Category: Weight Loss

This small change to diet can have big results.

Foods like fruits, vegetables and beans can help with reducing belly fat and increasing weight loss, studies repeatedly find.

The reason is that they all contain high levels of soluble fibres.

Soluble fibres form a gel-like substance in the gut and this slows down the speed of digestion, making people feel less hungry.

Foods that are high in soluble fibre include:

• Pears
• Barley
• Broccoli
• Sweet potatoes
• Avocados
• Oats

As little as half a cup of pinto beans, a couple of apples and a cup of green beans each day would be enough to meet the target.

Adding some moderate exercise on top of this and belly fat was reduced by an average of over 7 percent.

Dr Kristen Hairston, the study’s first author:

“We know that a higher rate of visceral fat is associated with high blood pressure, diabetes and fatty liver disease.

Our study found that making a few simple changes can have a big health impact.”

For the study, the progress of 1,114 people was tracked over 5 years.

It emerged that those who increased their soluble fibre intake by 10 grams per day lost 3.7 percent of their belly fat.

Belly fat is the fat that surrounds the vital organs, deep in the belly.

High levels of belly fat are linked to fatty diabetes, liver disease and high blood pressure.

Dr Hairston said:

“There is mounting evidence that eating more soluble fiber and increasing exercise reduces visceral or belly fat, although we still don’t know how it works.

Although the fiber-obesity relationship has been extensively studied, the relationship between fiber and specific fat deposits has not.

Our study is valuable because it provides specific information on how dietary fiber, especially soluble fiber, may affect weight accumulation through abdominal fat deposits.”

Another method by which soluble fibres can influence belly fat is that they form short-chain fatty acids in the stomach.

These decrease the storage of fat in the body and increase the rate at which the body burns fat.

The study was published in the journal Obesity (Hairston et al., 2011).

Overweight people who took this antioxidant supplement managed to slim down without diet or exercise.

Lipoic acid, also known as alpha lipoic acid (ALA), is a strong antioxidant which helps people to lose weight.

In a clinical trial, when this dietary supplement was given to overweight or obese people, it made them lose body fat and body weight.

Patients who took 600 milligrams per day of the R form of lipoic acid (R-LA) managed to slim down in 24 weeks without changing their diet or physical activity.

Dr Balz Frei, study co-author, said:

“The data clearly showed a loss in body weight and body fat in people taking lipoic acid supplements.

Particularly in women and in the heaviest participants.”

Lipoic acid is a medium-chain fatty acid that is naturally found in plant and animal products like broccoli, spinach, and organ meats.

Our body makes small amounts of lipoic acid, which is essential for regulating the metabolism and generating energy.

Supplementation of lipoic acid seems to offer some additional benefits irrespective of its role in energy production.

Lipoic acid supplements sold over-the-counter assert benefits including blood sugar and cholesterol level reduction, and powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

It is also used as an additional treatment for diabetes, age-related cognitive decline, and heart disease.

Dr Alexander Michels, study co-author, said:

“Scientists have been researching the potential health benefits of lipoic acid supplements for decades, including how it might enhance healthy aging and mitigate cardiovascular disease.

In both rodent models and small-scale human clinical trials, researchers at the LPI have demonstrated the beneficial effects of lipoic acid on oxidative stress, lipid metabolism and circadian rhythm.”

According to Professor Tory Hagen, the study’s lead author, this research looked into two issues that have often been ignored in past clinical trials.

Professor Hagen explained:

“Many existing clinical studies using lipoic acid have focused on volunteers with pre-existing conditions like diabetes, making it difficult to determine if lipoic acid supplements simply act as a disease treatment or have other beneficial health effects.

Another issue is the formulation of the supplement.

Many previous studies have used the S form of lipoic acid, which is a product of industrial synthesis and not found in nature.

We only used the R form of lipoic acid — the form found in the body naturally.”

The research team saw that those patients who lost weight had reduced blood triglyceride levels, the main component of body fat.

Professor Hagen said:

“By the end of the study, some markers of inflammation declined.

The findings also suggest that lipoic acid supplementation provides a mild reduction in oxidative stress.

It is not a perfect panacea, but our results show that lipoic acid supplements can be beneficial.”

The study was published in The Journal of Nutrition (Bobe et al., 2020).

Inulin is a type of soluble fibre that can potentially aid weight loss by increasing feelings of fullness and reducing overall calorie intake.

Taking certain supplements has been shown by research to increase weight loss.

Inulin, a natural fibre available as a supplement, can even quadruple weight loss, one study has found.

Inulin is a fibre found naturally in many foods, including leeks, wheat, onions, bananas and asparagus.

The natural fibre works by reducing appetite.

It has a creamy consistency and is sometimes used in the food industry as a substitute for fat.

Inulin is low in calories, high in fibre and it can improve the health of the digestion.

Researchers repeatedly find that an increase in fibre intake can help with weight loss.

