Weight loss

Weight loss pill turns into balloon when swallowed

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A new pill that mimics the stomach-restricting nature of weight-loss surgery is helping some patients shed pounds in early trials, British researchers claim.

The pill, called the Obalon balloon, is a capsule containing an a balloon. After a patient swallows the pill, surgeons inflate the balloon inside to make them feel full and eat less.

The device is not permanent though, and needs to be removed after about three months.

“This balloon will act to educate them about portion size and retrain their brain and their mindset a little,” Dr. Sally Norton, a bariatric surgeon at Spire Hospital. Her hospital offers the procedure.

The pill capsule is attached to a tube that can be inflated. Once the capsule hits the stomach, the balloon gets released. A doctor can use an X-ray to find where the balloon is and inflate it with gas through the tube. After, the doctor pulls the tube out through the patient’s mouth, leaving the balloon floating in the stomach.

Up to three balloons are introduced to the stomach over the 12-week period, with placement depending on patient’s fullness and weight loss progress, according to the product website. This fills the stomach, in turn making the patient feel more full.

The device’s makers claim overweight and obese patients can lose up to 20 pounds in three months.

The treatment is not currently approved in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration and is not covered through the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS). Patients in the U.K. can pay more than $3,300 if they want to get the treatment. A two-balloon procedure may cost about $5,000, according to Van Marsh.image 22

However, experts are not convinced the treatment will be a cure-all for obesity, given the balloons have to be deflated and removed after the 12 weeks are over.

“When they take the balloons out, what happens is the stomach hasn’t shrunk,” Tim Bean, a U.K.-based fitness expert. “So you’re left with the same size stomach, or possibly even bigger than there was beforehand.”

Other medical options for weight loss, like the four types of bariatric surgeries, can be more invasive. Some patients undergo the Lap-band procedure. The band is an adjustable ring that wraps around the upper portion of the stomach. It can be inflated by doctors by placing a small needle into a reservoir and filling it with liquid. The more liquid, the tighter the band gets, which makes the stomach smaller and in turn limits food intake.

Other procedures include the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the most common surgery, where a doctor staples a portion of the stomach together to create a smaller pouch to limit how much food a person could eat.

There’s also the less common form of bypass called a biliopancreatic diversion with a duodenal switch, where a large portion of the stomach is removed and the remaining pouch is attached to the last segment of the small intestine.

Another procedure known as a vertical sleeve gastrectomy can also be undertaken. Patients have most of their stomach removed, and the remaining portions are joined by staples, leaving a small tube-shaped stomach that fills up quickly.

Source: cbs news

Football ‘can tackle male obesity’

Football participation is a good way to get men to slim down, a Scottish study published in The Lancet shows.

Some 374 overweight soccer fans were invited to take part in a 12-week program of training sessions at their local football club.

A year later, the men had lost and kept off about 11lb (5kg) each compared with 374 overweight fans put on a waiting list for the programme.

The Glasgow researchers say it proves male-friendly weight loss plans work.

All 748 men in the study were offered healthy-eating advice and tips on weight management, but only half were invited to professional football clubs for weekly training sessions.

Thirteen clubs took part: Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee United, Dunfermline Athletic, Hamilton Academical, Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Rangers, St Johnstone and St Mirren.

As well as losing weight when they were on the 12-week programme, nearly 40% of men who participated in the programme maintained a weight loss of at least 5% of their original body weight 12 months later.

Co-author Prof Kate Hunt, from Glasgow University, said: “Weight management and dieting are often wrongly viewed as women’s issues, meaning that some men do not want to take part in existing weight management programmes.”

But given the right circumstances, men are also keen to slim, she says.

“Participants really enjoyed being with other men like them, with a shared interest in football and similar health issues to address. They loved having the opportunity to spend time at the club, using parts of the stadium that they couldn’t ordinarily access.

“And they appreciated the chance to be encouraged, trained, and informed by the club’s coaches. This model has real potential for the future.”

