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Salisbury, MD, Aug. 10, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Gluten is a protein that is added to many pastas, cereals, breads and other processed carbs to maintain their form. It is most commonly found in grain-based products including wheat, rye and barley. Gluten-free diets have steadily risen in popularity as grocery store shelves become laden with gluten-free options, celebrities adopt the diet as a trend and the average consumer might assume that eating gluten-free will result in weight loss. However, there is no evidence that a gluten-free diet will result in weight loss for those who do not suffer from celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

Gluten is a trigger of the autoimmune disorder celiac disease, which appears to be hereditary. Diet Doc wants to remind consumers that gluten free dietings main purpose is to prevent the gastrointestinal distress and inflammatory reactions such as, fatigue, bloating, gas, migraines and others caused by gluten sensitivity. Gluten consumption for individuals without celiac disease might actually provide some health benefits. Especially since properly selected gluten-containing foods are packed with b-vitamins, fiber and minerals. Instead, Diet Doc offers practical and individualized diet plans to meet each patients weight loss, and optimal health requirements. Diet Docs team of will determine whether gluten-free dieting is necessary, and will put you on track to success.

New Diet Doc patients can call or easily and effortlessly visit https://www.dietdoc.com to complete an initial comprehensive, yet simple, health questionnaire and schedule an immediate personal, no-cost consultation. Diet Doc Physicians all received specialized training in nutritional science and fast weight loss. Diet Doc reviews each patients health history to create a personalized diet plan geared for fast weight loss, or that addresses life-long issues causing weight loss to slow down or stop. Nutritionists work personally with each patient and use their own algorithm to craft meal and snack plans that are compatible with each patients age, gender, activity level, food preferences, nutritional needs and medical conditions. They combine these state of the art diet plans with pure, prescription diet products that enable their patients to resist the temptation to reach for sugary snacks, eliminate fatigue and curb the appetite. Over 97% of Diet Doc patients report incredible weight loss results with the majority losing 20 or more pounds per month.

At Diet Doc, all patients gain unlimited access to the best minds in the business. Their staff of doctors, nurses, nutritionists and coaches are available 6 days per week to answer questions, offer suggestions, address concerns and lend their professional guidance and support. Because of this, more and more people are turning to Diet Doc for their weight management needs. Diet plans are tailored to be specific to the needs of those of any age, gender, shape or size and for those who are struggling to lose that final 10-20 pounds to those who must lose 100 pounds or more. Call today to request a private, confidential, no-cost online consultation.

About the Company:

Diet Doc Weight Loss is the nations leader in medical, weight loss offering a full line of prescription medication, doctor, nurse and nutritional coaching support. For over a decade, Diet Doc has produced a sophisticated, doctor designed weight loss program that addresses each individual specific health need to promote fast, safe and long term weight loss.

Diet Doc Contact Information:

Providing care across the USA

Headquarters:

San Diego, CA

(800) 581-5038

[emailprotected]

Homepage

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DietDocMedicalWeightLoss/

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Diet Doc Reminds Consumers that Gluten-Free Dieting is no 'Golden Ticket' for Weight Loss - ForexTV.com

So for the new study, which was published recently in the Journal of Endocrinology, scientists from Loughborough University in Britain and other institutions who have been studying exercise and appetite for years recruited 16 healthy, fit young men. (They did not include women because this was a small, pilot study, the authors say, and controlling for the effects of womens menstrual cycles would have been difficult.)

They separated the men into two groups, each of which would concentrate on one element of exercise.

The first group focused on intensity. To accomplish this, the scientists had the men visit the universitys performance lab on three separate occasions. During one, they sat quietly for several hours. During another, they ran on a treadmill at an easy jog, with their heart rates hovering at about 50 percent of their maximum capacity, for 55 minutes, until they had burned about 600 calories. On the final visit, they ran at a much more vigorous pace, around 75 percent of heart rate capacity, for 36 minutes, until they had again burned about 600 calories.

Throughout their workouts and for an additional few hours, the scientists drew blood to check for levels of a particular hormone, acylated ghrelin, that is thought to influence appetite. Generally, when acylated ghrelin levels rise, so does hunger. They also asked the men how hungry they felt.

