Nut Intake Equals Reduced Weight Gain

By Sage Ross - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30392736

Nut intake is associated with “reduced weight gain and a lower risk of becoming overweight or obese.”  So, in moderation, eating a healthy “energy-dense food” like nuts can be beneficial for weight control.  Don’t over-indulge of course, but it would seem like a handful of nuts is better than a handful of doughnuts.  Abstract:

PURPOSE:There is inconsistent evidence regarding the relationship between higher intake of nuts, being an energy-dense food, and weight gain. We investigated the relationship between nut intake and changes in weight over 5 years.METHODS:This study includes 373,293 men and women, 25-70 years old, recruited between 1992 and 2000 from 10 European countries in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Habitual intake of nuts including peanuts, together defined as nut intake, was estimated from country-specific validated dietary questionnaires. Body weight was measured at recruitment and self-reported 5 years later. The association between nut intake and body weight change was estimated using multilevel mixed linear regression models with center/country as random effect and nut intake and relevant confounders as fixed effects. The relative risk (RR) of becoming overweight or obese after 5 years was investigated using multivariate Poisson regressions stratified according to baseline body mass index (BMI).RESULTS:On average, study participants gained 2.1 kg (SD 5.0 kg) over 5 years. Compared to non-consumers, subjects in the highest quartile of nut intake had less weight gain over 5 years (-0.07 kg; 95% CI -0.12 to -0.02) (P trend = 0.025) and had 5% lower risk of becoming overweight (RR 0.95; 95% CI 0.92-0.98) or obese (RR 0.95; 95% CI 0.90-0.99) (both P trend <0.008).CONCLUSIONS:Higher intake of nuts is associated with reduced weight gain and a lower risk of becoming overweight or obese.

Physical Activity Can Affect Genetic Susceptibility To Weight Gain

By Javierlayus - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15900701

One often hears the excuse that genes makes someone overweight (note of course that humans have not undergone some sort of rapid genetic change precipitating the obesity epidemic).  It is therefore useful to know that a study has shown that to the extent that genetic differences between people can influence weight gain, that the weight gain can be "diminished by increasing physical activity."  Of course, controlling diet is usually the greatest factor in weight control, even taking genetic differences into account.  Again, genetic differences influencing weight gain have always existed; the skyrocketing expansion of waistlines and BMIs cannot be attributed to genetics as the major factor. Excerpted from the abstract:

Whether change in physical activity over time modifies the genetic susceptibility to long-term weight gain is unknown…In the combined cohorts, 4-year BMI change per 10-risk allele increment was -0.02 kg/m2 among participants with greatest increase in physical activity and 0.24 kg/m2 among those with greatest decrease in physical activity (P[interaction]<0.001), corresponding to 0.01 kg versus 0.63 kg weight changes every 4 years (P[interaction]=0.001). Similar but marginal interactions were observed for the BMI-GRS (P[interaction]=0.045). Our data indicate that the genetic susceptibility to weight gain may be diminished by increasing physical activity.

Oxygen masks for all, including our doctors

At a recent meeting dedicated to a community health initiative, all attendees were marveling at the slide above, which is from the webinar “CDC's CommunityGuide:Improving the Science of Built Environment and Public Health for Physical Activity”, presented by David Hopkins (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 05/06/2015). 

The graph illustrates the dramatic ability of physical activity to decrease all major diseases in the Westernized world. As we were discussing the slide, a physician exclaimed, ”There is not a single medication that can achieve these results”. The inevitable thought was, “If our medications are so ineffective, why are not physicians prescribing physical activity before considering any medication?”
 
There are probably many reasons; however, two may be crucial. The first is that most patients prefer an “easy fix”, something that helps their health without testing their willpower. The second is that most doctors do not practice healthy lifestyle themselves. In fact, physicians frequently function at the brink of physiological and psychological breakdown.
 
Remember the recommendations on the use of oxygen masks on a plane? In case of decompression, oxygen masks are available; however, the rule is that “if you are traveling with a child or someone who requires assistance, secure your mask on first, and then assist the other person”. The same rule of “take care of your own condition first” should apply to our physicians, because if they do not adopt a healthy lifestyle themselves, they are not fit to fulfill their duties of healers. In fact, the same responsibility is relevant to everyone who is in charge of someone. Parents should be an example for their children, teachers should be an example for their students, and bosses should be an example for their employees. 

The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends 30 minutes of physical activity a day for adults. This activity does not have to be strenuous or associated with expenses (e.g., a gym membership), but could be walking, gardening, or cleaning the house. The exercise does not have to be continuous for 30 minutes, one could do “bursts of activities” of five minutes several times a day anywhere, even in front of the TV, in the waiting room, or in the office. In this manner, we can enhance our own health and be role models, representing a healthy lifestyle, to others.


Here is more on taking care of yourself: