Dramatic weight loss can reverse the effects of severe sleep apnoea, says a new study.’Our findings suggest that weight loss may be an effective treatment strategy for sleep apnoea in obese men,’ says study co-author Kari Johansson of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common but under-diagnosed disorder, characterised by 10 second pauses in breathing during sleep, caused by the collapse of the upper airways during sleep.

Moderate and severe OSA (defined as 15 or more pauses per hour) carries an excess risk of vehicular crashes, heart disease and death. Untreated, it is linked with increased risk of traffic accidents, as well as stroke and heart disease. Moderate and severe sleep apnoea also increases the risk of premature death.

People with overweight or obesity are more likely to develop the disease, and men are more affected than women. The Karolinska study included 63 obese men, aged between 30 and 65 years, with moderate to severe OSA. They had undergone continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP, which produces more normal breathing patterns during sleep.

They were randomly assigned to two groups, one of which underwent an intense weight-loss programme, while the other served as a control group, for a period of nine weeks. The results show that the weight loss group lost 19 kilos on average after nine weeks and more than halved the number of apnoea events.

None of the treated patients had severe sleep apnoea, half had only mild sleep apnoea and one in six could be declared healthy, says a Karolinska Institute release. Researchers also noted that the effect of the weight loss programme was greatest in patients with severe sleep apnoea.

These findings were published in the British Medical Journal.

Washington, Nov 10  : A major, long-term study of pregnant mothers and their foetuses as well as infant children has been launched to determine just how profoundly environmental factors early in life influence the onset of diseases such as obesity and diabetes in later years.

The study by three Singapore biomedical institutions, inspired by research evidence showing that the environment in which a baby is conceived, born and grows up determines the child”s growth and development.

The research will involve scientists from the KK Women”s and Children”s Hospital (KKH), the National University Hospital (NUH) and the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), which is part of ASTAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research).

For the study, led by Dr. Chong Yap Seng, the team of Singaporean and international researchers is recruiting a total of 1,200 expectant mothers.

The study will initially track children from foetal development to 3 years of age, and subsequently, if further funding is secured, as they grow up to become adults.

“Present strategies for the management of obesity and diabetes are focused on the prevention of secondary complications rather than primary disease,” said Chong.

“There is increasing evidence that a baby”s environment from conception to birth determines its childhood development and lifelong health and that factors in early development are major causes of metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus,” said Sir Peter Gluckman.

Knowledge gained from the study will be of immense importance to Singapore, said Associate Professor Dr. Kenneth Kwek.

And with the increased prevalence of obesity and diabetes in Singapore, there is a need to study the “Asian Phenotype” as much information about these diseases originates from studies conducted in the west.

Research, however, indicates that Asians seem more prone to metabolic diseases at lower body mass index.

Also, different ethnic groups seem to be at different risk levels, said Chong.

“The development of this research is timely as these diseases are rapidly increasing in prevalence throughout the world, especially in Asia. While much research in this area has been conducted in Caucasian populations, data has suggested that aspects of the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases could differ between Asians and Caucasians, and also differ between the various Asian ethnic groups.

“There is an urgent need to try and identify biomarkers, such as epigenetic changes, that indicate increased risk for metabolic diseases and use these to tailor interventions for individuals at risk,” added Dr. Chong.

London, Nov 9 : Over 100,000 types of cancers are caused by obesity, according to an American study.

Excess body fat makes a person vulnerable to cancer by increasing the amount of hormones like estrogen circulating in the body and disrupting how the body processes insulin, which is linked to higher risk of cancer.

It also triggers low-grade inflammation in the body, which is increasingly being found to play a role in cancer.

Researchers from American Institute for Cancer Research suggest that people should maintain a normal body weight and remain physically active throughout life.

Weight gain after a cancer diagnosis is also likely to affect the outcome, say researchers.

“An increasing number of studies suggest that regular physical activity improves cancer survival, even among survivors who are overweight or obese,” the Independent quoted AICR researchers as saying.

“Public awareness of the link between obesity and cancer risk is alarmingly low,” said Alice Bender, MS, RD, Nutrition Communications Manager at AICR.

“We are working towards a day when obesity is right up there with tobacco in the public eye,” Bender added.

The AICR estimates show that excess body fat is linked to 49pct of endometrial cancers , 35pct of esophageal cancers 28pct of pancreatic cancers, 24pct of kidney cancers, 21pct of gallbladder cancers, 17pct of breast cancers and 9pct of colorectal cancers.

Washington, Oct 23 (ANI): Johns Hopkins researchers have raised concerns over physicians’ pessimistic attitude towards obese patients.

Their study showed that doctors have less respect for their obese patients than they do for patients of normal weight.

In the study involving 238 patients, the researchers found that as patients had higher body mass index (BMI), physicians reported lower respect for them.

It showed that each 10-unit increase in BMI was associated with a 14 percent higher prevalence of low patient respect.

Patients and physicians completed questionnaires about their visit, their attitudes, and their perceptions of one another upon the completion of the encounter.

