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With obesity rates still rising, the hunt is on for ways to combat the negative effects of a high fat diet. Researchers now believe they have discovered a possible answer—probiotic supplementation. Robin Couch and Allyson Dailey partnered with the U.S.D.A. to explore the influence of probiotic supplementation on a higher fat diet, using pigs as model organisms. The research team looked at four groups of pigs—two groups that were fed nutritionally balanced diets with and without probiotic supplementation, and two groups that were fed higher fat diets with and without probiotic supplementation. The probiotic that was tested is known as...

An international team has examined the associations of changes in body weight and waist circumference with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. In the paper, the team highlights the startling connection between weight loss and increased risk of death. The researchers used data from a past study looking at aspirin use in 16,703 Australian participants aged 70 and above. They focused on weight recordings, waist circumference measurements and mortality information over time. The cohort consisted of 7,510 men and 9,193 women. All the individuals were without evident cardiovascular disease, dementia, physical disability, or life-limiting chronic illnesses. Using men with stable weight as...

Being overweight may be physically changing the environment within people's joints, as new research suggests that obesity is promoting pro-inflammatory conditions which worsen arthritis. In a study, researchers have found that specific cells in the joint lining tissue (synovium) of patients with osteoarthritis are being changed due to factors associated with obesity. Previous research has shown that fat tissue that has been metabolically altered by obesity releases proteins called cytokines and adipokines, which are known to promote inflammation around the body. The newly published study observed that in cells taken from biopsies of arthritic joints, obesity also changes the environment...

Obesity rates in the U.S. military surged during the coronavirus pandemic and its associated lockdowns, data released Sunday details. AP reports in the Army alone, nearly 10,000 active duty soldiers developed obesity between February 2019 and June 2021, pushing the rate to nearly a quarter of the troops studied. Increases were seen in the U.S. Navy and the Marines, too.

A new study in the journal Nature Medicine analyzes longitudinal and cross-sectional changes in blood analytes associated with variations in body mass index (BMI). The prevalence of obesity has been increasing over the past four decades among adolescents, adults, and children throughout the world. Several studies have reported obesity to be a major risk factor for multiple chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome (MetS), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and certain types of cancer. Even 5% weight loss among obese individuals can improve metabolic and cardiovascular health, as well as reduce the risk for obesity-related chronic diseases....

Exercising on an empty stomach helped people to burn about 70% more fat than those who exercised two hours after eating, a study found. Sports scientists also found that the participants—who undertook both fasted and fed exercise in the evening—did not overcompensate for the calories skipped earlier in the day. While studies have suggested the benefits of exercise could be increased when done in the morning following an overnight fast, the team's own research found that evening exercise, between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., is the most popular time for people due to other commitments. Therefore, the researchers designed the...

Body positivity content may have a negative impact on viewers because it does little to challenge the underlying idea that people are valued primarily for their appearance, says this psychologist.You define beauty yourself. You are more than a number on a scale. Love yourself the way you are. Body positive messages like these seem to be everywhere from social media to TV ads. But while some find the body positivity movement to be uplifting and helpful, others have begun calling the movement “toxic” and suggesting it may be time to move on from this way of thinking. Body positivity has...

The Tesla is a revolutionary and savvy vehicle created by Elon Musk. Its features are fascinating, and it has a solid range for battery-driven cars. The body of the vehicle isn’t heinously designed either. I still prefer good old-fashioned electric cars. Also, overall electric cars aren’t all that green. Electronic waste is an underreported issue, and what do you think creates the energy at the recharging stations? It’s not wizards—it’s fossil fuels, specifically coal. It’s one of the luxury items coveted by liberal America. California will ban the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035, though they’re also telling their residents...

A decrease in body mass index (BMI) was associated with both a lower incidence of the structural defects of knee osteoarthritis and a lower likelihood that such defects would progress, or get worse. Researchers examined radiographic analyses of knees at baseline and at 4 to 5 years' follow up from adults with and without the structural defects of knee osteoarthritis at the start of the study. The team assessed 9,683 knees (from 5,774 individuals) in an 'incidence cohort' and 6,075 knees (from 3,988 individuals) in a 'progression cohort.' A 1-unit decrease in BMI corresponded to a 4.76% reduction in odds...

While all eyes were on the Republican National Convention in Tampa and Hurricane Isaac on the Gulf Coast, the White House was quietly jacking up the price of automobiles and putting future drivers at risk. Yes, the same cast of fable-tellers who falsely accused GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney of murdering a steelworker's cancer-stricken wife is now directly imposing a draconian environmental regulation that will cost untold American lives. On Tuesday, the administration announced that it had finalized "historic" new fuel efficiency standards. (Everything's "historic" with these narcissists, isn't it?) President Obama took a break from his historic fundraising drives...

