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Weight Control

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• Axokine / leptin / obesity / weight control / ghrelin / peripheral hormone peptide YY (PYY 3-36) / PGC-1beta / oleylethanolamide (OEA) / Xenical (orlistat) / Meridia® (sibutramine) / Topamax® (topiramate) / Wellbutrin®/Zyban® (bupropion) / Glucophage (metformin) / Acomplia (rimonabant)
• Diets / Atkin's diet / Zone diet / Mediterranean diet / Ornish diet

Popular Medications:

• Xenical (orlistat) / Meridia (sibutramine) / Glucophage (metformin) / Wellbutrin (bupropion) / Topamax (topiramate) / Acomplia (rimonabant)

Popular Supplements:

• Coleus forskohlii / HCA / calcium / CLA / green tea / 5-HTP / fiber / chitosan / DHEA / GH-3

News & Research:

• The Effect of Curcumin Supplementation on Weight Loss and Anthropometric Indices: An Umbrella Review and Updated Meta-analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials - Am J Clin Nutr 2023 Mar 8 - "Curcumin supplementation may promote weight loss and ameliorate obesity-related complications through its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties ... Curcumin supplementation significantly reduces anthropometric indices and bioavailability-enhanced formulas are preferred. Augmenting curcumin supplement with lifestyle modification should be an option for weight reduction" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.
• Effects of curcumin/turmeric supplementation on obesity indices and adipokines in adults: A grade-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Phytother Res 2023 Mar 7 - "We found that supplementation with curcumin/turmeric significantly reduced body weight (WMD: -0.82 kg, 95% CI: -1.30, -0.35; p = 0.001), body mass index (WMD: -0.30 kg/m2 , 95% CI: -0.53, -0.06, p = 0.013), waist circumference (WMD: -1.31 cm, 95% CI: -1.94, -0.69, p < 0.001), body fat percentage (WMD: -0.88%, 95% CI: -1.51, -0.25, p = 0.007), leptin (WMD = -4.46 ng/mL; 95% CI: -6.70, -2.21, p < 0.001), and increased adiponectin (WMD = 2.48 μg/mL; 95% CI: 1.34, 3.62, p < 0.001). Overall, our study shows that supplementation with curcumin/turmeric significantly improves anthropometric indices of obesity and adiposity-related adipokines (leptin and adiponectin). However, due to high between-studies heterogeneity, we should interpret the results with caution"  See curcumin at Amazon.com.
• What's It Like to Take Ozempic? A Doctor's Own Story - Medscape, 3/8/23 - "With these new medications, I noticed that both my patients and I didn't complain as much about nausea and vomiting, but I did experience stomach upset, constipation, and acid reflux ... The appetite suppression is effective. It slows down the emptying of the gut so I feel full longer. I've lost 30 lb with these weekly injections and would like to lose another 20 lb. I follow a routine of reasonable, portion-controlled eating and moderate exercise (30 minutes of cardiovascular activity at least two to three times a week) ... Discontinuing the medications may cause rebound weight gain, especially if I'm no longer following a routine of healthy eating and/or moderate exercise. I deal with minimal constipation by taking stool softeners, and I take antacids for acid reflux."
• What the Ozempic Obsession Misses About Food and Health - Time, 2/21/23 - "What we have learned (or rather, confirmed) through this latest wave of weight loss drugs is that our society continues to prioritize thinness over actual health. While we focus on our scales and our waistlines as the North Star of wellness, we forget that we’re growing more deficient in a number of critical nutrients that protect us from disease. Ninety-five percent of the U.S. population is not meeting the recommended daily intake of fiber. Another 75 percent is not getting enough magnesium. Globally, 1.1 billion people are zinc-deficient (symptoms of which can mirror those of Alzheimer’s disease) due to inadequate dietary intake ... There’s also the fact that Ozempic, like all drugs, can come with side effects. The most common, according to the drug’s website, are: “nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach (abdominal) pain, and constipation.” Also mentioned is “Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer.” One unmentioned but frequently reported side effect is referred to as “Ozempic Face.” Also, to maintain the weight loss, you must stay on Ozempic indefinitely—unless you used Ozempic to jumpstart healthier habits around food, exercise, sleep, etc." - There was a segment on the news where several endocrinologists were claiming that obesity is a disease. Maybe, but I stand in line at the grocery store and see what they're buying and if I ate the same thing, I'd have their weight and then some. I go to a restaurant with them and it's 700 calorie lattes, 1000 calorie burgers and dessert. Portion size!!!!
• A New Drug Switched Off My Appetite. What’s Left? - Wired, 2/3/23 - "Mounjaro did what decades of struggle with managing weight couldn’t. Welcome to the post-hunger age."
• Eating Potatoes Is Healthy - Medscape, 2/1/23 - "Contrary to common belief, potatoes do not have a negative effect on blood glucose levels and can actually help people lose weight"
• Ozempic: Dieters Who Use Scarce Diabetes Drug Could Face Side Effects - WebMD, 2/1/23 - "was pleasantly surprised to find herself soon shedding pounds ... Then the side effects started — most worryingly, a racing and palpitating heartbeat ... I could be laying down in bed and my heart rate, like resting heart rate, would be 120 beats per minute ... It was really having an effect on my heart rate, and that was really terrifying" - Note: This is the drug that been on the news as a godsend to lose weight. The weight loss version is under a different name and has a slightly higher dose. Be careful. Go with the old fashioned way to lose weight.
• Size of Meals, Not Timing, Linked to Weight Loss - Medscape, 1/20/23 - "the total daily number of large and medium-sized meals was associated with weight gain over time, while those who reported more smaller meals showed weight loss. A daily increase of one large, medium, or small meal was associated with an average annual weight change of 0.69 kg, 0.97 kg, and –0.30 kg, respectively"
• Effects of green tea catechins and exercise training on body composition parameters - Int J Food Sci Nutr 2022 Nov 29 - "The impact of phytochemicals, as green tea catechins, on body composition measures has become a relevant topic as ongoing epidemiological evidence suggests their potential role in weight loss. Although catechins have been shown to modulate fat and energy metabolism, clinical effects of green tea consumption still remain controversial. Given the role played by physical exercise in weight management, it is important to determine whether the association of catechins and exercise is able to improve outcomes over and above the beneficial effects of exercise alone. Considering that scientific findings on this topic are not entirely consistent, aim of the present review was to assess the current scientific literature regarding the interplay between green tea catechins and exercise in overweight and obese populations. In particular, it was evaluated whether the addition of green tea supplementation to exercise training was able to further improve the exercise-induced changes in body composition parameters." - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Lutein ameliorates high-fat diet-induced obesity, fatty liver, and glucose intolerance in C57BL/6J mice - Phytother Res 2022 Sep 9 - "Obesity is a multi-factorial metabolic syndrome that increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. We recently demonstrated the antiadipogenic efficacy of lutein using a 3 T3-L1 cell culture model. This study aimed to examine the antiobesity efficacy of lutein on high-fat (60% kcal fat) diet-induced C57BL/6J obese mice model. Lutein (300 and 500 μM), Orlistat (30 mg/kg body weight - positive control), and its combination (orlistat, 15 mg/kg body weight+lutein, 300 μM) were administered in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice every other day for 24 weeks ... lutein administration and drug significantly reduced epididymal and abdominal adipose tissue weights. Further, lutein reduced the serum cholesterol and LDL-C concentration compared to the HFD group. The HFD-induced elevation in the hepatic triglycerides and cholesterol levels were significantly blocked by lutein and its combination with the drug. Similarly, lutein and its drug combination efficiently lowered the HFD-mediated elevated blood glucose levels. Lutein downregulated the expression of CEBP-α, PPAR-γ, and FAS in the epididymal adipose tissue. Thus, supplementation of lutein may control diet-induced obesity and associated complications in the human population" - See lutein at Amazon.com.
• Lactobacillus reuteri J1 prevents obesity by altering the gut microbiota and regulating bile acid metabolism in obese mice - Food Funct 2022 Jun 20 - "Obesity is closely related to metabolic syndromes such as hyperlipidemia and diabetes and has become a global public health problem. Probiotics are now used as a treatment for obesity, but the mechanism by which probiotics treat obesity remains unclear ... The results revealed that L. reuteri J1 prevented weight gain, lowered fat mass and relieved dyslipidemia, and improved glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity ... These results demonstrated that L. reuteri J1 could treat obesity by inhibiting the FXR signaling pathways and remodeling white adipose tissue, linked with UDCA and LCA which are affected by intestinal microbiota" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com.
• Tirzepatide Powers 'Unprecedented' Weight Loss in SURMOUNT-1 - Medscape, 6/4/22 - "And in an exploratory analysis, 40% of people who received the highest-tested tirzepatide dose of 15 mg/week had at least a 25% loss in baseline weight in the on-treatment analysis ... Looking at the data another way, the average baseline weight of those in the trial was 104 kg (230 lb) at the start, and the average weight loss was between 35-52 lbs by 72 weeks on treatment ... With tirzepatide, every prespecified cardiometabolic parameter assessed in the trial showed clinically meaningful improvements, reported Jastreboff, including an average 17% reduction in waist circumference in patients on either of the highest two dosages, a 34% average drop in total fat mass, an average 0.5 percentage point cut in baseline A1c at the highest two dosages, substantial cuts in fasting plasma glucose and fasting insulin levels, an average 28% drop in triglyceride levels, and an average systolic blood pressure reduction of about 8 mm Hg that occurred within 24 weeks on treatment"
• Lactobacillus reuteri J1 prevents obesity by altering the gut microbiota and regulating bile acid metabolism in obese mice - Food Funct 2022 Jun 1 - "Probiotics are now used as a treatment for obesity, but the mechanism by which probiotics treat obesity remains unclear. Herein, we investigated the effects of Lactobacillus reuteri J1 ( L. reuteri J1) on obese mice with the strain being administered at 1010, 109 and 108 CFU mL-1 and explored the possible underlying molecular mechanism. The results revealed that L. reuteri J1 prevented weight gain, lowered fat mass and relieved dyslipidemia, and improved glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity. Moreover, the effect of obesity reversal exhibited dose-dependence to some extent. More importantly, mice treated with L. reuteri J1 altered the gut microbiota and bile acid (BA) composition. Analysis of the gut microbiome showed that L. reuteri J1 increased the relative abundances of Lactobacillus, Akkermansia and Clostridium, which strongly correlated with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and lithocholic acid (LCA)" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com.
• Early Metformin Minimizes Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain - Medscape, 6/1/22 - "The authors made a "strong" recommendation, for which there was moderate-quality evidence, that for patients for whom a lifestyle intervention is unacceptable or inappropriate, the use of metformin is an "alternative first-line intervention" for antipsychotic drug-induced weight gain ... Likewise, as a strong recommendation with moderate-quality evidence, the guidance encourages the use of metformin when nonpharmacologic intervention does not seem to be effective ... The guideline also says it is preferable to start metformin early for patients who gain more than 7% of their baseline weight within the first month of antipsychotic treatment. It also endorses metformin when weight gain is established ... The proposed starting dosage is 500 mg twice per day with meals, with increments of 500 mg every 1 to 2 weeks until reaching a target dose of 2000 mg/day ... The authors also recommend monitoring kidney function annually, as well as vitamin B12 levels and individual tolerability and compliance" - See metformin at ReliableRX.
• Intestinal Flora Mediates Antiobesity Effect of Rutin in High-Fat-Diet Mice - Mol Nutr Food Res 2022 May 26 - "Intestinal flora plays a critical role in the development of diet-induced obesity and related metabolic complications. Rutin is a natural flavonoid with potential prebiotic effects on regulating the intestinal flora composition that is beneficial for host health ... Rutin can be considered as a prebiotic agent for improving intestinal flora disorders and obesity-associated metabolic perturbations in obese individuals" - See rutin at Amazon.com.
• Ubiquitous nutrients suppress appetite and promote movement - Science Daily, 4/20/22 - "Of the 21 amino acids our bodies require, there are 9 they are unable to produce on their own. They are called essential amino acids. Because we must obtain these through our diet, they have far been the focus of nutrition research. The other 12 amino acids are considered non-​essential. The body can produce them itself by altering other molecules ... The researchers first fed mice either a mixture of various non-​essential amino acids or a sugar solution with the same amount of calories (control group). Both groups of mice were then allowed to drink a milkshake, which they normally love. While the control group drank copious amounts of it, the mice that had been fed non-​essential amino acids avoided theirs. Instead, they went around their enclosure in search of alternative sustenance"
• The effects of empagliflozin, dietary energy restriction, or both on appetite-regulatory gut peptides in individuals with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity: the SEESAW randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - Diabetes Obes Metab 2022 Apr 19 - "68 adults (age 30-75 years) with T2D (drug naïve or on metformin monotherapy; HbA1c 6.0-10.0% [42-86mmol/mol]) and BMI ≥25kg/m2 were randomised to: (1) placebo-only, (2) placebo-plus-diet, (3) empagliflozin-only, or (4) empagliflozin-plus-diet for 24 weeks ... The mean weight loss in each group at 24 weeks was 0.44, 1.91, 2.22, and 5.74 kg, respectively" - See empagliflozin inhousepharmacy.vu.
• Lipid metabolism disorders and lipid mediator changes of mice in response to long-term exposure to high-fat and high sucrose diets and ameliorative effects of mulberry leaves - Food Funct 2022 Mar 31 - "Mulberry leaves exhibit anti-lipogenic and lipid-lowering effects. However, the lipid biomarkers and underlying mechanisms for the improvement of the action of mulberry leaves on obesity and lipid metabolism disorders have not been sufficiently investigated yet ... mulberry leaf water extract (MLWE) ... Our results showed that MLWE supplementation not only decreased body weight gain, serum total triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase levels, but also increased the serum level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In addition, MLWE supplementation also ameliorated hepatic steatosis and lipid accumulation" - See mulberry leaf extract at Amazon.com.
• Low Vitamin D Link With Obesity, Overweight Among Men - Medscape, 3/28/22 - "Compared to men with normal weight, men with overweight were more likely to have vitamin D inadequacy (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.2; P = .03), as were men with obesity (adjusted OR, 1.4; P = .001), after adjusting for age, sex, place of residence, education, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and smoking" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Oolong tea extract alleviates weight gain in high-fat diet-induced obese rats by regulating lipid metabolism and modulating gut microbiota - Food Funct 2022 Feb 18 - "Oolong tea is semifermented, with its chemical composition comprising features of green (unfermented) and black (fermented) tea. Although green tea has anti-obesity properties, studies on the anti-obesity ability of oolong tea are still scarce. In this study, we analyzed the chemical composition of oolong tea extract (OTE) and investigated the effects of OTE on high-fat diet-induced obese rats. OTE contained more (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, (-)-epigallocatechin, and (-)-gallocatechin-3-gallate than theaflavins and theasinensins. Rats fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) and treated with 0.5% OTE exhibited significantly reduced body weight and visceral fat weight compared with the HFD-only group. OTE also decreased adipocyte size, lipogenesis-related protein sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) and fatty acid synthase (FASN) protein expression and increased thermogenesis-related protein peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC1α) and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) protein expression in epididymal adipose tissue compared with the HFD group. Moreover, the OTE groups had a significantly higher abundance of Candidatus arthromitus and Hydrogenoanaerobacterium and a lower abundance of Ruminococcus1, Oscillibacter, and Odoribacter compared with the HFD group. All these results show that OTE can alleviate weight gain by regulating lipid metabolism and modulating the distribution of the gut microbiota to decrease lipid accumulation in adipose tissue" - See oolong tea at Amazon.com.
• My Journey With Intermittent Fasting: What Worked, What Proved Challenging - Medscape, 1/21/22 - "I chose the 16:8 regimen, believing it to be best for a nurse working from home. I fast from 8 PM at night until noon the following day. All food intake is restricted to the hours between noon and 8 PM. Although this method has been less effective in studies of weight loss than the other two, this may have more to do with a lack of guidance regarding caloric intake than with the method of fasting. I have a colleague who faithfully followed the time-restricted method, but he also ate healthfully during the hours of food intake. He exercised during the morning and allowed himself light meals, carefully counting calories during the hours he was allowed to eat. He kept to a regimen of 1200 calories per day ... At the conclusion of 6 weeks, he had lost 22 pounds and gained an immense amount of energy. He reported improved sleep and reduced body aches and pains. This follows what researchers have observed regarding the benefits of intermittent fasting ... The human body was designed to go for prolonged periods without food intake. Our ancestors spent hours hunting for food, often going for extended intervals without nutrition. During periods of fasting, the body can jump-start mechanisms related to glucose consumption, healing, and restoration. Human trials have demonstrated the positive effects of intermittent fasting, which include improvement in chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, neurologic disease, and even cancer."
• Groundbreaking study links grandparents' smoking to your body fat - Hill, 1/21/22 - "It’s potentially one of the first pieces of evidence that human exposure to substances can be passed on to descendants, though researchers have said much more work is needed to understand how that may happen"
• Effect of Standardized Hydrangea serrata (Thunb.) Ser. Leaves Extract on Body Weight and Body Fat Reduction in Overweight or Obese Humans: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study - Nutrients 2022, 14(1), 208 - "A total of 93 healthy overweight or obese males and females, aged 19–65 years, with body mass indexes (BMIs) ≥ 25 and <32 kg/m2, were recruited and received either an oral administration of 600 mg of WHS, or placebo tablets for 12 weeks. Daily supplementation with WHS decreased body weights, body fat masses, and BMIs compared with the placebo-treated group. The hip circumferences, visceral fat areas, abdominal fat areas, and visceral-to-subcutaneous ratios decreased after WHS supplementation. No significant side effects were observed during or after the 12 weeks of WHS intake. In conclusion, WHS, which has beneficial effects on body weight and body fat reduction, could be a promising antiobesity supplement that does not produce any side effects" - [Nutra USA] - See hydrangea supplements at Amazon.com.
• Mulberry leaf polysaccharides ameliorate obesity through activation of brown adipose tissue and modulation of the gut microbiota in high-fat diet fed mice - Food Funct 2021 Dec 24 - "Improving energy homeostasis and the gut microbiota is a promising strategy to improve obesity and related metabolic disorders. Mulberry leaf is one of the traditional Chinese medicines and functional diets. In this work, a mouse model induced by high-fat diet (HFD) was used to reveal the role of mulberry leaf polysaccharides (MLP). It was found that MLP had a significant effect in limiting body weight gain (reduced by 19.95%, 35.47% and 52.46%, respectively), ameliorating hepatic steatosis and regulating lipid metabolism in HFD induced obese mice (P < 0.05). RT-PCR and western blot analysis suggested that these metabolic improvements were mediated by inducing the development of brown-like adipocytes in inguinal white adipose tissue and enhancing brown adipose tissue activity. Besides, 16S rRNA sequencing results led to the inference that MLP could mitigate the composition and function of the gut microbiota. Together, these findings indicated that MLP possess great potential as a diet supplement or medication for obesity" - See mulberry leaf extract at Amazon.com.
• Total dairy consumption in relation to overweight and obesity in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis - Obes Rev 2021 Dec 8 - "results showed an inverse association between total dairy consumption and obesity prevalence (OR (95% CI): 0.66 (0.48-0.91). No significant associations were found between milk or yogurt and obesity prevalence risk. Regarding prospective studies, total milk consumption was positively associated with overweight prevalence (OR (95% CI): 1.13 (1.01-1.26)) and incidence (RR (95%CI): 1.17 (1.01-1.35)) risk. Evidence from pooled analysis of cross-sectional studies suggested an inverse association between total dairy consumption and obesity"
• Dietary flavonoid kaempferol reduces obesity-associated hypothalamic microglia activation and promotes body weight loss in mice with obesity - Nutr Neurosci 2021 Dec 14 - "Energy balance (EB) is critically regulated by the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) by promoting appetite or anorectic actions. Hypothalamic inflammation, driven by high activation of the microglia, has been reported as a key mechanism involved in the development of diet-induced obesity. Kaempferol (KF), a flavonoid-type polyphenol present in a large number of fruits and vegetables, was shown to regulate both energy metabolism and inflammation ... These findings suggest that KF might fight obesity by regulating central processes related to EB regulation and hypothalamic inflammation" - See kaempferol at Amazom.com.
• Effectiveness of testosterone replacement in men with obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Eur J Endocrinol 2021 Nov 1 - "A total of 16 randomized controlled trials were included. With moderate certainty of the evidence, no difference was found between TRT and placebo regarding total adverse events, TRT led to a 2-kg lean body mass gain and slightly improved low-density lipoprotein (LDL), without effects on the blood pressure. Due to imprecision/heterogeneity, effects in cardiovascular events (relative risk 0.52, 95% CI 0.26 to 1.05, 7 trials, 583 participants), high-density lipoprotein, hematocrit, prostate-specific antigen, HbA1c, and quality of life were unclear. TRT was effective for waist circumference and body mass index; however, large between-study heterogeneity was found, with 95% prediction intervals crossing the null effect line. Meta-regression revealed that the average age of participants was a significant modifier for both outcomes"
• Quantifying the relationship between dapagliflozin and loss of weight in type 1 diabetes mellitus patients - J Clin Pharm Ther 2021 Nov 9 - "Dapagliflozin was the first oral treatment approved in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients, simultaneously improving body weight ... Five dapagliflozin dosage groups, two of them were 5 mg/day and three of them were 10 mg/day, 1612 T1DM patients were analysed with maximal effect (Emax ) model, and evaluation index was change rate of body weight from baseline value ... In these T1DM patients, dosages were not incorporated into model, indicating no significant dose-response relationship between 5 and 10 mg/day affecting loss of weight. Emax and the treatment duration to reach half of the maximal effects (ET50 ) of dapagliflozin influencing loss of weight in T1DM patients were -4.9% and 10.4 weeks, and the duration to achieve 25%, 50%, 75%, and 80% (plateau) of Emax were 3.5, 10.4, 31.2, and 41.6 week ... To achieve the plateau period in loss of weight, 5 mg/day dapagliflozin was required for at least 41.6 weeks" - See dapagliflozin at reliablerxpharmacy.com.
• Curcuma longa extract improves serum inflammatory markers and mental health in healthy participants who are overweight: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - Nutr J 2021 Nov 13 - "We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in healthy subjects aged 50 to 69 years with overweight. Participants took two capsules containing CLE (CLE group, n = 45) or two placebo capsules (placebo group, n = 45) daily for 12 weeks, and serum inflammatory markers were measured ... After the intervention, the CLE group had a significantly lower body weight (p < 0.05) and body mass index (p < 0.05) than the placebo group and significantly lower serum levels of C-reactive protein (p < 0.05) and complement component 3 (p < 0.05). In addition, the CLE group showed significant improvement of the MOS SF-36 mental health score (p < 0.05) and POMS anger-hostility score" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.
• Rutin promotes white adipose tissue "browning" and brown adipose tissue activation partially through the calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β/AMP-activated protein kinase pathway - Endocr J 2021 Oct 29 - "Promoting white adipose tissue (WAT) "browning" and brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation could contribute to increasing energy expenditure ... Male C57BL/6 mice (n = 6) were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks with/out rutin. In HFD-fed mice, rutin treatment significantly inhibited weight gain, improved the metabolic profile of plasma samples, decreased the weights of epididymal WAT (eWAT), inguina WAT (iWAT), and liver, and adipocyte size. Furthermore, rutin also increased the expression of uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp-1) and other thermogenic markers in the WAT and BAT. In 3T3-L1 cells, rutin effectively reduced the formation of lipid droplets, stimulated the expression of thermogenic markers, and reduced the expression of adipogenic genes. Additionally, rutin markedly upregulated the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway, and these effects were diminished by treatment with the AMPK inhibitor compound C (CC). Pretreatment with the calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β (CaMKKβ) inhibitor STO-609 blocked the induction of thermogenic markers in 3T3-L1 cells by rutin. Our results indicated that rutin increased energy consumption, induced WAT "browning" and BAT activation, and thus was a promising target for the development of new therapeutic approaches to improve adipose tissue energy metabolism" - See rutin at Amazon.com and rutin at iHerb.com.
• Lutein supplementation combined with a low-calorie diet in middle-aged obese individuals: effects on anthropometric indices, body composition and metabolic parameters - Br J Nutr 2021 Oct 14 - "After 10 weeks, body weight and waist circumference significantly decreased in both groups, although between-group differences were not significant. There was more of a decrease in the percentage of body fat in the lutein group v. the placebo group. Moreover, the placebo group experienced a significant reduction in fat-free mass (FFM), whereas the lutein group preserved FFM during calorie restriction, although the between-group difference did not reach statistical significance. Visceral fat and serum levels of total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-cholesterol were significantly decreased only in the lutein group, with a statistically significant difference between the two arms only for TC" - [Nutra USA] - See lutein at Amazon.com.
• Gut microbiota influences the ability to lose weight - Science Daily, 9/13/21 - "The researchers focused on 48 individuals who lost more than 1% of their body weight per month over a 6 to 12 month period and 57 individuals who did not lose any weight and had a stable body mass index (BMI) over the same period. The researchers relied on metagenomics, the study of genetic material recovered from blood and stool samples. The individuals analyzed blood metabolites, blood proteins, clinical labs, dietary questionnaires and gut bacteria in the two groups ... After controlling for age, sex and baseline BMI, the researchers identified 31 baseline stool metagenomic functional features that were associated with weight loss responses. These included complex polysaccharide and protein degradation genes, stress-response genes, respiration-related genes, cell wall synthesis genes and gut bacterial replication rates. A major finding was that the ability of the gut microbiome to break down starches was increased in people who did not lose weight. Another key finding was that genes that help bacteria grow faster, multiply, replicate and assemble cell walls were increased in people who lost more weight ... Research has already shown that if you change your diet, you can alter the composition of bacteria in your gut. According to Dr. Diener, if someone has a composition of gut bacterial genes that confers resistance to weight loss, then perhaps you can alter their diet to shift to a composition that would help them lose weight" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com and iHerb.
• Beneficial effects of a combination of Clostridium cochlearium and Lactobacillus acidophilus on body weight gain, insulin sensitivity and gut microbiota in high-fat diet induced obese mice Nutrition, 4 Aug 21 - "Species L. acidophilus and butyrate producer C. cochlearium have been shown potential anti-obesity effects. We hypothesized that the combination of C. cochlearium and L. acidophilus (CC-LA) has beneficial effects on body weight control and glucose homeostasis in high-fat diet induced obese (DIO) mice ... thirty-six 6-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 12). The experimental group (CC-LA) was administered with CC-LA mixture and fed ad libitum with high-fat diet. High-fat diet (HF) control and low-fat diet (LF) control groups were treated with the same dose of sterile water as CC-LA group. After 17 weeks of dietary intervention, the CC-LA group showed 17% less body weight gain than the HF group did ... This study provided evidence that the CC-LA combination reduced obesity and improved glucose metabolism in high fat diet treated DIO mice, potentially mediated by the modulation of gut microbiota" - [Nutra USA] - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com and iHerb.
• Capsaicin and Its Effects on Body Weight - J Am Coll Nutr 2021 Aug 12 - "Capsaicin is a bioactive compound found in the fruits (i.e., peppers) of the plant genus Capsicum, which is widely used in many cultures. Besides many health effects of this compound, it can also be effective in body weight control through various mechanisms such as regulating lipolysis in adipocytes, increasing the feeling of satiety, stimulating energy expenditure, and reducing energy intake ... Capsaicin can decrease hunger through hormones in the gastrointestinal tract ... Capsaicin can increase energy expenditure through brown adipose tissue ... Capsaicin can increase lipolysis in white adipose tissue" - See capsicum at Amazon.com and iHerb.
• Ginsenoside F2 Suppresses Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Cells and Obesity in Mice via the AMPK Pathway - J Agric Food Chem 2021 Aug 3 - "Ginsenoside F2 (GF2) is a protopanaxdiol saponin from Panax ginseng leaves and possesses many potential pharmacological properties. GF2 may prevent obesity by directly binding to the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) and inhibiting adipocyte differentiation ... GF2 suppressed adipogenesis and obesity by regulating the expression of adipokines and activating the AMPK pathway. Hence, the findings suggest that GF2 may have potential therapeutic implications to treat obesity" - See Panax ginseng at Amazon.com and iHerb.
• Effects of 1-year Treatment with Canagliflozin on Body Composition and Total Body Water in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes - Diabetes Obes Metab 2021 Aug 2 - "107 patients with type 2 diabetes were treated with canagliflozin 100 mg, as add-on therapy, for 12 months ... plasma volume (PV) ... Body weight showed a significant decrease from 1 month to 12 months of treatment with canagliflozin, with a higher rate of decrease in body fat in body composition. A significant decrease in mineral mass was also observed, but its rate was low. Following treatment with canagliflozin, changes in total body water did not affect intracellular water, and a significant decrease in extracellular water, including plasma components, was observed early and was sustained up to 12 months. Protein mass, a component of muscle mass, was not affected, with only a slight decrease in water volume observed ... Canagliflozin decreased extracellular fluid and PV in addition to decreasing fat in the body via calorie loss resulting from urinary glucose excretion. This study suggested that SGLT2 inhibitors might reduce body weight by regulating fat mass or water distribution in the body and might have cardiac and renal protective effects by resetting the homeostasis of fluid balance" - See canagliflozin at ReliableRXPharmacy.
• The Effects of Limosilactobacillus reuteri LR-99 Supplementation on Body Mass Index, Social Communication, Fine Motor Function, and Gut Microbiome Composition in Individuals with Prader–Willi Syndrome: a Randomized Double-Blinded Placebo-Controlled Trial - Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins 2021 Jun 11 - "Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder associated with developmental delay, obesity, and neuropsychiatric comorbidities. Limosilactobacillus reuteri (Lactobacillus reuteri, Lact. reuteri) has demonstrated anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory effects in previous studies. In the present study, we aim to evaluate the effects of Lact. reuteri supplementation on body mass index (BMI), social behaviors, and gut microbiota in individuals with PWS ... Participants were randomly assigned to either receive daily Lact. reuteri LR-99 probiotic (6 × 1010 colony forming units) or a placebo sachet ... We found a significant reduction in BMI for the probiotic group at both 6 weeks and 12 weeks relative to the baseline (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we observed a significant improvement in social communication and interaction, fine motor function, and total ASQ-3 score in the probiotics group compared to the placebo group (P < 0.05). Altered gut microbiota was observed in the probiotic group to favor weight loss and improve gut health. The findings suggest a novel therapeutic potential for Lact. reuteri LR-99 probiotic to modulate BMI, social behaviors, and gut microbiota in Prader-Willi syndrome patients, although further investigation is warranted" - [Nutra USA] - See Limosilactobacillus reuteri at Amazon.com.
