Probiotics may help fat and weight loss

Daily supplements of Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 (LG2055) may help weight loss in people with obese tendencies, says new science from Japan.

Twelve weeks of consuming a fermented milk product containing the Lactobacillus strain was associated with a 4.6 per cent reduction in abdominal fat, and a 3.3 per cent reduction in subcutaneous fat, according to findings published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Furthermore, body weight dropped by 1.4 per cent and waist size decreased by 1.8 per cent, report researchers from Snow Brand Milk Products, Kyushu University, Nippon Milk Community Co., Iwaki Meisei University, and Isogo Central and Neurosurgical Hospital.

The study extends previous findings from Kyushu University researchers, which showed LG2055 may reduce fat levels (adiposity) and fat cells in animals (British Journal of Nutrition, 2009, Vol. 101, pp. 716-724; 2008, Vol. 99, pp. 1013-7). In addition, Snow Brand scientists have reported that LG2055 in fermented milk "has the ability to establish in the human gastrointestinal tract and alters the composition and metabolism of the intestinal microflora and physical characteristics of faeces", (J. Appl. Microbiol. 2001, Vol. 90, pp. 343-352).

Potential

With the World Health Organization estimating that by 2015, there will be more than 1.5 billion overweight consumers, incurring health costs beyond $117 billion per year in the US alone, the opportunities for a scientifically-substantiated weight management food product are impressive.

A breakthrough paper published in Nature in December 2006 (Vol. 444, pp. 1022-1023, 1027-1031) reported that microbial populations in the gut are different between obese and lean people, and that when the obese people lost weight their microflora reverted back to that observed in a lean person, suggesting that obesity may have a microbial component.

A recent study, published in Science Translational Medicine (Vol. 1, Issue 6, 6ra14), advanced this by successfully showing that the human gut microbiota can successfully be transferred to germ-free mice, and that this can then be passed on from mother to offspring.

Study details

The Japanese scientists recruited 87 overweight people with an average BMI of 24.2 kg/m2 to participate in their multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled intervention trial. The participants were randomly assigned to receive 200 grams per day of fermented milk with or without LG2055 day for 12 weeks.

At the end of the study, significant decreases were observed in the Lactobacillus group in body weight, BMI (1.5 per cent), waist circumference, and in the hips (1.5 per cent). No significant reductions were observed in the control group, however.

"The probiotic LG2055 showed lowering effects on abdominal adiposity, body weight and other measures, suggesting its beneficial influence on metabolic disorders," concluded the scientists.

Source:

http://www.dairyreporter.com/Products/Probiotics-may-help-fat-and-weight-loss-Study

Taking Steps to Lose Your Weight With a Walking Workout

If you would like to lose a little weight and generally get into better shape, like many of us would, then it is very simple. You must consume fewer calories by eating and drinking than you expend as a result of physical exercise. Do this consistently over a period of time and you will be certain to lose weight. There is no big secret, no wonder drug and no miracle health supplement involved.

Basically, if you want to lose weight, then you need to eat and drink less (diet), burn more calories (exercise) – or both. In fact, the best solution is very definitely to do both simultaneously. Taking regular exercise will increase your metabolic rate – the rate at which you burn calories. As long as you exercise on a regular basis then you will burn calories at a greater rate when you’re not exercising, for example sitting watching the TV, typing on your computer or even sleeping.

Of course, the very thought of exercising can be off-putting for many people – but there’s no reason to avoid exercise, it needn’t involve getting all hot, sweaty and out of breath. One of the very best exercises that you can do is walking, something which the large majority of us do every single day. You just need to walk a little more often and a little further and you will soon reap the rewards – and there are numerous benefits available to anyone who walks on a regular basis.

The recommendation of many health and fitness professionals is that we should try to walk 10,000 steps a day. That equates to a distance of between four and a half and five miles for the average person. It sounds like a long way – but you may be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to achieve. Remember, that 10,000 steps is the total distance, it includes the normal walking that you do every day anyway. You aren’t starting from scratch.

Leave the car at home and walk to work – or get off the bus a couple of stops early and finish the last part of your journey on foot. If you do decide to take the car then just park it in a faraway corner of the parking lot so that you need to walk further. Take the stairs instead of the lift. Take a fifteen minute walk at lunch time. It all adds up.

Other than a comfortable pair of shoes, no special equipment is required to start a walking exercise program. However, you might find it useful to invest in a pedometer – especially if your walking is broken up into short sessions throughout your day. It will help you to keep track of your progress and to stay motivated.

If you are able to fit longer walks into your day then you might also want to think about getting an mp3 player if you don’t already have one. The miles and the time will pass much faster when you’re walking along listening to your favorite tunes.

Source:

http://news.netstrife.com/taking-steps-to-lose-weight-with-a-walking-workout/417/

Weight Loss Program in Los Angles

The best diets to reduce weight

A perennial topic of debate is the right diet for losing weight. Many different approaches have been popularized over the years, each with its adherents. In particular, there has been an ongoing battle between the Atkins diet and Dean Ornish's low fat approach, and between these two extremes the Mediterranean diet has straddled a seemingly healthy middle ground.

