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The report, in the journal PLOS Medicine, analysed genetic data from 21 studies - a total of 42,000 people. It found every 10% rise in body mass index (BMI) - used as an indicator of body fat - led to a 4% drop of available vitamin D in the body. As vitamin D is stored in fatty tissue, the authors suggest the larger storage capacity in obese people may prevent it from circulating in the bloodstream.
BMI it is calculated by taking weight (in kilograms) and dividing it by height (in metres) squared. Those with a BMI of 30 or above are considered obese. Lead author Dr Elina Hypponen, from the University College London Institute of Child Health, said the study "highlights the importance of monitoring and treating vitamin D deficiency in people who are overweight or obese". Vitamin D is made in the skin after sun exposure and can be taken in dietary supplements.
Healthy levels are about 50 nanomole per litre - less than 30 nanomole per litre can cause the softening and weakening of bones, leading to rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Prof David Haslam, from the National Obesity Forum, said: "Food intake and genetics all play a part in obesity - but this research is a reminder that physical activity, like walking the dog or going for a run out in the sunshine, shouldn't be forgotten and can help correct both weight and lack of vitamin D."
BBC News - Study finds obesity can 'lead to lack of vitamin D'
The national telephone survey found 13 states with very high rates of obesity last year. Overall, the proportion of U.S. adults deemed obese has been about the same for years now. "A plateau is better than rising numbers. But it's discouraging because we're plateauing at a very high number," said Kelly Brownell, a Duke University public policy expert who specializes in obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does the survey each year, and recently released 2012 results.
At least 30 percent of adults were obese in 13 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. In 2011, a dozen states reached that threshold. Louisiana and Mississippi led the list. In both, nearly 35 percent of adults were obese. Colorado was lowest, with less than 21 percent obese. It's not surprising states in the South and Midwest top the charts year after year, experts say. Many states in those regions have higher poverty rates. "When you have a limited income, you have to buy foods that are cheap. And foods that are cheap tend to have a lot of sugar and salt and fat," said Dr. George Bray, an obesity expert at Louisiana State University.
The CDC defines someone as obese if their weight-to-height ratio called a "body mass index" hits 30 or higher. A 5-foot-9 person would be considered obese at 203 pounds or more. The CDC's annual telephone survey asks adults their height and weight. Overall, nearly 28 percent of Americans were obese, the 2012 survey found. That's roughly the same as it's been since 2008. Another CDC survey which weighs and measures participants is considered more accurate. Since the middle of the last decade, that survey has found that around 35 percent of U.S. adults are obese.
The story may be different with children. A CDC study released last week showed for the first time slight drops in obesity for low-income preschoolers in 18 states. Experts called that report encouraging, but note it studied children fed through a federal program which provides food vouchers and other services. The decline in obesity was largely attributed to program changes instituted in 2009 that eliminated juice from infant food packages, provided less saturated fat, and made it easier to buy fruits and vegetables.
Obesity very high in 13 states; many in the South
The body uses carbohydrates from the food we eat to produce glucose, which is used to fuel bodily functions. The human body can either use this glucose right away or store it in the liver and muscles for when it’s needed. In their study, published Nature Genetics, researchers examined the connection between body weight and a gene called AMY1,which produces an enzyme found in our saliva called salivary amylase. The enzyme goes to work as soon as we take our first bite; it’s one of the first steps the body takes to digest starchy food.
Usually our DNA contains two copies of this gene, but researchers have found that various regions throughout our DNA can carry any number of the AMY1 gene and that the quantity of this gene can also vary between different people. The researchers believe that the higher numbers of AMY1 found in humans today is an evolutionary response to the change in diets toward increased starch. Working with colleagues at institutions in other parts of the world, the British researchers looked into the number of AMY1 copies present in the DNA of people from the UK, France, Sweden and Singapore.
The UK scientists began their research project by first analyzing genetic data from 481 members of a Swedish family. The family participants were selected by sibling pairs, where one was obese and the other was not. The researchers used this data to develop a short list of genes whose differences in numbers within an individual’s DNA influenced that person’s body mass index (BMI). In analyzing this list, the scientists found the gene coding for the AMY1 gene was the one with the greatest influence on body weight.
