binge-eat.com
Links to some of the latest research and
articles on
binge-eating, food addiction, and related topics
We
do not necessarily endorse, agree with or wish to promote any particular view,
but
present any and all relevant perspectives.
All Categories
2012
Heavy doctors avoid heavy discussions about weight
NPR's Health Blog:
Shots (Jan. 27, 2012) by Judith Graham – Research already
demonstrates that physicians are sometimes uncomfortable talking about weight
with their obese patients. Now, a new study shows that the doctors' weight
makes a difference too. Physicians who pack on the pounds discuss weight loss
less frequently with obese patients than doctors who have normal body mass
indexes.
School obesity programs may promote worrisome eating behaviors and physical activity in kids
ScienceDaily (Jan. 24, 2012) – In a new poll, 30% of parents report at least one worrisome behavior in their children that could be associated with the development of eating disorders. A new report from the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health examines the possible association between school-based childhood obesity prevention programs and an increase in eating disorders among young children and adolescents.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124151207.htm
High levels of fructose consumption by adolescents may put them at cardiovascular risk, evidence suggests
ScienceDaily (Jan. 24, 2012) – Evidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk is present in the blood of adolescents who consume a lot of fructose, a scenario that worsens in the face of excess belly fat, researchers report…Fructose, or fruit sugar, is found in fruits and veggies but also in high fructose corn syrup, the sweetener used liberally in processed foods and beverages. Researchers suspect growing bodies crave the cheap, strong sweetener and companies often target young consumers in ads.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124140317.htm
Health benefits of exercise my depend on cellular degradation
ScienceDaily (Jan. 20, 2012) – The health benefits of exercise on blood sugar metabolism may come from the body's ability to devour itself, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report in the journal Nature. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120184528.htm
Blame your taste buds for liking fat: Receptor for tasting fat identified in humans
ScienceDaily (Jan. 12, 2012) – Why do we like fatty foods so much? We can blame our taste buds. Our tongues apparently recognize and have an affinity for fat, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. They have found that variations in a gene can make people more or less sensitive to the taste of fat. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112134336.htm
Winner of $50,000 health prize calls for new strategy: ‘You can be obese and fit’
Globe and Mail
(Jan. 11, 2012) by Kim Mackrael – If you want to live a long and healthy life,
your best bet is to get off the couch, not cut the carbohydrates. That’s the
message developed from years of research by Steven Blair, an exercise
researcher at the University of South Carolina
The naked truth: I let my
weight limit my pleasure
Huffpost Women (Jan. 4, 2012) by Rebecca Jane Weinstein – "No man will ever love you," proclaimed my grandmother in what she considered her infinite wisdom. I was nine or ten -- old enough to know exactly what she was talking about, and young enough that I believed her. Thirty-five years later, undergoing the kind of therapy usually prescribed for veterans of war, I understood that she wasn't entirely right… Growing up overweight, forced to diet early and listen to forecasts of my own spinsterhood, it took me years -- years -- to say the word "fat." So you can imagine the complete shift in perspective it took for me to say the words "fat sex." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-jane-weinstein/overweight-sex-women-body-image_b_1183358.html
A simple weight loss strategy.
Really. Maybe.
Huffpost Healthy Living (Jan. 2, 2012) by Wray Herbert – Dieting and weight control are really pretty simple. We gain weight and have trouble losing it because we eat too much and move too little. If we can switch that around, most of us should be able to maintain a sensible weight without resorting to unhealthy gimmicks. But that's just the biology of weight control. What about the psychology? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wray-herbert/weight-loss_b_1174936.html?ref=healthy-living
2011
The fat trap
New York Times: Well blog (Dec. 28, 2011) by Tara Parker-Pope – For 15 years, Joseph Proietto has been helping people lose weight. When these obese patients arrive at his weight-loss clinic in Australia, they are determined to slim down. And most of the time, he says, they do just that, sticking to the clinic’s program and dropping excess pounds. But then, almost without exception, the weight begins to creep back. In a matter of months or years, the entire effort has come undone, and the patient is fat again. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/tara-parker-pope-fat-trap.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&ref=health#
Fatty food bad for you? It may be a no-brainer
Postmedia News (Dec. 28, 2011) by Sharon Kirkey – Researchers have found that there’s a part of your body that might actually shrink when you eat too much fast food. Unfortunately, it’s your brain. People with diets high in trans fats are more likely to experience the kind of brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer’s disease than people who consume less of the artery-damaging fats, the new study suggests. http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/28/fatty-food-bad-for-you-it-may-be-a-no-brainer/
Could obesity change the
brain?
NPR's Health Blog: Shots (Dec.28, 2011) by Nancy Shute – The standard advice for losing weight often comes up short for people who are obese. If they switch to a healthful diet and exercise more, they might lose a bit. But the pounds have a way of creeping back on. Now some provocative research suggests that a part of the problem might be that obesity could change the area of the brain that helps control appetite and body weight. http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/12/27/144331177/could-obesity-change-the-brain?ft=1&f=1128&sc=tw
Free to be fat
Globe and Mail (Dec. 28, 2011) by David Haslam – The classic 1981 horror movie The Monster Club, starring Vincent Price, Donald Pleasence and John Carradine as monsters, included a cast of cannibals, vampires, werewolves, ghouls and a hybrid creature called a “shadmock.” Among this group of misfits, the only outcast was an ordinary fat girl….The obese were not always considered monsters.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/free-to-be-fat/article2282203/
Obesity in teen years may be
blamed on mother/child relationships
CNN Health (Dec. 26, 2011) by Dr. Sanjay Gupta – The mother-child relationship has always carried a lot of weight. Now researchers say some obese teens might be in essence, carrying the weight of their relationship with their mothers when they were younger. A new study published in this week's edition of Pediatrics finds the type of relationship a mother has with her young child could affect that little one's chances of becoming obese as a teen. http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/26/embargoed-26-dec-2011-0015-et-obesity-in-teen-years-may-be-blamed-on-motherchild-relationships/?hpt=hp_bn10
Constant cravings: One in five of us skip breakfast or lunch,
and the more we slip, the worse we feel
Macleans.ca (Sept. 15, 2011) by Kate Lunau – Rushing out the door in the mornings, it can be hard to find the time for a decent breakfast, let alone a cup of coffee. According to results from the Symptom Profiler (formerly known as the Q-GAP), an online survey completed by over 29,000 people in 2010-11, skipping meals is fairly common: 23.5 per cent sometimes miss their morning meal; another 6.5 per cent never eat it; 20.6 per cent skip lunch occasionally; and 8.3 per cent miss dinner. But those who skipped meals in this survey also reported more negative symptoms than those who always ate three a day—and the more meals skipped, the worse shape they were in. http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/09/15/constant-cravings/#.TnOC-gL03h8.email
Get the skinny on
shut-eye: Lack of sleep actually
increases appetite and drives people to binge on unhealthy foods
Macleans.ca (Sept. 15, 2011) by Kate Lunau – Over 13 million Canadians are overweight or obese, but for those trying to shed pounds, giving up on a full night’s sleep for a 5 a.m. gym session might do more harm than good. Lack of sleep actually increases appetite and drives people to binge on unhealthy “comfort foods,” according to Dr. Charles Samuels, medical director of the Calgary-based Centre for Sleep and Human Performance. http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/09/15/get-the-skinny-on-shut-eye/#.TnOB3g4sj5s.email
New map shows where tastes
are coded in the brain
ScienceDaily (Sept. 5, 2011) — Each taste, from sweet to salty, is sensed by a unique set of neurons in the brains of mice, new research reveals. The findings demonstrate that neurons that respond to specific tastes are arranged discretely in what the scientists call a "gustotopic map." This is the first map that shows how taste is represented in the mammalian brain.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110901142110.htm
'Gene overdose' causes
extreme thinness
ScienceDaily (Aug. 31, 2011) — Scientists have discovered a genetic cause of extreme thinness for the first time, in a study published August 30 in the journal Nature. The research shows that people with extra copies of certain genes are much more likely to be very skinny. In one in 2000 people, part of chromosome 16 is duplicated, making men 23 times and women five times more likely to be underweight. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110831160038.htm
Free radicals crucial to
suppressing appetite
ScienceDaily (Aug. 29, 2011) — Obesity is growing at alarming rates worldwide, and the biggest culprit is overeating. In a study of brain circuits that control hunger and satiety, Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that molecular mechanisms controlling free radicals -- molecules tied to aging and tissue damage -- are at the heart of increased appetite in diet-induced obesity.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110828140931.htm
Why some obese people are
healthier than skinny people.
Healthzone.ca (Aug. 15, 2011) by Debra Black – Being fat doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re in poor health. Or so suggests a study done by Jennifer Kuk, a York University assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science in the Faculty of Health. “Not all obese individuals have poor health,” Kuk told the Star. “Conversely not all normal weight individuals have good health. You can have normal weight individuals who have high blood pressure, diabetes and poor lifestyle.” Kuk and her team looked at 6,000 obese Americans comparing them to 23,000 healthy individuals.
