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Five effective interventions for obesity
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In honor of World Obesity Day 2016, Endocrine Today compiled a list of recently published news stories focusing on interventions for obesity.
Interventions included acceptance-based behavior modifications, standing desks in schools, and much more.
Acceptance-based behavioral intervention aids weight loss in adults with obesity
Adults with obesity assigned to an acceptance-based behavioral intervention were more likely to reach 10% weight loss at 1 year vs. patients assigned to a standard behavioral intervention, according to study findings published in Obesity.
In a randomized controlled trial, researchers found that patients lose more weight when assigned to the Mind Your Health program — an intervention that includes self-regulation skills adapted from acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and relapse prevention for substance abuse — than when assigned a traditional behavior intervention. Read more.
Standing desks in schools linked to decrease in BMI percentile
Using standing-based desks, as opposed to traditional sit-down desks, in classrooms for 2 consecutive years resulted in a significant decrease in BMI percentile, according to data published in the American Journal of Public Health.
“Given that a vast majority of children spend between 7 and 9 hours, of their 14 to 16 hours awake time, at school each day, many public health initiatives, such as the National Football League’s ‘Play 60’ and Michelle Obama’s ‘Let’s Move!’ campaign, have focused on schools as a key setting for obesity-related interventions,” Monica L. Wendel, DrPH, MA, of the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, in Kentucky, and colleagues wrote. “... A greater focus on standardized test scores has created pressure on teachers and administrators, and contributed to decreased requirements for students to participate in physical activity during the school day. This situation has also led to significant amounts of prolonged sedentary behaviors among students, and these behaviors are associated with a significant risk of chronic disease and measurable metabolic challenges.” Read more.
Metformin reduces BMI gains in adolescents with obesity, insulin resistance
Adolescents with obesity and insulin resistance assigned to metformin therapy saw an initial decrease in BMI during the first 6 to 9 months of treatment before returning to baseline levels, whereas those assigned a placebo experienced a steady increase in BMI, according to recent study results.
“In our study, where we report on treatment effects after 18 months, the difference between metformin and placebo remained significant, even though it seems that BMI values return to baseline in the metformin group,” Marloes P. van der Aa, MD, of the department of pediatrics at St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, Netherlands, and colleagues wrote. “An intriguing question is, therefore, how BMI will change over time after these 18 months.” Read more.
RYGB sustains long-term weight loss in veterans
Compared with adults with obesity who did not undergo bariatric surgery, those who had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass lost more weight and sustained most of that loss 10 years after surgery.
Further, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) yields greater weight loss than sleeve gastrectomy or adjustable gastric banding 4 years after surgery, according to researchers. Read more.
Water as replacement for sugar-sweetened beverage reduces energy intake, body weight
Replacing one serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage with one serving of water decreased the percentage of energy intake in adults, a change that could lead to a decrease in body weight and obesity prevalence, according to an analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data.
“Our findings provide further evidence that water replacement may be an effective strategy for adults concerned about excessive weight,” wrote Kiyah J. Duffey, PhD, of the department of human nutrition, foods and exercise at Virginia Tech, and Jennifer Poti, PhD, of the department of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “The energy reduction associated with water replacement, we predict, would significantly lower the proportion of adults classified as obese from 35% down to 32% of the population.” Read more.