Medical News Online

A new study has found probiotics may help weight loss surgery patients avoid a vitamin B12 deficiency, which is a common side effect of the procedure.

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »