Weight Control at WeightControl.com

SIR24: Bariatric Arterial Embolization Safely Reduced BMI in Hopkins Study

The procedure resulted in a decrease in the mean BMI of the participants from initially being 43.6 to 41.2 one-year post-procedure.

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Clifford R. Weiss, MD
Professor of Radiology
Director, the Johns Hopkins HHT Center of ExcellenceRadiological Science and Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University

WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study? How would you describe the procedure?

Response: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Bariatric Arterial Embolization (BAE) in patients who have a BMI greater than or equal to 35. BAE is a minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment that reduces the production of the hunger hormone ghrelin as a result of decreasing the blood flow to the stomach.

There were 10 participants recruited in this study. The participants were followed six weeks before BAE and a year following the procedure. After the procedure, the participants were admitted for routine supportive care for up to 48 hours. The participant’s BMI, weight, and body compensation were measured 1,3,6, and 12 months after the surgery.

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Patients Who Stopped Tirzepatide (Mounjaro™) For Weight Control Gradually Regained Most of Lost Weight

Obesity is a chronic disease, like diabetes and hypertension. If treatment is discontinued, it will relapse, though gradually.

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Louis J Aronne M.D.
Sanford I. Weill Professor of Metabolic Research
Department of Medicine
Weill Cornell Medicine

WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: The SURMOUNT -4 trial demonstrates that patients who discontinued tirzepatide after losing 20.9% over 36 weeks regained about half the weight in one year to an average 9.5% weight loss following discontinuation while those who continued lost an additional 5%.

The metabolic parameters which had improved with weight loss returned towards their starting point, but did not completely regress.

Penn Researchers Identify Brain Circuits That Increase Risk for Obesity

These findings underscore that some individual’s brains can be fundamentally different in regions that increase the risk for obesity.

WeightControl.com Interview with:

Casey H. Halpern, MD
Division Head, Functional and Stereotactic Neurosurgery
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery
University of Pennsylvania

WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: The dorsolateral hippocampus (dlHPC) is located in the region of the brain that processes memory, and the lateral hypothalamus (LH) is in the region of the brain that is responsible for keeping the body in a stable state, called homeostasis. Previous research has found an association with loss of function in the human hippocampus in individuals with obesity and related disordered eating, like BED. However, outside of imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the role of the hippocampus has been difficult to study in humans with obesity and related eating disorders.

Even Small Reductions in Weight Can Reduce Obesity-Related Chronic Diseases

Given the health benefits of clinically meaningful weight reduction at any level of excess weight, 5% or greater weight loss can be a reasonable target for obesity management efforts.

WeightControl.com Interview with:

Dr. Lyudmyla Kompaniyets, PhD
Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: Overweight and obesity affect more than 70% of US adults and are risk factors for other chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and many cancers. This is one of the only papers to assess the probability of a 5% weight loss or reducing BMI to healthy weight among US adults with overweight and obesity.

This study focused on the probability of weight loss in a healthcare seeking population with overweight or obesity regardless of any individual’s intention to lose weight.

Heart Benefits of Wegovy (semaglutide) Extend Beyond Weight Loss

This trial found that among the participants taking Wegovy the incidence of MACE was 20% lower than those with usual care.

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Shauna Levy MD, MS, FACS. FASMBS, DABOM
Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery
Division of Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery
Director of Bariatric Surgery
American Board of Obesity Medicine, Diplomate
Instagram @tulane_bariatric_center
Tulaneweightloss.com

WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: The SELECT trial evaluated over 17,000 patients with a history of overweight or obesity and cardiovascular disease. They randomized patients to usual care versus Wegovy (semaglutide), which is an anti-obesity medication. It is important to note that none of the participants had diabetes.

They evaluated the incidence of Major Adverse Cardiaovascular Events (MACE) for up to 5 years for all participants.

