Healthy Me - At Home and Away: Body weight

Showing posts with label Body weight. Show all posts

Monday, December 19, 2011

New drug zaps fat cells in monkeys

Would a drug for slimming be effective in humans as well, when it is for monkeys?
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Posted: 10 November 2011

WASHINGTON: An experimental drug helped obese monkeys lose 11 percent of their extra weight in a month, a promising sign in the hunt for obesity drugs that could apply to humans, US researchers said Wednesday.

The drug, known as Adipotide, works by attacking the blood supply of a certain kind of fat, known as white adipose tissue, that tends to accumulate under the skin and around the belly.

Most other obesity drugs focus on either reducing appetite, boosting metabolism or preventing the absorption of fat.

The research, led by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, offers a potential new pathway for treatment and has also shown effects in mice who lost 30 percent of their body weight during treatment.

"Most drugs against obesity fail in transition between rodents and primates," said co-senior author Renata Pasqualini, whose study appears in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

"We're greatly encouraged to see substantial weight loss in a primate model of obesity that closely matches the human condition."

The monkeys in the study were spontaneously obese, meaning they overate of their own free will, avoided exercise and therefore had packed on extra pounds.

Their weight declined for the first three weeks of treatment, though a small uptick was seen in the fourth week. The average weight loss during that span of time was 11 percent of their body weight.

The drug designed by the MD Anderson group "binds to a protein on the surface of fat-supporting blood vessels," and contains a "synthetic peptide that triggers cell death," the findings said.

"Their blood supply gone, fat cells are reabsorbed and metabolized."

Clinical trials of the drug on obese men with prostate cancer are planned next, in which human subjects will get daily injections of the drug for 28 days.

"The question is, will their prostate cancer become better if we can reduce their body weight and the associated health risks?" asked co-author Wadih Arap, a professor in MD Anderson's David H. Koch Center for Applied Research of Genitourinary Cancers.

Another promising sign was that monkeys treated with the drug showed an improvement in their resistance to insulin, suggesting it may help ward off the development of type 2 diabetes.

However, it was seen to have some damaging effects to the kidneys, which could be lessened by administering the drug in smaller doses.

The journal noted that Arap, Pasqualini and some other researchers involved in the project own equity positions in two drug-development companies working on the research.

Those positions are "subjected to certain restrictions under institutional policy. MD Anderson manages and monitors the terms of these arrangements in accordance with its conflict-of-interest policy," it said.

Funding for the research came from grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute and several other foundations.

-AFP/vl

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
New drug zaps fat cells in monkeys

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Sleeping with light on may lead to weight gain, says study

What if I am afraid of the dark? Maybe a bit of weight gain won't be bad somehow...
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WASHINGTON: Too much light at night appears to lead to weight gain, according to a report released Monday, based on studies of mice that provide fresh clues on obesity.

The researchers found that mice exposed to a dim light at night over eight weeks had a weight gain that was about 50 percent more than other mice that lived in a standard light-dark cycle.

"Although there were no differences in activity levels or daily consumption of food, the mice that lived with light at night were getting fatter than the others," said Laura Fonken, lead author of the study and a researcher at Ohio State University.

The study, which appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, said the weight gain could be a sign that light has an effect on the metabolism.

"Something about light at night was making the mice in our study want to eat at the wrong times to properly metabolise their food," said Randy Nelson, co-author of the study and professor of neuroscience and psychology at Ohio State.

If these results are confirmed in humans, it would suggest that late-night eating might be a particular risk factor for obesity, Nelson said.

In one study, mice were housed in one of three conditions: 24 hours of constant light, a standard light-dark cycle that included 16 hours of light and eight hours of dark, or 16 hours of daylight and eight hours of dim light.

Results showed that, compared to mice in the standard light-dark cycle, those in dim light at night had significantly higher increases in body mass, beginning in the first week of the study and continuing throughout.

By the end of the experiment, dim-light-at-night mice had gained about 12 grams of body mass, compared to eight grams for those in the standard light-dark cycle.

Mice in constant bright light also gained more than those in the standard light-dark cycle, but Nelson said the mice exposed to dim light was a more important comparison for humans.

Although the mice exposed to dim light did not eat more than others, they did change when they ate, consuming more food at night.

