What are the Foods that can Suppress the Appetite?

Because of the increasing rate of obesity, people should be aware of the ways on how to prevent gaining too much weight.

In general, one of the factors that can cause obesity is sedentary lifestyle. People who do not exercise or move their bodies are more likely to gain excess weight that those who are doing physical activities.

Aside from sedentary lifestyle, diet can also greatly contribute to weight gain. People who love to eat unhealthy and fatty foods would definitely gain too much weight in no time. It’ll be too late before they realize that they have become overweight and it is already difficult for them to lose all those excess pounds.

There are some people who have difficulties in controlling their cravings; thus, they require appetite suppressants. In general, there are numerous dietary supplements and medicines that can suppress the appetite; however, it would also be much better if you will eat foods that can already suppress the appetite so that you will have more control over your unhealthy food cravings.

There are a lot of foods that can suppress the appetite and some of these foods include the following:

Apple - apples are fiber rich foods which can make you feel full after eating. A study in Brazil proved that women who eat at least three apples per day have significantly lost weight.

Flaxseeds - flaxseed oil is popular for being a plant source of omega-3 fats; however, raw flaxseeds are much better especially for the suppression of appetite. Flaxseeds can be added to salads or sprinkled over to vegetables.

Salad - most dieters would often eat salad because it can help in losing weight. This is generally true because eating salad before eating meals will make you feel full and eat less. Salads made of vegetables are high in fiber; thus, making you feel full and curb your cravings.

Pine nuts - these nuts contain the highest amount of protein on any nut or seed. Pine nuts contain pinolenic acid which stimulates two powerful appetite suppressing hormones to signal the brain that you are not hungry anymore.

Consuming these foods can help in suppressing the appetite in order to prevent gaining excessive weight.

Overweight Individuals also have Overweight Friends

As the saying goes, “birds of the same feathers flock together”, a recent study in Southern California found out that overweight youth are twice as likely to have overweight friends.

Researchers from the Institute of Prevention Research at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California have found out that overweight individuals also have overweight friends, based on school surveys.

The link between social networks and obesity is already expected; however, it is quite surprising how strong the peer effect is and how it starts early in life.

Recent data had shown a connection between overweight adults  and their social peers; however,  a more recent study was conducted on adolescents and showed the same results despite a stronger statistical model used.

According to researchers these findings will certainly raise health concerns because when children started to mingle only with people who have similar weight status, then it can cause a reinforcement of a negative behavior which causes obesity.

Aside from finding out that overweight adolescents have more overweight friends than normal weight friends, the researchers have also found out that overweight girls name more friends but are less likely to be labeled as a friend unlike normal weight girls.

Because of this findings, the researchers are suggesting that interventions should be done before it can lead to a greater social stigma. Parents and teachers should be sensitive enough to recognize that obesity in adolescents can also bring social consequences and that many behaviors related to obesity can be developed.

Rapid Cartilage Depletion Associated with Obesity

Apparently, obesity is a risk factor for serious irreversible conditions such as heart diseases, cancer, and stroke. However, studies have linked obesity to rapid cartilage depletion. This study will be published in the August issue of Radiology.

Researchers have actually isolated the risk factors for rapid cartilage loss. Demographic factors and MRI-based risk factors were identified. The researchers have also identified increased BMI or body mass index as the non MRI-based predictor.

The cartilage that covers the knees are called as tibio-femoral cartilage. This is a flexible connective tissue which protects and covers the bones of the knee. Damage to this connective tissue can be caused by injury, misalignment of the joints, and a degenerative condition called osteoarthritis.

Actually, osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis which affects approximately 27 million Americans. This fact is according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Osteoarthritis causes the cartilage to break down, leaving the joints without any cushion. This causes the bones to rub each other which causes pain and eventually, loss of mobility.

Osteoarthritis is a slow but progressive condition. Early identification of risk factors can prevent the condition from happening. One of the risk factors associated with osteoarthritis is obesity. Aside from that, obesity is also linked to rapid cartilage depletion, which means that it can aggravate the condition of osteoarthritis.

Because of the linkage of obesity to cartilage loss and osteoarthritis, it is necessary to treat obesity. Balanced diet and regular exercise can help in weight loss, but if you are having difficulties in losing weight, taking weight loss supplements can help.

Scientists have Proven a Connection between Obesity and Diabetes

A university study that was conducted in Australia has found out that a proven connection between obesity and the onset of diabetes type 2. Because of these findings, new drugs can be developed in order to prevent the occurrence of the disease.

The team of researchers were led by Associate Professor Matthew Watt at the Monash University. The results of their study were published on the journal entitled, Cell Metabolism for the month of July.

The researchers have found out that fat cells are releasing a novel protein called pigment epithelium-derived factor or PEDF. This protein would activate a series of events leading to the onset of diabetes type 2.

According to the researchers, once PEDF was released by the fat cells, it enters the bloodstream. PEDF causes the muscles and the liver to become desensitized to insulin causing the pancreas to produce more insulin as a compensatory mechanism.

Because of the attempt of the pancreas to compensate, the workload of the pancreas is increased. Eventually, the pancreas will slow down or stop producing insulin which results to type 2 diabetes.

Based from the researchers’ observation, the more fat cells a person has, the more the body becomes less sensitive to insulin; thus, more amount of insulin is needed in order to maintain regular levels of blood glucose.

