful program.

The regular meetings are organized and moderated by Weight Watchers Leaders who understand first-hand the challenges and rewards of the weight-loss and building-a-healthier-lifestyle process because they have been through it themselves with us, Wright said.

She explained that Weight Watchers helps members make healthy eating decisions, and encourages them to enjoy life by becoming more active. Weight management is a partnership that combines our knowledge with our members efforts to help make positive behavioral changes to lose weight, inspiring them with our belief in their power to succeed and motivating them every step of the way.

Weight Watchers offers a range of membership options including Pay As You Go, 20-week and monthly.

For more information about joining Weight Watchers or to bring Weight Watchers into the workplace, visit http://www.WeightWatchersAZ.com, email info@weightwatchersaz.com or by calling (602) 248-0303.

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50 years of Weight Watchers of Arizona = 6.3 million pounds lost - AZ Big Media

A new study found that people whose weight fluctuates early in a weight loss program have worse long-term results.

If losing weight feels more like being a yo-yo than a ball rolling down a gentle hill, then you might want to rethink your approach.

A new study found that people whose weight fluctuated in the first few months of a weight loss program lost less weight over the long run, compared to people with more consistent week-by-week progress.

The Drexel University researchers suggested that this may help identify people early on who need extra support in meeting their weight loss goals.

The dangers of regaining weight thats been lost is nothing new to health professionals.

If youre yo-yoing, that is a clear signal or red flag that its about something more than the food you eat and the exercise youre engaging in, that there are probably ingrained patterns of behavior that we need to look at changing in order for it to stick long term, said Eliza Kingsford, a licensed psychotherapist and author of Brain-Powered Weight Loss, who wasnt involved in the study.

In the study, published August 28 in the journal Obesity, researchers followed 183 people participating in a year-long behavioral weight loss program.

Researchers found that people whose weight fluctuated more during the first 6 or 12 months lost less weight after one and two years.

For example, people who lost four pounds in one week, regained two the next, and then lost one the next and so on, did more poorly than people who lost one pound each week for the first six months.

While weight variability over the first six months predicted long-term success, researchers found that the 12-month variability was less affected by other factors.

All volunteers were given goals to focus on during the program, such as monitoring their habits, progress, and calorie intake, while also increasing their physical activity.

The first six months of the program focused on weight loss, with weekly small group sessions. The final six months shifted toward maintaining the weight, with less frequent sessions.

People who reported higher binge eating, emotional eating, and preoccupation with food at the beginning of the study showed higher weight variability and lost less weight after one or two years.

This suggests that weight variability is a better predictor of long-term success than a persons relationship with food.

The researchers pointed out that the study doesnt show that weight variability causes poorer weight loss outcomes. But it may help target people who arent benefitting from a particular weight loss program before theyve spent a year trying to lose weight.

Other research has also found that early success in a weight loss program predicts long-term results. But these studies looked at the percent change in weight loss rather than how much a persons weight jumps around week by week.

Although losing ten pounds in the first week can be a big boost of motivation for many people, it may not matter in the long run if your weight yo-yos the rest of the time.

A dramatic example of this comes from a 2016 Obesity study, in which researchers followed 14 people who participated in the Biggest Loser competition.

Over the course of the 30-week show, people lost on average 129 pounds each. But six years later, all but one had regained most of their weight on average, 90 pounds each.

Kingsford told Healthline that while doing things like severely restricting your calories or ditching carbs may give you dramatic upfront weight loss results, they dont make sense if you want lifelong success.

Research supports and will continue to support the types of behavior changes that are sustainable long term, said Kingsford. Of course, these dont lead to results that are nearly as sexy as losing 10 pounds in a week.

Sexy or not, sustainable is good if you want to keep the weight off.

One way to approach weight loss sustainably, said Kingsford, is by setting goals that you can actually achieve.

For example, if your approach to weight loss involves running, and youre currently running one mile, three times a week, the next step needs to be doable. That might mean running 2 miles on one or two of those days, not jumping straight to 10 miles, six times a week.

This approach also provides positive reinforcement for your goal-setting muscles.

The more you set and achieve goals, said Kingsford, the more you will be able to set and achieve goals.

Looking at your food triggers is another sustainable weight loss solution.

Do you eat when youre bored, stressed, or happy? Do you go out every Friday night with your coworkers out of habit? Do you automatically reach for a bag of pretzels when you sit down to watch your favorite television show?

