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Employees who are offered a weight loss behavioral intervention by their employer are most successful when given repeat or on-going access to the program, according to a new study.

The study, publishedin the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, found that employers can help employees lose weight and keep it off long-term when they offer repeat or on-going access to employer-sponsored weight loss programs.

For the study, the weight loss and health improvements of 11,825 employees from two different companies were tracked as they participated in a behavioral weight loss intervention consecutive times. These employees chose to repeat the program approximately one year after they initially completed it. The average time between a participant starting the program for the first time and starting it a second time was 372 days,but ranged from 56 to 945 days. Males lost an average of 4.7% of their body weight and women lost an average of 4.4% of their body weight.

The employees we followed initially lost weight when they completed the program,but on average, experienced some weight regain after they stopped participating. After taking the program a second time, participants again lost weight, leading to an average long-term weight loss of approximately 4.5% of their initial body weight, says Rob Butler,chief executive officer of Naturally Slim, a digital behavioral health company based in Dallas that is focused on metabolic syndrome (MetS) reversal, diabetes prevention, and weight management within the employer-sponsored space. As reported by the National Institutes of Health, by losing as little as 3% of their body weight, these participants likely decreased their chances of developing costly diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer.

Related: Study Finds Prediabetes More Common Among Adolescents And Young Adults

Just as with any learned skill, it is important to provide repeated instruction to help participants brush up on the skills they learned. Just ask any golfer, you dont take one lesson and expect to be a pro, Butler says. You are continually learning, seeking instruction, and practicing your learned skills to improve over the long-term.

It has been demonstrated in the clinical setting that long-term behavioral intervention is a successful approach to produce and maintain weight loss, according to Butler.

The study sought to determine if a digital intervention offered by employers to their employees would achieve the same success, he says. Employers are interested in finding solutions to help their employees improve their health and reduce disease risk factors that lead to costly chronic diseases. Similarly, employees want solutions to improve their health to feel better and improve their quality of life. The goal of this study was to determine if a digital weight loss intervention, which is scalable and cost-effective for employers to offer their population repeatedly, could produce the same results as the more labor-intensive and expensive clinical programs. And, the answer is yes.

Healthcare executives are acutely aware of the impact of obesity and MetS within the populations they serve, says Butler.

MetS, a combination of risk factors, such a waist circumference, high blood glucose, and high blood pressure, increase the risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and more, he says.The CDC estimates the medical costs of obesity in the United States is approximately $147 billion annually, and the associated medical costs per obese individual is $1,429 higher than normal weight individuals.Unfortunately, healthcare employees are often more focused on the health of their patients than they are on their own health. By offering a cost-effective, behavioral weight loss intervention to their employee population, healthcare executives can help their employees practice what they preach to their patients.

Naturally Slim funded the study.

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Study Shows Effectiveness of Ongoing Employer-Sponsored Weight Loss Programs - Managed Healthcare Executive

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Healthiby now offers a Group Grand Prize of $5,000, to reward Texans who achieve better health outcomes

HOUSTON (PRWEB) December 19, 2019

Healthiby Announces Group Grand Prize of $5,000

Houston, Texas: Healthiby today announced the group that loses the most weight, among all Healthiby groups in 2020, will be eligible to win a grand prize of $5,000.

About the Group Grand Prize:

A new type of reward offered through Healthiby's year-long, online wellness program, the Group Grand Prize incentivizes Healthiby participants, based in Texas, to work together to achieve weight loss and other health goals. To work towards a healthier BMI, participants will track personal progress towards food, fitness and weight goals. Participants also join online teams of family and friends, or other Healthiby participants. During group sessions, they learn about and implement scientifically proven approaches to sustainable weight loss and chronic or pre-chronic condition management and keep each other on track towards success.

The group that collectively loses the most weight will win a $5,000 Group Grand Prize. For a group to qualify, each team member must qualify for a Progress Payout (below). Financial rewards improving key health indicators by the end of the year-long program include:

To join, a skin in the game' deposit is only $8/month for over nine months. The first 20 Houstonians to join Healthiby by January 5, 2020 join for free. For further information on eligibility requirements, visit http://www.healthiby.com or email join@healthiby.com

About Healthiby: A Houston-based startup, Healthiby began offering its online wellness rewards solution in May 2019. Healthiby aims to turn the catchphrase "invest in your health" into a reality for people living with costly chronic or pre-chronic conditions. Healthiby differs from existing consumer weight loss and wellness solutions because we: (1) are exclusively online, (2) incentivize short- and long-term habit change, (3) foster team comradery and accountability, (5) facilitate expert-led team sessions through videocalls, (6) provide engaging digital content with insights on the latest research related to chronic condition management, (7) are less expensive than comparable solutions (8) only reward achievement of health outcomes that reduce the risk of, prevent or better manage chronic conditions.