Source: BBC news

The 10 most filling foods: Feel leaner and lighter with these filling foods

Noodle soup made with ramen noodles and tofu or Quorn
This watery nutritious combination contains all the ingredients to activate your ‘feeling-satisfied’ cascade. Generally a bowl of ramen noodles contains a lot of water, green vegetables and a source of protein (tofu or Quorn), as well as starch-rich noodles. High fibre (whole wheat) noodles are best for feeling as full as possible. Pot Noodles don’t count.

Eggs
Are superbly versatile: whether eaten boiled, poached, scrambled or fried, they are an excellent source of protein, which is cracking news

Lean meat
Protein is the most filling macronutrient (more so than carbohydrate, fats or alcohol). Lean meat is primarily protein while much of the muscle tissue is water.

Mushy peas
A school classic, good old mushy peas are high on the satiety index because they are low in fat, low in energy density, and high in carbohydrate, protein and fibre.

Potatoes with skins
Potatoes are full of starches, which are digested and absorbed more slowly than simple sugars. When boiled they also absorb a lot of water, making them more filling, while leaving the skins on means that the fibre content is higher too. You say potato, I say…

Tuna chunks in spring water or fresh tuna
Tuna tinned in water or brine is virtually fat free, even if you eat the tin. It is very high in protein, which is great for helping you feel fuller for longer and fairly low in energy density.

Mexican-style three-bean salad
All beans including classic baked beans are high in protein, low in fat and sugar, high in fibre and high in moisture content. They take time to chew and digest and will fill you up for hours.

Boiled wild rice
Wild rice is higher in fibre than white rice and when boiled is low in fat and high in moisture. By the way, leaving it outside for a few days doesn’t make it wild.

Natural low-fat yoghurt and skimmed-milk soft cheeses
Yoghurt to know about this one. These are low in fat and high in moisture content and are a good source of protein. For maximum effect on satiety and slimming effectiveness it is best to eat yoghurts with soluble fibres such as insulin added to them and avoid those with added sugar.

Fresh fruit and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables are a very low energy density food that is high in water content, low in saturated fat and a good source of fibre while containing some protein. From apricots to bananas and tomatoes to watermelon, filling up on unlimited amounts make fruit and vegetables your best friend, and you don’t even have to get a round in.

Source: mens health

One Week of Junk Food May Be Enough to Damage Your Memory

 

Everyone knows that junk food is bad for the waistline, but new research suggests it can damage memory, too.
Australian researchers found that even a short term diet of junk food can have a detrimental effect on the brain’s cognitive ability.
The study suggests that obesity can trigger rapid changes in the brain.

Scientists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) showed for the first time that rats fed a diet high in fat and sugar had impaired memory after just a week.

Interestingly, the results were similarly poor for the rats fed a healthy diet that had been given sugar water to drink, according to the study, which was published in the journal Brain, Behaviour and Immunity.

The animals found it more difficult to recognise specific places after their junk food diet and showed a lesser ability to notice when an object shifted to a new location.
The mice also had inflammation of the hippocampal region of the brain, which is associated with spatial memory.

‘We know that obesity causes inflammation in the body, but we didn’t realise until recently that it also causes changes in the brain,’ said Professor Margaret Morris from UNSW Medicine, who co-authored the study.

‘What is so surprising about this research is the speed with which the deterioration of the cognition occurred,’ she said.
‘Our preliminary data also suggests that the damage is not reversed when the rats are switched back to a healthy diet, which is very concerning.’

Some aspects of the animals’ memories were spared, regardless of their diets.
All the animals were equally able to recognise objects after eating either the healthy, healthy with sugar or ‘cafeteria’ diets, the latter of which was high in fat and sugar, including cake, chips and biscuits.
The change in the animals’ memory appeared even before the mice eating junk food gained any weight.
Ongoing work will attempt to establish how to stop the inflammation in the brain of animals with the unhealthy diets, which could unlock secrets relating to humans who eat unhealthily.
‘We suspect that these findings may be relevant to people,’ said Professor Morris.
‘While nutrition affects the brain at every age, it is critical as we get older and may be important in preventing cognitive decline. An elderly person with poor diet may be more likely to have problems.’

