News
Gastric band Surgery In France Women at higher cardiometabolic risk due to fat distribution The way that fat is distributed across our body puts us at risk of cardiometabolic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. New research examines how gender influences this risk. Belly fat may affect men’s and women’s health differently, suggests new research. Almost 70 percent of people in the United States are overweight, and over a third of the population is obese. These dire statistics have led researchers and health professionals to speak of an obesity epidemic in the U.S. Heart disease, stroke, and diabetes are only a few of the many cardiometabolic health risks associated with obesity. Coronary heart disease – for which obesity is a major risk factor – can lead to angina and heart attacks, if untreated. But it’s not so much the quantity of the fat that poses a threat to our health, as its distribution. For instance, we know that people with more fat around their abdomen tend to be predisposed to coronary artery disease. Additionally, gender seems to play a role. New research suggests that gender influences how fat is distributed across the body, which, in turn, influences cardiometabolic risk. The newest study was led by Dr. Miriam A. Bredella, a radiologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor of radiology at the Harvard Medical School, both in Boston, MA. Speaking about the motivation for her recent study, Dr. Bredella says, “We hypothesized that there are gender-based differences in body composition and ectopic fat depots and that these could be associated with gender-specific risk profiles for diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.” Their findings will be presented at this year’s Radiological Society of North America annual meeting, held in Chicago, IL. Studying sex, fat, and cardiometabolic risk Dr. Bredella and team examined 200 overweight and obese but otherwise healthy adults. Ninety-one of the participants were male. All participants had a similar body mass index (BMI) and age – which was 37 years, on average. In order to assess body composition, all the participants were examined using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography scans after fasting overnight. Using a technique called magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the researchers were able to quantify and examine the fat, determining levels of serum glucose, insulin, and lipids. Dr. Bredella and colleagues performed linear regression analyses between body composition and the risk factors for cardiometabolic conditions. The study revealed that women had more fat overall and more fat below the skin, but they also had lower lean mass than men. Lean body mass refers to the total weight of one’s “muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, and internal organs.” Men, however, had more of the so-called visceral adipose tissue, or ectopic fat, which are terms that describe fat that surrounds vital organs. Men had more ectopic fat in the
News
Gastric band Surgery In France ‘Alarming’ rise in cancer rates driven by diabetes, obesity New research crunches the numbers on diabetes- and obesity-related cancers and projects a steep rise in diagnosed cases. Scientists’ projections for diabetes- and obesity-related cancers worldwide are not at all encouraging. Researchers at several institutions worldwide – including Imperial College London in the United Kingdom and the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Lyon, France – have recently established that cancers related to metabolic diseases, especially diabetes and obesity, have an increasingly high incidence. According to the team’s data, 5.6 percent of all cancer cases throughout the world in 2012 were linked to pre-existing diabetes and a high body mass index (BMI), which is defined as over 25 kilograms per square meter. Of this total, 3.9 percent of cases were attributable to diabetes – almost twice as many cases as were related to a high BMI. Lead study author Dr. Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard and colleagues also worked out the estimates for the probable incidence of cancers related to diabetes and other metabolic disease in the next few years, and their prognosis is not encouraging. The researchers’ study findings were published yesterday in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal. Diabetes, high BMI increasingly dangerous According to reports published last year in The Lancet, around 422 million adults worldwide live with diabetes, and 2.01 billion adults are overweight or obese. These numbers are particularly concerning, since diabetes and obesity are established risk factors for many different types of cancer, such as colorectal and pancreatic cancer, as well as cancer of the liver and gallbladder, breast cancer, and endometrial cancer. The more prevalent these metabolic conditions, the more concerned specialists become that the risk of cancers related to them may also increase. “As the prevalence of these cancer risk factors increases, clinical and public health efforts should focus on identifying preventive and screening measures for populations and for individual patients.” Dr. Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard “It is important that effective food policies are implemented to tackle the rising prevalence of diabetes, high BMI, and the diseases related to these risk factors,” he adds. The new study took into account the increase in the incidence of 18 types of cancer related to diabetes and high BMI in 175 countries between 1980 and 2002. Using data provided by GLOBOCAN, the researchers studied the incidence of 12 types of cancer across 175 countries in 2012, taking into account patient age and sex. Dr. Pearson-Stuttard and colleagues noticed that the majority of cancer cases that were related to diabetes and a high BMI – that is, 38.2 percent of cases – could be pinpointed to high-income Western countries. The second highest occurrence was noted in east and southeast Asian countries,