Since the timing of eating seemed significant, the researchers did a second study, with a change: instead of having food freely available at all times, food was restricted to either the times when mice would normally be active or when they would normally be at rest.

In this experiment, mice exposed to the dim light at night did not have a greater gain in body mass than did the others when their food was restricted to times when they normally would be active.

"When we restricted their food intake to times when they would normally eat, we didn't see the weight gain," Fonken said. "This further adds to the evidence that the timing of eating is critical to weight gain."

The researchers said the findings offer clues for causes of the obesity epidemic in Western countries.

"Light at night is an environmental factor that may be contributing to the obesity epidemic in ways that people don't expect," Nelson said. "Societal obesity is correlated with a number of factors including the extent of light exposure at night."

He said prolonged computer use and television have previously been linked to obesity but because they are associated with a lack of physical activity.

"It may be that people who use the computer and watch the TV a lot at night may be eating at the wrong times, disrupting their metabolism," Nelson said.

"Clearly, maintaining body weight requires keeping caloric intake low and physical activity high, but this environmental factor may explain why some people who maintain good energy balance still gain weight."

- AFP/de

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Sleeping with light on may lead to weight gain, says study
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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Bigger waistline, bigger risk (of dying)

Decades have passed, and this one thing hasn't changed: "the shorter your belt, the longer you'll live."

Okay, living or dying depends on many other factors, but belly size is a major one.

Read on...
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Bigger waistline, bigger risk of dying

WASHINGTON: The bigger a person's waistline, the more likely they are to die of any cause, regardless of whether they are overweight or not, a study published on Monday says.

Researchers at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta looked at the association between the waistlines of 48,500 men and 56,343 women aged 50 years and older, and death from any illness.

After adjusting for body mass index and other risk factors, the researchers found that men and women with very large waists - 120 centimetres (47 inches) or greater in men, and 110 centimetres (42 inches) or more in women - were around twice as likely to die of any cause as people with smaller waists.

The risk of dying was greater regardless of whether a man or woman was normal weight, overweight or obese, found the study published in the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine.

The study also found that men and women with very large waists were "more likely than those with smaller waists to be less educated, to have a high BMI (body mass index), to be physically inactive, to be former smokers, and to have a history of cardiovascular disease, cancer or respiratory disease."

Respiratory disease was the most likely cause of death among the very large-girthed, followed by cardiovascular disease and cancer, the study said.

Previous studies have associated large waistlines with heart disease, inflammatory illness, insulin resistance, high blood cholesterol and type two diabetes.

The link between waist circumference and mortality from a host of illnesses "may be because waist circumference is strongly correlated with fat tissue in the viscera - surrounding the organs in the abdomen - which is thought to be more dangerous than fat tissue under the skin," the study said.

"Our results suggest that, regardless of weight, avoiding gains in waist circumference may reduce the risk of premature mortality," the authors of the study said.

- AFP/de

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Bigger waistline, bigger risk of dying
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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Big belly is a dementia risk (and 3x at that!)

I thought that there is something good in drinking beer?

Now, what is this 'dementia risk' thing? I'm almost always sure to get a big belly, what is usually called 'beer belly'.

So drinking beer, and drinking in general, ain't a good choice after all. Is it?

Read on...
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Big belly in middle age triples risk of dementia

CHICAGO: Having a large belly in middle age nearly triples the risk of developing dementia, a study released Wednesday found.

"Considering that 50 per cent of adults in this country have abdominal obesity, this is a disturbing finding," said study author Rachel Whitmer of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California.

Being overweight in midlife and beyond has long been linked to increased risk for disease such as stroke, diabetes and heart disease.

This is the first study to link excess fat to dementia and, interestingly, excess abdominal fat increased the risk even among those who were of normal weight overall.

Researchers measured the abdominal fat of 6,583 people age 40 to 45 in northern California and some 36 years later 16 per cent had developed dementia, the study published in the journal Neurology found.

Those who were overweight or obese but did not have a pot belly had an 80 per cent increase in the risk of dementia compared to people with a normal body weight and abdominal fat level.

The risk increase jumped to 230 per cent among overweight people with a large belly and 360 per cent among the obese with large abdomens.

"Where one carries the weight -- especially in midlife -- appears to be an important predictor for dementia risk," Whitmer said.

