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Time of India
7 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Drinking diet soda? Here's how it sabotages weight loss
A recent study from USC's Keck School of Medicine reveals that diet sodas, particularly those with sucralose, may increase food cravings and appetite, especially in women and obese individuals. Researchers found that artificial sweeteners can trigger brain activity linked to cravings and reduce hormones that signal fullness. People nowadays are obsessed with diet soda, due to its promise of zero sugar and zero calories. It almost looks like a guilt-free beverage, especially for those trying to lose weight. But diet drinks might not be the sweet spot. Switching to diet soda may leave more than just a synthetic aftertaste. A new study found that drinking diet soda may sabotage your weight loss journey. Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC found that diet sodas may increase food cravings and appetite, especially in women and people who are obese. The study is published in JAMA Network Open . The culprit in diet soda The researchers found that drinks that contain the artificial sweetener sucralose are linked to increased food cravings. This was one of the largest studies to examine the effects of an artificial sweetener, also called a nonnutritive sweetener (NNS), on brain activity and appetite responses in different segments of the population. Over 40 percent of adults in the US currently use NNSs to satisfy their sweet tooth. Many consider it a calorie-free way to accomplish weight loss goals. 'There is controversy surrounding the use of artificial sweeteners because a lot of people are using them for weight loss. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Top Public Speaking Course for Children Planet Spark Book Now Undo While some studies suggest they may be helpful, others show they may be contributing to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders. Our study looked at different population groups to tease out some of the reasons behind those conflicting results,' Kathleen Page, MD, corresponding author and an associate professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, said in a statement. The study To understand the effects of artificial sweeteners on health, the researchers studied 74 participants. The participants were divided based on gender and categorized as healthy weight, overweight or obese, over three separate sessions. During each visit, the participants consumed 300 milliliters of either a drink sweetened with table sugar (sucrose), a sucralose-sweetened drink, or water. The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure three things: activation of regions of the brain responsible for appetite and food cravings in response to pictures of high-calorie foods such as a burger and donut, and glucose (blood sugar), insulin, and other metabolic hormones in the blood. Artificial sweeteners were linked to more cravings The researchers found increased activity in regions of the brain responsible for food cravings and appetite in both women and obese people after they consumed sucralose-containing drinks, when compared to those who drank real sugar drinks. The levels found that after drinking the zero-calorie artificially sweetened drinks, the participants had lower levels of hormones that signal fullness, compared to when they drank the sugar-sweetened drink. This suggests that diet drinks may not really help curb hunger. They also found that female participants who drank artificial sweetener drinks snacked more, whereas snack food intake did not differ for male participants. Shreyas Iyer and Ibrahim Ali Khan's Nutritionist Nicole Kedia Breaks Down Their Diet SECRETS 'Our study starts to provide context for the mixed results from previous studies when it comes to the neural and behavioral effects of artificial sweeteners. By studying different groups, we were able to show that females and people with obesity may be more sensitive to artificial sweeteners. For these groups, drinking artificially sweetened drinks may trick the brain into feeling hungry, which may in turn result in more calories being consumed,' Page said. So, if you enjoy drinking diet sodas, thinking it may help you with weight loss, think again.
Axios
2 days ago
- Health
- Axios
California LGBTQ+ youth lose suicide hotline support
The Trump administration is removing suicide counselors for LGBTQ+ youth from the 988 crisis hotline. Why it matters: Those kids already face barriers to mental health care in California. President Trump is targeting a group that is more than four times as likely than its peers to attempt suicide. Driving the news: Starting July 17, callers will no longer be connected to the Trevor Project 's specialized hotline, because the service ran out of congressionally directed funding, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The hotline's general services will remain available. What they're saying: "This is devastating, and we fear there will be compounding consequences. It is intentionally cruel for this to happen during Pride month," said Lance Toma, CEO of the San Francisco Community Health Center. Zoom in: The San Francisco metro area is home to the highest concentration of LGBTQ+ people in the U.S., per 2021 Williams Institute estimates. Stunning stat: 35% of LGBTQ+ young people in California, including 39% of transgender and nonbinary youth, seriously considered suicide in the past year, according to a 2024 survey by The Trevor Project. Both figures are slightly lower than the nationwide statistics. Between the lines: As some providers scale back services for LGBTQ+ youth, Toma told Axios that his organization will continue to provide gender-affirming medical care, case management and mental health services through their drop-in clinic TransThrive, and housing support via the Taimon Booton Navigation Center. "Right now, LGBTQ+ youth need to know they are not alone. They belong. And we are fighting for them," Toma said. State of play: California lands near the middle of the pack when it comes to using 988, which launched in 2022 to help address America's mental health crisis. By the numbers: California saw a rate of 25.5 contacts per 1,000 people last year, making it the 21st-highest in the nation, per new research published in JAMA Network Open. The national average was 23.7. Alaska (45.3) and Vermont (40.2) had the highest 988 contact rates among states in 2024, while Delaware (12.5) and Alabama (14.4) had the lowest.