News
Gastric band Surgery In France The effects of skipping breakfast depend on your weight How does eating breakfast affect fat cells in lean people? How about the fat cells in those with obesity? New research explores this by looking at the metabolic effects of eating – and skipping – breakfast. People with obesity may be better off having breakfast every day and with regularity, suggests new research. Does breakfast help you to lose weight, or does it have the opposite effect? Here at Medical News Today, we have been reporting on conflicting studies in this regard. For instance, one large population study that we covered suggests that a large breakfast helps us to avoid snacking during the day, which keeps weight gain at bay. Another study, on the other hand, suggests that skipping breakfast does nothing to affect our calorie intake throughout the day. But most of these studies are observational and cannot tell us much about the mechanisms behind weight loss, our metabolism, and breakfast eating. A new study, however – which has just been published in the Journal of Physiology – examines precisely such mechanisms. The research, which was led by Javier Gonzalez, Ph.D., at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, examines how breakfast affects the metabolism and fat cells of lean and obese individuals. Lean people benefit from skipping breakfast Gonzalez and team asked 49 adult participants to either have breakfast or fast until noon, every day, for 6 weeks. Of the participants, 29 were classified as “lean” and 20 as “obese,” according to their body mass index (BMI). The participants in the breakfast group consumed 350 kilocalories within 2 hours of waking up, while those in the fasting group had no energy intake until noon. Both before and after the intervention, the team examined the patients’ markers of cardiometabolic health, their appetite responses, and their body fat distribution. In addition, they monitored the activity of 44 genes regulating key proteins, and the fat cells’ ability to use glucose in response to insulin. In lean people, skipping breakfast for 6 weeks increased the activity of genes that helped to burn fat, therefore improving metabolism. However, this effect was not seen in obese adults. Adults with obesity are often resistant to insulin, which is the glucose-regulating hormone produced by the pancreas. This new study revealed that in obese individuals, the fat cells could not take up as much glucose in response to insulin as lean individuals did. This effect seemed to be proportional to the individual’s whole-body fat. The researchers think that this is an adaptive mechanism in people with obesity, in which their body is trying to limit the amount of glucose their fat cells can take, so that it avoids storing additional fat. “y better understanding how fat responds to what and when we eat,” says Gonzalez, “we can more precisely target those mechanisms. We may be able to uncover new ways to prevent the negative
News
Gastric band Surgery In France BMI: A double-edged sword in your risk of dementia An analysis of international data on more than a million people who were followed over time confirms two links between BMI and dementia – one ties midlife obesity to higher risk, and the other ties being underweight near disease onset to higher risk. New research clarifies how both obesity and lower-than-average BMI are linked to dementia. A report on the longitudinal study, which was conducted by researchers across Europe and led by University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom, is published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. The findings may explain the mixed evidence on the relationship between higher body mass index (BMI) and dementia risk; there is some that points to higher BMI being tied to raised risk, and there is some that suggests the opposite. The reason for the confusion is because there are two things going on, says lead study author Mika Kivimäki, who is a professor in UCL’s Institute of Epidemiology & Health. “One is an adverse effect of excess body fat on dementia risk,” he notes. “The other is weight loss due to preclinical dementia.” This might explain why those who develop dementia tend to have above-average BMI two decades before disease symptoms appear, but nearer the time of onset, their BMI is lower than healthy counterparts who do not develop it. Dementia numbers rising Worldwide, there are around 47 million people living with dementia, an irreversible, deteriorating brain disease that progressively diminishes ability to remember, think, and live independently. The risk of developing dementia rises with age, and because of the rising number of elderly people in the world, global numbers of the disease are soaring. As there is currently no cure for dementia, or even treatments that slow it down, the already huge impact that the disease has on individuals, their families, communities, health systems, and costs will become overwhelming. Estimates suggest that by 2030, there will be 75 million people living with dementia worldwide, rising to 132 million by 2050. Alzheimer’s disease – a condition that gradually destroys cells and tissue in the brain – is the main cause of dementia, accounting for around 65 percent of cases. While estimates vary, it is thought that there are around 5 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States, where dementia is a leading cause of death among older people. High midlife BMI means higher dementia risk For their new study, Prof. Kivimäki and colleagues pooled and analyzed data from 39 longitudinal population studies. Altogether, the data covered a total of 1,349,857 individuals from France, Finland, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S. All were free of dementia when they enrolled and underwent measurement of weight and height to assess their BMI. By searching hospital and prescription records and death registries, the studies had established that 6,894 of the participants developed