The research builds on previous work that has implications for obesity.
‘Given that high energy foods can impair the function of the hippocampus, if you eat a lot of them it may contribute to weight gain, by interfering with your episodic memory,’ Professor Morris said.
‘People might be less aware of their internal cues like hunger pangs and knowing when they have had enough,’ she said.

Source: mail online

8 Tips for Losing Weight After Pregnancy

Load Up on ‘Super Foods’, Find Time to Exercise, Consider Breastfeeding to Help Shed Excess Pounds

Now that your new baby is here, you have a lot to think about: when to feed her, what to do if she cries — and how to get rid of those extra pounds you packed on during your pregnancy.

If you started out at a normal weight and gained the 25-35 pounds your doctor probably recommended, it shouldn’t take you more than a couple of months to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight if you watch what you eat and exercise.
If, on the other hand, you were overweight before your pregnancy or you put on more weight than your doctor advised, it could take much longer — up to a year — to get the weight off. Any baby weight you don’t take off could stick with you for a long time.

“It’s very critical that you do get the weight off, because if you don’t it has been associated with overweight and obesity 15 to 20 years later in life,” says Debra Krummel, PhD, RD, endowed professor in the University of Cincinnati department of nutrition.
And although every new mom is eager to look like her old self again, one of the most important things to remember is to be patient with yourself. Your favorite celebrity might have gone straight from the delivery room into her size 0 jeans, but she may not have done it in a way that was good for her body.

“All the magazines ask, ‘How did she do it?’ The more important question is, ‘Why did she do it?'” says Melinda Johnson, MS, RD, registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). “They do this with very, very strict diets, and a lot of them do it by getting back into activity before their body is really ready for it.”

Johnson advocates a more gradual approach to weight loss. “The number one thing new mothers have to have is a certain amount of patience with their body,” she says. “It took nine months to get there. It should take at least that long to get back to their fighting weight.”

With that in mind, here are some tips to help you lose weight after pregnancy and fit back into your old jeans — whatever their size.

Don’t diet.

It may sound strange, but going on an official “diet” could derail your post-pregnancy weight loss goals. Feeling deprived of your favorite foods while you’re already stressed out by your new role as mom could actually cause you to gain weight, Johnson says.

“If you go back to eating healthy and eating for your hunger, most women find that the weight comes off pretty naturally,” she says.

Instead of dieting, she recommends eating a well-balanced variety of foods. Keep different snacks in the house to keep you from feeling hungry and give you energy throughout the day. Apple slices, carrot sticks, and wheat crackers are all good for noshing.
Source: Web md

 

5 Easy Ways to kick up Your Metabolism

Metabolism is the set of chemical transformations within the cells that is necessary for the maintenance of life. Putting it simple, right from breaking down the food to transforming it into energy, metabolism is the sum total of the entire internal biological processes.

Some people have great metabolism, as what they eat is never seen on their bodies, whereas some have it real slow. Though you can’t blame yourself for the slow metabolic rate you can definitely notch it up by following the simple tips:

Don’t skip your breakfast: ‘Eat breakfast like a king’ goes the adage. Your metabolism slows down during the night and if you skip your breakfast it further goes for a toss to conserve energy. This in turn can lead to unhealthy food choices in the day leading to weight problems. Having a healthy breakfast helps improve metabolism.

Exercise: Muscle burns more calories than fat. So, the harder your muscles work, the more post-workout rebuilding they have to do, thus increasing your metabolic rate. Go for 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a day and 30 to 40 minutes strength training twice a week to keep your metabolism up

Switch to Green tea: Green tea contain antioxidant catechin which according to researchers help improve fat oxidation and thermogenesis, your body’s production of energy, or heat, from digestion.

Spice it up: Capsaicin, which gives peppers and spices their heat, helps increase energy expenditure by 50 calories a day. So if you like it spicy, do not worry, all that spice only gives that extra need kick to your metabolism.