While more research is needed to understand why this link exists, it is possible that the abdominal obesity is part of a complex set of health-related behaviours that increase the risk of dementia.

How I Lost 36,000 Pounds: A New Approach to the Problem of Obesity Scientific and Clinical Facts Concerning Obesity

"Autopsies have shown that changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease may start in young to middle adulthood, and another study showed that high abdominal fat in elderly adults was tied to greater brain atrophy," she said.

"These findings imply that the dangerous effects of abdominal obesity on the brain may start long before the signs of dementia appear." - AFP/fa

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Big belly in middle age triples risk of dementia
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Not so juicy news about juice

Image via Wikipedia

In collaboration with Health Promotion Board, Singapore

Eveline Gan
eveline@mediacorp.com.sg

Some time back, my spouse, who hates drinking water, decided that he would stop downing soda to quench his thirst. It was too unhealthy, he felt.

Resolved to lead a healthier lifestyle, he switched to drinking fruit juices. Within days, he had gulped down several cartons and pronounced himself "healthier" as a result.
Was he?

Not really, said nutrition experts Today spoke to. While fruit juices contain more nutrients than soda, that's not a good reason to overdose on them.

"Many people think fruit juices are healthy and drink them freely. In fact, they have high sugar content. Having too much juice isn't good for blood sugar levels," said holistic nutritionist Yondi Lee of Ascension Healing.
Plus, it is "not a wholesome way to consume fruit", she added. "While a glass of juice may be packed with nutrients, it may lack those found in the fruit's pulp - such as flavonoids - which are lost during the extraction process."

Flavonoids support Vitamin C absorption and have anti-inflammatory properties.
The Health Promotion Board (HPB) recommends two servings each of fruit and vegetables daily.

For each group, only one serving should come from juice, according to Dr Grace Soon, acting deputy director of HPB's Adult Health Division's nutrition department.

"This is to ensure that fibre is consumed. The fibre that is found in fruit and vegetables is removed during the making of juice," she said.

Ms Lee advised diluting juice before consumption "so it will be less sweet". She added that drinking vegetable juice may also be more beneficial because it is lower in sugar than regular fruit juice.

For instance, a serving of fresh mango juice - which has 139 calories and 24g of sugar - contains three times the number of calories and almost five times as much sugar as tomato juice.

However, Dr Soon said it is best to incorporate a variety of juices from different fruit and vegetables, as well as whole fruit and vegetables into the diet.

"Although fruit and vegetables contain similar nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, folate and potassium, and other phytochemicals (plant substances such as beta-carotene, lycopene and flavonoids), they may contain different amounts of these nutrients. For example, vegetable juices are higher in Vitamin A and some fruit juices are higher in Vitamin C. Therefore, no particular juice is 'better' than another," she explained.
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What about commercial juices?

"Some pre-packed carton juices come with added sugar, resulting in higher sugar and calorie content," Dr Soon said.
Ms Lee also cautioned against drinking those that include juice concentrate.

"Depending on the manufacturer, juice concentrate is made by removing water from juice, hence concentrating it. Sometimes heat is used in the process and this destroys certain nutrients. Sugar and other thickeners may also be added," she said.

If you buy commercially-packed juices, go for those that are 100 per cent juice, with no added sugar, the experts advised. Ms Lee added: "It's even better if the juice contains pulp."

Dr Soon said that those fortified with nutrients such as calcium and Vitamin D may also supplement one's dietary intake of these vitamins and minerals.

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From TODAY, Health – Tuesday, 15-Sep-2009

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Obese young men have less hope of marriage: study

Well, this is one way that your future is drastically affected by your weight…
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FP - Friday, May 8

AMSTERDAM (AFP) - - Men who were grossly overweight at the age of 18 had nearly 50 percent less chance of being married by their 30s and 40s, an international conference on obesity heard in Amsterdam on Thursday.

The findings, which held true regardless of the men's intellectual performance or socio-economic position, could suggest that women rank a man's appearance higher than other traits when choosing a partner.

"Yes, that may be one explanation," researcher Malin Kark of the Swedish Karolinska Institutet medical university, told AFP on the sidelines of the four-day gathering hosted by the European Association for the Study of Obesity.

Kark's study was conducted among more than 500,000 Swedish men born between 1951 and 1961.

It found that men who had been obese at 18 were 46 percent less likely to be married in 1991, when they were aged between 30 and 40, than men with no weight problem, and 45 percent less likely by 2004.

For men who were overweight but not obese at 18, the chances of marriage were somewhat higher -- 10 percent lower than for men of normal weight in their 30s and nine percent lower in their forties.

"We think this shows that there is stigmatisation of obese young men that continues into adulthood -- in their working life and also in inter-personal relationships," said Kark.

While no information was available on the men's adult weight, other studies have found that obese adolescents were likely to become obese adults, she added.

Obesity for the purposes of the study was qualified as a person with a body mass index (the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) of more than 30.

The World Health Organisation estimates that in 2005 about 1.6 billion adults were overweight, of which at least 400 million were obese.

From Yahoo! News; source article is here

Monday, April 27, 2009

Exercise? It’s a walk in the park

EASY DOES IT

Moderate workouts are as good as intense ones

In Collaboration with Health Promotion Board

EVELINE GAN, eveline@mediacorp.com.sg

MY HUSBAND’S idea of a “proper and fruitful” exercise session involves a lot of panting, perspiration and pain.

Like some people I know, he doesn’t think moderate-intensity exercises such as walking and cycling have many health benefits.

“No pain, no gain,” he says, whenever he collapses in a heap after a strenuous 20-minute run.

But several studies, as well as exercise experts Today spoke to, suggest that this mindset could be outdated.

According to Mr Eric Ho, a senior physiotherapist at Singapore General Hospital’s (SGH) department of physiotherapy, most studies have shown that moderate intensity exercises are just as beneficial to health as intense workouts.

A few — such as a 2007 US study on 240 middle-aged sedentary people — even suggest that moderate exercises may offer better protection against heart disease and diabetes, compared to vigorous-intensity exercises.

Another recent study on over 2,000 chronic heart failure patients also showed that moderate exercise helped them feel better and reduced mortality.

Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association early this month, the study was one of the largest exercise studies in people with chronic heart failure.
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WHAT EXACTLY IS MODERATE?

Moderate exercise means brisk walking about 100 steps every minute, according to a new US study that will be published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine next month.

To determine how hard you’re exercising, you could also measure your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR = 220 minus your age). For moderate intensity, one should aim to achieve 70 to 80 per cent of your MHR.

If you’re still confused, SGH’s senior physiotherapist Mr Eric Ho recommended the “walk and talk” test.

“At a moderate-intensity level, one should still be able to talk (but not in long sentences), breathe harder and perspire lightly,” said Mr Ho.
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STICKING TO IT

The good thing about a moderate exercise regimen, said Mr Ho, is that people are more likely to stick to it, unlike strenuous workouts. Other moderate-intensity exercises include swimming, hiking, tai chi, Pilates and playing golf.

“This allows them to be more active regularly, thereby deriving the benefits of regular exercise. In addition, individuals are also more likely to be able to participate in moderate-intensity exercises longer than vigorous-intensity exercises,” said Mr Ho, who stressed that the duration of a good exercise routine is just as important as its intensity.

An average-sized adult — who wants to make the most of the health benefits that a moderate-intensity exercise programme offers — has to go through at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a session for five days a week, said Ms Chan Yoke Yin, deputy director of physical activity at the Health Promotion Board’s (HPB) adult health division.

“Additional health benefits may occur with greater frequency and longer duration,” said Ms Chan.

For those who want to lose weight, Mr Ho recommended between 150 and 200 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week. This must be carried out with a healthy and balanced, but reduced calorie diet.

With vigorous exercises, there is the “issue of safety”, said Mr Ho.

“It might not be safe for sedentary individuals to participate in vigorous exercises suddenly, as it can potentially lead to musculo-skeletal problems and possibly even cardiac problems, especially in more elderly individuals,” he explained.

But does this mean intense workouts should be scrapped? Not necessarily. According to HPB’s Ms Chan, both moderate and intense exercises promote health.

In fact, any form of regular physical activity will improve your quality of life, lower your risk of chronic diseases and maintain strong bone and muscle mass.

“The intensity level at which one should undertake the activity would depend on his fitness level. For people who are healthy and fit, a combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activities could be included as part of a complete physical activity programme,” said Ms Chan.

From TODAY, Health – Tuesday, 21-April-2009