Why obesity prevention is not the answer.

An interesting view on obesity.

One of my twitter friends recently shared a link to this article: How Early Should Obesity Prevention Start? My immediate reaction was that they’re asking the wrong question. They should be asking how early health promotion should start.

While I think that the authors make some good points about obesity influences beginning in the womb, I stand by my initial reaction. No one likes to hear the term obesity. No one wants to be told that they’re obese or that their weight may cause their children to become obese. Is an obesity intervention really going to make much of a difference? I’m doubtful. Framing such an intervention as health promotion, and not only targeting overweight and obese women might be slightly more effective. However, these interventions are still putting the onus on the individual. Interventions targeting individuals and groups serve a purpose in the battle against obesity in the same…

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McApple Pie of my eye.

Such a peculiar story!! So interesting and truly insightful with regards to what we think we are eating, and what we actually eat.

Eyestrain Productions

If you know me personally at all, chances are you’ve heard about The Pie. Maybe I’ve even taken it out to show you, let you touch it, encouraged you to sniff it. The Pie is legend, and has been for a great many years now. And if you know about The Pie, then you know we’ve just passed a significant milestone on its journey through the ages and into immortality.

The rest of you I’m going to have to bring up to speed.

I mentioned an important anniversary several weeks ago in this blog. Not the one related to the blog itself, nor my comic book work. I’m talking about that other, mysterious anniversary, I was so specifically vague about. The twenty-five year anniversary.

Rather than recap the whole sordid story from the beginning, let us instead begin at the end – or at least the end as it stood…

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What are the effects of antioxidants on the immune system and ageing?

Antioxidant: the buzz word of the twenty first century. Face creams, super foods and supplements are all products advertised on a daily basis, claiming to contain the modern day miracle and answer to health and ageing. But what are antioxidants, and what do they actually do?

Antioxidants are the enzymes found in vitamins that we eat. They obstruct the oxidation process in cells, protecting the body from the destructive effects of free radicals. Free radicals are left over from chemical processes that have already happened in the body. They are damaging to human health because they attack healthy cells, changing their DNA, which allows tumours to grow. This can lead to cell mutation and the form of cancerous cells in the body.

So what is the effect of antioxidants in our immune system?

 

‘Scientists now believe that free radicals are causal factors in nearly every known disease, from heart disease to arthritis to cancer to cataracts. In fact, free radicals are a major culprit in the aging process itself’ Dr. Lester Packer

 

The immune systems works as a response to defend the body against a specific resistance, and the effect of free radicals on the immune system can be extremely detrimental. As a result of chemical processes, the human body is constantly creating a high rate of free radicals, which have been recorded to attack a single cell in the body up to 10,000 times in a day. As they are mainly composed of oxygen (the element in which every individual must respire in order to live) the formation of the free radicals is ultimately unavoidable. With the prevalence of cancer expected to double by 2020 (WHO) the consumption antioxidants could not be any more important.

Research done by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has led to belief that vitamin A could possibly protect against formation or development of cancers.

In the body, beta-carotene is converted into the nutrient vitamin A, which increases levels of white blood cells. White blood cells work against free radicals, blocking them from affecting nearby cells. Foods rich in beta-carotene include orange vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Kale is also known for its high levels of vitamin A, as well as being rich in calcium. Whilst more research is being conducted into the role of vitamin A and cancerous cells, interactions have been recorded upon the increase of beta-carotene rich foods and/or supplements and lessening effect of skin cancer.

Vitamin A has also been reported to reduce visible signs of ageing. Studies conducted by respected dermatologists found that face creams containing the vitamin could help aged skin appear youthful. Volunteers taking part in on-going research said to have a difference in their skin. Skin biopsies taken before and after the long-term experiments show a thicker epidermis after treatment with vitamin A.

After so much research has been done into finding out the true effects of vitamin A, there is proof that there is more to antioxidants than at first glance. Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet will help increase and maintain the levels of antioxidants in the body, and in turn will boost the immune system, helping to defend the body from free radicals and the effects of ageing.

References!

Geissler, Catherine. , Powers, Hilary. , 2011 ‘Human Nutrition’, 12^th edition, Churchill Livingstone, London

Moravej, H. , 2013, ‘Nutrition 21: Antioxidants, immunity and phytochemicals’, Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, 15 page presentation,  distributed on  31. 10. 2013

Immune Disorders, 2011, [online] [accessed 1^st December 2013] http://immunedisorders.homestead.com/radicals.html

WSWS, 2003, [online] [accessed 1^st December 2013] http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2003/04/canc-a26.html

What are the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet?

Recent studies have accumulated in more recent years, suggesting that our eating habits are affected by our life-style and geographical location. Due to this, there has been a current decline in the general health and well being of our population in the UK.

“Diet”.  A word that is accompanied with a sigh, associated with “to-good-too-be-true” health benefits and arranged around food deprivation and miraculous weight loss. And so, diet after diet is tried and tested. But is there one cuisine that could do all this for you without the empty plate?

The Mediterranean diet.

So what do we know about the Mediterranean diet (MD)? The diet copies traditional eating habits of those living in countries that boarder the Mediterranean Sea. Countries that follow the nutritional regime include Spain, Greece and Italy. Due to this there are no exact foods that are included in the diet; instead key constituents are the same if not similar. Figure 1 (featured at the end of the post) shows the basics of the diet, highlighting the foods eaten most often towards the lower portion of the food triangle. Foods such as legumes, whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables are a large part of the diet. There does not seem to be a large amount of fats eaten, however consumption of olive oil is an important factor of the diet.

