In the Weight Matters podcast, Dr. Katherine Saunders and Dr. Louis Aronne address the many misconceptions associated with weight and how it impacts our broader health.
WeightControl.com Interview with: Louis Aronne, MD Co-Founder and Chief Medical Advisor at Intellihealth The Sanford I. Weill Professor of Metabolic Research Weill Cornell Medicine Medical Director Comprehensive Weight Control Center
Dr. Aronne
WeightControl.com: How does obesity affect health and health care costs?
Response: Obesity is a leading contributor to over 200 diseases: type 2 diabetes, heart disease, many types of cancer, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. All of these diseases and comorbidities have a link to excess weight, and their severity could be reduced by addressing the underlying issue of obesity. According to the World Health Organization, almost 3 million people die as a result of obesity or excess weight each year. And the National Institutes of Health has reported that obesity and overweight are now the second leading cause of death nationally. Perhaps that’s because unlike the more than 80 percent of patients with diabetes who receive treatment for their disease, less than 2 percent of patients with obesity or overweight are treated according to the latest guidelines.
Obesity is also an economic burden, leading to more than $210 billion a year in direct medical costs. Indirect costs, such as employer expenses, absenteeism, and lost productivity add up to as much as $500 billion annually. For adults with obesity, that translates to more than $3,500 in medical care costs per patient each year.
Time-restricted eating combined with calorie restriction offer a viable and sustainable approach for person who wants to lose weight.
WeightControl.com Interview with: Huijie Zhang M.D. & Ph.D Professor and Chief Physician Deputy Director of Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism Nafang Hospital of Southern Medical University Guangzhou, China
WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Time-restricted eating is one of the most popular intermittent fasting regimens involving a specific eating period within a 24-hour cycle. Time-restricted eating regimen has gained attention because it reduces weight and enhances adherence. The long-term efficacy and safety of time-restricted eating for weight loss are not clear.
In this randomized clinical trial, among patients with obesity, a regimen of time-restricted eating was not more beneficial with regard to reduction in body weight, body fat, or metabolic risk factors than daily calorie restriction.
WeightControl.com Interview with: Lars T. Fadnes Professor & research group leader Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care & Bergen Addiction Research Department of Addiction Medicine University of Bergen & Haukeland University Hospital
Prof. Fadnes
WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Food is fundamental for health, and globally dietary risk factors are estimated to cause 11 million deaths and 255 million disability-adjusted life years annually. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors study provides summary measures of population health that are relevant when comparing health systems but does not estimate the impact of alterations in food group composition and respective health benefits. The EAT–Lancet commission did present a planetary diet, but it gives limited information on the health impact of other diets, and few people are able to adhere to strict health maximization approaches.
WeightControl.com Interview with: Esra Tasali, MD Associate Professor of Medicine Director, Sleep Research Center Department of Medicine The University of Chicago Chicago, IL 60637
WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: We knew from prior research that sleep deprivation can stimulate appetite and cravings for junk food, and increases weight gain. What we did not know is whether we can do something about it in real-life?
Our randomized controlled trial on sleep extension in real-life setting found that getting sufficient sleep reduces caloric intake by on average 270kcal per day.
Our research suggests that restaurants are bringing lower-calorie options to their menus now that they are required to display calorie labels on their menus.
WeightControl.com Interview with: Anna H. GrummonPhD , Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Nutrition Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Dr. Grummon
WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response:As of 2018, large chain restaurants in the US are required by law to display calorie information on their menus. A number of researchers have looked at how consumers respond to the new calorie labels. What was not yet known was how the industry responded to the calorie labeling law. Our study is the first to investigate whether nationwide rollout of the calorie labeling law spurred restaurants to change the types of foods they offer. We found that the rollout of the calorie labels appeared to prompt restaurants to introduce lower-calorie items to their menus, but did not spur changes to existing menu items.
WeightControl.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response:Our research suggests that restaurants are bringing lower-calorie options to their menus now that they are required to display calorie labels on their menus. These new options could help Americans find foods that meet their health goals when they get take-out or dine at restaurants.
At the same time, existing menu items did not change after the labels were rolled out. This suggests that additional policy changes might be needed to nudge restaurants to make these existing items healthier. The calorie labeling law is important in providing consumers with information about menu items that was hard to find previously. Future policies can build on this success.
WeightControl.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?
Response:Our study examined restaurant menus, not what consumers buy or eat. So we don’t yet know how these changes to menus will affect what consumers eat and drink at restaurants, or ultimately how this policy will affect health outcomes. Future studies can examine how consumers respond to both calorie labels and to changes in the types of items sold by restaurants.
WeightControl.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Response: Mandatory labelling may have spurred restaurants to introduce new, lower calorie items to their menus. These calorie labels also allow consumers to easily view the calorie count of their meal, information which was difficult to find before the law.
No disclosures.
Citation:
Grummon AH, Petimar J, Soto MJ, et al. Changes in Calorie Content of Menu Items at Large Chain Restaurants After Implementation of Calorie Labels. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(12):e2141353. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.41353
The information on WeightControl.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.
If anyone is interested in tracking their own eating pattern and setting personal goals for when they eat, they are welcome to use the smartphone app that Dr. Panda’s lab created called myCircadianClock.