Mary Beth Snodgrass

Healthiby

713.882.3665

mbsnodgrass@healthiby.com

For the original version on PRWeb visit: https://www.prweb.com/releases/big_rewards_for_big_weight_loss_in_the_big_state/prweb16800017.htm

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Big Rewards for Big Weight Loss in the Big State - Benzinga

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When you google weight loss, the challenge to sort fact from fiction begins. These five supplements claim to speed up weight loss, but lets see what the evidence says.

Raspberry ketones, sold as weight loss tablets, are chemicals found in red raspberries responsible for that distinct raspberry flavor and smell. You can also make raspberry ketones in a lab.

A study in obese rats found raspberry ketones reduced their total body fat content. In one study, 70 adults with obesity were put on a weight loss diet and exercise program, and randomized to take a supplement containing either raspberry ketones or other supplements such as caffeine or garlic, or a placebo.

Only 45 participants completed the study. The 27 who took a supplement lost about 1.9 kilos (4.18 pounds), compared to 400 grams (0.88 pounds) in the 18 in the placebo group. The drop-out rate was so high that these results need to be interpreted with a lot of caution.

A small pilot study of five adults found no effect on weight when the participants were told to maintain their current eating and exercise patterns and just took supplements of 200mg/day of raspberry ketones.

Concerns have been raised about potential toxic effects of raspberry ketones on the heart and for reproduction.

Verdict: Fiction! Leave the raspberry ketone supplements on the shelf. Spend your money on foods that contain them, including fresh berries, kiwi, peaches, grapes, apples, and rhubarb.

Matcha is a green tea made from leaves of the Camellia sinensis, or tea plant, but its processed into a green powder and can be mixed into liquids or food. Before the leaves are harvested, the tea plant is put in the shade for a few weeks, which increases the content of theanine and caffeine.

No studies have tested the effect of matcha on weight loss. A review of six studies using green tea preparations for weight loss over 12 weeks found a difference based on the country. In studies conducted outside of Japan, people consuming green tea did not lose more weight than controls. In the eight studies conducted within Japan, the mean weight loss ranged from 200 grams (.44 pounds) to 3.5 kilos (7.7 pounds) in favor of green tea preparations.

Verdict: Fiction! There are currently no studies testing whether matcha tea accelerates weight loss.

Garcinia cambogia is a tropical fruit that contains a large amount of Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA), claimed to aid weight loss.

In animal studies, HCA interferes with the usual production of fatty acids. If this was transferred to humans, it could theoretically make it harder to metabolize fat and speed up weight loss. Research studies in humans show this is not the case.

While one 12-week trial in overweight women randomized them to a low kilojoule diet, with or without HCA, and found the HCA group lost significantly more weight (3.7 kilos (8.1 pounds) compared to 2.4 kilos (5.29 pounds) for placebo), two other trials found no difference in weight loss.

A 12-week trial in 135 men and women found no difference in weight loss between the HCA group (3.2 kilos, or 7 pounds) and the placebo group (4.1 kilos, or 9 pounds). A 10-week trial in 86 men and women who were overweight and randomized to take either Garcinia cambogia extract or placebo, but were not also put on a weight-loss diet, found minimal weight loss of 650 grams (1.4 pounds) versus 680 grams (1.5 pounds), with no difference between groups.

Verdict: Fiction! Garcinia cambogia does not accelerate weight loss.

Caffeine is claimed to increase your metabolic rate and therefore speed up weight loss. Research studies in volunteers of a healthy weight found an increase in metabolic rate, but it depended on the dose. The more caffeine supplements consumed, the more the metabolic rate went up.

The lowest caffeine dose of 100mg, the amount in one instant coffee, increased the average metabolic rate by nine calories per hour, while the 400mg dose, which is roughly equivalent to the caffeine found in two to three cups of barista-made coffee, increased metabolic rate by about 34 calories per hour over three hours.

When adults with obesity were given caffeine supplements at a dose of 8mg per kilo of body weight, there was an increase in metabolic rate of about 16 percent for up to three hours.

In a study in which adults with obesity were asked to follow a weight-loss diet, then randomized to receive either 200mg caffeine supplements three times a day for 24 weeks or a placebo supplement, there was no difference in weight change between groups. For the first eight weeks, the group taking caffeine supplements experienced side effects of insomnia, tremors, and dizziness.

Verdict: Fiction! While caffeine does speed up the bodys metabolic rate in the short-term, it does not speed up weight loss.