News
Gastric band Surgery In France Battle of the sexes: Are women fitter than men? A new study shows that when women exercise, their body processes oxygen a lot faster than men’s. This indicates superior aerobic fitness, explain the researchers. In other words, women may be naturally fitter than men. When it comes to aerobic fitness exercise – such as running – women may outperform men, suggests new research. As society is making more and more progress in the sociopolitical realm of gender equality, there are fields where, in addition to equality and fairness, physical differences between the sexes matter a great deal. Athletic training is one such field. But new research challenges the traditional belief that men are athletically superior to women. In fact, by measuring women’s response to aerobic training, a new study suggests that the opposite may be true. The new study examined sex differences in the body’s response to aerobic fitness; more specifically, it focused on how sex affects the body’s ability to process oxygen once it starts to exercise. Thomas Beltrame, from the University of Waterloo in Canada, led the research, and the findings were published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. Women outperformed men by 30 percent As Beltrame and colleagues explain in their paper, the previous studies that have decreed men are capable of faster oxygen intake – a standard measure of fitness – than women were conducted in children and older adults. However, the matter had not been investigated in healthy young adults. So, the researchers hypothesized that in this population sample, too, the findings of previous research would hold true – men would have a faster oxygen turnover. Beltrame and team set out to test out their hypothesis. They recruited 18 healthy young participants; nine of them were male, nine female. All participants were highly active, with similar ages, weight, and levels of aerobic fitness. Participants were asked to engage in an “incremental cardiopulmonary treadmill exercise test,” as well as in three treadmill exercise tests of moderate intensity. The tests revealed that “the peripheral and pulmonary oxygen extraction dynamics were remarkably faster in women.” More specifically, women circulated oxygen in their body 30 percent faster than men, on a constant basis. In other words, women may be naturally more athletic. The hypothesis was disproven. Findings may change athletic training Richard Hughson, a professor in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at Waterloo and a corresponding author of the study, explains the meaning of the test results. “We found that women’s muscles extract oxygen from the blood faster, which, scientifically speaking, indicates a superior aerobic system,” he says. Oxygen uptake is a standard measure of aerobic fitness, and it describes the amount of oxygen that the body can take in and use per minute. As the American College of Sports Medicine explain, our oxygen consumption
News
Gastric band Surgery In France Exercise alone alters our gut microbiota It is well established – and perhaps unsurprising – that what we eat affects the microbes that live in our intestine, collectively known as the gut microbiota. According to two new studies, however, exercise has the same effect. Two new studies suggest that exercise – independent of diet – can alter the composition of gut microbiota. In mouse and human experiments, researchers found that physical activity – independent of diet – alters the composition of gut microbiota in a way that increases the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that are beneficial for health. According to Jeffrey Woods – a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the co-lead investigator of both studies – their research is the first to show that the diversity of gut bacteria can be modified through exercise alone. The first study, which investigated the effects of exercise on the gut microbiota of mice, was published in the journal Gut Microbes. This study included three groups of mice: one group of mice was sedentary, the other group had access to a running wheel (the exercise group), while the remaining group was sedentary and germ-free, meaning that they did not possess any gut microbiota due to being bred in a sterile environment. The researchers took fecal material from both the exercise and sedentary groups and transplanted it into the colons of the germ-free mice. Exercise increased beneficial gut microbes As a result of fecal transplantation, the previously germ-free mice developed gut microbiota that had comparable composition to their donor groups. Interestingly, the germ-free mice that received fecal material from the exercise group had higher levels of gut microbes that produce an SCFA called butyrate, which is known to reduce inflammation and promote gut health. Additionally, when these mice were given a chemical that triggers colitis, or inflammation of the colon, the researchers witnessed a surprising response. “There was a reduction in inflammation and an increase in the regenerative molecules that promote a faster recovery,” says study co-leader Jacob Allen, who was at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign at the time of the research. Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that “exercise-induced modifications in the gut microbiota can mediate host-microbial interactions with potentially beneficial outcomes for the host.” But do these findings ring true for humans? This is what the team sought to find out with their second study. Differences between lean, obese subjects The second study – published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise – included 32 sedentary adults, of whom 18 were lean and 14 were obese. The participants took part in a supervised exercise program, which involved 30-60 minutes of endurance exercise, 3 days per week, for a total of 6 weeks. Once the 6-week
