Archive for the 'Weight Control' Category
August 12th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Fat burning appears to be enhanced when a 60-minute walk follows a breakfast of low glycemic-index carbohydrates, according to a small study from the University of Nottingham in the UK.
High Glycemic-Index carbohydrates, such as white bread and pure sugar, are known to have a more pronounced effect on the body’s blood sugar levels whereas low glycemic index foods (LGI) will increase the body’s sugar levels more slowly. LGI foods include cereals made from oats, barley, and bran, along with whole grain breads and most vegetables other than white potatoes. In fact, white is usually a color to avoid when it comes to carbohydrates: white bread, white sugar, white potatoes, white pasta and white rice.
Not only do the white carbs interfere with fat burning, according to this study, but they also tend to stimulate hunger. In another study of 12 obese adolescent males, the researchers found that after eating high-GI meals, the subjects were hungrier and ate again sooner: voluntary food intake was 53 percent greater than after a medium-GI meal, and 81 percent greater than after a low-GI meal. So eating sugary foods not only interferes with fat burning, but it creates a viscious cycle of hunger and overeating.
The bottom line, carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet — but stick to the good ones.
Source: Stevenson EJ, et al “Fat oxidation during exercise and satiety during recovery are increased following a low-glycemic index breakfast in sedentary women” J Nutr 2009; 139: 890-97.
Source: “Fat Burns Faster After Low-Glycemic Breakfast”, MedPage Today, April 15, 2009
Source: “High Glycemic Index Foods and Overeating in Obese Individuals”, NIDDK, NIH.gov
July 22nd, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
A new investigational weight loss drug, Contrave, is a combination of antidepressant bupropion and addiction treatment naltrexone. Bupropion (Wellbutrin) is a popular drug used for depression and smoking cessation (Zyban). Naltrexone (Vivitrol) is used to fight alcoholism and opiate addiction. Both are well known drugs that successfully target behavior and reward pathways in the brain.
Contrave works by decreasing food cravings and helping patients better control their eating. Patients who took this obesity drug lost significantly more weight than those on placebo and was also found to decrease waist circumference, reduce blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes, and improve levels of “good” HDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
The manufacturer, Orexigen Therapeutics Inc., plans to seek FDA approval for Contrave in early 2010.
Source: “Orexigen obesity drug meets goals in 3 studies”, Google/AP July 21, 2009
May 2nd, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
The FDA has issued a warning to consumers to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products which have been found to be linked with a number of serious liver injuries. Hydroxycut products, by Iovate Health Sciences, Inc., are dietary supplements that are marketed for weight-loss, as fat burners, as energy-enhancers, as low carb diet aids, and for water loss.
The FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplant. One death due to liver failure has been reported to FDA. Other health problems reported include seizures; cardiovascular disorders; and rhabdomyolysis, a type of muscle damage that can lead to other serious health problems such as kidney failure.
As of May 1, 2009 Iovate is voluntarily recalling all of its Hydroxycut products. Hydroxycut products are marketed under the Iovate and MuscleTech brand names.
Read the complete MedWatch Safety summary including links to the FDA news release, Q&A’s and a listing of all products included in this alert, at:
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2009/safety09.htm#Hydroxycut
Source: MedWatch, FDA, May 1, 2009
April 17th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Eating a breakfast with a low glycemic index may increase the fat burning during exercise, according to British researchers. They studied fat-burning rates with exercise after two different types of breakfast–one that had a high glycemic index and one that had a low glycemic index. Women exercised by walking briskly for 60 minutes three hours after their morning meal. The researchers found that fat burning remained significantly higher in those who had a breakfast with a low glycemic index. Those who ate a high glycemic-index breakfast had a lower rate of fat burning.
In a previous study, the same researchers found that active women who consumed a low glycemic-index breakfast three hours before a 60-minute run increased fat burning by about 55% compared with those who ate a high glycemic-index breakfast.
Low and high glycemic-index foods were chosen on the basis of the International Table of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values. In the most recent study, the low glycemic-index breakfast had an index rating of 44 compared with 78 for the high glycemic-index breakfast. Test breakfasts for each group totaled 265 calories. The LGI breakfast consisted of museli, skim milk, apple juice, an apple, canned peaches and yogurt. The HGI breakfast included corn flakes, white bread, jam, skim milk, margarine and a carbonated glucose drink (Lucozade).
