Laboratory Equipment

Cash Bribes Help Weight Loss

Willpower apparently can be bought. The chance to win or lose $20 a month enticed dieters in a yearlong study to drop an average of nine pounds — four times more weight than others who were not offered dough to pass up the doughnuts.

Many employers, insurers and Internet programs dangle dollars to try to change bad habits like smoking or not exercising, but most studies have found this doesn’t work very well or for very long.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/03/cash-bribes-help-weight-loss

Cutting Carbohydrates, Not Fat, Aids Long-Term Weight Loss

A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association challenges the notion that “a calorie is a calorie.” The study, led by Cara Ebbeling, associate director and David Ludwig, director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center Boston Children’s Hospital, finds diets that reduce the surge in blood sugar after a meal — either low-glycemic index or very-low carbohydrate — may be preferable to a low-fat diet for those trying to achieve lasting weight loss. Furthermore, the study finds that the low-glycemic index diet had similar metabolic benefits to the very low-carb diet without negative effects of stress and inflammation as seen by participants consuming the very low-carb diet.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Cutting-Refined-Carbohydrates-Not-Fat-Aids-Weight-Loss-062812.aspx

Hot Sauce Can Act as Weight Loss Surgery Alternative

According to research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), the ingredient that gives hot sauce its heat could play a role in the future of weight loss.

Ali Tavakkoli, BWH Department of Surgery, and his team have published a study investigating whether two surgeries called vagal de-afferentation — which uses capsaicin, the component responsible for the chili pepper’s burning sensation — and vagatomy can achieve weight loss and reduce the risk of obesity-related diseases with fewer side effects when compared to today’s bariatric surgical options.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Hot-Sauce-Can-Act-as-Weight-Loss-Surgery-Alternative-051012.aspx

ACE Inhibitor Can Reverse Obesity in Mice

A recent study by La Trobe Univ. has shown that the ACE inhibitor captopril can reverse obesity, body fat and improve insulin sensitivity in mice. Scientists used the ACE inhibitor captopril (CAP)—commonly used for the treatment of hypertension and cardiac conditions—and found that it can reduce the body weight of mice maintained on a high-fat diet.

Initially, mice were put on a high fat diet for 12 weeks to produce mice with diet-induced obesity. During the subsequent 12 weeks treatment period, the mice were allowed access to the high-fat diet and either water containing CAP or plain tap water (the control).

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Ace-Inhibitor-Can-Reverse-Obesity-in-Mice-041612.aspx

Traditional Methods Trump Pop Diets for Fighting Obesity

Contrary to popular perception, a large proportion of obese Americans can and do lose weight, say researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. What’s more, they say, the old tried and true methods of eating less fat and exercising are some of the most effective paths to weight loss success. The research results appear in the online issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Traditional-Methods-Trump-Pop-Diets-for-Fighting-Obesity-041112.aspx

Math Models Address Global Weight Issues

Researchers are beginning to understand the complex metabolic system that makes people overweight and are developing math tools to help address the global problem. In the war to lose weight it may be something other than willpower or junk food that’s preventing victory: it could be faulty use of mathematics.

Traditionally, nutritionists and researchers have assumed that all you need to do to lose weight is cut calories — about 500 calories per day to lose a pound per week for most dieters, from the assumption that each pound of weight lost represented 3,500 calories in reduced calorie intake or increased exercise.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Math-Models-Built-to-Aid-Weight-Loss-022412.aspx

Morning Snacks May Slow Weight Lose

Women dieters who grab a snack between breakfast and lunch lose less weight compared to those who abstain from a mid-morning snack, according to a study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The results of this randomized trial, led by Anne McTiernan, a member of the Hutchinson Center’s Public Health Sciences Division and director of its Prevention Center, will be published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Morning-Snacks-May-Slow-Weight-Lose-112911.aspx

High Tech Method to Fight Obesity

People attempting to lose weight won’t need to track their daily food intake anymore, thanks to a wearable, picture-taking device created at the Univ. of Pittsburgh. eButton—a device worn on the chest (like a pin) that contains a miniature camera, accelerometer, GPS and other sensors—captures data and information of health activities, eliminating the need for daily self-reporting. The eButton prototype was the result of research from a four-year NIH Genes, Environment and Health Initiative grant that ended this year.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-High-Tech-Method-to-Fight-Obesity-111011.aspx