On average, the patients for whom physicians expressed low respect had higher BMI than patients for whom they had high respect.

Previous studies have shown that when physicians respect their patients, patients get more information from their doctors. Some patients who don”t feel respected may avoid the health care system altogether.

“The next step is to really understand how physician attitudes toward obesity affect quality of care for those patients, to really understand how this affects outcomes,” said dr Mary Margaret Huizinga, M.P.H., an assistant professor of general internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

“If a doctor has a patient with obesity and has low respect for that person, is the doctor less likely to recommend certain types of weight loss programs or to send her for cancer screening? We need to understand these things better,” she added.

Ultimately, she says, physicians need to be educated that obesity bias and discrimination exist.

The study appears in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Mental illness and obesity in patients might be closely linked, says a new study.
“Although the topic is largely unexplored, several psychosocial, lifestyle and physiological factors may be involved in the complex inter-relationship between obesity and mental illness,” says Evan Atlantis.
Atlantis is from the University of Adelaide’s School of Medicine, who commented on the study led by Mika Kivimki, professor at University College London. “Obese people – especially those who perceive themselves as being overweight – often experience weight-related stigma and discrimination, and consequently present with symptoms of low self-esteem, low self-worth and guilt,” says Atlantis.
Obesity is associated with socio-economic disadvantage and low levels of physical activity, both of which are strong predictors of depression. Atlantis says reduced physical activity and overeating – particularly comfort foods rich in fats and sugars to improve mood – are common among depressed and anxious patients.
He said patients coming to their doctor with symptoms of common mental disorder should be assessed for obesity and related chronic diseases, and vice versa, says an University of Adelaide release. These findings were mentioned in an editorial in the October issue of British Medical Journal.

Young women need to pay attention to this piece of news. Obesity, alcohol and depression apparently have a lot of harmful effects on the body. Now, there is new evidence that claims that these three above mentioned factors are believed to be interrelated conditions among young adult women but not men. So gender apparently plays a role in this problem.

Apparently data was collected from people when they were 24, 27 and 30 years of age. Study experts from the University of Washington found that almost half the sample of around 776 young adults tracked during the study apparently met the criteria for one of these conditions at each of these time points.

Carolyn McCarty, the lead author of a new study and a UW research associate professor of pediatrics and psychology, commented, “The proportion of people with all three of these conditions at any one point is small. For women there is a great deal of overlap between these common emotional and health problems that span early adulthood. Men may develop one of these conditions but they don’t tend to lead another one later on.”

McCarty added, “These conditions are major public health problems. They take a toll on families and community and are not subject to quick fixes. It requires a lot of time, money and energy to treat them.”

It was found by the study that women with an alcohol disorder at age 24 apparently had three times more chances to be obese when they were 27. Similarly women who may be obese at 27 supposedly had two times more chances to be depressed when they were around 30. It was also seen that women who were depressed at about age 27 supposedly had an increased possibility for alcohol disorders at 30. It was surprisingly seen that obesity may provide men some defense against later developing depression.

McCarty is of the opinion that there may be two possibilities as to why women with alcohol disorder at 24 apparently had more chances to be obese at 27.

McCarty mentioned, “The caloric intake associated with drinking alcohol may increase metabolic processes leading to weight gain. Or there may be an underlying connection to levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter, in the reward pathway in the brain because the same pathways reward both food and alcohol intake. It also may be that some people substitute food for alcohol, leading to obesity.”

McCarty is of the opinion that the body image may play a major part in why women who are obese at 27 are more possible to account for depression some three years later.

McCarty explained, “Body image is particularly important for women. There seems to be a transfer that when women feel bad they eat more. That can have devastating effects emotionally and physically. But for men experiencing obesity, the reverse is true, and obesity seems to be protective against depression. It’s the so-called ‘jolly fat man’ theory, which suggests that overweight people are actually happier.”

The relation between obesity at 27 and ensuing depression at 30 among women may increase as a consequence of people self-medicating themselves.

McCarty remarked, “People who feel more emotionally down may use alcohol for a quick lift or a short-term boost. The two conditions may be connected by an underlying stress mechanism. Stress is linked to depression, so women under stress potentially eat and drink more.”

The study also illustrated that income may have a considerable effect on obesity at age 24 and those with higher incomes apparently has a lower possibility for weight problem.

McCarty commented, “Early prevention is important because the sooner we start the more impact we can have. Interventions should include stress management so we can provide young people with tools to cope with situations and emotions. We also need to explore underlying factors that predispose people to these conditions, such as a family background that is not supportive or is toxic.”

Data from the study was collected from the on-going Seattle Social Development Project, which has been tracking the life course of an urban group of now young adults since 1985. The group was roughly split between men and women and it comprised of 47 percent white, 26 percent African-American, 22 percent Asian American and 5 percent Native American.

This study was published in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry.

A protein present in all cells in the body could help scientists better understand how we store fat.

University of Edinburgh (U-E) researchers have found that the protein invadolysin, essential for healthy cell division, is present in lipid droplets – the parts of cells used to store fat.

