Student URLs for Feb 22, 2016
URLs for Feb 22
Sara Sigur
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/ExerciseFitness/56203?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-16&eun=g332005d0r
The threat of losing money was more effective in getting overweight and obese adult employees to exercise than was promising extra pay, according to results of a randomized, controlled trial.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/DietNutrition/56172?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-13&eun=g332005d0rAdults with obesity who ate breakfast were more likely to have higher levels of physical activity in the morning than their counterparts who skipped their first meal, according to a new study. But there were no differences between breakfast eaters and non-eaters in terms of weight change and most health outcomes over 6 weeks, according to lead study author Enhad Chowdhury, PhD, at the University of Bath in England.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160128130943.htm
Exercise by itself isn't always enough to take off the weight. Now, evidence helps to explain why that is: our bodies adapt to higher activity levels, so that people don't necessarily burn extra calories even if they exercise more.
Sarah Kleinknecht
New appreciation for human microbiome leads to greater understanding of human health
Posted: 14 Feb 2016 05:11 PM PST
Anthropologists are studying the ancient and modern human microbiome and the role it plays in human health and disease. By applying genomic and proteomic sequencing technologies to ancient human microbiomes, such as coprolites and dental calculus, as well as to contemporary microbiomes in traditional and industrialized societies, Researchers are advancing the understanding of the evolutionary history of our microbial self and its impact on human health today.
Eating produce with high flavonoid levels may be beneficial for weight control
TIME (1/27, Oaklander) reports that in a study published Jan. 27 in the BMJ, “researchers found that one little-understood group of compounds – flavonoids – might be partly responsible for the weight-loss power of produce.”
Newsweek (1/27, Firger) reports that the study involved “124,086 men and women over age 24.” In the study, scientists found that “fruits and vegetables rich in anthocyanins, flavonols, flavonoid polymers, and flavan-3-ols” appear to be “highly beneficial for weight control.”
HealthDay (1/27, Doheny) reports that “apples, pears, berries and peppers were on the list of flavonoid-rich produce that seemed to make a difference, the researchers found.”
Shedding Pounds May Ward Off Knee OA
Loss of 5% body weight reduced risk in middle-aged, overweight and obese women
Some people with BMIs labeling them overweight or obese may actually be healthy, study shows
The Los Angeles Times (2/4, Khan) reports in “Science Now” that a study published online Feb. 4 in the International Journal of Obesity suggests that “some 54 million Americans who are labeled as obese or overweight according to their body mass index [BMI] are,” upon “a closer look, actually healthy.” The study’s findings “reveal that employers could potentially saddle people with unfairly high health insurance costs based on a deeply flawed measure of actual health.”
According to the NPR (2/4, Chen) “Shots” blog, physicians “contend that BMI’s usefulness ends at a rough indication that a patient should be checked for things like high blood pressure or cholesterol.” BMI was not invented as an “individual health metric.” Professional athletes, for example, “often have BMIs that could get them in trouble with a workplace wellness plan,” and “that mismatch between BMI and health is true not just for athletes,” the study found.
Severity of metabolic syndrome in US teens improving, perhaps due to healthier diets
Reuters (2/9, Rapaport) reports that adolescents in the US appear to be eating better diets and are showing decreased severity in metabolic syndrome, a study published online in Pediatrics suggests.
HealthDay (2/9, Salamon) reports that the 13-year, 5,000-teen study revealed “marked changes in two of the risk factors: a drop in...triglycerides, and an increase in HDL...cholesterol.” Researchers “found no changes in average physical activity levels,” however.
New answers concerning a weight-regulating hormone
Posted: 11 Feb 2016 07:48 AM PST
For years, scientists have failed to locate the DNA variants that control the weight-regulating hormone, leptin. However, new research has enabled the identification of four genes associated with leptin levels, which is particularly relevant within an obesity context. The study focuses on the powerful hormone leptin, which regulates humans' long-term energy balance by informing the brain about the amount of stored body fat.
Sticks, Not Carrots, May Wprk Best to Increase Employees Health
Financial penalties work better than cash rewards for motivating employees to meet physical activity goals in a workplace wellness program, a new study reports.
Employees met a daily walking distance goal more often when every missed day meant money removed from a set monthly reward, as opposed to earning a cash incentive each day they met the goal, researchers reported. The results showed that a psychological concept called "loss aversion" is a stronger motivator than straightforward financial rewards in helping employees adopt healthy behaviors, said lead study author Dr. Mitesh Patel.In the study, Patel and his colleagues set up a 13-week wellness program for 281 overweight or obese employees. The study volunteers were randomly placed into one of four groups.Two groups received cash incentives for meeting a daily 7,000-step walking goal, but the incentives were framed in opposite ways, Patel said.The straight incentive group was told that they could earn $1.40 every day they met the walking goal, up to a monthly total of $42.
