The secret to losing fat and gaining muscle
Researchers at McMaster University in Canada have found that it is possible to gain muscle whilst losing fat, the ideal aim for many. The researchers admit that the method is not an easy one! 40 young men underwent a regimen of hard exercise, whilst cutting the amount of dietary energy they would normally consume by 40%. After splitting the group into two (where one was given more protein than the other), they found that the protein group were able to gain muscle, and at the same time lose excess fat.
The researchers are keen to point out that the regimen will not work for everyone as it was designed for a particular group of young men. The regimen itself is not for those looking for a ‘quick fix’ but more for those who are committed to spending time and effort in order to get back into shape and to control their diets whilst undertaking supervised exercise. The authors are hoping to continue this research in young women, and also develop a programme that will be ‘a little easier and much more sustainable’.
Read MoreThe media’s influence on the perception of obesity
A new study has examined how obesity is portrayed in the media and its subsequent effect on people’s support for different obesity related issues. Researchers at UCLA and Stanford exposed participants to different news articles that portrayed obesity in different lights, and then explored any subsequent changes in people’s attitudes to obesity. The different viewpoints on obesity in the news articles were categorised into four frames. The first was ‘Fat Rights’, which emphasised the idea of body positivity and discrimination against fatter people was unjust. The second was ‘Health at Every Size’, describing the fact that a person could be both fit and fat, and that factors other than diet and physical activity impacted more on an individual’s weight. The third was the ‘Public Health Crisis’ frame, which described obesity as a crisis that needed government intervention. The last frame, ‘Personal Responsibility’ stated that being fat was entirely due to life choices made by individuals.
The authors then showed the participants images of obese people and found that exposure to the different types of frame greatly impacted people’s views of obesity. It was even possible that some media coverage can worsen anti-fat prejudice. This, coupled with the idea that weight-based stigma can negatively affect healthcare, is particularly worrisome. The authors emphasised that anti-fat stigma leads to poorer treatment efficacy, and communities around the world should focus on creating a culture of empathy and social justice, rather than one of discrimination, calling on media outlets to lead this.
To learn more about obesity, its prevention, and its treatment please look at CCH’s Postgraduate Academic Courses in Lifestyle Medicine (Obesity Care), and CPD Short Courses in topics such as childhood obesity and behaviour change, designed to up-skill health professionals in this vitally important, and often overlooked, area of care.
Read MoreDoes obesity affect your memory?
Researchers at the University of Alabama may have found a connection between declining memory and obesity. They identified particular genes in the hippocampus area of the brains of mice and found that, in obese mice, there is a dysregulation of memory-associated genes due to epigenetic changes, assumed to be caused by obesity. These particular genes are supposed to help neurones in the brain create new synapses, which are involved with memory formation.
This is one of the first studies that actually looks into the mechanisms of epigenetic dysregulation of memory-associated genes. The authors explained that the study itself may serve as a conceptual basis for the development of therapeutic interventions for obesity-induced memory impairment, due to the discovery of the link between diet, epigenetics and cognitive function. However they do say that much deeper research and assessment into the area is needed before therapeutic interventions are considered.
Read MoreCan maternal obesity increase autism risk in children?
Children of obese women with diabetes are more than 4 times more likely to suffer from an autism spectrum disorder. These are the findings from a study conducted at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, USA. The researchers analysed 2,734 mother-child pairs for the study, between 1998 and 2014. By collecting data on maternal weight and diabetes status, and comparing this with prevalence of autism in the children, they were able to conclude that children whose mothers were both diabetic and obese were 4 times more likely to have an autism spectrum disorder than their healthier mother-child counterparts.
The research highlights that the risk of autism begins in utero, and the authors are now keen to figure out the mechanisms behind the development of autism in these children. Previous studies have made a link between maternal diabetes and autism, however this is the first that looks at the combination of diabetes and obesity. The researchers wanted to make women of child-bearing age aware of these risks and the implications that it could have on their children. However, they do concede that more needs to be done in order to fully understand the process.
Read MoreBrain function is different in obese children
Researchers at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center have found that the brains of obese children function differently from the brains of those children of a healthy weight. The study included 38 children, some of whom were overweight or obese, and, through the use of questionnaires and MRI techniques, they found a profound difference in the food-seeking behaviours of obese children. Using previous knowledge about different areas of the brain being involved in certain behaviours, the researchers were able to map out the effect of obesity on the brain, finding that unhealthy eating behaviours reflected an imbalance in the functional connectivity of the brain towards impulsivity.
The study authors hope that their findings could highlight the use of mindfulness, a technique used to focus awareness, as a therapeutic target for obese children by reducing the effect of this imbalance on the brain, and possibly helping control it. By bringing balance in the brain, mindfulness could help to reduce impulsivity, and by encouraging children to eat healthily, there is a hope that their weight would decrease. Furthermore, they highlighted the fact that childhood obesity needs early identification in order to effectively treat and prevent it.
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