How Soup Helps You
  to Lose Weight

IN THE BATTLE TO LOSE WEIGHT, hunger is the dieter's worst enemy. But research has revealed a simple aid to taming the appetite: soup. It's dieting's best kept secret!

Imagine a typical lunchtime meal — say, chicken and vegetables with a glass of water. If you eat the food and drink the water, you will feel full for a couple of hours before hunger kicks in. But if you blend the food with the water — to make soup — you will stay hunger-free for much longer, and be less likely to snack through the afternoon.

How can blending the food into soup make such a difference? The answer lies in the stomach. Scientists have used ultrasound and MRI scans of people's stomachs to investigate what happens after eating solid-food-plus-water meals compared with the same food made into soup.

After you eat a meal, the pyloric sphincter valve at the bottom of your stomach holds food back so that the digestive juices can get to work. Water, however, passes straight through the sphincter to your intestines, so drinking water does not contribute to “filling you up”.

When you eat the same meal as a soup, the whole mixture remains in the stomach, because the water and food are blended together. The scientists' scans confirm that the stomach stays fuller for longer, staving off those hunger pangs. The key to this low-tech weapon against hunger is a hormone called ghrelin. It is one of the major players in the body's appetite system.

Discovered as recently as 1999, ghrelin is released by specialised cells in the stomach wall. These cells produce a constant stream of ghrelin whenever the stomach is empty. The ghrelin travels via the blood stream to the brain's appetite centre, an organ called the hypothalamus. As a result, the hypothalamus screams “You are hungry — find food.”

But whenever the stomach wall is stretched — when the stomach is full — the cells stop producing ghrelin, and the hypothalamus responds accordingly, turning off the appetite signal. The longer the stomach remains full, the longer you feel satisfied and the less you are likely to eat.

The stomach gradually empties, more slowly for the soup than the solid meal plus water. The BBC staged an experiment for the programme 10 Things You Need to Know About Losing Weight to test this theory. In this experiment, and in previous experiments, participants reported feeling full for up to an hour-and-a-half longer than their solid meal counterparts.

Although some researchers refer to appetite as the “cupcake circuit”, the mechanism behind human appetite evolved long before cupcakes were invented — at a time when food was scarce. As a result, we are hardwired to eat high-calorie foods, which are unfortunately so abundant in the modern world.

Finding ways to control the appetite signal is crucial if we are to stave off the meteoric rise in obesity. Food scientists and pharmaceutical companies alike are on a major quest to find ways to do just that. Appetite is one of the most researched areas of weight-loss science. Unfortunately, the appetite system is complex, and still poorly understood.

There are probably dozens of hormones that play a role in regulating appetite. Of those that have already been discovered, there is one that is released after eating protein-rich meals (called PYY), one that is released by fat cells (leptin) and several that respond to the presence of any kind of food. But of all the hormones that make up the appetite system, it is ghrelin that has caused the most interest. In addition to its role in sending the “stomach empty” signal to the brain, ghrelin also promotes fat storage. Even worse, it inhibits the breakdown of stored fat during times of weight loss. Inject ghrelin into the bloodstream of a rat and the animal eats insatiably and quickly becomes obese.

In 2006, scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in the US developed a vaccine to counteract the influence of ghrelin, in an attempt to control appetite. It is still undergoing clinical trials — so for now, the best and simplest way to keep hunger at bay is to reduce your stomach's release of ghrelin: blend your food into a healthy, voluminous soup.

N E W S  N U G G E T S  1

The number of US adults following a healthy lifestyle has fallen in the last two decades — A study shows this is despite increasing public health campaigns.

A review of two studies stretching back to 1988 found the proportion of obese adults has crept up to over a third. Levels of exercise also fell, as did consumption of fruit and vegetables.

The American Journal of Medicine study found those with health problems were no more likely to follow a healthy lifestyle than their fitter peers.

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina compared two large-scale studies covering the period 1988 to 2006.

During those 18 years, the percentage of adults aged 40-74 years with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 rose from 28% to 36%.

“ If we want all Americans to achieve the health benefits of a healthy lifestyle, then all members of society must take action ” :: Dr Steven Galson Acting US Surgeon General

The number of people exercising three times a week or more fell from 53% to 43%, while the number of people eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day fell by nearly 40%.

At the same time, smoking levels remained the same and moderate drinking slightly increased. Overall, researchers found, the number of people adhering to all five "healthy habits" — including maintaining a healthy weight and stopping smoking — decreased from 15% to 8%.

