New Anti-obesity Pill Helps Weight Loss

Weight Loss Pill

It could be the next big pharmaceutical blockbuster and a study out today shows promising results for Rimonabant, a new anti-obesity pill that works on the same biological triggers that give marijuana smokers the munchies.

The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports a “modest but sustained” drop in poundage for overweight people on the medicine, and few side effects.

But there is also skepticism among experts about whether another pill can effectively combat the Western world’s growing epidemic of fat – or whether it will divert patients from the lifestyle changes they must make.

“I think that’s a big danger – you have this magic bullet, or what you think is a magic bullet. You’ve got this solution and you forget everything else,” said Dr. Baiju Shah, an endocrinologist with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto, reports National Post.

According to Reuters, the drug is awaiting an approval decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. However there has been speculation that it could become the world’s first blockbuster anti-obesity medicine, with analysts estimating sales topping $3 billion a year.

Tuesday’s report, carried in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was based on a study involving more than 3,000 patients that began in 2001 and also involved diet and exercise changes. The basic findings were released at an American Heart Association meeting in late 2004.

The final study said the drug plus diet and exercise “promoted modest but sustained reductions in weight and waist circumference and favorable changes in cardiometabolic risk factors” such as cholesterol and triglycerides.

Up to 48 percent of the patients in the study saw a weight loss of 5 percent or more after one year, depending on the dose of the drug.

In addition, the report said, the favorable changes in cholesterol and triglycerides “appeared to be approximately twice that expected from weight loss alone,” suggesting the drug may have some direct impact on fat metabolism beyond that caused by slimming down.

Weight Loss Slows On Weekends

Saturday can be the worst enemy for our waistlines and those who exercise for weight loss, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

They found that study subjects on strict diet and exercise programs tend to lose weight more slowly than expected because they eat more on weekends than during the week. The investigators report their findings in the advance online publication of the journal Obesity.

Past research had confirmed that people tend to gain weight during the holidays, particularly between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, but this is the first study to carefully monitor daily body weight, calorie intake and calorie expenditure for several weeks throughout a year, and to demonstrate that increased caloric intake isn’t just a problem during the holidays. It also happens on most weekends.

“We thought weekends would present a problem for some people attempting to lose weight, but the consistency of our finding before and during the interventions was surprising,” says first author Susan B. Racette, Ph.D., assistant professor of physical therapy and of medicine. “Subjects in the diet group lost weight during the week, but over the weekend, they stopped losing weight because they were eating more.”

Racette’s team followed 48 adults between the ages of 50 and 60 who took part in the CALERIE (Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy) study. Body mass index (BMI) ranked subjects as overweight or healthy weight when the study began. None were classified as obese.

Following earlier studies demonstrating that mice and rats live longer, healthier lives when on a calorie restricted diet, the CALERIE study is designed to determine whether taking in fewer calories over a long time period will slow down or reverse some of the common markers of aging and disease.

“But rats don’t have weekends the way people do,” Racette says. “On weekends, human lifestyle patterns can be very different. People have social events, parties to attend, and if they have children who play sports, they might be at fields all day long, relying on concession stands for food.”

Study participants were divided into three groups: the first lowered their daily calorie intake by 20 percent, a second increased daily physical activity by 20 percent, and a third, control group did not change diet or activity levels. All three groups were monitored for one year. They kept food diaries, tracked exercise with accelerometers and were weighed regularly. Racette says people in the study didn’t always realize they were eating significantly more food on weekends.

“It was surprising how consistent the findings were,” she says. “We also were surprised by the dramatic way in which weekends continued to slow weight loss throughout the course of the study.”

Before the interventions began, the researchers established “baselines” for each study participant’s exercise and eating habits. This pre-intervention data determined that participants consumed the most calories on Saturdays. An average of 36 percent of their total calories came from fat on Saturdays, but less than 35 percent came from fat during the rest of the week. The typical weekend weight gain before the diet and exercise interventions began would have led to an average increase of 9 pounds a year.

When study participants were asked either to cut calories by 20 percent or to increase activity by a like amount, the pattern remained the same. Those in the calorie restriction group took in more energy on Saturday. Those in the exercise group ate more on both Saturday and Sunday. As a result, people in the calorie restriction group stopped losing weight on weekends, and those in the exercise group actually gained weight on weekends.

