Category Archives: Weight Management

A Word on HBO’s “The Weight of the Nation”

HBO's documentary focuses on need for weight-loss solutions, which Isagenix can provide.

The obesity epidemic is a national crisis as well as a heavy burden to public health. The Institute of Medicine (IOM), in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in partnership with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, have brought the research into the spotlight with The Weight of the Nation, a four-part documentary premiering last night on HBO.

The facts about overweight and obesity in the United States come with their own serving of shock value. With 36 percent of adults and 18 percent of children obese, this campaign aims to raise awareness, and kick-start a change toward a healthier population. Continue reading →

The Skinny on Chocolate for Weight Management

By Paul Anderson, M.D., D.A.P.M.
Can eating "lots of chocolate" really help you on the scale?

Can eating "lots of chocolate" really keep you looking lighter on the scale?

There has been a lot of media attention surrounding a new study from the University of California, San Diego that found a link between eating chocolate frequently and lower body mass index (BMI). Does this mean people should start eating chocolate candy every day to get thinner?

What’s important to understand is that the study was observational and based only on food-frequency questionnaires, which is a method of research that is limited in accuracy. For example, participants in the study may have over-reported (or under-reported) the amount of chocolate and other foods they ate. With this kind of research approach, it can be extremely difficult to ascertain consumption relative to amounts of calories. Continue reading →

Calcium and Vitamin D May Help Flatten That Belly

Calcium and vitamin D may help reduce intra-abdominal fat (visceral fat), according to new research

Getting enough calcium may help to control the type of fat that exists around the middle, known as intra-abdominal or visceral fat, according to new research.

Long-known for their essential roles in bone metabolism, calcium and vitamin D are two nutrients speculated to assist in weight-management and epidemiological studies suggest that increased calcium and vitamin D intake can lead to long-term fat loss. The evidence indicates that these nutrients may act at the level of the gastrointestinal tract by blocking the absorption of fat, or by suppression of hunger leading to reduced meal intake, prolonged time between meals, and reduced food intake on subsequent days. Continue reading →

More Calcium Linked to Lower Percent Body Fat in Young Adults

Higher calcium is linked to less body fat in young adults

Getting enough calcium in the diet is associated with lower percent body fat in young adults, according to researchers from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

Their study evaluated dietary calcium in 76 men and 121 women aged 18 to 28 years—all university students—across all weight categories using food-frequency questionnaires, dietary recalls, and blood draws to measure and confirm intakes.

The authors reported that an intake of approximately 1500 milligrams per day “could aid in the management of whole body fat and truncal fat [belly fat]” irrespective of gender in young adults. In addition, the association between higher dietary calcium intake and lower percent body fat was maintained even after controlling for physical activity.

“We recommend that young adults be encouraged to increase their total calcium intakes to at least the recommended daily allowance of 1000 mg/d for reasons extending beyond bone health,” they wrote in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.   Continue reading →

During Weight Loss, More Dairy Protein and Calcium Helps Strengthen Women’s Bones

Study shows exercise combined with more dairy protein and calcium strengthens women's bones during weight loss

Young women hoping to lose weight with typical dieting may unknowingly wreak havoc on their bones in a way that could affect them for a lifetime. But new research shows eating more dairy foods rich in protein, calcium, and vitamin D can keep bones stronger while shedding pounds and inches.

Researchers from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario found that young women on a weight-loss plan who ate higher amounts of dairy-based protein (whey and casein), calcium, and vitamin D improved markers of bone turnover.

“Our data provide a good rationale to recommend consumption of dairy foods to aid in high quality weight loss, which we define as loss of fat as opposed to muscle, and the promotion of bone health in young women who are at the age when achieving and maintaining peak bone mass is of great importance,” said Stuart Phillips, PhD, of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and senior author of the study, in a press release. Continue reading →