High-fructose diet during pregnancy can have lasting effect on children
Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch have shown that an increased consumption of fructose in a mouse model during pregnancy increases the risk of offspring developing obesity and heart disease. High-fructose corn syrup is used to sweeten food and beverages, and some reports suggest that refined sugars account for more than half of all sweeteners used in the US food supply chain. The authors compared the phenotype of the offspring of mice who were on a high-fructose diet during pregnancy to those on a normal diet.
The high fructose diet was designed to mimic a diet that contained high amounts of sugary soft drinks. The research team were especially interested in the amount of abdominal fat tissue and fat around the liver, which they measured using computed tomography. They found that both female and male offspring of the high fructose diet mice were fatter, had higher glucose levels and higher blood pressure compared to the control offspring. The authors are hoping to expand their research which could have large implications as a very high proportion of the world’s processed food uses fructose and fructose based syrups as sweeteners.
Read MoreWhy some population interventions for dieting and obesity are better than others
Public health interventions that require individuals to invest fewer personal and psychological resources are more likely to be most effective. Researchers from the University of Cambridge identified two main approaches for improving diets from governmental perspectives, the first looks at the population and aims to elicit modest reductions in risk to everyone, whilst the other tries to focus on individual agency and personal will to benefit from interventions.
The researchers found that many population interventions do not all have the same effect and these are the interventions that are currently favoured by governments around the world. For example, encouraging people to cook at home may be difficult when many can’t afford to, they don’t have the correct facilities, or enough time. However, population interventions that require little to no individual agency are the most likely to be beneficial, this could be something as simple as reducing salt in diet or even processed food. Therefore, the researchers are promoting the development, evaluation and implementation of population interventions that require low levels of agency for individuals to benefit more.
Read MoreMindfulness very effective for teenagers
Some of the simplest, safest and most effective interventions for combating adolescent obesity may be just making them aware of what they are eating. A recent study conducted in Georgia, USA showed that mindfulness eating awareness training programs encourage adolescents to make healthier food choices and increase their physical activity. 40 high school students were enrolled in a 12 week mindfulness program, alongside a control group, sessions ranged from meditation techniques to meal timings.
Adolescents in the intervention arm eventually ate better and exercised more. They also experienced a slight downward trend in their weight, whilst those in the control arm did not experience such positive outcomes. However, many in the intervention arm continued to binge eat, therefore more research into the use of mindfulness and its possible adjustments must be conducted. The overall concept though is a relatively simple and easy intervention, and could prove to be highly successful in defending the health of young people.
Read MoreObesity affecting male fertility
Obesity affecting male fertility
Infertility in obese men is a global health issue and needs to be addressed by policymakers and the media. This is the suggestion from a recent study based in Porto, Portugal that examined, in particular, the effect of obesity on the fertility of males. Obesity is a metabolic disease that can cause dysfunction in the body’s endocrine system and hormonal functioning. Fertility is extremely closely linked with hormones and even the smallest of changes can result in large effects. The researchers wanted to highlight the fact that as obesity is now such a widespread problem, there will be other issues that occur at the same time, one of which is male infertility.
The study itself discussed the most recent and relevant evidence relating to male infertility and obesity, some of which examined how lifestyle factors and dietary habits can influence the progression of obesity and male infertility. Overall, the team hopes that their paper will lead to increased media coverage about the issue, whilst also proving to policymakers how important it is in today’s society.
Read MoreShould food be labelled with activity equivalent information?
Food should be labelled with the equivalent exercise required to expend the number of calories it contains. This is the suggestion from Shirley Cramer, Chief Executive at the Royal Society of Public Health, in an article published in the BMJ. She explains that with more than two-thirds of the UK population overweight or obese, more innovative changes are required in order to adequately address the issue. One of the suggested changes would be to introduce ‘activity equivalent’ calorie labelling, with the objective being that people would be more mindful of the energy they consume, whilst also encouraging them to be more active.
Cramer further explained that 44% of people found current calorie information confusing on food packaging, and 53% said that they would positively change their behaviour if they could see the activity equivalent of the food, this would include changing portion sizes, choosing healthier products and doing more physical exercise. Placing this type of information on food packaging could play an integral part as one of the solutions to such a multifaceted problem like obesity. However, food packaging is governed by the European Union, therefore widespread changes would need to be made in order to push through these suggestions. Therefore, to encourage this idea, Cramer has called for detailed research into its use as a potential intervention to change the behaviour of the general public.
Read MoreBEATing hunger with a nonsurgical intervention
BEATing hunger with a nonsurgical intervention
A novel, safe and minimally invasive treatment has been developed that may help people struggling to lose weight. Researchers designed the Bariatric Embolization of Arteries for the Treatment of Obesity (BEAT) trial to evaluate the use of bariatric arterial embolization (BAE) as a new treatment option for obesity. The technology itself was developed by interventional radiologists and works by using catheters and image guidance systems to decrease blood flow to certain parts of the stomach that produce a hormone called ghrelin. This hormone is known for being the body’s most powerful ‘hunger hormone’.
The study itself enrolled 7 severely obese participants that were already being cared for by a multidisciplinary team. The participants were monitored after treatment with BAE and it was found to be a safe and effective procedure, as no adverse events were reported and all patients experienced marked weight loss as well as much lower hunger levels. After 6 months the participants had lost an average of 13.3% of their original weight. The researchers are hoping to gain approval to test the treatment on a larger cohort of patients, so that the safety and efficacy of BAE can be fully assessed.
