Judge says Arizona's abortion ban can take effect

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Snacking and BMI linked to double effect of brain activity and self-control

ScienceDaily (July 23, 2012) — Snack consumption and BMI are linked to both brain activity and self-control, new research has found.

See Also:Health & MedicineDiet and Weight LossBrain TumorObesityMind & BrainDieting and Weight ControlIntelligencePsychologyLiving WellReferenceBody mass indexOverweightAppetiteLimbic system

The research, carried out by academics from the Universities of Exeter, Cardiff, Bristol, and Bangor, discovered that an individual's brain 'reward centre' response to pictures of food predicted how much they subsequently ate. This had a greater effect on the amount they ate than their conscious feelings of hunger or how much they wanted the food,

A strong brain response was also associated with increased weight (BMI), but only in individuals reporting low levels of self-control on a questionnaire. For those reporting high levels of self-control a stronger brain response to food was actually related to a lower BMI.

This study, which is now published in the journal NeuroImage, adds to mounting evidence that overeating and increased weight are linked, in part, to a region of the brain associated with motivation and reward, called the nucleus accumbens. Responses in this brain region have been shown to predict weight gain in healthy weight and obese individuals, but only now have academics discovered that this is independent of conscious feelings of hunger, and that self-control also plays a key role.

Following these results, academics at the University of Exeter and Cardiff have begun testing 'brain training' techniques designed to reduce the influence of food cues on individuals who report low levels of self-control. Similar tests are being used to assist those with gambling or alcohol addiction.

Dr Natalia Lawrence of Psychology at the University of Exeter, lead researcher in both the original research and the new studies, said: "Our research suggests why some individuals are more likely to overeat and put on weight than others when confronted with frequent images of snacks and treats. Food images, such as those used in advertising, cause direct increases in activity in brain 'reward areas' in some individuals but not in others. If those sensitive individuals also struggle with self-control, which may be partly innate, they are more likely to be overweight. We are now developing computer programs that we hope will counteract the effects of this high sensitivity to food cues by training the brain to respond less positively to these cues."

Twenty-five young, healthy females with BMIs ranging from 17-30 were involved in the study. Female participants were chosen because research shows females typically exhibit stronger responses to food-related cues. The hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle affect this reaction, so all participants were taking the monophasic combined oral contraceptive pill. Participants had not eaten for at least six hours to ensure they were hungry at the time of the scan and were given a bowl containing 150 g (four and a half packets) of potato chips to eat at the end of the study; they were informed that potato chip intake had been measured afterwards.

Researchers used MRI scanning to detect the participants' brain activity while they were shown images of household objects, and food that varied in desirability and calorific content. After scanning, participants rated the food images for desirability and rated their levels of hunger and food craving. Results showed that participants' brain responses to food (relative to objects) in the nucleus accumbens predicted how many potato chips they ate after the scan. However, participants' own ratings of hunger and how much they liked and wanted the foods, including potato chips, were unrelated to their potato chip intake.

This study was funded by the Wales Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience.

What this study shows:

Brain responses to food images vary considerably between individuals. Brain responses to food images but not conscious feelings of hunger or desire to eat predict subsequent potato chip consumption. Individuals' reported levels of self-control influence whether this brain response is associated with a higher or lower BMI.

What this study does NOT show:

Brain responses to food cues cause overeating. The associations reported here are true in everyone -- only healthy young women were included. Whether our brain response and levels of self-control are learned or innate.Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

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Standing for long periods during pregnancy may curb fetal growth: But working up to 36 weeks has no adverse effect, study suggests

ScienceDaily (June 28, 2012) — Standing for long periods during pregnancy may curb the growth of the developing fetus, suggests research published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

See Also:Health & MedicinePregnancy and ChildbirthInfant's HealthMenopauseBirth DefectsGynecologyChronic IllnessReferenceMaternal bondColostrumBreech birthBirth weight

Previous research has indicated that long working hours may increase the risk of birth defects, premature birth, stillbirth and low birth-weight.

The researchers assessed the fetal growth rates of 4680 mums to be from early pregnancy onwards between 2002 and 2006.

Midway through their pregnancy, the women were quizzed about their work conditions and the physical demands of their jobs, including whether these included lifting, long periods of standing or walking, night shifts and long working hours.

