CHAPEL HILL, NC — Some simple interventions used by pediatricians were enough to change a parent’s perspective about a child’s being overweight or obese, and change the parent’s behaviors at home to reduce those risks.
According to a study performed in North Carolina Children’s Hospital, researchers confirmed previous reports that parents of overweight or obese children do not recognize their child’s weight problem. But this time, by arming pediatricians with a “toolkit,” an easily used chart and a series of questions and suggestions, the researchers addressed several problems.
“Doctors often don’t have time to discuss overweight; they don’t have the tools to do it; and many aren’t confident that they’re going to make a difference in their patients’ lives,” said Eliana Perrin, MD, MPH, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and lead author of the study, published in the July-August issue of Academic Pediatrics.
Nov 2, 2010
Overeating!
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.
“Most of us have heard that eating fast can lead to food overconsumption and obesity, and in fact some observational studies have supported this notion,” said Alexander Kokkinos, MD, PhD, of Laiko General Hospital in Athens Greece and lead author of the study. “Our study provides a possible explanation for the relationship between speed eating and overeating by showing that the rate at which someone eats may impact the release of gut hormones that signal the brain to stop eating.”
In the last few years, research regarding gut hormones, such as peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1), has shown that their release after a meal acts on the brain and induces satiety and meal termination. Until now, concentrations of appetite-regulating hormones have not been examined in the context of different rates of eating.
In this study, subjects consumed the same test meal, 300ml of ice-cream, at different rates. Researchers took blood samples for the measurement of glucose, insulin, plasma lipids and gut hormones before the meal and at 30 minute intervals after the beginning of eating, until the end of the session, 210 minutes later. Researchers found that subjects who took the full 30 minutes to finish the ice cream had higher concentrations of PYY and GLP-1 and also tended to have a higher fullness rating.
“Our findings give some insight into an aspect of modern-day food overconsumption, namely the fact that many people, pressed by demanding working and living conditions, eat faster and in greater amounts than in the past,” said Kokkinos. “The warning we were given as children that ‘wolfing down your food will make you fat,’ may in fact have a physiological explanation.”
Other researchers working on the study include Kleopatra Alexiadou, Nicholas Tentolouris, Despoina Kyriaki, Despoina Perrea and Nicholas Katsilambros of Athens University Medical School in Greece; and Carel le Roux, Royce Vincent, Mohammad Ghatei and Stephen Bloom of Imperial College in London, United Kingdom.
The article, “Eating slowly increases the postprandial response of the anorexigenic gut hormone, Peptide YY and Glucagon like peptide-1,” will appear in the January 2010 issue of JCEM.
“Most of us have heard that eating fast can lead to food overconsumption and obesity, and in fact some observational studies have supported this notion,” said Alexander Kokkinos, MD, PhD, of Laiko General Hospital in Athens Greece and lead author of the study. “Our study provides a possible explanation for the relationship between speed eating and overeating by showing that the rate at which someone eats may impact the release of gut hormones that signal the brain to stop eating.”
In the last few years, research regarding gut hormones, such as peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1), has shown that their release after a meal acts on the brain and induces satiety and meal termination. Until now, concentrations of appetite-regulating hormones have not been examined in the context of different rates of eating.
In this study, subjects consumed the same test meal, 300ml of ice-cream, at different rates. Researchers took blood samples for the measurement of glucose, insulin, plasma lipids and gut hormones before the meal and at 30 minute intervals after the beginning of eating, until the end of the session, 210 minutes later. Researchers found that subjects who took the full 30 minutes to finish the ice cream had higher concentrations of PYY and GLP-1 and also tended to have a higher fullness rating.
“Our findings give some insight into an aspect of modern-day food overconsumption, namely the fact that many people, pressed by demanding working and living conditions, eat faster and in greater amounts than in the past,” said Kokkinos. “The warning we were given as children that ‘wolfing down your food will make you fat,’ may in fact have a physiological explanation.”
Other researchers working on the study include Kleopatra Alexiadou, Nicholas Tentolouris, Despoina Kyriaki, Despoina Perrea and Nicholas Katsilambros of Athens University Medical School in Greece; and Carel le Roux, Royce Vincent, Mohammad Ghatei and Stephen Bloom of Imperial College in London, United Kingdom.
The article, “Eating slowly increases the postprandial response of the anorexigenic gut hormone, Peptide YY and Glucagon like peptide-1,” will appear in the January 2010 issue of JCEM.