Read MoreLong-term diabetes reversal is now an achievable target
People who reverse their diabetes and subsequently keep their weight down can remain diabetes free. This is the conclusion from a study conducted at Newcastle University, which forms part of a large body of evidence detailing that losing weight in T2DM may effectively reverse it by removing fat from the pancreas. In 2013, a study was published which showed that T2DM could be reversed by limiting caloric intake, however it was a small and short study. This study included a slightly larger number of participants. Once again, it followed a similar diet and diabetes was reversed in a number of participants, although many of them remained overweight enough fat had been removed from their pancreas to allow for normal insulin production and action. The study also showed that longstanding diabetes can also be reversed, with some patients becoming diabetes free after 10 years.
The study’s authors are eager to point out that more research needs to be undertaken in order to improve the quality of the interventions in order to make it applicable to more patients, therefore they have already begun work on a larger trial that will look at how successfully people can reverse their diabetes through weight loss under the care of their GP or nurse. This is being funded by Diabetes UK.
Read MoreCan childhood antibiotic use lead to obesity?
Early antibiotic use has been linked to a number of rare long-term health consequences, but a new study published in Gastroenterology has suggested that it can also lead to obesity. The study was performed in the UK and found that increased antibiotic exposure before the age of 2 can lead to a higher risk of being classed as obese by age 4. This was described with a 1.2% increased absolute risk and a 25% relative increase in risk of exposed children to non-exposed children. The risk was seen as strongest with repeated exposures, particularly with 3 or more courses of antibiotics.
Antibiotics have been used to promote weight gain in livestock for many years now, and this study has shown that similar results may be observed in humans. Over prescription of antibiotics is a common worldwide problem that has not only led to antibiotic resistance, but now may also increase the global burden of obesity. The researchers explained that antibiotics should still be used when necessary, but doctors and parents should think twice about prescribing unless they are clearly indicated. Further research is underway to explore if there is any relationship with adolescent weight and antibiotic use, also research is being conducted in the type of antibiotics used and if that has an effect on the amount of weight gained.
Read MoreWeight loss and protein diet improves sleep quality
Overweight and obese individuals who are losing weight whilst adhering to a high protein diet will benefit from high quality sleep. This is the finding from a recent study conducted at Purdue University in Indiana, USA. Whilst many studies have looked into the effect of sleep on diet and weight control, this research aimed to reverse the viewpoints and see if particular diets and weight loss, specifically protein controlled diets, had any effect on sleep patterns and quality. The main study involved 44 participants, half of whom were given a normal protein diet, whilst the others were given a high protein diet. They were then given a survey on sleep quality to complete, and after 3 to 4 months of dietary intervention, the group on the high-protein diet that were also losing weight reported an overall better quality of sleep than their counterparts.
Jing Zhou, the lead author explained that short sleep duration and poor quality sleep can lead to metabolic and cardiovascular disturbances, and by better understanding how changes to lifestyle and diet can affect sleep we can help improve the health of different populations. Sleep is a very important modifier of an individual’s health, and the team that carried out this research are hoping to continue in the same vein and complete more objective measurements of sleep quality in order to confirm their results.
Read MoreThe dangers of belly fat are revealed
A recent review of current literature has revealed a clear correlation between high BMI, waist circumference and an increased risk of heart failure. Researchers from Imperial College London and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have conducted a meta-analysis that showed that overweight, as well as obesity, increases the risk of heart failure. Overall, overweight individuals were considered to have a 35% increased risk of heart failure than their normal weight counterparts, whilst obesity increased the risk by 2 to 3 times.
The paper included 23 studies that included 650,000 participants in total, they also found that the distribution of one’s fat plays a major role in the development of heart failure; a 10cm increase in waist circumference was linked to a 29% higher risk of heart failure. The authors hope that the paper will reinforce the suggestions of measuring patients’ waist circumference in regular medical examinations throughout the world. Whilst the researchers have found correlations, they admit that direct causation mustn’t be the final conclusion drawn, rather that increased waist circumference is one of many factors that can ultimately lead to heart failure.
Read MoreMore obese people in the world than underweight
Researchers from Imperial College London have conducted a large study that has found that there are now more obese people in the world than underweight people. The study compared the BMI of almost 20 million men and women from 1975 to 2014, it found that obesity rates have tripled in men and doubled in women in this time. The study covered 186 countries and showed that in 1975 global obesity rates were 3.2% and 6.4% in men and women respectively, now they are 10.8% and 14.9%. Professor Majid Ezzati, lead author, explained that whilst it was good to see that the rates of underweight in the world had reduced in the time period the rates of obesity had risen to a ‘crisis point’.
The study compared many other aspects of weight distribution around the world, for example China now has the largest amount of obese people in the world, whilst the UK is projected to have the highest rates of obese women in Europe by 2025. Obesity is a complex disease that will not have 1 solution, therefore the authors of this study are hoping that there will be a shift of responsibility from individuals to governments so that new policies will be developed and implemented in order to address this global epidemic.
Read MoreThe UK Sugar Tax
The chancellor has announced that a new sugar tax will be imposed on the soft drinks industry. In his new Budget, George Osbourne has unveiled new plans to fight childhood obesity by targeting the soft drinks industry. By increasing the prices of high-sugar drinks it is hoped that people, particularly children, will be more reluctant to buy them. Pure fruit juices and milk-based drinks will be exempt, as will drinks from small producers. There are two bands, one for total sugar content above 5g per 100ml and a second for drinks with more than 8g per 100ml, with taxes at 18p and 24p respectively.
In recent years many have been calling for this levy to be imposed, and not long ago Cancer Research UK suggested that a sugar tax could result in 3.7 million fewer cases of obesity by 2025. There are many reasons why drinks are being targeted and not other high-sugar foods, one is that people who drink these drinks tend to consume them every day, and some of them contain such high proportions of sugar that a person can consume over the recommended sugar intake in one sitting. It is thought that the money raised from the tax, approximately £520 million, will be spent on funding for sport in primary schools, furthering the fight against childhood obesity.
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