Pantothenate acid, also known as vitamin B5, stimulated the production of brown fat in both cell cultures and mice, a new study finds. "We identified [pantothenate acid] as an effective [brown fat] activator that can prevent obesity and may represent a promising strategy for the clinical treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases," the researchers wrote. Unlike the more common white fat, brown fat burns calories to produce heat. Under particular conditions, white fat can be converted to brown fat. Scientists have been investigating the behavior of brown fat and methods of converting white fat in hope of finding treatments...

Researchers say they have debunked the urban myth that healthy underweight people “eat whatever they want and burn it off with exercise”. A study of healthy Chinese adults considered underweight, according to the widely used Body Mass Index (BMI), found they not only do not eat as much food as people with a “normal” BMI, they are also less physically active. More from AsiaOne Read the condensed version of this story, and other top stories with NewsLite. “Our data suggests they eat about 12 per cent less than adults with a normal BMI,” the team of scientists wrote in an...

A new study on how getting sufficient sleep affects caloric intake in a real-world setting could change how we think about weight loss. Overall, individuals who increased their sleep duration were able to reduce their caloric intake by an average of 270 kcal per day—which would translate to roughly 12 kg, or 26 lbs., of weight loss over three years if the effects were maintained over a long term. "We saw that after just a single sleep counseling session, participants could change their bedtime habits enough to lead to an increase in sleep duration," said Tasali. "We simply coached each...

A body positivity website has created free "Don't Weigh Me" cards for patients who find stepping on the scale at the doctor's office stressful. The cards, created by California-based More-Love.org, are available for free to individuals, excluding the cost of postage. There is also the option for businesses to purchase the cards, at $35 per 100 cards. The cards read: "Please don't weigh me unless it's (really) medically necessary," adding "If you really need my weight, please tell me why so that I can give you my informed consent," as shown in photographs on More-Love.org:

A perspective article challenges the 'energy balance model,' which says weight gain occurs because individuals consume more energy than they expend. According to the authors, 'conceptualizing obesity as a disorder of energy balance restates a principle of physics without considering the biological mechanisms underlying weight gain.' The authors argue for the 'carbohydrate insulin model,' which explains obesity as a metabolic disorder driven by what we eat, rather than how much. * Public health messaging exhorting people to eat less and exercise more has failed to stem rising rates of obesity and obesity-related diseases. * The energy balance model, which says...

Everyone in North Korea is heartbroken over leader Kim Jong Un's apparent weight loss, said an unidentified resident of Pyongyang quoted on the country's tightly controlled state media, after watching recent video footage of Kim. The rare public comment on Kim's health come after foreign analysts noted in early June that the autocratic leader, who is believed to be 37, appeared to have lost a noticeable amount of weight. "Seeing respected general secretary (Kim Jong Un) looking emaciated breaks our people's heart so much," the man said in an interview aired by state broadcaster KRT on Friday. "Everyone is saying...

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news. Ryan Kartje on the USC Song Girls: Before she put on that iconic white sweater and saw for herself how the wholesome dreams it sold could turn to nightmares, Josie Bullen didn’t worry about her weight. She didn’t count calories or diet. She rarely, if ever, stepped on a scale.

Hilarious mix-up may have highlighted a potential issue with the vaccine roll-outLiverpool Echo Political Editor Liam Thorp on an amusing vaccine mix-up and the potentially important issue it has brought to light When I received a text saying it was time for my first Covid-19 vaccine I was really surprised - but what came next was frankly surreal. I'm 32 years old with no underlying health conditions, and while I could be described as on the chunky side, I wouldn't have thought of myself as clinically obese (even after lockdown). So I was not expecting to be invited for...

*Losing fat in your tongue can alleviate symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). *Researchers used an MRI to see how weight loss affected the upper airway. *Experts say understanding the link to tongue fat may help them treat people with OSA. Losing weight can help your sleep, according to a new study that found tongue fat can increase your risk of sleep apnea. The study says that losing fat in your tongue can alleviate symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The condition occurs when people stop and start breathing during sleep. Patients wake up randomly during sleep and often snore....

A young man in Las Vegas has lost more than 100 pounds since the beginning of the year, intent on gaining entry into the Army. Luis Enrique Pinto Jr., 18, lost 113 pounds over a seven-month period in order to meet the branch's weight requirement, dropping from 317 pounds to 204. "That's a human -- he lost the equivalent of a human in seven months," said his recruiter, Staff Sgt. Philip Long.