“People on diets often don’t lose as much weight as we would expect, and this finding helps to explain why,” she says.

As the researchers move into the second phase of the CALERIE study, looking at more subjects over a longer period of time, they now recommend that participants weigh themselves daily in order to be more aware of their patterns of weight loss and weight gain, particularly on weekends. For those not in a research study, she recommends moderation and careful planning to avoid weekend pitfalls.

“Planning ahead can’t be emphasized enough,” Racette says. She recommends packing healthy food if you’re running errands, eating a little something so you aren’t starving when you arrive at a party, even packing a light lunch before going to the kids’ ballgames so that you have a choice other than junk food at a concession stand.

“In addition, she says, “paying closer attention to portion sizes can enable a person to enjoy the weekend without sabotaging weight-control efforts.”

New Study Reinforces Dairy’s Value in Reduced Calorie Diet

Low Calorie Diet

Researchers Found that Adults in Year-Long Study Lost Weight with Dairy

You don’t need to cut dairy from your diet to achieve weight loss success, suggests a new study published in the August issue of Obesity Research.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that obese adults can include up to 4 servings of dairy foods per day in a low calorie diet, combined with moderate exercise, and still lose a significant amount of weight and body fat.

This new randomized clinical trial compared the weight loss results of 72 obese adults following three different reduced-calorie diets: a “high-dairy” diet that included 4 servings of dairy foods (milk, yogurt or cheese) each day; a “high-dairy/high fiber/low glycemic index” diet that included 4 servings of dairy each day; and a “moderate-dairy” or standard diet that included 2 servings of dairy foods each day.

After nearly one year (48 weeks), the participants in all three groups experienced significant weight loss and body fat loss, providing further evidence that dieters don’t need to cut dairy from their diet to lose weight successfully.

While all groups lost similar amounts of weight and body fat, the participants in the high-dairy groups who most closely followed the prescribed diet and exercise plan also consumed 4 daily servings of dairy and about 100 to 150 more calories each day. Even with the higher calorie intake, they still lost the same amount of weight as the dieters who consumed 2 servings of dairy a day and fewer calories.

Previously published clinical trials have found that overweight and obese adults who consumed 3 servings of dairy each day were able to lose twice as much weight and fat as those on low-dairy diets (1 serving or less), when the groups had similar reductions in calories. Additionally, numerous population-based studies have shown a connection between a diet adequate in calcium and lower body weight.

“These new findings are important to help us gain further information about the dairy/weight loss connection, which has been reported in several clinical studies,” said co-author Michael Zemel, Ph.D., professor of nutrition and director of the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee. “On the whole, research shows that when comparing groups that have similar calorie reduction, those who consume adequate dairy see better results than those who don’t.”

Past studies indicate that the weight loss effect may be the strongest when dairy and calcium intake is increased from inadequate (l serving or less) to adequate levels, or 3 servings each day. The effect appears to be more modest when increasing dairy intake from moderate levels, or about 2 servings a day, to higher levels.

“It’s not surprising that the weight-loss benefit of dairy was less apparent in this study since the methodology explored ‘moderate’ vs. ‘high’ dairy consumption instead of ‘inadequate’ vs. ‘adequate’ dairy consumption,” explained Zemel.

The Dietary Guidelines recommend 3 servings of milk and milk products daily, yet most Americans are only getting half of that amount. “The evolving science showing that dairy intake can increase weight loss in the context of a reduced-calorie diet is just one more reason for Americans to get their 3-A- Day of Dairy,” said Stephanie Smith, RD, MS, National Dairy Council. Because dairy products naturally contain calcium, protein and other essential nutrients, getting three servings each day improves the nutritional quality of the diet, whether you are dieting or not.

For more information on the nutritional benefits of dairy foods, visit http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org In addition, delicious recipes and tips on how to get 3-A-Day of Dairy are available at http://www.3aday.org

The American Dairy Association/National Dairy Council (ADA/NDC) is managed by Dairy Management, Inc., the nonprofit domestic and international planning and management organization responsible for increasing demand for U.S.- produced dairy products on behalf of America’s dairy farmers.

Trends In Weight Change Among Canadian Adults

Weight Loss and Gain in Canada

Canadian adults keep putting on weight, but indications are that the pace at which they are gaining has slowed down, according to a new report.