Take a look at your current patterns of behavior around food and figure out what those triggers are, be it positive or negative triggers, said Kingsford. Then systematically look at changing those patterns of behavior based on the knowledge of the triggers.

This approach to weight loss isnt for everyone, though, especially with so many ads popping up online for sexy weight loss options.

But many people burn out from always trying the latest diet or the next cool workout.

People eventually come to me saying: Im tired of dieting, Im tired of yo-yoing, Im tired of being unsuccessful, said Kingsford. They get to the point of knowing this is about something more than just food and exercise.

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'Slow but Steady' Wins the Weight Loss Race - Healthline

Apollo Endosurgery picked up a CE mark for its weight-loss balloon, which is designed to remain in the stomach for 12 months, twice as long as its FDA-approved predecessor.

Weight-loss balloons, just one type of weight-loss device approved in the U.S., take up space in the stomach so patients feel full and eat less. Apollos Orbera system is delivered to the stomach via endoscope while the patient is sedated and is then inflated with saline. After six months, the balloon is deflated and removed endoscopically. It is FDA-approved to help adults with a body mass index of 30 to 40 lose and maintain weight.

Orberas follow-up, the Orbera365 Managed Weight Loss System stays in the stomach for 12 months, doubling treatment time.

RELATED: Allurion bumps up series C to $27M as it revs up for U.S. trial

Now with Orbera365 patients will have the possibility of getting better weight loss results because in my experience the longer the treatment the more weight patients tend to lose, said Alfredo Genco of Sapienza University in Rome, in a statement.

[Using] Orbera365 our patients will now have twice as long to change their eating behaviors and ensure long lasting results, Genco said.

The CE mark comes after the FDA renewed its warning on gastric balloons for obesity treatment. Early last month, the agency drew attention to five new reports of patient deathsfour of the patients were being treated with the Orbera system, while the fifth was implanted with ReShape Medicals Integrated Dual Balloon System.

The FDA originally warned healthcare providers in February to be on the lookout for two types of adverse events in patients who have been implanted with these devices: spontaneous inflation of the balloon and acute pancreatitis.

Originally posted here:
Apollo bags CE mark for longer-term obesity balloon - FierceBiotech

Steady does it.

Thats the key to winning the battle of the bulge over time, according to a new study from Drexel University in Pennsylvania out Monday in the Obesity journal. So if youre in it for the long run when it comes to paring pounds, you should aim to shed the same amount of flab each week instead of for your weight to drastically drop, only to rise again.

Stable, repeatable behaviors related to food intake and weight loss early on in a weight control program is really important for maintaining changes over the long term, said lead author Emily Feig, Ph.D., who did the research at Drexel and is now a postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Researchers followed 183 overweight or obese adult subjects who were enrolled in a long-term weight-loss program. Participants attended weekly check-ins and reported their cravings, binges and weight-loss successes. They returned for a final weigh-ins and assessments at six, 12 and 24 months.

Eating too late at night will prevent weight loss

Consistency predicted long-range success, whereas variability proved counterproductive. In other words, subjects who shed one pound a week for three weeks fared better than a participant who dropped four pounds, then regained two and then dropped a pound.

Study subjects were mostly women. More research is needed to fully understand why some people achieve weight-loss goals and others dont. But the findings suggest that patience and making a habit of healthy, consistent eating helps you drop weight and keep it off.

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Consistency key to long-term weight loss: study - New York Daily News

You can almost consider snacking to be an American pastime. As of 2015, a majority of Americans admit to snacking every single day, and half of us snack two or three times on the daily. Furthermore, a quarter of Millennials admit to snacking four or more times in one day. We can't help but ask whether this habit is helping us or hurting us in our long-term health goals.

Although snacking can hold us over until our next meal and prevent us from binge-eating, when it's done without any intention, it can just lead to calorie overload and an overly full stomach. We spoke to a few experts about the role snacking plays in our lives and what we can do to snack smarter.

Dr. Luiza Petre, board-certified cardiologist and weight-management specialist, told POPSUGAR, "Quite simply, to lose weight we need to take in fewer calories than our body needs. And even though weight loss means cutting calories, that doesn't mean you have to get rid of snacks." When you eat the right kind of snack low-calorie, protein-filled it "can be a secret weapon to fight excess pounds, while at the same time keeping your energy level up and giving you more opportunities to get in all your nutritional needs," Dr. Petre said.