What now?


This drop "demonstrates that the amount of emphasis by the current health system on prevention and healthy lifestyles may be insufficient," wrote lead author Dana King.

"The implications of the decreasing rates of healthy lifestyle habits include the possibility of an upswing in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and increase in the number of aging persons with disability and decreased quality of life due to the burden of chronic disease."

Life is for enjoying; is it not better to live for less time but to live contentedly? Just a thought.

But he added that research showed individuals could be persuaded to adopt healthy behaviour in middle age, and more effort should be focused on this.

Dr Steven Galson, the acting US surgeon general, said: "There is clearly a lot of work that needs to be done.

"If we want all Americans to achieve the health benefits of a healthy lifestyle, then all members of society must take action including parents, educators, community leaders, government as well as the individual.

"Together we can help Americans understand the severity of obesity, the efforts being made to address it, and how to maintain a healthy weight and live a healthy lifestyle."

Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the UK Faculty of Public Health commented: "This is a wake-up call for the UK. What happens in America often happens over here a few years later."

The Problem
  with Sitty Folk

ASTUDY BY AN AUSTRALIAN health care insurer and a health/medical research organization called "Stand Up Australia" found that most of the average workday is filled with sitting. Such a fixed, unmoving position is a contributor to poor health, and these companies want people to "Stand Up."

According to the August 10, 2009 press release issued by Medibank Private, "Australian workers urged to stand up for their futures." Australian workers are risking their health by spending the majority of their workday sitting down."

The study (Stand Up Australia) was conducted by Australian health care insurer Medibank Private and Australian health and medical research organization Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute.

Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute states on its Web site that it "... is Australia's first health and medical research institute tackling the deadly trio of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Our work extends from the laboratory to wide-scale community studies."

Its own August 11, 2009 press release ("We're sitting ducks at work") provides further information on the results of the Stand Up Australia study.

In effect, the Stand Up Australia study concluded with four major points (which appear on the front page of the study's Web site (pdf format):

• "Research into office-based, call centre and retail employee behaviours revealed that 77 percent of the working day is spent sitting."
• "Individuals who spend high amounts of time sitting at work also tend to spend high amounts of time sitting on nonwork days."
• "Participants in the study perceived they had much higher levels of physical activity than they did when measured objectively."
• "Prolonged sitting time in the workplace is an adverse health risk."

The study was conducted by researchers who monitored 131 office, call center, and retail workers.

Basically, the researchers found that 77% of work time is spent doing very sedentary activities with "very low levels of energy expenditure."

The Medibank Private article states, "Sedentary lifestyles are considered to be a major contributor to poor health, linked to Type 2 Diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease."

When the study took into account the time before and after work, each individual still spent 70% of their time before, during, and after work doing sedentary activities.

And, when the researchers took into account the complete day for each individual (work time and personal time), the participants spent 62% of their entire day (except for sleeping) doing very sedentary activities (sitting at a desk, sitting in front of the TV, etc.).

According to Julie Andrews, the executive general manager at Medibank, a major finding in the study was the perception by people that they were doing much more physical activities than they were actually perfoming.

Andrews stated, "The study used a device called an accelerometer to objectively record the duration and intensity of movement and time, in addition to participant-recorded diaries and questionnaires."

And Ms. Andrews adds, "Two thirds of participants self-reported they were meeting the National Physical Activity Guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. However, the objectively measured data recorded by the accelerometers showed that, in fact, only one third were meeting this target."

She explains, "We recommend employers explore opportunities to reduce sitting time in the workplace. Simple behavioural interventions such as standing meetings and using the stairs can be effective in getting people up and moving."

The Medibank Private article quotes David Dunstan, who is the head of physical activity at Baker IDI.

Dr. Dunstan states, "We are now starting to understand that prolonged sitting may be an important contributor to poor health. This may be due to the absence of muscle contractions which are essential for energy expenditure and glucose control."

He concludes, "The results of the Stand Up Australia study provide important new evidence that the modern workday is largely 'sedentary' and suggests that we now need to understand the extent to which prolonged sitting is an occupational hazard and a contributor to poor health in Australian workers."

Obviously, this study does not apply just to Australian workers, but to all workers around the world that sit for hours at work each and every day. One of the suggestions by these researchers, and other researches, is to take the stairs, instead of the elevator, when performing your job at work.

