Low Carbohydrate Diet Did Not Increase Bone Loss

Low Carb Diet

A strict low-carbohydrate diet had no effect on bone loss for adults following an Adkins-type diet for weight loss, a three-month study by rheumatologists at the University of South Florida found. The clinical study was published this week in the online issue of the journal Osteoporosis International.
Low carbohydrate diets have become popular as a weight loss technique; however, critics contend such diets may have harmful side effects. One concern has been that low carbohydrate diets, which replace calories from carbohydrates with more consumption of high-protein foods like meat and eggs, alter the body's acid balance. This imbalance could lead to increased bone turnover (more rapid depletion than formation of bone) -- increasing the risk for osteoporosis.
"That's not what our study found," said lead author John D. Carter, assistant professor in the Division of Rheumatology, USF College of Medicine. "Patients on the low carbohydrate diet did lose weight, but the diet did not appear to compromise bone integrity or lead to bone loss."
Earlier animal studies suggested that low carbohydrate, high protein diets could adversely affect bone quality.
"I was surprised by the results," Dr. Carter said. "People on low carbohydrate diets absorb less calcium through the gut and excrete more calcium in the urine, so you'd expect they would be leaching their bones."
Dr. Carter emphasized he does not advocate strict low-carbohydrates for long-term weight management. Such diets may adversely overload the kidneys with protein and lead dieters to consume more artery-clogging saturated fats and cholesterol, he said.
The USF study followed 30 overweight patients for three months. Half followed a strict low carbohydrate diet consuming less than 20 grams of carbohydrates a day the first month and then less than 40 grams a day for the remaining two months. The control half ate a normal American diet with no restrictions. The researchers used blood tests to measure the patients' breakdown and formation of bone and checked urine for signs that the dieters were complying with their low-carbohydrate diets.
The difference in bone turnover between the low carbohydrate dieters and the non-dieters was insignificant after three months. But, the dieters lost significantly more weight - an average of 14 pounds - than the patients on unrestricted diets.
A potential limitation of the USF study was that the researchers looked for at least a 50 percent difference in bone turnover between the dieters and non-dieters. It's possible that more subtle effects on bone quality might have been found, Dr. Carter said, particularly if the low carbohydrate diet was maintained beyond three months.

Health Canada Advises Not To Use Soloslim For Weight Loss

Health Canada is advising consumers not to use Soloslim due to concerns about possible side-effects.
Product Description: Soloslim is promoted as an “all natural” product used for weight loss.
Reason for Warning: The Hong Kong Department of Health warned against the use of Soloslim because it was found to contain an undeclared compound similar in structure to sibutramine (N-bisdesmethyl-sibutramine). Sibutramine is a prescription drug used in the treatment of obesity.
Soloslim also contains L-carnitine salt. L-carnitine is a prescription drug used in the treatment of carnitine deficiency, which may occur in patients with some genetic diseases, serious liver or kidney disease or with use of certain medications (e.g. valproate).
Both sibutramine and L-carnitine should only be used under the supervision of a health care professional.
Soloslim also contains synephrine. Weight loss products containing synephrine are not authorized for sale in Canada.
Possible Side-Effects: Use of sibutramine may cause headaches, increased heart rate and blood pressure, chest pain and stroke.
Side-effects associated with L-carnitine include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea and seizures.
Synephrine may cause cardiovascular adverse effects that could lead to stroke, heart attack and/or death.

Simple System Accurately Predicts Weight-Loss Surgery Risk

Weight-Loss Surgery

A simple scoring system based on five medical factors accurately predicts which patients being considered for gastric bypass surgery would be at highest risk of dying.
The scoring system, which was first proposed last year by Duke University Medical Center surgeons, has been validated in a new study of more than 4,400 patients. The system takes into account a patient's weight, gender, age, blood pressure and risk of developing a blood clot in the lungs.
Physicians using the system can easily determine if their patients' risk of dying from the surgery is low, medium or high. The new analysis found that patients in the high-risk group were six times more likely to die than those in the low-risk group, and patients in the medium-risk group were three times more likely to die.
Gastric bypass surgery, also known bariatric surgery, is used to help people who are morbidly obese lose weight. Although the surgery has several variants, the basic procedure involves stapling off a large portion of the stomach and reattaching the intestine to the smaller remaining portion. Because of their decreased stomach capacity, patients are unable to eat as much food and feel sated much faster.
"This represents the first validated scoring system for assessing risk for patients considering bariatric surgery," said Duke surgeon Eric DeMaria, M.D., who developed the system. "The system gives surgeons concrete data they can use in surgical decision-making and in their discussions with patients. Also, the system provides standardization of surgical outcomes, making comparisons among centers more meaningful."
DeMaria presented results of the new study April 26, 2007, at the annual meeting of the American Surgical Association, in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Roughly 170,000 Americans underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2005, according to the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.
The new study examined data on 4,433 patients who underwent bariatric surgery at the University of South Florida, the Medical University of South Carolina and a private practice in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Of the 2,166 patients classified by the scoring system as being in the low-risk group, eight died. Twenty-six of the 2,142 patients in the medium-risk group died, and three of the 125 patients in the high-risk group died. While patients in the high-risk group represented less than 3 percent of the total, they accounted for 8 percent of the deaths.
In the scoring system, patients with none or one of the five medical factors are considered low-risk; those with two or three factors are considered medium-risk; and those with four or five factors are considered to be at the highest risk.
The factors are:
* A body mass index of greater than 50. On this scale, a measure of body fat based on a person's weight and height, a level of 30 and above is considered obese.
* Male gender. Men are more likely than women to suffer from conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and metabolic disorder that can add to the risks of surgery.
* Increased age. Patients over 45 are known to be at the highest risk for death after bariatric surgery.
* Hypertension. Patients with hypertension, or high blood pressure, typically have heart disease or chronic inflammation of blood vessels that can add to the risks of surgery.
* Pulmonary embolus risk. Patients who have had a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in the lungs, or are at risk for developing an embolism are at elevated risk.
"When talking to patients about bariatric surgery, we can cite national averages on risks, but that is not very helpful when I have a specific patient sitting in front of me," DeMaria said. "Many physicians and patients see bariatric surgery as an option to use only when all other approaches to weight loss have failed. However, our system shows that this strategy may need to be reconsidered.
"If patients put off surgery while they attempt other weight-loss therapies that ultimately don't work, over time they risk moving into a higher-risk category as they gain more weight, get older or develop hypertension. In these cases, delays can make surgery even riskier," DeMaria said.
For patients at highest risk, DeMaria said, the best approach may be for them to spend some time losing weight before the surgery. Alternatively, surgeons could perform a series of smaller, and therefore less risky, procedures over time.