Now that we have basic facts about the diet, we can start to understand why the foods eaten (especially in quantities depicted by figure 1) are so beneficial to our health.

An iconic study directed by American scientist Ancel Keys took a deeper look into the correlation between diet and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The twelve year study started in 1958 and gathered information from 13,000 men from seven different countries. The findings helped shed light on a diet where little nutritional information was already known. Key found that there were very low rates of CVD in Mediterranean countries. This has since prompted further research into the diet and its effects on the heart. Due to low levels of saturated fats being consumed, the diet is especially gentle on the heart.

So, whilst the MD is well known for its contribution in reducing high rates of cardiovascular disease, there have also been links to certain cancer-protective properties in the regime. It is thought that there are lower instances of cancer in Mediterranean countries due to the fresh food eaten. Essential vitamins found in the daily diet are called antioxidants, such as vitamin A, C, E and selenium (readily available from oily fish and omega fatty acids). These antioxidants help prevent damage to cells caused by free radicals. This can help prevent medical complications like cancers in the body.

Figure 1

The evidence above makes it pretty clear that the Mediterranean diet is possibly one of the best nutritional choices to make. Research has shown how the diet incorporates essential vitamins and minerals in foods that are easily attainable in the UK, without removing food groups from your day to day diet and depriving your body from food. This shows how easily a “diet” can become a healthy lifestyle choice.

References!!

Spiller, Gene A. , 1991, ‘The Mediterranean diets in health and disease’, 1^st edition,  Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York

Matalas, Antonia-Leda. , Zampelas, Antonis. , Stavrinos, Vassilis. , Wolinsky, Ira. , 2001, ‘The Mediterranean diet: constituents and health promotion’, 1^st edition, CRC Press, Florida

Mediterranean Life, 2013, ‘The Mediterranean food pyramid’, [online] [accessed 30^th October 2013] http://www.mediterranean-life.net/the-mediterranean-food-pyramid/

Moravej, H. , 2013, ‘Nutrition 21: The Mediterranean Diet’ Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, 21 page presentation,  distributed on  17. 10. 2013

What are the future treatment strategies for obesity?

Obesity was once the most over looked disease. With over half of all women and almost two thirds of men being overweight, this leaves one in five in the UK obese. As our ever expanding nation continues to increase, so does the demand for endurable treatments.

Critical medical complications due to extreme weight and weight gain are what make obesity such a serious disease. Physical effects such as stroke, cardiovascular disorders and even cancer have meant that 1 in 11 deaths are due to obesity related illnesses.

Due to the dramatic increase of obesity, bariatric procedures have become increasingly popular, especially in western society. However, the treatment is only available to those who suffer from severe obesity, and have already tried less intrusive procedures to tackle permanent weight loss with unsuccessful results. Not many studies have been conducted to show the effectiveness of bariatric surgeries comparatively to non-invasive methods. This aside, there is strong evidence which suggests that gastric bypass is the most effective weight loss treatment for those suffering with extreme obesity.

The bariatric method of gastric bypass involves dividing the stomach into two separate “pouches”, and connecting the small intestine to both of these sections. This is done in order to reduce the size of the stomach by about 80-90%. By reducing the size of the stomach, the intake of food is instantly less, and cannot be physically be overridden without making the patient very ill. Side effects can vary from loss of appetite to food intolerance. Most importantly, extreme surgery like this is known to cause nutritional deficiencies, which affect absorption of essential vitamins and minerals.

Becoming increasingly popular are drug treatments for obesity, often referred to as pharmacotherapy, and involves a patients long term usage of one of two drugs available in the UK.

Orlistat is the more popular of the two therapies. Working as a lipase inhibitor, it causes malabsorption of dietary fats, but is renowned for its rather anti-social side effects. Excluding this, the efficiency and welfare of Orlistat usage in patients has been researched over and over in many clinical studies, making it the most investigated drug treatment for obesity. From such trials, the safety of the drug has been reassured and it has even been concluded that use of Orlistat has reduced prevalence of type 2 diabetes, and diabetes type symptoms in many patients suffering from extreme weight issues.

Bariatric surgeries and pharmacotherapies have become the most sought after treatments for obesity due to the fact that weight loss via these methods is quick. However, these treatments have only become prevalent within the last 60 years, and have not yet been proven to work alone. Regardless of the weight loss method, dietary strategies must be put in place to ensure that a patient is receiving essential nutrients whilst continuing to lose weight. Modification of a patient’s dietary consumption will decrease the likely hood of them gaining the weight they have lost, and help them to maintain a healthier diet once they have reached their ideal weight.

Attaining strategized treatments for obesity is an on-going cause, and until we can reach methods less severe, obese patients are left with few approaches to achieve maintainable weight loss.

References!

Geissler, Catherine. , Powers, Hilary. , 2011 ‘Human Nutrition’, 12^th edition, Churchill Livingstone, London

Moravej, H. , 2013, ‘Nutrition 21: Strategies for treatment of obesity’, Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, 29 page presentation,  distributed on  7^. 11. 2013

NHS, 2012, ‘Obesity’, [online]  [accessed 19^th November 2013] http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Obesity/Pages/Treatment.aspx