Losing weight early enough can avoid diabetes
Humans have subconscious urges to eat more during the winter months, whilst also limiting their ability to avoid obesity. This is the conclusion from a study originating at the University of Exeter. The study authors were aiming to understand how evolutionary processes shape the mechanisms that control body weight. Using mathematical models, the researchers explored how much fat animals can and should store, taking food availability and predatory risk into account. They found that there is a possible urge to maintain a higher body weight during winter. This is due to the fact that in the natural world, food is much scarcer during these months.
The study’s lead author, Dr Andrew Higginson explained that all animals, including humans, should show seasonal effects on the urge to gain weight. He further explained that pre-industrial humans would have stored fat, as an insurance in case they could not find food, and this is a trait that we may have taken with us into the present day. The study as a whole hopes to make it easier for models to predict the future behaviours of humans that may impact on control mechanisms for obesity.
Read MoreDoes urban living influence our weight?
The location of where you live in a city could have an effect on your weight. Researchers in Switzerland have suggested that living in a lower income neighbourhood will mean that you are more likely to have a higher BMI than your counterparts in a higher income neighbourhood, in the same city. Researchers were aiming to discover the cause of BMI ‘clusters’ in spaces and whether it is dependent on location or individuals. They measured the weights of 6,481 Swiss adults in one city over 5 years. They found that BMI is not randomly distributed across the city, in fact there were clusters of different BMI and these correlated with the average neighbourhood level of income.
The most interesting thing about this study is that individual factors such as education, age, health, ethnicity, gender, and alcohol consumption did not account for the participants’ weight and was not a cause of the clustering. The study highlights the fact that urban planning has a major impact on the health of a population, specifically the level of obesity. If there were more green spaces near the low-income neighbourhoods, would they still be as obese? The study hopes to highlight this fact and show that inspiration for improvements to disadvantaged neighbourhoods could come from those who are more affluent.
Read MoreHumans have evolved to eat more over winter
Humans have subconscious urges to eat more during the winter months, whilst also limiting their ability to avoid obesity. This is the conclusion from a study originating at the University of Exeter. The study authors were aiming to understand how evolutionary processes shape the mechanisms that control body weight. Using mathematical models, the researchers explored how much fat animals can and should store, taking food availability and predatory risk into account. They found that there is a possible urge to maintain a higher body weight during winter. This is due to the fact that in the natural world, food is much scarcer during these months.
The study’s lead author, Dr Andrew Higginson explained that all animals, including humans, should show seasonal effects on the urge to gain weight. He further explained that pre-industrial humans would have stored fat, as an insurance in case they could not find food, and this is a trait that we may have taken with us into the present day. The study as a whole hopes to make it easier for models to predict the future behaviours of humans that may impact on control mechanisms for obesity.
Read MoreIs exposure to light linked with children’s weight gain?
A new study from the Queensland University of Technology suggests that increased light exposure may play a role in the weight of children. They found that moderate intensity light exposure early in the day was associated with an increased BMI, whilst increased duration of light exposure was also associated with increased BMI 12 months later. The study involved 48 children from ages 3-5 and followed them over a 12-month period. The researchers hypothesised that the increased amount of artificial light that modern day children are exposed to, via phones, tablets and television, might have effects on their metabolism, as this increasing exposure has accompanied an increase in global childhood obesity.
Cassandra Pattinson, the study’s lead author, explained that the timing, intensity and duration of light exposure (both artificial and natural) were already known to have an effect on the ‘circadian rhythm’. This is also known as our internal body clock, and impacts on sleep patterns, metabolism, hormonal changes and weight changes. The researchers hope that the study may pave the way for more exploration about the impact of light on the weight of children and how this knowledge can be used against childhood obesity.
Read MoreThe high rate of symptoms post-gastric bypass
Although most patients report improved well-being after Roux-en-Y bypass (RYGB) surgery, the prevalence of symptoms was high, and nearly one-third of patients were hospitalised. These are the conclusions from a danish study of 2,238 individuals who underwent RYGB. RYGB has been recognised as a very effective treatment for those suffering from severe obesity, however this study aimed to assess the possible medical, surgical and nutritional symptoms that are experienced by the patients, that could impact upon their quality of life. They found that, of the 1,394 people that replied, 68% had been in contact with various health care systems regarding their symptoms, and 29% had been hospitalised.
The common symptoms were abdominal pain, fatigue, anaemia and gallstones, all of which can greatly affect the quality of life that a patient leads. Interestingly, females reported a higher incidence of symptoms, as did those under 35. The study authors were unable to attribute these differences to specific reasons, however they did stress that the development of weight loss procedures with fewer subsequent symptoms should be a high priority amongst those hoping to treat obesity.
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