Around four out of 10 (38.5%) of the women spent a long time on their feet and 45.5% had to walk for long periods. Heavy lifting was part of the job for just 6%, while around 4% worked night shifts.

The development of their babies was regularly measured throughout pregnancy, using ultrasound, and then again at birth.

The results showed that physically demanding work and long working hours were not consistently associated with restrictions on overall size or birth-weight, or with premature birth.

And working up to 34 or 36 weeks of pregnancy had no adverse impact on fetal development.

But women who spent long periods on their feet during their pregnancy, in jobs such as sales, childcare, and teaching, had babies whose heads were an average of 1 cm (3%) smaller than average at birth, implying a slower growth rate.

Around half the women (47.5%) worked between 25 and 39 hours a week, while around one in four (23%) worked more than 40 hours a week.

And those who worked more than 40 hours a week had smaller babies than those who worked under 25 hours a week.

Babies born to these women had a head circumference that was 1 cm smaller and a weight that was between 148 and 198 g smaller, on average, than babies born to women working under 25 hours a week. These differences were apparent from the third trimester (last three months of pregnancy) onwards.

The authors comment that generally women who are working outside the home have fewer pregnancy complications, birth defects, and stillbirths than women who are unemployed, but that certain aspects of work may not be without risk.

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Effect of three common diets on energy expenditure following weight loss detailed

ScienceDaily (June 26, 2012) — In an examination of the effect on energy expenditure and components of the metabolic syndrome of 3 types of commonly consumed diets following weight loss, decreases in resting energy expenditure and total energy expenditure were greatest with a low-fat diet, intermediate with a low-glycemic index diet, and least with a very low-carbohydrate diet, suggesting that a low-fat diet may increase the risk for weight regain compared to the other diets, according to preliminary research published in the June 27 issue of JAMA.

See Also:Health & MedicineDiet and Weight LossObesityFitnessNutritionCholesterolTriglyceridesReferenceSouth Beach dietZone dietGlycemic indexDetox diet

"Many people can lose weight for a few months, but most have difficulty maintaining clinically significant weight loss over the long term. According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2006), only 1 in 6 overweight and obese adults report ever having maintained weight loss of at least 10 percent for 1 year," according to background information in the article. One explanation for the poor long-term outcome is that weight loss elicits biological adaptations -- specifically a decline in energy expenditure and an increase in hunger -- that promote weight. According to the authors, the effect of dietary composition on energy expenditure during weight-loss maintenance has not been studied.

Cara B. Ebbeling, Ph.D., of Children's Hospital Boston, and colleagues conducted a study to evaluate the effects of 3 weight-loss maintenance diets on energy expenditure, hormones, and components of the metabolic syndrome. The study, conducted between June 2006 and June 2010, included 21 overweight and obese young adults. After achieving 10 percent to 15 percent weight loss while consuming a run-in diet, participants consumed an isocaloric low-fat diet (60 percent of energy from carbohydrate, 20 percent from fat, 20 percent from protein; high glycemic load), low-glycemic index diet (40 percent from carbohydrate, 40 percent from fat, and 20 percent from protein; moderate glycemic load), and very low-carbohydrate diet (10 percent from carbohydrate, 60 percent from fat, and 30 percent from protein; low glycemic load) in random order, each for 4 weeks. The primary outcome measured was resting energy expenditure (REE), with secondary outcomes of total energy expenditure (TEE), hormone levels, and metabolic syndrome components.

The researchers found that energy expenditure during weight-loss maintenance differed significantly among the 3 diets. The decrease in REE from pre-weight-loss levels, measured by indirect calorimetry in the fasting state, was greatest for the low-fat diet (average relative to baseline, -205 kcal/d), intermediate with the low-glycemic index diet (-166 kcal/d), and least for the very low-carbohydrate diet (-138 kcal/d). The decrease in TEE also differed significantly by diet (average -423 kcal/d for low fat; -297 kcal/d for low glycemic index; and -97 kcal/d for very low carbohydrate).

"Hormone levels and metabolic syndrome components also varied during weight maintenance by diet (leptin; 24-hour urinary cortisol; indexes of peripheral and hepatic insulin sensitivity; high-density lipoprotein

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Birth Defects, Fertility Treatments and the Effect on My Family

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