Meanwhile, the scientists performed the same tasks with the second group of volunteers. But these mens workouts emphasized length. So, one day they ran for 45 minutes at a steady pace and on another, strode at the same pace, but for 90 minutes. During a final visit, they sat.

Then the scientists compared numbers. In general, exercise had lowered the mens levels of acylated ghrelin, compared to when they had sat continuously. The effects were especially pronounced when the exercise had been intense or long. Vigorous running had blunted acylated ghrelin production more than gentler jogging and longer runs more than briefer ones. The effects also had lingered longest when the exercise had been most protracted. More than an hour after their 90-minute run, most of the mens acylated ghrelin levels remained suppressed.

Interestingly, the mens subjective feelings of hunger had also been affected, but not in precisely the same fashion. After the 90-minute run, the men reported feeling less hungry than when they had sat around the lab, even an hour and a half later. But after the short, intense workout, the volunteers soon felt peckish, despite still having low levels of acylated ghrelin in their blood.

Over all, these findings reveal that our appetites certainly are strange, influenced by many factors besides exercise and acylated ghrelin levels. But the results also intimate that if we hope to have workouts reduce our appetite, we may wish to increase the intensity or, even more, the duration of each session.

Of course, this study was small and looked only at young men in good shape, says David Stensel, a professor of exercise metabolism at Loughborough University who oversaw the experiments. It also did not follow them to see whether, in the hours after their workouts, they replaced the calories they had burned.

In the future, the researchers hope to mount longer-term studies that include women, as well as older, sedentary and overweight people, to better understand how different types of exercise influence each groups hormones and hunger and to tease out the many physiological mechanisms involved.

But in the meantime, Dr. Stensel points out, we should exercise, whether or not the activity makes us thin. There are so many other reasons, irrespective of the effects on appetite, why exercise benefits health, he says.

See the original post:
Exercise as a Weight-Loss Strategy - New York Times

I've accepted that many people don't want to meet with a dietitian. It's assumed that we're going to suggest eating bland, healthy, nutritious food, and avoiding all the tasty treats. Quite frankly, sometimes a version of that is true, causing a vicious cycle to occur. Clients are annoyed that they must give up the fun foods, and every follow-up appointment is a discussion about how they feel deprived and can't imagine another day without their drinks, sweets and fries.

This pattern leads to stress. People judge food as good and bad, are overwhelmed about food choices, feel frustrated that they can't eat treats and sweets and guilty when they eat something they're not supposed to. Everything about food, nutrition and health becomes stressful and unpleasant.

It's a tricky situation because dietitians truly don't want people to excessively eat sweets, fried foods and other goodies or drink too much alcohol or sweetened beverages. We want to support individuals in creating long-term behavior change and enjoying the experience. Typically, if people think they're on a diet, it rarely sticks for the long term.

To achieve the goal of nutrition, behavior change requires a shift in perspective.

Psychologist Kelly McGonigal's TED talk, How to make stress your friend, sheds light on how one's perception of stress can be a game changer in creating sustainable behavior change.

She highlights a study in which researchers took close to 30,000 names from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey and looked at how they answered questions related to their stress levels, their perception of stress, and whether they try to reduce their stress. The researchers then used public health records to compare that information with mortality data through 2006. One finding was that neither amount of stress nor perception of stress alone was associated with a higher risk of death. But both of those factors together reporting a lot of stress and believing stress has a large effect on health did increase that risk.

Another study she describes is one in which participants were put in stressful situations and monitored on their physical response. One group was taught in advance to look at stress as positive. For example, they learned that an adrenaline rush helps them perform better. That group experienced fewer negative physical response symptoms. Their perception of stress decreased their internal stress response.

How can this support you in creating new nutrition habits?@body Living:

Here are some common stressful and unpleasant thoughts one can have while starting a healthy eating plan:

I hate being so restricted. How am I going to survive without my favorite food?

I'm not going to be able to have a social life! How am I going to fit in during social situations? What am I going to eat at that party?

I hate this. Why do I have to struggle like this? Why does this have to be so difficult?

This is terrible. I hate vegetables, eating healthy and eating like this. This is never going to work.

I'm hungry, I'm tired, I can't keep a thought. Eating like this feels uncomfortable.