The study also found that lower levels of invadolysin were linked to reduced amounts of fat deposits.

The findings could ultimately help scientists better understand obesity-related complications, which can include diabetes, blood clotting and heart disease.

Margaret Heck, professor at the U-E Centre for Cardiovascular Science, said: “The presence of this protein in lipid droplets may suggest that it has a role in obesity.”

“What we would like to understand is whether its presence is related to obesity, and if so, whether the protein’s activity aggravates obesity and its consequences. Understanding its role will help us better understand how the body stores fat,” she said.

Invadolysin was first identified by Heck’s lab in fruit flies. The latest study looked at the protein in human cells, pinpointing its presence in the part of cells used to store fat.

The researchers also found that when invadolysin was absent in fruit fly larvae, fat storage was impaired.

Further studies will look at how the protein affects metabolism to better understand its role in obesity-related disorders.

These findings were published in the Journal of Cell Science.

It’s low self-esteem that makes you fat rather than your fat lowering your self-esteem, says a new study.

Researchers in Britain have found that children with self-esteem problems are more likely to be obese as adults — they have based their findings on an analysis of British Birth Cohort Study in 1970.

The study of 6,500 subjects found that 10-year-olds with lower self esteem tended to be fatter as adults. The affect was particularly true for girls, the ‘BMC Medicine’ journal reported.

Children with a lower self-esteem, those who felt less in control of their lives, and those who worried often were more likely to gain weight over the next 20 years, it found.

“What’s novel about this study is that obesity has been regarded as a medical metabolic disorder — what we’ve found is emotional problems are a risk factor for obesity. “This is not about people with deep psychological problems, all the anxiety and low self-esteem were within the normal range,” lead researcher Prof David Collier was quoted by the ‘BBC News’ portal as saying.

Added co-researcher Andrew Ternouth: “While we cannot say that childhood emotional problems cause obesity in later life, we can certainly say they play a role, along with factors such as parental weight, diet and exercise.”

“Strategies to promote the social and emotional aspects of learning, including the promotion of self-esteem, are central to a number of recent policy initiatives. Our findings suggest that approaches of this kind may carry positive benefits for physical health,” Mr Ternouth added.

A groundbreaking research has found obesity to be a possible contributing factor in fatal swine flu cases.

A team from the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance examined the characteristics of 574 deaths associated with the pandemic H1N1 influenza up until the middle of July.

The underlying disease was found in at least half of all fatal cases. Mortality patterns were in many cases similar to those associated with normal, seasonal flu. However, the team observed: “Nevertheless two risk factors are noticeable: pregnancy and obesity.”

Pregnancy is already a well-documented risk factor in seasonal influenza and in previous pandemics.

The researchers found that 16 women – representing 10 per cent of all female deaths that were studied – were pregnant or had recently delivered at the time of their death. Half of these also had other health issues.

However, the conclusion that obesity may be a factor in some swine flu deaths opens up a new line of investigation for epidemiologists.

Where an underlying disease was found to be present after someone had died of swine flu, in more than one in four cases the deceased had a metabolic condition – diabetes and/or obesity.

The researchers also found significant demographic variations among those affected by the pandemic.

“Compared to younger age groups, the elderly seem to be protected from infection to some extent, perhaps due to previous exposure to strains akin to influenza A(H1N1)v virus,” the Guardian quoted the authors as saying.

The research has been published in medical journal Eurosurveillance.

A new study, conducted by researchers at The University of Nottingham, has suggested that daylight could help control weight.
Previous studies have revealed that the activity of calorie-burning ‘brown fat’, also known as brown adipose tissue (BAT), is reduced with obesity. Therefore, promoting BAT function could prevent or reduce obesity in some people.
Now, the new study has shown — for the first time — that daylight is a major factor in controlling BAT activity. “Our research has suggested a previously unknown mechanism for controlling BAT function in humans and this could potentially lead to new treatments for the prevention or reversal of obesity,” said study’s lead author Michael Symonds, Professor of Developmental Physiology in the School of Clincal Sciences at the university.
Winter was traditionally a time of the year that was accompanied with increased thermal demands and thus energy expenditure, but the body’s requirements for BAT has been reduced in recent times by central heating plus global warming. BAT is capable of producing up to 300 times more heat per unit mass compared with all other tissues.
The researchers studied well over 3500 patients. The presence of BAT was documented and correlated with monthly changes in daylight and ambient temperature.
Their results showed that BAT was more common in females and that changes in BAT activity were more closely associated with day light than ambient temperature.
BAT is activated by the cold and is unique in being able to produce very large amounts of heat — but little is known about the main factors that regulate the amount of BAT in our bodies.
“Our research demonstrates a very strong seasonal variation in the presence of BAT. The study focused on the impact of daylight and ambient temperature, as these are two key factors in determining BAT function in small mammals. Our exciting new findings may help us find novel interventions aimed at promoting BAT activity particularly in the winter,” Symonds said. The study has been published in the journal Diabetes. — ANI