Sleep well: Not getting enough sleep throws off your levels of leptin and ghrelin, the hormones that help regulate energy use and appetite thus slowing the metabolism and increasing the risks of obesity.

Source: Mens health

Say no to diets which promise speedy weight loss!

The best way to lose weight is to eat the right food, at the right time, in the right quantity, and exercise daily for 45 minutes

I have to lose weight in 10 days for a wedding’ or ‘I need to shape-up quickly to fit into my dresses – how often do we think about these things and look for quick solutions? In an attempt to lose weight quickly, many people knock the doors of fad diets. They may come to your rescue at times like these but beware – they do more harm than good to your health. Renowned nutritionist Neha Chandna explains why fad diets are bad for you including seven popular ones like cookie and liquid diet.

First and foremost, there are no shortcuts to weight loss. You haven’t put on all the weight overnight, so how can you expect to lose it at a lightning speed? These days, everyone wants to lose weight in the blink of an eye and to achieve their dream body, they resort to fad diets which definitely work but for a short period of time. They help you lose weight from your muscles and bones leaving you feeling weak and ill. And once you go back to your normal routine, you gain all the weight or even more in no time. You do the math and see the whole point of following some diet regime which is short-lived, deprives you of nutrients and has many hazardous effects on your body?

The best way to lose weight is to eat the right food, at the right time, in the right quantity, and exercise daily for 45 minutes to one hour. The point is to lose weight gradually rather than rapidly. A lifestyle change is the answer to losing weight than falling into the trap of fad diets. So how do you know if it is a fad diet? Here are some tips.

How to spot a fad diet

  • It promises exaggerated results in few days which is too good to be true
  • Will mostly have rigid eating rules
  • It restricts you from eating a lot of food groups like carbohydrates, fats, etc
  • It promotes ‘magic foods’
  • The diet is sold based on a few testimonials without any research or studies done on its effect
  • It doesn’t involve much exercise along with the meal plans

Ill-effects of fad diets on the body

  • Causes constipation
  • Leads to weakness
  • Loss of concentration
  • Nausea
  • Headache
  • Depression
  • Muscle loss
  • Health risks like osteoporosis and many more

While there are a number of fad diets that keep cropping up every now and then, especially when they are endorsed by celebrities, here a few popular ones to stay away from.

Cookie Diet: Invented by Dr Siegal, this a diet in which one has to eat nine cookies a day that makes up to 500 kcal and then have a 500 kcal dinner, totalling up to 1000 kcal every day.

Why is it bad: This diet gets monotonous and can cause nutrient deficiencies.

Baby Food Diet: This diet is about eating 14 jars of baby foods throughout the day and a sensible dinner. The baby foods include mashed fruits and veggies.

Why is it bad: It does not meet your nutrient needs and is low in protein. Eating like an adult is recommended.

Cabbage Soup Diet: This is 7-day diet which focuses on having as many bowls of cabbage soup every day with some fruits and vegetables.

Why is it bad: This diet is bland, boring and makes you feel weak and resulting in poor concentration. The biggest drawback is that it makes you gassy and bloated.

Liquid Diet: The idea is to cleanse the body and rejuvenate it with juices, water, clear soups.

Why is it bad: It is again very low on protein and can make you really weak. Not recommended to do it more than a day.

Atkins Diet: Written by Dr Robert Atkins, this is the most popular fad diet which aims at reducing the main source of energy – carbohydrates to up to 20g/day and focuses more on vegetables, fats and proteins.

Why is it bad: The side-effect of this diet is, it recommends more than 30% fat intake which is above the recommended allowance and can lead to extreme ketosis which can cause damage to the organs in the long run.

Blood Type Diet: Created by Dr Peter D’Adamo, it focuses on eating some and avoiding some foods as per your blood type. It follows a ‘one size fits all’ concept.

Why is it bad: It bans a lot of health promoting foods making eating out difficult and some people may be healthy despite eating foods forbidden for them.

General Motor’s Diet: This is a 7-day diet plan which is based on the intake of specified food items which include raw vegetables, fruits, juice, and lean meat. It restricts the intake of any dairy products and promises weight loss of 10 pounds in week. Each day is restricted to 1-2 raw foods in unlimited amounts.