What if you looked at the experience differently? What if you embraced the difficulty of changing your lifestyle and had pleasant thoughts about the new healthy body you could have? What if the stress of it all didn't have to feel so difficult? It's stressful, but that may not be a bad thing.

Some examples to strategize this new perspective:

Set a pleasant tone. You're sitting down for lunch and it's a meal in line with your new healthy lifestyle. The plate is full of vegetables, healthy fats, protein and fiber, and you tell yourself, This is going to make me feel energized, lean and healthy!

Enjoy some treats. When people start eating healthily, they often go all out and eliminate all their favorite foods, leading to deprivation and stress. Enjoy a treat from time to time. Keep it in appropriate proportion and enjoy once or twice a week.

Remember to take a breath. When you're walking into a social situation and aren't sure how to eat, stop for just a moment and take a breath. Find people you enjoy spending time with so you can laugh and have a good conversation. Make the best decisions you can and enjoy the night.

Create tools for success. Often when people go on diets, they undereat and get so hungry they feel physically and emotionally stressed. Caloric deprivation isn't necessary. Have food prepped and planned so you're always prepared. Stay consistent with your meal timing to keep you full and satisfied through the day.@body Living:

Eating better can be quite pleasant. Learning how to view the process to your advantage not only supports you in reaching your goals, but makes the experience so much more enjoyable. McGonigal says, When you choose to view your stress response as helpful, you create the biology of courage. Consider eating healthier as a brave act.

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Changing view on weight loss changes results - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Millions of people drink diet sodas because of the belief that they help with weight loss. A new study has shown this conviction is a myth: the beverages actually promote weight gain. In addition, they are also linked to heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

In the first few decades after artificial sweeteners debuted on the market, they were viewed as an easy method of reducing daily calorie intake. Products containing sucralose, aspartame, and saccharin, sold under the brand names of Splenda, Equal and Sweet N Low, were wildly popular. Diet sodas and desserts labeled sugar-free were eagerly snatched up at supermarkets because they were considered by many as a guilt-free way to indulge a sweet tooth.

While products containing artificial sweeteners continue to be widely used, in recent years, as research has indicated they may have adverse health effects, Americans are increasingly worried about their safety. A new review of studies published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal gives more cause for concern. It examined the chemicals long-term effects on health, and the results werent pretty.

Scientists at the University of Manitobas George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation looked at 37 studies that followed 406,000 users of artificial sweeteners for an average of 10 years. Seven of the studies were randomized clinical trials, the gold standard in research, which included 1,007 people who were followed for approximately six months.

Analysis of the data failed to prove either a short-term or a long-term benefit. The six-month trials didnt show that artificial sweeteners had a consistent weight loss effect. Moreover, the 10-year observation studies revealed links to modest gains in weight and body mass index, as well as increased waistline size, a problem associated with a heightened risk of several chronic diseases. The longer studies also showed an ominous connection to somewhat higher likelihoods of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and other health problems.

Despite the fact that millions of individuals routinely consume artificial sweeteners, relatively few patients have been included in clinical trials of these products, said author Ryan Zarychanski, assistant professor, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba. We found that data from clinical trials do not clearly support the intended benefits of artificial sweeteners for weight management.

Caution is warranted until the long-term health effects of artificial sweeteners are fully characterized, said lead author Meghan Azad, assistant professor, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba. Given the widespread and increasing use of artificial sweeteners and the current epidemic of obesity and related diseases, more research is needed to determine the long-term risks and benefits of these products.

In an interview with Olive Oil Times, Carolyn Dean, medical doctor and naturopath, didnt mince words in giving her opinion about the research. She is a Medical Advisory Board Member of the Nutritional Magnesium Association.

This study, which exposes the false claims of synthetic sweeteners, should have the industry quaking in its boots. It was extremely comprehensive, including 11,774 citations. The results were the opposite of what the synthetic sweetener industry advertises. Every practitioner who recommends synthetic sweeteners should be informed that they are harming their patients.

We have to go back to a simple dietary restriction of sugars to achieve health rather than substituting synthetic sweeteners. These chemicals may be harmful in themselves and also give people a false sense that using them permits cheating with high caloric treats.

