The Skinny Kid

Born lucky: Scientists discover ‘skinny’ gene - Fitness - MSNBC.com

Scientists now say they have discovered the “skinny” gene. And they’ve found this lucky batch of DNA in a variety of animals, according to a report published Tuesday in the journal Cell Metabolism.”This gene is in every organism from worms to humans,” says the study’s senior author, Dr. Jonathan Graff, an associate professor of developmental biology and internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “We all have it. It’s very striking.”

Graff and his colleagues had been hunting for a gene that might naturally keep people thin. Eventually, they turned up a promising candidate in a gene that controls fat formation.

How do I order one?

When a recent study showed no special weight loss benefit from low-glycemic diets relative to other diets, I said:

I’ve always been a believer in the “weight gain/loss = calories in - calories out” theory. Still, the concept of glycemic load has some intuitive appeal. For example, given the link between obesity and diabetes, and the need to control sugar absorption in the latter case, perhaps overweight people should pay attention to glycemic index even if they aren’t trying to lose weight.

As it turns out, not only was I on the right track with that question but other researchers were in the process of answering it.

Insidermedicine Video News : Low Glycemic Diet Lowers Cholesterol, Good for Weight Loss

Dieters who select a low-glycemic load diet my have more success at losing weight, than those following a low carbohydrate or low fat diet, say researchers in a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.Three popular diets have recently received much attention – low fat, low carbohydrate, and low glycemic load. However, there is still no consensus on which diet yields the best results. Glycemic load refers to the increase in blood sugar that occurs following the consumption of a carbohydrate. Foods low on the glycemic index, such as certain fruits, nuts, and vegetables, release glucose gradually into the blood stream. Foods high on the glycemic index, such as breads and pasta, provoke an immediate response in the blood sugar levels and tend to result in increased hunger and overeating.

For people with tendency for high insulin levels 30 minutes after eating, the low-glycemic diet produced a five times greater decrease in weight than the low-fat diet at 18 months. The low-glycemic diet was also more effective in reducing body fat and improving cholesterol and trigyceride levels, while the low-fat diet improved low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol.

Differences in insulin secretion among individuals may help predict the success of weight loss programs, and reducing glycemic load may be especially important for those who secrete insulin at a higher level.

Makes sense to me.

ScienceDaily: Tart Cherries Can Alter Factors Linked To Heart Disease And Diabetes, Animal Study Suggests

Tart cherries may be good for more than just making pie, according to new data from an animal study conducted by University of Michigan Health System researchers and presented recently at a major scientific meeting.

Tart cherries may be good for more than just making pie, according to new data from an animal study conducted by University of Michigan Health System researchers and presented recently at a major scientific meeting. (Credit: Photo by Brian Prechtel; Courtesy of USDA/Agricultural Research Service)
In a study involving rats, the researchers report that animals that received powdered tart cherries in their diet had lower total cholesterol, lower blood sugar, less fat storage in the liver, lower oxidative stress and increased production of a molecule that helps the body handle fat and sugar, compared with rats that didn’t receive cherries as part of an otherwise similar diet. All of the rats had a predisposition toward high cholesterol and pre-diabetes, but not obesity.

I have been getting some very tart freeze-dried cherries for my megamuffins recently. Wonder if they work?

This profile says “no.”

Policosanol: Side Effects and Cholesterol » iFitandHealthy.com

Policosanol’s Side Effects: No side effects are known at this time.Cons: Those with dangerously high cholesterol levels might use it instead of an effective treatment.

Those seeking an effective over-the-counter treatment may have to look further (though we hear diet and exercise remains popular among some sects.)

For those who thought eating more of anything would somehow lead to lower weight, you will be disappointed with this headline.

Eating extra soy may not promote weight loss | Science & Health | Reuters

Adding soy-protein-rich foods while cutting calories doesn’t accelerate weight loss, a new study shows.Overweight women who ate 500 fewer calories a day than normal while consuming an extra 18 grams of soy-rich food daily for 12 weeks didn’t lose any more weight than their peers who didn’t add the extra soy, Dr. Marie-Pierre St. Onge of St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital in New York City and colleagues found.

You see, it is calories in versus calories out, more than the composition of those calories, that results in weight gain or loss. Still, the higher-soy diet (with equal calories) did lower insulin and bad cholesterol. And those are good things to lower.

For those who thought eating more of anything would somehow lead to lower weight, you will be disappointed with this headline.

Eating extra soy may not promote weight loss | Science & Health | Reuters

Adding soy-protein-rich foods while cutting calories doesn’t accelerate weight loss, a new study shows.Overweight women who ate 500 fewer calories a day than normal while consuming an extra 18 grams of soy-rich food daily for 12 weeks didn’t lose any more weight than their peers who didn’t add the extra soy, Dr. Marie-Pierre St. Onge of St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital in New York City and colleagues found.

You see, it is calories in versus calories out, more than the composition of those calories, that results in weight gain or loss. Still, the higher-soy diet (with equal calories) did lower insulin and bad cholesterol. And those are good things to lower.

Heavy men may be less apt to commit suicide | Health | Reuters

As body weight increases in men, the risk of death from suicide falls markedly, new research hints.Given that previous studies have linked obesity with depression, obesity might be expected to raise the risk of suicide, but the few studies that have addressed this topic have largely found just the opposite, Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues note.

Alternative Hypotheses: 

1. The jolly fat man is not a myth
2. The very obese want to commit suicide but their weight impedes their ability to aim at themselves
3. Too lazy to actually do it

Heavy men may be less apt to commit suicide | Health | Reuters

As body weight increases in men, the risk of death from suicide falls markedly, new research hints.Given that previous studies have linked obesity with depression, obesity might be expected to raise the risk of suicide, but the few studies that have addressed this topic have largely found just the opposite, Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues note.

Alternative Hypotheses: 

1. The jolly fat man is not a myth
2. The very obese want to commit suicide but their weight impedes their ability to aim at themselves
3. Too lazy to actually do it

Heavy men may be less apt to commit suicide | Health | Reuters

As body weight increases in men, the risk of death from suicide falls markedly, new research hints.Given that previous studies have linked obesity with depression, obesity might be expected to raise the risk of suicide, but the few studies that have addressed this topic have largely found just the opposite, Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues note.

Alternative Hypotheses: 

1. The jolly fat man is not a myth
2. The very obese want to commit suicide but their weight impedes their ability to aim at themselves
3. Too lazy to actually do it

Refrigerator Raid offers a rundown on the accuracy of body fat scales:

According to most reports, including one at About.com and one at WebMD.com, most body fat scales have a /- 5% margin of error. So although your scale may be slightly inaccurate, it’s probably not off by as much as 50%.In fact, it’s likely that your scale is actually estimating your body fat to be higher than it really is.

It is a good article with several good references.  I use a Tanita, which scored good marks in one of the studies referenced (and in the study I read while in the market for a scale.)