Healthy Diet Dos And Don’ts

Dieters are proved to loose 10% of initial weight within six months, most is being lost within the first three months. Dieters suggest dos and don’ts for those who want to slim down and adopt healthy eating habits.
1. Staying hungry for more than 5 hours is wrong. When you are very hungry, you eat whatever you find in the kitchen. Also you eat to much than needed, but when you realize it, you’ve already eaten too much.
2. Well developed muscles burn calories well. A pound of well trained muscles can burn up to 14 calories a day. Meanwhile a pound of fatty tissue burns only from 2 to 3 calories a day.
3. Some of dietarians advise to avoid pasta because it contains carbohydrates, which is later turned into sugar and then into fat. But scientists suggest that a small amount of pasta, such as 2 or 3 ounces, is acceptable.
4. Coffee doesn’t make a major sense in loosing weight. A reasonable amount of coffee may exist in a diet, but you need to make sure not to have any cream or cocoa added. If you add any, you should take the calories included in cream into account.
5. Dairy products contain calcium which is considered as fat burner, but these products can not make you loose weight. Milk and other dairies are considered as an important part of healthy diet, but you still need to use low-fat versions.
6. Dieters must be physically and emotionally be prepared to long-term diet. It’s wrong to decide to loose weight within a month and start exhausting diet. The diet must be smooth and easy for long-term maintenance.
7. You need to know the right protein and carbohydrate containing food that is healthy. Protein is common and useful in lean meats, poultry, dairy products and tofu. Carbohydrate is common and useful in whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
8. If you want to loose much weight you shouldn’t just start starving. Of course you’ll see great results if you cut lots of daily calories, but this kind of diet will not be easy to maintain, and sooner or later you’ll give the diet up and will gain even more weight. Instead you should choose a smooth diet and keep if for a long time.
9. Most of us are sure that diet food is helping to loose weight. However, we should also pay attention on other nutrition facts such as calories. Just buying diet food is not the right decision. You must also count calories you take a day despite of whatever is written on food labels.
10. Fat is supposed to stimulate weight gain. However, there are healthy fats called monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and unhealthy ones called saturated fats. Healthy fat is contained in canola, safflower, and olive oil, nuts, and fish. Unhealthy fat is contained in packaged foods, fried fast foods.
Dean Ornish, the founder of Preventive Medicine Research Institute says: "If you indulge yourself one day, eat healthier the next. As you move towards the healthier end of the spectrum, you’re going to look better, feel better, live longer, loose weight, gain health, and maintain healthy diet."

Why should I lose weight?

Carrying around extra pounds can be detrimental to your health. If you are considering starting a healthy eating and exercise plan or you have fallen off your diet, this article may motivate you to get in gear.
What Extra Weight Can Do to Your Body
1. Carrying around excess body fat will decrease your energy level. Having just 10 lbs. of excess body fat is like carrying around a 10 lb. bag of lard.
2. Your heart has to work overtime to support more of you. Obesity has a harmful effect on your entire cardiovascular system. Your cardiovascular system includes your heart and all your blood vessels like arteries and veins.
3. You may develop breathing problems. For example, sleep apnea is a breathing problem that causes you to stop breathing for short instances during sleep.
4. Extra weight will take a toll on your joints. Obesity has also been linked to Gout.
5. Women can develop problems with their reproductive system including infertility.
6. Type 2 Diabetes has been linked to obesity.
7. Extra weight will put you at a higher risk for certain types of cancer. Obese men have a higher risk of developing colon, rectum, or prostate cancer. Obese women have a higher risk of developing gallbladder, breast, uterine, cervical, or ovarian cancer.
8. Being overweight may have an effect on your self-esteem that, in turn, will have a negative effect on your overall health.
Assessing Your Risk
Body Mass Index or BMI is an estimate of your total body fat. You can see a charts for calculating BMI here: http://www.nutricounter.com/articles/bmi.htm
Weight loss is recommended if your BMI is over 30.
Weight loss is recommended if your BMI is 25 - 30 and you also have two or more of the following risk factors:
1. If you're a man, a waist circumference of over 40 inches.
2. If you're a woman, a waist circumference of over 35 inches.
3. High blood pressure
4. High cholesterol
5. High triglycerides
6. High blood glucose
7. Family history of premature heart disease
8. Physical inactivity
9. Cigarette smoking
By the above standards, if you think you need to lose weight, you should see your health care provider for a more accurate assessment.