Axios
3 days ago
- Health
- Axios
Texas abortion ban tied to mental health declines
Texas' abortion ban is linked to increased mental health concerns among women of reproductive age, a new study found. Why it matters: Texas is the epicenter of the country's battle over abortion rights. Knowing whether abortion restrictions impact mental health can help guide the policy response, per the study in JAMA Network Open, published by the American Medical Association. By the numbers: Compared with men, women in Texas experienced a nearly 7 percentage point increase in frequent mental distress associated with the state's severe abortion restrictions beginning in 2021, per the study. Texas women experienced frequent mental distress at an increase of 5.3 percentage points compared to women in other states that had not yet approved abortion restrictions. The study defined frequent mental distress as 14 or more days of poor mental health during the previous 30 days. Context: JAMA looked at changes following restrictions that took effect in September 2021 banning abortions at about six weeks, then one of the most restrictive state abortion laws in the nation. Texas later prohibited most abortions in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Zoom in: The rate of sepsis and pregnancy-related deaths in Texas rose after 2021, a ProPublica investigation found earlier this year. "It's already scary to decide to become pregnant … If something medically complex happened, you could lose your life," Dr. Emily Briggs, who practices family medicine in Central Texas, told CBS News last year. Gov. Greg Abbott last weekend signed into law a bill that seeks to clarify exceptions to the abortion ban, but some critics said it doesn't go far enough to protect women facing pregnancy-related medical emergencies. How it works: Public health professor Jusung Lee from the University of Texas at San Antonio led the study. It analyzed data from a survey of 15,614 Texas women, 14,500 Texas men and 49,495 women in other states between 2012 and 2022. Between the lines: Mental distress was higher among younger people who might have fewer resources to access abortion care out-of-state, per the study. Younger age groups are also more likely to experience an unwanted pregnancy.
CNN
4 days ago
- Health
- CNN
Losing weight in middle age could reduce chronic diseases later, study shows
Sign up for CNN's Fitness, But Better newsletter series. Our seven-part guide will help you ease into a healthy routine, backed by experts. All the work that goes into losing weight in middle age could set you up for a longer, healthier life later, according to a new study. A sustained weight loss of about 6.5% of body weight without medications or surgery in middle-aged people is linked to substantial long-term health benefits, said lead study author Dr. Timo Strandberg, professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Those benefits included a reduction of risk for both chronic diseases and death from all causes. The study, published Tuesday in the journal JAMA Network Open, analyzed data of about 23,000 people from three different groups across different time periods: one group from 1985 to 1988, another from 1964 to 1973, and a third between 2000 and 2013. Researchers grouped the people in the studies based on their starting body mass index (BMI) and whether they gained, lost or maintained weight and compared the patterns with hospitalizations and death records. People who lost weight in midlife were less likely to experience heart attacks, strokes, cancer, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in their older years, according to the study. Those who lost weight were also less likely to have died of any cause over the next 35 years, the study found. It's important to note that much of the data was collected before weight loss medications or surgeries were widely available, meaning that the benefits largely came from body changes driven by alterations in diet and exercise, Strandberg said. The study is important because it provides evidence of the relationship between weight loss and both cardiovascular disease and mortality, which hasn't been studied enough, said Dr. Aayush Visaria, a clinical researcher and incoming instructor of medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. He was not involved in the research. Although the study is strong in that it utilizes a large sample, there are some limitations when applying the results, Visaria said. The study was conducted on White Europeans, meaning that it's difficult to generalize the results to different populations, Strandberg said. 'BMI is very different across different racial ethnic groups,' Visaria said. And BMI, which looks at weight in proportion to height, isn't always the most accurate way to gauge body composition, he added. BMI is still used widely because it is easy to calculate, but it doesn't differentiate based on a person's proportion of bone or muscle, Visaria said. 