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Posted: July 18, 2012 at 4:13 am
Meg Evans, in red, lost 48 pounds her first year on Qsymia and another two pounds the second year.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new prescription diet drug called Qsymia on Tuesday. The medication produced dramatic weight loss in clinical trials, but some are concerned over potential side effects, including increased heart rate, birth defects and other issues.
Qsymia (pronounced kyoo-SIM-ee-uh) is the second diet drug approved this year. The FDA approved a weight-loss pill called Belviq on June 27.
Qsymia had been known as Qnexa until its approval. The FDA asked the company to change the name to avoid confusion with another drug on the market, according to the company.
Patients in clinical trials experienced more dramatic weight loss with Qsymia than with Belviq. On Qsymia, patients went from an average 227 pounds to 204 pounds; on Belviq, the average weight dropped from 220 to 207.
Some consumer advocates worry that the weight loss comes with a price. Some patients in the clinical trial suffered an increased heart rate and a condition called metabolic acidosis, which can lead to hyperventilation, fatigue and anorexia.
Concerns have also been raised about birth defects. One of the ingredients in Qsymia is topiramate, an anti-convulsant that has been linked to birth defects such as cleft lip and cleft palate in babies born to women who have taken it for migraines or seizures. Qsymia's other ingredient is phentermine, an appetite suppressant.
"Our belief is that women will be invited to compelling advertising and marketing messages to experiment on themselves with a drug that has some effectiveness with healthy weight loss but possible serious risks," said Cindy Pearson, executive director of the National Women's Health Network.
Qsymia's manufacturer, Vivus Inc., says that the drug helped lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels in obese people and that people taking it were less likely to get Type 2 diabetes.
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FDA to approve new diet drug
Posted: July 18, 2012 at 4:13 am
Meg Evans, in red, lost 48 pounds her first year on Qsymia and another two pounds the second year.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new prescription diet drug called Qsymia on Tuesday. The medication produced dramatic weight loss in clinical trials, but some are concerned over potential side effects, including increased heart rate, birth defects and other issues.
Qsymia (pronounced kyoo-SIM-ee-uh) is the second diet drug approved this year. The FDA approved a weight-loss pill called Belviq on June 27.
Qsymia had been known as Qnexa until its approval. The FDA asked the company to change the name to avoid confusion with another drug on the market, according to the company.
Patients in clinical trials experienced more dramatic weight loss with Qsymia than with Belviq. On Qsymia, patients went from an average 227 pounds to 204 pounds; on Belviq, the average weight dropped from 220 to 207.
Some consumer advocates worry that the weight loss comes with a price. Some patients in the clinical trial suffered an increased heart rate and a condition called metabolic acidosis, which can lead to hyperventilation, fatigue and anorexia.
Concerns have also been raised about birth defects. One of the ingredients in Qsymia is topiramate, an anti-convulsant that has been linked to birth defects such as cleft lip and cleft palate in babies born to women who have taken it for migraines or seizures. Qsymia's other ingredient is phentermine, an appetite suppressant.
"Our belief is that women will be invited to compelling advertising and marketing messages to experiment on themselves with a drug that has some effectiveness with healthy weight loss but possible serious risks," said Cindy Pearson, executive director of the National Women's Health Network.
Qsymia's manufacturer, Vivus Inc., says that the drug helped lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels in obese people and that people taking it were less likely to get Type 2 diabetes.
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FDA approves new diet drug
Posted: July 11, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Belly fat
By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, July 11 (HealthDay News) -- Menopausal women who lose weight eating a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables could reduce or eliminate their hot flashes and night sweats, a large new study suggests.
One reason the researchers looked at weight loss as a way of dealing with menopausal symptoms was because of long-standing research linking hormone-replacement therapy to heart disease and breast cancer.
"We wanted to see if this could be an alternative to hormone therapy," said lead researcher Candyce Kroenke, a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente's Northern California Division of Research in Oakland.
[READ:Best Weight-Loss Diets.]