Lisa Eberly Mastela, MPH, RD, agrees. "[Snacking] prevents you from ever feeling too hungry, so you avoid getting to that point of so hungry that you binge-eat unhealthy food," she told POPSUGAR. Allison Stowell, M.S., RD, CDN, and dietitian for Guiding Stars also added, "Deliberate, purposeful snacking that's used as a bridge between meals to sustain energy and control hunger is a very effective weight-loss tool."

However, the common denominator in all this is that your snacking is planned out and thoughtful. Dietitians agree that mindless snacking is exactly what leads to weight gain, so it all depends on how you control your own nosh habits.

"Grazing can be quite harmful, and when snacks are loaded with carbohydrates, the insulin swings and cravings go into high gear," Dr. Petre told POPSUGAR. "Snacking habits often add too many calories and too few nutrients to our diets." Eberly Mastela also reminded us that "snacking itself doesn't support weight loss," so in order to see results, you have to control it strategically.

Here are some tips for healthy snacking, straight from the experts:

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Is Snacking Sabotaging Your Weight Loss? Here's What 3 Experts Have to Say - POPSUGAR

Researchers say making breakfast your biggest meal of the day is a good way to lose weight if you dont overdo it at lunch and dinner.

Mom was right.

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.

Thats the conclusion of a recently published study designed to determine what effects the timing and frequency of meals has on changes in body mass index (BMI).

Here are some of the researchers findings.

For the recently published study, researchers spent seven years observing the eating habits of more than 50,000 Seventh Day Adventists, all 30 years of age or older.

They gathered data about the number of meals eaten per day, length of overnight fast, whether the subjects ate breakfast, and what time they ate their largest meal of the day.

Then they looked for, and grouped together, similar patterns of behavior.

After adjusting for demographic and lifestyle factors, the researchers calculated the mean changes in BMI for each group.

The studys authors placed emphasis on the importance of eating breakfast.

It has been shown that people who usually skip breakfast have an increased risk of obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases. Our study adds to this evidence, the authors wrote.

They concluded that if you eat less often, do not snack, and make breakfast your largest meal of the day, you will likely lose more weight over the long term than if you do not adhere to those behaviors.

Although this might sound like common sense, the study does validate some of the advice medical professionals offer their patients.

Dr. David Cutler, family medicine physician at Providence Saint Johns Health Center in California shared his thoughts with Healthline.

This will not change what I do, but it will reinforce what I already do with my patients, said Cutler.

Cutler cautioned, however, that he has some concerns about this study.

The problem with the study is the very select population, said Cutler. Youre dealing with very healthy people already, and its kind of hard to draw conclusions for the general population.

Cutler pointed out that, For example, 93 percent of the people in the study already eat breakfast. Thats certainly not true of my patients.

While only 5 percent of study participants had diabetes, Cutler believes that number is closer to 20 percent in his patients.

Similarly, Cutler said the same disparity shows up when comparing use of tobacco (1 percent vs. 15 to 20 percent) and alcohol consumption (10 percent vs. 75 percent or higher) against the general population.

As for the largest meal of the day, only 37 percent of study participants said that dinner was their largest meal. Among his own patients, Cutler said it is almost 100 percent.

So youre dealing with sort of a skewed population already and that makes it hard to draw conclusions for the general population, he said.

Cutler acknowledged that, it [the study] does reinforce the fact that eating calories earlier in the day, and specifically eating breakfast, and avoiding eating a large dinner, probably are healthy in terms of losing weight.

However, keep in mind, he warned, the amount of weight theyre talking about in this study is truly miniscule.

Sarah Diehl, RD, and Silje Bjorndal, MS, RD, CNSC, are both registered dieticians with Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in California.

They also expressed concern about the somewhat skewed population used in the study.

Diehl agreed that the study's recommendations might work for its healthier population.

But with diabetic patients, she told Healthline, and with some of the other patients we see in the hospital, we would not be able to recommend having three meals and not having small, frequent meals.

They also acknowledged the danger of people in general misinterpreting the study authors conclusions.

Silje commented, I think for somebody who doesnt take the time to look at this study and think about how it applies specifically to them, [following] it could put a lot of pressure on your body to break down a lot of food in the morning, Silje told Healthline.

This includes, she continued, getting all the insulin moving, and moving all the sugars into the cells.

Cutler expressed similar concerns.

The conclusions really have to be tailored to the individual population that youre dealing with, he said. If youre dealing with an overweight population, they need to reduce the calories in their diet and follow a healthier diet.