A recent study on mice fed them either a high-fat diet on its own or a high-fat diet with a fibre supplement.

After four weeks on this regime, the results showed that inulin — the fibre supplement — reduced obesity resulting from weight gain.

The size of fat cells was also reduced by supplementation with inulin.

Dr. Andrew Gewirtz, study co-author, said:

“We found that manipulating dietary fiber content, particularly by adding fermentable fiber, guards against metabolic syndrome.

This study revealed the specific mechanism used to restore gut health and suppress obesity and metabolic syndrome is the induction of IL-22 expression.

These results contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms that underlie diet-induced obesity and offer insight into how fermentable fibers might promote better health.”

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of problems including excess belly fat, high blood pressure and low levels of ‘good’ cholesterol.

Inulin also reduced bad cholesterol levels and helped to keep blood sugar more stable.

The balance of the microbes in the gut was restored by taking inulin.

The study was published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe (Zou et al., 2018).

A few glasses each day can help to increase weight loss by 100 percent.

Drinking three cups of low-fat milk each day can double weight loss, research finds.

Obese and overweight women in the study dropped 10 pounds in 8 weeks when they drank a pint-and-a-half of low-fat milk every day, along with following a diet.

Milk contains both vitamin D and calcium, which have both been linked to weight loss by research.

Around 50 percent of obese people have a calcium deficiency and half of the general population are deficient in vitamin D.

Soy milk also aided weight loss, the research found, but it was not as effective at shedding pounds as the dairy.

The study’s authors write:

“Our results showed that consumption of low-fat milk enhanced the beneficial effect of an energy restricted diet on central and general obesity and therefore a diet rich in dairy calcium could be tried in obese persons.”

One hundred women were included in the study and put on a calorie-controlled diet.

In addition, some were given three servings of low-fat milk, others soy milk and another group just a calcium supplement.

The results showed that those:

• drinking milk lost 10 pounds,
• drinking soy milk lost 8 pounds,
• taking a calcium supplement lost 8.5 pounds,
• in the control group lost 6 pounds.

The study’s authors write:

“The results of this study demonstrated that a low energy
diet (500 kcal/day deficit) for 8 weeks can lead to a significant reduction in weight, BMI [body mass index], waist circumference, WHR [waist-hip ratio], body fat mass and percent body fat.

A modest weight loss in obese individuals (5%-10% of initial body weight) is likely to improve their health in the short term by reducing the severity of comorbidities associated with obesity.

Our findings also indicate that a high milk diet can lead to
a higher reduction in weight, BMI, waist circumference, and
WHR.”

The study was published in the journal Cardiovascular Diseases (Faghih et al., 2019).

The drink may also be protective against type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Drinking a pint of low-fat milk each day could help double weight loss, researchers have found.

The healthy drink has been linked to halving fat and reducing the chance of type 2 diabetes.

Critical nutrients in milk include calcium and vitamin D, both of which have been linked to weight loss.

About 50 percent of people are deficient in vitamin D and around 50 percent of obese people have a calcium deficiency.

Low calcium levels may prompt the brain to increase food intake to get more of this mineral.

Milk may also be protective against type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of problems including excess belly fat, high blood pressure and low levels of ‘good’ cholesterol.

Milk can lower levels of insulin — the hormone that helps control blood sugar — between meals.

Dr Michael Yafi, the study’s first author, said:

“Our findings indicate that obese children who consume at least the daily recommended amount of milk may have more favorable sugar handling and this could help guard against metabolic syndrome.

Worryingly, only one in 10 young people in our study were consuming the recommended amount of milk.”

The study included 353 children who were tracked over a two-year period.

Their milk intake, along with blood glucose and other key measures, was assessed.

The results showed that drinking two cups of milk a day — roughly a pint — was linked to lower insulin levels.

Insulin is the hormone that helps stabilise blood sugar levels, with higher levels linked to type 2 diabetes.

Professor Mona Eissa, study co-author, said:

“The link between sugary drinks and childhood obesity is well-documented.

Vitamin D deficiency has also been connected to this.

By contrast, from a preventive perspective, our pilot study suggests that milk intake is not only safe but also may protect against development of metabolic syndrome.”

At least two previous study have linked milk to doubling weight loss.

The study was presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Vienna (Yafi et al., 2018).

Study participants lost weight without dieting or making other lifestyle changes.

Taking a vitamin D supplement is repeatedly linked to weight loss by studies.

People taking vitamin D lose weight without dieting or making other lifestyle changes.

Adding in dieting and exercise can help to boost weight loss even more.

One study has shown that people drinking more milk, which contains vitamin D and calcium, can double weight loss.

The new study included 50 overweight and obese women.

Half of them received doses of vitamin D equivalent to almost 10,000 IU per day over six weeks.

The study’s authors write:

“Previous studies had shown that the vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent in obese people and there was an inverse association between vitamin D, body mass index, and weight.”