WeightControl.com Interview with: Satchidananda PandaPhD Professor, Regulatory Biology Laboratory Salk Institute for Biological Studies La Jolla, CA
Dr. Panda
WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Our bodies have internal rhythms to help keep everything happening in the body at the right place and the right time. These internal rhythms play a large role in our health and can increase the risk for disease when compromised. Time-restricted eating (TRE) maintains a consistent eating time to help support these circadian rhythms and overall health.
WeightControl.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: Limiting food and beverages to a consistent 8-10 hours is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and can help prevent and treat chronic disease. Many studies have shown moderate weight loss (3-5%) as well as other health benefits including improved glucose regulation, decreased blood pressure, and decreased cholesterol.
WeightControl.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?
Response: This review highlights the need for larger and longer term Time-restricted eating trials in diverse groups including those who are healthy as well as individuals with chronic diseases. It is also important that all TRE trials assess the timing of eating before and throughout the study to understand how eating patterns change and adherence to the intervention.
WeightControl.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Response: If anyone is interested in tracking their own eating pattern and setting personal goals for when they eat, they are welcome to use the smartphone app that Dr. Panda’s lab created called myCircadianClock. The app is available on iPhone and android phones, is free to use, and data is only used for research purposes. You can sign up at www.mycircadianclock.org.
Disclosures: Dr. Satchin Panda is the author of The Circadian Code.
Citation:
Emily N Manoogian, Lisa S Chow, Pam R Taub, Blandine Laferrère, Satchidananda Panda, Time-restricted eating for the prevention and management of metabolic diseases, Endocrine Reviews, 2021;, bnab027, https://doi.org/10.1210/endrev/bnab027
The information on WeightControl.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.
We found that first-year college students’ BMI increased, with an average weight gain being a little over three pounds across the first semester.
WeightControl.com Interview with:
Yangyang Deng Ph.D. Student | Sport Pedagogy Graduate Teaching Assistant Children’s Physical Activity, Fitness lab University of Georgia
WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The idea for this study was to test whether freshman 15 is really a myth or is there some truth to it. Maybe more importantly, we wanted to test what are the main factors that may impact unwanted weight gain. Of course, we also wanted to help college students to improve their health. Previous research has shown that freshman students are especially vulnerable due to the transition to a new environment, and they are more likely to adopt negative health behaviors, e.g., sedentary habits and unhealthy diet. Previous data has shown that less than 50% of college students engage in the recommended minimum of 150 weekly minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA). Moreover, first-year college students’ dietary behaviors are getting unhealthier, students are eating excessive amounts of trans fats/fast food and not consuming the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, and consuming too much sugar-sweetened beverages.
WeightControl.com Interview with: Vinod K Rustgi, MD, MBA Professor of Medicine Clinical Director of Hepatology Director, Center for Liver Diseases and Liver Masses Professor of Epidemiology Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine New Brunswick, NJ 08901
WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Obesity is a burgeoning problem in the USA and globally. It is estimated that over $100 billion are spent in healthcare expenditures each year on those patients with fatty liver disease related to obesity-induced problems.
Lifestyle modification is very difficult to achieve on a sustained basis. Insurance companies have strict criteria for bariatric surgery. Our study of a database of over 100 million lives spanning the years of 2007 to 2017 showed a marked reduction in all malignancies after bariatric surgery and particularly in obesity-related cancers such as colorectal, esophageal, pancreatic, ovarian, uterine, postmenopausal breast and kidney cancers.
Placement of these items may drive impulse buys, and because these stores sold products for children, parents and caregivers should be aware of these practices at the outset.
WeightControl.com Interview with: Corey Hannah Basch, Ed.D., M.P.H., CHES Professor and Department Chair Public Health William Paterson University
Dr. Basch
WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: There are many factors that influence food choices, which are not limited simply to access and availability. This study focused on exposure to opportunities for unplanned food and beverage purchases, specifically candy, snack foods, and sugary beverages are available in checkout lines in a convenience sample retail chain stores in New York City that sell products for children.
The main findings are that most of the stores in the sample sold at least one form of convenience foods at the checkout. In addition, “corral-style” checkout lines had a more diverse sample of snack foods available throughout the line.
we are interested in scaling this work so it can reach more US adults and help them improve their diet quality and diet-related health.
WeightControl.com Interview with: Maya Vadiveloo, PhD, RD Assistant Professor Nutrition and Food Sciences University of Rhode Island
Dr. Vadiveloo
WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response:We conducted this study with the goal of helping people make healthier dietary choices while at the grocery store. We know that food companies use personalized messages and discounts that prompt people to buy unhealthy foods. We tested whether similar approaches could be used to encourage people to buy healthier foods by sending people 2 personalized, healthy food coupons each week to make these foods more affordable. We also wanted our recommendations to reflect people’s dietary preferences, so we only sent people coupons that aligned with preferences they told us at the beginning of the study .
The coupons were directly linked to people’s loyalty cards and they also received a brief nutrition message and recipe via email every week.
Overall, we found that people liked the personalized healthy food incentives, that it prompted them to purchase more healthy foods, and improved the overall diet quality of their grocery purchases.