Other suggestions are to get up periodically throughout the workday, and stretch and move about. Instead of calling or emailing someone in the office, walk over to their desk for a chat. In other words, stand up and move about for a healthier lifestyle at work.

N E W S  N U G G E T S  2

Why exercise won't make you thin — From Yoni Freedhoff's blog [see bottom of this page for full credit]:

Have you seen the latest Time Magazine Cover?

"The Myth About Exercise:

Of course it's good for you, but it won't make you lose weight. Why it's what you eat that really counts"

Have they been reading my blog?

If you want to read their take on it, head over here. It's a great read.

Also at Yoni's blog:

Lose 7lbs, 4oz in 5hrs, 3mins.


Eat less while eating more? — It may not be a licence for a liquid lunch exactly, but consuming foods high in water could be the key to losing weight, nutritionists say. Dishes with a high water content, including pasta and rice — which absorb liquid — as well as soups and stews, appear to keep you feeling fuller for longer.

^ A lot on your plate: both bowls contain 525 calories but the spaghetti bolognese on the left
is padded out with vegetables and will keep you fuller for longer.

But don't be fooled into thinking you can simply down a glass of water with your lunch. Studies suggest the liquid has to be a key component of the meal you are eating, scientists from the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) say.

At the same time padding out these meals with vegetables — which are high in both water and fibre — will mean you can eat more while in fact consuming the same amount of calories. And you shouldn't feel peckish an hour later. So be liberal while using the grater over your spaghetti bolognese, as long as its carrots you're sprinkling.

Do the math

You may need a calculator. The BNF's advice is to use foods low in energy density to make up the bulk of your diet. These are foods lower than 1.5 calories per gram and include baked beans, boiled eggs, or vegetable stir-fry with noodles.

You can work this out by dividing the number of calories by the weight of your food. So your 180g sandwich with 360 calories has 2 calories per gram. As such it falls into the category of medium energy density foods, which also include lasagne, pizza steak and salmon. "You need to control the portion sizes of these foods and eat them alongside lots of lower energy density foods," says Bridget Benelam, a nutrition scientist at the BNF.


Meanwhile foods high in energy density such as crackers, biscuits, crisps, peanuts and chocolate should, perhaps unsurprisingly, be eaten in very small quantities. However even when it comes to puddings, there's room to fill up. Instead of a couple of pieces of chocolate, try a chocolate mousse, the BNF suggests. And while you could go for a small bowl of strawberries and cream, go for mixed berries with low fat yogurt, crunchy oat cereal and honey.

... anyone for afters? these puddings both contain 215 calories.

Feeling full

The suggestion that foods high in water keep us feeling fuller for longer is increasingly substantiated by research. The idea is that the combination of food blended with water empties more slowly from the stomach than solid food on its own with a glass of water to wash it down.

Pumping food with air may also increase feelings of being full. Catherine Collins, a spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association, said "feeding yourself fuller" was an interesting concept. "We are getting to a point now where people realise that more fruit and vegetables are the way to go and more luxurious foods should be saved for indulgence.

"But people still need to take in all the major groups — and starchy foods, meat and fish have to play a role. "Salmon for instance is an important source of healthy fats. "However, it's good advice to pad out your meals with foods lower in energy. "When you look down at dinner time, vegetables should be taking up a lot of room."

To Improve Public Health, City Urges Use of Stairs — Today, chronic conditions — diabetes, heart disease, obesity — have replaced infectious diseases as the greatest public health scourge, at least in American cities.

In new york city, medical research is again nudging urban design and planning.

In the fall, four city departments — design and construction, health and mental hygiene, transportation, and city planning — will introduce guidelines to combat the sedentary lifestyle that has become more prevalent in american society over the last few decades.

The guidelines cover both public spaces, like streets and bike paths, and individual buildings. the goal is to build physical activity into people's daily routines, said dr. thomas a. farley, the new commissioner for the city's department of health and mental hygiene.

Dr. Farley noted that over the last 60 years, physical activity has been engineered out of daily lives. about 25 percent of people get exercise and 75 percent simply do not, he estimated. "if we've engineered physical activity out of our daily lives, we can engineer it right back in just as easily," he said.

The city is trying to get that 75 percent of nonexercising people to get some amount of physical activity, since it all results in some health improvement. ideally, he said, people would have at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day, the amount of time that studies show has the greatest degree of benefit.


Skim milk at breakfast better than fruit drinks for weight control — Australian scientists found that drinking skim milk for breakfast rather than fruit drinks reduces appetite hunger throughout the morning and, also, causes overweight people to eat less calories at lunch. Overall, a small but effective way to manage your weight.

