Are organic pollutants causing abdominal obesity?
Organic pollutants may be causing hormone imbalances that contribute to the development of obesity. This is the outcome of a new study, from Taiwan published in the journal PLOS ONE. Researchers were examining the relationship between abdominal obesity, insulin resistance and dioxin, known as a persistent organic pollutant (POP). Rodent studies have shown that dioxin-like organic pollutants may be obesogens. The researchers analysed the data of 2,876 participants and found that those with higher levels of dioxin in their systems from eating contaminated seafood were fatter and more likely to suffer from insulin resistance.
Dioxins are released into the air by a range of industrial processes, some of which are also found in motor vehicles. Recently, more research has been undertaken into the health harms related to these particles, in particular on the endocrine related effects. The researchers hope that this study will help highlight the problem of POPs and will therefore lead to the reduction in exposure to these endocrine disrupting chemicals.
Read MoreObesity linked with blood clots in children
A recent study has found that obesity can contribute to the formation of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in children. It is a well-established fact that obesity can cause VTE in adults, however this study found that a high BMI is also a risk factor in children. The study was conducted on 88 patients from 2 to 18 years of age. The authors were particularly concerned as the incidence of paediatric VTE has increased over the last 20 years, along with the rise in childhood obesity.
Even though the data is from a single institution, and the sample size is fairly small, it still suggests that there is an association between paediatric VTE and obesity being demonstrated. Clinicians need to be aware of this association, as it has the potential to result in many more health issues for the children such as recurrent clots, pulmonary embolism (a severe condition where blood flow is restricted to the lungs), post-thrombotic syndrome (which is a painful condition affecting limbs that causes ulceration), or even stroke.
Read MoreListening to your body to stop obesity
To be able to cope with stress more effectively, we should listen to our bodies more. This is the conclusion of a study conducted in San Diego, California where researchers evaluated brain function before and after a stressful situation using functional MRI. They found that people with high resilience were far more attentive to signals that their body were giving them (such as changes in breathing and heart rates) and were therefore able to moderate this response, effectively dampening the effect of stress.
As the stress response can play a role in the development of obesity, due to its proven effects on hormone regulation and cravings (sometimes referred to as ‘comfort eating’), this research has the potential to investigate the causes of obesity in some individuals, possibly creating opportunities for new interventions to be developed. The researchers are hoping to build on this work and explore the effect of resilience more, so that it may be used in a therapeutic setting.
Read MoreDo sugar-sweetened drinks increase visceral fat?
Consuming sugar-sweetened beverages may increase the amount of visceral fat that your body stores. This is the outcome of a study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation. As these drinks are the largest contributor of added sugar intake in the USA, researchers looked at data from just over 1,000 patients in the Framingham Heart Study (an ongoing project into cardiovascular disease). The participants were given CT scans at the start of the study, and after a 6-year follow-up the researchers observed that there was a direct correlation between increased sugar-sweetened drink consumption and increased visceral fat.
Visceral fat is fat that covers internal organs and has been linked with the development of diabetes and heart disease due to its impact on inflammation and release of adipokines. The exact mechanism in this study is not fully known, however the authors hypothesised that the added sugars in the drinks could contribute to insulin resistance as well, eventually leading to type 2 diabetes, whilst also promoting fat accumulation in visceral tissues. There was no association for diet soda. The study supports the current dietary recommendations of limiting the number of sugar-sweetened beverages that one consumes, to protect against cardiometabolic diseases.
Read MoreWater jets fight childhood obesity
The installation of water dispensers in schools is associated with a decreased weight of students. A recent study conducted across 1,227 elementary and middle schools (ages 4-13), including 1,065,562 students in New York City, found that this relatively low-cost intervention has the potential to have great health effects on the children. In 2009, New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Department of Education collaborated to introduce ‘water jets’ into schools. The aim of which was to decrease the volume of high calorie beverages that the children consume and promote water consumption, thereby becoming an intervention against childhood obesity.
The researchers compared the BMI of students before and after the introduction of the water jets and found that, after a 3-month period, BMI in both boys and girls was slightly, but significantly, lowered. The authors hypothesised that the availability of water meant that fewer students would bring in high calorie beverages that may contribute to weight problems. Just under 40% of the children in New York City are classed as being overweight or obese so the city has adopted policies that aim to reduce this number. This intervention could offer a cheap and effective avenue for these policies. However, the researchers do admit that more research will need to be done in order to discover the mechanism behind the effect, although in their study they showed less milk was purchased.
Picture from Healthnewsline
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