Daycare attendance, dense traffic linked to elevated childhood ...
Obesity News
Sep. 17, 2023 — The early treatment of obesity in children is effective in both the short and long term, researchers ...
Sep. 14, 2023 — A quarter of people are undoing the benefits of healthy meals with unhealthy snacks, which increases the risk of strokes and cardiovascular ...
Sep. 12, 2023 — A resource economist finds mandated in-school Body Mass Index assessments adopted in varying forms by 24 states to combat childhood obesity have the potential to improve the health of some students ...
Sep. 12, 2023 — New findings indicate that the type of protein in the diet is not as important as the overall amount of weight loss for those with Type 2 diabetes. 106 adults with T2D were randomly assigned to ...
Sep. 7, 2023 — Crustaceans, insects and mushrooms are rich sources of the dietary fiber chitin, which activates the immune system and benefits metabolism, according to a new study in ...
Sep. 7, 2023 — The ketogenic (keto) diet may lower testosterone levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to a new ...
Sep. 5, 2023 — Resistant starch is a nondigestible fiber that ferments in the large intestine, and consumption of it has previously been shown to have a positive effect on metabolism in animal studies. Now, a ...
Aug. 31, 2023 — This is a significant development that brings hope to the one billion individuals with obesity worldwide. Researchers have discovered new insights into the regulation of fat metabolism. The focus of ...
Aug. 30, 2023 — Disrupted connections between memory and appetite regulating brain circuits are directly proportional to body mass index (BMI), notably in patients who suffer from disordered or overeating that can ...
Aug. 30, 2023 — A new study suggests that extreme dietary habits involving carbohydrates and fats affect life expectancy. Researchers found that a low carbohydrate intake in men and a high carbohydrate intake in ...
Aug. 22, 2023 — Researchers have discovered how high-fat diets can change gut bacteria and alter digestive molecules called bile acids that are modified by those bacteria, predisposing mice to colorectal cancer. The ...
Aug. 21, 2023 — ...
Aug. 17, 2023 — According to a recent study, improved overall diet quality and reduced consumption of red meat, as well as increased time spent in reading and organized sports enhanced reasoning skills among ...
Aug. 17, 2023 — A new study raises questions about the efficacy of bariatric operations involving gastric bypass. The results show that the biggest metabolic changes happened directly after surgery. Just a year ...
Aug. 17, 2023 — Obesity leads to altered energy metabolism and reduced insulin sensitivity of cells. The so-called 'anti-obesity drugs' are increasingly used to treat obesity and have caused tremendous ...
Aug. 17, 2023 — New research shows that intermittent fasting and calorie restriction change the microbiome composition in the gut, which could affect other functions in the ...
Aug. 15, 2023 — A popular weight loss medication may prevent up to 1.5 million heart attacks and strokes over 10 years, and could result in 43 million fewer obese people. The study estimated a reduction in ...
Aug. 10, 2023 — The best heart rate for burning fat differs for each individual and often does not align with the 'fat burning zone' on commercial exercise machines, researchers report. Instead, the ...
Aug. 8, 2023 — Cambridge scientists have shown that the hypothalamus, a key region of the brain involved in controlling appetite, is different in the brains of people who are overweight and people with obesity when ...
Aug. 8, 2023 — Researchers have found wheat gluten causes brain inflammation in ...
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Fructose May Be Partially To Blame For Rise In Obesity
Rates of obesity in the United States have risen dramatically in recent decades, from 13.4% in 1980 to 41.9% in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Having obesity increases the risk of health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
Although scientists have been studying obesity for years, the underlying causes of this complex disease are not fully understand.
Many factors contribute to excess weight gain, including patterns of eating, physical activity levels, and sleep routines.
Genetics are also involved, as are social determinants of health, which are the conditions at home, work, and in a person's community. Even racial discrimination may increase a person's risk of developing obesity.
Because dietary patterns play a key role in a person's risk of obesity, several scientific models have been proposed for how food intake leads to weight gain.