"Indeed, women who lost weight in the context of this healthier diet -- decreasing fat, increasing whole grains, fruits and vegetables -- were significantly more likely to reduce or eliminate symptoms," she added.
Reduced hot flashes and night sweats, the key menopausal symptoms, were seen in both overweight and normal-weight women who lost weight, Kroenke noted.
And the reason for that is fairly simple, she said: Fat tends to retain heat and losing weight helps the body dissipate heat more easily.
The report, which was published July 11 in the online edition of Menopause, involved data on more than 17,000 women who took part in the Women's Health Initiative study.
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Diet, Weight Loss Ease Menopause Symptoms
Posted: July 11, 2012 at 10:15 am
College Students, Rats Eat Less When Food Is in Small Pieces
July 10, 2012 -- Call it the cut-up-food-diet: We feel full faster, and eat less later, when our food is served in small pieces.
It works in both college students and lab rats, according to a study by Devina Wadhera and colleagues at Arizona State University.
"Cutting up energy-dense foods into smaller pieces may be beneficial to dieters who wish to make their meal more satiating while also maintaining portion control," Wadhera says in a news release.
The researchers first tried this on lab rats. The animals were trained to run through a maze. Then the animals were offered a reward for running quickly through the maze. For 20 rats, the reward was a single chunk of food. For another 20 rats, the reward was 30 small pieces of food weighing the same as the large piece offered to the other rats.
After 12 trips through the maze, the result was clear. Rats preferred -- and worked harder for -- the same amount of food served in smaller pieces.
Okay, it's easy to fool a rat. But what about college students?
Wadhera's team split 301 male and female students into two groups. One was offered a whole bagel covered with cream cheese. The other group was offered the same kind of bagel, cut into four pieces and covered with the same amount of cream cheese.
The group that got the whole bagel ate a little more of it than those who got the cut-up bagel. But the real difference came 20 minutes later, when all of the students were offered a free meal.
Those who'd eaten the cut-up bagel -- even though they'd eaten a little less -- ate less of the free meal.
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Diet Secret: Small Pieces of Food More Filling
Posted: July 9, 2012 at 3:16 pm
Posted: Jul. 9, 2012 | 12:29 a.m.
Gabe Mirkin trains three to six hours a day as a bike racer in Florida. His stamina is impressive for any age, but at 77 the retired physician and former teaching fellow at Johns Hopkins University definitely turns heads. Mirkin's key to health is a diet rich in many different-colored fruits and vegetables, he says. He also avoids red meat and opts for better lean proteins instead.
There are others who use this diet approach to achieve optimal health or even to battle diseases. Many know of Kris Carr's 2007 "Crazy Sexy Cancer," a film that follows the actress and photographer's journey after a 2003 diagnosis of stage-four epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, a rare cancer found in the liver and lungs' blood vessel linings.
After nine years with only the help of a plant-based diet, Carr appears to be going strong and has created a not-so-small wellness empire. At the root of her plant-based diet is the topic of pH balance. According to Carr and other medical professionals, acidic processed foods, grains and meats ravage many Americans' bodies. Carr, with the help of researchers and academics, puts her best foot forward to explain how a higher acidic diet should shift to a more alkaline diet with more raw fruits and vegetables to keep metabolic and other processes in high gear.
Fruits and vegetables, when burned through the metabolic process, leave an alkaline "ash," or film with a pH above 7 on a scale of 1 to 14; meats leave an acidic ash well below 7. But while Mirkin likely consumes a supposedly higher alkaline diet, he balks at the topic of pH balance.
"It's complete nonsense," he says.
The retired doctor, who wrote his first essay against pH balance more than two decades ago, argues that the body regulates its blood pH level at approximately 7.4, a slightly alkaline state that is needed in order to live. The doctor says the body's every chemical reaction is guided by enzymes that work in that same narrow pH range to maintain health, and the body's other systems such as the lungs and kidneys also do their part to filter out excess acid ultimately expelled as waste. It's an extremely efficient system that works to keep fluids slightly alkaline at all times, he says.