Carbohydrates with a low glycemic index (LGI) have less impact on blood glucose levels and insulin response than carbohydrates with a higher glycemic index. LGI foods include whole grain foods such as cereals made from oats, barley, and bran, as well as whole grain breads and most vegetables other than potatoes. Highly processed foods made with white flour or white sugar fall in the higher glycemic index category.
Source: Stevenson EJ, et al “Fat oxidation during exercise and satiety during recovery are increased following a low-glycemic index breakfast in sedentary women” J Nutr 2009; 139: 890-97.
April 9th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Being overweight or obese raises a person’s risk of developing heart failure, according to a recent analysis of two large Swedish studies, from the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
In these two studies, waist size was also a factor for women, but not for men. In women, body mass index was a risk factor for heart failure, but only among those with the largest waists. Whereas for men, waist size was not a factor, but for each one-point increase in BMI, the risk of heart failure increased by 4%.
Read more:
Source: “Heart Failure” Circulation, April 7, 2009
April 8th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
People who have abdominal obesity are more likely to have Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), according to researchers from Harvard Medical School. In a recent study of more than 88,000 American adults, obese men and women were 42 percent more likely to have RLS than those who were of normal weight, and those with abdominal obesity were particularly prone to RLS.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a condition in which an unpleasant, restless sensation in the legs arises after prolonged inactivity such as sitting or lying down. The longer the period of rest, the greater the chance the symptoms will occur and the more severe they are likely to be. These symptoms are typically relieved by walking or movement of the legs such as jiggling, stretching or massaging legs to get relief. As soon as the movement stops however, the symptoms recur.
The exact uncomfortable sensation of RLS varies from person to person and can be described as burning, creeping, crawling, jittery, aching, or tugging, sensation inside the legs, feet, or arms. Ranging in severity from uncomfortable to painful, the symptoms of RLS typically arise in the evening, and dissipate in the early morning hours.
Obesity is medically defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or higher. Unhealthy waist circumference is usually defined as over 40 inches in men and over 35 inches in women. This is determined by placing a measuring tape snugly around the smallest area of your waist. Also, you can more precisely find out if you have abdominal obesity by calculating your waist to hip ratio.
Excess abdominal fat also appears to be linked with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, migraine, stroke, diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding.
The best way to trim excess abdominal fat is with exercise. While any type of exercise is always helpful for those who can tolerate it, periodic, intense exercise is best for burning the fat around the midsection, according to researchers.
It’s very important to note, however, that anyone new to exercise should start off slow and gradually build the intensity, duration and frequency of workouts. Older adults and people with chronic health conditions should always talk to their doctors before starting an exercise program.
Read more:
Source: Dr. Xiang Gao, Harvard Medical School
April 7th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
When it comes to weight loss, cutting down on sugary drinks may work better than eating less, say researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Weight loss efforts were more successful in their recent study of people who cut down on sugary beverages versus those who eliminated the same amount of calories from solid food.
One explanation for these findings is that the body tends to self-regulate its intake of solid food. In other words, a person who eats a large breakfast and lunch will naturally be less hungry at dinner. This self-regulation does not occur with sugary liquids. In fact, sodas and other sugary beverages, including alcohol, simply don’t satisfy and account in large part for the growing obesity epidemic. By 2015, experts contend that 75 percent of U.S. adults could be overweight or obese.
SOURCES: Liwei Chen, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.S., assistant professor of epidemiology, School of Public Health, LSU Health Science Center, New Orleans; Connie Diekman, M.Ed, R.D., director, University Nutrition, Washington University, St Louis; April 1, 2009, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
March 23rd, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Today’s store shelves are lined with weight-loss products containing undeclared and potentially unsafe active ingredients, according to recent findings by the FDA. Marketed as “dietary supplements” that claim to be “natural” or contain only “herbal” ingredients, many of the over-the-counter, weight-loss products found in America’s local health food stores, beauty salons, as well as grocery and drug stores, illegally contain potentially dangerous prescription drugs such as antidepressants, diuretics, antiseizure drugs and appetite suppressants, according to the FDA.
