Standing desks lower BMI
A recent study has shown that standing desks lower the BMI trajectory in school children over a 2 year span. Twenty four classrooms at three elementary schools in Texas participated in the study. 193 students took part and those with standing desks were compared with those who sat at their desks. The researchers found that those who were standing averaged a 3% drop in BMI, whilst those at normal desks noticed a 2% increase, which was considered normal for that age. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between gender and race, suggesting that this is an effect that is generalised across many demographic groups.
Whilst it is difficult to measure the BMI of children, as they should be gaining weight over time as they grow taller and get older, percentiles can be used to gain a better idea of how that child compares to others. This is what was used in this study, and indeed many other studies that assess BMI in children. The students who were a healthy weight when they began the study remained a healthy weight at the end, suggesting that whilst other children may lose weight by using standing desks, they can also be used in prevention strategies. The researchers are hoping to further this study by performing it on a larger scale.
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Over 57,000 children become overweight whilst at primary school
New figures from cancer research UK have shown that yearly, 57,100 children who started primary school at a healthy weight were overweight or obese by the time they left. Whilst 1 in 5 children are already overweight when they start primary school, 1 in 3 are overweight by the time they leave. The authors at Cancer Research UK claim that although exercise is encouraged in schools and a sugar tax is being introduced, this won’t be enough to curb the worryingly high levels of overweight in England’s schools. In order to raise awareness of the problem the charity erected an XL sized school uniforms shop, to highlight the differences between healthy weight and overweight children.
According to Cancer Research UK, being overweight or obese is the single biggest cause of preventable cancer in the UK after smoking, and it is accountable for 18,100 cases every year. Alison Cox, the director of prevention at the charity was concerned with the governments long-awaited childhood obesity strategy, explaining that she felt it had failed children and that the plan to tackle childhood obesity was not working. She went on to explain that whilst the government had gone a certain way to curb childhood obesity, with measures such as the banning of junk food advertising during shows aimed at children, they must do more to police this and ban them during adult TV shows. Overall, these worrying figures show how prevalent obesity is becoming in schools and that more must be done to prevent young children from gaining too much weight.
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Diabetes treatment occurs 15 times more than obesity management.
New research has shown that clinicians prescribe anti-diabetes medication 15 times more than those for obesity. Obesity itself is a well-known risk factor for developing diabetes, with 90% of T2DM patients being overweight or obese. In the USA there are six different drugs approved for the treatment of obesity, however, of the 46% eligible for this treatment, only 2% are receiving it. The researchers of this study were aiming to determine to what extent obesity was being treated, as it is an obvious step for the prevention and treatment of diabetes.
The authors of the study call for more counselling in the availability of obesity medications for clinicians, whilst also a demonstration of a ‘greater urgency in the treatment of obesity’. The study itself was performed retrospectively and analysed data from 2012 to 2015. Dr Charles Billington, former president of The Obesity Society explained that ‘we are missing the opportunity among patients with serious obesity-related illness to provide the full range of proven, safe and effective therapies.’ He went on to explain that people with obesity should have access to evidence-based care and the provision of obesity medication on a larger scale would help to achieve this.
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Caesarean sections increase risk of obesity in children
A large study, originating from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has found that children delivered using caesarean section were 15% more likely to become obese compared to children who were delivered vaginally. Babies born by C-section were also 64% more likely to be obese than their vaginally birthed siblings. Whilst C-sections often are a necessary and lifesaving procedure, there are many known risks to the mother and the baby. Jorge Chavarro, senior author, suggests that increased risk of obesity should be added to that list.
Each year almost a third of all deliveries in the USA are C-sections, and whilst other studies have suggested a link to obesity, this is the largest and most detailed research into the area. 22,000 participants were followed over 16 years and factors such as the mother’s pre-pregnancy BMI, smoking and diabetes status, age at delivery and location were also taken into account. Dr Chavarro explained that this study provided clear evidence that the association between C-section births and childhood obesity was real.
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Reduction of body weight after replacement of sugary drinks with water
A study from Virginia Tech has modelled the effects of replacing one-sugar sweetened drink with water, regardless of the amount of sugary drinks one normally consumes. It is well known that the consumption of high-calorie sugary drinks such as soda and energy drinks can increase the risk of developing obesity and cardiovascular disease. The study showed that this drink swap reduced overall daily calories and the prevalence of obesity amongst sugary beverage drinking populations.
The modelling showed that on average, replacing a sugary drink with water reduced the number of calories consumed from drinks from 17% to 11%. The study authors used a scoring system known as the Healthy Beverage Index which is used to evaluate individual beverage patterns and their relation to diet and health. Higher scores are meant to correlate with better cholesterol levels and lower hypertension levels. The index was developed by the same authors of this study. Its overall aim is to help people identify what and how much they should be drinking. The authors are hoping to continue this research and assess the effects of diet drinks on health.
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High rates of obesity found in student athletes
The Athlete Health Organisation, is a non-profit organisation, that provides free participation evaluations for students before the start of each season to identify who might be at risk of illness or injury; these predominantly take place in Philadelphia. Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University have examined the most recent findings and produced a research paper on them. During each examination physicians gather biometric information and perform an electrocardiogram. The tests have been occurring for over 4 years and a variety of life-threatening conditions have been identified in a handful of students.