Some incriminate specific food groups, such as fats and sugars, as fueling obesity. Another suggests that obesity is driven by ingesting more calories than what the body burns during its daily activities.
While each model, or hypothesis, has research to back it up, there is still debate about which one best explains the rise in obesity — in the U.S. And worldwide — and the optimal approach for addressing this public health problem.
A paper published Oct. 17 in the journal Obesity suggests that these models are, in fact, compatible with each other, and can be tied together with one key nutrient: fructose.
Fructose is a natural sugar that occurs in fruits, fruit juices, certain vegetables, and honey.
It is present in table sugar (along with sucrose) and high-fructose corn syrup, which is made from corn starch and added to many manufactured foods. The body can also produce fructose from other carbohydrates, such as glucose.
Dr. Richard Johnson, a researcher at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and his colleagues, write that when the body is in a starved state, ingested fructose acts like other nutrients and restores the active energy in the cells, which is known as ATP or adenosine triphosphate.
However, in a fed state, when fructose is metabolized, it lowers the ATP level in the cell, while at the same time blocking the replenishment of ATP from the body's fat stores.
As ATP levels drop, it signals that the cell is running low on active energy, which stimulates a number of biological responses, including hunger, thirst, increased food intake, insulin resistance and reduced resting metabolism.
These changes can lead to weight gain, especially when there is easy access to energy-dense and tasty foods like fast food, candy, chips, baked goods and ice cream.
This "fructose survival hypothesis," as Johnson and his colleagues call it, views obesity as a low-energy state — in particular, active energy, or ATP — and ties together the other dietary hypotheses.
This includes the "energy balance hypothesis," which suggests that obesity is driven by consuming more energy than is burned off; and the carbohydrate-insulin model, which proposes that sugars and other carbohydrates are the primary factor behind excess weight gain.
"Fructose is what triggers our metabolism to go into low-power mode and lose our control of appetite, but fatty foods become the major source of calories that drive weight gain," Johnson said in a news release.
He and his colleagues point out in the paper that most of the studies investigating the role of fructose in obesity involve animals studies. More research is needed to know if the fructose survival hypothesis also applies to people, and if it can lead to effective interventions for preventing obesity.
Joanne Slavin, PhD, a professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, cautions against blaming one specific nutrient when talking about obesity.
Slavin was not involved in the study.
"Foods are very complicated, and eating is very complicated," she told Healthline.
While she recommends removing extra calories from the diet, excess energy intake in any form — whether it's protein, fat, or carbohydrates — can result in weight gain.
In addition, "I don't think labeling fructose as a 'villain' will help people improve their diets," she said. Neither will laying blame solely on added sugars, saturated fats, or ultra-processed foods, she said.
By focusing on one nutrient, "we forget everything else we know about nutrition," she said, such as "the importance of being connected to the land, eating foods as a family, and being respectful of individual people's differences and the foods that grow in different places."
For example, athletes, and even growing teenagers, have different nutritional needs from adults who get little physical activity. Likewise, someone with high blood pressure or diabetes will need to adjust their meals to help manage those conditions.
Slavin said a person's culture also shapes their dietary preferences. In some cultures, people prefer whole milk over low-fat milk, the latter of which may be recommended by certain nutrition guidelines.
In others, a slice of apple pie each week during the fall is a tradition, especially when the apples are grown locally. This dessert contains more calories — in the form of sugar and fat — than eating an apple by itself.
But Slavin said what's important is how these foods fit into a person's overall eating patterns.
"Rather than beating up on foods that are important in people's culture or their traditions, let's realize that we can put together diets that meet nutritional rules, without being disrespectful or going after one nutrient," she said.
One thing that Slavin does recommend is that people make sure they are getting enough protein in their diet, with athletes and other active people needing more protein than someone who gets little activity.
However, "you have a lot more flexibility with the fat and carbohydrate balance," she said. "So if cultures are going to only eat high-fat dairy products, we should be respectful of that. They can take out some of those calories from somewhere else in their diet."