Recently, the FDA has recalled 72 of these products which contain the following illegal ingredients:
- sibutramine (An appetite suppressant, sibutramine works by increasing the activity of certain chemicals, called norepinephrine and serotonin, in the brain. The FDA found sibutramine in many products at levels much higher than the maximum daily dosage for the prescription drug, Meridia, the only FDA-approved drug product containing sibutramine. Especially at excessive doses, sibutramine can have many serious side effects such as high blood pressure, increased heart rate, cardiac arrhythmias, seizures, rapidly changing moods, anxiety and depression),
- phenolphthalein (has been a common active ingredient in laxatives but is now being removed from the market because of concerns over carcinogenicity).
- fenproporex (a stimulant which is an amphetamine derivative, used as an appetite suppressant),
- fluoxetine (Prozac, a prescription antidepressant),
- bumetanide (Bumex, a strong prescriptions diurectic which can cause a lethal electrolyte imbalance if not monitored),
- furosemide (Lasix, a strong prescription diuretic which can cause a lethal electrolyte imbalance if not monitored),
- rimonabant (an appetite suppressant which is illegal in the U.S. because of the risk of serious neurological disease such as severe psychiatric problems and even suicide. It is also thought to promote the development of neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system such as Multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease)
- cetilistat (an investigational drug, similar to orlistat)
- phenytoin (Dilantin, antiseizure drug), and
Potential health risks posed by the tainted products include high blood pressure, seizures, tachycardia, palpitations, lethal electrolyte imbalances, heart attack, stroke, severe psychiatric problems, suicide and cancer.
The FDA recall began in December of 2008 with 25 products, and the FDA said it will continue to update the list as necessary. As of March 20, 2009 the following drugs have been recalled by the FDA:
- 2 Day Diet — sibutramine
- 2 Day Diet Slim Advance — sibutramine
- 2x Powerful Slimming — sibutramine
- 3 Day Diet — sibutramine
- 3 Days Fit — sibutramine
- 3x Slimming Power — sibutramine, phenytoin
- 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming — sibutramine
- 7 Day Herbal Slim — sibutramine
- 7 Days Diet — sibutramine
- 7 Diet — sibutramine
- 7 Diet Day/Night Formula — sibutramine
- 8 Factor Diet — sibutramine, phenolphthalein
- Eight Factor Diet — sibutramine
- 21 Double Slim — sibutramine
- 24 Hours Diet — sibutramine, phenolphthalein
- 999 Fitness Essence — sibutramine
- BioEmagrecim — fenproporex, fluoxetine, furosemide
- Body Creator — sibutramine
- Body Shaping — sibutramine
- Body Slimming — sibutramine
- Cosmo Slim — sibutramine
- Extrim Plus — sibutramine, phenytoin
- vExtrim Plus 24 Hour Reburn — sibutramine
- Fasting Diet — sibutramine
- Fatloss Slimming — sibutramine, phenolphthalein
- GMP — sibutramine
- Herbal Xenicol — cetilistat
- Imelda Fat Reducer — sibutramine
- Imelda Perfect Slim — sibutramine, phenolphthalein
- JM Fat Reducer — sibutramine
- Lida DaiDaihua — sibutramine
- Meili — sibutramine
- Meizitang — sibutramine
- Miaozi MeiMiaoQianZiJiaoNang — sibutramine
- Miaozi Slim Capsules — sibutramine
- Natural Model — sibutramine
- Perfect Slim — sibutramine
- Perfect Slim 5x — sibutramine, phenolphthalein
- Perfect Slim Up — sibutramine
- Phyto Shape — rimonabant
- Powerful Slim — sibutramine
- ProSlim Plus — sibutramine
- Reduce Weihgt — sibutramine
- Royal Slimming Formula — sibutramine, phenolphthalein
- Sana Plus — sibutramine
- Slim 3 in 1 — sibutramine
- Slim 3 in 1 Extra Slim Formula — sibutramine
- Slim 3 in 1 Extra Slim Waist Formula — sibutramine
- Slim 3 in 1 M18 Royal Diet — sibutramine
- Slim 3 in 1 Slim Formula — sibutramine
- Slim Burn — sibutramine
- Slim Express 4 in 1 — sibutramine
- Slim Express 360 — sibutramine
- Slim Fast — sibutramine
- Slim Tech — sibutramine
- Slim Up — sibutramine
- Slim Waist Formula — sibutramine
- Slim Waistline — sibutramine
- Slimbionic — sibutramine
- Sliminate — sibutramine
- Slimming Formula — sibutramine
- Somotrim — sibutramine
- Starcaps — bumetanide
- Super Fat Burner — sibutramine
- Superslim — sibutramine, phenolphthalein
- Super Slimming — sibutramine
- Trim 2 Plus — sibutramine
- Triple Slim — sibutramine
- Venom Hyperdrive 3.0 — sibutramine
- Waist Strength Formula — sibutramine
- Xsvelten — sibutramine
- Zhen de Shou — sibutramine, phenolphthalein
The herbal market is a booming, and rapidly growing, multimillion dollar industry yet many herbal manufacturers make false claims regarding the effectiveness of their products. Just because it’s advertised on the radio, TV or available on the store shelf, doesn’t mean that it’s safe. There are no Federal quality controls for herbal and dietary supplements and there is a lack of consistency in dose and quality of many products that appear on the market. In other words, the label may not necessarily match the ingredients. Furthermore, most herbs and supplements have not been thoroughly tested for safety or interactions with other herbs, supplements, drugs, or foods.
