MedWorm: Eating Disorders and Weight Management

Healthier, Smarter Growth [Editorial]

RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:48:19 +0100

For years, county leaders here have considered sound urban planning mainly as a political issue -- an issue tainted by the specter of intruding on personal property rights and free enterprise. As a result, they have regularly rejected calls for comprehensive land-use planning for the unincorporated areas of the county. But as it turns out, the lack of urban planning in suburbia -- here and elsewhere -- is now being acknowledged as a critical public health issue. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Evidence‐based recommendations for the development of obesity prevention programs targeted at preschool children

Obesity Reviews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:44:28 +0100

SummaryThe ToyBox intervention was developed using an evidence‐based approach, using the findings of four reviews. These reviews included three critical and narrative reviews of educational strategies and psychological approaches explaining young children's acquisition and formation of energy‐balance related behaviours, and the management of these behaviours, and also a systematic review of behavioural models underpinning school‐based interventions in preschool and school settings for the prevention of obesity in children aged 4–6 years.This paper summarises and translates the findings from these reviews into practical evidence based recommendations for researchers and policy‐makers to consider when developing and implementing interventions for the prevention of overweight and ob...

Existing policies, regulation, legislation and ongoing health promotion activities related to physical activity and nutrition in pre‐primary education settings: an overview

Obesity Reviews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:44:26 +0100

SummaryObesity prevention efforts for school‐aged children and adolescents are increasing in number. However, little has been done to address the problem in the preschool age. To address this age group, an evidence‐based preschool programme on physical activity (PA) and nutrition is developed within the ToyBox project. Environmental influencing factors such as policies and competitive health promotion activities could inhibit or induce a successful health promotion programme. This paper describes an overview of existing policies, legislation and/or regulations and health promotion activities in the preschool setting. Method: data were gathered on policies and activities aiming to improve healthy eating and PA of young children (age group 4–6 years) in Belgium‐Flanders, Bulgaria, Ge...

Identifying effective behavioural models and behaviour change strategies underpinning preschool‐ and school‐based obesity prevention interventions aimed at 4–6‐year‐olds: a systematic review

Obesity Reviews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:44:24 +0100

SummaryThe aim of this comprehensive systematic review was to identify the most effective behavioural models and behaviour change strategies, underpinning preschool‐ and school‐based interventions aimed at preventing obesity in 4–6‐year‐olds. Searching was conducted from April 1995 to April 2010 using MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and The Cochrane Library. Epidemiological studies relevant to the research question with controlled assignment of participants were included in the review, if they had follow‐up periods of 6 months or longer. Outcomes included markers of weight gain; markers of body composition; physical activity behaviour changes and dietary behaviour changes. Twelve studies were included in the review. The most commonly used model was social cognitive theory (SC...

Critical narrative review to identify educational strategies promoting physical activity in preschool

Obesity Reviews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:44:22 +0100

SummaryThe aim of this narrative review is critically to evaluate educational strategies promoting physical activity that are used in the preschool setting in the context of obesity prevention programmes. Literature search was conducted between April and August 2010 in English and German databases (PubMED, PsychINFO, PSYNDEX, ERIC, FIS Bildung). Outcomes considered were time and intensity of physical activity, motor skills or measures of body composition. A total of 19 studies were included. Ten studies added physical activity lessons into their curriculum, one study provided more time for free play, eight studies focused on the social and play environment. Studies reporting positive outcomes implemented physical activity sessions that lasted at least 30 min d−1. Several studies show...

A narrative review of psychological and educational strategies applied to young children's eating behaviours aimed at reducing obesity risk

Obesity Reviews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:44:20 +0100

SummaryStrategies to reduce risk of obesity by influencing preschool children's eating behaviour are reviewed. The studies are placed in the context of relevant psychological processes, including inherited and acquired preferences, and behavioural traits, such as food neophobia, ‘enjoyment of food’ and ‘satiety responsiveness’. These are important influences on how children respond to feeding practices, as well as predictors of obesity risk. Nevertheless, in young children, food environment and experience are especially important for establishing eating habits and food preferences. Providing information to parents, or to children, on healthy feeding is insufficient. Acceptance of healthy foods can be encouraged by five to ten repeated tastes. Recent evidence suggests rewarding heal...

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Influencing factors of screen time in preschool children: an exploration of parents' perceptions through focus groups in six European countries

Obesity Reviews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:44:19 +0100

This study aimed to explore parents' perceptions of their preschool children's screen time. One hundred twenty‐two parents of low and medium‐high socioeconomic status from six European countries with children between 4 and 6 years old were involved in 24 focus groups. Following a qualitative content analysis, the available information and key findings were centrally analysed. Results showed that children tend to like watching television (TV) and most parents do not express worries about their children's TV viewing time. Education is considered to be the main benefit of watching TV and in general, parents only have informal rules about TV viewing. Computer and active games use are less frequent compared with TV viewing. No univocal results are found about the influence of siblings or fr...