Alkalizing products are promoted widely. These include alkaline water, alkalizing powders, and alkaline diets. Youre supposed to measure the acidity of your urine and/or saliva to assess body acidity level. Urine usually has a slightly acidic pH (average is about pH6) vegetables and fruit make it more alkaline, while eating meat makes it less so.

Saliva has a neutral pH of 7. Alkaline diets recommend you modify what you eat based on your urine or saliva pH, claiming a more alkaline pH helps digestion, weight loss, and well-being.

But your stomach is highly acidic at a pH less than 3.5, with this acid helping break down food. It then moves into the small bowel for digestion and absorption where the pH increases to 4.5-5.0, which is still acidic.

Your body has finely controlled pH balancing mechanisms to make sure your blood pH stays between 7.35-7.45. If it did not, you would die.

On the positive side, alkaline diets encourage healthier eating by promoting plant-based foods such as fruit and vegetables. There is some evidence lower intakes of foods of animal origin that contribute to acid load are associated with better long-term health.

Verdict: Fiction! There is no scientific evidence to support alkaline water or powders speeding up weight loss.

This article was originally published on The Conversation by Clare Collins, Lee Ashton, and Rebecca Williams. Read the original article here.

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5 supplements that claim to speed up weight loss, and what the science says - Inverse

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Tis the season of delicious, high-calorie, high-carb temptation, and lets face it: the struggle is real. Despite our best intentions, it can be difficult to stick to our health goals during the holidays. Its especially important for those of us who need to manage our weight for health reasons, including chronic conditions like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.

Houston is one of the most populous cities in the U.S. (ranking 4th) and also one of the most obese and overweight (ranking 5th). Because of the correlation between weight and chronic and pre-chronic conditions, its important that were conscious of what were consuming this holiday, as well as the struggles that our friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers may have when it comes to food-centric holiday merry-making.

Shirley Kadoura, a local certified diabetes educator and dietitian, sharesseven tips to stay on track this holiday (no matter whats cooking)

Adding more plant-based foods and other whole, unprocessed, fiber-rich foods can be extremely helpful for preventing, managing, or reversing certain chronic conditions, explains Kadoura, who works as a wellness coach for Healthiby, a newly launched Houston-area program that uses financial rewards to incentivize health improvements. Most Americans are already not consuming enough veggies, but vegetables are also lower-calorie, lower-carb, and many have anti-inflammatory effects, which can be important for weight loss as well as controlling chronic conditions.

In fact, research shows eating just over one extraserving of leafy greensa day can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 14 percent.

A leafy green, like spinach, is one food rich in antioxidants and magnesium, which can enhance moods, says Kadoura. Therefore, healthier food choices could even make you happier this holiday. Im not saying you have to give up on all of your favorite holiday dishes, she clarifies. Go ahead and have a little holiday ham! Just make sure your plate is also loaded with veggies.

With an assortmentoftasty treats to choose from, portion control can be a challenge. To prevent yourself from going overboard, Kadoura suggests using a smaller plate and taking nibble-sized samples of the not-so-healthy dishes you simply must try.

Avoiding the temptation of super sugary sweets, calorie dense treats ,and carb-loaded eats is much easier when you arrive already satiated.

Kadoura advises to eat a small meal before you go. Fiber-rich foods and protein-power snacks (like a handful of nuts) can help keep you from being lured off your path.

Also, remember to keep your body hydrated. Drinking water is one of the best ways to curb your cravings, she explains. Sparkling water with lime is a festive and calorie-free option.

Tis the season for sharing and caring. And what better way to do both, than to show up with one of your favorite healthy options? Sharing a dish you genuinely enjoyand that makes everyones calorie or carb intake a little bit lighter this holiday seasonis a great way to take care of yourself and others, encourages Kadoura.

Its also a conversation starter! So, dont be shy: BYOHO!

Lets not forget being conscious of your drink choices. Alcoholic beverages are not only filled with calories and carbs, but they also lower inhibitions. After a couple of cocktails, you may not be able to resist going up for second and third helpings at the buffet.

If family drama or office hijinks make it near impossible to pass up the bar, remember that not all drinks are created equally. Choose low-calorie, low-carb options, and drink in moderation. If you are trying to keep your glucose levels in check, its especially important to moderate carbs.

The holidays are also a time when we start thinking about the positive changes we want to create in the New Year. Many of us will have weight loss goals on our minds, but lets be real. Trying to lose weight during the season of stretchy pants, movie marathons, and mouth-watering feasts isnt realistic for most of us. Kadoura says a more realistic goal would be to aim to maintain your weight. Then, after the new year, work towards a weight loss goal.