Moreover, if youre dealing with diabetics or high cholesterol patients, or high blood pressure patients, those conclusions have to be directed toward those specific populations and their health problems, continued Cutler.

Silje noted that sometimes when we talk with patients in the hospital sense, they may not know what a calorie is, and they may not know how many calories they need in a day.

To underscore the need for individualized solutions, Silje gave an example.

If somebody wants to lose a pound a week, you have to cut out 3,500 calories in that week in order to lose a pound, she said.

Silje also posed a question, So if you take more of an individual approach, what does that mean?

If youre a 6-foot-2-inch guy who requires 2,500 calories in order to maintain your weight, she said, it means you may eat 2,000 calories every day for a week to lose that pound.

The study pointed out the positive effects of intermittent fasting.

Data show the greatest reduction in BMI occurs when subjects eat a large breakfast, a smaller lunch, and then nothing else until the following day.

In general, when you start fasting, Cutler said, your body thinks youre starving and it does change your bodys metabolism. And most studies do show help with weight loss, whether its being lumped into overnight fasts, or even if youre going to fast a couple of days per week.

The thing you have to avoid, though, is that after youre starving, your body really craves eating lots and lots of food, said Cutler. So what you do have to do is you have to control your dietary input, and controlling that dietary input means becoming more mindful of what youre eating.

Healthline asked Cutler about dietary supplements and whether people should take them when fasting.

Cutler responded, The thing about dietary supplements is that people who are eating a good diet do not need any dietary supplements.

If youre eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, he explained, youre getting all the vitamins and minerals you generally need.

There are some exceptions.

For example, some women should be on calcium supplements, said Cutler. And some people, if theyre not getting sun exposure should probably be getting vitamin D supplements.

Cutler noted, however, that these are two minor exceptions to the general rule that is good for most people.

This bottom line issue of the importance of breakfast Ive been hearing about it for the last 50 years, since I was a kid, he said.

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Breakfast Is the Most Important Meal. But Why? - Healthline

I too have raided the refrigerator, watched a movie, only to wake up to an empty bag of chips on the floor, an open bottle of wine on the counter, and none of it within immediate recall after being confronted by my wife.Usually I can remember bits and pieces of the night before.The adverse effects wear off.I typically can wake up within 4 hours and not feel any lingering effects, which is useful if I'm trying to nap before starting a night shift.Then I take a half tab before going to bed in the morning.

I've been on Ambien most nights for the past 6 years, mostly because of shift work, flipping between night and day shifts, living in like a perpetual jet lag without any of the benefits such as collecting fond memories and exotic passport stamps...The first night I took Ambien I was amazed at what a good night's sleep I had.Since then, it hasn't been as profoundly restorative, but mostly better than the alternative.It ***** not sleeping.I'm aware that Ambien is only recommended for 7-10 days, and the clinical trials were in numbers of weeks, not years.Not much is really known about the long term effects, and it needs to be scrutinized.Unfortunately, I think it can be difficult to remove factors that contribute to cognitive impairment that exist alongside Ambien use, such as depression, anxiety, caffeine use, diet, lack of exercise, and sleep deprivation itself.

I have periodically gone Ambien-free, but only for 2-3 nights at a time, which is only possible when I am caffeine free, and not subjected to the erratic schedule, and when I can exercise regularly.I had to re-learn how to sleep, and then only when completely off stimulants, and on a lighter work schedule.The longest I was off Ambien in the past 6 years, was maybe a week.Then there is coffee.There is nothing like it for energy and mood elevation when sleep deprived, or not wanting to be at work,or craving sleep, or staving off depression.Wake at 7am, go to work at 4 or 6pm, and don't get home and in bed until 3 or 5 am.Or maybe go to work at 11pm, get to sleep at 10am, then get up for work at 5:30am a couple of mornings later. I do that for a week, and my mind starts going to muck, so I'm back on the mud.My mantra has been, "there is only one thing worse than no coffee, that's not enough of it". That in part has fueled my Ambien use, or maybe I should say addiction, and/or dependence.

But recently, my concentration has been off, I'm having decreased fluency of speech, and it feels like there is something interfering with my thought process.My depression has been worse.Holy ****, have I screwed myself for all these years taking Ambien?How much is it all the other stress in my life?

An earlier post brought up a valid point, one which is confounding.The causes of insomnia, varied as they may be, can contribute to memory loss.In my case, it's a stressful job, caffeine use, occasional alcohol, chocolate, crazy work hours, lack of exercise, marital discord, parenting, it's is a no-brainer.Remove all that crap and I'll sleep like a baby, right? Still, it seems like a chicken or the egg.I can't think clearly, it bugs the **** out of me, and I'm depressed about it.