  • Lactobacillus reuteri (Limosilactobacillus reuteri) - optibacprobiotics
• Common weight-loss drug successfully targets fat that can endanger heart health - Science Daily, 8/4/21 - "The 185 study participants were given a once-daily injection of liraglutide over 40 weeks of treatment. The relative effects of liraglutide on fat reduction were two-fold greater in the abdominal tissues and six-fold greater in the liver than seen on overall body weight. The treatment effect was consistent across race/ethnicity and BMI categories, and among those with or without baseline prediabetes. Liraglutide also reduced fasting blood glucose and inflammation in this trial population without diabetes, the majority of whom had normal blood sugar levels at baseline."
• FDA approves new obesity drug for long-term weight management - CBS, 6/21/21 - "In clinical trials, patients receiving the weekly injection had an average weight loss of 15% and steadily lost weight over the 16-month study period. Importantly, these results are close to those for patients who have bariatric surgery, and they are far better than those seen from other weight loss drugs currently on the market ... Novo Nordisk’s obesity drug Wegovy (semaglutide) is the first approved drug for chronic weight management in adults with general obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol, since 2014 ... Wegovy is a synthesized version of a gut hormone that curbs appetite. It is to be injected under the skin once-weekly"
• The Probiotic Strain H. alvei HA4597® Improves Weight Loss in Overweight Subjects under Moderate Hypocaloric Diet: A Proof-of-Concept, Multicenter Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study - Nutrients 2021 - "Subjects of the HA group received two capsules per day providing 100 billion bacteria per day and subjects in the Placebo (P) group received two placebo capsules ... A 12-week treatment with the probiotic strain H. alvei HA4597® significantly improves weight loss, feeling of fullness and reduction of hip circumference in overweight subjects following moderate hypocaloric diet. These data support the use of H. alvei HA4597® in the global management of excess weight" - [Nutra USA] - Note:  Here's the targedys.com website.  I don't see where it's for sale anywhere.  See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com.
• Mulberry leaf activates brown adipose tissue and induces browning of inguinal white adipose tissue in type 2 diabetic rats through regulating AMPK signaling pathway - Br J Nutr 2021 May 11 - "Activation of brown adipocytes and browning of white adipocytes are considered as a promising molecular target for T2DM treatment. Mulberry leaf, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been demonstrated to have multi-biological activities, including anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory effects. Our experiment results showed that mulberry leaf significantly alleviated the disorder of glucose and lipid metabolism in T2DM rats including reducing body weight (BW) gain, Lee's index, food intake, inguinal white adipose tissue (IWAT) accumulation, blood lipid fasting insulin level and fasting blood glucose level, increasing the ratios of brown adipose tissue (BAT) mass to BW, and improving insulin sensitivity and liver function. In addition, mulberry leaf induced browning of IWAT by enhancing the expressions of brown-mark genes as well as beige-specific genes, including uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), PRD1-BF-1-RIZ1 homologous domain containing protein 16 (PRDM16), cell death inducing DFFA like effector A (Cidea), CD137 and transmembrane protein 26 (TMEM26). Mulberry leaf also activated BAT by increasing the expressions of brown-mark genes including UCP1, PGC-1α, PPARα, PRDM16 and Cidea. Moreover, mulberry leaf enhanced the expression of nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF-1) and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) genes that are responsible for mitochondrial biogenesis in IWAT and BAT. Importantly, mulberry leaf also increased the expression of UCP1 and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 (CPT1) protein in both IWAT and BAT via a mechanism involving Adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and PGC-1α pathway. In conclusion, our findings identify the role of mulberry leaf in inducing adipose browning, indicating that mulberry leaf may be used as a candidate browning agent for the treatment of T2DM" - See Mulberry leaf extract.
• Mendelian Randomization Analysis Reveals Causal Effects of the Human Gut Microbiota on Abdominal Obesity - J Nutr 2021 Mar 24 - "trunk fat mass (TFM) ... Our findings provided evidence of a causal association between gut microbiota and TFM in UK adults and identified specific bacteria taxa that may regulate the fat metabolism, thus offering new direction for the treatment of obesity" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com.
• Probiotics as a Complementary Therapy for Management of Obesity: A Systematic Review - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2021 Jan 22 - "It seems that the probiotic products could have beneficial effects as an adjunct therapy for care and management of obesity when used in high dose. However, due to heterogeneity of included studies, it is required to confirm our results by more meta-analyses of clinical trials" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com.
• FDA Approves Liraglutide for Adolescents With Obesity - Medscape, 12/11/20 - "liraglutide for 56 weeks cut BMI by 5% in 43% of patients, and by 10% in 26%, compared with respective rates of 19% and 8% among those in the placebo-control arm"
• The Beneficial Effects of Red Sun-Dried Capsicum annuum L. cv Senise Extract with Antioxidant Properties in Experimental Obesity are Associated with Modulation of the Intestinal Microbiota - Mol Nutr Food Res 2020 Dec 10 - "Mice fed a high fat diet (HFD) were orally treated with an extract from these peppers (CAE) (1, 10 and 25 mg/kg/day). It promoted weight loss and improved plasma markers related to glucose and lipid metabolisms. CAE also ameliorated obesity-associated systemic inflammation reducing the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in adipose and hepatic tissues and improving the expression of different markers involved in the gut epithelial barrier function. These effects were associated with a modulation of the intestinal microbiome, which appears altered" - See capsicum at Amazon.com and iHerb.
• Non-Viable Lactobacillus johnsonii JNU3402 Protects against Diet-Induced Obesity - Foods, 19 Oct 20 - "In this study, the role of non-viable Lactobacillus johnsonii JNU3402 (NV-LJ3402) in diet-induced obesity was investigated in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). To determine whether NV-LJ3402 exhibits a protective effect against diet-induced obesity, 7-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal diet, an HFD, or an HFD with NV-LJ3402 for 14 weeks. NV-LJ3402 administration was associated with a significant reduction in body weight gain and in liver, epididymal, and inguinal white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue weight in HFD-fed mice. Concomitantly, NV-LJ3402 administration to HFD-fed mice also decreased the triglyceride levels in the plasma and metabolic tissues and slightly improved insulin resistance. Furthermore, NV-LJ3402 enhanced gene programming for energy dissipation in the WATs of HFD-fed mice as well as in 3T3-L1 adipocytes with increased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) transcriptional activity, suggesting that the PPARγ pathway plays a key role in mediating the anti-obesity effect of NV-LJ3402 in HFD-fed mice. Furthermore, NV-LJ3402 administration in HFD-fed mice enhanced mitochondrial levels and function in WATs and also increased the body temperature upon cold exposure. Together, these results suggest that NV-LJ3402 could be safely used to develop dairy products that ameliorate diet-induced obesity and hyperlipidemia" - [Nutra USA] - See Lactobacillus johnsonii at Amazon.com.
• Alternate-day fasting, obesity, and metabolic syndrome - Metabolism 2020 Aug 7 - "Alternate-day fasting (ADF) is related to weight reduction, lowered risks of weight regain, and relative lean body mass preservation compared to continuous energy restriction ... We observed significant effects of ADF for BMI (WMD -0.73 kg/m2, 95% CI -1.13 to -0.34), FM (WMD -1.27 kg, 95% CI -2.09 to -0.46), and total cholesterol (WMD -8.14 mg/dL, 95% CI -14.59 to -1.69). Subgroup analyses indicated that significant intervention effects were observed for BMI, BW, FM, and total cholesterol when compared to the control, the participants were overweight, and the study duration was <6 months. ADF is effective in reducing waist circumference in adults aged ≥40 years with obesity. However, there was no difference between ADF and continuous energy restriction, time-restricted feeding, or control with regard to lean body mass"
• Lipoic acid supplements help some obese but otherwise healthy people lose weight - Science Daily, 8/12/20 - "analyzed the effects of 24 weeks of daily, 600-milligram doses of lipoic acid supplements on 31 people, with a similarly sized control group receiving a placebo ... The data clearly showed a loss in body weight and body fat in people taking lipoic acid supplements ... When taken as a dietary supplement, lipoic acid displays additional properties that might be unrelated to the function in the mitochondria. They include the stimulation of glucose metabolism, antioxidant defenses and anti-inflammatory responses -- making it a possible complementary treatment for people with diabetes, heart disease and age-related cognitive decline ... people who lost weight on lipoic acid also reduced their blood triglyceride levels -- that effect was clear" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com and iHerb.
• Intermittent Fasting May Aid Weight Loss - NYT, 7/27/20 - "In an eight-week trial, published in Cell Metabolism, scientists randomly assigned 58 obese men and women to three groups. The first ate whatever they wanted without counting calories, but only between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. The second ate what they wanted between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. The third, a control group, ate without restrictions ... In both of the groups that practiced time-restricted fasting, participants consumed an average of 550 fewer calories a day and lost about 3 percent of their body weight. Compared with the controls, both groups had significantly reduced fat mass, reductions in oxidative stress, and reductions in both fasting insulin and insulin resistance, which suggest a reduced risk for diabetes. Blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol and triglyceride levels were unaffected."
• How long should you fast for weight loss? - Science Daily, 7/15/20 - "Participants in the 4-hour time-restricted feeding diet group were asked to eat only between the hours of 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Participants in the 6-hour time-restricted feeding diet group were asked to eat only between the hours of 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. ... participants in both daily fasting groups reduced calorie intake by about 550 calories each day simply by adhering to the schedule and lost about 3% of their body weight. The researchers also found that insulin resistance and oxidative stress levels were reduced among participants in the study groups when compared with the control group. There was no effect on blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol or triglycerides."
• The effect of green tea supplementation on obesity: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Phytother Res. 2020 May 5 - "Combined results using the random-effects model indicated that body weight (WMD: -1.78 kg, 95% CI: -2.80, -0.75, p = .001) and body mass index (BMI) (WMD: -0.65 kg/m2 , 95% CI: -1.04, -0.25, p = .001) did change significantly following GT administration. The reduction in waist circumference (WC) after GT consumption was significant in subjects in trials employing GT ≥800 mg/day (WMD: -2.06 cm) and with a treatment duration <12 weeks (WMD: -2.39 cm). Following the dose-response evaluation, GT intake did alter body weight, with a more important reduction when the GT dosage was <500 mg/day and the treatment duration was of 12 weeks. The results of present meta-analysis study support the use of GT for the improvement of obesity indices. Thus, we suggest that the use of GT can be combined with a balanced and healthy diet and regular physical exercise in the management of obese patients" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com and green tea extract at iHerb.
• A randomised controlled study shows supplementation of overweight and obese adults with lactobacilli and bifidobacteria reduces bodyweight and improves well-being - Sci Rep. 2020 Mar 6 - "220 Bulgarian participants (30 to 65 years old) with BMI 25–34.9 kg/m2 received Lab4P probiotic (50 billion/day) or a matched placebo for 6 months. Participants maintained their normal diet and lifestyle ... Significant between group decreases in body weight (1.3 kg, p < 0.0001), BMI (0.045 kg/m2, p < 0.0001), WC (0.94 cm, p < 0.0001) and WtHR (0.006, p < 0.0001) were in favour of the probiotic. Stratification identified greater body weight reductions in overweight subjects (1.88%, p < 0.0001) and in females (1.62%, p = 0.0005). Greatest weight losses were among probiotic hypercholesterolaemic participants (-2.5%, p < 0.0001) alongside a significant between group reduction in small dense LDL-cholesterol (0.2 mmol/L, p = 0.0241). Improvements in QoL and the incidence rate ratio of URTI (0.60, p < 0.0001) were recorded for the probiotic group. No adverse events were recorded. Six months supplementation with Lab4P probiotic resulted in significant weight reduction and improved small dense low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (sdLDL-C) profiles, QoL and URTI incidence outcomes in overweight/obese individuals" - [Nutra USA] - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com and probiotic supplements at iHerb.
• Effects of alpha lipoic acid as a supplement in obese children and adolescents - Cytokine. 2020 Apr 4 - "Obesity is significantly associated with inflammatory process and oxidative stress. Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is a potent antioxidant that has been reported for reducing weight in animals and obese adults in several studies but no data are available in pediatrics ... Eighty obese children and adolescents were randomized into two groups; the treatment group (n = 40) who received 300 mg of ALA twice daily for 3 months and the control group (n = 40) who received placebo for 3 months ... ALA treatment group had a significant reduction of the weight, BMI, MDA, TNF-α, and leptin levels but a significant increase of adiponectin level (P < 0.05) compared to the control group. However, it had no effect on FBG or lipid profile" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com.
• Does vitamin D status predict weight gain or increase in waist circumference? Results from the longitudinal Health 2000/2011 Survey - Public Health Nutr. 2020 Mar 24 - "In men, low vitamin D status at baseline predicted ≥10 % increase in waist circumference during the follow-up when adjusted for age only (OR for sufficient v. deficient S-25(OH)D 0·41; 95 % CI 0·25, 0·67; P for trend <0·01), but the association with weight gain was only borderline significant. After adjustment for potential confounders, low vitamin D status remained a significant predictor of increase in waist circumference, but the association with weight gain was further attenuated. In women, vitamin D status at baseline did not predict weight gain or increase in waist circumference." - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting - NYT, 2/17/20 - "Most people trying to lose weight should strive for 16 calorie-free hours, he said, adding that “the easiest way to do this is to stop eating by 8 p.m., skip breakfast the next morning and then eat again at noon the next day.” (Caffeine-dependent people can have sugar- free black coffee or tea before lunch.) But don’t expect to see results immediately; it can take up to four weeks to notice an effect, he said ... Other animal studies have shown a “robust disease-modifying” benefit of intermittent fasting on “a wide range of chronic disorders, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers and neurodegenerative brain diseases,” the researchers reported ... For example, human studies of intermittent fasting found that it improved such disease indicators as insulin resistance, blood fat abnormalities, high blood pressure and inflammation, even independently of weight loss ... during a fast, the body produces few new proteins, prompting cells to take protein from nonessential sources, break them down and use the amino acids to make new proteins that are essential for survival. Then, after eating, a lot of new proteins are produced in the brain and elsewhere."
• Could Your Morning Coffee Be a Weight-Loss Tool? - WebMD, 1/13/20 - "Those who drank 4 cups of caffeinated coffee per day over six months saw a nearly 4% drop in overall body fat"
• Clinical study finds eating within 10-hour window may help stave off diabetes, heart disease - Science Daily, 12/5/19 - "a 10-hour time-restricted eating intervention, when combined with traditional medications, resulted in weight loss, reduced abdominal fat, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and more stable blood sugar and insulin levels for participants ... Unlike counting calories, time-restricted eating is a simple dietary intervention to incorporate, and we found that participants were able to keep the eating schedule ... Time-restricted eating (eating all calories within a consistent 10-hour window) supports an individual's circadian rhythms and can maximize health benefits ... Eating and drinking everything (except water) within a consistent 10-hour window allows your body to rest and restore for 14 hours at night ... To reduce food intake to the 10-hour window, most participants delayed their first meal and advanced their last meal each day, so meals were not skipped. Although calories were not recommended to be reduced for the intervention, some participants did report eating less, likely due to the shorter eating window ... Overall, participants experienced improved sleep as well as a 3-4 percent reduction in body weight, body mass index, abdominal fat and waist circumference. Major risk factors for heart disease were diminished as participants showed reduced blood pressure and total cholesterol. Blood sugar levels and insulin levels also showed a trend toward improvement"
• Effects of Spirulina supplementation on obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials - Complementary Therapies in Medicine, Dec 2019 - "Results of 5 studies (7 treatment arms) showed a significant reduction in weight (MD: -1.56 Kg, 95% CI: -1.98 to -1.14) after Spirulina supplementation. Subgroup analysis based on health status revealed that weight change in obese subjects (MD: -2.06 Kg, 95% CI: -2.45 to -1.68) was greater than overweight participants (MD: -1.28 Kg, 95% CI: -1.62 to -0.93) following Spirulina supplementation. Also, pooled analysis showed that Spirulina supplementation led to a significant reduction in body fat percent (MD: -1.02, 95% CI: -1.49 to -0.54) and waist circumference (MD: -1.40, 95% CI: -1.40 to -1.39), but not in body mass index and waist to hip ratio" - [Nutra USA] - See spirulina at Amazon.com.
• Gut bacteria is key factor in childhood obesity - Science Daily, 10/30/19 - "The medical community used to think that obesity was a result of consuming too many calories. However, a series of studies over the past decade has confirmed that the microbes living in our gut are not only associated with obesity but also are one of the causes" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com.
• Molecule links weight gain to gut bacteria - Science Daily, 9/27/19 - "Their findings could have far-ranging implications for obesity in affluent countries and malnutrition in impoverished countries ... In the study, published this week by Science, Dr. Lora Hooper and her research team found that the commensal, or good, bacteria that live in the guts of mammals program the metabolic rhythms that govern the body's absorption of dietary fat ... Most mice on that diet become obese. To our surprise, those that had no HDAC3 in their intestinal lining were able to eat a high fat, high sugar diet and stay lean ... disrupting the interactions between the microbiota and the body's clock could make us more likely to become obese. These disruptions happen frequently in modern life when we take antibiotics, work overnight shifts, or travel internationally. But we think that our findings might eventually lead to new treatments for obesity -- and possibly malnutrition -- by altering the bacteria in our guts" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
• Seeking an Obesity Cure, Researchers Turn to the Gut Microbiome -= NYT, 9/10/19 - "A clinical trial published in the journal Nature Medicine in July, for example, found that giving obese people supplements containing a gut microbe linked to leanness in mice and humans lowered their cholesterol, inflammation and insulin and even led to a few pounds of weight loss compared to a control group ... Still, Dr. Yu said a capsule containing a cocktail of beneficial microbes is never going to be a silver bullet." - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
• These gut bacteria prevent mice from becoming obese -- what could that mean for us? - Science Daily, 7/25/19 - "healthy mice have plenty of Clostridia -- a class of 20 to 30 bacteria -- but those with an impaired immune system lose these microbes from their gut as they age. Even when fed a healthy diet, the mice inevitably become obese. Giving this class of microbes back to these animals allowed them to stay slim ... Mice experimentally treated so that Clostridia were the only bacteria living in their gut were leaner with less fat than mice that had no microbiome at all. They also had lower levels of a gene, CD36, that regulates the body's uptake of fatty acids ... These insights could lead to a therapeutic approach, Round says, with advantages over the fecal transplants and probiotics that are now being widely investigated as ways to restore a healthy microbiota ... Round points out that research by others have shown that people who are obese similarly lack Clostridia, mirroring the situation in these mice" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
• Gut Bacteria Help May Boost Obese People's Health - WebMD. 7/1/19 - ""But that was just a simple correlation," Cani said. So several years ago, his team started to look deeper. First, they found that in lab mice, Akkermansia -- given as live bacteria -- helped prevent weight gain from a high-fat diet ... The important conclusion is, this type of supplement is safe and feasible ... After three months, people on the pasteurized supplement had lost 5 pounds, on average. Their insulin sensitivity improved by 30% in relation to the placebo group, whose sensitivity worsened. And their total cholesterol dipped by about 9% versus the placebo group, the findings showed" - Note:  I Goggled it.  I don't think it's available yet.  Here's what Amazon comes up with for probiotics for weight loss.
• Could coffee be the secret to fighting obesity? - Science Daily, 6/24/19 - "The results were positive and we now need to ascertain that caffeine as one of the ingredients in the coffee is acting as the stimulus or if there's another component helping with the activation of brown fat. We are currently looking at caffeine supplements to test whether the effect is similar ... Once we have confirmed which component is responsible for this, it could potentially be used as part of a weight management regime or as part of glucose regulation programme to help prevent diabetes."
• Fiber Intake Predicts Weight Loss and Dietary Adherence in Adults Consuming Calorie-Restricted Diets: The POUNDS Lost (Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies) Study - J Nutr. 2019 Jun 7 - "Dietary fiber intake, independently of macronutrient and caloric intake, promotes weight loss and dietary adherence in adults with overweight or obesity consuming a calorie-restricted diet"
• Sleeping with artificial light at night associated with weight gain in women - Science Daily, 6/10/19 - "The results varied with the level of artificial light at night exposure. For example, using a small nightlight was not associated with weight gain, whereas women who slept with a light or television on were 17% more likely to have gained 5 kilograms, approximately 11 pounds, or more over the follow-up period. The association with having light coming from outside the room was more modest ... Also, the scientists wondered if not getting enough rest factored into the findings"
• Mediterranean diet deters overeating, study finds - Science Daily, 4/23/19 - "nonhuman primates on a Mediterranean diet chose not to eat all the food available to them and maintained a normal weight ... By comparison, the animals on a Western diet ate far more than they needed and gained weight ... The Wake Forest School of Medicine study was a 38-month (equivalent to about 9 years for humans) prevention trial. The diets were formulated to closely reflect human diets with protein and fat derived largely from animal sources in the Western diet and primarily from plant sources in the Mediterranean diet. However, the two diets contained comparable proportions of fat, protein and carbohydrates ... the group on the Mediterranean diet actually ate fewer calories, had lower body weight and had less body fat than those on the Western diet ... The Mediterranean diet also protected against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, known as NAFLD"
• The FDA Just Approved a New Prescription Weight-Loss Drug. Here's How It Works - Time, 1/15/19 - "Previously approved weight-loss drugs typically work by targeting the brain to suppress appetite or simulate feelings of fullness. Plenity, by contrast, helps fill the stomach when taken before a meal. Each pill contains a mix of cellulose and citric acid, which, when hydrated in the stomach, expands to form a hydrogel with the consistency of chewed food. The capsules can fill about a quarter of the stomach without contributing any calories, helping people feel full from eating less, according to the company. The gel then passes through the digestive system just like regular food ... “It creates a sense of satiety, but it’s not a compound that enters the bloodstream and goes to the brain,” Apovian says. “In that respect, it’s so unique because it’s actually benign and safe, in terms of side effects that can cause issues centrally. It’s a very safe, low-risk alternative.”
• Green tea cuts obesity, health risks in mice - Science Daily, 3/14/19 - "Green tea cut obesity and a number of inflammatory biomarkers linked with poor health ... Mice fed a diet of 2 percent green tea extract fared far better than those that ate a diet without it ... The benefits seen in the new study, published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, appear to stem from improved gut health, including more beneficial microbes in the intestines of the mice and less permeability in the intestinal wall -- a condition typically called "leaky gut" in people ... The mice fed a high-fat diet supplemented with green tea gained about 20 percent less weight and had lower insulin resistance than mice fed an otherwise identical diet without tea ... Those mice also had less inflammation within fat tissue and the intestine. Furthermore, the green tea appeared to protect against the movement of endotoxin, the toxic bacterial component, out of their guts and into the bloodstream ... Green tea consumption in the experiment would be equivalent to about 10 cups of green tea throughout the day for a person" - See  green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• More protein and fewer calories help older people lose weight safely - Science Daily, 2/14/19 - "two groups: a six-month low-calorie meal plan that included more than 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight, plus adequate calcium and vitamin D; or a weight stability group targeting .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, which is the current, government-recommended dietary allowance ... Participants lost about 18 pounds, most of it fat (87 percent), and preserved muscle mass. The control group lost about half a pound ... Even when participants lost weight, they maintained bone mass. In fact, trabecular bone score, a measure of bone quality that predicts fracture risk, seemed to improve ... Fat was lost in the stomach, hips, thighs and rear, which is important for preventing or controlling cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes and stroke ... Participants' score on the Healthy Aging Index, which measures biomarkers that predict mortality and longevity, improved by 0.75 points" -  See protein powder at Amazon.com.
• Body Composition Changes in Weight Loss: Strategies and Supplementation for Maintaining Lean Body Mass, a Brief Review (.pdf) - Nutrients. 2018 Dec 3;10(12) - "There are a few dietary supplements that appear to help preserve LBM during weight loss or to reduce the loss of LBM as compared to diet alone. One such dietary supplement that appears to have this “LBM sparing” effect is chromium picolinate. For the reasons shared in this paper, it seems logical to include CrP as part of any reduced calorie (diet) plan as a means of keeping metabolically active LBM. Weight loss without CrP may be at the cost of LBM, thus, this adjunctive strategy appears worthy of further research and applied practice. A comprehensive approach, integrating evidence-guided macronutrient and calorie intake, resistance exercise, and chromium picolinate may be the most effective approach to preserving or increasing lean body mass while maximizing body fat mass reductions." - [Nutra USA] - See chromium picolinate at Amazon.com.
• Cordycepin reduces weight through regulating gut microbiota in high-fat diet-induced obese rats - Lipids Health Dis. 2018 Dec 6 - "Our study suggests that cordycepin can reduce body weight and microbiome done by cordycepin seems be a result among its mechanisms of obesity reduction" - See cordyceps at Amazon.com.
• Resveratrol supplementation significantly influences obesity measures: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Obes Rev. 2018 Dec 5 - "This study aimed to summarize earlier randomized controlled trials on the effects of resveratrol supplementation on body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and fat mass (FM) ... Taken together, the data suggest that resveratrol supplementation has beneficial effects to reduce BW, BMI and WC, but not FM" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.
• A New Study Says Low-Carb Diets May Help You Lose Weight. But Are Carbs Really So Bad For You? - Time, 11/16/18 - "people on low-carb diets burned more than 200 extra calories per day compared to people on high-carb diets, avoiding the reduction in calorie burning that can follow significant weight loss. Over time, the researchers write, that enhanced calorie burn could not only maintain existing weight loss but also help low-carb dieters slim down more than people on other eating plans. They estimated that a person on a low-carb plan could lose about 10% of his body weight over three years simply by reducing his carb consumption — even if his total calorie intake didn’t change ... The body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, triggering the release of insulin and potentially increasing a person’s risk of developing both Type-2 diabetes and obesity — so some researchers believe that cutting back on carbs can result in trimmer waistlines. Some studies have suggested that long-vilified fat, meanwhile, may regulate blood sugar and keep you full throughout the day, helping keep weight in check" - Note:  The article is poorly written.  On the one hand they argue that the low-carbers burned an extra 200 calories.  Then on the other hand they argue that it was water loss.  Calories and water loss are two different things.  It doesn't make sense.
• How a Low-Carb Diet Might Help You Maintain a Healthy Weight - NYT, 11/14/18 - "overweight adults who cut carbohydrates from their diets and replaced them with fat sharply increased their metabolisms. After five months on the diet, their bodies burned roughly 250 calories more per day than people who ate a high-carb, low-fat diet, suggesting that restricting carb intake could help people maintain their weight loss more easily ... The new study is unique in part because of its size and rigor. It is among the largest and most expensive feeding trials ever conducted on the subject ... experts like Dr. Ludwig, argue that the obesity epidemic is driven by refined carbohydrates such as sugar, juices, bagels, white bread, pasta and heavily processed cereals. These foods tend to spike blood sugar and insulin, a hormone that promotes fat storage, and they can increase appetite"
• Daily fasting works for weight loss, finds report on 16:8 diet - Science Daily, 6/18/18 - "Between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. the dieters could eat any type and quantity of food they desired, but for the remaining 16 hours they could only drink water or calorie-free beverages. The study followed the participants for 12 weeks ... those who followed the time-restricted eating diet consumed fewer calories, lost weight and had improvements in blood pressure. On average, participants consumed about 350 fewer calories, lost about 3 percent of their body weight and saw their systolic blood pressure decreased by about 7 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), the standard measure of blood pressure. All other measures, including fat mass, insulin resistance and cholesterol, were similar to the control group" - Note:  It sounds good on paper but some people can't sleep when their stomach is on empty.
• Effects of Panax ginseng on Obesity in Animal Models: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 May 15;2018:2719794 - "Our meta-analysis indicated that oral administration of P. ginseng significantly inhibits weight gain and improves serum lipid profiles in animal obesity models" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.
• Eating frequency is inversely associated with BMI, waist circumference and the proportion of body fat in Korean adults when diet quality is high, but not when it is low: analysis of the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IV) - Br J Nutr. 2018 Apr;119(8):918-927 - "EF was inversely associated with each obesity indicator, including body fat percentage (BF%), BMI and waist circumference (WC), showing a significant linear trend (P<0·001 for BF%, WC and BMI)"
• Pasta Promotes Weight Loss as Part of a Low-Glycemic Index Diet - Medscape, 4/6/18 - "Pasta is an important example of a food that is considered a refined carbohydrate but has a low GI ... Pooled analyses again support a beneficial effect of pasta within the context of a low-GI diet on body mass index, where body mass index dropped by 0.26 kg/m2 (95% confidence interval, −0.36 to −0.16 kg/m2; P < .001) compared with higher-GI control diets"
• High-energy breakfast promotes weight loss - Science Daily, 3/18/18 - "The patients were randomly assigned to consume one of two different weight-loss diets, which contained an equal number of daily calories, for three months. One group (Bdiet) ate three meals: a large breakfast, a medium-sized lunch and a small dinner. The second group (6Mdiet) ate the traditional diet for diabetes and weight loss: six small meals evenly spaced throughout the day, including three snacks ... At three months, while the Bdiet group lost 5 kilograms (11 pounds) the 6Mdiet group gained 1.4 kg (3 lb) ... Fasting glucose levels decreased 54 mg/dl (from 161 to 107) in the Bdiet group but only 23 mg/dl (from 164 to 141) in the 6Mdiet group. Overall mean glucose levels dropped in the first 14 days by 29 mg/dl (from 167 to 138 mg/dl) and 38 mg/dl (from 167 to 129 mg/dl) after three months in the Bdiet group. Overall mean glucose levels dropped only 9 mg/dl (from 171 to 162 mg/dl) in the first 14 days and only 17 mg/dl (from 171 to 154 mg/dl) in the 6Mdiet group"
• Counting Calories Is Not the Key to Weight Loss, New Study Finds - NYT, 2/20/18 - "a new study, published Tuesday in JAMA, may turn that advice on its head. It found that people who cut back on added sugar, refined grains and highly processed foods while concentrating on eating plenty of vegetables and whole foods — without worrying about counting calories or limiting portion sizes — lost significant amounts of weight over the course of a year ... The strategy worked for people whether they followed diets that were mostly low in fat or mostly low in carbohydrates. And their success did not appear to be influenced by their genetics or their insulin-response to carbohydrates, a finding that casts doubt on the increasingly popular idea that different diets should be recommended to people based on their DNA makeup or on their tolerance for carbs or fat"
• Effect of Curcumin on Anthropometric Measures: A Systematic Review on Randomized Clinical Trials - J Am Coll Nutr. 2018 Jan 9:1-8 - "It seems that the bioavailable form of curcumin can reduce obesity and overweight" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
• Comparison of Calorie-Restricted Diet and Resveratrol Supplementation on Anthropometric Indices, Metabolic Parameters, and Serum Sirtuin-1 Levels in Patients With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial - J Am Coll Nutr. 2018 Jan 9:1-11 - "Significant reductions in weight (by 1.1%) and BMI were found in the resveratrol group compared to the placebo group" - See Reserveage Nutrition - Resveratrol with Pterostilbene 500mg, Cellular Age-Defying Formula, 60 veg capsules at Amazon.com.