Do you eat when you’re
stressed? This new study knows why
Globe and Mail (Aug. 11, 2011), by Dawn Walton – A new Canadian study has pinpointed how stress can temporarily rewire the nerve cells in the brain to ramp up hunger pangs. The findings finally put some science behind what people have thought for years. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/health-nutrition/nutrition-features/do-you-eat-when-youre-stressed-this-new-study-knows-why/article2126896/
Mindful eating, or mindlessly eating better? Why mindful eating needs to go beyond "listen to your body."
Psychology Today (Aug. 9, 2011) by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. in The Science of Willpower – At the annual conference of the American Psychological Association this week, Brian Wansink -- famous for his research on mindless eating -- took a position that would raise the ire of the mindfulness community (that is, if they weren't too busy taking a deep breath and letting go of attachment). Mindful eating is impossible, he argues, or at least impractically difficult. Rather than teaching people how to eat mindfully, we should be teaching people to "mindlessly eat better." http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-science-willpower/201108/mindful-eating-or-mindlessly-eating-better
The thins versus the fats: Is obesity really a health, and a health care, issue?
New York Times/Opinionator (July 30, 2011) by Eric Etheridge – Though the now-twinned issues of race and beer have dominated the week’s storyline, Paul Campos wants you to think about another form of discrimination — fatism. It’s time we “stop harassing people about their weight,” says Campos, author of the “Obesity Myth,” in an interview with Megan McArdle for her Atlantic blog. It appears that focusing on the idea that being fat actually makes people fatter. At least there’s an extremely strong correlation there. I bet if we stopped demonizing fatness people would actually be a bit thinner. They’d certainly be happier and healthier. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/the-thins-versus-the-fats/?emc=eta1
Salt appetite is linked to drug addiction, research finds
ScienceDaily (July 29, 2011) — A team of Duke University Medical Center and Australian scientists has found that addictive drugs may have hijacked the same nerve cells and connections in the brain that serve a powerful, ancient instinct: the appetite for salt. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110711151451.htm#.TjghwVk0fJM.email
Does food act physiologically like
a 'drug of choice' for some?
ScienceDaily (July 20, 2011) — Variety is considered the "spice of life," but does today's unprecedented level of dietary variety help explain skyrocketing rates of obesity? Some researchers think it might. According to ASN Spokesperson Shelley McGuire, PhD: "We've known for years that foods- even eating, itself- can trigger release of various brain chemicals, some of which are also involved in what happens with drug addiction and withdrawal. And, as can happen with substance abusers, tolerance or "habituation" can occur, meaning that repeated use (in this case, exposure to a food) is sometimes accompanied by a lack of response (in this case, disinterest in the food). The results of the study by Epstein and colleagues provides a very interesting new piece to the obesity puzzle by suggesting that meal monotony may actually lead to reduced calorie consumption. The trick will be balancing this concept with the importance of variety to good nutrition." http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110719114340.htm
Evidence for 'food addiction' in humans
ScienceDaily (July 12, 2011) — Research to be presented at the upcoming annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking behavior, suggests that people can become dependent on highly palatable foods and engage in a compulsive pattern of consumption, similar to the behaviors we observe in drug addicts and those with alcoholism. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110712094046.htm
Does eating give you pleasure,
or make you anxious?
ScienceDaily (May 21, 2011) — While most people have a great deal of difficulty in dieting and losing weight, particularly if a diet extends over many months or years, individuals with anorexia nervosa can literally diet themselves to death. In fact, this disorder has a very high death rate from starvation. A new study sheds light on why these symptoms occur in anorexia nervosa.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110520092733.htm
Eat a protein-rich
breakfast to reduce food cravings, prevent overeating later, researcher finds
ScienceDaily (May 19, 2011) — A University of Missouri researcher has found that 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.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110519113024.htm
Food
addiction works like drug addiction in the brain
Huffington Post (Apr. 5, 2011) – Seeing a milkshake can activate the same areas of the brain that light up when an addict sees cocaine, U.S. researchers said on Monday. The study helps explain why it can be so hard for some people to maintain a healthy weight, and why it has been so difficult for drug makers and health experts to find obesity treatments that work. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/05/food-addiction-brain_n_844931.html
Food
addiction: There are more questions than answers
National Post (Mar. 14, 2011) by Jennifer Sygo – How do you cure a food addiction? For that matter, how do you define it? Food addiction is one of those grey-area nutrition issues, formed from a combination of research, experience and anecdotes that currently lies somewhere between abstract concept and scientific truth. At this time, researchers are still working to define what, exactly, constitutes food addiction, and if such a condition exists, what can a person who feels addicted do to help themselves?
Obesity: Character flaw or neurochemical disease?
Huffington Post (Mar. 10, 2011), by Carole Carson – When is the last time someone challenged you to examine a cherished opinion or viewpoint? This comes close to describing my conversation with Dr. Jennifer Lovejoy, president of the Obesity Society, a clearheaded thinker whose insights are shifting attitudes and shaping future policies about obesity. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carole-carson/is-obesity-a-character-fl_b_831143.html
More than half a million US teens have had eating disorders, study finds
Huffington Post (Mar. 7, 2011) By Lindsey Tanner – More than half a million U.S. teens have had an eating disorder but few have sought treatment for the problem, government research shows. The study is billed as the largest and most comprehensive analysis of eating disorders. It involved nationally representative data on more than 10,000 teens aged 13 to 18. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/07/half-million-teens-eating-disorders_n_832680.html?ref=email_share
Binge eaters' dopamine
levels spike at sight, smell of food
ScienceDaily (Feb. 28, 2011) — A brain
imaging study at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National
Laboratory reveals a subtle difference between ordinary obese subjects and
those who compulsively overeat, or binge: In binge eaters but not ordinary
obese subjects, the mere sight or smell of favorite foods triggers a spike in
dopamine -- a brain chemical linked to reward and motivation.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110228104308.htm
Depression symptoms increase over time for addiction-prone women
ScienceDaily (Feb. 20, 2011) — Unlike alcohol problems and antisocial behavior, depression doesn't decline with age in addiction-prone women in their 30s and 40s -- it continues to increase, a new study led by University of Michigan Health System researchers found.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110218111821.htm
Women with eating disorders draw a different picture of themselves than women without, study suggests
ScienceDaily (Feb. 15, 2011) — Women suffering from anorexia or bulimia draw themselves with prominently different characteristics than women who do not have eating disorders and who are considered of normal weight. This has been revealed in a new joint study from the University of Haifa, Soroka University Medical Center and Achva Academic College, Israel, published in The Arts in Psychotherapy.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110214102124.htm
Study links trans fats to
depression
healthzone.ca (Jan. 26, 2011) by Kate
Allen – The more trans fats a healthy person consumes, the higher the risk of
developing depression, new research suggests.
A Spanish study, published Wednesday in the online peer-reviewed journal
PLoS ONE, followed 12,000 individuals over an average of six years, and in some
cases as many as 10. All were initially depression-free…The researchers
discovered the biggest consumers of unhealthy trans fats were 48 per cent more
likely to develop depression than those with the lowest intake of those fats,
which are most commonly found in processed foods and have been linked to
coronary heart disease, obesity and other health problems.
http://www.healthzone.ca/health/mindmood/mentalhealth/article/928696--study-links-trans-fats-to-depression?bn=1
2010
Food
addiction: Could it explain why 70 percent of americans are fat?
Huffington Post (Oct. 16, 2010) by Mark Hyman, MD – Our government and food industry both encourage more "personal responsibility" when it comes to battling the obesity epidemic and its associated diseases. They say people should exercise more self-control, make better choices, avoid overeating, and reduce their intake of sugar-sweetened drinks and processed food. We are led to believe that there is no good food or bad food, that it's all a matter of balance. This sounds good in theory, except for one thing...New discoveries in science prove that industrially processed, sugar- fat- and salt-laden food -- food that is made in a plant rather than grown on a plant, as Michael Pollan would say -- is biologically addictive. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/food-addiction-could-it-e_b_764863.html
Drop that cookie! Even
briefly overeating has lasting effects:
Those in study who ate extra for month experienced physiological changes
Msnbc.com (Aug. 24, 2010) by Jeanna Bryner – The effects of a sedentary, gluttonous lifestyle are hard to shake, even after the person has become an upstanding, healthy individual, a new Swedish study suggests. Researchers found that even a short period of overeating and a lack of exercise can have lasting effects on a person's physiology and make it harder to lose weight and keep it off.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38840913/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/
Drink water to curb weight gain? clinical trial confirms effectiveness of simple appetite control method
ScienceDaily (Aug. 23, 2010) — Has the long-sought magic potion in society's "battle with the bulge" finally arrived? An appetite-control agent that requires no prescription, has no common side effects, and costs almost nothing? Scientists report results of a new clinical trial confirming that just two 8-ounce glasses of the stuff, taken before meals, enables people to shed pounds. The weight-loss elixir, they told the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), is ordinary water.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100823142929.htm
4 surprising reasons women
can't lose weight
Health.com (Aug. 11, 2010) by Jennifer Benjamin – Most of us already know that eating less and moving more are the keys to dropping extra pounds. But if you're already doing everything "right" and can't seem to lose weight -- or are even gaining it -- you may have a hidden health condition that's sabotaging your efforts. And the symptoms may be so subtle that even your doctor can miss them. Here, some possible weight-loss blockers -- and how to get the help you need. http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/11/reasons.cant.lose.weight/index.html?hpt=T2
Hand study reveals brain's
distorted body model
ScienceDaily (June 16, 2010) — Our brains contain a highly distorted model
of our own bodies, according to scientists at UCL (University College London)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100614160201.htm
Unnamed eating disorders may
go untreated: Anorexia and bulimia the most familiar, but not the most common
msnbc.com (May 23, 2010) – by Rachael Rettner. Anorexia and bulimia are probably the most familiar types of eating disorders, but they are not the most common. Some 50 to 60 percent of patients don't quite make the cut to be diagnosed with full-blown anorexia or bulimia, and are instead classified as having an eating disorder "not otherwise specified" (EDNOS).