What causes what?Is it just a prolonged case of caffeine withdrawal?Is it early dementia?Is it the Ambien?My mother had Alzheimer's.My dad was a brilliant engineer, test pilot, CEO, entrepreneur, public speaker and has never taken Ambien in his life, yet he is now cognitively impaired.

If depression can cause memory loss and cognitive impairment, wouldn't the combination of sleep deprivation, anxiety, and depression do the same?And what if sleep deprivation can cause or exacerbate anxiety and depression?None of us need a pharmaceutical brain f*&k on top of that.I feel for those who left or lost their jobs.This past week I felt like resigning, but I can't afford to retire or take a cut in pay.And I'm up at 4 am blogging instead of sleeping in on father's day.I should mention, watching TV or surfing the web won't help me get to sleep.God help us all if Ambien turns out to be the dementing poltergeist we fear it might be.All I can do is stop taking it, deal with insomnia by optimizing sleep hygeine and hope for the best.

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short term memory loss from long term Ambien use ...

Dieters who lose varying amounts of weight each week may not shed as many excess pounds as people who consistently lose the same amount week in and week out, a U.S. study suggests.

Researchers examined data on183 overweight and obese adults who participated in a weight loss program with meal replacements provided along with goals for calorie monitoring and exercise.

After two years, the dieters who had the most consistent weight loss during the first three months of the program shed more excess pounds than the people who initially had more fluctuation, researchers report in the journal Obesity.

While the study cant explain whether or how consistency in weekly weight loss might contribute to success, its possible that different approaches to dieting played a role, said study co-author Michael Lowe, a psychology researcher at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Those who lose weight steadily may have had more consistent eating and exercise habits before they joined our program and continued with that pattern as they cut back on calories and exercised more, Lowe said by email.

Those with more variable patters may be trying to lose weight as quickly as possible - so they sometimes have big weight losses, but this leaves them starving and unable to stay on their diet for a week or so, Lowe added. They regain some of their weight, get upset, and try to lose as much as they can again.

At the start of the study, participants were 51 years old on average and typically obese. The majority were white, and most were women.

Overall, participants weekly weight loss tended to vary by about 1.09 pounds during the first six weeks and by 1.33 pounds during the first 12 weeks of the study.

Women tended to be more consistent dieters than men, with less variation from one week to the next at both six weeks and 12 weeks.

The researchers found that higher weight variability during the initial six and 12 weeks of weight loss treatment predicted poorer subsequent, long-term weight control at one year and at two years.

For example, someone who lost four pounds one week, regained two and then lost one the next tended to fare worse than someone who lost one pound consistently each week for three weeks.

Interestingly, individuals who reported lower emotional eating, binge eating and preoccupation with food at the start of the study showed higher weight variability and less weight loss overall.

This suggests that initial weight change, rather than relationships with or behaviors toward food, is much more important in predicting who will succeed in weight loss and maintenance, the authors conclude.

Its also possible that variation in weight loss from one week to the next slows down overall weight loss, making it harder for people to achieve long-term weight loss goals, said Susan Roberts of the USDA Nutrition Center at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

So people who are on their program some weeks but not others will inevitably lose less weight because you cant really catch up in the sense of making up bad weeks, Roberts, who wasnt involved in the study, said by email. At best, you can only get back on track.

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Steady may win the weight-loss race - ABS-CBN News

Three independent studies from three pharmaceutical companies suggest a new way to suppress diet and lose weight in mice, rats, and monkeys.

Camilo Torres/iStock Photo

By Ryan CrossAug. 30, 2017 , 1:54 PM

Weight loss seems to come easiest to those who want it least. Every year, hundreds of thousands suffer from the loss of appetite that comes with tumor-induced anorexia, which can accompany many late-stage cancers. Now, researchers from three major pharmaceutical companies have independently published papers showing that the culprit behind this conditiona protein called growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15)helps mice, rats, and monkeys lose weight without any apparent side effects.

The idea of having another medication to add to our armamentarium is exciting news, says Katherine Saunders, an obesity medicine physician at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City who was not involved with the work. There are currently five U.S. Food and Drug Administrationapproved obesity medications for long-term weight management, which can help patients lose 5% to 8% of their body weight on average. Thats very limited, Saunders says, adding that many drugs used to treat obesity dont have the same level of specificity as GDF15.