Now it appears that there is enough evidence to indicate that no one diet is the 'best' for weight loss. A report last year by my colleague Dr Frank Sacks at the Harvard School of Public Health (the 'Pounds Lost' trial) found that the amount of weight lost was the same regardless of the ratio of protein, fat or carbohydrate in the diet.

This was one of the longest and most rigorous studies comparing a low-carb approach to a low-fat approach. They randomly assigned overweight adults to varying ratios of nutrients. The participants were offered instructional sessions for 2 years. At 6 months, participants assigned to each diet had lost an average of 6 kg, but then they began to regain weight after 12 months. By 2 years, weight loss was the same regardless of protein, fat, or carbohydrate ratios.

What they found is that cutting calories is the basic element to weight-loss success. Satiety, hunger, satisfaction with the diet, and attendance at group sessions were similar for all 4 diets. The diets all improved lipid-related risk factors and fasting insulin levels.

Interestingly, attendance at group sessions was strongly associated with weight loss, adding more evidence that our social nature needs to be mobilized in the service of our health.

In the end, these results con-firm the basic laws of physics. Energy intake, if not burned, will lead to weight gain. A few tips: It does appear that exercise in modest amounts can help curb the appetite just enough to help.

For more information please visit:

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/96861/Lifestyle/The+best+diets+for+weight+loss.html

The skinny on weight loss in children

CHILDREN usually gain weight faster in their earlier years than any other time in their life, but there are some babies who fail to gain weight at a normal rate or who lose weight rapidly for no apparent reason. There are varying reasons for slow weight gain in children. According to paediatrician Dr Lisa Franklin, these reasons can vary from medical to social in nature.

"When I think of low weight gain, how I would approach it, is looking at a child who is one, not getting enough calories; two, the child who is getting enough calories, but for some reason he or she is not absorbing those calories; or three, the child who is requiring more than the usual amount of calories," she said.

Franklin also noted that in some cases, babies do not get enough calories because they are not being fed properly.

"For some reasons, mommy is breastfeeding and there are some issues with breastfeeding," she said. "Maybe the child is not sucking properly, maybe the child is having a problem that is causing him/her not to suck properly [and] if the child is being formula fed, the formula might not be prepared correctly."

In addition to this, the paediatrician explains that there are some medical conditions that would prevent the child from getting the correct quantity of feeding. This occurs, for example, when the child may have a cleft lip or a cleft palate.

"There might also be some children who have milk protein intolerance, so they may be vomiting and that sort of stuff. So you can think about illnesses that may affect the way calories are absorbed; one example is cystic fibrosis -- not common here -- but you have to think about it," she said, adding that a child with a congenital heart condition or gastro oesophagus reflux usually requires more calories than the average child.

Children who do not consume the right amount of nutrients usually suffer from slow weight gain. The paediatrician explains that in some cases poverty prevents parents from giving their children food with the right amount of nutritional content, while in other cases children might refuse to eat foods that are nutritious for them.

For more information please visit:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/allwoman/The-skinny-on-weight-loss-in-children_7588665

Weight loss sites target men living large

Do men really need their own weight-loss programs?

The leaders in the industry, Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers, have targeted men. Working under the premise that “men approach weight loss differently,” Weight Watchers for Men offers a “customized online system built for men, just men,” the program’s Web site says. Jenny Craig has enlisted actor Jason Alexander as a spokesman and promises guys that they can occasionally splurge on beer and fries.

But do men lose weight differently than women do? Or are these “for men” programs gimmicks?

A bit of both. Arizona-based weight-loss doctor Craig Primack, speaking for the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, says there are a few ways in which men diverge from women in approaches to losing weight. But he suggests the differences aren’t big enough to require separate programs: “I think (the companies) are looking for subtypes of people to market to.”

That’s probably a smart business move, as the market is, well, huge. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about one-third of all men are obese.

Men, Primack says, “tend to underestimate how much weight they have to lose, and they won’t start until they have 50 pounds” to shed. Plus, he says, “In society now, it’s not frowned upon when a man is mildly overweight.” The same doesn’t hold true for women.

Men also are generally taller and carry more lean muscle mass, which helps in losing weight, Primack says. “For women, baby weight often puts them behind the eight ball, and they get a second hit around menopause, when they gain weight around the middle.”

“When you have more muscle, you burn more calories at rest. We tend to see the men lose weight at a quicker rate than women,” agrees Misti Evans, a clinical dietitian and director of weight management and diabetes education at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.

Plus, women tend to carry extra weight in the hips, thighs and stomach, which is often is more difficult to lose than the typical male “apple shape,” where weight is concentrated in the stomach, she says.

Although 80 percent of its patients are female, the center’s programs don’t separate support groups by gender, because the behavioral therapists believe everyone can benefit from discussing their experiences together, she says.

The programs are individualized to tackle each patient’s issues, but she’s noticed a trend among new female patients: self-doubt.

“Typically, women deal with this more than men and have tried a number of things (before joining the program), and have that little voice in the back of their head telling them they’re going to fail,” Evans says.

Primack notes that while women are generally “slow and persistent” in their approach to weight loss, men tend to “initially lose faster, 15 or more pounds in three or four months. But then they get a little complacent” and their progress slows.

For more information please visit: http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100422/FEAT/304229919/1162

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