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37279632/ns/health-mental_health/
Early death by junk food? High levels of phosphate in sodas and
processed foods accelerate the aging process in mice
ScienceDaily (Apr. 28, 2010) — Here's another reason to kick the soda
habit. New research published online in the FASEB Journal shows that high
levels of phosphates may add more "pop" to sodas and processed foods
than once thought. That's because researchers have found that the high levels
of phosphates accelerate signs of aging. High phosphate levels may also
increase the prevalence and severity of age-related complications, such as
chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular calcification, and can also induce
severe muscle and skin atrophy.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100426151636.htm
Lost pounds lead to burst
fantasy: For many, expectations of a new life don’t match the reality
msnbc.com (April 27, 2010) – by Joan Raymond.If thin equals happy, Jen Larsen should be on cloud nine. Larsen, 36, of Ogden, Utah, was the fat child. The fat teen. The fat adult. Four years ago, Larsen hit a high of 316 pounds and when diet after diet failed she opted for bariatric surgery. By all measures, the procedure was textbook perfect. The 5-foot-7-inch Larsen is now a slim 140 pounds. Life, she says, is simpler: she has more energy; her knees feel better; her back doesn’t hurt. And study after study shows she has slashed her risk for life-threatening health conditions like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. But a funny thing happened on the way to becoming a size 8: No matter how much Larsen shrank, her troubles stayed the same size. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36784702/ns/health-behavior/
Why
antidepressants don't work for treating depression
Huffington Post: (Apr. 24, 2010) by Mark Hyman, MD – Here's some depressing recent medical news: Antidepressants don't work. What's even more depressing is that the pharmaceutical industry and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have deliberately deceived us into believing that they DO work. As a physician, this is frightening to me. Depression is among the most common problems seen in primary-care medicine and soon will be the second leading cause of disability in this country.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/depression-medication-why_b_550098.html
Obesity gene, carried by more
than a third of the U.S. population, leads to brain tissue loss
ScienceDaily (Apr. 20, 2010) — Three years
ago, geneticists reported the startling discovery that nearly half of all
people in the U.S. with European ancestry carry a variant of the fat mass and
obesity associated (FTO) gene, which causes them to gain weight -- from three
to seven pounds, on average -- but worse, puts them at risk for obesity.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100419162308.htm?sms_ss=email
Too much sugar increases heart
disease risk: Eating a lot of sugar not
only makes you fat. It may also increase a person's risk for heart
disease.
msnbc.com (April 20, 2010) – They said people who ate more added sugar were more likely to have higher risk factors for heart disease, such as higher triglycerides and lower levels of protective high-density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36675390/ns/health-heart_health/from/ET
Trans fats can be deadly for women: Linked to risk of sudden cardiac death, research shows
msnbc.msn.com (Apr. 17, 2010) by Leah Zerbe – By this point, we know trans fats are a no-no. The fats, often found in processed foods, margarine, or shortening, and in fried foods, are commonly added to food products to extend their shelf life. The bad news is, the stuff is doing nothing to extend your own shelf life. In fact, a recent study published in the American Heart Journal found that women living with coronary heart disease who eat trans fats foods are at particular risk of sudden cardiac death.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34820797/ns/health-womens_health/
Fear of getting fat seen in
healthy women's brain scans
ScienceDaily (Apr. 14, 2010) — A group of women in a new study seemed unlikely to have body image issues -- at least their responses on a tried-and-true psychological screening presented no red flags. That assessment changed when Brigham Young University researchers used MRI technology to observe what happened in the brain when people viewed images of complete strangers.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100413151913.htm
Compulsive eating shares
addictive biochemical mechanism with cocaine, heroin abuse, study shows
ScienceDaily (Mar. 29, 2010) — In a newly published study, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have shown for the first time that the same molecular mechanisms that drive people into drug addiction are behind the compulsion to overeat, pushing people into obesity.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100328170243.htm?sms_ss=email
Junk food addiction may be clue to obesity: High-calorie bingeing as
addictive as cocaine, rat study shows
msnbc.msn.com (Mar. 29, 2010) by JoAnne Allen, Reuters – Bingeing on high-calorie foods may be as addictive as cocaine or nicotine, and could cause compulsive eating and obesity, according to a study. The findings in a study of animals cannot be directly applied to human obesity, but may help in understanding the condition and in developing therapies to treat it, researchers wrote Sunday in the journal "Nature Neuroscience."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36081881/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/
High-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain, researchers find
ScienceDaily (Mar. 22, 2010) — A Princeton
University research team has demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal
when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup
gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even
when their overall caloric intake was the same. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100322121115.htm
Discovery of 'fat' taste
could hold the key to reducing obesity
ScienceDaily (Mar. 10, 2010) — A newly discovered ability for people to taste fat could hold the key to reducing obesity, Deakin University health researchers believe. Deakin researchers Dr Russell Keast and PhD student Jessica Stewart, working with colleagues at the University of Adelaide, CSIRO, and Massey University (New Zealand), have found that humans can detect a sixth taste -- fat. They also found that people with a high sensitivity to the taste of fat tended to eat less fatty foods and were less likely to be overweight. The results of their research are published in the latest issue of the British Journal of Nutrition.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100310164011.htm
Don’t blame fast food for making you fat: Fat epidemic linked to chemicals run
amok
Msnbc.com
(Mar. 8, 2010) – by Stephen Perrine with Heather Hurlock. It's not just about calories in versus
calories out. If that were all it took to
lose weight — eating a little less and exercising a little more — then weight
loss would be as simple as grade-school math: Subtract Y from Z and end up with
X. But if you've ever followed a diet
program and achieved less than your desired result, you probably came away
feeling frustrated, depressed, and maybe a bit guilty. What did I do wrong?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35315651/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/?sms_ss=email
Intestinal bacteria drive
obesity and metabolic disease in immune-altered mice
ScienceDaily (Mar. 8, 2010) — Increased appetite and insulin resistance can be transferred from one mouse to another via intestinal bacteria, according to research being published online by Science magazine. The finding strengthens the case that intestinal bacteria can contribute to human obesity and metabolic disease, since previous research has shown that intestinal bacterial populations differ between obese and lean humans.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100304142232.htm
Eating Disorders Awareness Week:
The need for increased education, effective treatment and
prevention
Huffingtonpost.com (Feb. 23, 2010) by Susan Blumenthal, MD & Beth Hoffman —
This week
(February 21st--27th) is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, seven days
designated by the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) to raise
awareness about the prevalence, impact and public health significance of these
disabling and potentially life-threatening illnesses. When most people
think of someone with an eating disorder, the first image that comes to mind is
often that of a young, emaciated woman. But this image does not accurately
reflect the clinical picture of eating disorders in America and worldwide.
