Could Your Genes Make You Look Fat?

Could Your Genes Make You Look Fat?

There are 100 genetic markers linked to obesity but it only seems to contribute to 3% of the difference in body mass index between people. To help us understand the difference between genetics (nature) and habits (nurture), scientists in England compared the weight of...
Mindful Eating

Mindful Eating

In a study done last year, a group of 105 overweight individuals was asked to simply record all the food they ate. They were not asked to count calories or to follow a certain diet. Simply keeping track of what they ate increased their food intake awareness. The...
Hydrate to Lose Weight

Hydrate to Lose Weight

When you drink enough water you don’t only replace calorie laden drinks, but you also avoid dehydration which causes a decrease in your blood volume. According to a recent study, when the kidneys detect a drop in fluids they release an enzyme that causes a rise in...
“Lose-Lose” Together!

“Lose-Lose” Together!

In a poster session (T-OR-2014) at ObesityWeek 2016 Amy Gorin, Ph.D. reported her team found when one spouse lost weight the other one frequently did, too! Participants were randomized to Weight Watchers or a self-guided program to lose weight. Both participants and...
How Best to Control Portion Size

How Best to Control Portion Size

A trial of 186 overweight or obese women were randomly assigned to one of three groups: standard advice to eat less, another was taught to choose portions based on energy density, and the other received portion-controlled meals. The last group lost the most at first,...
Whole Grains Reduce Systemic Inflammation

Whole Grains Reduce Systemic Inflammation

Danish scientists investigated the impact of replacing a refined grain diet with a whole grain diet (<10 gm or >75 gm whole grains, respectively) on the gut microbiome and insulin sensitivity. In a randomized, controlled cross-over study, 50 patients were tested...
Does Cinnamon Burn Extra Calories?

Does Cinnamon Burn Extra Calories?

Early research with cinnamaldehyde, the oil which gives cinnamon its flavor, may act directly on human fat cells causing them to burn energy by thermogenesis. Before you load your favorite holiday foods with extra cinnamon in an attempt to keep the weight off, the...
Popular Sports Supplements Contain More Than Meets the Eye

Popular Sports Supplements Contain More Than Meets the Eye

Are you or someone you know using sports or weight-loss supplements? Harvard Medical School researchers analyzed six popular brands of these and found two banned stimulants and two novels formulations, some at surprisingly high levels. The authors encourage physicians...
Artificial Sweeteners and Health Risks

Artificial Sweeteners and Health Risks

A meta-analysis of 37 studies examining the impact of artificial sweeteners found they are not associated with reduced body mass index (BMI). More than 400,000 people over 12 years of age were studied. The long-term studies saw a modest increase in BMI, especially...
Obesity’s Toll

Obesity’s Toll

Have you noticed that everyone seems to be talking about obesity and its effect on the health of the population? There is a good reason. Scientists from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 have determined that 110 million children and 600 million adults living in 73...
Advantages of Two Meals per Day

Advantages of Two Meals per Day

Researchers analyzed information from more than 50,000 participants and discovered four important  factors associated with a decrease in body mass index (BMI): Eating only one or two meals per day. Maintaining an overnight fast of up to 18 hours. Making breakfast or...
Is Alternate-day Fasting Beneficial?

Is Alternate-day Fasting Beneficial?

The obesity epidemic has spawned many novel approaches to weight loss. One such increasingly popular approach today is alternate-day fasting. A randomized clinical trial of 100 obese, but healthy individuals, divided the participants into alternate-day fasting, daily...

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