Scientists have discovered that a protein that controls weight and appetite may also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Patients with higher leptin levels had a significantly lower risk of developing the debilitating disorder, according to a study found in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine indicated that there is growing evidence to suggest that leptin has beneficial effects on brain development and function, which is what inspired them to conduct their own study.

The scientists measured participants’ leptin levels over a 12-year period. They discovered that patients with higher levels of the protein had a significantly lower risk of developing the brain disease.

“Over a 12-year follow-up, this corresponds to an absolute AD risk of 25 percent for persons with the lowest levels of leptin compared to a six percent risk for persons with the highest levels,” said senior author Dr. Sudha Seshadri.

Some health officials recommend taking nutritional supplements such as fish oils or antioxidants to improve cell membranes that may curb Alzheimer’s symptoms.

Parents may want to consider giving their obese children diabetes natural supplements, as a new study suggests that treatments for the disease may help decrease body mass index (BMI) levels.

Despite obese adolescents not being diagnosed with diabetes, certain diabetic medications can help them lose weight, according to findings published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Childhood obesity rates continue to be a growing epidemic in America.

According to researchers, 31.9 percent of children are considered either overweight or obese.To help find ways to treat the problem, the scientists began exploring other options.

It was found that patients who took certain diabetic medications for a 52-week clinical period lost 0.9 points of their BMI, whereas teens who were exposed to a diet and exercise program only lost 0.2 points during this time.

However, the scientists are still quick to point out that despite these findings, more research still should be conducted to determine if there are any side effects before physicians start recommending the treatment.ADNFCR-1960-ID-19591149-ADNFCR

According to researchers from the University of Delaware, despite gaining the ability to move without pain and increasing the rate of exercise, more patients who have knee replacement surgery are likely to gain weight.

The study examined 106 individuals who had knee replacement surgeries and a control group of 31 healthy individuals who had not had the treatment. Of the people who had the surgery, 66 percent gained an average of 14 pounds over the next 2 years. The control group did not have the same problem.

Researchers believe the solution relies on the physical therapist, who can help people that have the surgery retrain to become active again.

“For physical therapists and surgeons, the common thinking is that after a patient’s knee has been replaced, that patient will be more active,” said researcher Lynn Snyder-Mackler. “But the practices and habits these patients developed to get around in the years prior to surgery are hard to break, and often they don’t take advantage of the functional gain once they get a new knee.”

According to research in the Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, extra pounds could result in blood clots, however, the locations are different depending on the gender.

It was found that men have a higher risk of blood clots when they have more weight around their waist, while women have a higher risk if they have extra pounds on their hips.

Originally, it was believed that women should be encouraged to have larger hips, as they may work as a protective shield against blood clots. This new research is running counter to that theory.

The researchers feel it’s because previous studies only measured body mass index (BMI) when studying blood clots, and didn’t pinpoint where the extra fat was located.

“The BMI is a marker of excess weight and correlates well with body fat content in adults; however, it fails to consider the distribution of body fat,” explained study leader Dr. Marianne Tang Severinsen.

Nutritional supplements such as coumarins, which are found in various herbs, work as a blood thinner, and may be a good idea to take if you feel you’re at risk.

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) randomised clinical trial took place for 2.8 years. During this time, diabetes incidence in high-risk adults was reduced by 58 percent with intensive lifestyle intervention and by 31 percent with metformin, compared with placebo. The Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study is a long-term follow-up study. The authors investigated the persistence of these lasting effects.

All active DPP participants were eligible for follow-up. Of the 3,150 participants, 2,766 (88 percent) were monitored: 910 from the lifestyle group, 924 from the metformin group, and 932 from the placebo group. On the basis of the benefits from the intensive lifestyle intervention in the DPP, all three groups were offered group-implemented lifestyle intervention.

Metformin treatment was continued in the original metformin group (850 mg twice daily as tolerated). The original lifestyle intervention group was offered additional lifestyle support. The primary outcome was development of diabetes according to American Diabetes Association criteria.

During the 10-year follow-up since randomisation to DPP, results indicated that the original lifestyle group lost 7 kg of body weight, on average. Later they then partly regained to plateau at an average weight loss of 2 kg since randomisation. The modest weight loss with metformin was maintained. Diabetes incidence rates during the DPP were 4.8 cases per 100 people per year in the intensive lifestyle intervention group, 7.8 in the metformin group, and 11.0 in the placebo group.

During follow-up, when all study participants were offered lifestyle intervention similar to the successful intervention in the DPP, diabetes incidence rates in the former placebo and metformin groups fell to rates similar to that of the original lifestyle intervention group, whose rate remained low during the entire study. Diabetes incidence rates during the follow-up study were 5.9 per 100 person-years for lifestyle, 4.9 for metformin, and 5.6 for placebo. Diabetes incidence in the ten years since DPP randomisation was reduced by 34 percent in the lifestyle group and 18 percent in the metformin group compared with placebo.