The other half received a placebo that they were told was vitamin D, but was in fact inert.

The researchers measured people’s weight, waist and hip circumference, cholesterol and other biological markers, before and after supplementation.

The results showed that people taking vitamin D lost 3.5 pounds after taking vitamin D for six weeks.

The study’s authors explain the results:

“The findings of this double-blind clinical trial study in obese and overweight women aged 20–40 years showed that supplementation of the vit D with dozes 50,000 IU/w for 6 weeks reduced significantly the mean BMI [body mass index], weight and on the other hand, it increased significantly the level of vit D in comparison with the control group.”

The average weight loss was around 3.5 pounds in the vitamin D group compared with no change in the control group.

Around half the world’s population is deficient in vitamin D.

Foods that are rich in vitamin D include oily fish and eggs, but most people get their vitamin D from the action of sunlight on the skin.

The study was published in the International Journal of Preventative Medicine (Khosravi et al., 2019).

The drink stimulate the body’s fat-fighting defences.

Drinking coffee can stimulate the body’s fat-fighting defences, research demonstrates.

Coffee helps to activate so-called ‘brown fat’, technically known as brown adipose tissue.

Unlike white fat, which simply stores excess calories, brown fat burns calories when activated (usually by low temperature).

In fact, small amounts of brown fat can burn several hundred calories per day — the same as 30-minutes of exercise.

Brown fat is typically located in the neck and the region above the collarbone.

The body usually only has a couple of ounces of brown fat, which are not visible as it lies deep below the skin.

Professor Michael Symonds, study co-author, explained:

“Brown fat works in a different way to other fat in your body and produces heat by burning sugar and fat, often in response to cold.

Increasing its activity improves blood sugar control as well as improving blood lipid levels and the extra calories burnt help with weight loss.

However, until now, no one has found an acceptable way to stimulate its activity in humans.

This is the first study in humans to show that something like a cup of coffee can have a direct effect on our brown fat functions.”

For the study, researchers examined the effect of caffeine on brown fat.

Thermal imaging showed that caffeine activates the brown fat and starts burning calories more quickly.

Professor Symonds said:

“From our previous work, we knew that brown fat is mainly located in the neck region, so we were able to image someone straight after they had a drink to see if the brown fat got hotter.

The results were positive and we now need to ascertain that caffeine as one of the ingredients in the coffee is acting as the stimulus or if there’s another component helping with the activation of brown fat.

We are currently looking at caffeine supplements to test whether the effect is similar.

Once we have confirmed which component is responsible for this, it could potentially be used as part of a weight management regime or as part of glucose regulation programme to help prevent diabetes.”

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports (Velickovic et al., 2019).

This type of vegetable oil targets abdominal fat, trimming the belly in only one month.

High-oleic acid canola oil can help cut down belly fat in four weeks, research finds.

Canola oil-based diets have also been shown to lower cholesterol levels and provide health benefits in obese people.

Canola oil is low in saturated fat but high in monounsaturated fatty acids and mainly used in cooking and salad dressing.

Excess belly fat, which is located in the abdominal area, is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome.

This medical condition is a combination of high blood pressure, obesity, and type 2 diabetes which puts a person at greater risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

Almost one in three US adults, one in four adults in the UK, and one in five Canadian adults have metabolic syndrome.

But a study has found that canola oil can reduce abdominal obesity in people who are at higher risk for metabolic syndrome and cardiometabolic disease.

Professor Penny Kris-Etherton explained:

“Visceral, or abdominal, fat increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, and is also associated with increased risk for conditions such as metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

Monounsaturated fats in canola oil decrease this fat that has adverse health effects.”

Participants in this study had abdominal obesity and either had metabolic syndrome or were at risk for it.

Participants followed five diets to test different five oils, but only the canola oil diet led to abdominal fat loss.

Based on participants’ daily calorie needs, the quantity of treatment oil was calculated.

For instance, a person on a 3,000-calorie diet would have 60 grams of canola oil a day to make up 18 percent of this calorie intake.

They drank two smoothies every day and each smoothie contained 30 grams of canola oil (two tablespoons) with 100 grams of non-fat milk, 100 grams of orange sherbet, and 100 grams of frozen unsweetened strawberries.

The results showed a reduction of 1.6 percent in belly fat after four weeks consumption of high-oleic acid canola oil a day.

Professor Kris-Etherton said:

“As a general rule, you can’t target weight loss to specific body regions.

But monounsaturated fatty acids seem to specifically target abdominal fat.”

Canola oil is extracted from rapeseed and there is a concern about rapeseed oil.

Rapeseed contains erucic acid which is toxic to humans when consumed in large amounts.

However, if canola oil contains less than 2 percent erucic acid, it is generally recognized as safe.

The study was published in the journal Obesity (Liu et al., 2016).