Energy balance‐related behaviours associated with overweight and obesity in preschool children: a systematic review of prospective studies

Obesity Reviews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:44:17 +0100

SummaryThe current review aimed to systematically identify dietary, physical activity and sedentary behaviours in preschool children (4–6 years of age) that are prospectively related to overweight or obesity later in childhood. Prospective studies published between January 1990 and June 2010 were selected from searches in PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Cochrane Library. Studies examining the prospective association between at least one relevant behaviour measured during preschool period (children aged 4–6 years at baseline) in relation to at least one anthropometric measurement at follow‐up (age <18 years) were included. Harvest plots were used to summarize the results and draw conclusions from the evidence.Of the 8,718 retrieved papers, 23 papers reporting on 15 different s...

Assessment tools of energy balance‐related behaviours used in European obesity prevention strategies: review of studies during preschool

Obesity Reviews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:44:15 +0100

SummaryValid and reliable measures of energy balance‐related behaviours are required when evaluating the effectiveness of public health interventions aiming at prevention of childhood obesity. A structured descriptive review was performed to appraise food intake, physical activity and sedentary behaviour assessment tools used in obesity intervention strategies targeting mainly preschool children across Europe. In total, 25 papers are described, addressing energy balance‐related behaviours as study outcomes and targeting individuals or clusters of individuals at school‐ or home‐based environment. Parentally reported food records and 24‐h recalls were commonly used to assess food intake. Subjective levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviour were commonly accessed via paren...

Weight status of European preschool children and associations with family demographics and energy balance‐related behaviours: a pooled analysis of six European studies

Obesity Reviews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:44:13 +0100

In conclusion, large differences in prevalence of overweight and obesity among preschoolers across Europe were observed. Future obesity prevention interventions in preschoolers should target screen time giving specific attention to children from overweight and/or low socioeconomic status parents. There is a need for high methodological quality studies, preferably with a long‐term prospective design using sensitive, valid and reliable measures of behaviours, assessing whether and which physical activity and dietary behaviours are associated with overweight in preschoolers. (Source: Obesity Reviews)

Correlates of energy balance‐related behaviours in preschool children: a systematic review

Obesity Reviews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:44:12 +0100

SummaryChildhood overweight is a multifactorial health problem influenced by several factors. The interaction of behaviours such as physical activity, sedentary behaviour and eating behaviour determines whether or not a positive energy balance or weight gain is experienced. Knowing the correlates of these behaviours in 4‐ to 6‐year‐old children is of major interest for intervention development. According to the systematic literature search, attending a rural preschool was positively associated with physical activity. Gender, age and socioeconomic status were not associated with physical activity, while an indeterminate result was found for ethnicity. Gender and ethnicity were not associated with sedentary behaviour and indeterminate results were found for age and socioeconomic status...

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

A systematic approach for the development of a kindergarten‐based intervention for the prevention of obesity in preschool age children: the ToyBox‐study

Obesity Reviews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:44:10 +0100

SummaryThe increasing childhood obesity epidemic calls for appropriate measures and effective policies to be applied early in life. Large‐scale socioecological frameworks providing a holistic multifactorial and cost‐effective approach necessary to support obesity prevention initiatives in this age are however currently missing. To address this missing link, ToyBox‐study aims to build and evaluate a cost‐effective kindergarten‐based, family‐involved intervention scheme to prevent obesity in early childhood, which could potentially be expanded on a pan‐European scale. A multidisciplinary team of researchers from 10 countries have joined forces and will work to realize this according to a systematic stepwise approach that combines the use of the PRECEDE‐PROCEED model and inter...

The ‘ToyBox‐study’ obesity prevention programme in early childhood: an introduction

Obesity Reviews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:44:08 +0100

(Source: Obesity Reviews)

A systematic review on use of Chinese medicine and acupuncture for treatment of obesity

Obesity Reviews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:43:24 +0100

SummaryObesity is a major health hazard and despite lifestyle modification, many patients frequently regain any lost body weight. The use of western anti‐obesity drugs has been limited by side effects including mood changes, suicidal thoughts, and gastrointestinal or cardiovascular complications. The effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine including Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and acupuncture provide an alternative established therapy for this medical challenge. In this systematic review, we used standard methodologies to search, review, analyse and synthesize published data on the efficacy, safety and relapse of weight regain associated with use of CHM and acupuncture. We also examined the rationale, mechanisms and potential utility of these therapies. A total of 12 e...

