Weight Control at WeightControl.com

ObesityWeek: Racial Differences in Perceived Discrimination in People with Obesity

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Marianne Olaniran, DrPH(c), MS, MPH
Doctoral student
The University of Texas Health Science Center
at Houston School of Public Health

Jaime Almandoz, MD, MBA, FTOS (he/him)
Medical Director, Weight Wellness Program
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
Division of Endocrinology
Internal Medicine Subspecialties Clinic
UTSouthwestern Medical Center
Dallas, TX

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

Ms. Olaniran: The study focused on experiences of discrimination among people with obesity (PWO), based on their characteristics including body size, race/ethnicity, and sex. Discrimination against individuals and groups remains prevalent in the United States. Studies show that perceived discrimination negatively impacts physical and mental health, but how it impacts diverse PWO is not well understood. This study assessed race/ethnic group and sex differences in perceptions of discrimination among people with obesity .

DIETFITS: Identifying Groups with Varying Weight Loss Success

the most successful subgroup (73% met threshold) had high outcome expectations for making health improvements coupled with high levels of family encouragement

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Matthew J. Landry, PhD, RDN, FAND, FAHA (he/him)
Assistant Professor
Department of Population Health & Disease Prevention
University of California, Irvine

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

Response: Lifestyle interventions are the first-line treatment for obesity; however, not all participants achieve clinically significant weight loss.

As researchers and clinicians, we want to minimize patient burden, maximize clinical outcomes, and conserve constraints (budget & personnel).

Using data from a 12-month diet and weight loss intervention (DIETFITS), we examined 52 demographic, clinical, & psychosocial variables among 436 participants (BMI 28-40) to see if there are distinct subgroups of participants who were more or less successful in losing 5% weight by 12 months?

EASD: Analysis Finds More Weight Loss (and side effects) with Tirzepatide in Type 2 Diabetes

Our analysis can help healthcare professionals make informed choices for managing type 2 diabetes, especially for those patients for whom weight loss is an important goal. However, like any medication, it’s crucial to consider the entire profile of tirzepatide, including side effects.

WeightControl.com Interview with:

Dr Thomas Karagiannis MD
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki, Greece

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

Response: Previous individual studies have shown that both subcutaneous semaglutide and tirzepatide are very effective in managing blood sugar and reducing body weight in people with type 2 diabetes. However, direct comparisons between these medications have been limited.

In our study, we used a technique called a network meta-analysis to indirectly compare the two. This method allowed us to derive results by examining other trials that compared either of the drugs with placebo or another treatment.

Our findings indicated that tirzepatide had a stronger effect than semaglutide in controlling blood sugar and aiding weight loss. For example, those on the highest dose of tirzepatide lost, on average, 5.7 kg more than those on the highest dose of semaglutide. But, it’s worth mentioning that some side effects, especially related to the digestive system, were slightly more common with the high dose of tirzepatide.

WeightControl: CalPoly Study Examines Factors Distinguishing Weight-Maintainers from Weight-Regainers

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Suzanne Phelan, PhD
Professor of Kinesiology & Public Health
Director, Center for Health Research
California Polytechnic State University

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

Response: Understanding the factors that promote long-term weight control is need to inform health interventions. We know that self-monitoring, physical activity, and cognitive restraint are associated with success in long-term weight control. The other behavioral, psychological, and environmental factors remain unclear, and very few studies have examined the factors related to long-term successful weight control in commercial weight management programs, which reach 10-15% of the US population.

Study Finds Almonds Can Be Included in Weight Control Program, with Potential Cardiac Benefits

The amount of weight loss achieved was the same for those who are almonds or an energy matched diet without nuts but those who ate almonds had additional benefits to cardiovascular disease risk factors.

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Prof. Alison M. Coates PhD
Allied Health & Human Performance
Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA)
University of South Australia
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

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

Response: Studies have indicated an inverse association between nut consumption and BMI, suggesting that nut consumption may have a protective effect against accumulation of adiposity. However, despite these findings, there has been a common perception that nut consumption will lead to increased body weight or impair weight loss when a person is trying to lose weight.

Nuts are a core food according to the Australian dietary guidelines and a rich source of good fats, protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Therefore, this study aimed to contribute to the growing research surrounding nuts, specifically to evaluate whether the inclusion of 15% of dietary energy from almonds compared with carbohydrate-rich snacks in an otherwise nut-free diet would improve weight loss during 3 months of dietary energy restriction (~30% reduction) and limit weight regain during 6 months of weight maintenance.

UCI Irvine Study Finds Millions May Benefit from Reduced Cardiac Events With New Weight Control Drugs

While the drug is costly to obtain by some patients, the cost savings associated with fewer doctor and hospital visits due to obesity and obesity-related diseases, in particular cardiovascular diseases (especially heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure) could be substantial.

WeightControl.com Interview with:

Nathan D. Wong, PhD, FACC, FAHA
Professor and Director
Heart Disease Prevention Program
Division of Cardiology, UC Irvine and
and UC Irvine and Radiology and Public Health at UC Irvine

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

Response: Wegovy (semaglutide 2.4 mg given as an injection once weekly) has been shown in the previously reported STEP 1 trial to result in on average a 15% body weight loss in patients with overweight or obesity. It also beneficially improves other cardiovascular risk factors including blood pressure and cholesterol levels. We applied the eligibility and findings of the STEP 1 trial to the US population-representative National Health and Nutrition Examination survey and estimated that 93 million US adults with overweight or obesity would be potentially eligible for the drug based on the STEP 1 eligibility criteria.

UCLA Study Finds Neighborhood Disadvantage Shapes Brain and Body Mass

We hope our study brings a greater appreciation for how neighborhoods shape us and impact our health.

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Arpana Gupta, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Co-Director: Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center at UCLA
Director: Neuroimaging Core
G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience
Ingestive Behavior and Obesity Program
UCLA Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases
David Geffen School of Medicine
UCLA Los Angeles, CA

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

Response: Neighborhood characteristics, such as crowding, number of households in poverty, and rate of unemployment, have an effect on health, including brain health, beyond one’s individual income/education level.

Our study adds to this evidence by showing an effect of neighborhood disadvantage on an important brain feature, cortical microsctructure, which impacts brain communication and information processing.

Further, we found that some of the effect, particularly in brain areas involved in emotion, reward, and cognitive functions, was related to increased body mass index in poorer quality neighborhoods.

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.