The article "Skim milk compared with a fruit drink acutely reduces appetite and energy intake in overweight men and women" (Am J Clin Nutr (May 27, 2009). doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2008.27411) was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition).

Its authors are Emma R Dove, Jonathan M Hodgson, Ian B Puddey, Lawrence J Beilin, Ya P Lee, and Trevor A Mori, all from the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia, and the WAIMR Centre for Food and Genomic Medicine, Perth, Australia.

Based on previous research that showed beverages high in proteins, rather than carbohydrates, are more "satiating" (satisfying for hunger), the researchers decided to test to see if skim milk would also be more satiating than sugar-laden drinks.

They investigated skim milk and fruit drinks when taken at breakfast and their effects afterwards with regards to satisfying hunger and providing energy for the rest of the morning and up to lunch.

They studied 34 healthy, but overweight people: 21 women and 13 men. The participants were involved in two sessions one week apart.

At each session, each person consumed either 600 milliliters (about 20 ounces) of skim milk (which contained 25 grams of protein, 36 grams of lactose, less than one gram of fat, and 1,062 kilojoules [254 calories, or a measure of energy intake]) or 600 milliliters (about 20 ounces) of fruit drink (which contained less than one gram of protein, 63 grams of sugar, less than one gram of fat, and about 1,062 kilojoules [254, calories, energy intake]).

Their initial reasoning for the study was to analyze the amount of protein. As shown, skim milk contains 25 grams of protein (in about 20 ounces) while the fruit drink studied contained less than one gram of protein.

Low-carb Diets
  Might Steal Your Heart Away!

ARECENT STUDY SUGGESTS low-carb slimming diets may clog arteries and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Diets based on eating lots of meat, fish and cheese, while restricting carbohydrates have grown in popularity in recent years. But the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found such eating habits caused artery damage in tests on mice. The researchers and independent experts both agreed a balanced diet was the best option.

Low-carb diets have attracted a lot of attention and controversy after a surge in interest in them in the 1990s. The Israeli team decided to investigate their impact on the cardiovascular system after hearing of reports of people on the diets suffering heart attacks. They fed the mice three different diets — a standard mouse type, a western diet which was high in fat, and a low-carb, high-protein version, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported.

The low-carb diet did not affect cholesterol levels, but there was a significant difference on the impact on atherosclerosis — the build-up of fatty plaque deposits in the arteries that can lead to heart attacks or strokes. After 12 weeks, the mice eating the low-carb diet had gained less weight, but developed 15% more atherosclerosis than those on the standard mice food. For the western diet group there was 9% more atherosclerosis. The team could not be certain why the effect was seen, but thought low-carb diets may affect the way bone marrow cells effectively clean arteries of fatty deposits.


Adverse effects

Lead researcher Anthony Rosenzweig said the findings were so concerning to him that he decided to come off the low-carb diet he was following. "Our research suggests that, at least in animals, these diets could be having adverse cardiovascular effects. It appears that a moderate and balanced diet, coupled with regular exercise, is probably best for most people."

Joanne Murphy, from the Stroke Association, agreed following a balanced diet was the best advice. "We know that foods such as red meat and diary products, which are high in protein, also contain high levels of saturated fat. These fats then cause the build up in the arteries." But she added the research was still at an early stage and she wanted to see more work done on the subject.

Ellen Mason, from the British Heart Foundation, said it was difficult to apply the findings to humans. But she added: "Low-carb, high-protein diets are not considered as healthy as eating a balanced diet, which is good for health because we get the different nutrients our body needs by eating from the different food groups every day."

N E W S  N U G G E T S  3

Obese People Have 'Severe Brain Degeneration' — A new study finds obese people have 8 percent less brain tissue than normal-weight individuals. Their brains look 16 years older than the brains of lean individuals, researchers said today.

Those classified as overweight have 4 percent less brain tissue and their brains appear to have aged prematurely by 8 years.

The results, based on brain scans of 94 people in their 70s, represent "severe brain degeneration," said Paul Thompson, senior author of the study and a UCLA professor of neurology.

"That's a big loss of tissue and it depletes your cognitive reserves, putting you at much greater risk of Alzheimer's and other diseases that attack the brain," said Thompson. "But you can greatly reduce your risk for Alzheimer's, if you can eat healthily and keep your weight under control."