The only legal OTC weight-loss product is called “Ally”. Approved by the FDA in 2007, the active ingredient in Ally is orlistat and it helps produce weight loss by decreasing the intestinal absorption of fat. Xenical, the prescription version, was initially approved in 1999 as a drug to treat obesity, and remains on the market at twice the dose of the OTC version.
Even though orlistat (Ally) is over-the-counter and approved by the FDA, it’s important to be aware that it has significant potential side effects and can be unsafe for certain people. Fat that isn’t absorbed passes through the digestive system, causing abdominal pain, loose stools, oily flatulence, and even mild incontinence in some patients, depending on how well users comply with a low-fat diet. Also, people taking orlistat showed mild but consistent deficiencies of vitamins A, E, and beta-carotene. The drug’s label is expected to include recommendations that users take a daily multivitamin. Orlistat can also lead to hepatitis, gallstones and kidney stones. It is not for people who have problems absorbing food, or for those who have had organ transplants. Also, anyone taking blood-thinning medicines or being treated for diabetes or thyroid disease should consult a physician before using orlistat.
Despite all the research and intense motivation to find a safe diet pill, the miracle drug remains to be found. There is no substitute for regular exercise and a reduced-calorie, low fat diet.
Read about starting an exercise program
Source: FDA
Source: MedPage Today, March 20, 2009
February 16th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Excess abdominal fat may increase the risk of migraine headaches in young and middle-aged adults report researchers from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. In their recent large-scale study, people aged 20 to 55 who had larger waistlines were more likely to have migraines than those with smaller waistlines. However, among those older than 55, total body obesity wasn’t associated with migraine in women or men.
Excess abdominal fat also appears to be linked with diverticulitis, diverticular bleeding, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. In a recent study published in the Journal of Stroke, researchers found those who had a waist circumference greater than 40.2 inches for men or 34.6 inches for women, the risk of stroke increased more than 4-fold compared with individuals with a normal waist size. In general, women with a waist measurement of more than 35 inches and men with a waist measurement of more than 40 inches may have an increased risk for the above diseases.
A recent small study has found that periodic, intense exercise is best for burning the fat around the midsection. While any type of exercise is helpful, people who want to reshape their figures may need to boost the intensity of their workouts, researchers have found. Their study followed 27 middle-aged obese women. They found that those who exercised at a higher intensity for four months successfully shed fat from their midsections while those who exercised at a lower intensity showed no such changes in body fat.
It’s very important to note that anyone new to exercise should start off slow and gradually build the intensity, duration and frequency of workouts. Older adults and people with chronic health conditions should talk to their doctors before becoming more active.
Source: Dr. B. Lee Peterlin, of Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, American Academy of Neurology news release, February 2009
February 13th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Exercising fifty minutes per day, five days per week of moderate-intensity physical activity is now recommended instead of thirty minutes per day, five days per week. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has determined that this is the amount necessary for both weight loss and prevention of weight gain. The ACSM also recommends strength training as part of a health and fitness regimen.
Greater amounts of weekly physical activity — 250 minutes or more per week — have been associated with significant weight loss, the ACSM adds.
Make it fun and exercise with a friend — these are two of the best ways to assure that you’ll stick to a regular program of exercise. Read more about getting started on an exercise program.
Check with your health care provider before beginning an exercise program. If you have chest pain, feel faint or light-headed, or become extremely out of breath while exercising, stop the activity at once and tell your doctor as soon as possible.
Source: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, February 2009.
