Obesity

Posted on Diet, Obesity

More Calories, More Consumption: Preferences of Individuals With and Without Obesity

A recent study published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology revealed that individuals with and without obesity tend to prefer high-calorie foods, regardless of their similar taste and texture. Albino Oliveira-Maia conducted this research from the Champalimaud Foundation in Portugal, highlighting some intriguing findings about food preferences and obesity.

In the study, participants were given low-fat yoghurt sweetened with and without maltodextrin (a carbohydrate that adds calories without affecting taste or texture). Participants, including individuals with obesity, post-bariatric surgery patients, and non-obese control subjects, ate more of the higher-calorie yogurt, even though they rated both types of yogurt as equally pleasant. This preference for higher-calorie foods was observed across all groups.

The study also explored the brain’s dopamine receptors, finding that individuals with obesity had lower dopamine receptor availability compared to non-obese controls. Interestingly, post-bariatric surgery patients showed dopamine receptor levels similar to non-obese individuals, suggesting that obesity-related brain changes can be reversed after weight loss surgery.

Lead researcher Albino Oliveira-Maia commented, “We were intrigued that behavior was guided towards eating yogurts with higher energy content, even though there were no consistent changes in the pleasantness of flavors enriched with carbohydrates. This behavior was maintained in patients with obesity and after weight-loss surgery, despite differences in their brain dopaminergic system.”

These findings suggest that the brain’s response to high-calorie foods can drive eating behavior, regardless of explicit choices about taste. It also highlights the potential for reversing brain changes related to obesity through interventions like bariatric surgery

Posted on Diet, Obesity, Pain Management

A diet that helps the weighty battle with chronic pain

Chronic pain is a persistent and debilitating condition that affects millions of people worldwide. While pain interventions are available, many individuals struggle without any treatment.

Recent research from the University of South Australia indicates that a healthy diet can alleviate the severity of chronic pain, providing an easy and accessible method for sufferers to manage their condition more effectively.

Researchers investigating the links between body fat, diet, and pain discovered that a higher intake of foods aligned with the Australian Dietary Guidelines was significantly associated with lower body pain levels, particularly among women.

Significantly, these findings were not influenced by a person’s weight, indicating that a healthy diet can help alleviate chronic pain, regardless of body composition.

Approximately 30% of the global population experiences chronic pain.

Women experience higher rates of chronic pain, as do those who are overweight or obese.

UniSA PhD researcher Sue Ward states that the study demonstrates how modifiable factors, such as diet, can help manage and alleviate chronic pain.

“It’s common knowledge that eating well is good for your health and wellbeing. But knowing that simple changes to your diet could offset chronic pain could be life-changing,” Ward says.

“In our study, higher consumption of core foods – your vegetables, fruits, grains, lean meats, dairy and alternatives – was related to less pain, regardless of body weight.

Being overweight or obese is a known risk factor for chronic pain.

Understanding that food choices and diet quality enhance health and reduce pain is invaluable.

Notably, the findings suggest that diet quality affects pain differently in men and women.

“Women with better diets, had lower pain levels and better physical function. But this effect was much weaker for men,” Ward says.

“The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of the healthier core food groups may be what reduces pain, but we can’t yet determine whether poorer diet quality leads to more pain, or if pain leads to eating a poorer quality diet.

“A healthy, nutritious diet brings multiple health, wellbeing, and pain management benefits. And while personalised pain management strategies should be adopted, a healthy diet is an accessible, affordable, and effective way to manage and even reduce pain.”

Posted on Diabetes, Diet, Obesity

Drinking plenty of water may actually be good for you

In the first systematic review, UC San Francisco researchers found that it helps with a variety of conditions, from obesity to migraine.  

Public health recommendations generally suggest drinking eight cups of water a day. And many people assume it’s healthy to drink plenty of water.  

Now, researchers at UC San Francisco have systematically reviewed the available evidence. They concluded that drinking enough water can help with weight loss and prevent kidney stones, as well as migraines, urinary tract infections, and low blood pressure.  

“For such a ubiquitous and simple intervention, the evidence hasn’t been clear, and the benefits were not well-established, so we wanted to take a closer look,” said senior and corresponding author Benjamin Breyer, MD, MAS, the Taube Family Distinguished Professor and chair of the UCSF Department of Urology.  

“The amount of rigorous research was limited, but in some specific areas, there was a statistically significant benefit,” Breyer said. “To our knowledge, this is the first study assessing the benefits of water consumption on clinical outcomes broadly.” 

The researchers found the most evidence favouring drinking water to prevent kidney stones and help people lose weight. 

Drinking eight cups of water daily significantly decreased the likelihood of getting another kidney stone. 

Several studies found that drinking about six cups of water daily helped adults lose weight. However, a survey that included adolescents found that drinking more than eight cups of water daily had no effect. 

Still, the authors said encouraging people to drink water before meals would be a simple and cheap intervention that could have huge benefits, given the increased prevalence of obesity. 

Other studies indicated that water can help prevent migraines, control diabetes and low blood pressure, and prevent urinary tract infections.

Adults with recurrent headaches felt better after three months of drinking more water. 

Drinking about four more cups of water a day helped diabetic patients whose blood glucose levels were elevated.  

Drinking an additional six cups of water a day also helped women with recurrent urinary tract infections. It reduced the number of infections and increased the time between them. 

Drinking more water helped young adults with low blood pressure.

“We know that dehydration is detrimental, particularly in someone with a history of kidney stones or urinary infections,” said Breyer, a UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics member. “On the other hand, someone who suffers from frequent urination at times may benefit from drinking less. There isn’t a one size fits all approach for water consumption.” 

Posted on Cardiovascular disease, Diabetes, Diet, Obesity

Going vegan will save more than $650 a year in grocery costs.

According to new research, a low-fat vegan diet cuts food costs by 19%, or $1.80 per day, compared with a standard American diet that includes meat, dairy, and other animal products. The study also found that a Mediterranean diet costs 60 cents more per day. Total food costs on a vegan diet were 25% lower, $2.40 per day, compared with the Mediterranean diet.

“As grocery prices remain quite high, consumers might consider replacing meat and dairy products with a low-fat vegan diet of fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans. This change could potentially save more than $650 a year on grocery expenses compared to a standard American diet and over $870 compared to the Mediterranean diet,” says Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, the lead author of the study and director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. “Adopting a vegan diet can not only lead to financial savings but also improve health by reducing the risk or severity of conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.”

The decrease in costs on the vegan diet was mainly attributable to savings of $2.90 per day on meat, 50 cents per day on dairy products, and 50 cents per day on added fats. These savings outweighed the increased spending of 50 cents per day on vegetables, 30 cents per day on grains, and 50 cents on meat alternatives on the vegan diet.

The new research is a secondary analysis of a previous study by the Physicians Committee, which compared a low-fat vegan diet to a Mediterranean diet. In this study, participants were randomly assigned to follow either a low-fat vegan diet—which included fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans—or a Mediterranean diet, which emphasized fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, low-fat dairy, and extra-virgin olive oil, for 16 weeks. There were no calorie restrictions for either group. After this phase, participants returned to their baseline diets for a four-week washout before switching to another diet for 16 weeks. The findings showed that the low-fat vegan diet resulted in better outcomes for weight, body composition, insulin sensitivity, and cholesterol levels compared to the Mediterranean diet.

For the food cost assessment, intakes from the study participants’ dietary records were linked to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thrifty Food Plan, 2021, a database of national food prices, which are calculated from data collected for the consumer price index. The reduction in costs associated with a vegan diet primarily resulted from savings of $2.90 per day on meat, $0.50 per day on dairy products, and $0.50 per day on added fats. These savings exceeded the additional expenses of $0.50 per day on vegetables, $0.30 per day on grains, and $0.50 per day on meat alternatives. Overall, the vegan diet proved to be more economical.

Posted on autoimmune conditions, Diet, Multiple Sclerosis, Obesity

The negative effect of high-fat diet on multiple sclerosis progression

Western high-fat diet can cause chronic pain, according to UT Health San Antonio-led team

Recent research published in the journal *Glia* has uncovered important connections between dietary choices and the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, led by Patrizia Casaccia, the founding director of the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center’s Neuroscience Initiative and an Einstein Professor of Biology and Biochemistry at the same institution, investigated the role of enzymes known as ceramide synthase 5 and 6. These enzymes are linked to the harmful effects of a diet high in palm oil on neurons in the central nervous system, which may lead to an increase in the severity of MS symptoms.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by significant damage to the myelin sheath, which protects nerves throughout the body. Current treatments aim to control the immune system’s response, but the exact mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration in MS are still not well understood. Previous research from the Casaccia lab and others has indicated that a high-fat diet can exacerbate the severity of MS symptoms. In their study, researchers investigated potential mechanisms by which a diet high in palm oil may negatively affect neuronal health.

Neuroprotection From Palm Oil-Induced Toxicity

In the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of inflammatory demyelination, researchers discovered that mice with diets high in palm oil had a more severe disease course.

“We hypothesized that within neuronal cells, palm oil is transformed into a toxic substance known as C16 ceramide by specific enzymes called CerS5 and CerS6,” explained principal investigator Casaccia. “This ceramide causes damage to mitochondria, depriving neurons of the energy they require to combat inflammation in the brain. Consequently, we investigated whether inactivating these enzymes could provide neuroprotection.”

The researchers found that genetically deleting the enzymes CerS6 and CerS5 in neurons could prevent neurodegeneration in an experimental model of MS.

“This was true even when mice were given a diet high in palmitic acid,” said Damien Marechal, a research associate with the Casaccia Lab and co-first author of the paper. “This new information highlights a specific metabolic pathway that shows how dietary fats can exacerbate MS symptoms.”

Significance for MS Patients and Clinicians

The paper’s findings have significant implications for individuals diagnosed with MS, clinicians treating patients, and neuroscientists researching the disease. The work reinforces that lifestyle choices, such as diet, can profoundly impact the course of the disease. The study’s results build on previous concepts about careful dietary decisions in managing the symptoms of MS. The findings also identify potential molecules that could help slow diet-induced symptom severity.

“Our research provides a molecular explanation for how to protect neurons from the palm-oil-dependent creation of molecules that harm them,” said Casaccia. “We hope this information can empower patients to make informed dietary decisions that could positively impact the course of the disease while identifying strategies to counteract the effect of cerS5 and cerS6 in a neuron-specific fashion.”