Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Photo by Ivan Timov on Unsplash Weight management is a challenge. Technology has led to a sedentary lifestyle; instead of physical activity, a large majority of Americans spend their time in front of a screen, lending to an unhealthy epidemic – obesity. A new study …
A new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine says that packing the recommended amount of weekly exercise into just one or two workout sessions may lower your risk of death close to risk levels that regular exercise offers. Though WHO (the World Health …
More than one-third of adults in the United States are obese. With that number on the rise, the risk of developing obesity-related conditions like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes is on the rise, as well. Your doctor has told you to start following a healthy diet and to begin exercising. But what types of exercises can you do that are both moderate and effective?
The key to losing weight, according to Jun Wang, MS, of InVite® Health, is to create an energy imbalance – eating less and exercising more. Wang states that physical activity is a must for weight loss and weight management. Just thirty minutes of moderate-intensity activity is recommended to reduce chronic disease risk and 60 minutes is recommended to prevent weight gain in adulthood.
In order to gauge your personal moderate level of activity, the CDC recommends using the “Talk Test” – if you’re doing moderate-intensity activity you can talk, but not sing during the activity. If you are doing too vigorous an activity, you will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.
Moderate Physical Intensity VS. Vigorous Physical Intensity
Moderate
Vigorous
Dietary Approach
The first step in getting control over your weight is to monitor your eating habits. You may want to begin to record your food intake from the moment you wake up to the time you go to bed. “This can help assess the calorie count and nutritional value of what you are eating,” reports Wang. Another method is using a calorie counter. If you’re using your phone during your lunch break at work, you have enough time to enter what you are eating into a calorie counter app. This can give you an idea of how many calories you are consuming daily and how many you should consume in order to lose or gain weight. But be careful! Wang warns cutting your calorie intake drastically will not be a quick fix. In order to lose weight, Wang suggests cutting calorie intake gradually and consistently.
Supplements for Weight Management
Here are Jun Wang, MS, recommendations on supplements that can support weight management –
White Kidney Beans: White kidney beans supply a carbohydrate blocker that inhibits the enzyme amylase from breaking starches down into sugar; absorbing less sugar from foods such as bread, potato, pasta or rice helps reduce your intake of calories.
Probiotics: Probiotics are live bacteria that support the activity of the body’s healthy bacterial population. They help burn calories by releasing the appetite-reducing hormone GLP-18,9 . They decrease body fat by increasing levels of the protein ANGPTL4.10 Probiotics can also reduce inflammation and may improve gut health. A meta-analysis of 17 randomized clinical trials in humans indicates that probiotics help treat obesity.11
CLA: Conjugated linoleic acid made from safflower oil helps reduce body fat by inhibiting the activity of the enzyme lipoprotein lipase which normally would transfer fats from the bloodstream into fat cells. CLA also promotes carnitine palmitoyltransferase, which helps burn fat, improving energy. A meta-analysis of 18 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials (the gold-standard of clinical trials) concluded that taking 3.2g/d of CLA effectively reduces body fat in humans.12
A dietary lifestyle change and combination of exercise and premium quality supplements can lead you on a journey to your best health and best weight, naturally.
Jerry Hickey is a pharmacist and radio personality and fills the esteemed role of Scientific Director and President of Invite Health. He has spent his professional life analyzing nutritional information and medical studies with the aim of creating the highest quality and most natural nutraceuticals …
By Nicole Crane, BS, NTP Working out is hard work! Whether you get up early, hit the gym during lunch, or pound the pavement before or after dinner, exercise takes time and dedication. That hard work also comes with significant rewards and health benefits. Just …
A majority of individuals are always looking for the next big weight loss fad. But what would you say to a new obesity treatment device that uses a surgically-placed tube to drain some of what you consumed after every meal? Well, the FDA says it’s safe and effective.
This new device is not for everyone; it is intended to assist weight loss in patients 22 and older with a body mass index of 35-55 that have failed to achieve and maintain weight-loss through non-surgical methods. Patients using this device will also have to be “regularly monitored by their healthcare provider and should follow a lifestyle program to help them develop healthier eating habits and reduce their calorie intake”, according to the FDA.
According to the FDA, surgeons will insert a tube into the patient’s stomach with an endoscope (a small camera) through an incision in the abdomen. A “disk-shaped port valve” will lie outside of the body but flush against the skin that is connected to the tube. About 30 minutes after each meal, the patient will have to attach the device’s external connector and tube to the port value, open the valve, and drain the contents of the stomach which takes approximately five to ten minutes and removes about 30 percent of the calories consumed.
The FDA does advise that patients must be frequently monitored by a healthcare provider to shorten the tube as they lose weight so that the disk can remain flush against the skin. The device also has a safety feature that keeps track of the number of times the drain tube is connected to the port. After 115 cycles (about 5-6 weeks), patients must return to their healthcare provider to get a replacement and continue the therapy. AspireAssist and the FDA says this safety feature “helps ensure patients use the device properly during therapy”.
In a clinical trial of 111 patients treated with AspireAssist and lifestyle therapy, patients lost an average of 12.1 percent of their total body weight over one year, compared to 60 patients who received only the lifestyle therapy and lost 3.6 percent of their total body weight in that same time period.
There are risks to using this device, however, including abdominal bloating, infection, sedation-related breathing problems, unintended puncture of the stomach or intestinal wall and death. Risks related to the opening for the port valve in the abdomen include leakage, bleeding and infection. AspireAssist and the FDA report those with uncontrolled hypertension, diagnosed bulimia or a binge-eating disorder (to name a few) should not use Aspire Assist.
For more information on additional risks, the FDA’s approval announcement and AspireAssist, please visit: http://www.aspirebariatrics.com/