GDF15s potential as a weight-loss agent was first discovered by Samuel Breit, an immunologist and physician at St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, Australia. He saw levels of the protein rise 10 to 100 times higher than normal during tumor-induced anorexia in mice with prostate tumors and in humans with advanced prostate cancer. Breit also showed that GDF15 likely exerts its effects through the brainthough he says that until now the proteins target has befuddled scientists.

To find that target, Sebastian Beck Jrgensen, a diabetes and obesity researcher at Novo Nordisk in Maaloev, Denmark, and colleagues screened more than 2700 proteins that reside in human cell membranes, where they receive molecular signals from outside the cell and transmit their messages inward. Among all these possible partners, GDF15 bound to a single protein receptor called the GDNF family receptor-like (GFRAL), whose function was previously unknown, the team reports this week in Nature Medicine.

Next, the researchers searched through an entire mouse brain for cells whose GFRAL gene was turned on. Surprisingly, it was found only in two regions of the brain: the area postrema, known as the vomit-inducing center, and the nucleus of the solitary tract, which houses neurons involved in many behaviors, including ones implicated in appetite regulation. That would normally be a problem for drug development, because most receptors are walled off by the blood-brain barrier, a system of cells that keeps drugs, toxins, and microbes out of the brain. But because these two GFRAL-containing regions are part of a small portion of the brain that sit outside the barrier, Jrgensen and colleagues think theyve got a good drug target. [It] turns out to not be as complicated as we were anticipating, he says.

To prove that GFRAL was necessary for GDF15-powered weight loss, the team created a strain of mice that couldnt produce the receptor, which they then compared with a group of regular mice. When fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks, all the mice doubled in weight, from about 20 to 40 grams. Daily injection of GDF15 for 4 weeks reduced the regular mices food intake and thus helped them shed about 5 to 10 grams each, a significant fraction of their body weight. The mice without the GFRAL receptor didnt lose any weight when given GDF15, but otherwise appeared similar to regular mice.

In another experiment with rats, a higher daily dose of GDF15 caused their food intake to plummet by 75%, from 20 to 5 grams of food per day. Rats whose diets were restricted to the same small portions of foodbut who were not on GDF15lost similar amounts of body weight and fat, which supports the idea that GDF15 works primarily by suppressing appetite, and not by boosting metabolism and burning calories.

Papers also published this week in Nature Medicine by Eli Lilly & Company in Indianapolis and Janssen BioTherapeutics in San Diego, California, also independently identified GFRAL as the receptor of GDF15, with similar diet-suppressing results. Additionally, Janssen researchers created a long-lasting version of GDF15 that was given to cynomolgus monkeys. It remained active in their bloodstream for 4 weeks and helped them drop 4% of their body weight.

We are very glad to see the major findings in all three papers are consistent with each other, says Xinle Wu, who led the research team at Eli Lilly. A spokesperson for Janssen declined an interview request.

One potential concern about GDF15 is that it acts on the vomit-inducing center of the brain. Janssen researchers noted no signs of nausea, uneasiness, or vomiting when GDF15 was given to monkeys. But Richard Palmiter, a neuroscientist who studies the regulation of appetite at the University of Washington in Seattle, says, Since you cant ask animals how they feel, there is a risk that this drug would make people feel sick rather than satiated.

So far, Jrgensen says his team hasnt noticed any side effects from GDF15, which can occur when a drug binds multiple targets, or when a receptor is found throughout the body. So far, GDF15 seems selective to GFRAL, which itself is highly localized to two small brain regions. He adds that Novo Nordisk is tweaking GDF15, ideally to exert a stronger and longer-lasting effect. This modified form of the protein is what will likely be tested in human clinical trials, whenever they occur: All three companies are hush-hush on time frames. Jrgensen anticipates a GDF15-based drug would be most effective in combination with existing or future obesity treatments.

W. Scott Butsch, an obesity medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, agrees. (Butsch is part of Novo Nordisks clinicians advisory board, but was not involved nor aware of its research on GDF15.) Obesity is a complex disease with no one-size-fits-all treatment. Combination therapy is the future, he says. For instance, GDF15, which dampens appetite, could be used additively or synergistically with another drug that boosts metabolism. Weve moved beyond thinking that one drug will win the jackpot and cure everyones obesity.

See the article here:
Cancer-induced anorexia inspires potentially powerful antiobesity drug - Science Magazine

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