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.  

Continue reading “Heart Benefits of Wegovy (semaglutide) Extend Beyond Weight Loss”

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.

Continue reading “Intermittent Fasting Without Counting Calories for Weight Loss”

Are Commercially-Available Wearables Effective for Weight Control?

WeightControl.com Interview with:
DJ McDonough, M.S.
Doctoral Dissertation Fellow
Ph.D. Candidate/Research Assistant
Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory
University of Minnesota – Twin Cities

DJ McDonough

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

Response: This study used network meta-analysis to perform a pooled analysis on 31 randomized controlled trials examining what are the most effective intervention strategies for using commercially-available wearable fitness trackers (e.g., Fitbit, Apple Watch) or research-grade fitness trackers (e.g., pedometers, accelerometers) to promote weight loss and/or BMI reduction in those with overweight/obesity, including those with weight-associated chronic illnesses.

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Forever Chemicals During Pregnancy May Raise Risk of Childhood Obesity: Steps to Limit Exposure to PFAS

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Yun (Jamie) Liu

Department of Epidemiology
Brown University School of Public Health
Providence, Rhode Island, 

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

Response: Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels in the U.S., and can continue into adulthood, increasing the risks of developing cardiometabolic diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, and cancers. While a lack of physical activity and an unhealthy diet do not fully explain the genesis and trends of the obesity epidemic, some research suggests that fetal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), may predispose children to a higher risk of obesity. Studies on this topic have been quite limited.

Continue reading “Forever Chemicals During Pregnancy May Raise Risk of Childhood Obesity: Steps to Limit Exposure to PFAS”

Study Finds Whole-Body Cryostimulation Useful in the Treatment of Obesity

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Jacopo M. Fontana
Ph.D., M. Sc., Ricercartore

Laboratorio di Ricerca in Biomeccanica, Riabilitazione ed Ergonomia
Ospedale San Giuseppe
IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Italy


WeightControl.com:  What is the background for this study? Would you describe the treatment?

Response: Whole-body cryostimulation is a physical treatment that involves exposing the entire body to cryogenic temperatures (-110°C to -140°C) for a short period of time (2-3 minutes). 

A growing body of work suggests that whole-body cryostimulation could play a role as an adjunctive therapy in various conditions of rehabilitative interest-such as obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, musculoskeletal inflammation, and long COVID-because it may act as a “training method” for the autonomic nervous system, a novel anti-inflammatory and antioxidant treatment with beneficial effects on body composition and adipose tissue.

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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. 

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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.

Continue reading “Five Anti-Obesity Medications Evaluated for Cost-Effectiveness”

Gender Differences in Core Body Temperature

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Reed Thomas BS and
Dr. Kong Y. Chen PhD
Director, Human Energy & Body Weight Regulation Core
NIH

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

Response: Over the last century, many studies have looked at the thermoregulation of both arctic and tropical animals; however, far fewer have rigorously measured variations in human thermal physiology, and even less have compared women and men. This study is a part of our ongoing efforts to fill that gap.

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

Dr. Frank Hu

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. 

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.