Intermittent Fasting Without Counting Calories for Weight Loss

We found that participants who engaged in time-restricted eating ate 425 fewer calories per day than the control group and lost about 10 more pounds than the control group after one year

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Krista Varady, PhD
Professor, Kinesiology and Nutrition
University of Illinois, Chicago

WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: Obesity is a major health issue. Many traditional weight loss diets involve counting calories, which can be cumbersome and difficult to do well. Time-restricted eating, without calorie counting, has become a popular weight loss strategy because it is simple to do. Whether it’s effective in producing weight loss, especially beyond the short term, is unclear.

Study Examines How Stress Triggers Craving for Sweet Food

If you are experiencing chronic stress be specifically vigilant on what you eat. K

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Prof. Herbert Herzog
Chair in Neuroendocrinology
Lab Leader, Eating Disorders Lab
Garvan Institute of Medical Research

WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: We used a systematic, unbiased approach to identify the regions in the brain that specifically respond to either a Prof. Herbert Herzog
(HFD) or a HFD combined with stress. This identified the ‘Lateral Habenular’ (LHb) as the most responsive nuclei to a HFD, while when combining HFD and Stress the neurons in this nuclei were silent.

This indicates that stress can override the HFD induced activation of neurons in the LHb. The LHb is know as the so called ‘anti-reward’ centre, that when activated dampens the reward feeling in this case the pleasure of eating caloric dense food, normally high in fat and sugar. Chronic stress reverts that and brings the pleasure back by blocking the LHb pathway. Not only leads this to an increase of food intake but at the same time specifically promotes the graving for sweet food.

Five Anti-Obesity Medications Evaluated for Cost-Effectiveness

A primary consideration that this analysis could not investigate is the issue of long-term weight loss.

WeightControl.com Interview with:

Ainhoa Gomez-Lumbreras, MD, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Department of Pharmacotherapy
College of Pharmacy, University of Utah

Dan Malone, PhD
Professor
Department of Pharmacotherapy
College of Pharmacy, University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: Obesity, defined as having a body mass index of 30 or more, is a multifactorial disease that has been associated with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, diabetes, and others. By 2030 it is expected that half of the U.S. adult population will be obese. More pharmacologic products are being investigated for weight loss, including the new anti-diabetes medications liraglutide, semaglutide and tirzepatide.

Variety of Healthy Dietary Patterns can be Recommended to Reduce Risk of Chronic Diseases and Premature Death

These patterns such as the Mediterranean diet, DASH diet, vegetarian diet, or other versions of healthy diets can be adapted to meet individual health needs, food preferences, and cultural traditions.

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD
Professor and Chair
Department of Nutrition
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) recommend multiple healthy eating patterns. However, few studies have evaluated whether greater adherence to the DGAs-recommended dietary patterns is associated with long-term risk of total and cause-specific mortality. The researchers used health data collected over 36 years from 75,230 women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study and 44,085 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. All participants were free of cardiovascular disease or cancer at the beginning of the study and completed dietary questionnaires every four years.

Their information was scored based on each of the four dietary pattern indexes (Healthy Eating Index 2015, Alternate Mediterranean Diet, Healthful Plant-based Diet Index, and Alternate Healthy Eating Index). All share key components including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, although other components differ across different eating patterns.

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Small Weight Loss in Older Men Might Signify Increased Risk of Mortality

Older individuals with a weight loss of 5-10% had a higher risk of all-cause mortality: 33% for men and 26% for women.

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Dr Monira Hussain MBBS, MPH, PhD
Senior Research Fellow &
ECF Clinical Research Australian Fellow
Public Health and Preventive Medicine
Monash University
Melbourne Australia

Dr Monira Hussain MBBS, MPH, PhD
Senior Research Fellow &
ECF Clinical Research Australian Fellow
Public Health and Preventive Medicine
Monash University
Melbourne Australia

WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: The impact of weight changes on healthy older adults is not fully understood, and the association between weight loss and cause-specific mortality needs to be explored using more reliable methods.

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