Familiar with all the tips and tricks for sticking to New Years health resolutions? Frustrated you havent yet been successful?

Healthiby, a year-long online program, empowers people to lose weight. With immediate rewards, for taking small actions that build healthy habits, and long-term rewards for achieving key health outcomes, Healthiby is designed to help you stick to and achieve your health goals. Join and youll be incentivized to lose weight as a team and individually and guided throughout the year in interactive online group sessions led by a dietitian coach.

Nothing like the Big Losers rapid but unsustainable weight-loss approach, Healthiby takes a measured, evidence-based approach. It incentivizes sustainable habit change, empowering participants to choose the foods and build the lifestyle they truly enjoy. Watch and listen to what some participants have to say about it.

What are you waiting for? Take the eligibility survey and join today. The first 20 Houstonians to join before January 5, 2020, join for free.

Read more:
7 Ways to Eat, Drink, and Be Merry (Without Overindulging) This Holiday Season - Houstonia Magazine

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Better-for-you and save-the-planet ideology among more consumers continues to reshape the food and beverage industries and 2020 will no different.Consumers are driving innovation in the food manufacturing sector as more startups and private brands continue stealing share for traditional food companies.

Darren Seifer, food consumption analyst at NPD Group, recently outlined four trends in 2020. Seifer said he expects tailwinds behind the a few trending behaviors from plant-based protein demand to greater sustainability expectations. He said plant-based food and beverage alternatives have been around, but Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods helped propel the plant-based alternative market from niche to mainstream. But consumers also like their meat.

Since nearly 90% of these consumers also use traditional meat and dairy, its fair to say people arent necessarily becoming vegetarians or vegans; rather, consumers are integrating these products as additional options for their daily repertoire. Watch for continued growth of burger alternatives at foodservice operators and for in-home consumption as these options become more widely available across both, he noted, while also wondering if alternatives will be a fad or a trend.

This trending flexitarian diet behavior caught the eye of Tyson Foods in recent years and the meat giant continues to invest in alternative and blended meat products. Tyson launched its Raised and Rooted brand of blended proteins at retail earlier this year. Tyson CEO Noel White has said the company continues to innovate in this space there will be more products that combine plants and animal proteins into better-for-you offerings that also have a smaller carbon footprint.

Seifer said more U.S. consumers are adopting some plant-based alternatives into their diets such as Almond milk and cauliflower pizza. He said millennials and Gen Z consumers have grown up with many of the products and they push the demand in alternative proteins and dairy. He expects this trend will continue into 2020 with the largest meat companies like Tyson Foods and Cargill paying close attention.

FOOD AS MEDICINEHe said the top reason consumers use plant-based alternatives is that theyre considered healthier options, and consumers want to take control of their health with food choices. He said viewing food as medicine is another trend he expects to continue in 2020.

Nearly one quarter of U.S. adults report they are on a nutrition plan with the goal of promoting long-term health, but not necessarily weight loss. This represents a dramatic shift in the way consumers approach food and beverage choices compared to their behavior in the 1980s and 1990s, when they changed behaviors in response to a specific health issue, he noted.

Increasingly consumers see food and beverages as a pathway to better health; this is more pronounced among younger adults. And when health issues arise, many turn to natural alternatives for help.One in five adults manages a health condition with food and beverage choices. This doesnt mean they arent taking medication, but that many first look at their food and beverage consumption options as a first solution before medication.

BREAKFAST/SNACK SHIFTHe also said breakfast and morning dayshifts for eating are becoming more important to consumers and the days of serving cereal for breakfast are fading. He said breakfast was also a meal many consumers used to skip, but that too is changing.

There has been an increase in morning snack occasions as well as restaurant meals that nearly equals the in-home (breakfast) decline. Categories increasing during this time are portable and functional, reflecting the needs for speed and health, which drive much of consumer behavior in the morning. We expect sustained growth for categories like breakfast sandwiches, juices with functional benefits, such as energy and categories with protein, like eggs, Seifer noted.

Tyson unveiled in September two new Jimmy Dean product lines, Biscuit Roll-Ups and Morning Combos. The biscuit roll-ups wrap eggs, meats and cheese in a flaky biscuit to provide 10 grams of protein per 2-piece serving. The frozen boxes of 8 roll-ups are 240 to 270 calories per serving and come in three varieties: sausage, egg and cheese; egg and cheese; and egg, ham and cheese.Tysons Morning Combos breakfast food line pair items like pancakes or blueberry muffins and sausage into bite-sized meals that can be eaten on the move. Each package contains 8 grams of protein.

