Obesity

Medical News Today: Dr. Lawrence J. Cheskin comments in an exercise-induced molecule that allegedly suppresses hunger

eander6 — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 15:49:16 +0000

Medical News Today: Dr. Lawrence J. Cheskin comments in an exercise-induced molecule that allegedly suppresses hunger eander6 Wed, 06/22/2022 - 11:49

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Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD

Exercise-induced molecule suppresses hunger, may help treat obesity.

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College of Health and Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Department of Nutrition and Food Studies

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Joins Partnership with Maseno University, Building on Long Relationship Fostered by Constance Gewa, Associate Professor

John Brandon Cantrell — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 20:15:12 +0000

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Joins Partnership with Maseno University, Building on Long Relationship Fostered by Constance Gewa, Associate Professor John Brandon C… Wed, 10/06/2021 - 16:15

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Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD

Students, faculty, and staff from both institutions will benefit from the partnership by engaging in new research opportunities, exchange programs, and professional development activities.

The College is proud to announce the recent partnership between ��AV and Maseno University (MSU), located in Kisumu, Kenya. Led by Constance Gewa, associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, the partnership aims to stimulate and support educational and intercultural projects between MSU and Mason's Department of Nutrition and Food Studies.

“This [partnership] will expand research and study abroad opportunities between faculty and students in the two universities,” says Gewa, who laid the foundation for the partnership.

The partnership is a result of relationships Gewa established with researchers and community members in Kenya. From 2016-17, Gewa collected data on food security among women and children in rural Kenya and returned in summer 2019 to share her findings. Since then, Gewa has collaborated with Maseno University and other Kenya institutions on a research study that examines childhood obesity rates in rural and urban Kenya.

“The Maseno University partnership builds on our department's ongoing relationship, spearheaded by Dr. Gewa, which seeks to address the growing problem of childhood obesity and related health problems in urban and rural Kenya,” says Lawrence Cheskin, chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies.

The collaboration will enhance global scholarship and learning by inviting faculty and research personnel from Maseno University to participate in teaching and research activities and professional development opportunities. Faculty from each institution will work in areas such as organizing symposia, conferences, short courses, exchange programs, and meetings on research issues. In addition, the partnership will cultivate collaborative research, continuing education programs, and joint post-doctoral research activities for Mason and MSU students.

The College anticipates a successful collaboration with Maseno University and the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. More information on the partnership will be available in the following weeks.

Learn more about Gewa’s research here:

Department Nutrition and Food Studies Faculty Teach Sustainable Food Practices

Intermittent Fasting: Will it Work for You?

John Brandon Cantrell — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 14:15:50 +0000

Intermittent Fasting: Will it Work for You? John Brandon C… Wed, 06/09/2021 - 10:15

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Lilian de Jonge, PhD

Learn About Intermittent Fasting and Find Out if it is the Right Plan for You.

Lilian de Jonge, assistant professor of nutrition, shares insight and answers common questions regarding intermittent fasting.

According to The Washington Post and Healthline, the average weight gain during the pandemic was approximately 29 pounds per person. In America, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 42 percent of Americans have obesity, which is the second-leading cause of preventable death and is responsible for nearly 300,000 deaths per year. Obesity is also a risk factor for other chronic diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and several cancers, making efforts for sustainable weight loss crucial to the public’s health.

With more parts of society returning to pre-COVID operations, many individuals are grappling with recent weight gain and are looking for ways to lose weight during the summer, including intermittent fasting. Dr. Lilian de Jonge, associate professor of nutrition at the ��AV College of Health and Human Services, answers common questions and provides insight regarding this popular weight management trend.

What is intermittent fasting, and how does it work?

Intermittent fasting is a weight loss plan where individuals eat at certain times a day or on alternative days and can be a valid method to lose or maintain weight. Intermittent fasting works by manipulating how the body processes calories. There are three sources of calories: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. During normal eating cycles, carbohydrates are readily available in the body, so the body processes carbohydrates first and stores fats, leading to weight gain. During periods of intermittent fasting, the body no longer has carbohydrates readily available, so the body will begin processing and burning fat instead of carbohydrates.

Are the different kinds or patterns of fasting (e.g., 16/8, 5:2, Eat Stop Eat) better than others?