With this finding in hand, they went on study about 5,000 more test subjects from France and the UK and looked into the association between the number of times the AMY1 gene was repeated on chromosome 1 in each of these people and their risk of obesity. After checking for the amount of AMY1 copies contained in their test subject’s DNA, they noticed that those with a low number of the salivary enzyme producing gene had a greater chance of becoming obese.
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Marla Evans enjoys playing with her granddaughter. Eight years ago, Evans had Type 2 diabetes. That was before she underwent gastric bypass surgery. Since then, she has shed 36 kilograms. Evans participated in a study led by Dr. Philip Schauer at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, who wanted to see if the surgery could help patients with diabetes. "This disease over time can be very debilitating, causing blindness, kidney failure, amputations, heart attack and stroke if it’s not well treated," he said.
High blood sugar levels are the hallmark of diabetes. A few years ago, Schauer published the initial results of the study. He found that the stomach-shrinking surgery reversed Type 2 diabetes. The latest results are the same. "This is very important because it shows that the effect of surgery in lowering blood sugar is durable out to three years. It's not just a short-term effect," said Schauer. Bariatric surgery is an umbrella term for different surgeries that make the stomach smaller. In the most common procedure, the surgeon cuts across the top of the stomach to create a small pouch about the size of a walnut. Food bypasses most of the stomach and enters directly into the small intestine.
Afterward, patients have to change their lifestyles and stick with a diet that Evans said was sometimes difficult to adjust to, but worth the effort. “I like the size I am. I like everything that came out of the surgery. It’s a blessing that you don’t have to take medicine, that you are healthier, that you feel good, that you look fantastic.” The surgery is expensive, but as Schauer said, so is treating diabetes and all its complications. "So in that regard, I think that surgery will factor in as a viable and efficient and economically advantageous treatment," he said.
Schauer also found that patients who had the surgery had better blood pressure results, and they could reduce the amount of medicine they used to control it. In addition, they had better cholesterol levels and were generally healthier. Evans prepares her own food, and eats far less than before. When Evans thinks about her old lifestyle, she said she misses ice cream. But as for the rest? "No," she said with a laugh, "absolutely not. I have energy. I have a new life. I am not a diabetic any more." Schauer said that with the steep increases in obesity and diabetes around the world, bariatric surgery will become more common even outside of Western countries.
http://www.voanews.com/content/study-gastric-bypass-procedure-reverses-type-2-diabetes/1883002.html
It doesn't take a genius to figure out America's weight problems are due to a grossly high-fat/sugar diet and sedentary lifestyle. You drink sodas, primarily eat high fat foods and watch TV and sit in an office chair most of the day - guess what? You are going to be overweight.
You know I dont blame sugar or anything, I think it's just evolution making us bigger, and soon we'll become giants as we increase in size, of course our joints will grow to support the weight. WOOOHOOOO so lets bring on the sugar drinks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You know I dont blame sugar or anything, I think it's just evolution making us bigger, and soon we'll become giants as we increase in size, of course our joints will grow to support the weight. WOOOHOOOO so lets bring on the sugar drinks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Naturally occurring sugarwhich gives fruit, some veggies, and milk their sweet tasteis perfectly healthy. It's our dependency on concentrated sugar which is the issue. We won't evolve on this dude. You are basically saying, "WOOOHOO Let's keep drinking excessive alcohol because evolution will fix that problem for me! I'll grow a super liver"
You have a lot to learn about Sugar, HMO's, GMO's, MSG's, etc, etc, etc
Historically we spent all summer eating high nutrition veggies because they were everywhere. And in the Winter we ate meat. It was lot's of nutrition, little fat and lot's of work to get that nutrition.
Today it's lot's of fat and little nutrition and ZERO work to get it. Nearly all Americans don't get the nutrition they need yet they eat more than ever. Almost all Americans are also Chronically dehydrated.
Obesity
Is a choice.