See the article here:
Diet Soda Linked to Weight Gain, Not Weight Loss - Olive Oil Times

Right, before we get going, a disclaimer:exercise is one of the most powerful ways to take control of your health. Not only can it prevent heart disease, strokes, metabolic syndrome, Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimers and cancer, it has been shown to help with depression, insomnia and stress. So exercise is good for you and you should go for a run as soon as you've finished this article.

However ...when it comes to weight loss, exercise is no silver bullet.

There are two reasons why I say this.The first is physiological. Recent studies suggestthat it just isnt as simple as doing more exercise to lose weight. Both physical activity and diet are important to weight control, but if you are fairly active and ignore diet, you can still gain weight,according to Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health,and a co-author of an authoritative study of the topic. Diet plays more of a role in weight loss than exercise or to borrow Dr Willetts words: you cant out train a bad diet.

The advice for a long time has been to eat less, and do more; many health professionals are now calling this mantra into question. The simple fact of the matter is: if you increase your levels of exercise you will need to eat more. In the short term you may get some limited weight loss results from limiting your calorific intake, but the benefits, like the method, are completely unsustainable.

Read the original here:
Why exercising for weight loss just doesn't work - Telegraph.co.uk

The days are getting shorter, students are preparing for the fall semester and in a few weeks fans will pack Beaver Stadium for the first football weekend. August marks the unofficial beginning of the end of summer, but it also marks the start of the Physical Activity and Heart Walk Month.

About 2 in 3 American adults and 1 in 3 American children are overweight or obese, and the number continues to grow. Only about 22 percent of American adults meet the federal physical activity recommendations for aerobic and strengthening activity. About 1 in 3 adults participates in no leisure time physical activity at all. Worldwide, physical inactivity (35 percent) is now more prevalent than smoking (26 percent) and is responsible for more deaths. Those are just some of the reasons the AHA focuses on the importance of physical activity, like walking, this month.

Staying active is one of the best ways to stay healthy, look and feel better and live longer. The AHA recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week. Doing so can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, help to better manage stress and sleep and improve overall health and well-being. Just 30 minutes a day, five days a week is a simple way to achieve this weekly goal. That can even be broken down into a few sessions of 10 minutes each throughout the day.

Physical activity and a healthy diet are important factors in maintaining an ideal body weight. Gaining even a little weight over time may alter the structure and function of heart muscle, affecting long-term risk of heart failure, according to new research published last month in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the AHA/American Stroke Association.

Researchers followed 1,262 adults (average age 44, 57 percent women, 44 percent black, 36 percent obese) who were free from heart disease and other conditions that put them at high risk for heart disease for seven years. Participants had MRI scans of their hearts and multiple body fat measurements at the start of the study and then seven years later.

Researchers found those who gained weight:

even as little as 5 percent, were more likely to have thickening and enlargement of the left ventricle, well-established indicators of future heart failure;

were more likely to exhibit subtle decreases in their hearts pumping ability; and

were more likely to exhibit changes in heart muscle appearance and function that persisted even after the researchers eliminated other factors that could affect heart muscle performance and appearance, including high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and alcohol use.

Any weight gain may lead to detrimental changes in the heart above and beyond the effects of baseline weight so that prevention should focus on weight loss or if meaningful weight loss cannot be achieved the focus should be on weight stability, said Dr. Ian Neeland, study senior author and a cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Counseling to maintain weight stability, even in the absence of weight loss, may be an important preventive strategy among high-risk individuals.

The researchers caution that their study was relatively small and their findings do not mean that every person with weight gain will necessarily develop heart failure. The results do suggest that changes in weight may affect heart muscle in ways that can change the organs function.

The Heart Walk is the AHAs biggest event for raising funds to save lives from heart disease and stroke. More than a million people in more than 300 cities across the United States, including State College, are joining Heart Walks to take a stand against heart disease and stroke and help us all be Healthy For Good.

The 2017 Centre Heart Walk and 5K Run will be held on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. with the walk/run starting at 9:30 a.m. To register in advance, visit http://www.heart.org/centrewalk.

For additional information on local Heart Association efforts, contact Division Director Brooke Welsh at 717-730-1713.

See more here:
Staying active is one of the best ways to stay healthy - Centre Daily Times (blog)

Call it the Oprah Winfrey effect.