The report was based on data from the National Population Health Survey, a longitudinal survey that has followed the same group of people every two years, on six separate occasions, between 1994/1995 and 2004/2005. Data for height and weight for this survey were self-reported. This study is based on data from 1996/1997 to 2004/2005.

The survey showed that every two years since 1996/1997, adults aged 18 to 64 were heavier on average.

However� � while they continued to gain weight, the amount they put on decreased significantly in the most recent two-year interval, 2002/2003 to 2004/2005.

This downturn was due in part to a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of men who gained weight and a significant increase in the amount of weight loss among women who lost weight.

However, among people who gained weight, the amount they put on actually increased over time.

During the eight years covered by the study, men gained an average of 4.0 kg, while women gained an average of 3.4 kg. While these results appear relatively small, a number of studies have shown that even a small shift in the population distribution toward excess weight may have important consequences for the incidence of weight-related diseases.

Rate of gain slowing

Canadians are still gaining weight, on average. But this report found that the pace at which they are gaining has slowed down.

Over the two-year interval from 1996/1997 to 1998/1999, the average self-reported weight of people aged 18 to 64 increased by 1.0 kg for men and 0.9 kg for women.

Between 2000/2001 and 2002/2003, average gains were higher: 1.1 kg for men and 1.0 kg for women.

Over the next two years, that is, 2002/2003 to 2004/2005, the weight of adults continued to rise. However, the average amount gained was lower: 0.7 kg for men and 0.6 kg for women.

Thus, overall adults were still gaining weight, but statistically significantly less than in the earlier periods.

Weight changes associated with sex, age and level of obesity

Changes in weight were significantly associated with sex, age group and the level of obesity as measured by the body mass index (BMI).

Over the eight years from 1996/1997 to 2004/2005, the average self-reported weight of men and women in all age groups increased.

However, in each two-year interval, younger people aged 18 to 33 experienced significantly greater average gains than did individuals aged 34 to 49. Older adults aged 50 to 64 experienced significantly smaller gains than 34 to 49 year-olds.

The general trend of a decline in the amount of weight gained between 2002/2003 and 2004/2005 applied to men and women in most age groups. The exception was men aged 18 to 33, whose average weight gain in the most recent two-year interval was greater than that in the previous one.

An individual’s BMI is associated with how much his or her self-reported weight changed in each two-year interval.

On average, overweight people (BMI from 25.0 to 29.9) gained 0.8 kg less than did people whose weight was in the acceptable BMI range (BMI from 18.5 to 24.9). Obese individuals (BMI 30.0 and higher) gained 1.9 kg less. In fact, during most two-year intervals, people who were obese experienced a mean loss in self-reported weight.

Smaller proportion of men gaining weight

The overall pattern of average change in weight in the last interval (2002/2003 to 2004/2005) reflects a mixture of trends at a finer level of detail. These include a smaller proportion of men gaining weight and greater losses among the women who lost weight.

During each of the first three two-year intervals in the survey, almost half of adults reported that they gained weight. However, between 2002/2003 and 2004/2005 the proportion of men gaining weight fell to 44%.

As well, 32% of men reported a loss in weight between 2002/2003 and 2004/2005, a significantly higher percentage than in the first two intervals.

Among women, the proportion losing weight did not differ significantly from one interval to another.

Many continue to eat high-fat American diet even when trying to lose weight

High-Fat Diets and Losing Weigh

More than half of dieters ignore standard recommendations of reducing their fat intake and increasing carbohydrate consumption, according to findings from a Pitt team led by Lora Burke, Ph.D., F.A.A.N., principle investigator of the study and professor of nursing and epidemiology.

The study, “Dietary Practices Among People Seeking Weight Loss Treatment,” used a 38-item questionnaire to identify dieters’ eating habits. Based on those responses, the researchers discovered that 55 percent of the individuals surveyed showed eating patterns consistent with the typical American diet, which is comprised of more than 40 percent fat and less than 45 percent carbohydrates.

The study also examined the eating patterns of a number of sub-categories, which also resulted in findings of note. Non-white participants were likely to have higher fat and cholesterol intake, and unemployed participants had scores that indicated higher cholesterol-saturated fat intake. Additionally, individuals with no education beyond high school consumed fewer carbohydrates.

The study’s findings suggest that socio-demographic factors should be considered by health care providers attempting to improve their patients’ eating and dietary habits.

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