The findings are detailed in the online edition of the journal Human Brain Mapping.

Obesity packs many negative health effects, including increased risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and some cancers. It's also been shown to reduce sexual activity.

More than 300 million worldwide are now classified as obese, according to the World Health Organization. Another billion are overweight. The main cause, experts say: bad diet, including an increased reliance on highly processed foods.

Obese people had lost brain tissue in the frontal and temporal lobes, areas of the brain critical for planning and memory, and in the anterior cingulate gyrus (attention and executive functions), hippocampus (long-term memory) and basal ganglia (movement), the researchers said in a statement today. Overweight people showed brain loss in the basal ganglia, the corona radiata, white matter comprised of axons, and the parietal lobe (sensory lobe).

"The brains of obese people looked 16 years older than the brains of those who were lean, and in overweight people looked 8 years older," Thompson said.

Obesity is measured by body mass index (BMI), defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. A BMI over 25 is defined as overweight, and a BMI of over 30 as obese.

The research was funded by the National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Center for Research Resources, and the American Heart Association.



That Burger Will Make You Dumber and Slower By Next Week — It's common knowledge that high-fat diets are bad for you in the long run — heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, etc. But new research shows that it doesn't take very long for both the body and the brain to start registering the ill effects of fatty food. Oxford University researchers studying rats found that when the animals were switched from a low-fat diet to a high-fat diet, their ability to exercise fell by 50 percent in just nine days. The rats also got worse at running through mazes, indicating that their cognitive abilities were impaired along with their cardiovascular ones. Once the tests are expanded to humans, the research could have implications not just for our understanding of general health but also for athletes who are looking to boost short-term performance.


Do Non-Exercising Chickens Promote Obesity in Humans? — Every now and then you come across a study on a seemingly bizarre topic that serves as an eye-opener on just how complex the factors leading to obesity can be.

This is certainly the case for a study by Yiqun Wang and colleagues from the London Metropolitan University, UK, just published in Public Health Nutrition, which comes to the astonishing conclusion that modern organic and broiler chickens sold for human consumption provide more energy from fat than from protein.

This is of significance, as all current nutrition guidelines list chicken together with fish as a healthy and recommended source of “lean” protein.

Wang and colleagues not only examined chicken samples purchased from supermarkets and farm shops in different locations across the south-east to the mid-west of England, but also looked at the historical reports on chicken meat protein and fat composition.

Interestingly, between 1870 and 2004, chicken fat content increased from around 4 g or 36 KCal/100 g to 23 or 207 KCal/100 g, an almost five-fold increase. During the same time period, chicken protein content decreased from 21 g or 84 KCal/100 g to 16 g or 64 KCal/100 g, an almost 25% decrease in energy from protein. As a result, the fat:protein energy ration increased from 0.4 to 3.2, an eight-fold increase.

Surprisingly, there was very little difference in fat content between battery-grown and “organic” chickens.

Not surprisingly, the authors conclude that, “While chicken was at one time a lean, low-fat food, it is no longer”.

What is perhaps also of interest is that while chicken were once perhaps one of the most important land-based sources of healthy long-chain n-3 fatty acids, the ratio of less healthy n-6 to n-3 fatty acids in modern chicken is now 9:1 (up from 2:1) — a development that the authors relate to a potential detrimental impact on brain development and mental health.

In fact, to obtain the same amount of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from intensively reared chickens today as would have been obtained in the 1970s, one would have to eat six chickens — ingesting somewhere in the region of 9000 kCal. (decreased intake of DHA has been linked to increased risk for Alzheimer's and other mental disorders).

As to the underlying causes of these changes, the authors point to the following major changes in chicken husbandry:

Speakwell has obtained permission from the following writers to reproduce some of their material in our WELL Newsletter. Please visit their sites:

Dr. Yoni Freedhoff: Obesity expert and medical director of the Bariatric Medical Institute in Ottawa, Dr. Freedhoff is one of Canada's most outspoken nutrition watchdogs and appears regularly in national media to advocate for healthier living. bmimedical.blogspot.com.

Dr. Arya M. Sharma: Widely recognized as one of Canada's leading obesity experts, Dr. Sharma was recently appointed Professor of Medicine & Chair in Obesity Research and Management at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. Dr. Sharma passionately believes in educating the public on this chronic disease. drsharma.ca

Peter Janiszewski: A PhD candidate in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen's University. For more health and fitness news, visit his website at www.obesitypanacea.com .