Breakfast as a meal occasion is evolving, and were excited to lead innovation and the development of products that provide options for everyone, Steve Silzer, marketing director for the Jimmy Dean brand at Tyson Foods, said in the product release.

SUSTAINABILITY FOCUSSeifer said sustainability will continue to be a third-level concern in the food and beverage manufacturing industries in 2020. Food companies selling to Walmart are measured on their sustainability efforts and the retail giant recently reiterated its goal to reduce 1 gigaton of greenhouse gas emissions from the supply chain by 2030.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon recently spoke at the Evolve Conference in Los Angeles about the retailersclose to the core ways in which it can enact change. McMillon said selling more sustainable products and focusing on more efficient packaging methods to reduce waste were two of the ways its moving the needle. He said Walmart is on track with the gigaton goals set in 2017. The EPA said Walmarts 1 gigaton removal of greenhouse gas is the equivalent of taking 211 million passenger cars off of roads for an entire year.

Seifer said its important for food and beverage marketers to engage in real sustainability efforts because consumers want it.

Food and beverage is unique since taste and health needs are satisfied first, before other needs are addressed. A products packaging could be recyclable and sourced sustainably, but that wont matter if consumers find the taste unpalatable. This explains why animal welfare and sustainability rank low among the reasons for using plant-based foods, he said.

But, consumers are still interested in how products are produced and they want to feel better about supporting brands that use sustainable methods, he added.

When comparing two similar products, consumers could find them equal in taste, convenience, and price, but if one uses sustainable production methods while the other product does not, that could be the deciding factor, Seifer concluded.

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NPD Group: 'Food as medicine' one of the trends to watch in 2020 - talkbusiness.net

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Psst! Hey, are you overweight? Touchy subject, I know, but its OK to admit. More than two-thirds of adults are said to be clinically overweight or obese.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a consortium of university researchers, led by the University of Alabama, a $2.5 million grantto further evaluate a wearable device designed to change eating behaviors. Developed in a UA lab, the patent-pending system uses a tiny camera to photograph food and sensors that measure how quickly you eat it.

The grant, via the NIHs National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, enables the researchers to test the device in a clinical trial over four years. An initial round of funding was awarded this fall.

Changing eating behavior enough to achieve and maintain long-term weight loss is elusive, saidDr. Edward Sazonov, a UA professor of electrical and computer engineering who is leading the project. Were seeking to determine if a device that adapts to your individual eating habits can change that.

The high-tech effort, which involves researchers at Brown University; Boston University and the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, centers on the ingenious development within Sazonovs UA campus lab of a device he calls the Automatic Ingestion Monitor, or AIM.

Clipped to prescription or nonprescription eyeglasses, the AIM includes a tiny, high-definition still camera aligned with the wearers gaze. Sensors that accurately detect food intake trigger the camera to record what was eaten and to measure when, how much and how fast the wearer eats.

The hope is that this technology will give people a new, less burdensome way to monitor and take control of their eating, saidDr. Graham Thomas, a behavioral scientist who serves as associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown and is a co-principal investigator on the research project.

While measuring food intake, which previous studies show the technology can do accurately, is important, Sazonov said thats only part of the story.

The way you eat is as important as what you eat, Sazonov said. We are also looking at the rates of ingestion. We want to slow down and be more mindful about our eating.

Every person is different in when they eat, what they eat, how much they eat and how long they eat. We use machine learning to create a model of these individual eating patterns. After we learn the individual eating patterns, we see how it can be manipulated by suggesting small changes to reduce the total amount of energy consumed.

During the clinical trial, the devices built-in computer will communicate with the wearers smartphone and, when necessary, trigger the phone to send carefully designed messages suggesting modifications to the wearers eating behaviors.

Work by other researchers has shown that tracking what you eat by hand is one of the most powerful strategies for weight control, but it can be burdensome, tedious and error-prone.

Electronic fitness trackers have proven popular, so for those open to wearing a high-tech method to help in modifying their behaviors, the device could prove effective.

The key to this particular technology is to learn individual eating behaviors and then attempt to provide personalized feedback to modify those behaviors, Sazonov said.

Additional researchers on the project include two nutritionists,Drs. Megan McCrory of Boston University andJanine Higgins of University of Colorado; and UAsChris CrawfordandJason Parton.

This story originally appeared on the University of Alabamas website.

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Want to shed a few pounds? University of Alabama researchers test new technology to help - Alabama NewsCenter

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Acid reflux occurs when acid leaks from the stomach back up into the esophagus. An occasional bout of acid reflux is generally not a cause for concern. However, a frequent pattern of acid reflux may be a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease, which is a chronic digestive issue that can cause medical complications.

