Posts Tagged ‘weight’

A new study released this week of over 30 thousand US children found that, on average, kids snack three times a day. What’s more, over half of these children snack 4 times a day. Compared with data from the 1970s which show children consuming over 400 daily calories from snacks, kids today consume nearly 600 daily calories from snack food alone. “My underlying fear is that we’re moving away from being hungry and eating for satiation to just eating,” said Dr. Barry M. Popkin, co-author of the study and director of nutrition epidemiology at the University of North Carolina. Although caloric intake from snacks have increased over time, the average child’s total daily calories have only increased by 113 calories. This means that snack calories have replaced mealtime calories, which is not a good thing since sweet snacks (cookies and cakes) and salty snacks (chips and pretzels) are the top two most consumed categories of snack. [via New York Times]

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A new study in this month’s issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology demonstrates that excessive weight gain during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, can increase a woman’s risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Although it’s known that too much weight gain can lead to GDM (which is one of the reasons why doctors carefully follow a pregnant woman’s weight), results from the current study shows that women who gained more weight during pregnancy than recommended by the US Institute of Medicine were 50% more likely to develop the disorder. GDM can lead to early delivery, increased risk of c-sections, type 2 diabetes in the mother post-partum, and even increases the likelihood that the child will develop diabetes and obesity later in life. [HealthDay via Yahoo! News]

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A study published in the latest issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, examines the New York City Department of Education’s 2004 decision to eliminate whole and flavored milk from its schools. The study states the substitution of low-fat and fat-free milk for whole milk in schools can greatly reduce students’ consumption of calories and fat and help combat the childhood obesity epidemic (40% of New York City children are obese by the age of 11).  This simple change means that a milk-drinking student was exposed to 33 fewer calories and 3.4 fewer grams of fat per school day, which is equivalent to 5,960 fewer calories and 619 fewer grams of fat per year. Initially, the consumption of milk by students declined, but by 2009 had increased to 1.3% above the rate at the start of the initiative. But will decreasing caloric intake from milk reduce overall caloric intake and make a dent in the childhood obesity epidemic? It’s a great idea, but there are many more high-calorie foods out there beyond milk to contend with. [via HealthDay]

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This past week new data suggested that some people taking the anti-obesity drug Meridia (sibutramine) are at greater risk of heart attacks and strokes than people taking a placebo. It also raised blood pressure and heart rate among users. What is interesting is how two large regulatory agencies responded to this data. The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has already advised physicians and pharmacists to stop prescribing and dispensing the medication, while the U.S. FDA has urged pharmaceutical company Abbott Laboratories, the maker of Meridia, to place a stronger warning on the drug. The warning is to caution against the use of the drug by people who are already at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Was the EMEA too hasty in its decision or is the FDA not forceful enough? Proponents of the drug agree that it shouldn’t be given to those with cardiovascular disease or diabetes, while critics are in favor of an overall ban. In the drug’s twelve years on the market it has been linked to more than 80 deaths, including 30 people under age 50. [via New York Times]

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For years women who have undergone surgery for breast cancer have been told to avoid lifting heavy objects for fear of causing painful arm swelling, known as lymphedema. However, new research appearing in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that, on the contrary, weight lifting actually reduces the incidence of lymphedema. By studying 141 breast cancer survivors, it was noted that fewer weightlifters had suffered lymphedema flare-ups – 14% versus 29% among those who did not participate in weight training classes. Lead study author Kathryn Schmitz, an exercise scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, recommends that women do not rush into weight training after breast cancer surgery. Rather, she recommends the following:

• Have a certified fitness professional teach you how to do the exercises properly.
• Start slow, with a program that gradually progresses.
• Wear a well-fitting compression garment during workouts.

[via CBS News]

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A National Institutes of Health and University of Minnesota study has found that vitamin D may assist in weight loss. By looking at vitamin D levels of overweight subjects before and after following a diet plan, researchers noted for every increase of 1 ng/mL in level of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (the precursor form of vitamin D and a commonly used indicator of vitamin D status) subjects ended up losing almost a half pound  more. Also, higher vitamin D levels at the onset of dieting resulted in greater loss of abdominal fat. ”Our results suggest the possibility that the addition of vitamin D to a reduced-calorie diet will lead to better weight loss,” the authors say. However, more stringent clinical trials will be needed in order to see whether there is a true associated between vitamin D and weight.

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“TOGA” is the acronym for transoral gastroplasty, a new type of weight loss surgery that involves making the stomach smaller by stapling it – by way of the mouth, rather than through incisions on the outside of the body. The procedure has now been performed on 98 individuals in Europe and and Mexico and, on average, those who have passed the one year mark have lost about 40% of their excess body weight. Only a few patients have tried it so far in the US as part of a study funded by Satiety, Inc., the company which makes the staplers. They are hoping to get FDA approval for the procedure, which falls in line with a current trend to make surgery less invasive and less painful. By not making incisions, you minimize many of the risks and side effects of surgery.

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A new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health reports that low weight and weight loss in middle-aged men could increase the risk of osteoporosis later in life. The researchers hypothesize that weight change can affect the skeleton, as well as the way in which hormones regulate bone metabolism. Although weight increase and elevated weight are beneficial for the skeleton (this is why weight-bearing exercises can strengthen bone and decrease osteoporosis risk), a stable, healthy weight is still recommended as a means for overall good health. Full story.

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New research concurrently published by Montreal’s major medical centers in the International Journal of Obesity show that kids who are surrounded by peers and family who are overweight are more likely to misperceive their own weight. “When children’s parents and schoolmates are overweight or obese, their own overweight status may seem normal by comparison. The higher the BMI of their friends and family, the more kids are likely to underestimate their weight – a trend consistent for both sexes, regardless of the socioeconomic levels of their school or family,” said lead author Katerina Maximova. This is an important issue because “Accurately perceiving oneself as overweight or obese is an important cue to take action,” says Jennifer J. McGrath, director of the Pediatric Public Health Psychology Lab at Concordia University. Full story.

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