• Black tea may help with weight loss, too - Science Daily, 10/4/17 - "The study found that both black and green tea changed the ratio of intestinal bacteria in the animals: The percentage of bacteria associated with obesity decreased, while bacteria associated with lean body mass increased ... It was known that green tea polyphenols are more effective and offer more health benefits than black tea polyphenols since green tea chemicals are absorbed into the blood and tissue ... Our new findings suggest that black tea, through a specific mechanism through the gut microbiome, may also contribute to good health and weight loss in humans ... The results suggest that both green and black teas are prebiotics, substances that induce the growth of good microorganisms that contribute to a person's well-being"
• Effect of high-protein meal replacement on weight and cardiometabolic profile in overweight/obese Asian Indians in North India - Br J Nutr. 2017 Jun 2 - "high-protein meal replacement (HPMR) ... These findings show that intervention with HPMR may lead to significant weight loss and improvement in obesity measures, metabolic, lipid and inflammatory parameters and hepatic transaminases in overweight/obese Asian Indians"
• Sulforaphane, a phytochemical in broccoli sprouts, ameliorates obesity - Science Daily, 3/7/17 - "the mice fed with sulforaphane exhibited the weight gain rate 15% lower than that of the mice fed without sulforaphane, 20% visceral fat reduction, and reduction of augmentation of their hepatic steatosis and blood glucose level" - See Jarrow Formulas BroccoMax at Amazon.com.
• Eating in social settings may be greatest temptation for dieters - American Heart Association, 3/7/17 - "the chance of diet lapse was about 60 percent when eating with others ... participants lapse in diet almost half the time when alone"
• Whole-Grain Foods May Help You Stay Slim - WebMD, 2/8/17 - "Those on the whole-grain diet absorbed fewer calories and had greater fecal output. Their resting metabolic rate (calories burned at rest) was also higher ... The energy deficit in those eating whole grains compared to refined grains would be equivalent to the calories you would burn if you were to walk about a mile [in] about 20 or 30 minutes ... ''We don't know over the long term if it would translate to weight loss," Karl said, but his team suspects it would. "This would translate to about 5 pounds in a year," ... In a related study in the same issue of the journal, the same group of researchers found that people who ate whole grains had modest improvements in healthy gut environment and certain immune responses. Whole-grain intake has also been linked with a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers"
• Salba-chia (Salvia hispanica L.) in the treatment of overweight and obese patients with type 2 diabetes: A double-blind randomized controlled trial - Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2016 Dec 9 - "Preliminary findings indicate that consumption of Salba-chia (Salvia hispanica L.), an ancient seed, improves management of type 2 diabetes and suppresses appetite ... A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial with two parallel groups involved 77 overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes (HbA1c: 6.5-8.0%; BMI: 25-40 kg/m2). Both groups followed a 6-month calorie-restricted diet; one group received 30 g/1000 kcal/day of Salba-chia, the other 36 g/1000 kcal/day of an oat bran-based control ... At 6-months, participants on Salba-chia had lost more weight than those on control (1.9 ± 0.5 kg and 0.3 ± 0.4 kg, respectively; P = 0.020), accompanied by a greater reduction in waist circumference (3.5 ± 0.7 cm and 1.1 ± 0.7 cm, respectively; P = 0.027). C-reactive protein was reduced by 1.1 ± 0.5 mg/L (39 ± 17%) on Salba-chia, compared to 0.2 ± 0.4 mg/L (7 ± 20%) on control (P = 0.045). Plasma adiponectin on the test intervention increased by 6.5 ± 0.7%, with no change observed on control" - Note: 1.9 - 0.3 = 1.6 kilograms more weight loss or 3.5 pounds.  See Salba-chia seeds at Amazon.com.
• The Root Extract of Pueraria lobata and Its Main Compound, Puerarin, Prevent Obesity by Increasing the Energy Metabolism in Skeletal Muscle - Nutrients. 2017 Jan 4;9(1) - "Radix Pueraria lobata (RP) has been reported to prevent obesity and improve glucose metabolism ... The present study demonstrates that RP can prevent diet-induced obesity, glucose tolerance, and skeletal muscle atrophy in mouse models of obesity. The mechanism responsible for the effect of RP appears to be related to the upregulation of energy metabolism in skeletal muscle, which at the molecular level may be associated with PGC-1α and AMPK activation" - See Pueraria lobata at Amazon.com.
• Omega-3 fatty acids stimulate brown adipose tissue metabolism - Science Daily, 11/21/16 - "The main function of brown adipose tissue is to burn calories and to make physical warmth out of fat (thermogenesis). However, a recent study by this research team has defined that brown adipose tissue also acts as an endocrine organ and can secrete factors that activate fat and carbohydrates metabolism ... these molecules, released by the adipose tissue (brown adipocytes or batokines) have positive metabolic effects. For this reason, they could be used in new therapies for obesity and related metabolic diseases" - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.
• Probiotic With or Without Fiber Controls Body Fat Mass, Associated With Serum Zonulin, in Overweight and Obese Adults—Randomized Controlled Trial - j.ebiom.2016.10.036 - "We investigated the possible effects of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis 420 (B420) and the dietary fiber Litesse® Ultra polydextrose (LU) on body fat mass and other obesity-related parameters ... For relative change in body fat mass, LU + B420 showed a − 4.5% (−1.4 kg, P = 0.02, N = 37) difference to the Placebo group, whereas LU (+0.3%, P = 1.00, N = 35) and B420 (−3.0%, P = 0.28, N = 24) alone had no effect (overall ANOVA P = 0.095, Placebo N = 35). A post-hoc factorial analysis was significant for B420 (−4.0%, P = 0.002 vs. Placebo). Changes in fat mass were most pronounced in the abdominal region, and were reflected by similar changes in waist circumference. B420 and LU + B420 also significantly reduced energy intake compared to Placebo" - [Nutra USA] - See probiotic products at Amazon.com and polydextrose at Amazon.com.
• Anti-obese effects of two Lactobacilli and two Bifidobacteria on ICR mice fed on a high fat diet - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2016 Nov 11;480(2):222-227 - "high fat diet (HFD) ... The beneficial effects of the probiotic bacteria are suggested to be strain dependent. In this study, two candidate lactobacteria strains, Lactobacillus casei IBS041, Lactobacillus acidophilus AD031 and two bifidobacteria strains, Bifidobacterium bifidum BGN4 and Bifidobacterium longum BORI, were individually administered to HFD-fed mice for 8 weeks. B. longum BORI significantly suppressed mouse weight gain without affecting food intake. L. acidophilus and B. bifidum BGN4 significantly decreased triglyceride levels in mouse liver while B. longum BORI significantly lowered total cholesterol levels in liver. L. acidophilus and B. bifidum BGN4 significantly inhibited serum activities of aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase. Diet supplementation with L. acidophilus, B. bifidum BGN4 and B. longum BORI efficiently improved hepatocyte hydropic degeneration and hepatic steatosis. Of the four probiotic candidates, the bifidobacteria B. longum BORI and B. bifidum BGN4, developed in our laboratory, and L. acidophilus AD031showed excellent anti-obesity effects and suppressed lipid deposition in liver" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
• Mulberry extract activates brown fat, shows promise as obesity treatment - Science Daily, 10/26/16 - "a natural compound in mulberries, called "rutin," can activate the BAT in our bodies to increase metabolism and facilitate weight loss ... Rutin treatment significantly reduced adiposity, increased energy expenditure, and improved glucose homeostasis in both the genetically obese mice and the mice with diet-induced obesity. Specifically, the researchers found that rutin directly binds to and stabilizes SIRT1 (NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin-1), leading to hypoacetylation of PGC1α protein, which stimulates Tfam transactivation and eventually augments mitochondrial number and UCP1 activity in BAT" - See rutin at Amazon.com.
• Body fat link to bacteria in faeces - BBC, 9/26/16 - "The researchers found the strongest links with visceral fat, where participants with a high diversity of bacteria in their faeces had lower levels of visceral fat ... This type of body fat is bad news because it is stored in the stomach area around important organs such as the liver, pancreas and intestines and is linked with higher risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes ... One theory is that a lack of variety in faecal bacteria could lead to the domination of high levels of gut microbes which are good at turning carbohydrates into fat" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
• n-3 Fatty acids preserve muscle mass and insulin sensitivity in a rat model of energy restriction - Br J Nutr. 2016 Sep 13:1-12 - "dietary n-3 PUFA prevent the loss of muscle mass associated with energy restriction, probably by an improvement in the insulin-signalling pathway activation, in relation to enrichment of plasma membranes in n-3 LC-PUFA" - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.
• Standing desks lower BMI, research shows - Science Daily, 8/23/16 - "the students who had the stand-biased desks for both years averaged a three percent drop in BMI while those in traditional desks showed the two percent increase typically associated with getting older"
• Average American 15 Pounds Heavier in Two Decades - WebMD, 8/3/16 - "since the late 1980s and early 1990s, the average American has put on 15 or more additional pounds without getting any taller"
• Metformin-sustained Weight Loss and Reduced Android Fat Tissue at 12 Months in EMPOWIR (Enhance the Metabolic Profile of Women With Insulin Resistance) - WebMD, 8/2/16 - "carbohydrate-modified diet (CMD) and were then randomized to one of three arms for 6 months (phase 1): CMD alone (D), or in combination with metformin (M), or metformin + rosiglitazone (MR), with rerandomization of the D group to one of the active treatment arms ... Mean (±SD) BW decreased significantly at 12 months in the M arm: 85.1 ± 8.5 kg to 79.8 ± 9.0 kg (P = .0003), with 54% of variance in weight over time explained by M treatment. Mean (±SD) percent android fat decreased significantly in the M and D arms: 53.5 ± 4.8% to 49.3 ± 7.6% (P = .010) and 52.9 ± 6.2% to 48.1 ± 8.7% (P = .021)" - See metformin at The Antiaging Store.
• Body Weight Management in Adults Under Chronic Stress Through Treatment With Ashwagandha Root Extract: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial - J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2016 Apr 6 - "A total of 52 subjects under chronic stress received either Ashwagandha (300 mg) or placebo twice daily. Primary efficacy measures were Perceived Stress Scale and Food Cravings Questionnaire. Secondary efficacy measures were Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, serum cortisol, body weight, and body mass index. Each subject was assessed at the start and at 4 and 8 weeks. The treatment with Ashwagandha resulted in significant improvements in primary and secondary measures. Also, the extract was found to be safe and tolerable. The outcome of this study suggests that Ashwagandha root extract can be used for body weight management in adults under chronic stress" - [Nutra USA] - See Ashwagandha at Amazon.com.
• Subchronic treatment with grape-seed phenolics inhibits ghrelin production despite a short-term stimulation of ghrelin secretion produced by bitter-sensing flavanols - Mol Nutr Food Res. 2016 Jul 15 - "Grape-seed phenolic compounds have recently been described as satiating agents in rats when administered as a whole phenolic extract (GSPE) ... The sustained satiating effects of GSPE are related to a long-term decrease in ghrelin expression" - See Best Naturals Grape Seed Extract 400 mg Veggie Capsule, 120 Count.
  • Ghrelin - wikipedia.org - "When the stomach is empty, ghrelin is secreted. When the stomach is stretched, secretion stops.a It acts on hypothalamic brain cells both to increase hunger, and to increase gastric acid secretion and gastrointestinal motility to prepare the body for food intake"
• Consuming probiotics promotes weight loss, reduces BMI - Science Daily, 7/11/16 - "Researchers from the Department of Cardiology, Taizhou People's Hospital, Taizhou, China combined the findings of 25 randomized human trials investigating the impact of probiotic consumption on body weight and BMI in over 1,900 healthy adults. They found taking probiotics reduced BMI and body weight with the greatest reduction in BMI occurring in overweight adults. Interestingly, ingesting more than one type of probiotic and taking probiotics for 8 weeks or more resulted in increased weight loss" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
• Dairy Intake Enhances Body Weight and Composition Changes during Energy Restriction in 18-50-Year-Old Adults-A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials - Nutrients. 2016 Jul 1;8(7) - "Participants consumed between 2 and 4 standard servings/day of dairy food or 20-84 g/day of whey protein compared to low dairy control diets, over a median of 16 weeks. A greater reduction in body weight (-1.16 kg [-1.66, -0.66 kg], p < 0.001, I² = 11%, QR = high, n = 644) and body fat mass (-1.49 kg [-2.06, -0.92 kg], p < 0.001, I² = 21%, n = 521, QR = high) were found in studies largely including women (90% women). These effects were absent in studies that imposed resistance training (QR = low-moderate). Dairy intake resulted in smaller loss of lean mass (all trials pooled: 0.36 kg [0.01, 0.71 kg], p = 0.04, I² = 64%, n = 651, QR = moderate)"
• The effect of (L-)carnitine on weight loss in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Obes Rev. 2016 Jun 22 - "Results from meta-analysis of eligible trials revealed that subjects who received carnitine lost significantly more weight (MD: -1.33 kg; 95% CI: -2.09 to -0.57) and showed a decrease in body mass index (MD: -0.47 kg m-2 ; 95% CI: -0.88 to -0.05) compared with the control group. The results of meta-regression analysis of duration of consumption revealed that the magnitude of weight loss resulted by carnitine supplementation significantly decreased over time (p = 0.002). We conclude that receiving the carnitine resulted in weight loss" - See L-carnitine at Amazon.com.
• 5 Diet Drugs: Which Ones Work? - WebMD, 6/14/16 - "People on Qsymia typically lost the most weight -- almost 20 pounds more, versus study patients given placebo pills. They were also nine times more likely to drop at least 5 percent of their initial weight"
• Copper is key in burning fat - Science Daily, 6/7/16 - "copper has been gaining increasing attention over the past decade for its role in certain biological functions. It has been known that copper is needed to form red blood cells, absorb iron, develop connective tissue and support the immune system ... We find that copper is essential for breaking down fat cells so that they can be used for energy ... It acts as a regulator. The more copper there is, the more the fat is broken down. We think it would be worthwhile to study whether a deficiency in this nutrient could be linked to obesity and obesity-related diseases ... an adult's estimated average dietary requirement for copper is about 700 micrograms per day. The Food and Nutrition Board also found that only 25 percent of the U.S. population gets enough copper daily ... Too much copper can lead to imbalances with other essential minerals, including zinc ... Of the copper in human bodies, there are particularly high concentrations found in the brain ... copper helps brain cells communicate with each other by acting as a brake when it is time for neural signals to stop" - See Jarrow Zinc Balance at Amazon.com.
• Sulforaphane induces adipocyte browning and promotes glucose and lipid utilization - Mol Nutr Food Res. 2016 May 24 - "Obesity is closely related to the imbalance of white adipose tissue storing excess calories, and brown adipose tissue dissipating energy to produce heat in mammals. Recent studies revealed that acquisition of brown characteristics by white adipocytes, termed "browning," may positively contribute to cellular bioenergetics and metabolism homeostasis ... SFN-induced browning of white adipocytes enhanced the utilization of cellular fuel, and SFN is a promising strategy to combat obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorder" - See sulforaphane at Amazon.com.
• Beneficial effects of Bifidobacterium lactis on lipid profile and cytokines in patients with metabolic syndrome: A randomized trial. Effects of probiotics on metabolic syndrome - Nutrition. 2016 Jun;32(6):716-9 - "Daily ingestion of 80 mL fermented milk with 2.72 × 10(10) colony-forming units of B. lactis HN019 showed significant reduction in body mass index (P = 0.017), total cholesterol (P = 0.009), and low-density lipoprotein (P = 0.008) compared with baseline and control group values. Furthermore, a significant decrease in tumor necrosis factor-α (P = 0.033) and interleukin-6 (P = 0.044) proinflammatory cytokines was observed" - [Nutra USA] - Note: Bifidobacterium lactis is one of the bacterial in the Garden of Life Primal Defense ULTRA I take.
• Effect of probiotics on body weight and body-mass index: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials - Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2016 May 5 - "Probiotic consumption significantly reduced body weight by 0.59 kg (95% CI, 0.30-0.87) and BMI by 0.49 kg/m2 (95% CI, 0.24-0.74). A greater reduction in BMI was found with multiple species of probiotics. Subgroup analysis of trials with intervention duration ≥8 weeks found a more significant reduction in BMI. Limiting analysis to trials with a baseline BMI ≥25 kg/m2 showed a greater reduction in BMI" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
• Capsaicinoids Supplementation Reduces Appetite and Body Circumferences in Healthy Men and Women A Placebo Controlled Randomized Double Blind Study - The FASEB Journal Mar 2016 - "randomly assigned by fat mass to ingest either CAP (2mg CAP, CX1 or 4mg CAP, CX2 [CX, Capsimax���, OmniActive Health Technologies Ltd.]) or placebo (corn starch, PLA) for 12 weeks ... baseline (T1), 6 weeks (T2) and 12 weeks (T3) ... Waist: hip ratio measurements showed a main effect for time (p = 0.034) with post-hoc tests revealing a significant (p = 0.024) decrease in CX1 from T1 to T2. Appetite questionnaire responses indicated a significant main effect for time from T1 to T2 (p = 0.004) and T1 to T3 (p = 0.001) suggesting supplementation of CAP reduced appetite" - [Nutra USA] - See Capsimax® at Amazon.com.
• Effects of Supplementation with Curcumin on Serum Adipokine Concentrations: A Randomized Controlled Trial - Nutrition, Mar 2016 - "randomly assigned to curcumin (n=59; 1000 mg/day) or placebo (n=58) for 8 weeks ... Eight-week supplementation with curcumin was associated with a significant increase in serum adiponectin levels (p<0.001), and a reduction in serum leptin concentrations (p<0.001). Serum leptin:adiponectin ratio was also improved by curcumin (p<0.001). These beneficial effects of curcumin remained significant after adjustment for changes in serum lipids and glucose concentrations, and baseline differences in BMI and serum levels of glucose and HbA1c as potential confounders of treatment response. Meta-analysis suggested that curcumin supplementation can increase adiponectin levels by 76.78% (95% CI: 6.14, 147.42; p=0.0330), and reduce leptin by 26.49%" - [Nutra USA] - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
• Reduced Fat Mass and Increased Lean Mass in Response to 1 Year of Melatonin Treatment in Postmenopausal Women - Medscape, 4/4/16 - "Our results suggest a possibly beneficial effect of melatonin on body composition and lipid metabolism as 1 year of treatment reduces fat mass, increases lean mass and is associated with a trend towards an increase in adiponectin" - See melatonin at Amazon.com.
• Ask Well: Can Vinegar Aid Weight Loss? - NYT, 3/29/16 - "The weight loss claims hinge mostly on a 2009 clinical trial of obese Japanese adults that found those who consumed a beverage containing one or two tablespoons of vinegar every day lost two to four pounds after 12 weeks, while a comparison group given a plain beverage did not lose weight ... Several studies have shown that consuming small amounts of vinegar before a meal containing starches may blunt a rise in blood sugar afterward, reducing the glycemic response by 20 to 40 percent" - See Apple cider vinegar at Amazon.com - 1 Source Natural 500 mg tablet equals 2 tsb of vinegar.  4.5 tablets equals about 3 tablespoons by my calculations.
• Peanuts, peanut butter may hold key to preventing obesity - Science Daily, 3/4/16 - "Instructors guided 257 Latino adolescents from three Houston-area charter schools through a program of physical activity and nutrition education. About half the students received a snack of peanuts or peanut butter three to four times a week, while the rest received the snack fewer than once a week ... At the end of the period, those students who received the snack more regularly experienced a decrease in their overall BMI (-.7kg/m2) compared to those who did not receive the regular peanut snack (-.3kg/m2). The researchers conclude that afterschool programs and schools can replace energy dense, unhealthy snacks with peanuts to provide a healthier alternative for children" - See Planters Trail Mix, Fruit & Nut, 2-oz. Bags (Count of 72) which is what I have for dessert every evening.  They're also great for hiking.
• Anti-obesity effects of artificial planting blueberry (Vaccinium ashei) anthocyanin in high-fat diet-treated mice - Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2016 Feb 22:1-8 - "This study aimed to evaluate the anti-obesity effects of artificial planting blueberry (Vaccinium ashei) anthocyanin (BA) in high-fat diet-induced obese male C57BL/6 mice. BA at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg was supplemented in the daily food of obese C57BL/6 mice during an 8-week experiment. Our findings indicate that consumption of BA at high doses reduced body weight by 19.4%, whereas both low and middle doses did not affect the body weight. Furthermore, BA supplementation at high dose could effectively decrease serum glucose, attenuate epididymal adipocytes, improve lipid profiles, and significantly down-regulate expression levels of TNFα, IL-6 PPARγ, and FAS genes" - See blueberry extract at Amazon.com.
• Metformin: an Old Therapy that Deserves a New Indication for the Treatment of Obesity - Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2016 Apr;18(4):16 - "Metformin is not currently used for weight loss or diabetes prevention because it lacks an FDA indication for obesity and/or pre-diabetes treatment. Based on the evidence, metformin has been shown to decrease the incidence of type 2 diabetes, and compares favorably to other weight-loss medications in terms of efficacy as well as safety. Thus, metformin should be considered for a treatment indication in patients with these conditions" - See metformin at The Antiaging Store.
• L-Arginine promotes gut hormone release and reduces food intake in rodents - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2016 Feb 11 - "L-Arg reduced food intake and stimulated gut hormone release in rodents" - See L-arginine products at Amazon.com.
• Single-blind, placebo controlled randomised clinical study of chitosan for body weight reduction - Nutr J. 2016 Jan 8;15(1):3 - "A phase IV, randomised, multicentre, single-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical study was conducted by administering chitosan capsules (500 mg, five/day) and indistinguishable placebo capsules as daily supplements to 96 overweight and obese subjects for 90 days ... The mean changes in body weight were -1.78 ± 1.37 kg and -3.10 ± 1.95 kg at day 45 and day 90 respectively in chitosan group which were significantly different (p < 0.0001) as compared to placebo. BMI was decreased by10.91 fold compared to placebo after 90 day administration. In concert with this, there was also reduction in body composition and anthropometric parameters together with improvement in QoL score. Chitosan was also able to reduce HbA1C levels (below 6 %) in subjects who had initial higher values. The mean caloric intake shows that there was no change in dietary habits of subjects in both groups" - [Nutra USA] - Note: 3.1 kilograms is 6.8 pounds.  See chitosan products at Amazon.com.
• Oral carnitine supplementation reduces body weight and insulin resistance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2015 Dec 15 - "60 overweight patients diagnosed with PCOS were randomized to receive either 250 mg carnitine supplements (n=30) or placebo (n=30) for 12 weeks ... At the end of the 12 weeks, taking carnitine supplements resulted in a significant reduction in weight (-2.7±1.5 vs. +0.1±1.8 kg, P<0.001), BMI (-1.1±0.6 vs. +0.1±0.7 kg/m2 , P<0.001), waist circumference (WC) (-2.0±1.3 vs. -0.3±2.0 cm, P<0.001) and hip circumference (HC) (-2.5±1.5 vs. -0.3±1.8 cm, P<0.001) compared with placebo. In addition, compared with placebo, carnitine administration in women with PCOS led to a significant reduction in fasting plasma glucose (-0.38±0.36 vs. +0.11±0.97 mmol/L, P=0.01), serum insulin levels (-14.39±25.80 vs. +3.01±37.25 pmol/L, P=0.04), homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (-0.61±1.03 vs. +0.11±1.43, P=0.04) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (-3.64±7.00 vs. -0.59±3.20 μmol/L, P=0.03)" - See L-carnitine at Amazon.com.
• Fish oil helps transform fat cells from storage to burning - Science Daily, 12/17/15 - "fish oil transforms fat-storage cells into fat-burning cells, which may reduce weight gain in middle age. Fish oil activates receptors in the digestive tract, fires the sympathetic nervous system, and induces storage cells to metabolize fat ... The team fed a group of mice fatty food, and other groups fatty food with fish oil additives. The mice that ate food with fish oil, they found, gained 5-10% less weight and 15-25% less fat compared to those that did not consume the oil" - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.
• Relation between plasma antioxidant vitamin levels, adiposity and cardio-metabolic profile in adolescents: Effects of a multidisciplinary obesity programme - Clin Nutr. 2015 Nov 7 - "Plasma lipid-soluble antioxidant vitamin and carotenoid levels are associated with reduced adiposity, greater weight loss and an improved cardio-metabolic profile in overweight and obese adolescents"
• Citrus flavonoid, naringenin, increases locomotor activity and reduces diacylglycerol accumulation in skeletal muscle of obese ovariectomized mice - Mol Nutr Food Res. 2015 Nov 17 - "Dietary naringenin suppressed weight gain, lowered hyperglycemia, and decreased intra-abdominal adiposity evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging. Naringenin-fed mice exhibited elevated locomotor activity monitored by infrared beam breaks, maintained muscle mass, and reduced muscle diacylglycerol content" - See naringenin at Amazon.com.
• Higher Eating Frequency Does Not Decrease Appetite in Healthy Adults - J Nutr. 2015 Nov 11 - "The results from this study in 12 healthy adults do not support the popularized notion that small, frequent meals help to decrease overall appetite"
• Konjac Glucomannan Dietary Supplementation Causes Significant Fat Loss in Compliant Overweight Adults - J Am Coll Nutr. 2015 Oct 22 - "supplement containing either 3 g of konjac glucomannan ... 30 minutes before eating ... when subjects were classified as either compliant or partially compliant using the compliance measures, statistically significant reductions in scale weight, percentage body fat, fat mass, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were found in the glucomannan group compared to the placebo group" - See konjac glucomannan at Amazon.com.
• Eating Frequency Is Positively Associated with Overweight and Central Obesity in US Adults - J Nutr. 2015 Oct 14 - "eating frequency (EF) ... meal frequency (MF), and snack frequency (SF) ... This cross-sectional study suggests that higher EF, MF, and SF are associated with increased likelihood of overweight/obesity and central obesity in US adults"
• Resveratrol induces brown-like adipocyte formation in white fat through activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) α1 - Int J Obes (Lond). 2015 Jun;39(6):967-76 - "Resveratrol induces brown-like adipocyte formation in iWAT via AMPKα1 activation and suggest that its beneficial antiobesity effects may be partly due to the browning of WAT and, as a consequence, increased oxygen consumption" - [Nutra USA] - See ReserveAge Resveratrol Vegetarian Capsules, 500 Mg, 60-Count at Amazon.com. 
• Ursolic acid increases energy expenditure through enhancing free fatty acid uptake and β-oxidation via an UCP3/AMPK-dependent pathway in skeletal muscle - Mol Nutr Food Res. 2015 May 5 - "In diet-induced obese rats, 0.5% UA supplementation for 6 weeks markedly reduced body weight, increased energy expenditure, decreased FFA level in serum and skeletal muscle and triglyceride content in skeletal muscle ... UA increases FFA burning through enhancing skeletal muscle FFA uptake and β-oxidation via an UCP3/AMPK-dependent pathway, which provides a novel perspective on the biological function of UA against obesity and IR" - See ursolic acid at Amazon.com.
• Strength vs. endurance: Does exercise type matter in the fight against obesity? - Science Daily, 4/23/15 - "In addition to the diet, participants were randomly assigned to follow one of three different types of exercise training programs or to follow the American College of Sports Medicine recommendations for weekly physical activity. Subjects assigned to exercise training groups performed either endurance exercise alone (their choice of running, elliptical or cycling); strength exercises alone (shoulder press, squats, barbell row, biceps curl, lateral split, front split, bench press and French press); or a combination of strength and endurance exercises ... Perhaps surprisingly, the outcomes for the participants -- including significant reductions in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, total fat mass, and a significant increase in lean mass -- were positive across the board despite the differences in the type of exercise performed ... One calorie burned in exercise is not the same as one not ingested"
• Choice of protein- and carbohydrate-rich foods may have big effects on long-term weight gain - Science Daily, 4/9/15 - "diets with a high glycemic load (GL) from eating refined grains, starches, and sugars were associated with more weight gain ... Increasing intakes of red meat and processed meat were most strongly associated with weight gain ... Increasing intakes of yogurt, seafood, skinless chicken, and nuts were most strongly associated with weight loss -- the more people ate, the less weight they gained ... Increasing other dairy products, including full-fat cheese, whole milk, and low-fat milk, did not significantly relate to either weight gain or weight loss ... The fat content of dairy products did not seem to be important for weight gain ... when people consumed more low-fat dairy products, they actually increased their consumption of carbs, which may promote weight gain"
• Rats fed a dietary fiber supplement had better weight control - Science Daily, 4/8/15 - "Despite having constant access to food high in fat and sugar, rats given supplemental oligofructose fibre gained about one third less weight than the control group ... microbiota in obese rats given oligofructose were changed to be more similar to those of lean animals. Gut hormones were also affected by the oligofructose, including an increase of a hormone that helps control the sensation of satiety -- the feeling of being full ... In a 2009 human study that she led, adults receiving supplements of oligofructose lost on average one kilogram over a 12 week period -- and perhaps more importantly, didn't continue to gain weight" - See oligosaccharide at Amazon.com.
• Oxytocin nasal spray causes men to eat fewer calories - Science Daily, 3/5/15 - "On average, the men ate 122 fewer calories and 9 grams less fat at the meal after they received oxytocin nasal spray compared with placebo ... Oxytocin also reportedly increased the use of body fat as a fuel for energy. There were no serious side effects and no difference in side effects between oxytocin and placebo ... Because oxytocin has sex-specific effects, it needs to be studied in women" - See Oxy Pro (Oxytocin) Nasal Spray at International Anti-aging Systems.
• Effects of α-lipoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in overweight and obese women during weight loss - Obesity (Silver Spring). 2015 Feb;23(2):313-21 - "This is a short-term double-blind placebo-controlled study with parallel design that lasted 10 weeks. Of the randomized participants, 97 women received the allocated treatment [Control, EPA (1.3 g/d), α-lipoic acid (0.3 g/d), and EPA + α-lipoic acid (1.3 g/d + 0.3 g/d)], and 77 volunteers completed the study. All groups followed an energy-restricted diet of 30% less than total energy expenditure ... Body weight loss was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in those groups supplemented with α-lipoic acid. EPA supplementation significantly attenuated (P < 0.001) the decrease in leptin levels that occurs during weight loss" - [Nutra USA] - Note:  The difference in weight loss was 1.3 kg (2.9 pounds) over ten weeks.  See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com and alpha lipoic acid products at Amazon.com.
• The effect of a decaffeinated green tea extract formula on fat oxidation, body composition and exercise performance - J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015 Jan 21;12(1):1 - "caffeinated green tea (GT) ... decaffeinated green tea extract (dGTE) ... Participants were randomly assigned capsulated dGTE (571 mg·d(-1); n = 7) or placebo (PL; n = 7) for 4 weeks ... Body fat significantly decreased with dGTE by 1.63���± 0.16% in contrast to PL over the intervention period (P < 0.001; ηp(2) = 0.84). No significant changes for FFA or blood pressure between groups were observed. dGTE resulted in a 10.9% improvement in performance distance covered from 20.23 ± 0.54 km to 22.43 ± 0.40 km by week 4 (P < 0.001; ηp(2) = 0.85)" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Resveratrol induces cell apoptosis in adipocytes via AMPK activation - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2015 Jan 17 - "Our findings clarified the apoptotic effects and underlying mechanisms of resveratrol in adipocytes, suggesting its potential therapeutic application in the treatment or prevention of obesity and related metabolic symptoms" - See ReserveAge Resveratrol Vegetarian Capsules, 500 Mg, 60-Count at Amazon.com.