News
Gastric band Surgery In France Is this the formula for reversing type 2 diabetes? The first-year results of a clinical trial have shown that almost half of people partaking in an intensive weight management program delivered through primary care achieved remission of their type 2 diabetes without medication. A trial has shown that type 2 diabetes is reversible if weight is lost and kept off. The trial, which is called the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT), builds on earlier work by co-lead investigator Prof. Roy Taylor, director of the Magnetic Resonance Centre at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom. The earlier work showed that a radical change in diet can reverse type 2 diabetes. The results of the trial, recently reported in The Lancet, suggest that remission of type 2 diabetes may be achievable through intensive weight management programs supported by routine primary care. The team’s findings revealed that after 12 months of radical weight management, participants lost an average of 10 kilograms (22 pounds), and that 45.6 percent of them went back to being non-diabetic without medication. ‘Long-term maintenance of weight loss’ focus Prof. Taylor says that significant weight loss reduces the amount of fat in the liver and pancreas so that they can start working normally again. “What we’re seeing from DiRECT,” he remarks, “is that losing weight isn’t just linked to better management of type 2 diabetes: significant weight loss could actually result in lasting remission.” “Our findings suggest that even if you have had type 2 diabetes for 6 years,” adds trial co-leader Prof. Michael Lean, chair of Human Nutrition at the University of Glasgow in the U.K., “putting the disease into remission is feasible.” He says that their approach differs from the conventional way of managing type 2 diabetes in that it focuses “on the need for long-term maintenance of weight loss through diet and exercise and encourage flexibility to optimize individual results.” Diabetes is a global health problem Diabetes is a disease in which the body either does not make enough or cannot effectively use insulin, which is a hormone that helps cells to absorb and turn blood sugar into energy. In type 2 diabetes, the body’s cells do not react to insulin as they should, which is known as insulin resistance. The pancreas – an organ that produces insulin – tries to compensate by producing more insulin, but eventually it cannot make enough, and blood sugar levels go up. High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, damages many parts of the body and can lead to severe health problems, including heart disease, vision impairment, and kidney disease. Of the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who have diabetes, the vast majority have type 2, which results largely from carrying too much weight and not being physically active. In the United States, around 90-95 percent of the 30 million people with diabetes have type 2. And while it normally strikes people aged 45 and
News
Gastric band Surgery In France How to reduce Christmas stress “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” but also a time when stress levels soar. We have put together some top tips to stop stress in its tracks and make the season of goodwill more enjoyable. The holidays can be a time of high stress levels, but managing stress can help you to have a happy and healthy Christmas. While Christmas is known as “the season to be jolly,” it can be a significant source of stress, pressure, and conflict for many of us. Some people can feel overwhelmed by the excess, expectations, and exchange and become depressed during the holidays. A lack of time and money, credit card debt, and the pressure of gift giving can often contribute to stress during the holiday season. Most of us are aware of the adverse effects that stress can have on our body. It can impact our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and it can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity if left unchecked. In fact, research has shown that there is an increase in the occurrence of heart attacks and heart-related deaths during the festive season, which may be due to stress, heavy alcohol consumption, a fatty diet, or all three. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that holiday stress is dealt with – pronto. With all the cooking, decorating, visiting, and gift giving, the holidays can seem more like trying to meet a high-pressure deadline than a vacation. So, try these Christmas stress-busting strategies to ease the strain and help stress melt away. 1. Limit spending Money issues are one of the leading causes of stress during the holiday season, according to a poll conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2004. Recent data collected in the APA’s annual Stress in America survey reflect this finding and report that 62 percent of us feel stressed about money. Avoid overspending by setting a budget. Holiday retail sales in November and December 2017 are expected to increase between 3.6 and 4 percent and total between $678.75 billion to $682 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. These figures are up from $655.8 billion last year. Gift buying, entertainment, and travel can all fuel financial burden, even for the savviest shoppers. However, here are some steps that you can take to limit financial stress. Set a budget. First of all, make sure that all your usual expenses are accounted for so that you do not fall short on bills such as rent. Plan for any other spending over the holidays, including any parties you may be hosting or traveling to visit friends or family. Once these items have been subtracted from your budget, you can then work out how much you can spend on gifts. Being organized and realistic about your budget will help you to ensure that you do not overspend. Make one financial decision at a time. Make sure that you space spending-related decisions out. Trying to make too many decisions at once can be overwhelming, which can lead