Sometimes, acid reflux occurs together with shortness of breath. In some cases, acid reflux causes shortness of breath.

People who have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may be at increased risk of have asthma or other respiratory conditions.

This article describes the link between acid reflux and shortness of breath, outlines some of the symptoms of acid reflux, and looks at the treatment options available.

Acid reflux occurs when acid leaks up from the stomach back up into the esophagus. When this happens, the acid can irritate the airways, causing them to swell. This can result in breathing difficulties.

Researchers have also identified a link between GERD and asthma. A 2019 study suggested a bidirectional relationship between GERD and asthma. This means that people with GERD may be more likely to have asthma, and people with asthma may be more likely to experience GERD.

In fact, a 2015 study estimates that up to 89% of people with asthma also experience GERD symptoms. The reason for this may be due to how acid interacts with the airways. Acid in the esophagus sends a warning signal to the brain, which triggers the airways to contract. This, in turn, triggers asthma symptoms.

In cases of GERD-related asthma, treating the symptoms of GERD may help alleviate the symptoms of asthma.

As a 2016 review notes, asthma may also trigger GERD. During an asthma attack, the airways tighten, causing pressure in the esophagus. This increased pressure could encourage acid to leak into the esophagus.

Sometimes, it may be difficult to tell whether a person's symptoms are the result of asthma or GERD. For instance, a 2015 case study notes that typical GERD symptoms, such as burping and shortness of breath, may sometimes be signs of asthma. The authors of this study emphasize the importance of a thorough diagnosis in each case.

A person experiencing acid reflux or GERD will likely experience additional symptoms, such as:

People with GERD-related asthma symptoms may also notice that their breathing difficulties flare up at certain times. Often, this occurs during sleep or after eating a large meal.

Untreated or unmanaged GERD can lead to numerous health complications. Some examples include:

GERD symptoms may cause partially digested food and acid to leak back up into the mouth. The acid can come into contact with the teeth, increasing the risk of tooth decay.

Sometimes, acid can wear through the lining of the esophagus, causing ulcers.

Esophageal ulcers may cause the person to spit up blood or pass blood in their stool.

Accidental inhalation of stomach acid into the airways (called aspiration) can worsen respiratory conditions such as asthma or lead to pneumonia.

Long-term exposure to stomach acid may lead to a sore throat or changes in a person's voice.

Acid that backs up into the esophagus may cause inflammation of the esophagus. Doctors refer to this as "esophagitis."

Esophagitis can be painful and may lead to scarring of the esophagus.

Over time, chronic inflammation of the esophagus can lead to a build-up of scar tissue and narrowing of the esophagus called a "stricture."

A person who has a stricture may experience pain or difficulty when swallowing.

People who experience persistent GERD are at increased risk of developing Barrett's esophagus. This is where the tissue in the esophagus begins to resemble tissue in the small intestine.

Some people with Barrett's esophagus will go on to develop esophageal cancer.

People who experience severe and persistent GERD are at increased risk of developing esophageal cancer.

Treatment for esophageal cancer is much more effective If a person begins treatment in the earlier stages of the disease.

Symptoms of esophageal cancer include:

Lifestyle and dietary changes are typically the first line treatment for GERD symptoms, such as acid reflux and shortness of breath. If these treatment options are not effective, a doctor may prescribe medication to manage GERD symptoms.

Some lifestyle changes that may alleviate GERD symptoms include:

The following dietary changes may also help to alleviate GERD symptoms:

The following drugs may help to suppress acid reflux and prevent complications from GERD:

A one-off or occasional bout of acid reflux and shortness of breath may not be cause for concern. If a person can keep the symptoms at bay using OTC medications, there is generally no need to see a doctor.

However, anyone experiencing persistent acid reflux or GERD symptoms should see a doctor for a full diagnosis. A doctor may carry out diagnostic tests to determine the cause of GERD and to identify any possible complications. A doctor may also prescribe medication to help manage GERD symptoms.

A one-off or occasional bout of acid reflux and shortness of breath is rarely cause for concern. However, anyone who frequently experiences this combination of symptoms may have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or asthma. They should see a doctor for a full diagnosis.

People who experience GERD symptoms may benefit from certain lifestyle and dietary changes. Some people may require medication. Early treatment may help to prevent complications from GERD.

