Weight Loss Latest Research

Scientists are constantly performing research and publishing new studies relating to weight loss and how to conquer obesity.  Here are 10 interesting recently released news stories you might find informative.

1. A healthy diet is linked to better reading skills in the first three years of school (Science Daily).  The study showed that children whose diet was rich in vegetables, fruit, berries, whole grain, fish and unsaturated fats, and low in sugary products, did better in tests measuring reading skills than their peers with a poorer diet quality. 
2. Swapping soda for water reduces obesity.  The study published in the journal Nutrients found that adults who swapped a single 8-ounce sugary drink - including soda, energy drinks, and sugar-sweetened coffee - for an 8-ounce serving of water reduced their total percentage of calories from drinks from 17 percent to 11 percent.  This led to reduced cholesterol, blood pressure and obesity levels.  (source: Medical News Today) 
3. Obesity-related cancer risk is increased by the duration of being overweight.  A study led by Milina Arnold and colleagues at the IARC explored how the timing, duration, and intensity of overweight and obesity impacts on cancer risk, taking into account other factors related to obesity, such as physical activity, diet, smoking, hormone use, and history of diabetes.  The study found that being overweight for a longer duration as an adult significantly increased the incidence of all obesity-related cancers by 7 percent for every 10-year increase in overweight adulthood period. The authors write: "We found that longer durations of overweight and obesity were significantly associated with an increased incidence of obesity-related cancers, postmenopausal breast cancer, and colon, endometrial, and kidney cancer."  (Source:  Medical News Today)
4. Eat a bigger breakfast and a smaller dinner.  This summer, a review study in the journal Biochimie answered long-standing questions about meal size and timing in relation to weight: Australian researchers found that eating a bigger percentage of the day’s calories at or before noon aids weight loss. Likewise, eating more than a third of the day’s calories in the evening doubles obesity risk. A healthy adult shouldn’t need a lot of calories later in the day, unless you’re working a night shift or exercising heavily.  (Source:  Huffington Post)
5. Obesity increases brain aging.  From middle-age, the brains of obese individuals display differences in white matter similar to those in lean individuals ten years their senior, according to new research led by the University of Cambridge. White matter is the tissue that connects areas of the brain and allows for information to be communicated between regions.  Our brains naturally shrink with age, but scientists are increasingly recognizing that obesity - already linked to conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease - may also affect the onset and progression of brain ageing.  (Source:  News Medical)
6. Drink water to lose weight.  Water might be a secret weapon for dieters, research involving nearly 10,000 adults suggests.  “Those who were inadequately hydrated had higher body mass indexes (BMIs) than those who were adequately hydrated,” said study leader Dr. Tammy Chang, an assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School. Also, people who took in too little water daily had 50 percent higher odds for obesity compared to those who consumed enough, the study found.  (Source:  Health.com)
7. Probiotics contribute to weight loss.  A team of researchers from Taizhou, China has conducted a study and found that these helpful bacteria helped participants lose weight and lower their body mass index (BMI) scores.  Probiotics, which can be found naturally in certain foods or in the form of supplements, are generally accepted as being beneficial to overall well-being. The findings showed that taking the probiotics contributed to decreased weight and BMI scores, particularly in participants who were overweight. Additionally, the researchers found that weight loss increased after using these substances for eight weeks. Taking more than one type of probiotic also resulted in increased weight loss.  (Source:  Consumer Affairs)
8. Friendships matter if you want to lose weight.  Researchers made the discovery in analyzing a survey of more than 9,300 Americans between the ages of 18 and 65. Overweight people who want to drop weight are less likely to succeed if they only socialize with other overweight people.  Though they may be more comfortable with plump peers, they're more apt to shed unwanted pounds if they include thinner people in their social lives, according to the study published recently in the journal Obesity.  (Source:  HealthDay)
9. To cut calories, place online food orders ahead of time.  New research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon University show that people choose higher-calorie meals when ordering immediately before eating and lower-calorie meals when orders are placed an hour or more in advance. Published in the Journal of Marketing Research, the results could lead to ways to address the U.S. obesity epidemic.  “Our results show that ordering meals when you’re already hungry and ready to eat leads to an overall increase in the number of calories ordered, and suggest that by ordering meals in advance, the likelihood of making indulgent purchases is drastically reduced,” said lead author Eric M. Van Epps.  (Source:  BioSpace)
10. Copper Is key In burning fat.   A new study is further burnishing copper's reputation as an essential nutrient for human physiology. A research team led by a scientist at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that copper plays a key role in metabolizing fat.   Long prized as a malleable, conductive metal used in cookware, electronics, jewelry and plumbing, copper has been gaining increasing attention over the past decade for its role in certain biological functions. It has been known that copper is needed to form red blood cells, absorb iron, develop connective tissue and support the immune system. "We find that copper is essential for breaking down fat cells so that they can be used for energy," said Chris Chang, a faculty scientist at Berkeley Lab's Chemical Sciences Division. "It acts as a regulator. The more copper there is, the more the fat is broken down. We think it would be worthwhile to study whether a deficiency in this nutrient could be linked to obesity and obesity-related diseases." (Source:  BioSpace)