Eating disorders are mental illnesses characterized by abnormal eating behavior
and obsessive thoughts about food and weight. Someone with an eating disorder
can be normal weight, underweight, or overweight. Eating disorders are
pervasive, affecting up to 24 million Americans and 70 million individuals
worldwide. Once thought of as diseases of upper-middle class adolescents,
recent research has shown that eating disorders cross racial, religious,
ethnic, and socio-economic lines and that 10-15% of those suffering with eating
disorders are men. Anorexia is now the 3rd most common chronic illness among
adolescent women, and the percentage of college students dieting, purging, or
taking laxatives to lose weight has increased in the past decade from about 28
to 38%. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-blumenthal/eating-disorders-awarenes_b_473050.html
Sugar may be bad but this sweetener is far more deadly
Huffingtonpost.com (Feb. 17, 2010) by Dr. Joseph Mercola — Study after study are taking their place in a growing lineup of scientific research demonstrating that consuming high-fructose corn syrup is the fastest way to trash your health. It is now known without a doubt that sugar in your food, in all it's myriad of forms, is taking a devastating toll. And fructose in any form -- including high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and crystalline fructose -- is the worst of the worst!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/sugar-may-be-bad-but-this_b_463655.html
Heavy kids, heavy emotions: Shame, stress and depression often spur
further weight gain
msnbc.com (Feb. 14, 2010) by Jeanna Bryner - The
ballooning waistlines of children hit the spotlight when Michelle Obama
admitted publicly her daughters had an unhealthy body mass index. And while
many urge kids to slim down to avoid heart disease and other physical ailments,
the emotional consequences from teasing and low self-esteem could be just as
debilitating, scientists say.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35369009/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/?sms_ss=email
Chocoholic mice fear no pain
ScienceDaily (Feb. 11, 2010) — Ever get a buzz from eating chocolate? A study published in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience has shown that chocolate-craving mice are ready to tolerate electric shocks to get their fix
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208144848.htm
Intense sweets taste especially good to some kids
ScienceDaily (Feb. 11, 2010) — New research from the Monell Center reports that children's response to intense sweet taste is related to both a family history of alcoholism and the child's own self-reports of depression. The findings illustrate how liking for sweets differs among children based on underlying familial and biological factors.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100210074950.htm
Some morbidly obese people are missing genes, shows new
research
ScienceDaily (Feb. 4, 2010) — A small but
significant proportion of morbidly obese people are missing a section of their
DNA, according to research published February 3 in Nature. The authors of the
study, from Imperial College London and ten other European Centres, say that
missing DNA such as that identified in this research may be having a dramatic
effect on some people's weight.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203131401.htm?sms_ss=email
2009
Why some continue to eat when full: Researchers find clues
ScienceDaily (Dec. 28, 2009) — The premise that hunger makes food look more appealing is a widely held belief -- just ask those who cruise grocery store aisles on an empty stomach, only to go home with a full basket and an empty wallet. Prior research studies have suggested that the so-called hunger hormone ghrelin, which the body produces when it's hungry, might act on the brain to trigger this behavior. New research in mice by UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists suggest that ghrelin might also work in the brain to make some people keep eating "pleasurable" foods when they're already full.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091228090539.htm
Long-term physical activity has an anti-aging effect at the cellular level
ScienceDaily (Dec. 2, 2009) — Intensive exercise prevented shortening of telomeres, a protective effect against aging of the cardiovascular system, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association…"This is direct evidence of an anti-aging effect of physical exercise. Physical exercise could prevent the aging of the cardiovascular system…"
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091130161806.htm
When you eat may be just as vital to your health as what
you eat
ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2009) — When you eat may be just as vital to your health as what you eat, found researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Their experiments in mice revealed that the daily waxing and waning of thousands of genes in the liver -- the body's metabolic clearinghouse -- is mostly controlled by food intake and not by the body's circadian clock as conventional wisdom had it.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091125094321.htm
Integrative mental health: a new model for depression relief
Huffingtonpost.com (Nov. 18, 2009) by Dr. Andrew Weil —
The World Health Organization has predicted that by 2030, more people will be
affected by depression than any other health problem. Yet of all the
dysfunctions of modern medicine, the way we treat depression may be the worst
…a complex, multifaceted problem is frequently treated with an oversimplified,
expensive therapy that, sadly, is often ineffective.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/integrative-mental-health_b_354332.html
Dopamine enhances expectation of pleasure in humans
ScienceDaily (Nov. 15, 2009) — Enhancing the effects of the brain chemical dopamine influences how people make life choices by affecting expectations of pleasure, according to new research from the UCL Institute of Neurology. The study, published in Current Biology, confirms an important role for dopamine in how human expectations are formed and how people make complex decisions. It also contributes to an understanding of how pleasure expectation can go awry, for example in drug addiction. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112121603.htm
'Spoonful of sugar' makes the worms' life span go down
ScienceDaily (Nov. 5, 2009) — If worms are any indication, all the sugar in your diet could spell much more than obesity and type 2 diabetes. Researchers reporting in the November issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, say it might also be taking years off your life.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103121605.htm
Eating quickly is associated with overeating, study indicates
ScienceDaily (Nov. 4, 2009) — According to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), eating a meal quickly, as compared to slowly, curtails the release of hormones in the gut that induce feelings of being full. The decreased release of these hormones, can often lead to overeating. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104085230.htm
Are your food allergies making you fat?
Huffingtonpost.com (Nov. 3, 2009) by Mark Hyman, MD — Your digestive
system may be making you fat. It's hard to believe - but very true! Today, I'm going to explain the bugs in your
digestive tract, why they upset your gut's immune system, and how they just
might be behind those extra pounds.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/are-your-food-allergies-m_b_339323.html
Rats with part of brain
deactivated move toward food but do not eat
ScienceDaily (Sep. 9, 2009) — Scientists led a rat to the fatty food, but they couldn’t make it eat. Using an animal model of binge eating, University of Missouri researchers discovered that deactivating the basolateral amygdala, a brain region involved in regulating emotion, specifically blocked consumption of a fatty diet. Surprisingly, it had no effect on the rat wanting to look for the food repeatedly. “It appears that two different brain circuits control the motivation to seek and consume,” said Matthew Will, assistant professor of psychological sciences in the MU College of Arts and Science and investigator in the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908151334.htm
Do high-fat diets make us stupid and lazy? Physical and memory abilities of rats affected after 9 days
ScienceDaily (Sep. 5, 2009) — Rats fed a high-fat diet show a stark reduction in their physical endurance and a decline in their cognitive ability after just nine days, a study by Oxford University researchers has shown. The research, funded by the British Heart Foundation and published in the FASEB Journal, may have implications not only for those eating lots of high-fat foods, but also athletes looking for the optimal diet for training and patients with metabolic disorders.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811143548.htm
Mice can eat 'junk' and not
get fat: Researchers find gene that protects high-fat-diet mice from obesity
ScienceDaily (Sep. 4, 2009) — University of Michigan researchers have identified a gene that acts as a master switch to control obesity in mice. When the switch is turned off, even high-fat-diet mice remain thin. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903163719.htm
When parents try to control
every little bite: Being too
restrictive about your child’s diet can backfire, experts say
Msnbc.com:
Health (Sep. 3, 2009) by Bridget Murray Law
— Driven by concern about childhood obesity or other food anxieties, more
nutrition-focused parents are turning into food cops, monitoring every morsel
their children eat…In fact, a recent study found that being too restrictive
about the foods children eat can cause more weight gain. Researchers from the
Center for Childhood Obesity Research at Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, found the highest weight gain among girls who considered their
parents most restrictive about eating certain foods. The study tracked 200
girls for 10 years from age 5. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32480988/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/from/ET
Psychological link between
'weight' and 'importance'
ScienceDaily (Aug. 31, 2009) — Weighty. Heavy. What do these words have to do with seriousness and importance? Why do we weigh our options, and why does your opinion carry more weight than mine? New research suggests that we can blame this on gravity. Heavy objects require more energy to move, and they can hurt us more if we move them clumsily. So we learn early on in life to think more and plan more when we’re dealing with heftier things. They require more cognitive effort as well as muscular effort. This leads to the intriguing possibility that the abstract concept of importance is grounded in our very real experience of weight. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831130802.htm
Scientists identify
stomach’s timekeepers of hunger
ScienceDaily (Aug. 31, 2009) — New York collaborators at Columbia and Rockefeller Universities have identified cells in the stomach that time the release of a hormone that makes animals anticipate food and eat even when they are not hungry. The finding, which has implications for the treatment of obesity, marks a landmark in the decades-long search for the timekeepers of hunger. The work reveals what the stomach “tells” the brain.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090829092042.htm
Heat forms potentially
harmful substance in high-fructose corn syrup, bee study finds
ScienceDaily (Aug. 27, 2009) — Researchers have established the conditions that foster formation of potentially dangerous levels of a toxic substance in the high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) that is often fed to honey bees. Their study, which appears in the current issue of ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, may also have implications for soft drinks and dozens of other human foods that contain HFCS. The substance, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), forms mainly from heating fructose.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826110118.htm
The fat wars: America's
weight rage—America's war on the overweight
Newsweek (August 26, 2009) by Kate Dailey and Abby Ellin — Anti-fat rhetoric is getting nastier than ever. Why our overweight nation hates overweight people. http://www.newsweek.com/id/213646
Excessive exercise can be addicting, new study says
ScienceDaily (Aug. 18, 2009) — Although exercise is good for your health, extreme exercise may be physically addicting. Rats given a drug that produces withdrawal in heroin addicts went into withdrawal after running excessively in exercise wheels, according to new research. Rats that ran the hardest had the most severe withdrawal symptoms.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817143600.htm
High-fat, high-sugar foods alter brain receptors
ScienceDaily (Aug. 6, 2009) — Overconsumption of fatty, sugary foods leads to changes in brain receptors, according to new animal research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The new research results are being presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB). The results have implications for understanding bulimia and other binge eating disorders. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727102024.htm
Immune system may help fight obesity
Toronto Star (July 27, 2009) by Joseph Hall — The body's immune system targets its own fat and may soon be manipulated to fight epidemic obesity and diabetes, a revolutionary Toronto study has found. http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/672237
Get fat, live longer: What
the obesity industry doesn't want you to know
Globe and Mail: Opinion (July 25, 2009) by Margaret Wente — A new study based on Statistics Canada population data reaches an exceedingly awkward conclusion: People who are overweight live longer than people who are classified as “normal” weight. Not only that, people who are classified as significantly overweight also live longer.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/get-fat-live-longer/article1230784/
Eating high levels of
fructose impairs memory in rats
ScienceDaily (July 16, 2009) — Researchers at Georgia State University have found that diets high in fructose — a type of sugar found in most processed foods and beverages — impaired the spatial memory of adult rats.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090716113247.htm
When eating disorders strike in midlife
New York Times: Health (July 13, 2009) by Randi Hutter Epstein — No one has precise statistics on who is affected by eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia, often marked by severe weight loss, or binge eating, which can lead to obesity. But experts say that in the past 10 years they are treating an increasing number of women over 30 who are starving themselves, abusing laxatives, exercising to dangerous extremes and engaging in all of the self-destructive activities that had, for so long, been considered teenage behaviors.