• To T3 or Not: Combo Therapy in Hypothyroidism - Medscape, 12/18/14 - "Patients treated with desiccated thyroid had an average weight loss of 3 lb, and there was no difference in thyroid-function blood tests between the two groups after treatment ... Regarding the theory that it could be dangerous — where are the case reports of people getting sick? You will not find a single scientific paper stating any real danger from desiccated thyroid, and as far as I'm concerned, the [medical societies] are scaring people away from this" - See thyroid hormones at International Anti-aging Systems (check with your doctor first).
• L-carnitine ameliorated fasting-induced fatigue, hunger, and metabolic abnormalities in patients with metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled study - Nutr J. 2014 Nov 26;13(1):110 - "In this 7-day, randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study, 15 metabolic syndrome (MetS) patients (11/4 F/M; age 46.9 +/- 9.14 years; body mass index [BMI] 28.2 +/- 1.8 kg/m2) were in the L-carnitine group (LC) and 15 (10/5 F/M; age 46.8 +/- 10.9 years; BMI 27.1 +/- 2.3 kg/m2) were in the control group (CT) ... There were significant differences in weight loss (LC -4.6 +/- 0.9 vs. CT -3.2 +/- 1.1 kg, P = 0.03), and waist circumference (LC -5.0 +/- 2.2 vs. CT -1.7 +/- 1.16 cm, P < 0.001), waist hip ratio (LC -0.023 +/- 0.017 vs. CT 0.012 +/- 0.01, P < 0.001), insulin concentration (LC -9.9 +/- 3.58 vs. CT -6.32 +/- 3.44 muU/mL, P = 0.046), and gamma-glutamyltransferase concentration (LC -7.07 +/- 6.82 vs. CT -2.07 +/- 4.18, P = 0.024). Perceived hunger scores were significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the CT group during starvation, which was alleviated with L-carnitine administration in the LC group. Physical fatigue (LC -3.2 +/- 3.17 vs. CT 1.8 +/- 2.04, P < 0.001) and fatigue severity (LC -11.6 +/- 8.38 vs. CT 8.18 +/- 7.32, P < 0.001) were significantly reduced in the LC group but were aggravated in the CT group" - See l-carnitine at Amazon.com.
• Low Serum Vitamin B-12 and Folate Concentrations and Low Thiamin and Riboflavin Intakes Are Inversely Associated with Greater Adiposity in Mexican American Children - J Nutr. 2014 Dec;144(12):2027-2033 - "body adiposity (BA) ... Similar inverse associations between BA and status of both vitamin B-12 and folate and intake of thiamin and riboflavin suggest that these micronutrients may play a role in adipogenesis and risk of childhood obesity"
• Pterostilbene, a molecule similar to resveratrol, as a potential treatment for obesity - Science Daily, 10/30/14 - "The study conducted in this research is the first pre-clinical piece of work that analyses the effects of this phenolic compound on obesity in the animal model. In this model, pterostilbene cuts body fat due to a reduction in fat synthesis in adipose tissue and an increase in its oxidation in the liver" - See pterostilbene at Amazon.com.
• Potential probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis 420 prevents weight gain and glucose intolerance in diet-induced obese mice - Benef Microbes. 2014 Dec 1;5(4):437-45 - "Treatment with B. lactis 420 significantly decreased fat mass in obese (7.83 ± 0.67 g, P=0.007 compared to obese with vehicle) and diabetic mice (1.89 ± 0.16 g, P=0.02 for highest dose). This was reflected as reduced weight gain and improved glucose tolerance. Furthermore, B. lactis 420 decreased plasma lipopolysaccharide levels (P<0.001), liver inflammation (P=0.04), and E. coli adhesion in the distal gut (P<0.05)" - [Nutra USA] - See Bifidobacterium animalis products at Amazon.com.
• Green Tea, Black Tea, and Oolong Tea Polyphenols Reduce Visceral Fat and Inflammation in Mice Fed High-Fat, High-Sucrose Obesogenic Diets - J Nutr. 2014 Jul 16 - "Green tea (GT) ... black tea (BT) and oolong tea (OT) ... C57BL/6J mice fed high-fat /high-sucrose [HF/HS (32% energy from fat, 25% energy from sucrose)] diets ... Treatment with GTPs, OTPs, BTPs, and an LF/HS diet led to significantly lower body weight, total visceral fat volume by MRI, and liver lipid weight compared with mice in the HF/HS control group. Only GTPs reduced food intake significantly by ~10% ... In summary, all 3 tea polyphenol extracts induced weight loss and anti-inflammatory and angiogenic effects, although the tissue content of polyphenol differed significantly" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Yogurt consumption, weight change and risk of overweight/obesity: The SUN cohort study - Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2014 Jun 15 - "Participants were classified in 5 categories of yogurt consumption at baseline: 0-2, >2-<5, 5-<7, 7 and ≥7 servings/week. Outcomes were: 1) average yearly weight change during follow-up; and 2) incidence of overweight/obesity. Linear regression models and Cox models were used to adjust for potential confounders. After a median follow-up of 6.6 years, 1860 incident cases of overweight/obesity were identified. A high (>7 servings/week) consumption of total and whole-fat yogurt was associated with lower incidence of overweight/obesity [multivariable adjusted hazard ratios = 0.80 (95% CI: 0.68-0.94); and 0.62 (0.47-0.82) respectively] in comparison with low consumption (0-2 servings/week). This inverse association was stronger among participants with higher fruit consumption"
• Vitamin D can lower weight, blood sugar via the brain, study finds - Science Daily, 6/23/14 - "Compared with the control rats, animals that received vitamin D had improved glucose tolerance, which is how the body responds to sugar. In a separate experiment, these treated rats also had greatly improved insulin sensitivity, the body's ability to successfully respond to glucose. When this ability decreases -- called insulin resistance -- it eventually leads to high blood sugar levels. Two of insulin's main effects are to clear glucose from the bloodstream and decrease glucose production in the liver. In this study, vitamin D in the brain decreased the glucose created by the liver ... In a separate experiment of long-term vitamin D treatment, the researchers gave three rats vitamin D and four rats vehicle alone for four weeks. They observed a large decrease in food intake and weight in rats receiving vitamin D compared with the group that did not get vitamin D. Over 28 days, the treated group ate nearly three times less food and lost 24 percent of their weight despite not changing the way they burned calories" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Fish or n3-PUFA intake and body composition: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Obes Rev. 2014 May 29 - "we performed a systematic review of randomized controlled trials and the first meta-analysis on the association between fish or fish oil intake and body composition measures. We found evidence that participants taking fish or fish oil lost 0.59 kg more body weight than controls (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.96 to -0.21). Treatment groups lost 0.24 kg m-2 (body mass index) more than controls (-0.40 to -0.08), and 0.49 % more body fat than controls (-0.97 to -0.01). Fish or fish oil reduced waist circumference by 0.81 cm (-1.34 to -0.28) compared with control" - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.
• Diabetics: Two large meals better than 6 small meals with same calories for controlling weight, blood sugar - Science Daily, 5/15/14 - "They were asked to follow one of two regimens of a restricted calorie diet, each containing 500 calories less than the recommended daily amount; in one programme the meals were six small meals (A6) and the other 2 large meals, breakfast and lunch (B2) ... The diet in both regimens had the same macronutrient and calorie content ... body weight decreased in both regimens, more for B2 (-3.7kg) than for A6 (-2.3kg). Liver fat content decreased in response to both regimens, more for B2 (-0.04%) than for A6 (-0.03%). Fasting plasma glucose and C-peptide levels decreased in both regimens, again more for B2. Fasting plasma glucagon (the hormone that converts glycogen back to glucose) decreased with the B2 regimen, whereas it increased for the A6 regimen. Oral glucose insulin sensitivity (OGIS) increased in both regimens, more for B2"
• Why exercise may not help obese shed much weight: Exercise can elevate stress response and make it more difficult to become slim - Science Daily, 5/12/14 - "The research covered 17 inactive people with a body mass index greater than 35 who took part in a 22 week programme for lifestyle change which involved exercise, diet and seminars ... Despite their efforts, the participants lost less weight than expected from the amount of keep-fit they did and the changes they made to their eating habits ... The scientists believe this could be related to cortisol ... those participants who lost the most weight had the lowest level of morning cortisol"
• Effects of whey protein and resistance exercise on body composition: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - J Am Coll Nutr. 2014 Apr;33(2):163-75 - "A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify RCTs that investigated WP (concentrate, isolate, or hydrolystate) and body weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat, lean body mass (LBM), fat-free mass (FFM), and waist circumference ... Body weight (WGMD: -4.20 kg, 95% confidence interval [CI], -7.67, -0.73) and body fat (WGMD: -3.74 kg, 95% CI, -5.98, -1.50) were significantly decreased from baseline in the WPR within-group analyses ... Results from the subgroup analyses indicated a statistically significant increase in LBM (WGMD: 2.24 kg, 95% CI, 0.66, 3.81) among studies that included a resistance exercise component along with WP provision" - Note: 4.20 kg is 9.3 pounds.  See whey protein at Amazon.com.
• Association of urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio with obesity in a multiethnic cohort - Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Feb 19 - "2782 participants in the community-dwelling, probability-sampled, multiethnic Dallas Heart Study were analyzed. The primary outcome established a priori was total-body percentage fat (TBPF) measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry ... TBPF increased by 0.75 (95% CI: 0.25, 1.25) and 0.43 (0.15, 0.72), respectively (P = 0.003 for both), for every 3-unit increase in U[Na+]/[K+] ... The ratio of dietary Na+ to K+ intake may be independently associated with TBPF, and this association may be more pronounced in non-African Americans" - See potassium citrate at Amazon.com.
• 7 Weird Reasons You're Gaining Weight - ABC News, 2/4/14 - "You're depressed ... You're taking the wrong Rx ... Your gut is slow ... Your body's missing certain nutrients ... You're getting older ... You have plantar fasciitis ... You have Cushing's Syndrome"
• Certain probiotics could help women lose weight, study finds - Science Daily, 1/28/14 - "researchers recruited 125 overweight men and women ... half the participants swallowed 2 pills daily containing probiotics from the Lactobacillus rhamnosus family, while the other half received a placebo ... After the 12-week diet period, researchers observed an average weight loss of 4.4 kg in women in the probiotic group and 2.6 kg in the placebo group. However, no differences in weight loss were observed among males in the two groups ... We don't know why the probiotics didn't have any effect on men. It may be a question of dosage, or the study period may have been too short" - Note: 4.4 kg is 9.7 pounds. See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
• The microbes in your gut may be making you fat or keeping you thin - The Washington Post, 12/6/13 - "naturally occurring bacteria and other microbes in the body, and possibly even viruses, can influence weight in ways that scientists are only just beginning to understand ... Studies in mice have shown that intestinal microbes may contribute to weight gain. A novel experiment published this fall, for example, took gut bacteria from human twins — in which one was lean and the other obese — and transferred them into lean mice. The animals with bacteria from fat twins grew fat; those that received bacteria from lean twins stayed lean" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
• The 10 Most Filling Foods for Weight Loss - ABC News, 12/10/13 - "Baked potato ... Eggs ... Bean soup ... Greek yogurt ... Apples ... Popcorn ... Figs ... Oatmeal ... Wheat berries ... Smoothies"
• Effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus CGMCC1.3724 supplementation on weight loss and maintenance in obese men and women - Br J Nutr. 2013 Dec 3:1-13 - "The present study investigated the impact of a Lactobacillus rhamnosus CGMCC1.3724 (LPR) supplementation on weight loss and maintenance in obese men and women over 24 weeks ... The intention-to-treat analysis showed that after the first 12 weeks and after 24 weeks, mean weight loss was not significantly different between the LPR and placebo groups when all the subjects were considered. However, a significant treatment × sex interaction was observed. The mean weight loss in women in the LPR group was significantly higher than that in women in the placebo group (P= 0.02) after the first 12 weeks, whereas it was similar in men in the two groups (P= 0.53). Women in the LPR group continued to lose body weight and fat mass during the weight-maintenance period, whereas opposite changes were observed in the placebo group. Changes in body weight and fat mass during the weight-maintenance period were similar in men in both the groups. LPR-induced weight loss in women was associated not only with significant reductions in fat mass and circulating leptin concentrations but also with the relative abundance of bacteria of the Lachnospiraceae family in faeces. The present study shows that the Lactobacillus rhamnosus CGMCC1.3724 formulation helps obese women to achieve sustainable weight loss" - See Garden of Life, Primal Defense at Amazon.com which includes Lactobacillus rhamnosus.
• Melatonin Helps Control Weight Gain as It Stimulates the Appearance of ‘beige Fat’ That Can Burn Calories Instead of Storing Them, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 9/25/13 - "chronic administration of melatonin sensitizes the thermogenic effect of exposure to cold, heightens the thermogenic effect of exercise and, therefore, constitutes excellent therapy against obesity. The fact is that one of the key differences between 'beige fat', which appears when administering melatonin, and 'white fat', is that 'beige fat' cell mitochondria express levels of UCP1 protein, responsible for burning calories and generating heat" - See melatonin at Amazon.com.
• Gut Bacteria From Thin Humans Can Slim Mice Down - NYTimes.com, 9/5/13 - "Researchers found pairs of human twins in which one was obese and the other lean. They transferred gut bacteria from these twins into mice and watched what happened. The mice with bacteria from fat twins grew fat; those that got bacteria from lean twins stayed lean ... The investigators discovered that given a chance, and in the presence of a low-fat diet, bacteria from a lean twin will take over the gut of a mouse that already had bacteria from a fat twin. The fat mouse then loses weight. But the opposite does not happen. No matter what the diet, bacteria from a fat mouse do not take over in a mouse that is thin ... The fat mice that got food high in fat and low in fruits and vegetables kept the gut bacteria from the fat twins and remained fat. The thin twins’ gut bacteria only took over when the mice got pellets that were rich in fruits and vegetables and low in fat" - [WebMD / ABC News] - See Garden of Life, Primal Defense at Amazon.com.
• Why Smokers Gain Weight When They Quit Smoking: Changes in Intestinal Flora - Science Daily, 8/29/13 - "the Swiss IBD cohort study examined the genetic material of intestinal bacteria found in the faeces and studied stool samples which they had received from twenty different persons over a period of nine weeks -- four samples per person. The test persons included five non-smokers, five smokers and ten persons who had quit smoking one week after the start of the study ... While the bacterial diversity in the faeces of smokers and non-smokers changed only little over time, giving up smoking resulted in the biggest shift in the composition of the microbial inhabitants of the intestines. The Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes fractions increased at the expense of representatives of the Firmicutes and Actinobacteria phyla. At the same time, the test subjects who had quit smoking gained an average of 2.2 kilos in weight although their eating and drinking habits remained the same ... Their results reflected those seen in previous studies conducted with mice" - See Garden of Life, Primal Defense at Amazon.com and also my yogurt recipe.
• Obesity and diabetes risk: One in four has alarmingly few intestinal bacteria, Danish study finds - Science Daily, 8/28/13 - "Oluf Pedersen compares the human gut and its bacteria with a tropical rainforest. He explains that we need as much diversity as possible, and -- as is the case with the natural tropical rainforests -- decreasing diversity is a cause for concern. It appears that the richer and more diverse the composition of our intestinal bacteria, the stronger our health. The bacteria produce vital vitamins, mature and strengthen our immune system and communicate with the many nerve cells and hormone-producing cells in the intestinal system. And, not least, the bacteria produce a wealth of bioactive substances which penetrate into the bloodstream and affect our biology in countless ways ... people having few and less diverse intestinal bacteria are more obese than the rest. They have a preponderance of bacteria which exhibit the potential to cause mild inflammation in the digestive tract and in the entire body, which is reflected in blood samples that reveal a state of chronic inflammation, which we know from other studies to affect metabolism and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases" - See Garden of Life, Primal Defense at Amazon.com and also my yogurt recipe.
  • Your Gut Bacteria May Predict Your Obesity Risk - WebMD, 8/28/13 - Same study but a somewhat different take.
• Eating a big breakfast fights obesity and disease - Science Daily, 8/5/13 - "Metabolism is impacted by the body's circadian rhythm -- the biological process that the body follows over a 24 hour cycle. So the time of day we eat can have a big impact on the way our bodies process food ... 93 obese women were randomly assigned to one of two isocaloric groups. Each consumed a moderate-carbohydrate, moderate-fat diet totaling 1,400 calories daily for a period of 12 weeks. The first group consumed 700 calories at breakfast, 500 at lunch, and 200 at dinner. The second group ate a 200 calorie breakfast, 500 calorie lunch, and 700 calorie dinner ... By the end of the study, participants in the "big breakfast" group had lost an average of 17.8 pounds each and three inches off their waist line, compared to a 7.3 pound and 1.4 inch loss for participants in the "big dinner" group ... those in the big breakfast group were found to have significantly lower levels of the hunger-regulating hormone ghrelin"
• Dietary supplementation with purified mulberry (Morus australis Poir) anthocyanins suppresses body weight gain in high-fat diet fed C57BL/6 mice - Food Chem. 2013 Nov 1 - "Three kinds of anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-rutinoside and pelargonidin-3-glucoside) purified from Chinese mulberry (Morus australis Poir) were evaluated for suppressing body weight gain of the male C57BL/6 mice fed with high-fat diet (HFD). The results from a 12-week experiment show that consumption of purified mulberry anthocyanins (MACN) of 40 or 200mg/kg can significantly inhibit body weight gain, reduce the resistance to insulin, lower the size of adipocytes, attenuate lipid accumulation and decrease the leptin secretion. Thus, dietary supplementation with MACN can protect against body weight gain of the diet-induced obese mice" - [Nutra USA] - See PGX at Amazon.com.
• Predictors of increased body weight and waist circumference for middle-aged adults - Public Health Nutr. 2013 May 1:1-11 - "Prospective cohort study, the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS), with data at baseline (1990-1994) and wave 2 (2003-2007) ... Our findings indicate that promoting vigorous physical activity, encouraging a diet high in carbohydrate and fibre but low in fat and protein, and limiting alcohol intake could be promising approaches for preventing obesity in middle-aged adults"
• Protein-rich breakfasts prevent unhealthy snacking in the evening, study finds - Science Daily, 3/26/13 - "20 overweight or obese adolescent females ages 18-20 either skipped breakfast, consumed a high-protein breakfast consisting of eggs and lean beef, or ate a normal-protein breakfast of ready-to-eat cereal. Every breakfast consisted of 350 calories and was matched for dietary fat, fiber, sugar and energy density. The high-protein breakfast contained 35 grams of protein ... The consumption of the high-protein breakfast led to increased fullness or "satiety" along with reductions in brain activity that is responsible for controlling food cravings. The high-protein breakfast also reduced evening snacking on high-fat and high-sugar foods compared to when breakfast was skipped or when a normal protein, ready-to-eat cereal breakfast was consumed ...Study participants ate egg and beef-based foods such as burritos or egg-based waffles with applesauce and a beef sausage patty as part of a high-protein breakfast; Leidy also suggests eating plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or ground pork loin as alternatives to reach the 35 grams of protein"
• Chromium supplementation in overweight and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials - Obes Rev. 2013 Mar 18 - "Electronic searches were conducted in Medline, Embase, Amed and The Cochrane Library ... A meta-analysis of 11 studies showed a statistically significant difference in weight loss favouring chromium over placebo (mean difference (MD): -0.50 kg; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.97, -0.03). There was a high statistical heterogeneity. Adverse events included watery stools, vertigo, headaches and urticaria. The evidence from available RCTs shows that chromium supplementation generates statistically significant reductions in body weight" - See chromium supplements at Amazon.com.
• Olive Oil Makes You Feel Full - Science Daily, 3/14/13 - "While it is true that they contain fewer calories, people tend to overcompensate by eating more if they do not feel full. Now a study has shown how "natural" oils and fats regulate the sensation of feeling full after eating, with olive oil leading the way ...Over a period of three months, the study participants ate 500 grams of low-fat yoghurt enriched with one of the four fats or oils every day -- as a supplement to their normal diet ... The olive oil group showed a higher concentration of the satiety hormone serotonin in their blood. Subjectively speaking, these participants also reported that they found the olive oil yoghurt very filling ... During the study period, no member of this group recorded an increase in their body fat percentage or their weight ... How long the feeling of satiety lasts after eating depends on a number of factors, but blood sugar level is particularly significant. The faster it falls, that is to say, the faster the somatic cells absorb glucose from the blood, the sooner the person will start to feel hungry again"
• Lose fat faster before breakfast - Science Daily, 1/25/13 - "those who had exercised in the morning did not consume additional calories or experience increased appetite during the day to compensate for their earlier activity ... They also found that those who had exercised in a fasted state burned almost 20% more fat compared to those who had consumed breakfast before their workout. This means that performing exercise on an empty stomach provides the most desirable outcome for fat loss"
• Carbs at night can help you lose weight - Today Health, 1/20/13 - "In the study, researchers split 78 Israeli police officers into two groups and placed them on nearly identical 6-month-long low-calorie diets (1,300 to 1,500 calories a day) eating equal amount of carbs, protein, and fat throughout the day. The only difference: Half of the officers ate the majority of their carbs at night while the other half ate them throughout the day. At the start and end of the study, researchers analyzed blood hormone levels while the cops recorded their hunger levels ... Nighttime carb eaters lost 27 percent more body fat than people on the standard diet. Surprisingly, they also felt 13.7 percent fuller at the end of the study than the beginning, while regular dieters were hungrier. What's more, the level of inflammatory hormones -- which can lead to heart disease and cancer -- in the nighttime group's blood decreased by 27.8 percent compared to only 5.8 percent in the standard dieters" - Note:  So maybe carbs at night and eggs in the morning might be a strategy:
  • Eggs at Breakfast May Delay Hunger - WebMD, 5/11/12 - "researchers tracked 20 overweight or obese people, giving them either a breakfast containing eggs or cold cereal for one week. Although the breakfasts offered different protein foods, the meals themselves were equally matched in terms of calories, carbohydrates, protein, and fat ... people who had eggs in the morning felt fuller before lunch, and they also ate less food from the buffet compared to those who had cereal. Egg eaters also had lower levels of ghrelin and higher amounts of PYY3-36 during the three hours between breakfast and lunch. This suggests they felt less hungry and more satisfied between meals ... Long-term weight loss trials to compare the manipulation of protein quality without increasing protein quantity should be explored"
• Higher-protein diet for weight management in young overweight women: a 12 month randomised controlled trial - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2012 Dec 26 - "This randomised controlled trial compared the efficacy of two iso-energetically restricted (5600kJ) diets (HP: 32% protein, 41% carbohydrate, 25% fat or HC: 20, 58, 21% respectively) in 71 (HP:n=36; HC:n=35) young healthy women (18-25y; BMI≥27.5kg/m(2) ) for weight (kg; percent weight loss), body composition, metabolic and iron changes assessed at baseline, six and 12 months ... No significant between-diet differences were observed at 12 months. Biochemistry remained within normal ranges with HP showing superior preservation of ferritin at six months (HP:53(40-66); HC:46(30-61)µg/L; p=0.029). Both diets supported clinically meaningful weight loss with HP tending to be more effective in the medium-term"
• Aerobic exercise trumps resistance training for weight and fat loss - Science Daily, 12/15/12 - "Participants were randomly assigned to one of three exercise training groups: resistance training (three days per week of weight lifting, three sets per day, 8-12 repetitions per set), aerobic training (approximately 12 miles per week), or aerobic plus resistance training (three days a week, three set per day, 8-12 repetitions per set for resistance training, plus approximately 12 miles per week of aerobic exercise) ... The groups assigned to aerobic training and aerobic plus resistance training lost more weight than those who did just resistance training. The resistance training group actually gained weight due to an increase in lean body mass ... The combination exercise group, while requiring double the time commitment, provided a mixed result. The regimen helped participants lose weight and fat mass, but did not significantly reduce body mass nor fat mass over aerobic training alone. This group did notice the largest decrease in waist circumference, which may be attributed to the amount of time participants spent exercising ... Balancing time commitments against health benefits, our study suggests that aerobic exercise is the best option for reducing fat mass and body mass"
• Low fat diet is key to a slimmer figure, study suggests - Science Daily, 12/6/12 - "Exchanging fatty foods for lower fat alternatives will help people shift around three-and-a-half pounds -- without any other form of dieting. People taking part in trials also saw their waist-lines become slimmer, and levels of bad cholesterol decrease ... The results show that eating less fat reduces body weight by 1.6kg, BMI by 0.56kg/m² and waist circumference by 0.5cm. All these effects were in trials in which weight loss was not the intended outcome, suggesting that they occur in people with normal diets. The weight loss happened quickly and was maintained over at least seven years"
• Could high insulin make you fat? Mouse study says yes - Science Daily, 12/4/12 - "When we eat too much, obesity may develop as a result of chronically high insulin levels, not the other way around ... The new study helps to solve this chicken-or-the-egg dilemma by showing that animals with persistently lower insulin stay trim even as they indulge themselves on a high-fat, all-you-can-eat buffet ... the researchers produced mice that varied only in their fasting blood insulin levels. When presented with high-fat food, those with one copy and lower fasting insulin were completely protected from obesity even without any loss of appetite. They also enjoyed lower levels of inflammation and less fat in their livers, too ... the researchers produced mice that varied only in their fasting blood insulin levels. When presented with high-fat food, those with one copy and lower fasting insulin were completely protected from obesity even without any loss of appetite. They also enjoyed lower levels of inflammation and less fat in their livers, too"
• Changes in bread consumption and 4-year changes in adiposity in Spanish subjects at high cardiovascular risk - Br J Nutr. 2012 Dec 3:1-10 - "We analysed 2213 participants at high risk for CVD from the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) trial to assess the association between changes in the consumption of bread and weight and waist circumference gain over time. Dietary habits were assessed with validated FFQ at baseline and repeatedly every year during 4 years of follow-up ... The present results showed that over 4 years, participants in the highest quartile of change in white bread intake gained 0.76 kg [1.7 pounds] more than those in the lowest quartile (P for trend = 0.003) and 1.28 cm [0.5 inches] more than those in the lowest quartile (P for trend < 0.001) ... The present results suggest that reducing white bread, but not whole-grain bread consumption, within a Mediterranean-style food pattern setting is associated with lower gains in weight and abdominal fat"
• New research: Limiting carbs to dinner-time increases satiety, reduces risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease - Science Daily, 11/11/12 - "randomly assigned 78 police officers to either the experimental diet (carbohydrates at dinner) or a control weight loss diet (carbohydrates throughout the day). 63 subjects finished the six-month program ... researchers examined the experimental diet's effect on the secretion of three hormones: leptin, considered to be the satiety hormone, whose level in the blood is usually low during the day and high during the night; ghrelin, considered the hunger hormone, whose level in the blood is usually high during the day and low during the night; and adiponectin, considered the link between obesity, insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome, whose curve is low and flat in obese people ... the innovative dietary manipulation led to changes in daylight hormonal profiles in favor of the dieters: the satiety hormone leptin's secretion curve became convex during daylight hours with a nadir in the late day; the hunger hormone ghrelin's secretion curve became concave, peaking only in the evening hours; and the curve of adiponectin, considered the link between obesity, insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome, was elevated. At the same time this dietary pattern led to lower hunger scores, and better anthropometric (weight, abdominal circumference and body fat), biochemical (blood sugar, blood lipids) and inflammatory outcomes compared to the control group"
• Effect of green tea (camellia sinensis) consumption on the components of metabolic syndrome in elderly - J Nutr Health Aging. 2012;16(9):738-42 - "The consumption of green tea was effective in inducing weight loss, reducing BMI and waist circumference in the elderly with MS" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Soups increase satiety through delayed gastric emptying yet increased glycaemic response - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2012 Oct 24 - "A total of 12 volunteers were tested on three occasions after a solid meal, chunky soup or smooth soup test meal for gastric emptying (GE) ... glycaemic response (GR) ... The smooth soup had the greatest GR (87.0+/-49.5 mmol/l/min), followed by the chunky soup (65.4+/-48.0 mmol/l/min), with the solid meal having the lowest GR (61.6+/-36.8 mmol/l/min). Volunteers were fuller after the smooth soup compared with solid meal (P=0.034). The smooth soup induced greater fullness compared with the solid meal because of a combination of delayed GE leading to feelings of gastric distension and rapid accessibility of nutrients causing a greater glycaemic response" - Note:  I was flipping through the channels a couple weeks ago and on one of the major networks was a dietician recommending soup as a major contribution to satiety.
• Regulation of brown adipose tissue development and white fat reduction by L-arginine - Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2012 Nov;15(6):529-38 - "Brown adipose tissue (BAT), which is present in humans, plays an important role in oxidation of fatty acids and glucose ... L-arginine increases mammalian BAT growth and development via mechanisms involving gene expression, nitric oxide signaling, and protein synthesis. This enhances the oxidation of energy substrates and, thus, reduces white fat accretion in the body. L-arginine holds great promise in preventing and treating obesity in humans" - See L-arginine products at Amazon.com.
• Effect of DHEA-S on Metabolic Syndrome in Obese Women: Abstract and Introduction - Medscape, 10/12/12 - "Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate replacement produced weight loss in the obese women studied. Moreover, waist circumference, glucose and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, among other metabolic syndrome parameters, improved in the postmenopausal group, who showed a significant reduction in the total metabolic syndrome score (P < 0.05). In contrast, in premenopausal women, the effect of DHEA-S was limited to obesity parameters, and no effect was observed on metabolic syndrome components. No significant changes were evident in the placebo group" - See DHEA at Amazon.com.
• Apple peel compound boosts brown fat, reduces obesity in mice - Science Daily, 6/20/12 - "The findings suggest that the substance known as ursolic acid reduces obesity and its associated health problems by increasing the amount of muscle and brown fat, two tissues recognized for their calorie-burning properties ... In this study, we tested ursolic acid in mice on a high-fat diet -- a mouse model of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Once again, ursolic acid increased skeletal muscle. Interestingly, it also reduced obesity, pre-diabetes and fatty liver disease ... Since muscle is very good at burning calories, the increased muscle in ursolic acid-treated mice may be sufficient to explain how ursolic acid reduces obesity. However, we were surprised to find that ursolic acid also increased brown fat, a fantastic calorie burner. This increase in brown fat may also help protect against obesity" - See ursolic acid at Amazon.com.