There are different benefits for each fasting plan, and they all depend on the individual. Some individuals do well with fasting during certain times of the day, and others find fasting every other day more beneficial. The diet’s success is determined by how well someone can follow the diet and continue the diet until the desired weight is reached or maintained. There isn’t enough research to determine which type of fasting is better than the other.

The Internet is full of pictures showing that some forms of fasting are better for different body types. Is this true?

In general, it is best to be wary of diets that promise certainty, as all diets work differently for each person. Scientists cannot know if a diet plan works best for a certain body type until that specific study has been conducted. Typically, the studies focused on intermittent fasting involve subjects who have similar characteristics and are only conducted for a short period of time, making it difficult to determine a diet’s effectiveness for certain body types.

How much weight can someone expect to lose from intermittent fasting?

While the success rate for intermittent fasting varies from person to person, an average individual can expect to lose between 1 to 2 pounds of weight each week. For a healthy weight loss plan, the recommended amount of weight to lose is 1 to 2 pounds per week without experiencing negative health effects. For some, individuals can lose more weight within the first two weeks of intermittent fasting due to losing water weight.

Do you have to count calories during intermittent fasting?

The difference between a caloric restriction diet, where individuals consume a certain number of calories (typically 500 less than the body burns) each day, is that intermittent fasting allows individuals to eat normally during certain periods of time while restricting their eating during fasting times. Typically, individuals find intermittent fasting as an easier and more sustainable form of dieting than caloric restriction diets. However, practicing a healthy diet is still needed for individuals to see success from the dieting regimen.

How do you know if intermittent fasting is right for you?

Each person is different, so intermittent fasting is not a one-size-fits-all approach. While some people can handle periods of not eating, others can experience health concerns such as headaches or feeling like they may faint from going periods at a time without eating. If you find yourself struggling with intermittent fasting, reach out to a dietician or nutritionist to work on a diet plan that works for you.

What are the health benefits of intermittent fasting?

Aside from losing weight, individuals can experience several health benefits by going short periods at a time without consuming food. In some cases, the health trend can serve as a type of cleanse by feeling healthier and increasing a sense of clarity in the mind. In addition, following an intermittent fasting plan can help individuals make healthier choices when eating as well as being more mindful about what to eat and when to eat.

Can anyone try intermittent fasting?

There is more research that needs to be done to determine how intermittent fasting affects which populations or demographics differently. For the average adult, intermittent fasting can be a viable and healthy solution to lose weight. This form of dieting is not recommended for some individuals, such as growing children, athletes following a strict workout plan, or individuals with type-1 diabetes. For growing children, a diet plan is only recommended in certain situations. In most cases, children are taught how to eat healthier and make lifestyle changes to improve weight. For athletes following a workout plan, intermittent fasting can be difficult to follow by going certain periods without food and protein, given their level of activeness. Individuals with type-1 diabetes need to regulate their glucose intake and find that a consistent, daily diet is more beneficial to their health.

Individuals with questions about the best weight loss plan for them are encouraged to speak with their care provider and to consider working with a nutritionist to ensure long-term success.

What can I do to lose weight without trying intermittent fasting?

Practicing a healthy diet is beneficial for individuals who want to lose weight without practicing intermittent fasting. Tools such as MyPlate allow individuals to monitor their daily caloric intake and ensure that each meal meets the recommended requirements for fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy. Individuals can also modify the plan based on their gender, age, weight, and height to get more personalized recommendations on healthful eating.

What determines if a diet plan is right for me?

The success of a diet plan is based on how sustainable it is for an individual to maintain the diet. In most cases, a lifestyle change needs to be made to successfully follow a diet. The important aspect of dieting is to determine if the diet feels right for each person. Every person will have different experiences and results with diets depending on how well their body adapts to the new change in eating and how long the individual can practice the diet. Speaking with a dietician or nutritionist can help answer questions about a certain diet as well as ensuring that the diet is the best plan for you.

What research still needs to be conducted on intermittent fasting?

Typically, studies regarding intermittent fasting are set in relatively short periods of time with specific subjects who share similar characteristics, such as gender and body mass index (BMI), and depend on what factors the scientists are looking to discover. Scientists are unable to determine the long-term effects of intermittent fasting or determine which type of person would have more success with this diet than others until the studies are completed. While there are still many unknowns, to ensure you are on the best track for your weight loss, it is best to consult with an expert who can answer questions and modify the plan based on what works for you.