The most recent analysis has found high rates of obesity and high blood pressure in the student athlete population. 20% of participants were overweight, 24% were obese and 14.8% had high blood pressure readings. Although the general presumption is that sports and activity should help with weight and blood pressure control, this study has shown that this may not be the case in Philadelphia. The authors are hoping to continue their research to figure out why these effects have taken hold and to raise awareness of health issues affecting the student athlete population.
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Sustained weight loss after gastric bypass surgery
A study published online in JAMA Surgery has evaluated the preoperative factors that are associated with long term weight loss after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Weight loss trajectories following gastric bypass have been variable from person to person and some patients are not able to maintain weight loss. In this study 726 RYGB patients were followed up 7 to 12 years after surgery, and weight loss and preoperative clinical factors were compared. Factors such as preoperative insulin use, smoking and use of 12 or more medications were associated with a greater long term weight loss. Factors such as preoperative hyperlipidaemia, older age and higher BMI were associated with a poorer outcome.
The authors speculate that these findings may be due to an increased interaction with healthcare professionals or perhaps due to unintentional weight loss from other health conditions. They go on to say that more studies are needed to evaluate these medications separately in relation to long term weight loss. More studies are needed to investigate psychosocial, behavioural and other modifiable factors. As these findings seem to suggest that the sickest patients seem to have the best outcomes – contrary to previous studies – more research is needed to confirm the conclusions.
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Children score poorly on health behaviours measurement
A recent study, led by a team from the University of Minnesota, has found that a vast majority of children in the USA are not meeting the American Heart Association’s definition of ‘ideal cardiovascular health’. Julia Steinburger, lead author of the study, explained that the primary reason for so few children actually scoring highly on the measurement was: poor nutrition, high-calorie and low-nutrition foods. She went on to say that engaging in ideal health behaviours early on in life can have a tremendous benefit on the maintenance of health throughout life.
Overall, 91% of children scored poorly on diet measurements, with most children getting the majority of their daily calories from simple carbohydrates like sweet desserts and drinks. This, compounded with the fact that many did not partake in an adequate amount of exercise, meant that body weight was affected. For some ages between 12 and 19 the obesity rate was as high as 27%. These outcomes have highlighted the importance of instilling healthy behaviours from a young age, in order to protect our bodies as we age from the effects of diseases such as obesity, however they have also shown that this is not happening at the moment, and should be a priority in the future.
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Duration of overweight linked to cancer risk
The length of time that a woman spends of her adulthood as overweight or obese is directly linked to the development of a range of cancers. Up until now many studies that have looked at the associated risk between cancer and obesity have been cross-sectional, meaning that multiple measurements over a period of time haven’t been analysed. This study examined the BMI measurements of around 74,000 women and its association with cancer risk. They also took into account other compounding factors such as physical activity, diet, smoking and medications.
They found that for every 10 years that a person spent as overweight their risk of developing all obesity related cancers increased by 7%, a 5% increase in breast cancer risk and a 17% increase in the risk of endometrial cancer. The authors are keen to show that the health care teams should recognise that cancer prevention should be a part of obesity management. This study focused solely on women and the results for a similar study in men would be interesting.
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Brains of obese people show premature ageing
A study performed at the University of Cambridge has found that the brains of obese individuals display the differences seen in lean individuals that are 10 years their senior. Brains are known to shrink with age and these changes are found in the white matter part of the brain. This study analysed cross-sectional data from 473 individuals and found that the white matter of obese individuals was different to that of a lean person of the same age, but the same of that of a lean person 10 years older.
The researchers only noticed this difference in middle-aged and older individuals, suggesting that our brains are more vulnerable during this period of time. Dr Lisa Ronan, from the Department of Psychiatry at the University, explained that we are still unsure what the specific mechanisms involved are. However, the team further mentioned that the combination of the ageing population as well as the rise of obesity meant that this issue will be very important in the coming years and that they are hoping to continue this work in the future.
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Obesity rates differ amongst elementary school groups
A study conducted in Southeastern Texas has found that the obesity trajectory rates amongst elementary school children differ with gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. The researchers set out to examine whether there were distinct BMI trajectory groups, and if they could develop predictors for these groups. 1,651 school children were involved in the study, and data was collected biannually from when the children were 5 to when they were 11 years old.
The researchers found that boys, Hispanic and non-hispanic black children were at a much higher risk of becoming overweight or obese during their time at elementary school. Highlighting a possible need for focused obesity treatment. Furthermore, it was found that post-kindergarten and the summer months were when most children transitioned to becoming overweight or obese. The authors of the study are hoping to continue this work and identify which particular diet and lifestyle factors are largely responsible for the varying group trajectories so that more of an effort can be made in preventing overweight and obesity from developing.
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Reward centres of obese women act differently to those of normal weight
A new study has shown that the parts of the brain that control feelings of reward continue to respond after severely obese women are already full. The brains of 15 obese women were compared with the brains of 15 lean women. It was found that activity in certain parts of the brain were increased in both groups before a meal, whilst they were hungry, however after the meal these centres continued to respond in the obese women. Whilst the appeal of pictures of food dropped by 15% for lean women, the obese women only had a 4% drop, further to this the reward centres in the obese women’s brains maintained activation.
The authors of the study described the obese women as having ‘an instinctive drive to keep eating’. These findings may help to explain why some obese people report underlying and irresistible drives to continue eating, despite the fact that they are no longer hungry. This also highlights some of the more difficult factors to address when attempting to treat obesity in a handful of the population.
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