"My statement is that the foods exclaimed by acid-base theory are helpful but not because of acid-base. Buying products based on changing your pH is walking on very shaky ground," he adds.
JUST GOOD FOOD?
Mirkin says there are countless studies that show red meat's association with many types of cancers, and it's impossible to ignore the connection. However, chicken and fish are considered to be acidic meats, too, he notes, but they are less likely to be associated with disease. He says those that are promoting the diet often have products such as supplements or books to sell.
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Experts Disagree Over Benefits Of Alkaline Diet In Fighting Diseases
Posted: July 9, 2012 at 5:12 am
In some circles, vegans are considered the purists of the vegetarian world because of their more limited diet.
Vegans eschew all animal-derivative foods such as meat, cheese, butter, eggs and milk.
When former U.S. president Bill Clinton adopted a vegan diet last August it drew international attention to veganism.
Although the statistics arent known, it seems more Canadians are becoming interested in plant-based diets.
There is a growing number of frozen vegan products and restaurants devoted to vegan menus. And cookbooks devoted to vegan consumption are also on the rise.
A new cookbook, 350 Best Vegan Recipes (Robert Rose, $27.95), written by culinary consultant Deb Roussou of California, provides a wide range of meal ideas, a primer on the vegan lifestyle and tips on stocking the pantry.
It shows mouth-watering photographs of Nori Rolls, French Herbed Strata and Mocha Cupcakes With Almond Icing. This depicts tantalizing and unusual fare for vegans indulging in what some would consider a stricter regime.
This cookbook celebrates delicious and healthy food that everyone can enjoy, says Roussou, 60. It is the way I like to eat because it makes me feel better.
She says that one of the things people find when they switch to a plant-based diet is that they can replicate almost everything they ate on a meat-based regime.
They are going to discover the flavours and quality of what they eat within a few weeks, Roussou says.
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Vegan diet prompts new cookbook with unusual fare
Posted: July 6, 2012 at 4:16 pm
Here's all you need to know about this weightloss diet, geared to help you burn fat off the body.
You've probably watched at least one episode of the reality show The Biggest Loser either on TV or on Youtube. If you haven't, then you should know that it's all about overweight contestants competing against one another to lose the maximum weight. The contestants are everyday people and the winner is the person who loses the most weight in a set period of time. Of course, the winners of the show shoot to fame each season, but something else has too: the Biggest Loser Diet.
What is the Biggest Loser Diet?
The Biggest Loser Diet is a calorie-controlled, carbohydrate-modified, fat-reduced weightloss diet geared to help you burn pure fat off the body. It helps to do so without deprivation or loss of energy. It was developed by obesity specialist Michael Dansinger, along with dietitian and chef Cheryl Forberg and trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels.
LifeMojo is one of the most trusted sources of information about good health and wellness. To those who want to manage their health themselves, LifeMojo provides necessary information, tips, tracking tools and support to help them stay informed and motivated.
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Burning the fat: All about the Biggest Loser Diet
Posted: July 3, 2012 at 6:25 am
More than half of patients diagnosed with cancer are older than 65. With current standards, they're all treated the same way regardless of the shape they're in; which can have deadly...
With school out and vacation time, plenty of people are taking to the trails on their rollerblades and bikes. But it's also a busy time of year for oral surgeons due to falls on the pavement....
Sponges are used a lot in surgeries. But 1 in 1500 surgeries, sponges disappear, left inside patients' bodies. ...
More than 760,000 children and adults are living with Cerebral Palsy. Now for the first time docotrs are studying a treatment that has the potential to stop the disorder in its tracks....
Getting old and getting cancer; 2 things a lot of people worry about and a lot of scientists are trying to fight. Now the key to preventing both is being tested on rats....
As many as 20% of children standing by for a heart transplant die before they get one. But a device for adults is now helping kids....
Ever wonder if your child will be the next Michael Jordan? Now there's a new, free app out there that can tell you how tall your child will be....
It's the latest in fighting colon cancer; an at home colon cancer test. The company that created it is doing clinical trials in Wisconsin. Click here for more info....
It's the new age of surgery; robots are now helping local doctors in the operating room....
Seizures are one of the most common reasons for ambulance runs. Now a new, simple device could help save times and lives....
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Mostly Sunny
Posted: July 3, 2012 at 6:25 am
The income of Diet members hit a record low average of 20.03 million in 2011, down 1.75 million from a year earlier, data released by the Diet said Monday.
The fourth consecutive yearly decline comes on the heels of a salary cut to help finance reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
After a 500,000 monthly pay cut between April and September 2011, which resulted in an annual salary of 15.46 million, average income for the 477 members of the Lower House covered came to 20.07 million. The income for the 240 Upper House members stood at 19.96 million, according to the data, which has been disclosed by law since 1992.
Former Prime Minister Taro Aso, a Lower House member of the Liberal Democratic Party, was the highest earner for the second year in a row at 431.37 million, including 402.5 million from asset sales his office declined to detail.
Kunio Hatoyama, a former minister of internal affairs and communications who is now an independent Lower House member, ranked second with income of 255.43 million.
Hatoyama was followed by Upper House member Kenji Nakanishi of Your Party with 248.97 million and Upper House LDP member Yukari Sato with 93.71 million.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda reported 31.66 million, which was the highest of the 11 party leaders.
Lower House: 38
Ichiro Ozawa
Kenji Yamaoka
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Diet ranks' average income hit record low in '11
Posted: July 3, 2012 at 6:25 am
DENVER, July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that dieters who had successfully lost weight and were trying to maintain their weight loss burned significantly more calories eating a low-carb diet modeled after the Atkins Diet than they did eating a low-fat diet. In fact, participants following the Atkins-like diet in the study burned about 300 calories more a day on a low-carb diet than they did on a low-fat diet. Additionally, there were several key health benefits experienced by those following the Atkins-like diet, including increased HDL, lowered triglycerides, reduced inflammation from baseline, and improved insulin sensitivity.
The study examined 21 participants, ages 18 to 40, who had lost some initial body weight and each participant completed three different diets in random order for four weeks. One of the diets followed was modeled on the Atkins Phase 1 Induction diet, with only 10 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 60 percent from fat and 30 percent from protein.
According to the researchers, "These findings suggest that a strategy to reduce glycemic load rather than dietary fat may be advantageous for weight-loss maintenance and cardiovascular disease prevention."
"We are very gratified to see the research community continue to study and validate the Atkins Diet. In this study, the investigators looked at Atkins Induction phase only which caused superior energy burn at rest, as well as much better triglycerides, HDL levels, and overall metabolic levels," said Colette Heimowitz, vice president of nutrition and education for Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. "It would have been ideal if the researchers had the funding to follow a longer term protocol which would have allowed the participants to become adapted to fat burning and produce even more favorable results in regard to cortisol and CRP."
About Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.
Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. is a leader in the $2.4 billion weight control nutrition category, and offers a powerful lifetime approach to weight loss and management. The Atkins Diet focuses on a healthy diet with reduced levels of refined carbohydrates and added sugars and encourages the consumption of protein, fiber, fruits, vegetables and good fats. Backed by research and consumer success stories, this approach allows the body to burn more fat and work more efficiently while helping individuals feel less hungry, more satisfied and more energetic.
Atkins Nutritionals, Inc., manufactures and sells a variety of nutrition bars and shakes designed around the nutritional principles of the Atkins Diet. Atkins' four product lines: Advantage, Day Break, Endulge and Cuisine appeal to a broad audience of both men and women who want to achieve their weight management goals and enjoy a healthier lifestyle. Atkins products are available online at atkins.com and in more than 30,000 locations throughout the U.S. and internationally. For more information, visit atkins.com.
