Pre and Post-Natal Risk Factors For Childhood Obesity

June 9th, 2008

You may be able to minimize your child’s risk for childhood obesity through proper pre and post-natal care.  Premature babies have a significantly increased risk of developing obesity during childhood.  Being firstborn also increased the risk, as did bottle feeding. 

Tobacco exposure during gestation and having an overweight mother also increased the chances of obesity.

A higher BMI at birth was found to be protective against childhood obesity.

PMID: 18469259

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High Protein Meal Replacement Improves Exercise Results

June 2nd, 2008

Using a high-protein, reduced carbohydrate, meal replacement shake in combination with a combined aerobic and resistance training exercise program can significantly improve your weight loss results.

A recent study showed those receiving meal replacements achieved superior results compared to those that did not.  Those receiving meal replacements achieved twice the weight loss, more muscle mass increase, greater increases in VO2max and endurance during treadmill testing.  All of the subjects that received meal replacement experienced improvements.

Also, total cholesterol and LDL decreased only in those receiving the meal replacements. 

PMID: 18426586

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Choline, Betaine and the Metabolic Syndrome

May 26th, 2008

Blood levels of choline and betaine may exert a powerful metabolic effect that influences both weight and body composition.  Choline is involved in the synthesis of blood lipids, including cholesterol and triglycerides, and is a precursor of betaine.  Homocysteine is a powerful risk factor for heart disease.  Betaine serves as a methyl donor and helps to convert homocysteine back to methionine, an essential amino acid.

Plasma choline levels are associated with higher triglycerides, higher blood glucose, higher BMI, higher body fat percentage, higher waist circumference and lower HDL cholesterol.  Betaine, on the other hand, is associated with lower triglycerides, lower blood glucose, lower BMI,  lower body fat percentage, lower waist circumference and higher HDL cholesterol.  Researchers theorize that a disruption in the mitochondrial choline dehydrogenase pathway may be preventing choline from conversion to betaine.

Plasma choline and betaine levels are usually lower in women and younger individuals than in men and older people.  If you are supplementing to reduce homocysteine levels, consider supplementing betaine instead of choline.

PMID: 18424601

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Elliptical Trainer Outshines Stationary Bike

May 19th, 2008

Exercise equipment that allows weight bearing exercise involving both the arms and legs may be the best choice for obese individuals.  Using an elliptical trainer allows you to burn more calories than a stationary bike at the same perceived intensity.

Treadmills (weight bearing, but no arm action) and airdyne cycles (arm action but not weight bearing) produced better results than the stationary bike, but failed to match the elliptical trainer.

Exercise intensity can be measured in many different ways (oxygen uptake, heart rate, perceived, lactate etc.), but for most people perceived intensity provides an easy and reasonably accurate method of establishing the correct intensity.

PMID: 18388406  

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Exercise Intensity and Fat Burning

May 12th, 2008

The exercise intensity that produces the maximum fat oxidation rate (known as FATmax) varies widely, but primarily correlates with aerobic capacity.   Fitter individuals are able to oxidize fat at higher rates across all intensities, but their maximum fat oxidation rate is at a much higher intensity than unfit individuals.

Obese individuals have a decreased capacity to access fat during moderate exercise.   Lower intensity exercise is recommended to begin with.  As conditioning improves, exercise intensity should be increased to take advantage of increasing FATmax.

A recent study found that steady state exercise training at FATmax intensity increase insulin sensitivity more than an interval training protocol at 20% higher intensity.  But FATmax cannot be calculated outside of a lab, so we have to estimate it.  In very fit individuals, FATmax is somewhere near lactate threshold intensity….which is below anaerobic capacity.   This intensity feels like work, but can be continued for about 20 minutes. 

PMID: 18379212
PMID: 18385189

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Fructose Increases Insulin Resistance and Lipids

May 5th, 2008

High fructose corn syrup, a common sweetener of beverates, reduces insulin sensitivity and may contribute to heart disease.  The type of high fructose corn syrup used in soft drinks consists of 55% fructose and 45% glucose… a ratio similar to table sugar.

Drinking a fructose sweetened drink at each meal increased fasting glucose levels and decreased the glucose and insulin responses associated with the meals, indicating impaired signalling.   Triglycerides and fasting apolipoprotein-B, both heart disease risk factors, were also significantly increased.

Fructose does not directly increase blood sugar levels, but contributes to insulin resistance through its impact on liver function and triglyceride levels.  The amount of fructose in fruit is not enough to induce insulin resistance.  In fact, fruit improves insulin resistance because of polyphenol activity and fiber.

PMID: 18384705

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