• Eggs at Breakfast May Delay Hunger - WebMD, 5/11/12 - "researchers tracked 20 overweight or obese people, giving them either a breakfast containing eggs or cold cereal for one week. Although the breakfasts offered different protein foods, the meals themselves were equally matched in terms of calories, carbohydrates, protein, and fat ... people who had eggs in the morning felt fuller before lunch, and they also ate less food from the buffet compared to those who had cereal. Egg eaters also had lower levels of ghrelin and higher amounts of PYY3-36 during the three hours between breakfast and lunch. This suggests they felt less hungry and more satisfied between meals ... Long-term weight loss trials to compare the manipulation of protein quality without increasing protein quantity should be explored" - Note:  I fully agree.  I just seems very easy to keep my weight in check when I have eggs for breakfast.
• Metformin-based treatment for obesity-related hypertension: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - J Hypertens. 2012 Apr 19 - "metformin (500 mg once per day) or placebo ... At 24 weeks, metformin compared with placebo did not have significant effects on blood pressure, blood glucose, high-density or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, but it did reduce total serum cholesterol (0.27mmol/l, P = 0.038). Metformin also significantly reduced weight (-0.7 kg, P���= 0.006), BMI (-0.2���kg/m, P = 0.024), waist circumference (-0.9 cm, P = 0.008), and both subcutaneous (-6.1 cm, P = 0.043) and visceral adiposity (-5.4 cm, P = 0.028) as measured by computed tomography, and lowered serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (-0.6 mg/dl, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in adverse events" - See metformin at The Antiaging Store.
• Potential method to control obesity: Red wine, fruit compound could help block fat cell formation - Science Daily, 4/4/12 - "A compound found in red wine, grapes and other fruits, and similar in structure to resveratrol, is able to block cellular processes that allow fat cells to develop, opening a door to a potential method to control obesity ... the compound piceatannol blocks an immature fat cell's ability to develop and grow ... piceatannol binds to insulin receptors of immature fat cells in the first stage of adipogenesis, blocking insulin's ability to control cell cycles and activate genes that carry out further stages of fat cell formation. Piceatannol essentially blocks the pathways necessary for immature fat cells to mature and grow" - See grape seed extract at Amazon.com.
• Coffee Bean Extract Linked to Weight Loss - ABC News, 3/27/12 - "Researchers gave up to 1,050 milligrams of green coffee bean extract to 16 overweight adults in their 20s and monitored their diet, exercise regimen, weight, heart rate and blood pressure for 22 weeks. Without changing their diet or exercise, study subjects lost roughly 10.5 percent — an average of 17 pounds – in overall body weight. No harmful side effects were noted ... How green coffee bean extract contributes to weight loss is unclear. But Vinson theorizes a chemical in the unroasted bean called chlorogenic acid could be responsible" - See green coffee bean extract at Amazon.com.
• Clinical trial supports CLA’s weight management in obese Chinese - Nutra USA, 2/17/12 - "Twelve weeks of supplementation produced an average 0.7 kg decrease in body weight and an average decrease in total body fat of 0.6 kg ... milk supplemented with CLA (3.4 g/d for 12 wk) ... used the Tonalin branded ingredient from BASF" - [Abstract] - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• Lack of sleep makes your brain hungry - Science Daily, 1/18/12 - "a specific brain region that contributes to a person's appetite sensation is more activated in response to food images after one night of sleep loss than after one night of normal sleep. Poor sleep habits can therefore affect people's risk of becoming overweight in the long run"
• Diet Plans That Work - US News Best Diets - US News and World Report, 1/4/12 - "Best Diets Overall ... DASH Diet ... TLC Diet ... Best Weight-Loss Diets ... Weight Watchers ... Best Diabetes Diets ... Biggest Loser Diet ... Biggest Loser Diet ... DASH Diet ... Best Heart-Healthy Diets ... Ornish Diet ... TLC Diet"
• Evaluation of the usefulness of a low-calorie diet with or without bread in the treatment of overweight/obesity - Clin Nutr. 2011 Dec 30 - "The aim of this study was to compare two nutrition strategies (with or without bread) designed to promote weight loss in overweight/obese women ... 104 women completed the study (48.4 +/- 9 years, 29.8 +/- 3.5 kg/m(2)). Anthropometric and biochemical markers improved after the intervention without significant differences between groups. BREAD group significantly increased total cereal consumption (3.2 +/- 1.3 to 3.7 +/- 0.5 servings/day, P < 0.05) and the percentage of energy from carbohydrates (41.2 +/- 6.4 vs. 45.9 +/- 5.0% P < 0.001) and reduced fat (39.0 +/- 6.6 vs. 32.7 +/- 5.1% P < 0.001). In contrast, NO BREAD group increased the discrepancy with recommended consumption. NO BREAD group had the most dropouts (21.3% vs. 6.6%, P < 0.05) ... The bread inclusion in a low-calorie diet designed for weight loss favoured a better evolution of dietetic parameters and greater compliance with the diet with fewer dropouts"
• Diferential Effect of Oral Dehydroepiandrosterone-Sulphate on Metabolic Syndrome Features in Pre- and Postmenopausal Obese Women - Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2011 Dec 2 - "To analyze the effect in obese pre- and postmenopausal women of a daily dose of 100 mg Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHEA-S) provided over a period of 3 months as replacement therapy against Metabolic-Syndrome ... DHEA-S replacement produced weight loss in the obese women studied. Moreover, waist-circumference, glucose and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, among other Metabolic-Syndrome parameters, improved in the postmenopausal group, who showed a significant reduction in the total Metabolic-Syndrome Score (P<0.05). In contrast, in premenopausal women, the effect of DHEA-S was limited to obesity parameters and no effect was observed on Metabolic-Syndrome components. No significant changes were evident in the placebo group. Conclusions:  An oral dose of DHEA-S is useful for weight loss. In obese postmenopausal women the hormone significantly improves plasma biochemical levels and anthropometric characteristics, leading to a better metabolic profile, which highlights the usefulness of this therapy against Metabolic-Syndrome in this group of women" - See DHEA at Amazon.com.
• Korean Red Ginseng (Panax ginseng) Improves Insulin Sensitivity in High Fat Fed Sprague-Dawley Rats - Phytother Res. 2011 Oct 28 - "Many studies have documented that ginseng has antidiabetic and antiobesity effects, but the mechanism of the effects has not been elucidated. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Korean red ginseng (KRG, Panax ginseng) and investigate the mechanism of antidiabetic and antiobesity effects in obese insulin resistant animal models. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into three groups: a control group (group I) fed a normal diet, another group (group II) fed only high fat diet (HFD) and a third group (group III) fed HFD with KRG (200 mg/kg, oral) for 18 weeks ... A significant weight reduction, especially fat mass reduction, was observed in the KRG treated group. Increased insulin sensitivity was found in the KRG treated group. We observed increased insulin signalling, increased phosphorylation of IR, IRS-1, Akt, and membranous GLUT4 in muscle by Western blotting assay. In conclusion, KRG may have antidiabetic and antiobesity effects due to partly increased insulin sensitivity by increased adipokine and partly enhanced insulin signalling" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.
• Watching Your Protein May Be Key to Weight Control - WebMD, 10/12/11 - "men and women fed a 10% protein diet ate 12% more calories over four days than they did on a 15% protein diet ... When protein in the diet goes too low, ''We keep eating in an attempt to attain our target level of protein," ... As the protein declined to 10%, the men and women tended to eat more carbohydrates and fat-containing food, boosting the risk for weight gain. But Gosby found that increasing the protein from 15% to 25% didn't seem to make any difference in total calories eaten ... Aiming at 15%-25% of total energy intake as protein seems about right for a moderately active person" - [Science Daily]
• Green tea helps mice keep off extra pounds - Science Daily, 10/4/11 - "in the current online version of Obesity, fed two groups of mice a high-fat diet. Mice that were fed Epigallocatechin-3-gallate -- EGCG -- a compound found in most green teas, along with a high-fat diet, gained weight 45 percent more slowly than the control group of mice eating the same diet without EGCG ... In addition to lower weight gain, the mice fed the green tea supplement showed a nearly 30 percent increase in fecal lipids, suggesting that the EGCG was limiting fat absorption ... A person would need to drink ten cups of green tea each day to match the amount of EGCG used in the study" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Soluble fiber may help shed 1.5kg in 12 weeks: Roquette study - Nutra USA, 9/16/11 - "One hundred and twenty overweight men were randomly assigned to consume fruit juice supplemented with 17 grams of either Nutriose or maltodextrin (control) for 12 weeks. The participants consumed the juice twice a day to provide a daily dose of 34 grams ... men who drank the Nutriose beverage had an average body weight loss of 1.5 kg, an average body mass index (BMI) reduction of 0.5 kg/m2, and lost an average of 0.3% of their body fat percentage, compared with the control group ... In addition, men who drank the Nutriose-supplemented drink reported less hunger across the study period, compared with men in the control group"[Abstract] - Note:  1.5 kg = 3.3 lbs - See Jarrow Formulas, Fiber Perfect at Amazon.com (It contains the Nutriose).
• Foods rich in protein, dairy products help dieters preserve muscle and lose belly fat - Science Daily, 8/29/11 - "a higher-protein, lower-carbohydrate energy-restricted diet has a major positive impact on body composition, trimming belly fat and increasing lean muscle, particularly when the proteins come from dairy products ... compared three groups of overweight and obese, but otherwise healthy, premenopausal women. Each consumed either low, medium or high amounts of dairy foods coupled with higher or lower amounts of protein and carbohydrates ... there were identical total weight losses among the groups, but the higher-protein, high-dairy group experienced greater whole-body fat and abdomen fat losses, greater lean mass gains and greater increases in strength ... One hundred per cent of the weight lost in the higher-protein, high-dairy group was fat. And the participants gained muscle mass, which is a major change in body composition ... the lower-protein, low-dairy group lost about a pound and half of muscle whereas the lower-protein, medium dairy group lost almost no muscle. In marked contrast, the higher-protein, high-dairy group actually gained a pound and half of muscle, representing a three-pound difference between the low- and high-dairy groups ... On top of the muscle mass differences, the higher-protein, high-dairy group lost twice as much belly fat than the lower-protein, low-dairy group ... These women also got fitter and stronger" - See my yogurt recipe on my yogurt page.
• Eating protein throughout the day preserves muscle and physical function in dieting postmenopausal women, study suggests - Science Daily, 8/10/11 - "higher protein intake during weight loss can offset negative effects on muscle mass by maintaining more muscle relative to the amount of weight lost. Women who ate more protein lost 3.9 percent more weight and had a relative gain of 5.8 percent more thigh muscle volume than woman who did not ... 31 healthy, postmenopausal obese women were divided into two groups. Each group followed a 1,400-calorie weight-loss diet based on USDA's My Pyramid, but one group received a powdered whey protein supplement in the morning and again in the afternoon or evening; the other received a placebo that contained carbohydrates ... We hypothesize that more vigorous exercise -- in particular, resistance training -- would preserve even more muscle" - See whey protein at Amazon.com or try the yogurt recipe at the top of my yogurt page.
• Masticating 40 times per bite is key to weight loss, study says - The Daily, 7/31/11 - "People who chewed 40 times ended up consuming 12 percent fewer calories, according to researchers at Harbin Medical University in China ... If the average person cut his calorie intake by 12 percent, he would lose nearly 25 pounds in one year ... Chewing more was associated with lower blood levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite, as well as higher levels of CCK, a hormone believed to reduce appetite"
• Is lost lean mass from intentional weight loss recovered during weight regain in postmenopausal women? - Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Jul 27 - "All body mass and composition variables were lower immediately after weight loss than at baseline (all P < 0.05). More fat than lean mass was lost with weight loss, which resulted in body-composition changes favoring a lower percentage of body fat and a higher lean-to-fat mass ratio (P < 0.001). Considerable interindividual variability in weight regain was noted (CV = 1.07). In women who regained ≥2 kg body weight, a decreasing trend in the lean-to-fat mass ratio was observed, which indicated greater fat mass accretion than lean mass accretion (P < 0.001). Specifically, for every 1 kg fat lost during the weight-loss intervention, 0.26 kg lean tissue was lost; for every 1 kg fat regained over the following year, only 0.12 kg lean tissue was regained ... Although not all postmenopausal women who intentionally lose weight will regain it within 1 y, the data suggest that fat mass is regained to a greater degree than is lean mass in those who do experience some weight regain"
• Increased Consumption of Dairy Foods and Protein during Diet- and Exercise-Induced Weight Loss Promotes Fat Mass Loss and Lean Mass Gain in Overweight and Obese Premenopausal Women - J Nutr. 2011 Jul 20 - "Weight loss can have substantial health benefits for overweight or obese persons; however, the ratio of fat:lean tissue loss may be more important. We aimed to determine how daily exercise (resistance and/or aerobic) and a hypoenergetic diet varying in protein and calcium content from dairy foods would affect the composition of weight lost in otherwise healthy, premenopausal, overweight, and obese women. Ninety participants were randomized to 3 groups (n = 30/group): high protein, high dairy (HPHD), adequate protein, medium dairy (APMD), and adequate protein, low dairy (APLD) differing in the quantity of total dietary protein and dairy food-source protein consumed: 30 and 15%, 15 and 7.5%, or 15 and <2% of energy, respectively. Body composition was measured by DXA at 0, 8, and 16 wk and MRI (n = 39) to assess visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volume at 0 and 16 wk. All groups lost body weight (P < 0.05) and fat (P < 0.01); however, fat loss during wk 8-16 was greater in the HPHD group than in the APMD and APLD groups (P < 0.05). The HPHD group gained lean tissue with a greater increase during 8-16 wk than the APMD group, which maintained lean mass and the APLD group, which lost lean mass (P < 0.05). The HPHD group also lost more VAT as assessed by MRI (P < 0.05) and trunk fat as assessed by DXA (P < 0.005) than the APLD group. The reduction in VAT in all groups was correlated with intakes of calcium (r = 0.40; P < 0.05) and protein (r = 0.32; P < 0.05). Therefore, diet- and exercise-induced weight loss with higher protein and increased dairy product intakes promotes more favorable body composition changes in women characterized by greater total and visceral fat loss and lean mass gain" - Note:  See the yogurt recipe on my yogurt page.
• Whey Protein May Be Helpful for Weight Loss - WebMD, 7/15/11 - "Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center randomly assigned 90 overweight and obese middle-aged adults to one of three groups. The first group was asked to add protein drinks made with whey to their normal diets, the second group drank protein drinks made with soy protein, and the third group drank carbohydrate drinks ... the drinks, which were drunk twice daily, at breakfast and dinner, had the same number of calories: 200. They also all had had 52 grams per packet, for a daily total of 104 grams of added protein or carbs ... After six months, people drinking the carbohydrate shakes had gained a little bit of weight, about 2 pounds, which appeared to be mainly added fat ... People drinking the soy shakes had stayed about the same weight as where they started ... But people drinking the whey protein had lost a little bit of weight and body fat, about 2 pounds. Additionally, while the other groups saw little change in the size of their waists, the whey protein group lost about an inch around the middle ... a couple of things may help to explain the weight and fat loss seen with whey protein ... People in the whey protein group had significantly lower blood levels of the hormone ghrelin than people eating the soy protein or carbohydrate ... And though researchers really can't explain why this happened or what it means, they found that people drinking the whey protein had cut back on their carbohydrate intake by the end of the study, even though they weren't eating fewer total calories and didn't know what kind of supplement they were getting ... researchers advise picking a whey product that is also low in calories and fat" - See whey protein at Amazon.com.
• Waistlines in people, glucose levels in mice hint at sweeteners' effects: Related studies point to the illusion of the artificial - Science Daily, 6/27/11 - "In the constant battle to lose inches or at least stay the same, we reach for the diet soda. Two studies presented June 25 and 27 at the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions in San Diego suggest this might be self-defeating behavior ... diet soft drink consumption is associated with increased waist circumference in humans, and a second study that found aspartame raised fasting glucose (blood sugar) in diabetes-prone mice ... The average follow-up time was 9.5 years ... Diet soft drink users, as a group, experienced 70 percent greater increases in waist circumference compared with non-users. Frequent users, who said they consumed two or more diet sodas a day, experienced waist circumference increases that were 500 percent greater than those of non-users ... In the related project ... One group of the mice ate chow to which both aspartame and corn oil were added; the other group ate chow with the corn oil added but not the aspartame. After three months on this high-fat diet, the mice in the aspartame group showed elevated fasting glucose levels but equal or diminished insulin levels, consistent with early declines in pancreatic beta-cell function"
• Fat substitutes linked to weight gain: Rats on high-fat diet gained more weight after eating low-calorie potato chips made with fat substitutes - Science Daily, 6/20/11 - "Half of the rats in each group also were fed Pringles potato chips that are high in fat and calories. The remaining rats in each group were fed high-calorie Pringles chips on some days and low-calorie Pringles Light chips on other days. The Pringles Light chips are made with olestra, a synthetic fat substitute that has zero calories and passes through the body undigested ... For rats on the high-fat diet, the group that ate both types of potato chips consumed more food, gained more weight and developed more fatty tissue than the rats that ate only the high-calorie chips. The fat rats also didn't lose the extra weight even after the potato chips were removed from their diet. "Based on this data, a diet that is low in fat and calories might be a better strategy for weight loss than using fat substitutes," ... Food with a sweet or fatty taste usually indicates a large number of calories, and the taste triggers various responses by the body, including salivation, hormonal secretions and metabolic reactions. Fat substitutes can interfere with that relationship when the body expects to receive a large burst of calories but is fooled by a fat substitute ... Swithers and Davidson have reported similar findings in previous rat studies that showed saccharin and other artificial sweeteners also can promote weight gain and increased body fat"
• Cut down on 'carbs' to reduce body fat, study authors say - Science Daily, 6/5/11 - "Subjects received either a standard lower-fat diet or a diet with a modest reduction in carbohydrates, or "carbs," but slightly higher in fat than the standard diet. The moderately carb-restricted diet contained foods that had a relatively low glycemic index, a measure of the extent to which the food raises blood glucose levels. This diet consisted of 43 percent calories from carbohydrates and 39 percent calories from fat, whereas the standard diet contained 55 percent of calories from carbohydrates and 27 percent from fat. Protein made up the other 18 percent of each diet ... After the weight maintenance phase, subjects who consumed the moderately carb-restricted diet had 11 percent less deep abdominal fat than those who ate the standard diet. However, when the researchers analyzed results by race, they found it was exclusive to whites. Whites have more deep abdominal fat than Blacks even when matched for body weight or percent body fat, and may benefit from loss of this metabolically harmful depot"
• Healthy gut flora could prevent obesity, rat study suggests - Science Daily, 5/25/11 - "Poor gut flora is believed to trigger obesity. In the same way, healthy gut flora could reduce the risk. This has shown to be the case in tests on rats. Daily intake of a lactic acid bacteria, which has been given the name Lactobacillus plantarum HEAL19, appears to be able to prevent obesity and reduce the body's low-level inflammation ... Rats who were given this specific lactic acid bacterium from their time in the uterus up to adult age put on significantly less weight than other rats. Both groups ate the same amount of high-energy food ... A third group of rats were given the inflammation-causing Escherichia coli bacteria in their drinking water, in addition to the same high-energy food as the other rats. The E. coli supplement led to changes in gut flora and increased body fat ... A healthy gut flora at an early stage appears to play a part in children's wellbeing later in life"
• Eat a protein-rich breakfast to reduce food cravings, prevent overeating later, researcher finds - Science Daily, 5/19/11 - "eating a healthy breakfast, especially one high in protein, increases satiety and reduces hunger throughout the day. In addition, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) the researchers found that eating a protein-rich breakfast reduces the brain signals controlling food motivation and reward-driven eating behavior ... These findings suggest that a protein-rich breakfast might be an effective strategy to improve appetite control and prevent overeating in young people"
• Citrus extracts show energy burning potential, without side effects: Study - Nutra USA, 5/17/11 - "consumption of 100 mg hesperidin, 50 mg p-synephrine (from bitter orange), and 600 mg naringin increased the resting metabolic rate by about 18 percent ... If one assumes that the product was taken twice a day for one year, the theoretical increase in calorie consumption would amount to over 31 pounds ... None of the treatment groups exhibited changes in heart rate or blood pressure relative to the control group, nor there were no differences in self-reported ratings of 10 symptoms between the treatment groups and the control group ... the thermogenic effect of p-synephrine may be increased by naringin and hesperidin via an enhancement in the production of the expression of adiponectin, a hormone released from fat cells, which plays an important role in the regulation of insulin sensitivity and energy" - [Abstract]
• Breakfast frequency inversely associated with BMI and body fatness in Hong Kong Chinese children aged 9-18 years - "The prevalence of obesity among breakfast skippers, semi-skippers and non-skippers was, respectively, 9.8, 10.6 and 3.8 % (P < 0.001) for primary school students and 3.9, 3.1 and 2.4 % (P < 0.001) for secondary school students. The 12 % of Hong Kong children aged 9-18 years who skipped breakfast had higher BMI, BMI z-scores and percentage of body fat (PBF) than their counterparts. The dose effects of breakfast frequency (unstandardised regression coefficient, P < 0.001) on BMI and PBF were, respectively, - 0.125 kg/m2 and - 0.219 % for boys and - 0.165 kg/m2 and - 0.353 % for girls, adjusting for physical activity per additional breakfast meal per week. Further study is recommended to elucidate whether regular breakfast consumption may have a role in the prevention of childhood obesity" - Note:  I don't know what the problem is with the "." in the actual abstract instead of the "." but I fixed it so it wouldn't be so confusing.
• Green tea shows body weight and fat benefits: Rat study - Nutra USA, 3/30/11 - "Rats consuming green tea along with a high fat diet gained less body weight and accumulated less fat than animals not supplemented with tea, says a new study ... Consuming the equivalent of five to eight cups of green tea a day was associated with a 5.6 percent decrease in body weight gain, and a 17.8 percent decrease in fat accumulation over eight weeks" - [Abstract] - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Green tea aqueous extract reduces visceral fat and decreases protein availability in rats fed with a high-fat diet - Nutr Res. 2011 Feb;31(2):157-64 - "Green tea is associated with beneficial health effects mainly because of its body fat-reducing and hypocholesterolemic activities, but an effective dose without pronounced influence on protein availability is unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the hypothesis that green tea aqueous extract (GTAE) depending on dose improves cardiovascular risk indicators such as body weight, visceral fat content, and atherogenic index of plasma and does not have unfavorable effect on protein availability in rats fed with a high-fat diet. The rats fed with a high-fat diet enriched with 1.1 and 2.0% GTAE for 8 weeks had significantly (P < .05) lower atherogenic index (in both groups, about 14.3%). Only administration of 2.0% GTAE significantly (P < .05) decreased body weight gain (5.6%) and prevented visceral fat accumulation (17.8%) in rats. However, considerably (P < .05), reduction in the digestion of protein (but not fat) was observed in both GTAE groups (1.1% GTAE: 82.6% +/- 1.8%; 2.0% GTAE: 84.3% +/- 0.8%) when compared to the control (93.3% +/- 1.5%). It was concluded that GTAE may have preventive effects on the accumulation of visceral fat but only in higher doses. Although both doses improved cardiovascular risk indicators, they, in addition, significantly inhibited protein digestion" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Resveratrol may be useful tool for reducing body fat - Science Daily, 3/4/11 - "This thesis shows, on the one hand, the results obtained after treatment with CLA in hamsters subjected to energy restriction and, on the other, the effect of resveratrol on accumulated fat and lipolytic activity in cell cultures of adipocytes of murinae and humans. The results obtained show that CLA does not foment weight or body fat loss, induced by an energy restriction diet. Neither does it induce greater lipolysis, nor improvement in serum parameters, in glucose homeostasis or insulin function to any greater extent than with the slimming diet itself. On the contrary, resveratrol reduces the accumulation of triglycerides, in part by activation of lipolysis, in both the adipocytes of mice and of humans ... For all these reasons, it can be concluded that, while CLA may not be a molecule useful in treating obesity, when resveratrol is included in hypocaloric diet, it could well be a useful tool for reducing body fat" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com and conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• A protein-rich beverage consumed as a breakfast meal leads to weaker appetitive and dietary responses v. a protein-rich solid breakfast meal in adolescents - Br J Nutr. 2011 Feb 15:1-5 - "A total of fifteen adolescents (eight girls and seven boys; age 14 (sem 1) years, BMI percentile 79 (sem 4) %) randomly completed two testing days that included protein-rich (PR) breakfast meals (38 % of energy as protein, 48 (sem 2) g/meal) provided as a solid (S) or beverage (B). Breakfast was 24 % of estimated daily energy needs (2146 (sem 96) kJ/meal). Perceived appetite and satiety responses were collected over 5 h followed by an ad libitum lunch buffet. The PR-S meal led to greater reductions in 4 h postprandial appetite ( - 6221 (sem 1171) mm × 240 min) v. the PR-B meal ( - 3570 (sem 957) mm × 240 min; P < 0.05). When examining the data according to hourly responses, the PR-S meal led to greater reductions in appetite during postprandial hours 2, 3 and 4 v. the PR-B meal (all comparisons, P < 0.05). No differences in postprandial hourly or total (4 h) fullness were observed following the PR-S v. PR-B meals. The PR-S meal led to approximately 480 kJ less energy consumed at the ad libitum lunch buffet (1418 (sem 222) kJ) v. the PR-B meal (1900 (sem 326) kJ; P < 0.05). These data indicate that, although the food form of the PR breakfast meals had little, if any, effect on satiety, the appetitive responses were diminished and the subsequent food intake was greater when protein was consumed as a beverage v. a solid meal"
• Effects of Metformin on Body Weight and Body Composition in Obese Insulin-Resistant Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial - Diabetes. 2011 Jan 12 - "1,000 mg metformin (n = 53) or placebo (n = 47) twice daily for 6 months ...Children prescribed metformin had significantly greater decreases in BMI (difference -1.09 kg/m(2), CI -1.87 to -0.31, P = 0.006), body weight (difference -3.38 kg, CI -5.2 to -1.57, P < 0.001), BMI Z score (difference between metformin and placebo groups -0.07, CI -0.12 to -0.01, P = 0.02), and fat mass (difference -1.40 kg, CI -2.74 to -0.06, P = 0.04). Fasting plasma glucose (P = 0.007) and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) insulin resistance index (P = 0.006) also improved more in metformin-treated children than in placebo-treated children. Gastrointestinal symptoms were significantly more prevalent in metformin-treated children, which limited maximal tolerated dosage in 17%. During the 6-month open-label phase, children treated previously with placebo decreased their BMI Z score; those treated continuously with metformin did not significantly change BMI Z score further. CONCLUSIONS Metformin had modest but favorable effects on body weight, body composition, and glucose homeostasis in obese insulin-resistant children participating in a low-intensity weight-reduction program" - Note: 3.38 kg equals 7.4 pounds.  See metformin at IAS.
• Low blood levels of vitamin D linked to chubbier kids, faster weight gain - Science Daily, 11/8/10 - "the kids with the lowest vitamin D levels at the beginning tended to gain weight faster than the kids with higher levels ... children with the lowest vitamin D levels had more drastic increases in central body fat measures ... Vitamin D deficiency was also linked to slower growth in height among girls but not boys" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Eating mostly whole grains, few refined grains linked to lower body fat - Science Daily, 10/20/10 - "People who consume several servings of whole grains per day while limiting daily intake of refined grains appear to have less of a type of fat tissue thought to play a key role in triggering cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes ... Visceral Adipose Tissue ... VAT volume was approximately 10 % lower in adults who reported eating three or more daily servings of whole grains and who limited their intake of refined grains to less than one serving per day ... Visceral fat surrounds the intra-abdominal organs while subcutaneous fat is found just beneath the skin ... visceral fat is more closely tied to the development of metabolic syndrome ... participants who consumed, on average, three daily servings of whole grains but continued to eat many refined grains did not demonstrate lower VAT volume"
• Too much light at night at night may lead to obesity, study finds - Science Daily, 10/11/10 - "mice exposed to a relatively dim light at night over eight weeks had a body mass gain that was about 50 percent more than other mice that lived in a standard light-dark cycle ... Something about light at night was making the mice in our study want to eat at the wrong times to properly metabolize their food ... So how does light at night lead to changes in metabolism? The researchers believe the light could disrupt levels of the hormone melatonin, which is involved in metabolism. In addition, it may disrupt the expression of clock genes, which help control when animals feed and when they are active"
• Sleep loss limits fat loss - Science Daily, 10/4/10 - "When dieters got adequate sleep, however, more than half of the weight they lost was fat. When they cut back on their sleep, only one-fourth of their weight loss came from fat"
• Drink water to curb weight gain? Clinical trial confirms effectiveness of simple appetite control method - Science Daily, 8/23/10 - "We found in earlier studies that middle aged and older people who drank two cups of water right before eating a meal ate between 75 and 90 fewer calories during that meal. In this recent study, we found that over the course of 12 weeks, dieters who drank water before meals, three times per day, lost about 5 pounds more than dieters who did not increase their water intake"
• Green Tea Supplementation Affects Body Weight, Lipids, and Lipid Peroxidation in Obese Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome - J Am Coll Nutr. 2010 Feb;29(1):31-40 - "Green tea beverage consumption (4 cups/d) or extract supplementation (2 capsules/d) for 8 weeks significantly decreased body weight and BMI. Green tea beverage further lowered lipid peroxidation versus age- and gender-matched controls, suggesting the role of green tea flavonoids in improving features of metabolic syndrome in obese patients" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Lemurs lose weight with 'life-extending' supplement resveratrol - Science Daily, 6/22/10 - "The anti-obesity properties of resveratrol have been demonstrated for the first time in a primate ... lemurs eating a diet supplemented with the compound decreased their energy intake by 13% and increased their resting metabolic rate by 29% ... a four-week resveratrol supplementation was associated with a decrease in food intake and a reduction in seasonal body-mass gain. The response to resveratrol supplementation also involved significant changes in the animals' body temperatures" - [Nutra USA] - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.
• Probiotics may help fat and weight loss: Study - Nutra USA, 6/11/10 - "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" - [Abstract]
  • See Yogourmet Electric Yogurt Maker - I've had a lot of yogurt makers over the years but this is the best one I've found.  I mix two cups of Nestle Nido Instant Dry Whole Milk (available at Amazon) with two cups of dry skim milk in a blender.  Lately I've been making it with Activa. I believe it's only sold flavored but I've been using the strawberry flavored Activa.  I put the milk powders in a blender then fill it with water and blend.  Then add one container of the Activa and blend fast one more time (not to kill the culture).  Then pour it into the jar and fill the jar to the top with additional water and leave it in the yoghurt maker for 13 hours.  I mix the finished product with Smucker's Strawberry Orchard's Finest.  If your worried about the BPA's from the plastic container, see Widemouth Clear Half Gallon Glass Jar (64oz) w/ White Metal Lid  at specialtybottles.com.