News
Gastric band Surgery In France How a single bout of exercise instantly protects the heart A new review of existing studies examines the evidence behind the idea that an acute bout of exercise is able to offer immediate protection for the heart against cardiovascular disease through a mechanism called “cardiovascular preconditioning.” An acute episode of exercise can ‘train’ the heart and protect it against future damage. The results of the new research – led by Dick Thijssen, who is a professor of cardiovascular physiology and exercise at the Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom – have been published in the journal JAMA Cardiology. As Prof. Thijssen and colleagues explain, it is a widely accepted fact that exercise protects the heart over time. However, it is less known that it can also do so within hours, and that a single workout episode is enough to yield clinically significant benefits. This under-appreciated advantage of exercise may be due to a phenomenon called ischemic, or cardiovascular, preconditioning. The team explains the reasoning behind the theory of cardiovascular preconditioning: repeatedly exposing the heart to short, non-life-threatening episodes of ischemia – an inadequate supply of blood to the heart – makes the heart more resistant to a more serious, future ischemia episode. The “paradox” of ischemic preconditioning is a concept first introduced in the mid-1980s, and it has been suggested that one of the ways to induce this cardioprotective effect is through exercise. So, the review by Prof. Thijssen and colleagues aimed to examine the evidence for this theory in existing preclinical studies. Protection through exercise preconditioning The review found that between one and three workout sessions per week can provide “strong” protection for the heart. Moreover, one single workout episode can provide cardioprotection for 2-3 hours, and even stronger and longer-lasting benefits emerge 24 hours after the exercise session has finished. “Importantly,” the authors write, “these associations are present on the first episode of exercise, with subsequent exercise sessions reactivating protective pathways and leading to ongoing beneficial effects.” This cardioprotective effect could be explained by ischemic preconditioning, write the researchers, given that an intense episode of exercise can have systematic effects such as inducing myocardial ischemia. Although factors such as obesity and age may interfere with some of these immediate protective effects of exercise, regular training can restore these benefits. The authors explain: “Taken together, cardioprotection through exercise preconditioning is a facile, inexpensive, and potent therapy that deserves greater recognition and further resources to establish the optimal dose.” “Nonetheless,” they continue, “as is so often the case with the benefits of exercise, its prescription follows the cardinal rule: use it or lose it.” Prof. Thijssen comments on the results
News
Gastric band Surgery In France Too much sitting doesn’t cause weight gain, says study I spend around 12 hours per day sitting down – 8 at my desk, 3 on the train, and possibly another watching TV. I am well aware of the risks that this poses to my health, but according to a new study, weight gain isn’t one of them. Prolonged sitting may not cause weight gain, but it is still harmful to health. My sedentary time is on par with the average person in the United States, which is worrying. Prolonged sitting has been linked to high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Some studies have even associated prolonged sitting with an increased risk of premature death. Adding insult to injury, it seems that no matter how much exercise I do in the time that I’m not sitting on my bottom, I can’t offset these heath risks. Great. But as I sit here (ironically) panicking about what I can do to stop my sedentary behavior becoming a health problem, I spot a study that provides some much-needed reprieve. It says that prolonged sitting is unlikely to make me pile on the pounds. Hooray! Celebration aside, as a writer for Medical News Today, I know that such studies should not be taken at face value. So, let’s have a look at the details. Prolonged sitting is still harmful Published in the journal Sports Medicine, the research was a systematic review and meta-analysis of 23 studies that investigated the effects of sedentary behavior on body weight and obesity risk among adults. Importantly, all studies included in the analysis adjusted their results to account for physical activity, since this can influence weight. Overall, the team only found “small, inconsistent, and non-significant associations” between sedentary behaviors – such sitting at work or watching TV – and body weight and obesity. The scientists did identify a slight increase in waist circumference with sedentary behavior: a 0.02-millimeter increase for every 1-hour increase in sitting time per day over 5 years. But don’t panic just yet; the researchers say that this increase is “basically negligible.” So, what do these findings mean for those of us who spend most of our day warming our chairs? Put simply, “The results show that the harmful effects of too much sitting is probably not caused by weight gain,” explains lead study author Dr. Meredith Peddie, of the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago in New Zealand. However, the findings do not suggest that sitting down for long periods is harmless – much to my disappointment. ” our intervention studies clearly show that sitting for long periods increases blood sugar and triglyceride levels,” says Dr. Peddie. Read more……>click Here< Read more... Read more…