http://health.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-eating-disorders-ess.html?ref=health
Reduced diet thwarts aging, disease in monkeys
ScienceDaily (July 10, 2009) — The bottom-line message from a decades-long study of monkeys on a restricted diet is simple: Consuming fewer calories leads to a longer, healthier life.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709110836.htm
8 ways the food industry
hijacks your brain: Overeating doesn't
only affect people who are overweight
MSNBC.com (July 10, 2009) — In the 21st century the food industry is creating and marketing unhealthy food in much the same way that tobacco companies manufactured and sold cigarettes in the 20th century… more than 70 million Americans have become conditioned to overeat, and it affects people of all different weights. Dr. David A. Kessler, the dynamic and controversial former head of the Food and Drug Administration who took on big tobacco in the 1990s, now takes on the food industry …[and] pulls back the curtain to reveal how the food industry and its scientists really operate.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31832558/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/
Finding Fear:
Neuroscientists locate where it is stored in the brain
ScienceDaily (July 8, 2009) — Fear is a powerful emotion, and neuroscientists have for the first time located the neurons responsible for fear conditioning in the mammalian brain. Fear conditioning is a form of Pavlovian, or associative, learning and is considered to be a model system for understanding human phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707093753.htm
Sip ’n starve: Dangerous
diets in disguise: Scary cleanses,
detoxes and fasts are wrongly touted as healthy
MSNBC.com/Self
(July 2, 2009) by Janelle Brown — Some women in Los Angeles are forswearing
dieting and embracing a new euphemism for it: cleansing. In reality, however,
lemon juice is not a meal, and taken to extremes, cleansing is anything but healthy.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31329422/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/
A biology of mental disorder
Newsweek (June 27, 2009, from the July 13, 2009 magazine issue) by Eric Kandel — Understanding the biology of mental illness would be a paradigm shift in our thinking about mind…The most convincing scientific progress in psychiatry in the past decade has had little to do with genomics. It is the rigorous, scientific verification that certain forms of psychotherapy are effective. This is perhaps not surprising. One of the major insights in the modern biology of learning and memory is that education, experience, and social interactions affect the brain. http://www.newsweek.com/id/204320
How the food makers captured
our brains
New York Times: Health/Well (June 22, 2009) by Tara Parker-Pope
As head of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. David A. Kessler served two presidents and battled Congress and Big Tobacco. But the Harvard-educated pediatrician discovered he was helpless against the forces of a chocolate chip cookie…The result of Dr. Kessler’s quest is a fascinating new book, “The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite” (Rodale). http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/health/23well.html?_r=1&ref=health
‘Phantom fat’ can linger
after weight loss: Losing pounds doesn't automatically shed larger-than-life
self-image
MSNBC.com (June 23, 2009) by Jacqueline Stenson — Even though Kellylyn Hicks has lost about 85 pounds over the last year and a half, and gone from a size 24 to a tiny size 4, she still worries she won't fit into chairs…Some specialists use the term “phantom fat” to refer to this phenomenon of feeling fat and unacceptable after weight loss.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31489881/ns/health-womens_health/
How obesity increases the risk for diabetes
ScienceDaily (June 22, 2009) — Obesity is probably the most important factor in the development of insulin resistance, but science's understanding of the chain of events is still spotty. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have filled in the gap and identified the missing link between the two. Their findings, to be published in the June 21, 2009 advance online edition of the journal Nature, explain how obesity sets the stage for diabetes and why thin people can become insulin-resistant.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090621143236.htm
Obesity surgery may thin
bones, causing breaks: Bariatric patients may be more likely to fracture hands
or feet, study says
MSNBC.com/Health (June 15, 2009) —WASHINGTON - It isn't just the thunder thighs that shrink after obesity surgery. Melting fat somehow thins bones, too. Doctors don't yet know how likely patients' bones are to thin enough to break in the years after surgery. But one of the first attempts to tell suggests they might have twice the average person's risk,
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31374099/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/
Study offers clues to why people overeat
New York Times: Health (June 10, 2009) by Roni Caryn Rabin
People usually gain weight because
they overeat, but what makes them overeat? A new study suggests that obese
people have a different physiological response to food: they continue to
salivate longer in response to a new taste than do people of normal weight.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/health/10eating.html?ref=health
Fatty foods -- not empty stomach -- fire up hunger hormone
ScienceDaily (June 8, 2009) — New research led by the University of Cincinnati (UC) suggests that the hunger hormone ghrelin is activated by fats from the foods we eat—not those made in the body—in order to optimize nutrient metabolism and promote the storage of body fat. The findings, the study's author says, turn the current model about ghrelin on its head and point to a novel stomach enzyme (GOAT) responsible for the ghrelin activation process that could be targeted in future treatments for metabolic diseases. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090605151351.htm
Does this show make me look fat?
Ryerson University: Research News (June 25, 2009) — Dr.
Stephen Want, Assistant Professor in Ryerson
University's Department of Psychology looked at the impact of television
programs on young women's body image using the sitcom Friends. He found that
watching this program had a significantly adverse effect on the participants'
satisfaction with their own appearance.
http://www.ryerson.ca/news/media/General_Public/20090625_rn_friends.html
New obesity surgery leaves
no scars: Experimental procedure aims to reduce pain, speed recovery
MSNBC.com/Associated Press (June 3, 2009) — Doctors are testing a new kind of obesity surgery without any cuts through the abdomen, snaking a tube as thick as a garden hose down the throat to snap staples into the stomach. The experimental, scar-free procedure creates a narrow passage that slows the food as it moves from the upper stomach into the lower stomach, helping patients feel full more quickly and eat less. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31090449/
Flipping the brain's addiction switch without drugs
ScienceDaily (May 29, 2009) — When someone
becomes dependent on drugs or alcohol, the brain's pleasure center gets
hijacked, disrupting the normal functioning of its reward circuitry. Researchers investigating this addiction
"switch" have now implicated a naturally occurring protein, a dose of
which allowed them to get rats hooked with no drugs at all.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528142825.htm
Avoiding the midlife diet
crisis: Beat a slowing metabolism with some easy nutrition fixes
MSNBC.com (May 29, 2009) by Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D. — While time may adorn you with new lines on your face, a new color hair (gray) and a new waistline, the passing decades are not to blame for all of the changes in your body. Your eating habits, your attitude and your approach to everyday experiences also play key roles.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30966467/
Exercise not likely to rev up
your metabolism: Studies bust myth that
working out gives you a fat-burning boost
MSNBC.com (May 26, 2009) by Jacqueline Stenson — Start exercising and you’ll become a round-the-clock, fat-burning machine, right? That’s long been a commonly held belief among exercisers and fitness experts alike. But a new report finds that, sadly, it’s not very likely. The notion that exercise somehow boosts the body’s ability to burn fat for as long as 24 hours after a workout has led to a misperception among the general public that diet doesn’t matter so much as long as one exercises, says Edward Melanson, an exercise physiologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30826120/
Childhood: food allergies may be linked to obesity
New York Times (May 25, 2009) by Nicholas Bakalar — Reducing childhood obesity may have yet another benefit: lowering the incidence of food allergies. Researchers studying more than 4,000 children ages 2 to 19 enrolled in a larger survey of childhood health found a significant association of overweight and obesity with allergic reactions to eggs, peanuts and other common allergens. For example, overweight and obese children were over 50 percent more likely than those of normal weight to be allergic to milk. Over all, the obese and overweight children were about 25 percent more likely to have one or more food allergies.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/health/research/26child.html?_r=1&ref=health
Molecular link between sleep and weight gain
ScienceDaily (May 23, 2009) — There
appears to be a link between sleep and weight control, with some studies
indicating that sleep disruption can increase weight gain and others that diet
affects sleep. Victor Uebele and colleagues, at Merck Research Laboratories,
West Point, have now provided further evidence to support this association by
showing that T-type calcium channels regulate body weight maintenance and sleep
in mice. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518172444.htm
Teens who think they’re overweight more likely to try suicide
ScienceDaily (May 21, 2009) — Being overweight — or simply believing they are overweight — might predispose some U.S. teens to suicide attempts, according to a new study. The study looked at more than 14,000 high school students to determine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and suicide attempts, as well as the relationship between believing one is overweight — whether true or not —and suicide attempts.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090520064349.htm
Feeding behaviors in
monkeys and humans have ancient, shared roots, Bolivian Rainforest study
suggests
ScienceDaily (May 20, 2009) — Behavioural ecologists working in Bolivia have found that wild spider monkeys control their diets in a similar way to humans, contrary to what has been thought up to now. Rather than trying to maximize their daily energy intake, the monkeys tightly regulate their daily protein intake, so that it stays at the same level regardless of seasonal variation in the availability of different foods. Tight regulation of daily protein intake is known to play a role in the development of obesity in humans, and the findings from this research suggest that the evolutionary origins of these eating patterns in humans may be far older than suspected. Until now it was thought humans' eating patterns originated in the Palaeolithic era (between 2.4 million and 10,000 years ago). http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519214940.htm