  • Activia by Dannon - "Specialists at Dannon® selected Bifidus Regularis™ for Activia® because it survives passage through the digestive tract, arriving in the colon as a living culture. Once there, it plays a beneficial role in your intestinal ecosystem"
• Regulation of abdominal adiposity by probiotics (Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055) in adults with obese tendencies in a randomized controlled trial - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jun;64(6):636-43 - "fermented milk (FM) ... In the active FM group, abdominal visceral and subcutaneous fat areas significantly (P<0.01) decreased from baseline by an average of 4.6% (mean (confidence interval): -5.8 (-10.0, -1.7) cm(2)) and 3.3% (-7.4 (-11.6, -3.1) cm(2)), respectively. Body weight and other measures also decreased significantly (P<0.001) as follows: body weight, 1.4% (-1.1 (-1.5, -0.7) kg); BMI, 1.5% (-0.4 (-0.5, -0.2) kg/m(2)); waist, 1.8% (-1.7 (-2.1, -1.4) cm); hip, 1.5% (-1.5 (-1.8, -1.1) cm). In the control group, by contrast, none of these parameters decreased significantly. High-molecular weight adiponectin in serum increased significantly (P<0.01) in the active and control groups by 12.7% (0.17 (0.07, 0.26) microg/ml) and 13.6% (0.23 (0.07, 0.38) microg/ml), respectively. CONCLUSION: The probiotic LG2055 showed lowering effects on abdominal adiposity, body weight and other measures, suggesting its beneficial influence on metabolic disorders"
• To burn more fat, don’t eat before workout - MSNBC, 6/3/10 - "cyclists who trained without eating burned significantly more fat than their counterparts who ate ... When you exercise (after fasting), your adrenaline is high and your insulin is low ... That ratio is favorable for your muscles to oxidize (break down) more fatty acids"
• New evidence that chili pepper ingredient fights fat - Science Daily, 6/2/10 - "The capsaicin-treated rats lost 8 percent of their body weight and showed changes in levels of at least 20 key proteins found in fat. The altered proteins work to break down fats. "These changes provide valuable new molecular insights into the mechanism of the antiobesity effects of capsaicin,"" - See capsaicin supplements at Amazon.com.
• Milk: Two glasses a day tones muscles, keeps the fat away in women, study shows - Science Daily, 5/26/10 - "Women who drink two large glasses of milk a day after their weight-lifting routine gained more muscle and lost more fat compared to women who drank sugar-based energy drinks ... The women who drank milk gained barely any weight because what they gained in lean muscle they balanced out with a loss in fat"
• Resveratrol regulates human adipocyte number and function in a Sirt1-dependent manner - Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 May 12 - "Taken together, our data suggest that resveratrol influences adipose tissue mass and function in a way that may positively interfere with the development of obesity-related comorbidities. Thus, our findings open up the new perspective that resveratrol-induced intracellular pathways could be a target for prevention or treatment of obesity-associated endocrine and metabolic adverse effects" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.
• Green tea extract effective for weight loss at low doses - Nutra USA, 4/9/10 - "during two hours after a meal, the low-dose EGCG supplementation was associated with a 33 per cent increase in fat oxidation. The high-dose EGCG supplementation produced a non-significant 20 per cent increase, compared to placebo. Caffeine alone was associated with a 34.5 per cent increase, compared with placebo, while the combined EGCG/ /caffeine supplement boosted fat oxidation by 49 per cent ... during two hours after a meal, the low-dose EGCG supplementation was associated with a 33 per cent increase in fat oxidation. The high-dose EGCG supplementation produced a non-significant 20 per cent increase, compared to placebo. Caffeine alone was associated with a 34.5 per cent increase, compared with placebo, while the combined EGCG/ /caffeine supplement boosted fat oxidation by 49 per cent. “There is no synergism of low EGCG and 200 mg caffeine,” " - [Abstract] - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Weight-loss supplement has potential to burn fair amount of calories - Science Daily, 2/2/10 - "the nutritional supplement called the tri-pepper blend, which contains black pepper, caffeine and a concentrated form of capsaicin -- the ingredient that makes red peppers hot. The OU study showed energy expenditures of three to six percent, results which are statistically significant enough to validate product weight-loss claims"
• Pomegranate oil-seaweed mix may improve liver health and waist size - Nutra USA, 1/25/10 - "Results showed that body weight was significantly reduced by an average of 5.5 kg in people in the NAFLD group and 4.9 kg in the normal liver function group. Women in the placebo group lost an average of 1.4 kilos. In addition, women with NAFLD experienced improvements in waist circumference, body and liver fat content, liver enzymes, and serum triglycerides" - [Abstract] - 5.5 kg is 12.1 pounds - See FucoThin at Amazon.com
• The effects of Xanthigen in the weight management of obese premenopausal women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and normal liver fat - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2010 Jan;12(1):72-81 - "Xanthigen-600/2.4 mg (300 mg PSO + 300 mg brown seaweed extract containing 2.4 mg fucoxanthin) resulted in statistically significant reduction of body weight (5.5 +/- 1.4 kg NAFLD group and 4.9 +/- 1.2 kg NLF group, p < 0.05), waist circumference (NAFLD group only), body (3.5 +/- 1.9 kg NAFLD group, p < 0.001; 3.6 +/- 0.7 kg NLF group, p < 0.05) and liver fat content, liver enzymes (NAFLD group only), serum triglycerides and C-reactive protein. Weight loss and reduction in body and liver fat content occurred earlier in patients with NLF than in patients with NAFLD. Fucoxanthin (> 2.4 mg) and Xanthigen-400/1.6 mg (200 mg PSO + 200 mg brown seaweed extract containing 1.6 mg fucoxanthin) significantly increased REE in NAFLD subjects compared to placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Xanthigen promoted weight loss, reduced body and liver fat content, and improved liver function tests in obese non-diabetic women. Xanthigen and Fucoxanthin also increased REE. This product may be considered a promising food supplement in the management of obesity" - See FucoThin at Amazon.com
• Dietary Fiber May Help Prevent Body Weight, Waist Circumference Gain - Medscape, 1/6/10 - "There was an inverse association of total fiber intake with subsequent change in weight and in waist circumference. For each 10-g/day increase in total fiber intake, the pooled estimate was –39 g/year (95% confidence interval [CI], –71 to –7 g/year) for weight change and –0.08 cm/year (95% CI, –0.11 to –0.05 cm/year) for waist circumference change ... For each 10-g/day increase in fiber intake from cereals, there was a weight change of –77 g/year (95% CI, –127 to –26 g/year) and change in waist circumference of –0.10 cm/year (95% CI, –0.18 to –0.02 cm/year). Fruit and vegetable fiber was not associated with weight change. However, the association of fruit and vegetable fiber intake with change in waist circumference was similar to that seen for intake of total dietary fiber and cereal fiber"
• Another Cause of Obesity: The Bacteria in Your Gut? - Time Magazine, 11/12/09 - "When one group of mice was fed a typical Western diet, high in fat and sugars, they tended to gain weight and grow more Firmicutes gut bacteria and fewer Bacteroidetes. In mice given a low-fat, plant-based chow, the distribution of the two groups of bugs flipped and the animals remained lean. It's not clear whether the balance of gut bugs causes weight gain or is a result of it, but the findings suggest that a "gut profile" could potentially serve as a diagnostic tool for identifying who might have a propensity for obesity. If, for instance, your gut environment contains a preponderance of Firmicutes, then your body may be predisposed to digest calories in a way that leads to greater fat storage. In fact, in Gordon's earlier work with identical twins of different weights, he found that the obese twin tended to have more Firmicutes colonies than the leaner sibling ...factors like gut microbes, which scientists traditionally would not think of exerting influence on genes, may have a surprisingly powerful effect, changing how a body's genes would normally control the way it digest food and breaks it down into energy"
  • Gut microflora and obesity: Study highlights potential for pre-, probiotics - Nutra USA, 11/12/09 - "One approach could involve searching for nutritional interventions to modify specific gut microbial species. Dietary components (prebiotics) might be found that alter growth of specific microbial species capable of affecting host physiology, and the Turnbaugh model can be used to pinpoint these elements and decipher the mechanisms of the host-microbe collaboration"
• Eat Late, Put on Weight? - WebMD, 9/3/09 - "eating at the "wrong" time leads to more than twice as much weight gain, even when the overall calories consumed are the same as those eaten at appropriate time"
• Low-carb Diets Linked To Atherosclerosis And Impaired Blood Vessel Growth - Science Daily, 8/25/09 - "Even as low-carbohydrate/high-protein diets have proven successful at helping individuals rapidly lose weight, little is known about the diets' long-term effects on vascular health ... mice placed on a 12-week low carbohydrate/high-protein diet showed a significant increase in atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque in the heart's arteries and a leading cause of heart attack and stroke ... our research suggests that, at least in animals, these diets could be having adverse cardiovascular effects that are not reflected in simple serum markers"
• Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin - Time Magazine, 8/9/09 - "Many obesity researchers now believe that very frequent, low-level physical activity — the kind humans did for tens of thousands of years before the leaf blower was invented ��� may actually work better for us than the occasional bouts of exercise you get as a gym rat ... You cannot sit still all day long and then have 30 minutes of exercise without producing stress on the muscles ... The muscles will ache, and you may not want to move after. But to burn calories, the muscle movements don't have to be extreme. It would be better to distribute the movements throughout the day"
• Omega-3 fatty acid supplements improve the cardiovascular risk profile of subjects with metabolic syndrome, including markers of inflammation and auto-immunity - Acta Cardiol. 2009 Jun;64(3):321-7 - "were given 1 gram of fish oil as a single capsule, containing 180 mg eicosapentaenoic acid and 120 mg docosahexaenoic acid daily for 6 months. Control subjects did not receive any supplementation over the same period. RESULTS: The study was completed by 47 subjects in the intervention group and 42 subjects in the control group. Treatment with omega 3 supplements was associated with a significant fall in body weight (P < 0.05), systolic blood pressures (P < 0.05), serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.05), and total cholesterol (P < 0.05), triglycerides (P < 0.05), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (P < 0.01), and Hsp27 antibody titres (P < 0.05). No significant changes were observed in the control group. CONCLUSION: It appears that omega 3 improves the cardiovascular risk profile of subjects with metabolic syndrome, having effects on weight, systolic blood pressure, lipid profile and markers of inflammation and autoimmunity" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• High-carb diet could aid slimming: Study - Nutra USA, 7/20/09
• Two Dietary Oils, Two Sets Of Benefits For Older Women With Diabetes - Science Daily, 7/15/09 - "In the study, 16 weeks of supplementation with safflower oil reduced fat in the trunk area, lowered blood sugar and increased muscle tissue in the women participants ... Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for the same length of time, on the other hand, reduced total body fat and lowered the women’s body mass index (BMI), a common health measure of weight relative to height" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• Citrus-derived Flavonoid Prevents Obesity, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 7/14/09 - "Naringenin corrected the elevations in triglyceride and cholesterol, prevented the development of insulin resistance and completely normalized glucose metabolism. The researchers found it worked by genetically reprogramming the liver to burn up excess fat, rather than store it ... Furthermore, the marked obesity that develops in these mice was completely prevented by naringenin ... These studies show naringenin, through its insulin-like properties, corrects many of the metabolic disturbances linked to insulin resistance and represents a promising therapeutic approach for metabolic syndrome" - See naringenin at Amazon.com.
• New Evidence That Vinegar May Be Natural Fat-fighter - Science Daily, 6/22/09 - "Their new study showed that laboratory mice fed a high-fat diet and given acetic acid developed significantly less body fat (up to 10 percent less) than other mice. Importantly, the new research adds evidence to the belief that acetic acid fights fat by turning on genes for fatty acid oxidation enzymes. The genes churn out proteins involved in breaking down fats, thus suppressing body fat accumulation in the body" - See apple cider vinegar at Amazon.com - 4.5 tablets equals about 3 tablespoons by my calculations.  I've been popping 4 of these with meals for years and more and more research keeps backing me up.
• Comparison of dietary conjugated linoleic acid with safflower oil on body composition in obese postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus - Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jun 17 - "Supplementation with CLA reduced body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.0022) and total adipose mass (P = 0.0187) without altering lean mass. The effect of CLA in lowering BMI was detected during the last 8 wk of each 16-wk diet period. In contrast, SAF had no effect on BMI or total adipose mass but reduced trunk adipose mass (P = 0.0422) and increased lean mass (P = 0.0432). SAF also significantly lowered fasting glucose (P = 0.0343) and increased adiponectin (P = 0.0051). No differences were observed in dietary energy intake, total fat intake, and fat quality in either diet period for either intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Supplementation with CLA and SAF exerted different effects on BMI, total and trunk adipose mass, and lean tissue mass in obese postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• Could vinegar be natural fat fighter? - Nutra USA, 6/18/09 - "fed mice a high-fat diet, with 50 per cent of energy coming from fat, and treated the animals with 1.5 per cent vinegar (high-dose group), 0.3 per cent vinegar (low-dose group), or water (control group) ... the researchers noted that that both vinegar groups produced reductions in fat mass of about 10 per cent, with no apparent dose-dependent effect, compared to the control mice ... The results of this study suggest that acetic acid suppresses body fat accumulation by increasing fatty oxidation and thermogenesis in the liver through PPAR-alpha" - [Abstract] - See vinegar supplements at Amazon.com.
• Acetic Acid Upregulates the Expression of Genes for Fatty Acid Oxidation Enzymes in Liver To Suppress Body Fat Accumulation - J Agric Food Chem. 2009 May 26 - "acetic acid (AcOH) ... AcOH suppresses accumulation of body fat and liver lipids by upregulation of genes for PPARalpha and fatty-acid-oxidation-related proteins by alpha2 AMPK mediation in the liver" - See apple cider vinegar at Amazon.com.
• Skip Breakfast, Get Fat - WebMD, 6/15/09 - "Forgoing the first meal of the day actually tricks your brain into thinking you want higher-calorie foods -- foods that can make you fat, or at least increase your risk for weight gain"
• Sleep Restriction Results In Weight Gain Despite Decreases In Appetite And Consumption - Science Daily, 6/8/09 - "in the presence of free access to food, sleep restricted subjects reported decrease in appetite, food cravings and food consumption; however, they gained weight over the course of the study. Thus, the finding suggests that energy intake exceeded energy expenditure during the sleep restriction ... Results indicate that people whose sleep was restricted experienced an average weight gain of 1.31 kilograms over the 11 days of the study"
• Compound In Turmeric Spice May Stall Spread Of Fat Tissue - Science Daily, 5/22/09 - "supplementing the animals’ high-fat diet with curcumin reduced body-weight gain and total body fat, even though food-intake was not affected, when compared to the nonsupplemented high-fat-diet group ... The curcumin-treated group also had less blood vessel growth in fat tissue. Blood glucose, triglyceride, fatty acid, cholesterol and liver fat levels also were lower" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
• Plasma n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are negatively associated with obesity - Br J Nutr. 2009 May 19:1-5 - "Plasma fatty acid composition was determined by GC. BMI, waist circumference and hip circumference were inversely correlated with n-3 PUFA, EPA and DHA (P < 0.05 for all) in the obese group. Obese individuals had significantly lower plasma concentrations of total n-3 PUFA, compared with healthy-weight individuals (4.53 (sd 1.11) v. 5.25 (sd 1.43) %)" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Turmeric Extract Suppresses Fat Tissue Growth In Rodent Models - Science Daily, 5/18/09 - "Curcumin, the major polyphenol found in turmeric, appears to reduce weight gain in mice and suppress the growth of fat tissue in mice and cell models" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
• Lose Weight With a Good Night's Sleep? - WebMD, 5/16/09 - "The average BMI for short sleepers was 28.3. That compares to an average BMI of 24.5 for long sleepers. The BMI range for normal weight is considered to be 18.5-24.9 and for overweight 25.0-29.9. BMI is calculated from a person's weight and height and is an indicator of body fat"
• Whole-Grain, Low-Calorie Diet Reduced Body Fat Compared With Refined-Wheat Low-Calorie Diet - Doctor's Guide, 5/14/09 - "Patients consuming whole-grain foods had a significantly larger drop in body fat percentage (assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scanning) compared with patients who had eaten refined foods (-6.8% vs -4.8%; P = .03) ... Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels rose by 5% in the refined-wheat group but remained unchanged in the wholemeal-wheat group"
• White Tea: Solution To Obesity Epidemic? - Science Daily, 5/7/09 - "After treating lab-cultured human pre-adipocytes with the tea extract, the authors found that fat incorporation during the genesis of new adipocytes was reduced ... The extract solution induced a decrease in the expression of genes associated with the growth of new fat cells, while also prompting existing adipocytes to break down the fat they contain ... It is less processed than the other teas and contains more of the ingredients thought to be active on human cells, such as methylxanthines (like caffeine) and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) – which the authors believe to be responsible for many of the anti-adipogenic effects demonstrated in their study" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Study In Pregnant Women Suggests Probiotics May Help Ward Off Obesity - Science Daily, 5/7/09 - "One year after giving birth, women were less likely to have the most dangerous kind of obesity if they had been given probiotics from the first trimester of pregnancy, found new research that suggests manipulating the balance of bacteria in the gut may help fight obesity ... Central obesity, where overall obesity is combined with a particularly fat belly, is considered especially unhealthy ... We found it in 25% of the women who had received the probiotics along with dietary counselling, compared with 43% in the women who received diet advice alone" - See probiotics at Amazon.com.
• Curcumin may cut body fat and weight gain: Mouse study - Nutra USA, 4/27/09 - "The curcumin suppression of angiogenesis in adipose tissue together with its effect on lipid metabolism in adipocytes may contribute to lower body fat and body weight gain ... Curcumin was also associated with significantly lower cholesterol levels and a reduction in the expression of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma), a protein that plays a role in metabolic functions" - [Abstract] - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
• Curcumin inhibits adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and angiogenesis and obesity in C57/BL mice - J Nutr. 2009 May;139(5):919-25 - "Supplementing the high-fat diet of mice with curcumin did not affect food intake but reduced body weight gain, adiposity, and microvessel density in adipose tissue, which coincided with reduced expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor VEGFR-2. Curcumin increased 5'AMP-activated protein kinase phosphorylation, reduced glycerol-3-phosphate acyl transferase-1, and increased carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 expression, which led to increased oxidation and decreased fatty acid esterification ... Our findings suggest that dietary curcumin may have a potential benefit in preventing obesity" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
• Green Tea (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Reduces Body Weight with Regulation of Multiple Genes Expression in Adipose Tissue of Diet-Induced Obese Mice - Ann Nutr Metab. 2009 Apr 22;54(2):151-157 - "Experimental diets supplemented with EGCG resulted in reduction of body weight and mass of various adipose tissues in a dose-dependent manner. EGCG diet also considerably lowered the levels of plasma triglyceride and liver lipid. In the epididymal white adipose tissue of EGCG diet-fed mice, the mRNA levels of adipogenic genes such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), CCAAT enhancer-binding protein-alpha (C/EBP-alpha), regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (aP2), lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and fatty acid synthase (FAS) were significantly decreased. However, the mRNA levels of carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (CPT-1) and uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2), as well as lipolytic genes such as hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) and adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), were significantly increased ... These results suggest that green tea EGCG effectively reduces adipose tissue mass and ameliorates plasma lipid profiles in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. These effects might be at least partially mediated via regulation of the expression of multiple genes involved in adipogenesis, lipolysis, beta-oxidation and thermogenesis in white adipose tissue" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Low Glycemic Breakfast May Increase Benefits Of Working Out - Science Daily, 4/15/09 - "Overall, fat oxidation was higher in the LGI treatment than in the HGI treatment (P < 0.05) during the post-breakfast and exercise periods. Following lunch, fullness scores were higher in the LGI trial than in the HGI trial (P < 0.05). The authors concluded that consuming a LGI breakfast increases fat oxidation during subsequent exercise and improved satiety during recovery in sedentary females. As such, individuals trying to shed fat may consider choosing LGI foods eaten prior to when they exercise"
• Beverage Consumption A Bigger Factor In Weight, Study Shows - Science Daily, 4/2/09
• Grape polyphenols may protect against obesity: Study - Nutra USA, 3/18/09 - "animals fed a high-fat diet but supplemented with the grape seed extract had adiponectin levels 61 per cent higher than animals only fed the high fat diet. Adiponectin is a protein hormone linked to various metabolic processes, and levels are inversely related to body fat levels" - [Abstract] - See grape seed extract at Amazon.com.
• Chardonnay grape seed procyanidin extract supplementation prevents high-fat diet-induced obesity in hamsters by improving adipokine imbalance and oxidative stress markers - Mol Nutr Food Res. 2008 Nov 26 - "GSE prevented in part these effects, reducing insulinemia and leptinemia by 16.5 and 45%, respectively, whereas adiponectin level increased by 61% compared with obese controls. GSE lowered glycemia and HOMA-IR and strongly prevented cardiac production of superoxide by 74% and NAD(P)H oxidase expression by 30%. This is the first time that chronic consumption of grape phenolics is shown to reduce obesity development and related metabolic pathways including adipokine secretion and oxidative stress" - See grape seed extract at Amazon.com.
• Scientists Discover Why A Low GI Meal Makes You Feel Full - Science Daily, 3/18/09 - "Eating a meal with a low GI (glycaemic index) increases gut hormone production which leads to suppression of appetite and the feeling of fullness"
• Not Enough Vitamin D In The Diet Could Mean Too Much Fat On Adolescents - Science Daily, 3/16/09 - "A Medical College of Georgia study of more than 650 teens age 14-19 has found that those who reported higher vitamin D intakes had lower overall body fat and lower amounts of the fat in the abdomen, a type of fat known as visceral fat, which has been associated with health risks such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and hypertension" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Citicoline affects appetite and cortico-limbic responses to images of high-calorie foods - Int J Eat Disord. 2009 Mar 3 - "Cytidine-5'-diphosphocholine (citicoline) has a variety of cognitive enhancing, neuroprotective, and neuroregenerative properties. In cocaine-addicted individuals, citicoline has been shown to increase brain dopamine levels and reduce cravings ... After 6 weeks, there was no significant change in weight status, although significant declines in appetite ratings were observed for the 2,000 mg/day group. The higher dose group also showed significant increases in functional brain responses to food stimuli within the amygdala, insula, and lateral orbitofrontal cortex. Increased activation in these regions correlated with declines in appetite ratings ...These preliminary findings suggest a potential usefulness of citicoline in modulating appetite, but further research is warranted" - See citicholine at Amazon.com.
• Arginine Discovery Could Help Fight Human Obesity - Science Daily, 2/12/09 - "arginine, an amino acid, reduces fat mass in diet-induced obese rats and could help fight human obesity ... dietary arginine supplementation shifts nutrient partitioning to promote skeletal-muscle gain ... The findings were published recently in the Journal of Nutrition ... arginine supplementation for a 12-week period decreased the body fat gains of low-fat and high-fat fed rats by 65 percent and 63 percent, respectively. The long-term arginine treatment did not have any adverse effects on either group ... funded by the American Heart Association" - See L-arginine products at Amazon.com.
• Green tea catechins linked to weight loss: Study - Nutra USA, 1/26/09 - "The subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 500ml per day of a beverage providing 625mg catechins, or a control beverage ... 12-week study period ... people in the catechin group were found to have lost more body weight compared to the control group ... both total abdominal fat area (P = 0.013) and abdominal subcutaneous fat area (P = 0.019) had decreased more in the catechin group" - [Abstract] - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Green tea catechin consumption enhances exercise-induced abdominal fat loss in overweight and obese adults - J Nutr. 2009 Feb;139(2):264-70 - "for 12 wk ... There was a trend (P = 0.079) toward greater loss of body weight in the catechin group compared with the control group ... Percentage changes in fat mass did not differ between the catechin [5.2 (-7.0, -3.4)] and control groups [-3.5 (-5.4, 1.6)] (P = 0.208). However, percentage changes in total abdominal fat area [-7.7 (-11.7, -3.8) vs. -0.3 (-4.4, 3.9); P = 0.013], subcutaneous abdominal fat area [-6.2 (-10.2, -2.2) vs. 0.8 (-3.3, 4.9); P = 0.019], and fasting serum triglycerides (TG) [-11.2 (-18.8, -3.6) vs. 1.9 (-5.9, 9.7); P = 0.023] were greater in the catechin group. These findings suggest that green tea catechin consumption enhances exercise-induced changes in abdominal fat and serum TG" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Mediterranean Diet Reduces Long-term Risk Of Subsequent Weight Gain And Obesity Among Adults - Science Daily, 1/22/09 - "increased fruit and vegetable intake was associated with significantly lower risk of a medium WG (3,41 kg) over 10 years among adults of a Spanish Mediterranean population. Dietary strategies to increase fruit and vegetable intake to prevent and control overweight and obesity should be promoted more vigorously"
• Dietary L-Arginine Supplementation Reduces White Fat Gain and Enhances Skeletal Muscle and Brown Fat Masses in Diet-Induced Obese Rats - J Nutr. 2008 Dec 23 - "l-arginine-HCl ... Despite similar energy intake, absolute weights of white fat pads increased by 98% in control rats over a 12-wk period but only by 35% in arginine-supplemented rats. The arginine treatment reduced the relative weights of white fat pads by 30% and enhanced those of soleus muscle by 13%, extensor digitorum longus muscle by 11%, and brown fat by 34% compared with control rats ... arginine treatment resulted in lower serum concentrations of leptin, glucose, triglycerides, urea, glutamine, and branched-chain amino acids, higher serum concentrations of nitric-oxide metabolites, and improvement in glucose tolerance. Thus, dietary arginine supplementation shifts nutrient partitioning to promote muscle over fat gain and may provide a useful treatment for improving the metabolic profile and reducing body white fat in diet-induced obese rats" - See Jarrow Formulas, Arginine 1000, 1000 mg, 100 Easy-Solv Tablets at iHerb.
• Treatment of white coat hypertension with metformin - Int Heart J. 2008 Nov;49(6):671-9 - "White coat hypertension (WCH) is most likely a disorder associated with metabolic syndrome ... Twenty-five cases (14.7%) stopped metformin therapy due to excessive anorexia. At the end of a 6-month period, there were highly significant differences between the two groups with respect to the prevalences of resolved WCH, hyperbetalipoproteinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, dyslipidemia, overweight and obesity, and decreased fasting plasma glucose below 110 mg/dL ... Thus, the management of WCH should not focus solely on the regulation of blood pressure with antihypertensive medications, but rather on the prevention of future excess weight and various associated disorders, and metformin alone is an effective therapeutic option, most likely due to its powerful inhibitory effect on appetite"
• Low-carb Diets Can Affect Dieters' Cognition Skills - Science Daily, 12/11/08 - "A new study from the psychology department at Tufts University shows that when dieters eliminate carbohydrates from their meals, they performed more poorly on memory-based tasks than when they reduce calories, but maintain carbohydrates. When carbohydrates were reintroduced, cognition skills returned to normal"
• Lack Of Vitamin D Causes Weight Gain And Stunts Growth In Girls - Science Daily, 12/11/08 - "The high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in young people living in a sun-rich area was surprising," says study lead author, Richard Kremer, co-director of the Musculoskeletal Axis of the MUHC. "We found young women with vitamin D insufficiency were significantly heavier, with a higher body mass index and increased abdominal fat, than young women with normal levels" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Adiponectin Is A Metabolic Link Between Obesity And Bone Mineral Density - Science Daily, 11/25/08 - "adiponectin, a protein secreted from adipocytes, is a metabolic link that can explain, in part, the known positive relationship between obesity and both bone mineral density and reduced susceptibility to fractures ... In summary, elevated circulating adiponectin was associated with lower bone mass and weaker bones in growing mice compared to control animals" - See my adiponectin page for ways to increase it. - Ben
• Vitamin D Insufficiency Linked to Increased Body Fat - Medscape, 11/10/08 - "The study sample consisted of 90 postpubertal women aged 16 to 22 years and living in California ... Insufficiency of 25(OH)D, defined as a serum level of 29 ng/mL or less, was present in approximately 59% of participants, and the remaining 41% had sufficient 25(OH)D levels, defined as a serum level of 30 ng/mL or more. Serum 25(OH)D levels were strongly negatively related to CT measures of visceral and subcutaneous fat and to DXA values of body fat" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Drug 'tricks body to lose weight' - BBC News, 11/5/08 - "The drug SRT1720 - a chemical cousin of red wine extract resveratrol - targets the protein SIRT1, which is thought to combat ageing ... The French team from the University Louis Pasteur became interested in the SIRT1 protein after earlier studies showing resveratrol countered some effects of a high-calorie diet via SIRT1" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.
• Chronic Green Tea Consumption Decreases Body Mass, Induces Aromatase Expression, and Changes Proliferation and Apoptosis in Adult Male Rat Adipose Tissue - J Nutr. 2008 Nov;138(11):2156-2163 - "Green tea (GT) ... These results suggest new mechanisms for GT on body weight and highlight its potential benefit to prevent or treat obesity and the metabolic syndrome" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Fructose -- Found In High-fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar -- Sets Table For Weight Gain Without Warning - Science Daily, 10/16/08 - "Eating too much fructose can induce leptin resistance, a condition that can easily lead to becoming overweight when combined with a high-fat, high-calorie diet"
• MSG Use Is Linked to Obesity - New York Times, 8/25/08 - "After controlling for body mass index, smoking, physical activity and almost two dozen measures of daily nutrient intake, they found that the one-third of people who used the most MSG were almost three times as likely to be overweight — that is, to have a body mass index over 25 — as those who used none"
• Fructose May Make You Fatter - WebMD, 7/31/08 - "Fructose gets made into fat more quickly, and when that process is turned on there seems to be a signal that goes to the liver that says store all the other fats you are seeing"
• Metformin May Enhance Weight Loss in Female Adolescents - Medscape, 7/8/08 - "a significant decrease in body mass index was seen in females receiving metformin but not in those taking placebo. Sixty percent of participants who were metformin-adherent and who decreased food portion sizes had a decrease in body mass index of more than 5%" - See metformin at OffshoreRx1.com.
• 'Big Breakfast' Diet Helps Shed Pounds - WebMD, 6/17/08 - "Eating a 600-calorie breakfast rich in carbohydrates and protein helps dieters lose more weight long term than eating a modest breakfast and following a lower-carb eating plan ... In all, members of the big-breakfast group lost more than 21% of their body weight; low-carb group members lost 4.5%"
• Red Wine's Resveratrol May Help Battle Obesity - Science Daily, 6/16/08 - "resveratrol inhibited the pre-fat cells from increasing and prevented them from converting into mature fat cells. Also, resveratrol hindered fat storage. Most interesting, according to Fischer-Posovszky, was that resveratrol reduced production of certain cytokines (interleukins 6 and 8), substances that may be linked to the development of obesity-related disorders, such as diabetes and clogged coronary arteries. Also, resveratrol stimulated formation of a protein known to decrease the risk of heart attack. Obesity decreases this substance, called adiponectin" - [WebMD] - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.