About Dr. Lilian de Jonge

Dr. Lilian de Jonge has worked in several areas of nutrition, including nutritional support in burn patients and the effects of diet composition on body weight and chronic diseases, with a particular depth in human energy metabolism. Collaborations have interested de Jonge in the role of functional foods and nutraceutical compounds on health, determinants of weight gain, and the development of metabolic syndrome in children.

Some of her specific research interests include variability in the adaptation to changes in diet composition and energy balance; the role of sleep and circadian rhythms on the development of obesity and metabolic disorder and more specifically in the effects of disturbance of circadian rhythms on food intake, food preferences, nutrient metabolism, physical activity, and their interactions; and the effects of nutraceuticals with anti-inflammatory properties on the metabolic syndrome and weight regulation and lately school nutrition programs.

Attention Media:

To speak with Lilian de Jonge and other faculty experts on topics related to obesity, nutrition, diabetes, food systems, and food insecurity, please contact Michelle Thompson at mthomp7@gmu.edu/703-993-3485.

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New Study Shows Pinterest Users Pin Healthy Recipes But Are More Likely to Make the Unhealthy Ones

mthomp7 — Mon, 17 May 2021 11:38:44 +0000

New Study Shows Pinterest Users Pin Healthy Recipes But Are More Likely to Make the Unhealthy Ones mthomp7 Mon, 05/17/2021 - 07:38

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Hong Xue, PhD

Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD

Y. Alicia Hong, PhD

Janusz Wojtusiak, PhD

Study found that users liked and pinned posts that were healthy but more heavily engaged off-line with recipes that were high in fat, sugar, and total calories. Findings indicate that users were more like to actually cook the less healthy recipes.

New Study By Hong Xue Shows Pinterest Users Pin Healthy Recipes But Are More Likely to Make the Unhealthy Ones

When it comes sharing recipes on social media, what users post, and what they cook may be two entirely different things. That’s the conclusion of a recent study from ��AV’s College of Health and Human Services, published in April in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR), a leading journal for digital medicine and health research. The study led by Hong Xue, PhD analyzed hundreds of Pinterest Users and Pinterest Influencers, and found users liked and pinned posts that were healthy, featuring more poultry, fish and vegetables, but users more heavily engaged off-line with recipes that were high in fat, sugar, and total calories – indicating that users were more like to actually cook the less healthy recipes.

“It’s an interesting discrepancy between what pinners posted/liked and how users actually consumed the information,” Xue said. “Pinners are more likely to post recipes that are socially rewarded with likes and repins. They are more likely to adhere to an elite social norm set by celebrities and influencers promoting healthier, low-calorie, clean eating. But when it comes to the recipes users are more interested in making food high in fat, sugar, and high calories. We see a very different picture. They’re commenting on and posting finished dish photos of the less healthy recipes.”

The disconnect between popularity and engagement is an important one, Xue noted, because users aren’t taking the additional step from interest to action. And that could have significant implications for anyone attempting to increase healthy eating behaviors through social media campaigns. Specifically, the study found:

Engagement (commenting, sharing photos of finished dishes) increased as the amount of fat, sugar, total calories increased in a recipe
Popularity (reposting, liking) of a recipe increased as the number of poultry and seafood went up in a recipe
Comment mining on recipe posts revealed that users were more likely to comment on the way a recipe tasted
Users were far less likely to comment on a recipe’s difficulty level (less than 8 percent) or its health attributes (less than 3 percent).

With 18 percent of the adult U.S. population using Pinterest, and recipe sharing being one of its most popular interest areas, the platform represents an unprecedented opportunity to reinforce healthy eating habits, Xue said, if Pinterest influencers posting recipes used some different strategies.

“If users are engaging with more unhealthy recipes, then perhaps influencers should offer options for lowering the fat in them, as part of those recipes. There’s definitely a role for healthcare organizations and fitness experts to provide healthier recipes that are big on flavor, as this appears to be an area where users find the recipes lacking. To change perceptions, public health experts need to make healthy food the treat, and not the other way around. There’s tremendous opportunities in social media to influence healthy behavior,” he said. “We’re only beginning to understand it’s potential and pitfalls.”

Fellow CHHS faculty Alicia Hong (HAP), Janusz Wojtusiak (HAP), and Lawrence Cheskin (NUTR) also collaborated on this study.

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