Brain's organization switches as children become adults
ScienceDaily (May 17, 2009) — Any child confronting an outraged parent demanding to know "What were you thinking?" now has a new response: "Scientists have discovered that my brain is organized differently from yours."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090515093228.htm
One in five obese women select
overweight or obese silhouettes as their ideal body image
ScienceDaily (May 14, 2009) — For many women, body image is a constant struggle; a poor self-image can lead to a host of both mental and physical health problems. But a new study out of Temple University finds that an extremely good body image can also take its toll on a woman's health. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507145747.htm
Blow your diet? Blame your brain: low-fat labels and encouraging exercise can backfire
MSNBC.com (May 13, 2009) by Linda Carroll — Ever make a resolution to go out and exercise and end up grabbing a gooey chocolate cupcake instead? No matter how good our intentions are, sometimes it seems like our stomachs are out to sabotage us. Scientists are now starting to understand why this happens. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30702871/
Brain chemical reduces anxiety, increases survival of new cells
ScienceDaily (May 13, 2009) — New research on a brain chemical involved in development sheds light on why some individuals may be predisposed to anxiety. It also strengthens understanding of cellular processes that may be common to anxiety and depression, and suggests how lifestyle changes may help overcome both.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090512193229.htm
Does mom know when enough is enough? Missed satiety cues from infants linked to obesity
ScienceDaily (May 12, 2009) — As the
childhood obesity epidemic in the United States continues, researchers are
examining whether early parent and child behaviors contribute to the problem. A
study from the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers University,
published in the May/June 2009 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education
and Behavior reports that mothers who miss signs of satiety in their
infants tend to overfeed them, leading to excess weight gains during the 6
month to 1 year period. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511091912.htm
Brain's problem-solving function at work when we daydream
ScienceDaily (May 12, 2009) — A new
University of British Columbia study finds that our brains are much more active
when we daydream than previously thought.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, finds that activity in numerous brain regions increases when our
minds wander. It also finds that brain areas associated with complex problem-solving
– previously thought to go dormant when we daydream – are in fact highly active
during these episodes. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511180702.htm
Vitamins found to curb exercise benefits
New York Times: (May 11, 2009) by Nicholas Wade — If you exercise to improve your metabolism and prevent diabetes, you may want to avoid antioxidants like vitamins C and E. That is the message of a surprising new look at the body’s reaction to exercise, reported on Monday by researchers in Germany and Boston.
Poll: Women value weight over physical health: Half dislike their weight, a third unhappy about body condition, survey finds
Associated Press: (May 11, 2009) — Scan the breathless headlines at any magazine rack — Fight Flab in Minutes! Get Beach Ready! Add the skinny yet buxom model, and it should be no surprise that the average woman feels insecure if not downright unhappy with her real-world figure. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30687221/
Increased food intake alone explains rise in obesity in United States, study finds
ScienceDaily (May 8, 2009) — New research that uses an innovative approach to study, for the first time, the relative contributions of food and exercise habits to the development of the obesity epidemic has concluded that the rise in obesity in the United States since the 1970s was virtually all due to increased energy intake.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090508045321.htm
Maternal Mirrors: Two new books look at the influence mothers have on their daughters' body image—and how women can instill confidence instead of insecurity.
Newsweek: Her Body (May 6, 2009) by Barbara
Kantrowitz and Pat Wingert — The next time you take a look in the mirror and
find yourself asking, "Does my butt look fat in this dress?," it
might be worth also asking whether you should thank your mom for such thoughts.
That's the thesis of two new books that explore the influence of mothers
on their daughters' developing body images. These aren't the typical
"blame mom for everything" tomes that we usually want to toss against
a wall. (After all, we are moms ourselves—as well as daughters.) Rather, both
books—one by journalist Dara Chadwick and the other by Laura Arens Fuerstein, a
therapist—offer reassuring and practical advice for raising confident daughters
and overcoming negative messages you may have received from your own mother.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/195987
Help for addicts may come in
form of questions: New program aims to help health workers ID addiction clues,
provide aid
MSNBC.com (May 4, 2009) — If more doctors started asking, would more drug and alcohol abusers 'fess up so they could get help? It's a huge irony of health care: Go to the emergency room and you'll be asked about a tetanus shot, even though "most of us have never seen a case of tetanus," says Dr. Gail D'Onofrio, emergency medicine chief at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30564716/from/ET/
Dietary fats trigger long-term memory formation
ScienceDaily (May 3, 2009) — Having strong memories of that rich, delicious dessert you ate last night? If so, you shouldn't feel like a glutton. It's only natural. UC Irvine researchers have found that eating fat-rich foods triggers the formation of long-term memories of that activity. The study adds to their recent work linking dietary fats to appetite control and may herald new approaches for treating obesity and other eating disorders.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090427193236.htm
Can't curb your enthusiasm for food? Blame the brain
CBC News: Food (Apr. 30, 2009) — Next time you give in to that craving for a chocolate bar as your energy levels take a mid-afternoon dip, you could be justified in saying that your brain made you do it. A new study published in the May 1 issue of the journal Science concluded there are differences in the brains of people who are good at controlling their urges versus those who find it almost impossible . . .The research was conducted by scientists at the California Institute of Technology. The study involved dieters, but the scientists say their findings could also be applied to addictions, illegal behaviour and risky financial decisions since each involves willpower. http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/04/30/blamethebrain.html
Depression linked with accumulation of visceral fat
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2009) — Numerous studies have shown that depression is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, but exactly how has never been clear. Now, researchers at Rush University Medical Center have shown that depression is linked with the accumulation of visceral fat, the kind of fat packed between internal organs at the waistline, which has long been known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090428124358.htm
Dieters' best intentions hijacked by their brains
MSNBC.com (Apr. 20, 2009) — New research suggests millions have their best intentions foiled by "conditioned hypereating" - the drive to eat high-fat, high-sugar foods even when they're not hungry. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30312808/from/ET/
Binge eating: when perfection unravels
ScienceDaily (Apr. 20, 2009) — In everyday life, someone who takes a perfectionist’s approach to activities might be admired or even rewarded with a pat on the back. These attitudes are tied to a commonly held, but mistaken, belief that perfectionism will ultimately produce achievement and social success. But a psychologist warns that perfectionism is not a healthy, or even effective, approach to life’s challenges.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090418081930.htm
Human brains make their own 'marijuana'
ScienceDaily (Apr. 20, 2009) — U.S. and Brazilian scientists have discovered that the brain manufactures proteins that act like marijuana at specific receptors in the brain itself. This discovery may lead to new marijuana-like drugs for managing pain, stimulating appetite, and preventing marijuana abuse.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090420151240.htm
New sweetener not so sweet for your diet
MSNBC.com (Apr. 17, 2009) — Stevia, an extract nearly 300 times more potent than sugar, the no-fat, no-calorie sweetener that soda and juice lovers have been thirsting for? No, say nutritionists. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30195885/from/ET/
Factors other than genes could cause obesity, insulin study shows
ScienceDaily (Apr. 15, 2009) — Researchers have uncovered new evidence suggesting factors other than genes could cause obesity, finding that genetically identical cells store widely differing amounts of fat depending on subtle variations in how cells process insulin.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414153525.htm
Adults have brown fat too, studies find
New York Times: Health/Research (Apr. 09, 2009) by Gina Kolata — Originally believed to be lost after infancy, calorie-burning brown fat has been discovered in adults. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/health/research/09fat.html?emc=eta1
Young vegetarians may have healthier diets but could be at risk for disordered eating behaviors
ScienceDaily (Apr. 2, 2009) — Although adolescent and young adult vegetarians may eat a healthier diet, there is some evidence that they may be at increased risk for disordered eating behaviors. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401101747.htm
Early brain marker for familial form of depression: structural changes in brain's cortex
ScienceDaily (Mar. 26, 2009) — Findings from one of the largest-ever imaging studies of depression indicate that a structural difference in the brain – a thinning of the right hemisphere – appears to be linked to a higher risk for depression, according to new research at Columbia University Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090324081437.htm
Children who are dissatisfied with their appearance often have problems with their peer group
ScienceDaily (Mar. 18, 2009) — Being satisfied with one's appearance is one of the most important prerequisites for a positive self image. However, in today's appearance culture it is the rule rather than the exception that children and young people are dissatisfied with their appearance.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090318140234.htm
High fructose corn syrup: How dangerous is it?
