What Really Works to Lose Weight? By Anne Mitchell, ND
up with some answers to your most pressing questions to help you reach your weight loss goals. Let’s start by taking a look at some of the medical considerations that may have been standing in the way of your weight loss goal.
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1. Your Genes There are 100 different genetic markers that infl uence how you
break down calories and store fat. These genes have been examined to fi nd the link to being overweight. The most studied, and most blamed for obesity, is called the FTO Gene. Researchers believe that its genetic infl uence on our weight is actually quite small.
John Mathers, professor of Human Nutrition at Newcastle
University says “Carrying the high-risk form of the FTO Gene makes you more likely to be a bit heavier, but it shouldn’t prevent you from losing weight.”
I will remind you that your genes are hand-
ed down generationally and have changed little between generations. You may look like your mother or father, but you may choose a healthier lifestyle and thus be healthier than your ancestors despite what your genes imply. Your parent's genes infl uence your body type, but not necessarily your weight. Genetic testing, however, can give us clues as to your preferred diet, the best kind of exercise for your body, and your ability to utilize certain nutrients. The rapid rise in obesity isn't simply our genes but is more likely to be related to how our genes respond to food, exercise, pollution and chemicals in our environment, stress of all kinds, and the overall American lifestyle.
2. Good Fat and Bad Fat Nutritionists and doctors have fi nally realized that some fats
are good for you. The Mediterranean Diet, which includes olive oil and nuts, has been shown to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, both of which are linked to obesity. A study published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology found that individuals who followed a high-fat, Mediterranean diet lost more weight and reduced their waistline more than people who were instructed to reduce their overall fat intake. Please note that this study promotes olive oil and nuts, NOT hydrogenated and
ou've probably tried to get rid of those extra pounds a couple of times. It turns out that shedding that extra weight is now more complicated than ever. Scientists have come
partially hydrogenated oils found in processed food or processed vegetable oils like cottonseed, sunfl ower, saffl ower, soybean, and canola oils. Insist on extra virgin olive oil and know your source.
The FDA states, “Eating about 2 tablespoons of olive oil daily
may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monoun- saturated fat in olive oil. To achieve this possible benefi t, olive oil should replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day." Remember that 1 tablespoon of olive oil is 125 calories so, in terms of caloric intake, more is not necessarily better. The question of how much good fat we need has yet to be answered. It's likely that it’ll be far less than we desire.
3. Healthy Hormones Leptin is the controversial hormone that helps to regulate your
A recent study of 9,000 people found that whether or not a person carried a gene variation associated with weight gain had no infl uence on their ability to lose weight.
energy while inhibiting hunger. Ever since the discovery of leptins in 1994, scientists have tried to blame obesity on leptin resistance. At this point in research, we can't blame ordinary obesity on this hormone. Nor can we blame ghrelin, the so- called “hunger hormone”. Scientists report that the biomolecule may actually be a mediator of fat storage, rather than an appetite driver. Ghrelin does appear to be activated when you are full by a bacteria called H. Pylori which in large amounts is associated with gastric ulcers. Because of the common use of antibiotics very few people have H. Pylori and most of us have lost many other bacteria that actually belong in the GI tract.
Then there's insulin whose functions we understand a bit better but has surprised sci- entists with new information on what to eat. A
review of three large studies suggests that the amount of fat we need is dependent on our blood sugar. Researchers analyzed the data of three dietary clinical trials: the Diet, Obesity, and Genes trial, the OPUS Supermarket intervention (SHOPUS), and the Nutrient-gene interactions in human obesity (NUGENOB) trial. In total, the study included the data of more than 1,200 overweight adults. Looking at fasting blood glucose levels and fasting insulin levels of each participant, they assessed whether these levels were associated with weight loss in response to certain diets. For people with type 2 diabetes, the researchers found that a diet rich in plant-based, "healthy" fats and low in carbohydrates was best for weight loss. In the NUGENOB trial, adults with type 2 diabetes lost around 5.3
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