News on Dieting
More news on sleep and bodyweight May06
Sanjay Patel of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio reports that a study of more than 68,000 women has found that those who sleep less than 5 hours a night show a significant weight gain and are 15% more likely to become obese, over those who enjoy 7 hours or more of sleep, even with the same or less calorie input. Lower metabolic rates or less fidgeting may explain this phenomenon, he suggests.
Gallstones related to women's waist size Apr06
A study by researchers at University of Kentucky Medical Centre published by Gut magazine indicates that women with waistlines of 92cm (36 inches) or more were twice as likely to suffer from gallstones compared with women with waistlines of 66cm or less
Satiety Index - new way to measure foods Apr06
SI is being promoted as an aid to dieting by promoting foods that satisfy hunger without adding too many calories. More details in "Volumetrics" by Barbara Rolls.
Sleep affects obesity Mar06
A study by the University of Bristol indicates that deprivation of sleep triggers the body into "starvation mode" and over eating. Other studies show that those who regularly slept for 9 hours or more had a significantly lower BMI (Sleep 2004) .
BMI and longevity Nov05
Epidemiologist Katheri Flegal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta has published a controversial paper indicating that being overweight but not obese improves life expectancy. It has been attacked by many groups who say that it is rapid weight loss that is dangerous and this skews the statistics.
New appetite suppressant? Nov05
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have isolated a hormone which they have named obestatin from rats' stomachs which acts as a powerful appetite supressant.
Daily weighing promotes slimming Oct05
A study by researchers at Brown University, Rhode Island showed that weighing every day doubled slimmers chances of keeping the weight off and avoiding yo-yo dieting.
Waist-to-hip ration indicator of future heart attacks Oct05
A large study published in the Lancet shows that high waist-to-hip ratios predispose the risk of heart attacks. (See also the measurement page of the DietGlue program).
Stick to your diet - any diet! Aug05
Researchers at the Tufts-New England Medical Centre in Boston have concluded that it is very important to stick to just one diet. Almost any diet will do, they say, but don't "Diet Hop".
Fidgeting makes you slender Jan05
Scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota have found that people who sit still are much more likely to be overweight than those who fidget or make ordinary movements such as tapping their feet.
Fat has functions Aug04
The traditional role of fat as just an insulating energy reserve has been challenged by researchers at Indiana University, who have found that fat is part of the immune system and contains immature cells that help the body to grow new blood vessels to repair heart muscles. They postulate that this may be why yo-yo dieting is so bad for the health.
Exercise essential to dieting Aug04
A survey of 1000 people by market researchers Mintel showed that 30 minutes of exercise every day was essential to achieve and maintain long term weight loss.