Prevention.com (Mar. 18, 2009) — In the grand tradition of nutritional scapegoating, high fructose corn syrup has stepped into the spotlight as dietary enemy number one. It's an easy target. What's the real story? http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/high-fructose-corn-syrup/7f2366457bb10210VgnVCM10000013281eac____/news.voices/in.the.magazine/may.2009.issue
Emotions can help predict
future eating disorders
ScienceDaily (Mar. 17, 2009) — A PhD thesis at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has analysed the role played by a number of emotional variables, such as the way in which negative emotions are controlled or attitudes to emotional expression, and to use these variables as tools to predict the possibility of suffering an eating disorder.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090317095018.htm
Genetics of fear: Specific genetic variations contribute to anxiety disorders, study suggests
ScienceDaily (Mar. 11, 2009) — Polymorphisms are variations in genes which can result in changes in the way a particular gene functions and thus may be associated with susceptibility to common diseases. In a new study in Psychological Science, psychologist Tina B. Lonsdorf and her colleagues from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the University of Greifswald in Germany examined the effect of specific polymorphisms on how fear is learned and how that fear is subsequently overcome.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090310161503.htm
10 nutrition myths: balanced eating tips
CBC.ca (Mar. 11, 2009) — We'd all like to eat a little better. Maybe pack a few more fruits and vegetables into our diet while cutting back on the stuff that's not so good for us. But what do you cut out of your diet and what do you keep in? There's a lot of information out there, and it's not always easy to figure out what's fact and what's fiction. Copyright 2009 CBC, All Rights Reserved. http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/03/11/f-nutritionmyths.html
Salt might be 'nature's antidepressant'
ScienceDaily (Mar. 11, 2009) — Most people consume far too much salt, and a University of Iowa researcher has discovered one potential reason we crave it: it might put us in a better mood.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090310152329.htm
Not so sweet: Over-consumption of sugar linked to aging
ScienceDaily (Mar. 9, 2009) — We know that lifespan can be extended in animals by restricting calories such as sugar intake. Now, according to a study published in the journal PLoS Genetics, Université de Montréal scientists have discovered that it's not sugar itself that is important in this process but the ability of cells to sense its presence.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090305204328.htm
Scars of child abuse reach down to genetic level, scientists find
CBC.ca
(Feb 23, 2009) — Child abuse early in life appears to permanently change how
people respond to stress, say researchers in Montreal who studied the brains of
suicide victims.
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/02/23/child-abuse-brain.html
Survey puts new focus on binge eating as a diagnosis
New York Times (Feb 13, 2009), by Nicholas Bakalar — Binge eating is not yet officially classified as a
psychiatric disorder. But it may be more common than the two eating disorders
now recognized, anorexia nervosa and bulimia.
The first nationally representative study of eating disorders in the
United States, a nationwide survey of more than 2,900 men and women, was
published by Harvard researchers in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal Biological
Psychiatry. It found prevalence in the general population of 0.6 percent
for anorexia, 1 percent for bulimia and 2.8 percent for binge-eating disorder.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9903E0D91F3FF930A25751C0A9619C8B63&sec=&spon=
Boys have greater psychological well-being than girls, due to better physical self-concept, study finds
ScienceDaily (Feb. 12, 2009) — A PhD thesis defended at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has investigated the relationship between adolescents’ perception of their physical qualities and their psychological well-being and unwellness.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203081618.htm
Think 30 minutes of exercise cuts it? Try 50
Msnbc.com
(Feb. 10, 2009) — Greater amounts of physical activity than currently
recommended may be necessary to prevent people from gaining weight, according
to updated guidelines.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29122093/from/ET/
Is your diet making you
fat? Why some slimming strategies backfire
— and fixes to help reach your goal
Msnbc.com / Prevention (Feb. 8, 2009) — If you're trying to slim down, you've probably amassed a menu full of calorie-cutting tips and tricks. So it may come as a shock to learn that many of the ones you've sworn by are actually keeping you fat. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28619575/from/ET/
Eating less may not extend human life: caloric restriction may benefit only obese mice
ScienceDaily (Jan. 26, 2009) — If you are a mouse on the chubby side, then eating less may help you live longer. For lean mice – and possibly for lean humans, the authors of a new study predict – the anti-aging strategy known as caloric restriction may be a pointless, frustrating and even dangerous exercise. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090123101224.htm
Why women should feel good naked
CNN.com / Oprah.com (Jan. 23, 2009) — For years Laure Redmond hated her body: too fat, too freckled, too lumpy, too stumpy. And that hatred was like a set of shackles holding her back from life. Author says she finds that women comfortable with their own body are nicer to other women. Now a self-esteem coach who specializes in mind/body issues, Redmond has made a career of helping women and teenage girls get over what she calls their body demons. Her goal for them is summed up in the title of her 2001 book: "Feel Good Naked." It's not about naked for naked's sake, she says it's about the amazing confidence that comes with being at ease in your own skin. http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/01/23/o.nude.attitude/index.html
Study: Men's brains fight food urges better
CNN.com / Health (Jan. 19, 2009) by Anne Harding — PET scans of brains of 23 people were observed, while they looked at favorite foods. Women's brain activity didn't change when asked to suppress desire. Men showed less activation in brain involved in emotional regulation and motivation. Men may have better tools for appetite control
http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&etMailToID=1845225782
Fit older women have better brain function: Study
Thestar.com / The Canadian Press (Jan. 8, 2009) by Sheryl Ubelacker — Regular physical activity is known to improve cognitive ability and help stave off dementia, and now Canadian researchers think they know why. http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/564221
Brain circuit abnormalities may underlie bulimia nervosa in women
ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2009) — Women with bulimia nervosa appear to respond more impulsively during psychological testing than those without eating disorders, and brain scans show differences in areas responsible for regulating behavior, according to a new report.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090105175031.htm
Diet, not exercise, plays key role in weight loss. Study: Better nutrition trumps physical activity in avoiding obesity
MSNBC.com (Jan. 6, 2009) by LiveScience Staff — Physical activity has many proven benefits. It strengthens bones and muscles, improves mental health and mood, lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, breast cancer and colon cancer. Exercise is also good for your brain.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28524942/from/ET/
Food dance gets new life when bees get cocaine
New York Times: Science (Jan 5, 2009) by Pam Belluck — Buzz has a whole new meaning now that scientists are giving bees cocaine. To learn more about the biochemistry of addiction, scientists in Australia dropped liquefied freebase cocaine on bees’ backs, so it entered the circulatory system and brain. The scientists found that bees react much like humans do: cocaine alters their judgment, stimulates their behavior and makes them exaggeratedly enthusiastic about things that might not otherwise excite them. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/science/06bees.html
2008
Another reason to avoid high-fat diet: it can disrupt our biological clock, say researchers
ScienceDaily (Dec. 31, 2008) — Indulgence in a high-fat diet can not only lead to overweight because of excessive calorie intake, but also can affect the balance of circadian rhythms – everyone’s 24-hour biological clock, Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have shown.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081228191054.htm
One tiny truffle may lead to more indulgence: Giving in triggers urge for more lavish luxuries, Florida researchers find
MSNBC.com (Dec. 19, 2008) — Researchers say they've uncovered a key to why some people overindulge in fattening foods, buy more than they want and party too much - and why others seem immune. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28298157/from/ET/
Brain enzyme may play key role in controlling appetite and weight gain
ScienceDaily (Dec. 16, 2008) — Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that overactivity of a brain enzyme may play a role in preventing weight gain and obesity. The findings were reported in Cell Metabolism.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081212141845.htm
Obesity all in your head? Brain genes associated with increased body mass
ScienceDaily (Dec. 15, 2008) — Is obesity all in your head? New research suggests that genes that predispose people to obesity act in the brain and that perhaps some people are simply hardwired to overeat.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081214190959.htm
Study: Six new gene mutations linked to obesity
MSNBC.com (Dec. 14, 2008) — Researchers have identified six new gene mutations linked to obesity and said on Sunday they point to ways the brain and nervous system control eating and metabolism. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28222722/from/ET/
Keeping the weight off: which obesity treatment is most successful?