Shares of Weight Watchers were climbing more than 15 percent in premarket trading Friday, after the New York-based company reported earnings that topped Wall Street expectations and raised its outlook for the full year.

Ever since Winfrey associated herself with the brand back in 2015, Weight Watchers has been going up and up, following years of declines.

"There's no doubt that the Weight Watchers' long-term collaboration with Oprah Winfrey has certainly accelerated the company's progress since October 2015 with high awareness of her success and happiness with the program sparking interest and excitement," CEO Mindy Grossman said on Thursday's earnings conference call.

"I'm personally looking forward to partnering with her as we transform the brand and business."

The diet program's subscribers climbed 20 percent in the second quarter, helping drive sales 12 percent higher, to $342 million, from a year ago.

Earnings came in at 67 cents per share, adjusted, topping analysts' estimates of 51 cents, according to Thomson Reuters. And Weight Watchers now anticipates earnings per share to fall within $1.57 to $1.67 for the full year, "reflecting continued momentum."

Grossman just began leading the company in July, coming over from an 11-year stint at shopping network HSN. On Thursday, she told analysts and investors that more and more of Weight Watchers' customers are viewing the company as a "lifestyle-oriented, more modern and relevant brand."

Notably, Grossman has experience working with other big-name brands Nike, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.

Now Weight Watchers' biggest cheerleader, Winfrey bought a 10 percent stake in the diet company back in 2015, when the stock was trading around $6 apiece. Shares closed Thursday at $33.08.

As of Thursday's close, shares of Weight Watchers have climbed a whopping 189 percent since the start of the year. The stock is up about 51 percent over the past three months.

Read more from the original source:
Wall Street rallies behind Oprah Winfrey as Weight Watchers' stock soars after earnings beat - CNBC

Its one of the paradoxes of the health community: slightly overweight people can be healthier than those with trim bodies. And being skinny can be just as dangerous, or worse, than being fat.

How could that be?

Harvard Medical School estimates that more than300 million people worldwide are obese (defined as having a body mass index [BMI] >/= 30). And this matters because being obese presents a risk to your health and ultimately, an increased likelihood of dying early.

Except its not as simple as that. Take, for example, a study by the Cooper Institute, a nonprofit organization in Dallas, that looked at body composition and fitness levels in 22,000 men, ages 30to83. Over the course of the eight study years, 428 participants died. Whats interesting is that those who were overweight and fit were two times less likely to have died than those who were lean and fit. There was also no significant difference in the overall death rates (the all-cause mortality) between the overweight fit men and the lean fit men.

So perhaps the pursuit of health should be directed away from a singular focus on body composition toward fitness over fatness.

Mortality is a U-shaped curve

What came out of reports a few years ago was something called theobesity paradoxor sometimes reverse epidemiology. What the data show are that those who are either at the low side of the weight curve or the very high side are at increased risk of death. Those who are slightly overweight have a 6percentlower risk of death than their normal weight peers. These factors were shown to be particularly important incertain groups of people, such as very elderly individuals or those with certain chronic diseases. It further postulates that normal to low body mass index or normal values of cholesterol may be detrimental and associated with higher mortality in asymptomatic people.

A 2004 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found similar results to the Cooper Institute data, determining that fitness, rather than body weight alone, was the stronger predictor of health. An earlier study of 2014 men followed over a 16-year period found that physical fitness appears to be a predictor of mortality from cardiovascular disease in healthy men and a high level of fitness was also associated with lower mortality from any cause. These results are further corroborated by another study that tested the prognostic capacity of exercise capacity by following 6,213 men who were referred for exercise testing, concluded that exercise capacity wasthe most powerful predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD), even among other risk factors for CVD.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine conducted by Harvard researchers looking at a longitudinal study of nurses that included data on both weight and activity level also found that activity level attenuated some of the effects of being overweight. But those data also suggested that the nurses who were overweight or obese tended to have a higher mortality rate; however, this particular study wasnt designed to capture robust fitness measures or body composition, simply self-reports from the study participants of activity level and their weight.

Research published in Progress in Cardiovascular Disease reported:

Overweight and obese-fit individuals had similar mortality risks as normal weight-fit individuals. Furthermore, the obesity paradox may not influence fit individuals. Researchers, clinicians, and public health officials should focus on physical activity and fitness-based interventions rather than weight-loss driven approaches to reduce mortality risk.