• Fish-Oil Supplements Plus Regular Aerobic Exercise Benefit Overweight Patients - Medscape, 5/22/08 - "FO [fish oil] supplements and regular exercise both reduce body fat and improve cardiovascular and metabolic health ... Increasing intake of n-3 FAs could be a useful adjunct to exercise programs aimed at improving body composition and decreasing cardiovascular disease risk"
• Role of Metformin for Weight Management in Patients Without Type 2 Diabetes (June) - Ann Pharmacother. 2008 May 13 - "The weight loss effects of metformin in overweight or obese adults and adolescents without diabetes appear promising; however, trials have been limited by small patient populations and weak design. Metformin may also have a positive effect on metabolic parameters such as waist circumference, fasting insulin and glucose levels, and triglycerides" - See metformin at at OffshoreRx1.com.
• Metformin May Delay Onset of Diabetes in At-Risk Subjects - Medscape, 3/24/08 - "Metformin treatment, compared with placebo or no treatment, reduced body mass index by 5.3%, fasting glucose by 4.5%, fasting insulin by 14.4%, and calculated insulin resistance by 22.6% ... Metformin treatment also reduced triglycerides and LDL cholesterol by 5.3% and 5.6%, respectively, and increased HDL cholesterol by 5.0% ... The incidence of new-onset diabetes was reduced by 40% (odds ratio, 0.6), with an absolute risk reduction of 6%, during a mean trial duration of 1.8 years" - I don't have diabetes yet still take 1,000 mg of metformin per day.  I still feel high blood sugar and advanced glycation end products are major causes of aging.  See metformin at OffshoreRx1.com.
• Obese children may benefit from CLA: study - Nutra USA, 2/29/08 - "when these results were compared to those from the placebo tests, CLA improved fat loss at a rate of 0.024 kg per gram of CLA per week" - [Abstract] - Note:  0.024 kg = 0.1 lbs so the normal 3 gram dose would be 0.3 pounds per week. It might not sound like much but 0.3 x 52 = 15.6 pounds per year.  See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• Conjugated linoleic acid reduces body fat accretion and lipogenic gene expression in neonatal pigs fed low- or high-fat formulas - J Nutr. 2008 Mar;138(3):449-54 - "CLA reduced body fat accretion regardless of dietary fat content ... Adipose tissue expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase-alpha and lipoprotein lipase were significantly reduced by CLA treatment" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• Effects of conjugated linoleic acid and exercise on bone mass in young male Balb/C mice - Lipids Health Dis. 2006 Mar 23;5:7 - "Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) has been reported to lower body fat mass. However, weight loss is generally associated with negative effects on bone mass, but CLA is reported to have beneficial effects on bone ... a combination therapy of CLA and EX on bone health has not been studied ... although CLA decreased gain in body weight by 35%, it however increased bone mass by both reducing bone resorption and increasing bone formation. EX also decreased gain in body weight by 21% and increased bone mass; but a combination of CLA and EX, however, did not show any further increase in bone mass" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• Artificial Sweeteners Linked To Weight Gain - Science Daily, 2/10/08 - "relative to rats that ate yogurt sweetened with glucose (a simple sugar with 15 calories/teaspoon, the same as table sugar), rats given yogurt sweetened with zero-calorie saccharin later consumed more calories, gained more weight, put on more body fat, and didn't make up for it by cutting back later, all at levels of statistical significance"
• Green Tea May Ward Off Weight Gain - WebMD. 1/23/08 - "Here's what those preliminary lab tests in mice show: ... Less weight and fat gain. Among mice with an obesity gene, those that ate chow laced with green tea extract gained less weight and less fat ... Less fat in the liver. There was less sign of "fatty liver" disease in the mice with the obesity gene that ate chow laced with green tea extract ... Lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in mice with the obesity gene that ate the chow laced with green tea extract, compared to other mice with the same obesity gene" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Lipoic Acid Could Reduce Atherosclerosis, Weight Gain - Science Daily, 1/14/08 - "lipoic acid supplements reduced atherosclerotic lesion formation in two types of mice that are widely used to study cardiovascular disease, by 55 percent and 40 percent, respectively. The supplements were also associated with almost 40 percent less body weight gain, and lower levels of triglycerides in very low-density lipoproteins" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com.
• Most Effective Weight Loss Diet Revealed, According To New Study - Science Daily, 1/11/08 - "a high protein, low carbohydrate diet is most effective at reducing hunger and promoting weight loss, at least in the short term"
• Metformin, Lifestyle Changes Effective in Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain - Medscape, 1/10/08 - "Lifestyle intervention plus metformin had the greatest effect on weight loss, and metformin alone was more effective than lifestyle intervention plus placebo in increasing insulin sensitivity and reversing weight gain in these patients with schizophrenia and significant weight gain from atypical antipsychotic agents"
• More support for omega-3 and weight management - Nutra USA, 12/21/07 - "Laboratory mice fed a high fat diet and supplemented with eight per cent fish oil gained less weight and metabolised more fat than their murine counterparts not receiving the supplement" - [Abstract] - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.
• Kids: Less Sleep May Lead to Overweight - WebMD, 11/5/07
• Effects of milk supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid (isomers cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12) on body composition and metabolic syndrome components - Br J Nutr. 2007 Jul 11;:1-8 - "Subjects were randomised to a daily intake of 500 ml milk supplemented with 3 g CLA (using a mixture of the bioactive isomers cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12, marketed as Tonalin(R), Naturlinea; Central Lechera Asturiana) or placebo for 12 weeks ... The supplementation of milk with 3 g CLA over 12 weeks results in a significant reduction of fat mass in overweight but not in obese subjects. CLA supplementation was not associated with any adverse effects or biological changes" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• Biology Dictates Diet Success - WebMD, 5/15/07 - "The low-glycemic-load diet was effective for a lot of the individuals who were high-insulin secretors and who previously had challenges losing weight and keeping it off"
• Soup First Cuts Calories Later - WebMD, 5/1/07 - "Participants consumed 20% fewer calories when they started their meals with soup"
• Diets Don't Work Long-Term - WebMD, 4/11/07
• Study Examines Calorie Restriction and Glycemic Load - Doctor's Guide, 4/10/07 - "Unlike several other long-term studies, which have reported greater weight loss with low GL diets at six months but no differences by 12 months, our data show no significant short-term or long-term differences"
• Report: Green Tea - Natural Support For Healthy Weight Control - Life Extension Magazine, 4/07 - "Strong scientific evidence suggests that green tea confers critical cardiovascular benefits, may protect against a variety of deadly cancers, reduces the risk of diabetic complications, and may mitigate the effects of various autoimmune disorders ... If these broad-spectrum benefits were not reason enough for health-conscious adults to consider adding green tea to their daily supplement regimen, emerging research that confirms green tea’s effects in facilitating fat burning, weight management, and optimal body composition surely is"
• Obesity Surgery Can Lead To Memory Loss, Other Problems - Science Daily, 3/13/07
• Atkins Diet Tops Others in Study - washingtonpost.com, 3/6/07 - "The study by Stanford University researchers compared the Atkins approach to three others: the standard low-fat, reduced calorie regimen long recommended by physicians and weight loss experts; the Zone, a reduced carbohydrate approach developed by author Barry Sears; and the very low-fat, high-carbohydrate regimen created by physician Dean Ornish ... For all practical purposes the programs all worked about the same ... The extra four pounds lost by the Atkins group are not very meaningful" - Another consideration is that you don't know how much of that four pounds is water loss caused by high protein diets. - Ben
• Get the diet scoop: 6 promising supplements, 6 to avoid - CNN, 2/16/07 - "promising ... Caffeine ... EGCG ... Chromium ... Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) ... 5-HTP ... L-dopa or L-tyrosine"
• Over-the-Counter Weight Loss Pill OK'd - WebMD, 2/7/07 - "FDA approved orlistat capsules -- called "alli" -- as an over-the-counter weight loss aid for overweight adults ... the pill will be available in U.S. stores by this summer ... In studies, most people lost 5-10 pounds over six months"
• Regulator doubts calorie-burning claims of Enviga drink, made by Coke, Nestle - USA Today, 2/5/07
• Long-Term Safety of Diet Drugs Unknown - WebMD, 1/8/07
• An open-label pilot study of the combination therapy of metformin and fluoxetine for weight reduction  - Int J Obes (Lond). 2006 Sep 12 - "In a 6.68-month period, a 7.89 kg decrease in weight (9.32%) and a 3.43 U decrease in BMI (10.14%) were observed in participants of the case group that was statistically significant"
• CLA could cut 'weight creep' during holidays, ageing - Nutra USA, 8.22/06 - "the subjects taking CLA safely reduced their body fat mass by one kilogram (2.2 lbs) and their body weight by 0.6 kg (1.3 lbs). In comparison, those in the placebo group gained 0.7 kg (1.5 lbs) of body fat mass and 1.1 kg (2.4 lbs) of body weight during the months that are especially problematic for overweight people ... the majority of studies that have reported positive results have all been performed with Tonalin CLA… which has a very high concentration of the bioactive isomers cis-9, trans-11, and trans-10, cis-12" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• Low Glycemic Index Diet Best For Weight Loss And Cardiovascular Health - Science Daily, 7/26/06 - "Between the two high-carbohydrate diets, lowering the glycemic index doubled fat loss"
• CLA Weight Loss Debate Continues - WebMD, 5/22/06 - "for six months ... Three months into the study, the CLA group had lost an extra 1.5 pounds of body fat, compared to the placebo group ... At the study’s end, the CLA group lost 5.6% more body fat mass than those taking the placebo. The CLA group also lost about 3.3 pounds more than the placebo group" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• Exercise Trumps Diet for Weight Loss - WebMD, 4/14/06
• Pine Nut Oil Boosts Appetite Suppressors Up To 60 Percent For 4 Hours - Science Daily, 4/4/06 - "CLA differentially reduces fat mass in men and women in just 3 months ... After six months, there was an average fat mass loss of 2 kilos corresponding to about 6% fat loss. At the same time, "overall body weight loss was 'only' 1.5 kilos because there was a gain in muscle mass,"" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• Vegetarian Diet May Help Weight Loss - WebMD, 4/3/06
• Telmisartan But Not Valsartan Increases Caloric Expenditure and Protects Against Weight Gain and Hepatic Steatosis - Hypertension. 2006 Mar 27 - "Telmisartan, but not valsartan, promoted increases in caloric expenditure and protected against dietary-induced weight gain ... Telmisartan reduced the accumulation of visceral fat and decreased adipocyte size to a much greater extent than valsartan and was also associated with a significant reduction in hepatic triglyceride levels"
• About 5% of Long-term Niacin Users Evolve Into HDL Hyperresponders - Doctor's Guide, 3/14/06 - "Overall, these patients lost 4% of body weight while on niacin treatment" - See iHerb niacin products.
• Midnight Snack Won't Pack Fat - WebMD, 2/2/06 - "weight gain depends on how many calories we eat, and not when we eat them"
• Study Could Lead To A Novel Strategy For Treating Obesity - Science Daily, 1/16/06 - "Their results suggest that restoring fatty-acid levels in the brain may be a promising way to treat obesity"
• After Gastric Bypass Surgery, Important to Check Vitamin B1 Deficiency - Doctor's Guide, 12/29/05
• The Perricone Weight Loss Program - Life Extension Magazine, 11/05 - "The reason that traditional low-calorie diets fail is that they lack omega-3s, which are essential for healthy metabolism. If you follow the anti-inflammatory diet and ensure the intake of plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, you will successfully lose weight" - See Mega Twin EPA at iHerb.
• Getting Older Without Adding Extra Weight - WebMD, 10/3/05
• Low-Fat, Vegan Diet May Be Effective for Weight Loss - Medscape, 9/15/05 - "14-week trial reported in the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine ... Mean body weight decreased by 5.8 +/- 3.2 kg in the vegan group and by 3.8 +/- 2.8 kg in the control group" - Note: 5.8 kg is 12.8 pounds, 3.8 kg is 8.4 pounds.  12.8 - 8.4 = 4.4 pounds more weight loss in the vegan group after 14 weeks. [Abstract]
• New Study Shows High-Carb, Vegan Diet Causes Major Weight Loss - Doctor's Guide, 9/9/05 - "A low-fat, plant-based diet is more effective at helping women lose weight and improve insulin sensitivity than an omnivorous diet ... a low-fat, primarily vegan diet may slow the progression of prostate cancer"
• Breakfast Cereal Helps Maintain Healthy Weight - WebMD, 9/1/05 - "In a study of girls followed from age 9 to age 19, regular cereal eaters had fewer weight problems than infrequent cereal eaters"
• Diet Soda Surprise May Not Be So Slimming - CBS 2 Chicago, 8/23/05 - "people who were drinking diet soft drinks two or more per day had a 57 percent chance of becoming overweight by a seven- to eight-year follow-up, which was significantly higher than the people who are drinking regular soft drinks"
• Research May Provide New Link Between Soft Drinks And Weight Gain - Science Daily, 8/2/05 - "Those consuming the fructose-sweetened water showed significant weight gain over the course of the study, with an average final weight of 48 grams—compared with averages below 44 grams for the other groups—and had about 90 percent more body fat than the mice that consumed water only"
• Weight Loss and Other Benefits of Conjugated Linoleic Acid - Life Extension Magazine, 6/05 - "Researchers concluded that a dose of 3.4 grams results in significant body-fat loss compared to placebo, but that greater amounts of CLA do not result in greater fat loss" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• Magic Pill? - CBS 2 Chicago, 5/20/05 - "What some people believe is a magic pill to fight fat is a supplement called hoodia, which claims to suppress your appetite"
• Vertical Gastrectomy Suggested as Weight-Loss Procedure of Choice for Older Obese Patients - Doctor's Guide, 5/20/05
• Consumer Reports Rates Diet Plans - WebMD, 5/9/05 - "Weight Watchers got the highest rating. On the 1 to 5 rating scale -- where 5 is best and 1 is worst -- Weight Watchers scored a 4"
• Skipping Exercise Makes Fat a Bigger Problem - WebMD, 4/19/05 - "Just five hours after exercise stopped, the rat's abdominal fat cells started to send off chemical signals that made them start to swell. After two days of no exercise, the fat cells got 19% larger -- and the rats' stomach fat got 48% heavier"
• Low-Carb Diets: More Protein May Not Help - WebMD, 4/15/05
• Supplement Shows Promise for Body Fat Loss - WebMD, 4/1/05 - "The group that had already been taking CLA lost no more weight or body fat, but they maintained the body fat losses seen in the previous year. People who began taking the supplement during year two of the study lost an average of 3.5 pounds and also saw reductions in overall body fat" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• Yogurt May Help Burn Fat, Promote Weight Loss - WebMD, 3/17/05 - "obese adults who ate three servings of fat-free yogurt a day as part of a reduced-calorie diet lost 22% more weight and 61% more body fat than those who simply cut calories and didn't bone up on calcium. Yogurt eaters also lost 81% more fat in the stomach area than non-yogurt eaters"
• Hoodia for Weight Loss? - Dr. Weil, 3/11/05
• Green Tea: The Next Performance Enhancer? - WebMD, 1/28/05 - "Ten weeks of green tea supplements plus strenuous exercise made mice swim longer and stronger than mice that swam their laps without performance enhancement ... The mice got stronger because the green tea made them burn fat more efficiently ... the amount of green tea eaten by the mice would work out to about 4 cups of green tea a day for a 165-pound human athlete" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Think twice about weight-loss surgery - MSNBC, 1/28/05
• Green Tea Fights Fat - WebMD, 1/26/05 - "the first group drank a bottle of oolong tea fortified with green tea extract containing 690 milligrams of catechins, and the other group drank a bottle of oolong tea with 22 milligrams of catechins ... After three months, the study showed that the men who drank the green tea extract lost more weight (5.3 pounds vs. 2.9 pounds) and experienced a significantly greater decrease in BMI, waist size, and total body fat" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Weight-Loss Supplements: Do They Work? - HealthDay, 1/15/05
• Less Sleep Could Mean More Weight - WebMD, 1/10/05 - "Total sleep times tended to decrease as body weight increased ... The difference in total sleep time between patients who were normal weight and those who weren't was only 16 minutes per day"
• Sleep Loss Feeds Appetite - WebMD, 12/7/04
• Healthy Carbs, Fats for Weight Loss - WebMD, 11/23/04 - "eating a so-called low-glycemic diet may overcome the body's natural tendency to slow metabolism when calories are restricted. A low-glycemic diet emphasizes healthy fats and carbohydrates"
• Water-Rich Diet More Effective Than Low-Fat Regimen for Weight Loss - Medscape, 11/18/04
• Egg Breakfast May Help Weight Loss Diet - WebMD, 11/18/04
• High- and Low-Carb Diets Produce Similar Results - Medscape, 11/17/04 - "A rare head-to-head comparison of a high glycemic index (GI)/high-carbohydrate diet with a low-GI/low-carbohydrate diet resulted in comparable weight loss and increase in insulin sensitivity"
• Low-Fat Diet Best for Lasting Weight Loss - WebMD, 11/16/04
• Sleep More to Fight Obesity - WebMD, 11/16/04
• Study: Low-Fat Diets Better Long-Term - Intelihealth, 11/16/04 - "Regardless of how they shed pounds in the first place, big losers stayed that way by limiting fat rather than carbohydrates"
• Want to Cut Calories? Just Add Water - WebMD, 11/15/04
• Portion Control Pays Off in Weight Loss - WebMD, 10/15/04
• Portion Control Induces Greatest Weight Loss in Obese Patients - Doctor's Guide, 10/14/04 - "Although we saw similar patterns of weight loss related to reduced dietary fat consumption, increased fruit and vegetable consumption, increased physical activity and increased planned exercise, the target behavior that induced the greatest weight loss was portion control"
• Novel Fiber Limits Sugar Absorption - Life Extension Magazine, 9/04 - "Life Extension recommends that people seeking to lose weight consume the following supplements: ... Chromium polynicotinate 600-1000 mcg daily ... Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) 3000-4000 mg daily ... PGX™ highly viscous fiber blend 1000-3000 mg 5-10 minutes before each meal with 8-16 ounces of water ... Consider asking your doctor to prescribe 500 mg two to three times daily of the insulin-normalizing drug metformin"
• Vitamin Supplements May Slow Middle-Age Weight Gain - HealthDay, 9/10/04 - "the people who had taken multivitamins, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and chromium had less weight gain over the previous 10 years than other respondents"
• Low-glycemic-index plan is better than low-fat or low-carb diets, study says - HealthDay, 8/26/04 - "After two to four months, the researchers found that the rats given the high-glycemic-index diet had 71 percent more body fat and 8 percent less lean muscle mass, compared with rats on the low-glycemic-index diet"
• Sick of Low-Carb Diets? Try Low-GI - WebMD, 8/26/04 - "The animals on the high-GI diet were gaining more weight with same amount of food, and we had to cut their food back increasingly over time to keep them at the same weight ... But what was really interesting to us was that even though they maintained the same weight because they got less food, the high-GI group in both rats and mice doubled their body fat and had a reduction ... in muscle mass, which is exactly what you don't want"
• Grapefruit Lowers Weight, Fights Cancer - HealthDay, 8/25/04 - "At the end of 12 weeks the placebo group lost on average just under half a pound, the extract group 2.4 pounds, the grapefruit juice group 3.3 pounds, and the fresh grapefruit group 3.5 pounds ... In this study they had one and a half grapefruits a day"
• Six Patterns for Weight Loss Management - WebMD, 8/4/04
• Whey protein better than meat for reducing body weight - Nutra USA, 6/7/04 - "Increasing the dietary density of whey protein, but not of red meat, reduced body weight gain by 4 per cent, they add, while whey protein also reduced plasma insulin concentration by 40 per cent and increased insulin sensitivity, compared to meat protein" - See iHerb whey protein products.
• CLA: The New Miracle Weight Loss Pill? - WebMD, 5/24/04 - "Both CLA groups lost weight -- about 4 pounds; the placebo group stayed the same ... The CLA syrup group had a 9% body fat loss; the CLA pill group had 7% loss; the placebo group had no body fat loss ... The increased lipoprotein levels may be a byproduct of fat loss, says Gaullier. "The body does show inflammation caused by the process of eliminating fat. We think this is what is happening, but we don't know for certain."" [Abstract] - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• Weight Watchers Tend To Keep Pounds Off - WebMD, 4/8/04 - "That's not the story with Weight Watchers weight losers. The study shows that after two years, three-fourths of their lost weight stays lost. After five years, half the lost weight was still gone ... people who lose weight and keep it off -- whether they are on Weight Watchers or not -- have several things in common: ... They take in 1,400 calories a day: 56% from carbs, 24% from fat, and 20% from protein"
• A Safer Gastric Bypass Surgery - HealthDay, 4/7/04
• Evidence-based Products - Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, 4/04 - "The first received Super CitriMax at 2,800mg HCA per day ... After eight weeks, the first group lost 6.2 per cent of body weight and reduced BMI by 6.3 per cent" - See Super CitriMax products at iHerb.
• What makes people fat, why diets don't work, and what triggers appetite? - Dr. Murray's Natural Facts, 3/17/04 - "PGX™ lowers after meal blood sugar levels by approximately 20 to 40% and also lowers insulin secretion by approximately 40% producing a whole body insulin sensitivity index improvement of nearly 50% - a phenomenal accomplishment that is unequalled by any drug or natural health product.10 PGX™ is particularly well-suited for syndrome X" - See PGX at Amazon.com PGX products.
• More Carbs, More Exercise = More Weight Loss - WebMD, 3/5/04 - "The thinnest people eat the most carbs ... Without exception, a high-complex-carbohydrate, high-vegetable-protein diet is associated with low body mass ... High-protein diets were associated with higher body weight"
• Kids Who Eat Too Much Fat, or Too Little, Prone to Weight Gain - HealthDay, 3/4/04
• Green Tea Boosts Metabolism Without Increasing Heart Rate - Clinical Psychiatry News, 3/04 - "Patients took two 375-mg capsules twice daily, for a total daily epigallocatechin gallate dose of 270 mg ... By week 12, body weight decreased by a mean of 4.6% and waist circumference by 4.48%" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Growth Hormone May Be Fat Fighter - WebMD, 2/13/04 - "the dosage of growth hormone was increased to 400 µg per day in men and 600 µg in women ... those who used growth hormone lost an average of about 5 pounds and kept it off for up to nine months. Researchers say the weight loss was entirely caused by a loss of body fat ... growth hormone improved cholesterol profiles -- increasing the level of "good" HDL cholesterol by 19%" - Maybe my math is off but I calculate 500 micrograms to be 1.5 IU (0.5 mg/5mg = x /15 IU, x = .5 mg * 15 IU/5 mg, x = 1.5 IU) - Ben
• Is Weight Loss Surgery Too Risky? - Dr. Weil, 2/10/04
• HCA, better than ephedra? - Nutra USA, 2/4/04 - "study’s principal investigator, Dr Harry Preuss of Georgetown University Medical Center ... Super CitriMax performed a function not noted in ephedra however - it significantly increased serum serotonin levels (a mechanism of appetite control and eating behavior) and lowered serum leptin levels, a biomarker of the gene that regulates obesity" - See Super CitriMax products at iHerb.
• Dieters Decrease Heart Risk on Moderate Fat Program - Doctor's Guide, 1/29/04 - "Over the course of the study, the low-fat diet group experienced a 12 percent decrease in HDL ("good") cholesterol but the moderate-fat diet group had no change. This indicates that a moderate-fat diet blunts the decrease in HDL ("good") cholesterol during weight loss"
• Study Links High-Carbs And Weight Loss - Intelihealth, 1/27/04
• More Carbs, Less Weight - HealthDay, 1/26/04 - "assigned to one of three 12-week programs ... They were told they could eat as much as they wanted ... Participants in the low-fat, high-carb groups lost weight and those who exercised lost even more. The average weight loss was almost 11 pounds"
• Atkins, South Beach or Dr. Phil? An expert rates the books - USA Today, 1/15/04
• Supplement Solutions For Weight Loss - Natural Foods Merchandiser, 1/04
• Drinking Water May Speed Weight Loss - WebMD, 1/5/04 - "The researchers estimate that over the course of a year, a person who increases his water consumption by 1.5 liters a day would burn an extra 17,400 calories, for a weight loss of approximately five pounds"
• Eating Cereal Helps Kids Control Weight - HealthDay, 12/8/03 - "for children who ate cereal eight or more times during the two weeks of the study, the risk for being overweight was reduced to one in five. For those who ate little cereal, the risk increased to almost one in two"
• Weight Control Doesn't Have to Be a Battle - HealthDay, 11/2/03
• Stomach Pacemaker May Be Low-Risk Option - WebMD, 10/16/03
• Meal Replacement Plans Do Work - HealthDay, 10/13/03 - "People who followed a meal replacement plan for 10 years weighed, on average, about 33 pounds less than people who didn't use a meal replacement plan"
• Moderate Exercise as Effective as Intense Workouts for Dropping Pounds - WebMD, 9/9/03 - "along with dieting, when overweight women started a new exercise routine after years of being inactive, it didn't really matter whether they came out of the gate running or walking briskly. After a year, there was only a total weight-loss difference of 1 1/2 pounds between them"
• Dietary Experts Debate Carbohydrates - Intelihealth, 9/2/03 - "Blood sugar levels may shoot twice as high after a high-GI meal as after a low one, and that unleashes metabolic havoc: The body responds with a surge of insulin, which prompts it to quickly store the sugar in muscle and fat cells. The high sugar also inhibits another hormone, glucagon, which ordinarily tells the body to burn its stored fuel ... Blood sugar plunges. So much is stored so fast that within two or three hours, levels may be lower than they were before the meal. Suddenly, the body needs more fuel. But because glucagon is still in short supply, the body does not tap into its fat supply for energy. The inevitable result? Hunger ... After one year, the low-GI volunteers had dropped seven pounds of pure fat. The others had put on four"
• Eating Breakfast Strengthens Fight Against Obesity - Physician's Weekly, 9/1/03 - "people who regularly skip breakfast are 4.5 times more likely to be overweight and those who eat four or more meals per day are less likely to be overweight. The study also found that Americans who eat later during the day are no more likely to be overweight than those who do not"
• French Secrets to Staying Slim - WebMD, 8/22/03 - "Only 7% of French people are obese, compared with 30% of Americans ... The average portion size in Paris was 25% smaller than in Philly ... Chinese restaurants in Philly served meals that were 72% bigger than Parisian Chinese restaurants"
• New Diet Approach May Fight Child Obesity - WebMD, 8/12/03 - "a reduced-glycemic-load diet that emphasizes foods with a low to moderate glycemic index and allows children to eat until they're full was more effective than a traditional low-fat, calorie-restricted diet in helping obese children shed pounds and slow the progression of insulin resistance, a risk factor for diabetes ... Complex carbohydrates, such as whole-grain bread and cereals, brown rice, and vegetables, are foods with a low to moderate glycemic index"
• Could a Pill Treat Obesity and Lower Cholesterol? - HealthDay, 7/29/03
• Thyroid boost may speed weight loss - USA Today, 7/28/03
• Skip Breakfast, Get Fat - HealthDay, 7/11/03 - "late eaters are no more likely to be overweight than anyone else ... Americans who regularly skip breakfast are 4.5 times more likely to be fat ... those who eat four or more meals a day are actually on the thinner side ... people who ate more than three times a day were about half as likely to be fat as those who ate three or fewer times a day. Ma suspects the difference may have something to do with fewer spikes in blood sugar levels among the frequent eaters"
• Growth Hormone May Help Obesity - HealthDay, 6/27/03 - "gave small doses of growth hormone to 39 people who were about 40 percent overweight. The volunteer participants lost an average of slightly more than 5 pounds ... Growth hormone, they believe, helps control appetite and speeds up the metabolism, which burns calories. When people are obese, the amount of growth hormone in their bodies decreases, which contributes to the accumulation of fat and loss of muscle mass. That, in turn, may sap the person's energy to exercise"
• Obese Individuals Experience Modest Weight Loss with Growth-Hormone Therapy - Doctor's Guide, 6/24/03 - "9-month study ... were encouraged to slowly lose weight by exercising and reducing their daily caloric intake by 500 calories. Twenty-three subjects self-injected growth hormone nightly and 17 self-administered placebo injections ... People who took growth hormone lost an average of 2.4 kg, or 5.25 pounds. This weight loss was all due to loss of body fat; they did not lose any muscle mass ... Most of the fat loss was in the abdominal area. There were also improvements in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol of about 19%"
• Anticonvulsant Might Prevent Recidivism after Weight Loss - Doctor's Guide, 6/17/03
• High Protein Diets More Effective At Maintaining Weight Loss - Doctor's Guide, 6/4/03 - "Despite no differences in attitudes to eating, a protein intake of 18% as energy versus 15% as energy resulted in improved weight maintenance, as well as improved fat distribution based on body waist circumference, and improved substrate oxidation and satiety"
• Epilepsy Drug [topiramate] Has Weight Loss Effect, But Adverse Events Stop Study - Doctor's Guide, 6/3/03 - "Patients on two of three higher doses used in the study (192 mg and 256 mg) had a mean weight loss of 12-13 kg [12.5 kg = 27.5 pounds] when the study was ended. At this time the patients had been taking the drug for between 60 and 76 weeks. By comparison, patients in the placebo arm lost a mean of 2.9 kg. These losses corresponded to a mean decrease of 12% to 13% from baseline for the two highest dose groups ... If further trials also show this [result], topiramate would be the first drug with such a long term weight loss effect ... 19% of patients withdrew because of side effects. Mild to moderate paresthesia was the most common" - See OffshoreRx1.com  or drugstore.com.
• Orlistat Keeps The Weight Off Over Three Years In Metabolic Syndrome Patients - Doctor's Guide, 6/3/03 - See online prescriptions.