ScienceDaily (Dec. 12, 2008) — Severely obese patients who have lost significant amounts of weight by changing their diet and exercise habits may be as successful in keeping the weight off long-term as those individuals who lost weight after bariatric surgery, according to a new study published online by the International Journal of Obesity.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081208123257.htm
Sugar can be addictive: animal studies show sugar dependence
ScienceDaily (Dec. 11, 2008) — A Princeton University scientist will present new evidence today demonstrating that sugar can be an addictive substance, wielding its power over the brains of lab animals in a manner similar to many drugs of abuse.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210090819.htm
Gene may explain why some go for fatty foods
MSNBC.com (Dec 10, 2008) – A study of children found those with a common gene variation tends to overeat high-calorie foods. They ate 100 extra calories per meal, which over the long term can put on weight. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28161440/from/ET/
Rats show the perils of sugar addiction, researchers say
CBC News (Dec. 10, 2008) — Sugar can be addictive, wielding power over the brains of lab animals much like a craving for drugs, according to Princeton University scientists who say their findings may eventually have implications for the treatment of humans with eating disorders.
Psychologist Bart Hoebel and colleagues at the university's Neuroscience Institute have studied what they call sugar addiction in rats for years. They say their rats have met two of the three elements of addiction — they show a pattern of increased intake and then signs of withdrawal. But Hoebel's most recent experiments also demonstrate a third element — craving and relapse.
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/12/10/sugar.html
Four genes found that drive metabolism
Globe
and Mail (Nov. 28, 2008) — Variations seem to determine speed people
burn up food, researchers say, in discovery that could affect patient care
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081128.wmetabolism1128/EmailBNStory/Science/home
Eating quickly and until full triples risk of being overweight
ScienceDaily (Oct. 22, 2008) — The
combination of eating quickly and eating until full trebles the risk of being
overweight, according to a study published on the British Medical Journal
website. Until the last decade or so
most adults did not have the opportunity to consume enough energy to enable fat
to be stored. However, with the increased availability of inexpensive food in
larger portions, fast food, and fewer families eating together and eating while
distracted (e.g. while watching TV), eating behaviours are changing, and this
may be contributing to the obesity epidemic.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081021210307.htm
Losing the weight stigma
New York Times: Magazine (Oct. 05, 2008) by Robin Marantz Henig — A social movement argues that you can be healthy no matter how fat you are.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/magazine/05wwln-idealab-t.html?_r=2&emc=eta1
Serotonin link to impulsivity,
decision-making, confirmed
ScienceDaily (June 11, 2008) — New research by scientists at the University of Cambridge suggests that the neurotransmitter serotonin, which acts as a chemical messenger between nerve cells, plays a critical role in regulating emotions such as aggression during social decision-making. Serotonin has long been associated with social behaviour, but its precise involvement in impulsive aggression has been controversial. Though many have hypothesised the link between serotonin and impulsivity, this is one of the first studies to show a causal link between the two.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605150908.htm
Nearly 1 in 5 teenagers admit eating problems, but anxiety is a bigger problem than appearance
ScienceDaily (June 5, 2008) — Eighteen per cent of school children who took part in two health surveys carried out a year apart admitted they had eating problems, according to research published in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080604092852.htm
Risk factors for development of eating disorders examined
ScienceDaily (June 2, 2008) — Risk factors for binge eating and purging may vary between boys and girls and by age group in girls, according to a new report.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080602160726.htm
Monkey diets offer new clue on
binge eating: Monkeys under stress more
likely to binge on banana chips
ABC News (May 21, 2008) by Sharyn Alfonsi, Kiran Khalid and Stephanie Dahle — Many believe the worst day at work can be curbed by inhaling a big tub of ice cream, but now scientists have found new evidence suggesting that bingeing isn't our fault -- it's biology. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=4900179&page=1
Girls with ADHD more likely to develop eating disorders: study
CBC News (Mar. 17, 2008) — Teen girls who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may have a much higher risk of developing eating disorders than girls without ADHD, a new U.S. study suggests. Symptoms of ADHD can include a short attention span, a low level of organization, excessive talking, aggressive gestures and irritability. It affects five per cent of school-age children, according to the study's authors. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Virginia, found that girls with ADHD were more likely to develop eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa, in which a person first binges on food and then vomits to prevent weight gain. http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/03/17/adhd--study.html
Weighty Matters: We know that the trend toward
super-thin models is pushing some of them to go on potentially deadly diets.
What's it doing to the rest of us?
Newsweek
(Feb 20, 2008) by Jessica Bennett, Sarah Childress and Susanna
Schrobsdorff — The spectre of dangerously thin models has
raised its beautiful, lolling head once again, this time at New York's Fashion
Week, which ends Friday. Stung by negative publicity about boney apparitions on
the catwalks, the fashion industry invited eating-disorder experts to an
unprecedented symposium on the subject in the tents at Bryant Park. It was
quite a spectacle.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/113689
2007 and earlier
For the overweight, bad advice by the spoonful
New
York Times: Health Guide (Aug. 30, 2007) by Gina Kolata — Two-thirds
of Americans are overweight or obese. For most, research shows, neither diets
nor moderate exercise brings significant long-term weight loss. In brief:
weight control is not simply a
matter of willpower; genes help determine the body's "set point,"
which is defended by the brain; dieting alone is rarely successful, and relapse
rates are high; moderate exercise, too, rarely results in substantive long-term
weight loss, which requires intensive exercise.
http://health.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-obesity-ess.html
Genetic link found for obesity
CBC.ca (Apr. 12, 2007) — A gene variant common in the European population has been discovered that shows the first clear link to obesity, researchers say. http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/04/12/obesity-gene.html
Binge eating more common than other eating disorders, survey finds
ScienceDaily (Feb. 4, 2007) — The first national survey of individuals with eating disorders shows that binge eating disorder is more prevalent than either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. The study, conducted by researchers at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital, also calls binge eating disorder a "major public health burden" because of its direct link to severe obesity and other serious health effects. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070203103249.htm
This is your brain on chocolate
New York Times (Aug. 23, 2005) by Donald G. McNeil Jr. — You remember Isaac Newton, his apple and the "Why didn't it fall up?" question. In the olfactory sciences, a crucial line of inquiry was opened up some years ago when a friend of a psychologist who was studying food asked, "If I hate the smell of Limburger cheese, why is it so delicious?" Researchers at Yale, the John B. Pierce Laboratory and the University of Dresden may now be closer to a biological answer. They got 11 volunteers to lie inside magnetic brain scanners . . . Four odors were pumped in: butanol, farnesol (both described as "pleasantly musky"), lavender and chocolate. Only chocolate activated two different regions. Smelled from up front, it lighted up pleasure-anticipation neurons; from the back, it lighted up food-reward neurons.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/science/23nose.html?pagewanted=print
Sorry. Your eating disorder doesn't meet our criteria.
New
York Times: Health (Nov. 30, 2004) by Robin Marantz Henig – Imagine
a 20-year-old woman who refuses to eat anything except carrots and toast because she is afraid of gaining weight, even though she is 5-foot-8 and weighs only 99 pounds. She exercises to the point of exhaustion five mornings a week because, though she is bone-thin, she thinks her thighs are too flabby. Her periods are irregular, but she has never gone more than three months without menstruating. Another woman, who is also 20 and also 5-foot-8, has an opposite eating pattern. She goes without eating all day, and starting at 6 p.m. she eats nonstop, whatever she can get her hands on. Her favorite pastime is to sit in front of the television with a gallon of mocha-chip ice cream. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/30/health/psychology/30eat.html?_r=1
The gorge-yourself environment
New York Times: Science (July 22, 2003) by Erica Goode From giant sodas to supersize burgers to all-you-can-eat buffets, America's approach to food can be summed up by one word: Big. Plates are piled high, and few crumbs are left behind. Today's blueberry muffin could, in an earlier era, have fed a family of four. But social norms change . . . Now many health experts are hoping that, in the service of combating an epidemic of obesity, the nation might be coaxed into a similar cultural shift in its eating habits.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/22/science/the-gorge-yourself-environment.html
Studies on
the dopamine connection
CBC Marketplace: Food/Junk
Food Addiction (Oct. 29, 2002) by
Reporter: Wendy Mesley; Producer: Greg Sadler; Researchers: Colman Jones,
Leonardo Palleja — Scientists at the Department of Energy's Brookhaven National
Laboratory found that dopamine, a brain chemical associated with addiction to
cocaine, alcohol, and other drugs, may also play an important role in
obesity. http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/food/junkfood_addiction/dopamine.html
Measuring brain activity in
people eating chocolate offers new clues about how the body becomes addicted
ScienceDaily (Aug. 29, 2001) — Using positron emission tomography scans to measure brain activity in people eating chocolate, a team of U.S. and Canadian neuroscientists believe they have identified areas of the brain that may underlie addiction and eating disorders.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/08/010829082943.htm
Genetic clues to eating
disorders
BBC online: Health (January 21, 1999) — Doctors studying the causes of the eating disorders anorexia and bulimia believe it has less to do with media images of slim-figured models and more to do with biological and genetic factors. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/259226.stm
Brain chemicals may cause bulimia
BBC online: Health (October 14, 1998) — The eating disorder bulimia nervosa may be caused, at least in part, by chemical changes to the brain, researchers have discovered. Scientists have found that chemical changes that take place in the brains of sufferers persist even after recovery.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/192727.stm
published by: changehappens.ca
last
updated: Jan. 29, 2012