Oct 15, 2010
Staying Away From Halloween Candy!
It happens every year…we vow not to gain weight over the holidays. Most people assume the trouble begins with Thanksgiving, but for many people the weight gain actually starts around Halloween. Follow these simple guidelines to keep from going overboard with the Halloween candy this year.
Tip #1 Avoid candy all together. Buy healthier Halloween treats like bags of pretzels, granola bars or sugarless gum, or pass out non-edible treats like stickers or Halloween pencils.
Tip #2 Buy Halloween candy at the last minute. Don’t buy bags and bags of candy three weeks before Halloween, even if it is on sale. The money you might save is insignificant compared to the extra calories and extra pounds you’ll put on from the inevitable candy binge.
Tip #3 Don’t overbuy. It’s better to run out of candy and shut the lights off early then it is to have piles of tempting treats leftover. If you do end up with extra candy donate it to a local homeless shelter or community center. Keep in mind some places have rules about donations so be sure to check into that ahead of time.
Tip #4 Out of sight out of mind. Don’t keep a big bowl of Halloween candy on the kitchen or living room table. You’ll be too tempted to grab a piece every time you walk by. Store it in a hard to reach place like a top shelf that you need to stand on a chair to get to or ask a reliable family member to store (or hide) extra candy for you.
Tip #5 Buy candy you don’t like. If Reese’s peanut butter cups are your all-time favorite candy, then don’t buy them to pass out to your trick-or-treaters. Why torture yourself?
Tip #6 Don’t skip meals. Skipping meals to allow for extra candy calories is not the way to go. Doing this will only make you more likely to over-indulge. Continue with your regular healthy eating plan and allow yourself a piece or two as a special treat.
Tip #7 Stay active. Keeping up with your normal fitness routine becomes even more important over the holidays. You may even want to add an extra 10 or 20 minutes of cardio to allow for those extra Halloween goodies.
Don’t make Halloween the enemy this year. Set realistic goals by ditching the “all or nothing” mentality. Focus on weight maintenance instead of weigh loss. Trying to stay away from the candy and failing is worse than allowing yourself some pre-planned leeway. "Giving in" can be associated with feelings of weakness and guilt that can drive you to emotionally eat. Maintain control by giving yourself permission beforehand to enjoy a few treats then get back on track.
Happy Halloween!
Tip #1 Avoid candy all together. Buy healthier Halloween treats like bags of pretzels, granola bars or sugarless gum, or pass out non-edible treats like stickers or Halloween pencils.
Tip #2 Buy Halloween candy at the last minute. Don’t buy bags and bags of candy three weeks before Halloween, even if it is on sale. The money you might save is insignificant compared to the extra calories and extra pounds you’ll put on from the inevitable candy binge.
Tip #3 Don’t overbuy. It’s better to run out of candy and shut the lights off early then it is to have piles of tempting treats leftover. If you do end up with extra candy donate it to a local homeless shelter or community center. Keep in mind some places have rules about donations so be sure to check into that ahead of time.
Tip #4 Out of sight out of mind. Don’t keep a big bowl of Halloween candy on the kitchen or living room table. You’ll be too tempted to grab a piece every time you walk by. Store it in a hard to reach place like a top shelf that you need to stand on a chair to get to or ask a reliable family member to store (or hide) extra candy for you.
Tip #5 Buy candy you don’t like. If Reese’s peanut butter cups are your all-time favorite candy, then don’t buy them to pass out to your trick-or-treaters. Why torture yourself?
Tip #6 Don’t skip meals. Skipping meals to allow for extra candy calories is not the way to go. Doing this will only make you more likely to over-indulge. Continue with your regular healthy eating plan and allow yourself a piece or two as a special treat.
Tip #7 Stay active. Keeping up with your normal fitness routine becomes even more important over the holidays. You may even want to add an extra 10 or 20 minutes of cardio to allow for those extra Halloween goodies.
Don’t make Halloween the enemy this year. Set realistic goals by ditching the “all or nothing” mentality. Focus on weight maintenance instead of weigh loss. Trying to stay away from the candy and failing is worse than allowing yourself some pre-planned leeway. "Giving in" can be associated with feelings of weakness and guilt that can drive you to emotionally eat. Maintain control by giving yourself permission beforehand to enjoy a few treats then get back on track.
Happy Halloween!
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