The researchers also claimed that aside from discovering the effects of PEDF to the development of type 2 diabetes, preventing its release can also help in preventing the development of diabetes.

Long before, scientists are suspecting a strong connection between obesity and diabetes. With the discovery of PEDF, this could be a big breakthrough on how to prevent type 2 diabetes. The results of this study will also benefit patients with type 2 diabetes. Weight loss should be stressed to obese people in order to prevent the development of such diseases.

Oral Bacteria may be Associated with Obesity

Obesity is now being considered as a worldwide epidemic because of the increase in the number of people who are becoming overweight.

Researchers have been considering the fact that obesity might be caused by an infectious agent, particularly an oral bacteria. Researchers have been studying about the possible causes of obesity in order to prevent the epidemic that is apparently increasing every year.

Researchers believe that this preliminary work may provide some clues between the connections of oral bacteria to the pathology of obesity.

In this study, the researchers are trying to compare the difference between the bacterial composition of the saliva of overweight women and non-obese women. J.M. Goodson and his colleagues have measured the bacterial composition of obese women and non-obese women. They have collected saliva samples for 313 subjects composed of obese women. The results of the salivary composition were compared against 232 healthy women who are not overweight.

DNA analysis was used to determine the bacterial composition and population in the saliva. Based from the data that the researchers have found, bacteria called Selenomonas noxia were present in almost 98.4% of the samples from the obese women. The levels of the bacteria present in the saliva were more than 1.05% of the total salivary bacteria.

Based from the analysis, the composition of bacteria in the saliva changes as the individual becomes obese. These bacteria may be an indicator that obesity is developing. Researchers suggest that there is a need for further research to be able to determine that oral bacteria really have something to do with the pathology of obesity.

Eating Fatty Foods can Trigger Hunger Hormones

A recent study suggests that eating fatty foods can trigger the hunger hormone called ghrelin.

Ghrelin is actually a hormone that is accumulated during fasting. However, it is also found to be in high levels right after eating. Ghrelin was called the hunger hormone because it stimulates hunger in the brain and results to increased food intake.

However, the production of ghrelin hormone is not that easy. It is very unique because it requires a fatty acid before it can be activated. Before, experts thought that the fatty acids that were in the chemical structure of ghrelin was produced by the body during periods of fasting. This was until researchers have found out that the fatty acids attached to the enzyme to form ghrelin actually came from the fatty foods that we ingest.

The study used mice as their subjects, and found out that mice with more enzymes for ghrelin formation who were given with fatty foods gained more fat than those who have fewer enzymes in their system. The main reason for this is because the brain of the mice do not receive signals that fat is in their system and it needs to be stored.

Aside from that, researchers have also found out that during fasting, the levels of ghrelin are flat; however, upon introduction of fats, levels soar. They concluded that if fats are not provided, the levels of ghrelin in the body will remain inactive. Researchers are looking in an angle wherein ghrelin won’t be activated so that obesity will be prevented. Further studies will be conducted regarding this matter.

Obese Adults have Greater Risk of Developing Pancreatic Cancer

We all know that obesity poses a lot of serious health conditions; however, researchers have found out another addition to the health conditions which can happen due to obesity.

According to research, young adults who are obese have higher risks of developing pancreatic cancer.

Statistically speaking, pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of deaths related to cancer on both genders in the United States of America. Based from the evidences that were gathered by the researchers, they have found out that this rate has something to do with the increasing rate of adults who are becoming overweight or obese.

The study showed that those who were obese prior to the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer have a poorer prognosis than those who are not obese.

Obesity can cause numerous health conditions but experts are still unable to explain its association with specific medical conditions. However, researchers tried to observe the relationship of the body mass index of a person to the development of pancreatic cancer and they found out that being overweight for a long period of time increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Young adults who are obese have an increased risk of having pancreatic cancer at an earlier time compared to those who are not obese but also have other risk factors.

Despite these results, the researchers admit that this study still needs confirmation; but it is apparent that obesity will do no good to the body. Experts suggest that as early as possible, obesity should be prevented. This can be done through proper diet and regular exercise.

Behavior Modification Contributes to Weight Loss Success

Recent studies from the European Congress on Obesity have shown that obesity can be traced back from a sedentary lifestyle and eating. In addition to these two, behavior also plays an important role in obesity. The studies have shown that behavior modification plays an important role in maintaining the ideal weight. Losing weight can be done in various approaches and according to studies, in every weight loss method that includes behavioral modification, success is likely to happen. There are different behavior modification approaches. To give you an idea, here are some of the most commonly used approach:

Creating Food Diary or Food Logs

Learning Proper Food Choices

Determining the Hindrances to Weight Loss Success

These are the three most commonly used intervention for weight loss. Based from studies, if behavior modification is included in the obesity treatment regimen, patients are more successful in losing weight and maintaining it.

The most common approach to weight loss are the following:

Lifestyle Changes

Surgical Approach

Pharmacological Approach

Behavioral Approach

Some would use these in combination to achieve weight loss success. If losing weight was successful, the next goal is to maintain it at the desirable weight.

All of these approaches would require consultation to the physician first. In the pharmacological approach, a patient may be prescribed with weight loss supplements to enhance the results of diet and exercise. To know more about the best diet pills out in the market, check out Best-Diet-Pill.com for diet pill reviews.