BMI has tended to be a rather poor measure of health or relative fitness, based on its agnosticism of muscle content and other physiological indices. While it can serve as a quick heuristic as a short-hand measure for the average of a population, it has almost no measurement precision for individual cases where it matters most. Its more like weighing your vehicle to estimate that it has enough fuel to cover a set distance there are so many other factors that could impact the result (e.g., other additional passengers, insufficient coolant level, low tire pressure). The issue is that incorporating BMI, and not more accurate body composition analyses, into research studies on weight, fitness, and longevity adds to the error rate of the results due to the imprecision of the BMI formula at measuring physiological indices.

Weight loss itself appears to not offer the same effects as improving fitness

Another study found that those who are overweight or obese in middle age have a higher risk of hospitalization and mortality from coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes compared to those who are normal weight. Keep in mind that this study did not consider activity level, so weight is considered in isolation without the moderating variable of fitness.

Additionally, the NEJM reported on a long-term analysis of the effects of weight loss on cardiovascular disease in those with type 2 diabetes. They concluded, An intensive lifestyle intervention focusing on weight loss did not reduce the rate of cardiovascular events in overweight or obese adults with type 2 diabetes.

Instead of a pure focus on weight, an approach that includesand favorsfitness provides the greatest opportunity to increase survival.

Ben Locwin is a behavioral neuroscientist and astrophysicist with a masters in business, and a researcher on the genetics of human disease. BIO. Follow him on Twitter @BenLocwin.

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Originally posted here:
The obesity paradox: Why being fit may be more important than losing weight - Genetic Literacy Project

Losing weight reduces the risk of long-term cardiovascular illness and mortality for the majority of patients with type 2 diabetes, but for a small subgroup, weight-loss intervention can lead to dramatically worse outcomes, according to new research published today inThe Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

A team of data science researchers at The Arnhold Institute for Global Health of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai reached these conclusions by applying new, advanced machine learning techniques to data collected during a trial that was halted in 2012 because its results lacked statistical significance.

The Arnhold Institute team, led by James H. Faghmous, PhD, Chief Technology Officer at the Institute, reanalyzed data from the trial known as Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes). They found that, despite the overall null findings of the trial, 85 percent of the study sample did experience a clinically meaningful, significant reduction in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity from the trial's intensive weight loss intervention.

"Our analysis demonstrates that recent advances in machine learning for causal inference can increase the quantity of clinically relevant findings generated from large randomized trials," said Aaron Baum, PhD, Lead Economist, The Arnhold Institute for Global Health; Assistant Professor, Department of Health System Design and Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and lead author of the study. "As researchers and data scientists, we are always concerned that an overall study result could mask important disparities in benefit or harm among different types of patients, which is exactly what this study revealed. Being able to identify individuals that could benefit from an intervention is fundamental to patient care."

"In addition to its clinical findings, this work shows the promise advanced machine learning methods can have on precision medicine beyond genetics", said James H. Faghmous, PhD, the study's senior author and an expert in machine learning and healthcare.

The Look AHEAD study enrolled more than 5,000 overweight and obese patients with diabetes with a planned follow-up period of up to 13 years. Its intent was to determine whether modest weight loss through a lifestyle intervention reduced the rate of mortality and serious events like heart attacks and strokes. The trial was halted early by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) after finding no difference in the rates of cardiovascular events between the two groups.

"This research strengthens the role for data science and precision medicine as essential tools that can transform the way health care is delivered," said Prabhjot Singh, MD, PhD, Director of The Arnhold Institute for Global Health and Chair of the Department of Health System Design and Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Identifying individuals that could benefit from an intervention is crucial for practicing clinicians, while ignoring subgroups that benefit might lead to lack of reimbursement for weight loss programs, which would neglect vulnerable populations."