The authors explain: “In this study, onset of diabetes was delayed by about 4 years by lifestyle intervention and 2 years by metformin compared with placebo.”

They write in conclusion: “Our results have shown that a reduction in diabetes cumulative incidence by either lifestyle intervention or metformin therapy persists for at least 10 years. Further follow-up will provide crucial data for long-term clinical outcomes, including mortality… The long-term reductions in bodyweight and diabetes are encouraging, but further quantification of long-term outcomes is crucial to establish the benefits of diabetes prevention.”

In a supplementary comment, Dr Anoop Misra, Department of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Fortis Hospitals, New Delhi, India, remarks: “Prevention of diabetes is a long and winding road. There seems to be no short cut, and a persistent and prolonged intensive lifestyle intervention seems to be the most effective mode to travel on it.

However, more research needs to be done with dietary (eg, high-fibre, low-glycaemic-index foods), physical activity (aerobic plus resistance exercise), and pharmaceutical (especially glucagon-like peptide-based therapies) manipulations to prevent diabetes. We need more effective drugs for those who cannot follow intensive lifestyle therapy because of infirmity. Because of the high prevalence and rapid increase in the metabolic syndrome and diabetes, there is a need to apply these findings to, and generate data from, other ethnic groups and developing countries.”

Research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests women with higher body mass indexes and more body fat actually have more hot flashes, according to Reuters.

The study found participants who gained weight during the course of the four year review were more than one percent as likely to report hot flashes than those who lost body fat.

Body fat was not found to be an indicator of increased night sweats, however. The study’s authors say they’re too hard to track since they happen when subjects are sleeping.

Dr. Rebecca Thurston of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine tells Reuters that researchers believe fat might worsen hot flashes because it acts as an insulator and makes it harder for the body to get rid of heat.

Loss of muscle mass and subsequent weight gain is common as we age. Doctors say maintaining a proper diet and continued exercise is important to maintaining a healthy weight as well as to avoiding weight-related conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Another health resource to consider to reduce weight gain and other symptoms of menopause include nutritional supplements containing vitamin D, calcium, black cohosh and St. John’s Wort.

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine followed 44 patients who had gastric bypass surgery. They found that those who received a probiotic supplement everyday for three months following their procedure had a significantly higher weight loss as well as higher levels of vitamin B12 than those who got a placebo pill.

The group who received the probiotics had a 47.6 percent weight loss compared with a 38.5 percent loss in the control group.

Almost two-thirds, or 66 percent, of adult Americans are overweight. Gastric bypass is the most common weight loss surgery because it is associated with fewer complications than other interventions.

Vitamin B12 is important for proper metabolism, the formation of red blood cells and health of the central nervous system.

Probiotics are good bacteria that are known to aid digestion. They can be found in foods like yogurt and other cultured milk products, miso, tempeh, some juices and soy beverages. They can also be taken as a nutritional health supplement.

Sources: betterhealthresearch.com/news

According to research, late-night snacking really does put on weight.

The research team, from Northwestern University, Illinois, found that when you eat, not just how you eat, could make a big difference.

Scientists found that when mice ate at unusual hours, they put on twice as much weight, despite exercising and eating as much as others.

The study in the journal Obesity, is said to be the first to show directly that there is a “wrong” time to eat.

Recent studies have suggested that circadian rhythms, the body’s internal clock, have a role in how our bodies use up energy. However, this had been difficult to definitively pin down.

Deanna Arble, lead author of the study, said: “One of our research interests is shift workers, who tend to be overweight.

“This got us thinking that eating at the wrong time of day might be contributing to weight gain.”

The experiment looked at two groups of mice over a six-week period. Both groups were fed a high-fat diet, but at different times of the mice “waking cycle”.

One group of mice ate at times when they would normally be asleep. They put on twice as much weight.

This was despite them doing the same level of activity, and eating the same amount of food, as the other mice.

Groundbreaking

The findings may have implications for people worried about their weight.

“How or why a person gains weight is very complicated, but it is clearly not just calories in and calories out,” said Fred Turek, from the Northwestern’s Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology, US, where the research took place.

“Better timing of meals could be a critical element in slowing the ever-increasing incidence of obesity.”

Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, agreed. He said: “It is groundbreaking. It really gets you thinking why this has not been done before.

“It could be very dramatic if it affects whether you are going to get fat or not.”

The scientists hope they can find out more about how the process works. It is thought that sleep, hormones and body temperature all play a part in how we gain weight.

http://news.bbc.co.uk