House votes to ease calorie disclosure rules for pizzerias, delis, grocers
The House voted Friday to make it easier for you to avoid the harsh truth of how many calories you're devouring as you scarf down that pizza.House members voted 266-144 to gut a proposed Food and Drug Administration rule requiring chain pizzerias, delis, and convenience stores to list the calorie content of their meals on menus or menu boards prominently displayed on the premises. Instead, takeout restaurants and grocers could choose to disclose calories only on their websites. Congress already delayed implementation of the FDA's menu labeling rules as part of a massive "omnibus" spending bill it passed late last year. The agency had set a deadline of Dec. 1, 2016 for chain restaurants, grocery stores that sell prepared food, and other businesses with 20 or more locations to comply with the new calorie disclosure requirements. The omnibus bill eliminated that deadline and set no specific date for compliance.
The Global Healthy Weight Registry
If there is one thing to avoid when trying to lose or maintain a healthy weight, it's a restrictive diet! Instead, simple routine behaviors may be key. To shed light on the health behaviors of those who maintain a healthy weight, Cornell Food and Brand Lab researchers developed an online Global Healthy Weight Registry (formerly named the Slim by Design Registry). Adults of healthy weight were invited to sign up for the registry and then answer questions about diet, exercise, and daily routines.The researcher's analysis of 147 adult Registry participants unveiled some common routine behaviors of those who stay healthy and slim. Namely, 96% reported eating breakfast, 42% exercised 5+ times a week, and 50% weighed themselves at least weekly. Although 74% never or rarely dieted, 92% reported being conscious of what they ate. As part of their habits that lead to weight control, 44% reported at least one non-restrictive strategy (such as listening to inner cues, cooking at home, and eating high-quality, non-processed foods).
The global healthy weight registry
"Most slim people don't employ restrictive diets or intense health regimes to stay at a healthy weight. Instead, they practice easy habits like not skipping breakfast, and listening to inner cues. If you struggle with weight, try adding these simple practices to your routine, you may be surprised how easy it is to be healthy!"
Intestinal bacteria may play vital role in protecting against malnutrition
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/02/18/could-the-right-gut-microbes-help-fight-childhood-malnutrition/
Gordon and his colleagues found a connection between childhood gut micro biota ( the set of bacteria that colonize the gut) and developmental success. Children who were malnourished tended to have gut microbes similar to children younger than themselves, as is the microbial similar to children younger than themselves.
Calorie count labeling helps overweight and obese consumers, study says
http://www.statnews.com/2016/02/18/calories-menus-obesity/
Deb and colleagues turned to the data to find an answer. And they discovered that calorie labeling does appear to improve the health of overweight and obese people.
http://www.statnews.com/2016/02/18/calories-menus-obesity/
Calorie Counts on meus: Do they work?
There is a FDA mandate, being stalled by Congress, to require chain restaurants nationwide to include calorie counts on restaurant menus, based on a new study that calorie labeling does appear to improve the health of overweight and obese people. Locations including Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, and California already have such mandates. The study compared BMI before and after calorie-labeling law enactment. The study found no change in BMI for normal weight individuals but found a decline in overweight and obese individuals (overweight females – 0.9%, obese females – no change; overweight males – 1.4%, obese males 2%). However, the study only looked at urban locals and no their frequency of eating outside of the home, proximity to grocery stores, nor exercise frequency.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160125114247.htm
Link between food advertising, child food consumption
A study reviewed 22 studies looking at the impact of acute, experimental unhealthy food advertising exposure on food consumption. The studies reviewed exposed children and/or adults to unhealthy food advertising, measured how much they ate, and compared this to the amount people ate without food advertising. The study showed that unhealthy food advertising exposure significantly increased food consumption in children but not adults with television and internet advertising having equal impact. The study showed advertising affects not only brand preference but also consumption. Given the growing rates of childhood obesity, food marketing reform is a growing area of concern.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160125125606.htm
Smartphones may decrease sedentary time, increase activity, study finds
Sedentary time is linked to increased risk of breast, colorectal, ovarian, endometrial, and prostate cancers as well as weight gain, higher BMI, and obesity. Given America’s obesity epidemic and the fact that American spend on average 8 waking hours sedentary each day this could be promising. A pilot study using smartphone reminders to prompt subjects to move may reduce sedentary behavior. Individuals were sent reminders to stand up and move around or sit less after long uninterrupted sitting periods. It found participants had significantly fewer minutes of daily sedentary time and more daily minutes of active time than controls. Accelerometers recorded three percent less sedentary time than control participants, equaling about 25 minutes of time spent engaged in activity rather than in sedentary behavior on any given day. The pilot study had limitations: the study was not randomized and the duration of 7 days was brief but it offers a promising strategy.
One-third of clinical trials conducted at 51 major U.S. universities and academic hospitals were never published in a peer-reviewed journal or in a government registry online, according to a new study in the BMJ, formerly the British Medical Journal.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-17/one-third-of-clinical-trial-results-never-disclosed-study-finds
New research published today in the journal JAMA Psychiatry found that using marijuana as an adult is not associated with a variety of mood and anxiety disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/17/study-smoking-pot-doesnt-make-you-anxious-or-depressed/
A higher genetic risk for type 2 diabetes was linked to a greater risk for all-cause mortality, independent of body mass index (BMI), lifestyle and metabolic risk factors, and whether a person had diabetes at baseline, researchers reported.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Diabetes/56224?xid=NL_breakingnews_2016-02-17&eun=g332005d0r