Over the past few decades, obesity has risen in the United States, with many factors contributing to this complex disease, including dietary patterns, physical activity, and individual and community factors.
Several models have been proposed to explain how food intake contributes to obesity, such as the intake of more calories than are burned, and the ingestion of high amounts of fats or carbohydrates.
A new paper proposes that these various models can be tied together through a single driver of obesity — fructose. The authors write that this naturally-occurring sugar can cause cells to enter a low-energy state, which stimulates increased hunger, intake of food and other changes that may lead to weight gain.
Rising Obesity Rates 'major Threat' To Military Readiness, Recruitment
(TND) — Rising obesity rates in the military are fueling "a major threat to operational readiness," says one expert.
Nearly 70% of active-duty service members qualify as either overweight or obese, according to Courtney Manning, the lead researcher on military recruitment and readiness at the American Security Project.
Being overweight can significantly increase a service member's risk of stroke, pulmonary embolisms, asthma, heart attacks, and musculoskeletal injuries, she said.
And, amid a military recruiting crisis, obesity is the leading disqualifier for applicants.
"This has resulted in a pretty severe readiness crisis that isn't being talked about nearly as much as the recruiting crisis," she said.
The recruiting challenges are a big deal. The Army, Navy and Air Force were all trailing their recruitment goals through 11 months of the fiscal year that just ended. The Defense Department hasn't released full-year recruitment figures yet.
But Manning said weight issues are also contributing to in-service injuries and medical discharges.
Military obesity rates across active duty have more than doubled over 10 years, from 10.4% in 2012 to 21.6% in 2022, Manning's research shows.
There have been efforts to help obese recruits lose enough weight to qualify for service, but Manning said some of those efforts can be a temporary fix.
For example, the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, which Manning called a "boot camp before boot camp," reports an average 1.7% decrease in body fat per week for its participants.
But she said anyone who's ever tried a crash diet knows that our bodies are resilient at regaining weight.
And there's little evidence showing the recruits are keeping the fat off once they get through training.
Half of folks at enlistment fall into the normal weight range, based on their body mass index measurement.
That falls to 30% for all troops in the service.
And just 20% of troops are in the normal weight range by age 35.
Nearly 30% of troops aged 35 and over fall into the obese range, which is a BMI over 30.
"If you're in a deployed environment far from a hospital experiencing high stress and (lack of) sleep, having asthma, pulmonary embolisms, heart attacks on the field, that's where, you know, things get messy," Manning said.
Obesity rates are expected to rise as technology puts more troops in sedentary jobs.
So, what's the solution?
Manning has some recommendations in her new report, published this month.
But solutions require better tracking of the problem, she said.
In 2017, the Defense Department removed BMI data from reports and analyses used to craft policies.
That's led to "major gaps and inaccuracies" that make tackling the issue more difficult, she said.
"If you get that data out there, and you study it, and you embrace it head-on instead of just tossing it aside, a lot of previously unreported trends become very clear," Manning said.
She also said commanders without medical expertise are given too much latitude to exempt obese service members from medical interventions.
"Because commanders are not doctors or obesity experts, these regulations introduce a significant amount of bias, which is not necessarily their fault," she said.
Commanders also have an incentive to retain as many troops as possible.
Add in the stigma and possible adverse career impacts of obesity, and some service members aren't getting the medical help they need to lose weight and improve their health, Manning said.
Obesity shouldn't be seen as simply an issue of willpower but as a chronic disease that can be diagnosed and treated, she said.
All service members found to be obese should be referred to a doctor or registered dietitian for treatment, Manning said.
The military doesn't want to acknowledge that so many troops are overweight. And Manning said, "It really is up to Congress at this point to push harder" for transparency and for more substantive changes if the trend is going to be reversed.
"We're seeing massive leaps and bounds and medical treatments for obesity that could just absolutely revolutionize the way that we treat this disease as both a nation (and) as a military ... But we're never going to get there if no one is willing to address this problem head-on," Manning said.
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