Are diet and exercise enough to lose weight and keep it low?

A new study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, shows that regaining weight after a period of diet and exercise may be inevitable due to hormones.

Australian researchers found that after losing weight, hormone levels - particularly those that influence hunger - shifted in the body, leading to increase appetites and weight regain.

The study involved 50 adults with a body mass index (BMI) between 27 and 40, who were on a diet and exercise for 10 weeks. After an initial loss scientists found that the levels of appetite-regulating hormones changed, resulting in a regain of 1/3 of the lost weight over the course of a year.

The results of the Australian study corroborate findings in another paper released earlier this year, in which researchers from Spain confirmed that people with high levels of the hormone leptin and low levels of ghrelin are more likely to gain the weight they lost.

Instead of playing the diet and exercise message on repeat - an ineffective longterm weight loss strategy for some - the Spanish authors suggested that endocrinologists and nutritionists consider the possibility of hormonal imbalances when developing weight loss strategies.

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/diet-exercise-fight-obesity-study-article-1.971052#ixzz1cjDgPJ3S

Hypotensive diet may prevent teen obesity

A study, published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, found that girls who followed basic principles of the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet through their teens had a smaller tendency to gain an excess amount of weight by the time they reached early adulthood than teens who didn't stick to this diet.

The DASH diet centers around high consumption of low-fat dairy products, fish, chicken, and lean cuts of beef, as well as nuts, fruits, whole grains, vegetables, and legumes. This is the diet that’s recommended by the US government in its dietary guidelines.

The research, which surveyed more than 2,300 girls on their eating habits during 10 annual visits beginning at age 9, found that those whose eating patterns were closest to the DASH diet had an average body mass index of 24 (considered a healthy weight) by age 18, compared with a BMI of 26 (considered overweight) for those who didn't follow DASH.

The diet plan boils down to eating mostly whole foods while minimizing intake of processed cakes, cookies, and chips. But it's not necessarily about reducing calories. Those in the study who followed a DASH-style diet actually ate, on average, more than 250 extra calories a day compared with those who consumed a lot more high-fat meats, cheeses, and junk food.

On the other hand, the girls who were better eaters were more physically active and watched less TV -- two factors that also help protect against obesity.

Source: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/blog/dailydose/2011/06/study_suggest_d.html

Are dietary patterns in childhood associated with IQ at 8 years of age?

There is evidence that a poor diet associated with high fat, sugar and processed food content in early childhood may be associated with small reductions in IQ in later childhood, while a healthy diet, associated with high intakes of nutrient rich foods described at about the time of IQ assessment may be associated with small increases in IQ.

From: Northstone et al., Are dietary patterns in childhood associated with IQ at 8 years of age? A population-based cohort study. J Epidemiol Community Health doi:10.1136