The team's findings indicated that 15 percent of subjects had substantially increased risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack or stroke as a result of weight loss interventions. This could be the first suggestive evidence of an adverse reaction to what is generally considered a common-sense and innocuous intervention. This subgroup was defined by a combination of two baseline characteristics: mild or well treated diabetes (HbA1c less than 6.8 percent) and a negative perception of their health status (SF-36 general health score less than 48). The latter is strongly correlated to depression. This subgroup also:

"This analysis restores my faith in basic common sense," said Ronald Tamler, MD, Medical Director, Mount Sinai Clinical Diabetes Institute, and co-author of the study. "For the vast majority of people with diabetes, a healthy lifestyle with weight loss carries significant benefits; however, it's not for everyone. Thanks to this work, clinicians can infer which patients will benefit the most from such a lifestyle intervention."

Excerpt from:
Machine-Learning Techniques Unlock Benefits of Weight Loss for Type 2 Diabetes Patients - Scientific Computing

Credit: LEDO/www.shutterstock.com

Obesity is a risk factor for numerous disorders that afflict the human race, so understanding how to maintain a healthy body weight is one of the most urgent issues facing society. By 2025, it is estimated that 18 percent of men and 21 percent of women will be obese worldwide.

In the US alone, 68.8 percent of people are already classified as overweight or obese. The UK, meanwhile, has one of the greatest problems in Western Europe 67 percent of men, 57 percent of women and a quarter of children are overweight.

In order to lose and maintain a healthy weight, public health policy typically advises eating fewer calories by reducing the calorie content of food items or reducing portion size, for example. We propose, however, that simply choosing food items with reduced calories is not necessarily the best way to maintain a low weight.

There are hundreds of diets that, for a period, reduce calorie intake and in this way decrease body weight. But the number of those who are dieting at any one time demonstrates that this is not a long-term solution. Every year in the UK, 65 percent of women and 44 percent of men try to reduce their weight, by, for example, decreasing fatty or sugary foods or eating smaller portions.

Surveys also estimate that a quarter of people are always trying to lose weight, or "yoyo dieting". The constant dieting to lose weight, subsequent weight gain, and further weight loss are part of a cycle that repeats itself for these people. Losing weight is much easier than maintaining weight loss, yet for health reasons we need to retain the lower weight.

Fighting biology

Although cutting calories can cause weight loss, it does not follow that if a person returns to their usual diet they will maintain their new low weight. In fact, studies have found that after a low calorie diet, between one and two-thirds of people regain more weight than they had lost initially.

The fundamental problem with cutting calories is that the human body defends its original weight. Evolution has produced a body that anticipates future famine, with the result that when you reduce calorie intake there are strong physiological pressures to replace the lost energy.

For example, dieting causes the gut to release a range of hormones that increase appetite: changes that are still apparent after the diet is over. Leptin which makes one feel satisfied and full has been found to be still reduced a year after dieting has finished, while ghrelin, a hormone which stimulates appetite, remains raised. So even a year after a person finishes their diet, they will feel hungrier than when they started dieting, and still anticipate a higher food consumption than before the diet.

Reducing food intake also reduces the body's metabolic rate and production of body heat. The resulting lower energy consumption helps a more thrifty body to return to its initial weight, as fewer calories are needed to fulfil these basic bodily functions.

There is also increasing evidence that dieting changes taste sensitivity. For example, those who have recently lost weight rate the taste of sugar as more pleasant.

When low calorie versions of foods are unknowingly consumed, there is a subconscious tendency to replace lost calories by changing other aspects of the diet. In one study, researchers gave artificially sweetened drinks to unknowing participants who were used to drinking sugary drinks. The scientists found that although on the first day the participants consumed fewer carbohydrates, from the second to the seventh day, the overall energy intake was unaffected: they made up for the lack of calories in the sweetened drinks with energy from other foods and beverages.

The overwhelming message is that the price of freedom from obesity is eternal vigilance. When the initial attention associated with dieting dissipates, basic biology ensures that weight is regained. For the weight-conscious, actively counting calories can be successful, but losing weight and keeping it off can only work if one's calorie intake becomes an issue high on the agenda.

The passive removal of calories for example, when a manufacturer reduces portion size, or a government requests that chocolate bars should not contain more than 250 calories will only be influential if an individual persistently monitors overall calorie consumption. Without this psychological engagement, basic human biology will take over and any lost calories will be replaced.

Explore further: Counting your way to weight loss

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Read more:
How dieting encourages your body to replace lost weight - Medical Xpress

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