• Low-Carbohydrate Diet Better Than Low-Fat for Weight Loss, Insulin Sensitivity, and Triglycerides - Doctor's Guide, 5/29/03
• Red Meat May Be Key to High-Protein Diet - WebMD, 5/9/03 - "100 women were enrolled in the study -- all overweight, with an average body mass index (BMI) of 33. For 12 weeks, half the women ate a high-protein diet of 34% protein, 46% carbohydrate, and 20% fat. The other half ate a high-carbohydrate diet that was 17% protein, 64% carbohydrate, and 20% fat ... Each diet consisted of about 1, 340 calories, and protein in both diets was from lean red meat ... the high-protein-diet women lost substantially more weight ... the high-meat eaters also had 22% lower levels of triglycerides ... Bottom line: Eat fewer refined carbohydrates -- table sugar, baked goods, white bread, pasta -- and more fruits and vegetables ... Eat lots of lean protein -- sirloin steak, flank steak, chicken, eggs, tofu, and fish"
• Shedding Pounds Not as Tough as You Think - HealthDay, 5/9/03
• Had it with High Carbs? - Dr. Weil, 5/2/03
• Low-Carb Diets Work Without Boosting Heart Risk - HealthDay, 4/18/03 - "after six months, the 22 women on the low-carb plan averaged an 18.7-pound loss, while the 20 women on the low-fat plan averaged an 8.5-pound loss ... The low-carbohydrate group, at the three-month mark, was averaging 15 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 28 percent from protein and 57 percent from fat. At the six-month mark, they were eating 30 percent carbs, 23 percent protein and 46 percent fat ... The low-fat group was averaging 54 percent of calories from carbohydrates three months into the study, 18 percent from protein and 28 percent from fat. At six months, the totals were 53 percent carbs, 18 percent protein and 29 percent fat ... Average calorie intake was similar for both groups -- 1,302 a day for the low-carb group after six months and 1,247 for the low-fat group"
• Yogurt May Help Burn Fat - HealthDay, 4/18/03
• The Dairy Calcium in Yogurt Helps People Lose Belly - WebMD, 4/15/03 - "put 34 obese people on a low-cal diet. Sixteen of them got pills with 400 to 500 mg of calcium per day. The other 18 people ate enough yogurt to give them 1100 mg of calcium per day ... After 12 weeks, everybody lost a lot of fat ... Sixty percent of the yogurt eaters' weight loss was belly fat, while only 26% of the comparison group's loss was belly fat"
• Calcium Helps Girls Keep the Weight Off - HealthDay, 4/14/03 - "Whether calcium comes from dairy products or supplements, girls who consume the highest levels weigh less than girls who consume lower levels ... as little as a daily increase of one cup of milk or a small piece of cheese, about 300 milligrams of calcium, resulted in one-half inch less of abdominal fat and as much as two pounds less of body weight. "I have reason to believe that the same effect occurs in boys,""
• Calcium for Weight Loss? - WebMD, 4/14/03
• Commercial Diet Programs Beat Do-It-Yourself Ones - HealthDay, 4/8/03 - "At the end of the first year, the self-help group lost and maintained 2.86 to 3.08 pounds. By the end of the second year, however, the weight was back to what it had been at the beginning of the study ... The Weight Watchers group lost 9.46 to 11 pounds by the end of the first year, and 5.94 to 6.6 pounds overall by the end of the second year"
• You Can Trim Down Online - HealthDay, 4/8/03 - "people in the e-mail counseling group lost more than twice as much weight as those just using the basic Internet weight-loss program. At the end of a year, the people in the e-mail counseling group lost an average of 10 pounds while those in the basic program lost an average of 4 pounds"
• Intermittent and On-Demand Very Low Calorie Diets Bring Significant Weight Loss - Doctor's Guide, 4/3/03 - "All patients started with 16 weeks on a very low calorie diet. Then, patients assigned to an intermittent group were scheduled to use a very low calorie diet for two weeks every third month, while patients in an on-demand group were told to use a very low calorie diet whenever their body weight passed an individualized cut-off level ... Completers in both groups maintained highly significant weight losses after two years. Patients in the intermittent group lost 7.0 [15.43 pounds] +/- 11.0 [24.25 pounds] kg. Patients in the on-demand group lost 9.1 [20.06 pounds] +/- 9.7 [21.38 pounds] kg"
• Meal Replacement Diet Keeps Weight Off - thesandiegochannel.com, 3/28/03 - "The group that lost more used meal replacements"
• Cardiovascular Risk Factors Affected By Diet -  Doctor's Guide, 2/27/03 - "Although patients were advised to maintain an identical energy intake with the different diets, there was significant weight loss on the low glycaemic index diet compared with weight gain on the high sucrose diet"
• Band-Associated Re-Operation Common, But Safe, After Laparoscopic Gastric Banding - Doctor's Guide, 2/19/03
• Light Sleeper, Heavy Gainer - HealthDay, 2/14/03 - "Sleep loss can result in high blood levels of glucose, which causes your body to overproduce insulin and makes it easier to gain weight ... Sleep deprivation can increase production of cortisol, a stress hormone that stimulates the appetite ... Lack of sleep can lead to a growth hormone deficiency, which can cause you to put on fat, rather than muscle"
• The Great Weight Debate - WebMD, 2/6/03
• Diglyceride-Rich Foods May Promote Weight Loss - New Hope Natural Media, 1/30/03 - "79 obese men and women from ages 19 to 75 were assigned to incorporate specific food products that contained high amounts of diglycerides (from rapeseed oil, also known as Canola oil) or triglycerides (from rapeseed, soybean and safflower oils) in their diets for 24 weeks. All participants were put on a low-calorie diet that contained 30% to 35% of energy as fat, 45% to 50% of energy as carbohydrate, and 15% to 20% of energy as protein ... Body weight and total fat mass decreased significantly in the group consuming diglycerides by almost 4% and 8%, respectively, compared with those consuming triglycerides"
• Bupropion May Aid Weight Loss - Clinical Psychiatry News, 1/03 - "Of those in the bupropion group, 52% lost at least 5% of their body weight during the 26-week study, compared with 15% of the placebo group" - Bupropion is available online as Zyban.
• A New Option for Weight Loss Surgery - WebMD, 1/21/03
• Adjustable Gastric Band Safe, Effective in Severe Obesity - Medscape, 1/21/03
• CLA for weight loss and diabetes - Life Extension Magazine, 1/03 - "CLA supplementation has been shown to improve the lean mass to body fat ratio, decreasing fat deposition, especially in the abdomen and enhancing muscle growth" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• Acute Fast Does Not Induce Compensatory Energy and Nutrient Intake - Doctor's Guide, 1/2/03
• Dramatic Weight Loss Isn't Risky For Men - WebMD, 12/9/02
• Bariatric Surgery Used On Obese Kids - Intelihealth, 11/4/02
• Weight Loss Surgery Adds Years to Life - WebMD, 10/11/02
• A Weight Loss Pill [phentermine] that Works? - Dr. Weil, 9/24/02
• Topiramate shows promise as weight-loss drug - Doctor's Guide, 9/2/02 - "A six-month trial of the antiepileptic drug topiramate (TOPAMAX, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc) for the treatment of obesity has found the drug helped reduce body weight between 6 percent and 8 percent ... weight loss continued at the six-month cut-off point. In contrast, he said, the two weight-loss drugs currently on the market, orlistat (Xenical, Roche) and sibutramine (Meridia, Abbott Laboratories) plateau between three and six months ... The most common side effects were parasthesia, memory difficulty, fatigue, somnolence, appetite loss, taste perversion, concentration difficulty and dizziness"
• Dining out without guilt - USA Today, 8/26/02
• Stepping up the weight loss - USA Today, 8/26/02 - "Some of the most intriguing answers have been discovered by studying people in the National Weight Control Registry, a group of more than 3,000 people who have maintained a 30-pound weight loss for a year. Registry members lost weight in different ways, but they generally keep it off by exercising for about an hour a day, eating a relatively low-calorie, low-fat diet, weighing themselves regularly, having breakfast every day and keeping track of what they eat ... Brownell says that if people watch portion sizes, eat fruits and vegetables and less junk, "they'd be 90% of the way toward a healthy diet." And "if anything has become clear over the past 10 years, it's the importance of exercise in weight loss and maintaining.""
• Nutrition watchdog praises fast food giants - USA Today, 8/26/02 - "Low-fat Select Sub sandwiches served at Subway "have helped lead the way to healthier fast food," the center said. The statement singled out the low-fat Honey Mustard Ham, Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki and Red Wine Vinaigrette Club sandwiches as "downright delicious" with calorie counts ranging from 310 to 370 with six grams of fat or less"
• Scientists Discover Hormone [PPY3-36] That Helps Curb People's Appetites - Intelihealth, 8/7/02
• 'Fullness' Hormone Suppresses Appetite - WebMD, 8/7/02
• Low-Carbohydrate, High-Protein Diets Increase Risk Of Kidney Stones And May Raise Bone Loss Risk - Doctor's Guide, 8/1/02 - "acid excretion - a marker for the acid load in the blood - increased as much as 90 percent while subjects were on diets that severely restricted carbohydrates. Levels of urinary citrate, which inhibits kidney stones, fell by almost 25 percent in the group during the six-week study ... People may lose weight on this diet, but this study shows that this is not a healthy way to lose weight ... there was an increased risk of developing kidney stones and a possible increase in the risk of bone loss"
• The Benefits of Carnitine and DHEA for Fat Metabolism - Life Extension Magazine, 8/02 - "Carnitine is an amino acid that's critical for converting fatty acids into fuel. Because of this, it has the potential to help people lose weight ... A lack of DHEA may be one of the primary causes of insulin resistance"
• Reduction of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy After Exercise and Weight Loss in Overweight Patients With Mild Hypertension - Doctor's Guide, 7/15/02 - "Blood pressure fell by 7.0 / 6.0 mmHg in the weight management group and by 3.0 / 4.0 mmHg in the aerobic exercise group"
• New Weight-control Options - Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals, 7/02
• Losing Weight with Peanut Butter? - Dr. Weil, 7/10/02 - "a diet high in monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) with 34-36 percent of calories from fat reduced LDL (���bad”) cholesterol by 16-25 percent without lowering HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels. In contrast, the American Heart Associations diet with 25 percent of calories from fat, resulted in only a 12 percent reduction ... people on a diet including 35 percent of calories from MUFAs as well as those on a traditional low-fat, high carbohydrate diet lost an average of 11 pounds over six months. However, by 18 months, three times as many people on the MUFA diet remained with the program and kept off the lost weight while the others regained an average of five pounds each"
• Designer Weight-Loss Drugs on Horizon - WebMD, 6/10/02 - "In mouse studies, it reduces appetite and makes the body burn fat faster. That's supposed to be impossible ... Kuhajda and colleagues at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University saw obese mice lose 15% of their body weight after only two weeks on C75. Oh, yes, and there's one more thing about it: C75 also kills cancer cells ... But don't run out to the pharmacy looking for the drug. It's years away from any kind of human trial"
• Weighing in on Low-Fat Processed Foods - WebMD, 6/10/02 - "Many people don't understand that many of these low-fat products are really very calorie-dense ... There is a tendency to think that if something is low in fat you can eat as much as you want ... The key to losing weight and keeping it off is eating smaller portions and increasing physical activity"
• New Hope for Morbid Obesity - Medscape, 5/23/02
• Strength Training, Modest Diet Fight Child Obesity - WebMD, 5/23/02
• Secrets of Successful Weight Loss - WebMD, 5/10/02
• Band constricts the cravings, weight - USA Today, 5/9/02
• Consumer Reports reveals successful diet tips - CNN, 5/6/02 - "an overwhelming majority of "successful losers" took a do-it-yourself approach and credited exercise -- not food deprivation -- as their top strategy"
• Americans' new craving: Diet drugs - USA Today, 4/29/02
• New Evidence That Dietary Soy And Flaxseed Have Positive Effect On Obesity And Diabetes - Intelihealth, 4/22/02 - "These data suggest that diets rich in soy protein and flaxseed have beneficial effects on many aspects of obesity and diabetes"
• Diet Supplement [LipoKinetix] Causes Liver Damage - WebMD, 3/18/02
• High-Protein Beats High-Carbohydrate for Weight Loss in Low-Fat Diets - Doctor's Guide, 2/26/02
• The Skinny on Fat Drugs - WebMD, 2/20/02
• Breakfast Helps Keep Weight Off - kgtv.com, 2/7/02
• Five Tips For Planning And Losing Weight - Intelihealth, 2/6/02
• Insulin Pill Fights Obesity - WebMD, 1/31/02
• Study: Adults Have Obesity Syndrome - Intelihealth, 1/16/02
• Cancer Therapy May Have Application For Treating Obesity - Intelihealth, 1/7/02 - "Rupnick tested five different angiogenesis inhibitors, including TNP-470, angiostatin and endostatin, on ob/ob mice and other obese mice ... The most surprising thing was that not only did the mice stop gaining weight, they also lost a significant amount of weight ... Depending on the dose, "we decreased their body weight by almost half - that's enormous," Rupnick said. The drugs were working far better than any approved obesity drug ever had""
• Diabetes Drug [Glucophage/metformin] May Fight Obesity - WebMD, 12/26/01 - "Pediatricians at the University of Tennessee School of Medicine put 24 obese adolescents on a low-calorie diet: 1,500 calories a day for the girls and 1,800 calories a day for the boys. They also gave half the teens Glucophage and half a placebo ... After eight weeks, dieting teens who took the placebo lost 3.8 % of their body weight. But those taking Glucophage lost 6.5 % of their body weight -- nearly twice as much"
• More Good News on Zyban and Smoking - WebMD, 9/20/01 - "The antidepressant Zyban (also known as Wellbutrin or by its generic name bupropion) has helped many people quit. Now, research shows the drug seems to prevent relapse and even seems to help women lose weight"
• Losing 100, the Healthy Way - WebMD, 9/18/01
• How They Do It: Researchers Study People Who Lost Weight And Keep It Off - Intelihealth, 9/13/01
• Wellbutrin (Bupropion) Effective For Weight Loss in Women - Doctor's Guide, 9/12/01
• Obesity drugs alone won't do it - CNN, 8/22/01
• Research Pipeline Bulging With Obesity Drugs - WebMD, 7/26/01
• How Successful Dieters Keep Weight Off - Intelihealth, 7/18/01
• Wider Use for Obesity Surgery Urged - WebMD, 7/12/01
• Troglitazone Drug Helps non-Diabetic Patients Lose Weight - Doctor's Guide, 6/20/01
• FDA Approves Implanted Stomach Band to Fight Obesity, Device Could Be Helpful, But Users Still Need to Diet and Exercise - WebMD, 6/5/01
• Stomach Pacemaker Zaps Obese Patients Slim, Electrical Gadget Helps Overeaters Feel Full, Eat Less - WebMD, 5/25/01
• Experimental Nasal Spray Could Help Keep the Pounds Off - WebMD, 4/27/01 - "All three agents were inhaled through the nose twice a day for six weeks ... At the end of the study, body fat had decreased by an average of nearly 4 lb and body weight by an average of less than 2 lb in the individuals treated with MSH/ACTH"
• For Severely Obese Teens, Surgery, Stomach Bypass an Option When All Else Fails - WebMD, 4/17/01
• Eat all you want and still lose pounds — someday - USA Today, 3/30/01
• Moderate Exercise Better Than Hard-Core Workouts - Intelihealth, 3/28/01 - "A new study suggests moderately paced, sustained activities promote weight loss more effectively than brief, high-intensity health club workouts"
• Weight Loss expert Jenny Craig - CNN, 3/15/01
• New Fat-Loss Drug Resets Brain's Weight Setpoint - WebMD, 3/20/01 - "The drug, called Axokine, is a genetically engineered version of a natural brain chemical, called CNTF, that makes new brain cells grow ... [A] remarkable property that distinguishes ... A human trial reported at a medical meeting last month showed that obese people who got the most effective dose of Axokine lost nearly 10 pounds over 12 weeks of treatment. Unlike previous weight loss drugs, these patients did not immediately regain the weight -- in fact, they lost another pound during the first six weeks they were off the drug, and they kept their lost weight off for a minimum of six weeks after discontinuing the medication ... the drug works a lot like leptin ... Leptin would make a great weight loss drug -- except that when a person becomes obese, he becomes resistant to it the same way a diabetic person becomes resistant to insulin"
• Virtual weight loss can be a reality - CNN, 3/6/01
• Reducing the Obesity Epidemic: What Works and What Doesn't, When Exercise, Diet, and Pills Don't Work, Surgery May Be the Answer - WebMD, 3/1/01 - "Millions of Americans suffer with life-threatening obesity, and the only proven, effective treatment is surgery," Smith says. "When faced with a life-threatening illness like heart disease, patients readily accept major surgery -- including its risks -- as the necessary step to treat their heart disease. The same is true for obesity."
• Big losers, and proud of it - USA Today, 2/15/01
• Improving Dopamine May Help Obese - Doctor's Guide, 2/5/01
• Elizabeth Cohen - CNN, 2/2/01 - "What this new study seems to say is that obese people don't have the normal amount of dopamine receptors in their brains"
• USDA: Most Popular Diets Flawed - Intelihealth, 1/10/01
• Cellulite-busting workout relies on weightlifting - CNN, 1/3/01
• The Key to Keeping the Pounds Off - WebMD, 12/12/00
• Women gain weight at puberty, pregnancy, menopause - CNN, 11/1/00
• Yo-Yo Dieting Is a No-No, Study Shows the Ups and Downs May Harm the Heart - WebMD, 10/31/00
• Stress is bad, but one expert says it's also fattening - CNN, 10/31/00
• Spare Tire Around the Middle? Maybe Your Life Is Too Hectic - WebMD, 10/24/00
• Skill-Training Method Works for Weight Loss, Study Finds -  WebMD, 10/23/00
• Health Focus: Five Tips For Losing Weight - Intelihealth, 8/30/00
• Experts Find Recipe for Weight Loss Success - WebMD, 8/23/00
• Studies of CLA Have Promising Results - WebMD, 8/20/00 - "But it is important to look for credible brands of CLA, cautions Pariza, whose team used a 'high grade' version that was more than 90% pure: "There's a lot of junk out there."
• Researchers Discover How Cells in the Body Get Fat - WebMD, 8/10/00
• Study Links Diet Pills to Greater Stroke Risk - WebMD, 7/28/00
• Could Licorice Help You Get Lean? - WebMD, 7/14/00
• Flipping the Appetite Switch Off - WebMD, 6/29/00
• Over-the-Counter Drug (phenylpropanolamine) Works to Suppress Appetite - WebMD, 5/29/00
• Diet Shakes Can Help People Control Their Weight - WebMD, 5/29/00
• Fat-Soluble Vitamin Absorption Not Threatened by Fat Cutbacks - WebMD, 5/19/00
• Is Yo-Yo Dieting a No-No for Women? - WebMD, 5/16/00
• A rapid weight-loss diet may help shed fat in a flash - CNN, 4/13/00
• Exercise Trains Fat Cells - Intelihealth, 4/7/00
• Green Tea Could Promote Weight Loss - Nutrition Science News, 4/00
• Diet, Exercise And Gain Weight? - Intelihealth, 4/3/00
• Fiber May Help Prevent Obesity - Intelihealth, 10/27/99
• Group Calls Low-Carb Diet Unhealthy - Intelihealth, 10/18/99
• New hormone may help treat obesity - CNN, 8/30/99
• Exercise Affects Obesity Independently Of Genes, Study Shows - Doctor's Guide, 6/1/99
• Bupropion SR Shows Promise As Weight-Loss Treatment - Doctor's Guide, 5/20/99
• Researchers block hormone that affects eating - CNN, 12/21/98
• Study Confirms That Chromium Picolinate Aids In Body Fat Loss - Doctor's Guide, 6/23/98
• Study: Americans fatter than ever and getting even fatter - CNN, 5/28/98

Abstracts:

• Carnosic acid as a major bioactive component in rosemary extract ameliorates high-fat diet-induced obesity and metabolic syndrome in mice - J Agric Food Chem. 2015 Apr 30 - "The mice were given a low-fat diet, a high-fat diet or a high-fat diet supplemented with either 0.14% or 0.28% (w/w) CA-enriched RE (containing 80% CA, RE#1L and RE#1H), or 0.5% (w/w) RE (containing 45% CA, RE#2), for a period of 16 weeks ... The dietary RE supplementation significantly reduced body weight gain, percent of fat, plasma ALT, AST, glucose, insulin levels, liver weight, liver triglyceride and free fatty acid levels compared with the mice fed with HF diet without RE treatment. RE administration also decreased the levels of plasma and liver malondialdehyde, advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and the liver expression of receptor for AGE (RAGE) compared with mice of HF group" - See rosemary extract at Amazon.com.
• Chlorogenic acid and caffeine in combination inhibit fat accumulation by regulating hepatic lipid metabolism-related enzymes in mice - Br J Nutr. 2014 Sep;112(6):1034-40 - "chlorogenic acid (CGA) ... forty mice were randomly assigned to four groups and fed diets containing no CGA or caffeine, CGA, caffeine, or CGA+caffeine for 24 weeks ... There was a decrease in the body weight and IPAT weight of mice fed the CGA+caffeine diet. There was a significant decrease in the serum and hepatic concentrations of total cholesterol, TAG and leptin of mice fed the CGA+caffeine diet ... These results indicate that CGA+caffeine suppresses fat accumulation and body weight gain by regulating the activities and mRNA and protein expression levels of hepatic lipid metabolism-related enzymes and that these effects are stronger than those exerted by CGA and caffeine individually" - See green coffee bean extract at Amazon.com.
• Decaffeinated green coffee bean extract attenuates diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:718379 - "decaffeinated green coffee bean extract appeared to reverse HFD-induced fat accumulation and insulin resistance by downregulating the genes involved in adipogenesis and inflammation in visceral adipose tissue" - See green coffee bean extract at Amazon.com.
• Hypovitaminosis D and incidence of obesity: a prospective study - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013 Jun;67(6):680-2 - "In subjects who were non-obese (BMI <30 kg/m(2)) at the second evaluation, 25-hydroxyvitamin D values 17 ng/ml (42.5 nmol/l) were significantly associated with an increased risk of developing obesity in the next 4 years (OR=2.35, 95% CI: 1.03-5.4, P=0.040 after diverse adjustments). We conclude that vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of developing obesity" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Effect of dietary resveratrol on the metabolic profile of nutrients in obese OLETF rats - Lipids Health Dis. 2013 Feb 4;12(1):8 - "the accumulation of abdominal white adipose tissues was markedly prevented in resveratrol diet-fed OLETF rats after 4 weeks of feeding ... Our study demonstrated that dietary resveratrol can prevent obesity through a change in the metabolic profile of nutrients in obese OLETF rats" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.
• Calcium plus vitamin D3 supplementation facilitated Fat loss in overweight and obese college students with very-low calcium consumption: a randomized controlled trial - Nutr J. 2013 Jan 8;12(1):8 - "to receive either an energy-restricted diet (-500 kcal/d) supplemented with 600 mg elemental calcium and 125 IU vitamin D3 or energy restriction alone for 12 weeks. Repeated measurements of variance were performed to evaluate the differences between groups for changes in body weight, BMI, body composition ... A significantly greater decrease in fat mass loss was observed in the calcium + D group (-2.8+/-1.3 vs.-1.8+/-1.3 kg; P=0.02) than in the control group, although there was no significant difference in body weight change (P>0.05) between groups. The calcium + D group also exhibited greater decrease in visceral fat mass and visceral fat area" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• A 12-week double-blind randomized clinical trial of vitamin D3 supplementation on body fat mass in healthy overweight and obese women - Nutr J. 2012 Sep 22;11(1):78 - "In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial, seventy-seven participants (age 38+/-8.1 years, BMI 29.8+/-4.1 kg/m2) were randomly allocated into two groups: vitamin D (25 mug per day as cholecalciferol) and placebo (25 mug per day as lactose) for 12 weeks ... Among healthy overweight and obese women, increasing 25(OH) D concentrations by vitamin D3 supplementation led to body fat mass reduction" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Beneficial effects of catechin-rich green tea and inulin on the body composition of overweight adults - Br J Nutr. 2011 Oct 28:1-6 - "The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the effect of catechin-rich green tea in combination with inulin affects body weight and fat mass in obese and overweight adults. A total of thirty subjects were divided into a control group and an experimental group who received 650 ml tea or catechin-rich green tea plus inulin. A reduction of body weight ( - 1.29 (sem 0.35) kg) and fat mass (0.82 (sem 0.27) kg) in the experimental group was found after 6 weeks, and no adverse effects were observed. After refraining from consumption for 2 weeks, sustained effects on body weight and fat mass were observed. We conclude that continuous intake of catechin-rich green tea in combination with inulin for at least 3 weeks may be beneficial for weight management" - Note: 1.29 kg is 2.8 pounds.  See inulin products at Amazon.com and green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Vitamin A Decreases Pre-receptor Amplification of Glucocorticoids in Obesity: Study on the Effect of Vitamin A on 11beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 Activity in Liver and Visceral Fat of WNIN/Ob Obese Rats - Nutr J. 2011 Jun 23;10(1):70 - "11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1) catalyzes the conversion of inactive glucocorticoids to active glucocorticoids and its inhibition ameliorates obesity and metabolic syndrome. So far, no studies have reported the effect of dietary vitamin A on 11beta-HSD1 activity in visceral fat and liver under normal and obese conditions. Here, we studied the effect of chronic feeding of vitamin A-enriched diet (129mg/kg diet) on 11beta-HSD1 activity in liver and visceral fat of WNIN/Ob lean and obese rats ... Control groups received stock diet containing 2.6mg vitamin A/kg diet, where as experimental groups received diet containing 129mg vitamin A/Kg diet for 20 weeks ... Vitamin A supplementation significantly decreased body weight, visceral fat mass and 11beta-HSD1 activity in visceral fat of WNIN/Ob obese rats. Hepatic 11beta-HSD1 activity and gene expression were significantly reduced by vitamin A supplementation in both the phenotypes. CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha(C/EBPalpha), the main transcription factor essential for the expression of 11beta-HSD1, decreased in liver by vitamin A fed-obese rats, but not in lean rats. Liver X receptor alpha (LXR alpha), a nuclear transcription factor which is known to downregulate 11beta-HSD1 gene expression was significantly increased by vitamin A supplementation in both the phenotypes" - Note:  See my 11beta-HSD1 page.  11beta-HSD1 goes hand in hand with cortisol.
• Dietary supplementation of n-3 PUFA reduces weight gain and improves postprandial lipaemia and the associated inflammatory response in the obese JCR:LA-cp rat - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2009 Nov 16 - "n-3 PUFA treatment resulted in a significant improvement (i.e. decrease) in the postprandial response for triglyceride (45%) (p < 0.05), apoB48 (45%) (p < 0.03) and LBP (33%) (p < 0.05) compared to controls (measured as area under the clearance curve). In contrast, we observed a significant elevation in postprandial haptoglobin (165%) (p < 0.001) in obese rats supplemented with 10% n-3 PUFA. Treatment with 5% n-3 PUFA in the JCR:LA-cp obese animals resulted in a complementary decrease in total body weight gain (6%) (p < 0.001) and an increase (i.e. improvement) in adiponectin (33%) (p < 0.05) compared to controls, without a concomitant reduction in food intake" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Effect of tea catechins on body fat accumulation in rats fed a normal diet - Biomed Res. 2008 Feb;29(1):27-32 - "The administration of 0.5% catechins decreased the accumulation of body fat and the serum levels of cholesterol and bile acids. These results indicate that tea catechins modulate lipid metabolism not only in obese subjects, but also in the non-obese" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Can EGCG Reduce Abdominal Fat in Obese Subjects? - J Am Coll Nutr. 2007 Aug;26(4):396S-402S - "heart rate (HR) ... Moderate consumption of EGCG can improve the health status of overweight individuals undergoing regular exercise by reducing HR and plasma glucose concentrations. Loss of body fat, however, may require a higher intake of EGCG, other catechins or addition of metabolic stimulants" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com, my favorite is green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• The effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate on thermogenesis and fat oxidation in obese men: a pilot study - J Am Coll Nutr. 2007 Aug;26(4):389S-95S - "These findings suggest that EGCG alone has the potential to increase fat oxidation in men and may thereby contribute to the anti-obesity effects of green tea" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com, my favorite is green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• The influence of calcium consumption on weight and fat following 9 months of exercise in men and women - J Am Coll Nutr. 2007 Aug;26(4):350-5 - "Average calcium consumption was 987 +/- 389 mg/day for men and 786 +/- 276 mg/day for women. Weight change over the 9 months was -4.6 +/- 4.6 kg for men and 0.2 +/- 3.3 kg for women ... Weight and fat weight loss as a result of nine months of moderate intensity exercise may be improved by increased calcium consumption in men but was not observed in women" - Note:  4.6 kg is 10.14 lbs.
• Overweight Postmenopausal Women Lose Bone With Moderate Weight Reduction and 1 g/day Calcium Intake - J Bone Miner Res. 2005 Mar;20(3):455-63 - "Despite an intake of 1 g Ca/day, bone loss occurred at some sites because of weight loss. Calcium intake of 1.7 g/day will minimize bone loss during weight loss in postmenopausal overweight women"
• Effects of metformin on the body composition in subjects with risk factors for type 2 diabetes - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2005 Mar;7(2):189-92 - "In the metformin group, there was a decrease in fat weight from 25.9 +/- 9.4 to 20.8 +/- 9.2 kg, p < 0.01, an increase in lean weight from 57.05 +/- 13.6 to 61.9 +/- 16.5 kg, p < 0.01, an increase in basal metabolism from 1735 +/- 413 to 1878 +/- 505 calories/day, p < 0.05 and an increase in body water" - See metformin at IAS or OffshoreRx1.com.  Note:  That's a 19.7% decrease in fat (25.9-20.8)/25.9 = 19.7%, a 8.5% increase in lean weight (61.9-57.05)/57.05 = 8.5% and a 8.2% increase in basal metabolism (1878-1735)/1735 = 8.2%. - Ben
• Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction in body fat and malondialdehyde-modified LDL in men - Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jan;81(1):122-9 - "Body weight, BMI, waist circumference, body fat mass, and subcutaneous fat area were significantly lower in the green tea extract group than in the control group" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Efficacy and Safety of Ephedra and Ephedrine for Weight Loss and Athletic Performance - JAMA, 3/26/03 - "Ephedrine and ephedra promote modest short-term weight loss (0.9 kg/mo more than placebo) in clinical trials. There are no data regarding long-term weight loss, and evidence to support use of ephedra for athletic performance is insufficient. Use of ephedra or ephedrine and caffeine is associated with increased risk of psychiatric, autonomic, or gastrointestinal symptoms, and heart palpitations"
• The conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomer, t10c12-CLA, is inversely associated with changes in body weight and serum leptin in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus - J Nutr. 2003 Jan;133(1):257S-260S
• The effect of conjugated linoleic acid supplementation after weight loss on body weight regain, body composition, and resting metabolic rate in overweight subjects - Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 Jul;27(7):840-7 - "As a consequence of an increased regain of fat-free mass by CLA, resting metabolic rate was increased by CLA (LD 12.0+/-11.4%, HD 13.7+/-14.4%) compared to placebo ... In conclusion, the regain of fat-free mass was favorably, dose-independently affected by a 13-week consumption of 1.8 or 3.6 g CLA/day and consequently increased the resting metabolic rate. However, it did not result in improved body weight maintenance after weight loss" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
• How much physical activity is enough to prevent unhealthy weight gain? - Obes Rev 2003 May;4(2):101-14 - "The following consensus statement was accepted unanimously. 'The current physical activity guideline for adults of 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity daily, preferably all days of the week, is of importance for limiting health risks for a number of chronic diseases including coronary heart disease and diabetes. However for preventing weight gain or regain this guideline is likely to be insufficient for many individuals in the current environment. There is compelling evidence that prevention of weight regain in formerly obese individuals requires 60-90 minutes of moderate intensity activity or lesser amounts of vigorous intensity activity. Although definitive data are lacking, it seems likely that moderate intensity activity of approximately 45 to 60 minutes per day, or 1.7 PAL (Physical Activity Level) is required to prevent the transition to overweight or obesity. For children, even more activity time is recommended. A good approach for many individuals to obtain the recommended level of physical activity is to reduce sedentary behaviour by incorporating more incidental and leisure-time activity into the daily routine"