Results of a 26-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention study with 87 women found that multivitamins and minerals were associated with significantly lower body weight, body mass index, and fat mass -nutraingredients.com
MY COMMENT: Wouldn’t it be nice if this turns out to actually be true? Don’t ever forget, however, that a healthy diet and regular exercise will never be replaced.
This study demonstrates that, despite inducing a moderate energy deficit, an acute bout of subjectively paced brisk walking does not elicit compensatory responses in acylated ghrelin, appetite, or energy intake. This finding lends support for a role of brisk walking in weight management. -Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
Subjects who walked briskly for an hour, burning just under 500 net calories (total-BMR) did not compensate by eating more. Appetite was not affected. This study contradicts the theory proposed in the recent Time magazine feature Why Exercise Won’ t Make You Thin.
Some athletes even sleep in high-altitude simulation tents while at sea level, Kram noted. “It would be interesting to see,’’ he said, if a similar method could be used for reducing appetite — and losing pounds. -Losing the weight war? Head to the mountains.
MY COMMENT: Life is more strenuous at high altitude. Zugspitze is 9,700 feet, and subjects that spent a week there lost an average of 3.3 pounds- it’s more difficult to move around and they probably ate less.
It might be something for a company like Colorado Altitude Training to look into.
in a study published last year that tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years, researchers found people who sat more had a higher death risk, independently of whether or not they exercised. -msnbc
MY COMMENT: I am shocked by this finding- I can run 50-60 miles a week and still be at risk because I sit at a desk 8 hours a day? I’m not so sure about this one.
The general principle behind Bioelectrical Impedance (BIA): two conductors are held (on the hand held unit) and a small electrical current is sent through the upper body from one to the other.
The resistance between the conductors will provide a measure of body fat, since the resistance to electricity varies between adipose, muscular and skeletal tissue. Fat-free mass is more than 70% water and a good conductor of electrical current, while fat is a poor conductor. Based on the rate that electricity is conducted, a formula is used to estimate percentage of fat and lean body mass.
One problem with the formulas is they don’t seem to predict accurately for different ethnic groups. Another drawback to using the hand-held unit is they only measure upper body impedance; units that use hand and foot sensors give a better estimation since they measure impedance across the entire length of the body. Results from hand-held units may also vary due to individual differences in arm span/height ratios. Finally, results may be skewed by dehydration.
This study found the handheld units measured results that were reproducible but either over estimated or under estimated % fat mass in overweight women.
Despite these drawbacks, I still like the hand-held unit. It’s quick, easy, and gives you a result that in my opinion is in the ballpark for 70-80% of those I test. Since the results are highly reproducible, it also offers a very good measure of fat loss in subjects that do lose total body weight.
According to the article, risk of weight regain and risk factors including diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and high cholesterol are NOT linked to history of weight cycling (losing and regaining). Correlations do exist between these risk factors and high body mass index.
Think you’re going to lose fat faster by exercising?
Conclusions: Despite similar effect on fat losses, combining CR (calorie restriction) with exercise increased aerobic fitness in parallel with improved insulin sensitivity, LDL cholesterol, and diastolic BP. The results lend support for inclusion of an exercise component in weight loss programs to improve metabolic fitness. -Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise
COMMENTS: This study split subjects into 3s- controls, a group that reduced calorie intake by 25%, and a combination group with 12.5% reduction in calories combined with a 12.5% increase in physical activity. The findings support previous research- you don’t accelerate fat loss by adding exercise when caloric deficits are the same, however the added benefits are significant. Other research has found that weight loss is more likely to be maintained in those who continue to exercise.
Women who drank two or more diet sodas a day had a 30% drop in a measure of kidney function during the lengthy study follow-up -webmd.com
MY COMMENT: This is also startling- Kidney disease diagnoses have doubled each of the last two decades. 20 million Americans have some degree of chonic kidney disease. I suggest if you are a heavy diet soda drinker, consider switching to water or tea.
There are three different types of HFCS – one that is 55 percent fructose and 42 percent glucose (most commonly found in soft drinks), one that is 42 percent fructose and 58 percent glucose (usually used in food products), and one used for specialty applications that is 90 percent fructose and 10 percent glucose.
Pure fructose on its own – not HFCS – has been linked to weight gain in some animal studies, and this could be where some confusion arises, but Erickson and other industry members have repeatedly pointed out that the HFCS used in foods and beverages is not dissimilar in its makeup to sugar (sucrose), which contains 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose. Therefore, compared to sugar, the HFCS commonly found in foods is actually low-fructose, she said.
MY COMMENT: Very enlightening! The bottom line is, no matter what the percentages are, we still consume too.
Ever notice that when you’re really stressed, you tend to crave comfort foods that are high in fat or sugar? Researchers have found that specific hormones may play a role in this process. -everydayhealth.com
MY COMMENT: While this may be true, it doesn’t change the basic weight loss strategies I outline in Lose It For Ever.
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