Differences in obesity between children with and without autism
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are more likely to become obese, and stay obese, than their peers without an ASD, a new study has shown. It has been shown before that children with ASD are more likely to become obese, however this study showed that during their adolescent years, the rate of obesity amongst children with ASD lowered, whilst the rate in children with ASD stayed the same. The researchers analysed data from 43,777 children aged between 10 and 17, factors such as race and socioeconomic status were taken into account and controlled for. They were expecting to see the rate of obesity increasing amongst the ASD group, and the rate staying the same in the non-ASD group, instead the ASD group rate stayed the same, whilst the non-ASD group rate lowered.
Obesity in childhood can have long-term effects for those with ASD and the researchers believe that many factors should be considered when looking at why children with ASD maintain their obesity. Some of these factors are alluded to by the last author, Dr Linda Bandini: the need for routine, behavioural rigidity, use of food as a reward, mealtime stress and parental stress. Furthermore, when it comes to exercise, many children take part in competitive sports, however this is uncommon for children with ASD. The researchers hope that further research will be undertaken, such as interviews with adolescents and caregivers, in order to better understand the behavioural factors that may contribute to the prevalence of obesity in the ASD population. Furthermore, children with ASD often have complex medical needs, and if these are not taken into account it can be very difficult to treat them, therefore more focus must be placed on understanding their needs and how this might affect them.
Read MoreGPs should not be afraid to recommend weight loss programmes
A recent study published in The Lancet has described how many doctors do not address some patient’s weight due to lack of time, fear of causing offence, and doubting that interventions will be effective. This is in spite of official guidelines recommending that doctors screen for obesity and direct patients to appropriate weight loss programmes. This trial, led by Oxford University, included 137 GPs and 1,882 people attending consultations that were unrelated to weight loss. The patients were split into 2 groups; the first being offered a 12-week weight management programme and follow-up appointments, whilst the second group were told by their GP that weight loss would be beneficial to their health and offered further follow-up appointments.
After follow-up it was found that the group who were offered a full programme lost on average 1.43kg more than those who were just given advice at the original consultation. Overall, patients were enthusiastic about the suggestion for help, in fact 81% across both groups found the post-consultation intervention appropriate and useful. Individuals across both groups had taken action, but is was found that five times more people in the ‘programme’ group had taken effective action. On average, people consult their doctor five times per year; this study highlights an effective way to address weight concerns in patients on a large scale, and – due to the fact that many of the patients felt it was appropriate at the time – doctors should not feel intimidated by approaching the subject.
Read MoreWeight discrimination doubles health risk
A new study based at Harvard University has analysed the effect of weight discrimination over a 10 year period. Using a long-term national study in the USA, the researchers approached respondents who reported regularly experiencing discrimination because of their weight, this included, discourteous treatment, being called names, and being made to feel inferior as well as other feelings. They found that those experiencing regular discrimination had twice the risk of allostatic load, the cumulative dysfunction of bodily systems from chronic stress. Stress such as this is likely to lead to heart disease, diabetes, chronic inflammation and other diseases.
This effect is added to the fact that these people are already overweight and already experiencing negative health effects as a result. The researchers are hoping to highlight that the way we treat people who are overweight is incredibly important and can have more of an effect than we realise. Further to this they urge people to be more sensitive and understanding, especially when an individual is clearly trying to lose weight. The authors are hoping to use this data to inform public health campaigns in order to support individuals with obesity and help them lose weight.
Read MoreAbility to successfully diet dependent on brain structure
A new research paper published in Cognitive Neuroscience. Thas examined the connections between executive control and the reward system in the brain to better understand why some people are more successful at dieting than others. It found that in some people, the white matter pathway connecting the two systems is ‘improved’, making it easier to diet.
It was already known to the researchers that chronic dieters have depleted cognitive control and over-reward with high-calorie foods. Therefore they used functional magnetic resonance imaging to get a real-time demonstration of the activity in the executive control and reward systems in 36 chronic dieters, who were all obese. The participants were shown images of food and control images, and it was found that dieters showed more activity in response to the food cues, further to this it was shown that those with lower body fat percentages showed greater white matter integrity between the two systems. The authors concluded that individuals with reduced integrity of white matter may have difficulty overriding their reward mechanisms. They urge other scientists to continue this research in order to establish whether repetitive dieting can cause changes in the white matter of the brain.
Read MoreHormone involved in maturation of fat cells discovered
Researchers at Stanford University have identified a hormone that is involved with the maturation of fat cells. These findings help us understand why some stem cells differentiate into fat cells. The hormone itself is called Adamts1. It is produced by mature fat cells and is the switch for stem cells to begin the process of turning into fat cells; high-fat diets and glucocorticoid medications increase the production of Adamts1. The researchers firstly identified Adamts1 and then conducted experiments in both mice and humans. It was found that when mice and humans were fed a high fat diet, most of the increase in fat was seen in the visceral tissue, where there was a decreased amount of Adamts1.
The study’s findings suggest that there are many other hormones involved with the production and differentiation of fat cells, furthermore the researchers believe that stress must play an important role in this process. It remains to be seen whether Adamts1 could be used as a target for obesity medication, and more research must be undertaken in order to fully understand its role within the body
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