Study: Rapid bone loss as possible side effect of anti-obesity drug now in clinical trials

UT Southwestern Medical Center News — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:29:12 +0100

An endocrine hormone used in clinical trials as an anti-obesity and anti-diabetes drug causes significant and rapid bone loss in mice, raising concerns about its safe use, have shown. (Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center News)

Spatial accessibility to physical activity facilities and to food outlets and overweight in French youth

International Journal of Obesity — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: R Casey, B Chaix, C Weber, B Schweitzer, H Charreire, P Salze, D Badariotti, A Banos, J-M Oppert & C Simon (Source: International Journal of Obesity)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Effect of protein intake and weight gain velocity on body fat mass at 6 months of age: The EU Childhood Obesity Programme

International Journal of Obesity — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: J Escribano, V Luque, N Ferre, G Mendez-Riera, B Koletzko, V Grote, H Demmelmair, L Bluck, A Wright & R Closa-Monasterolo (Source: International Journal of Obesity)

Additive feeding inhibitory and aversive effects of naltrexone and exendin-4 combinations

International Journal of Obesity — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: N-C Liang, N T Bello & T H Moran (Source: International Journal of Obesity)

SIRT1 and CLOCK 3111T>C combined genotype is associated with evening preference and weight loss resistance in a behavioral therapy treatment for obesity

International Journal of Obesity — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: M Garaulet, A Esteban Tardido, Y-C Lee, C E Smith, L D Parnell & J M Ordovás (Source: International Journal of Obesity)

Adiposity and sex hormones across the menstrual cycle: the BioCycle Study

International Journal of Obesity — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: E H Yeung, C Zhang, P S Albert, S L Mumford, A Ye, N J Perkins, J Wactawski-Wende & E F Schisterman (Source: International Journal of Obesity)

Insulin receptor-independent upregulation of cellular glucose uptake

International Journal of Obesity — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: R Krishnapuram, H Kirk-Ballard, E J Dhurandhar, O Dubuisson, V Messier, R Rabasa-Lhoret, V Hegde, S Aggarwal & N V Dhurandhar (Source: International Journal of Obesity)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

A gene variant of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 is associated with obesity in children

International Journal of Obesity — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

A gene variant of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 is associated with obesity in children International Journal of Obesity advance online publication, February 7, 2012. doi:10.1038/ijo.2012.4 Authors: J Olza, M Gil-Campos, R Leis, A I Rupérez, R Tojo, R Cañete, A Gil & C M Aguilera (Source: International Journal of Obesity)

The A-allele of the common FTO gene variant rs9939609 complicates weight maintenance in severe obese patients

International Journal of Obesity — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: A Woehning, J-H Schultz, E Roeder, A Moeltner, B Isermann, P P Nawroth, C Wolfrum & G Rudofsky (Source: International Journal of Obesity)

Counties with thriving small businesses have healthier residents, LSU and Baylor researchers find

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Baylor University) Counties and parishes with a greater concentration of small, locally-owned businesses have healthier populations -- with lower rates of mortality, obesity and diabetes -- than do those that rely on large companies with "absentee" owners, according to a national study by sociologists at LSU and Baylor University. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Full‐length visfatin levels are associated with inflammation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

European Journal of Clinical Investigation — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:06:28 +0100

Conclusion Our results suggest that circulating visfatin levels correlate with WBC and CRP but are not associated with PCOS, obesity or metabolic markers, suggesting that visfatin may act as a proinflammatory cytokine. (Source: European Journal of Clinical Investigation)

Finger Foods During Weaning Help Maintain Healthy Body Weight Later On

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

A study published in BMJ Open reveals that infants tend to eat healthier and be a healthy weight as they get older if they are allowed to feed themselves with finger foods from the start of weaning (baby led weaning), compared to infants who are spoon fed. According to the researchers, findings from the study indicate that baby led weaning may help prevent childhood obesity. Findings from the study were based on 155 children aged between 20 months and 6.5 years, whose parents filled out a survey regarding their children's food preferences and weaning style... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

The Consumer: New Weight Watchers Plan Leaves Some Grumbling

NYT Health — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:40:00 +0100

An overhaul to Weight Watchers' diet plan has caused many longtime members to complain about slow weight loss. (Source: NYT Health)

Consumer: New Weight Watchers Plan Leaves Some Grumbling

NYT Health — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:40:00 +0100

An overhaul to Weight Watchers' diet plan has caused many longtime members to complain about slow weight loss. (Source: NYT Health)

Junk foods widely available at elementary schools

USATODAY.com Health — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:01:07 +0100

Junk food remains plentiful at the nation's elementary schools despite widespread efforts to curb childhood obesity. (Source: USATODAY.com Health)

Immature Citrus sunki Peel Extract Exhibits Antiobesity Effects by β-Oxidation and Lipolysis in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice.

Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:48:04 +0100

In this study, we investigated the antiobesity activity of immature C. sunki peel extract (designated CSE) using high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese C57BL/6 mice and mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In the animal study, body weight gain, adipose tissue weight, serum total cholesterol, and triglyceride in the CSE-administered group decreased significantly compared to the HFD group. Also, CSE supplementation reduced serum levels of glutamic pyruvic transaminase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, and lactate dehydrogenase. Moreover, it significantly decreased the accumulation of fatty droplets in liver tissue, suggesting a protective effect against HFD-induced hepatic steatosis. Dietary supplementation with CSE reversed the HFD-induced decrease in the phosphorylation levels of AMP-activated protein k...

NPs — heart hormones that regulate brown fat?

Journal of Clinical Investigation — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:32:05 +0100

Thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT) is well characterized as being under the control of the sympathetic nervous system. The energy-burning capacity of BAT makes it an attractive target for anti-obesity therapies. However, previous attempts to manipulate BAT’s sympathetic activation have lacked specificity. In this issue of the JCI, Bordicchia et al. provide new data indicating that cardiac natriuretic peptides (NPs) are also able to activate thermogenic machinery in adipose tissue. Their findings suggest a novel strategy to increase energy dissipation in adipose tissue, independent of adrenergic receptors. (Source: Journal of Clinical Investigation)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Overweight Physicians Less Likely to Give Diet AdviceOverweight Physicians Less Likely to Give Diet Advice

Medscape Today Headlines — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:18:45 +0100

A doctor's weight may be a factor in diagnosing obesity, a study finds. WebMD Health News (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

Orexigen, FDA agree on trial design for obesity drug

Reuters: Health — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:28:07 +0100

(Reuters) - Orexigen Therapeutics Inc said it reached an agreement with U.S. health regulators on the design of a heart-safety trial required for the approval of its experimental obesity drug. (Source: Reuters: Health)

Positive Parenting During Early Childhood May Prevent Obesity

Diabetes News from dLife.com — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:26:46 +0100

February 6, 2012 (Newswise) — Programs that support parents during their child’s early years hold promise for obesity prevention, according to a new study in the online February 6 issue of Pediatrics. read more (Source: Diabetes News from dLife.com)

Positive parenting during early childhood may prevent obesity

ScienceDaily Headlines — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:25:25 +0100

Programs that support parents during their child’s early years hold promise for obesity prevention, according to a new study. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

Lung Separation in the Morbidly Obese Patient

Advances in Urology — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:46:42 +0100

Lung separation techniques in the morbidly obese patient undergoing thoracic or esophageal surgery may be at risk of complications during airway management. Access to the airway in the obese patient can be a challenge because they have altered airway anatomy, including a short and redundant neck, limited neck extension and accumulation of fat deposition in the pharyngeal wall contributing to difficult laryngoscopy. Securing the airway is the first priority in these patients followed by appropriate techniques for lung separation with the use of a single-lumen endotracheal tube and a bronchial blocker or another alternative is with the use of a double-lumen endotracheal tube. This review is focused on the use of lung isolation devices in the obese patient. The recommendations are based upon ...

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Prenatal exposure to a natural disaster increases risk for obesity in 5-year-old children. - Dancause KN, Laplante DP, Fraser S, Brunet A, Ciampi A, Schmitz N, King S.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:54:53 +0100

Introduction:An adverse environment in utero, including exposure to prenatal maternal stress (PNMS), can result in poor birth outcomes such as low birth weight, which increases risk of later cardiometabolic diseases such as hypertension and obesity. It is ... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Disordered eating and injuries among adolescent ballet dancers. - Thomas JJ, Keel PK, Heatherton TF.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:54:53 +0100

BACKGROUND: Ballet dancers are at elevated risk for eating disorders, but the extent to which disordered eating attitudes and behaviors represent a relatively benign adaptation to an environment that values extreme thinness, or a functionally impairing for... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Under 10s have eating disorders

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:13:37 +0100

A number of children under 10 are treated in hospitals in Northern Ireland for eating disorders, the Department of Health says. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

Weight Management Programs For African-American Women Are More Successful If Held In A Church

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0100

As a brand new year gets underway, people all over America are resolving to better manage their weight and have a more healthy 2012. According to a new study, those starting new weight loss programs may be surprised to find out that both location and level of experience may influence their success... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Neuronal transplants for treatment of obesity

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:58:00 +0100

There are many different factors which go into whether animals (or humans) develop obesity and diabetes. Different sensitivity to different chemicals, in different areas of the body and brain, can cause major differences in feeding behavior, body weight, fat, and insulin sensitivity. And now we’ve learned that changes in one circuit of the hypothalamus could make a big difference in a certain kind of obesity in mice. [More] (Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

10 Ways to Improve Your Body Image