Read more here:
Acid reflux and shortness of breath - Medical News Today

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New National Study Finds "FITSPO" Culture, Competitive Nature of Fitness Fads Demotivating; The Average American Falsely Assumes a Daily Workout Must be 95 Minutes or More to be Impactful

HAMPTON, N.H., Dec. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Planet Fitness, Inc.,one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the U.S., is calling "bullfit" on the current state of the fitness industry with bold new research that uncovers Americans' true feelings and misperceptions about health and wellness. In the aptly titled "Bullfit Report," independent studies from Planet Fitness, Innovate MR* and Kelton Global^ expose a growing frustration with fad fitness, social media "fitspiration" and the many myths Americans believe to be true about health and wellness and uncover just how much of a toll it may be taking on getting America moving.

Research notably found that:

"The fitness industry has focused on the fit getting fitter for far too long, ignoring and even demotivating the roughly 80 percent of Americans who don't yet belong to a gym," said Chris Rondeau, Chief Executive Officer of Planet Fitness. "At Planet Fitness, we believe people can work out on their own terms and live healthy, happy lives, versus perpetuating certain myths that you should be 'living to work out'. It's this mentality that has kept the majority of Americans from believing that they, too, can take that first step toward better health. You don't have to work out seven days a week, two hours a day, to get healthy the truth is that fitness can be fun, affordable, non-intimidating and not all consuming. The key is to just get started and know that every minute truly matters, and over time, can have a significant positive impact."

Moreover, as Americans look ahead to January and rewriting their own rules by setting realistic and attainable goals for the New Year, Planet Fitness also found that:

Planet Fitness offers extremely low membership fees starting at just $10 a month and a variety of benefits, including a hassle-free, non-intimidating environment, free fitness training included with every membership, brand name cardio and strength equipment, fully-equipped locker rooms, flat screen televisions and much more. The PF Black Card membership includes additional perks such as the ability to bring a guest every day at no additional charge, access to 1,899 Planet Fitness locations, as well as access to massage beds and chairs, and more. To find a Planet Fitness club near you, visit PlanetFitness.com.

About Planet Fitness Founded in 1992 in Dover, NH, Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the United States by number of members and locations. As of September 30, 2019, Planet Fitness had more than 14.1 million members and 1,899 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Mexico. The Company's mission is to enhance people's lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, which we call the Judgement Free Zone. More than 95% of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent business men and women.

* Online survey conducted by Innovate MR to 2,207 nationally representative Americans ages 18 and over, with a margin of error of +/- 2 percent.^ Online survey conducted by Kelton Global to 1,004 nationally representative Americans ages 18 and over, with a margin of error of +/- 2.1 percent.** U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2018, November 18). HHS Releases Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2018/11/12/hhs-releases-physical-activity-guidelines-americans-2nd-edition.html. *^ International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) (March 28, 2019). Latest IHRSA Data: Over 6B Visits to 39,570 Gyms in 2018. Retrieved from https://www.ihrsa.org/about/media-center/press-releases/latest-ihrsa-data-over-6b-visits-to-39-570-gyms-in-2018/.

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Planet Fitness Calls "Bullfit" on the Fitness Industry - Yahoo Finance

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Need to get out of the house and get in a workout? These Washington fitness studios will be open on December 25. (Dont worryA Christmas Knightwill still be waiting for you on Netflix when you get back.)

The local chain of cycling studios will offer two classes the morning of December 25 at its Bethesda and Kentlands studios and one class at its Mosaic studio. (None will be offered at its Logan Circle site.)Zengo Cycle; Locations vary

While the Georgetown and Mount Vernon locations wont host any classes on Christmas Day, there will be two classes offered at the West End and 14th Street spots, four classes at the Clarendon studio, and six at the one in Bethesda.Soul Cycle; Locations vary

All existing CorePower sites will be open and offering at least one class on Christmas Day; the exception is the forthcoming Adams Morgan location, which, judging by the online schedule, will begin offering classes December 27.CorePower Yoga; Locations vary

The Silver Spring location is the only Pure Barre site that will be offering class today, and itll only host one workout at 7:30 AM.Pure Barre Silver Spring; 8455 Fenton St., Silver Spring

The CityCenter location wont host any classes today, but there will be three Flywheel workouts and two Flybarre workouts at the Dupont Circle spot.Flywheel Dupont Circle; 1927 Florida Ave. NW

You can take two boxing workouts the morning of December 25 at the studios West End location.Rumble Boxing; 2001 M St. NW

The dance-cardio studio will host two classes this morning, and one is Mariah Carey-Christmas themed.305 Fitness; 1328 Florida Ave. NW

There are a ton of Orangetheory studios in the DMV area (think 30-plus) and many will be hosting classes throughout the day on December 25.Orangetheory Fitness; Locations vary

All of the Washington studios will host at least one class on Christmas Day except for these sites, which will be closed: Ballston, Ashburn, Court House, Mosaic, Old Town, and Tysons Corner.Solidcore; Locations vary

We will be updating this list as more classes are announced.