'There's so many variables that might play into how someone's body composition changes, even though maybe their weight might not change as much,' Visaria said. Other studies suggest that the fat distribution makes a big difference –– the fat around a person's organs may be what really drives a lot of disease risk, he said. Lifestyle changes –– such as a healthy diet and more exercise –– were important factors in the risk reduction. The study was observational, meaning that the data can show a relationship between weight loss and a reduction in chronic disease and mortality risk, but researchers can't say for sure that the weight loss was the factor that lowered the risk, Visaria said. Although the researchers adjusted for other factors that could influence the risk, such as age, they did not adjust for lifestyle behaviors such as diet and physical activity, he added. Those changes could be behind the lowered risk of chronic diseases just as the weight loss itself could be, Visaria said. Both weight loss and the behavioral changes behind it are often tied together in improving health, Strandberg noted. Weight loss relieves conditions such as osteoarthritis, obstructive sleep apnea and fatty liver, while changes to diet and exercise have been shown to decrease cardiovascular risks, he added. Lifestyle is always important when it comes to good health, meaning that you should continue to strive for a healthy diet and good physical activity –– even if you are using weight loss medications, Visaria said. The Mediterranean diet –– which prioritizes fruits, vegetables, grains, olive oil, and nuts and seeds –– has consistently been ranked the best diet for wellness and disease prevention. Studies suggest this way of eating may improve bone density in older years, prevent some cancers and lower risk of heart disease. For physical activity, the World Health Organization recommends that adults engage in at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, along with muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week. However, obesity is not just a problem individuals need to tackle –– it is a structural issue as well, Strandberg said. Healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity need to be more accessible in modern societies to help curb the health impacts associated with obesity, he added.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Losing weight in your 40s and 50s may seem unbearably hard — but it could keep you alive longer
Working to lose weight in your 40s and 50s may help to reduce your risk of developing a chronic disease, a new study reveals. Researchers based in the U.K. and Finland say they found health benefits in people who lost an average of 6.5 percent of their body weight in early middle age and maintained that weight loss throughout a period of 12 to 35 years. Those benefits especially include a lessened risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well as an overall lower risk of death from chronic disease. 'The benefits of lifestyle-based weight management are widely discussed even though studies have found it surprisingly difficult to demonstrate health benefits beyond the prevention of diabetes,' University of Helsinki professor Dr. Timo Strandberg said in a statement. Strandberg was the lead author of the study which was published recently in the journal JAMA Network Open, the open-access journal of the American Medical Association. To reach these conclusions, the study tracked and analyzed the health of 23,000 white Europeans who were between the ages of 30 and 50 years old using data from three studies, conducted from 1985 to 1988, from 1964 to 1973, and between 2000 and 2013. They sorted the participants into four groups: people with persistent healthy weight, people who were overweight but became a healthy weight, people who were healthy and became overweight, and people who were overweight the entire time. 'Measurement of weight and height was conducted at a time when surgical and pharmacological weight-loss interventions were nearly nonexistent,' the authors noted. The cause of weight loss was not assessed, but given the age of the participants and lack of diagnosed disease, it was more likely intentional than caused by severe chronic conditions or frailty.' In one study, a reduction in body mass from overweight to normal weight over six years in mid-life was tied to a lower risk of developing chronic diseases. There was also a 48 percent lower risk for chronic illness compared to those who remained overweight, which largely held even after excluding participants who developed diabetes during follow-up. Another study showed a 57 percent risk for chronic illness. A third study, with the longest follow-up period, showed that weight loss in mid-life was associated with a 19 percent reduction in overall mortality. 'I'm certain that overall prevention of overweight and obesity starting in early life is absolutely the best thing to do,' Stranberg told The Independent. 'Our study indirectly proves this by showing that persistent healthy weight over the life-course is best.' He said that he hopes the findings will inspire people to see that lifestyle changes can lead to a longer life. 'This is particularly important today as more people are overweight than when the collection of our research data began 35 years ago,' he said in the statement.