Why is it bad: This diet can make you weak and hungry, leads to the inability to exercise, depression and body pain.

To avoid any damages to your body, do not opt for any fad diets. Just eat balanced meals and engage in physical activity to see the difference both physically and mentally. The process may be longer and less dramatic unlike fad diets, but the results will be long-term and benefit your body’s health than spoiling it with extreme restrictions. So, the next time you think about opting for any such diet, remember, it’s a fad… err bad idea!

 Source: Zee News

 

High-fat diets interrupt stomach’s signals to the brain

the nerves in the stomach which signal fullness to the brain appeared to be desensitised after long-term consumption of a high-fat diet.

Indulging in fatty foods could destroy stomach’s signals to the brain, according to a new study which gives insight why many dieters tend to regain the weight after losing it.

New University of Adelaide research has found the nerves in the stomach which signal fullness to the brain appeared to be desensitised after long-term consumption of a high-fat diet.

The findings could explain why many dieters tend to regain the weight they have lost.

PhD student Stephen Kentish investigated the impact of high-fat diets on the ability of the gut to signal its fullness, and whether those changes revert back to normal by losing weight.

Study leader Associate Professor Amanda Page said laboratory studies showed the stomach’s nerve response does not return to normal upon a return to a normal diet.

“This means you would need to eat more food before you felt the same degree of fullness as a healthy individual,” she said.

“A hormone in the body, leptin, known to regulate food intake, can also change the sensitivity of the nerves in the stomach that signal fullness.

“In normal conditions, leptin acts to stop food intake. However, in the stomach in high-fat diet induced obesity, leptin further desensitises the nerves that detect fullness.”

Associate Professor Page said the two mechanisms combined meant that obese people needed to eat more to feel full, which fuels their obesity cycle.

She said the results had “very strong implications for obese people, those trying to lose weight, and those who are trying to maintain their weight loss”.

“Unfortunately, our results show that the nerves in the stomach remain desensitised to fullness after weight loss has been achieved,” she said.

Associate Professor Page says the researchers were not yet sure whether the effect was permanent or just long-lasting.

Source: Zee News

Does changing breakfast habits really help you cut the flab?

It is a well documented fact that an association exists between breakfast and weight management, however a new study has found that previous researchers designed to find links between these two things often do not prove that one causes the other.

The research led by David Allison, Ph.D., associate dean for science in the University of Alabama School of Public Health, shows that the question of whether eating vs. skipping breakfast affects weight has not been answered by studies.

Andrew Brown, Ph.D., first author of the study, spearheaded the examination of 92 studies about the proposed effect of breakfast on obesity (PEBO). The PEBO-related research literature, the authors found, seemed to be influenced by factors that led to exaggerated beliefs and statements about the purported effects of breakfast consumption on obesity. These include research that lacks probative value and biased research reporting.

Allison and his team found that scientists collectively do not know as much about the relationship between skipping breakfast and obesity as previously thought, based on the current state of PEBO-related research.

Their meta-analysis indicated that there is certainty that breakfast-skipping and obesity are associated, but it cannot confirm whether there is a causal effect of skipping breakfast on obesity.

Brown said that although we know that breakfast-skippers are more likely to be overweight or obese, we do not know if making breakfast-skippers eat breakfast would decrease their weight, nor do we know if making breakfast-eaters stop eating breakfast would cause them to gain weight.

Meanwhile, Allison said that uncertainty should not be confused with evidence of no benefit or harm, though.

“It just means that right now we don’t know how changing breakfast-eating habits will influence obesity – eating versus skipping breakfast could help control weight, cause more weight gain or have no effect – and the effect may vary from person to person,” the researcher added.

The authors suggest that if causal claims are desired, different research on the topic is needed. They call for stronger study designs that include randomizing people to eat or skip breakfast to help determine causal effects of breakfast on obesity. UAB is leading such a trial in roughly 300 adults at five sites around the world; results from this study are expected in spring 2014.

The study is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.