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Associate Editor

Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. She previously was the editorial assistant at Walter Magazine in Raleigh, North Carolina, and her work has appeared in Outside Magazine, Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Adams Morgan.

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Here Are Some of the DC-Area Fitness Studios Where You Can Sweat on Christmas Day - Washingtonian

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A still from That Peloton Ad. Photo: Peloton

One of the frequent refrains I heard during the controversy over That Peloton Ad was who pays $2,000 for an exercise bike? But of course, you can say this about all sorts of ways people exercise. Peloton which makes high-end, internet-connected home exercise bikes that allow you to participate in video group fitness classes, for which it charges a monthly fee on top of the bike price has a high upfront cost but looks cheap compared to twice-weekly sessions with a personal trainer or SoulCycle twelve times a month, both of which are also things people pay for. Why do people do any of these things when they can run for free, or pick up a cheap home exercise bike for $200, or join Planet Fitness for $22 a month?

Of course, there are a lot of reasons, including that the expensive options may be more pleasant or more fun ways to get fit. But a big reason is follow-through: A $2,000 exercise bike youll keep using is a better value than a $200 one that youll use five times before turning it into a clothing rack, and people buy Peloton because (they believe) they will actually use it.

Lots of fitness spending is aimed at overcoming problems of intertemporal choice: We wish we had exercised yesterday, and we want to exercise tomorrow, and yet we often choose not to exercise right now and proceed to regret that choice the next day. Products and services that bring our current actions into line with our past and future preferences can be very valuable, even if they dont seem strictly necessary for the actual practice of exercise.

So, for example, 24-hour cancellation policies for fitness classes or personal training sessions help companies manage capacity and avoid leaving space unsold, but they also help customers by locking them into workouts: Since I have already paid for a SoulCycle class, I will feel silly if I do not go, even if I am tired and very tempted to skip working out. A Peloton customer may feel the same way about an expensive bike: Now that I have paid $2,000 for this thing, I had better use it.

But this strategy of upfront financial commitment is not foolproof. Unlimited monthly gym memberships are supposed to help us work out more, because we dont pay at the margin the more times we go. Yet a 2006 paper in the American Economic Review found members at one network of American health clubs paid over $70 a month to work out just 4.3 times on average spending more than if they had paid the $10 single-visit fee each time they went. Even a substantial and non-refundable per-class fee does not ensure completion of every planned-and-paid-for workout, as you know if youve ever shown up at a sold-out SoulCycle class without a reservation and watched the staff call out booked-but-unclaimed bikes for resale.

There are also more aggressive commitment strategies than simply paying upfront. Commitment contracts are designed to make not exercising more expensive than exercising. Participants agree to set aside money that will be released to them only if they complete a goal, such as a desired number of workouts in a month; otherwise, the money is given to charity. Such an approach appears to be modestly effective, and is available through services like StickK, but hasnt yet achieved wide uptake, maybe because it feels weird to punish yourself by donating to charity.

An alternative to financial accountability is interpersonal accountability. This is what That Peloton Ad was supposed to be about: A customer, using her expensive new piece of equipment to form and stick to a positive new habit, and demonstrating to those around her that she was doing so. Of course, this could be (and was) read in a creepy way: That her husband, whom the Internet decided was abusive, was pressuring her to work out or else, even though she was already thin. But as Amanda Mull describes in the most recent issue of the Atlantic, a more positive form of interpersonal accountability is a key part of what Peloton customers are intending to buy.

Mull writes in particular about one customer who started getting better use out of her Peloton bike after she found the right, supportive Facebook group to share her workouts goals with. This is at the core of Pelotons proposition: It takes the interpersonal networks that bolster the effectiveness of in-person group fitness, but moves them online. From Crossfit to yoga to bootcamps, one of the benefits of group fitness is developing social links with people both instructors and other participants who expect you to do something and may notice if you fall away. To the extent these networks reflect their participants own desire for interpersonal accountability, that is a good thing.

And besides the commitment aspect, merging an exercise experience with a communal or even spiritual one helps make the exercise seem like less of a chore, reducing the degree by which it looks more appealing to do tomorrow than today. That is the holy grail of fitness commitment: not finding a way to lock ourselves into doing today what we will wish we had done tomorrow, but changing our own preferences so they align across time making ourselves into the sort of people who actually want to work out today, right now. Of course, changing yourself is really hard. But many people will keep paying as they try to find the way that works for them.

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