Parents, we know it can be difficult at times to get your kids away from the video games and burn a few calories. But we have some good news: playing some of those video games can burn calories.
Thanks to the advent of exergaming (video games that include a physical component), kids no longer have to remain couch spuds in order to play their games. A new study published online recently in the journal Pediatrics found that some exergames provide as much or more activity than walking at a moderate or intense pace.
The study focused on a small group of children --14 boys and nine girls age 10 to 13. Researchers from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center compared their energy expenditure while resting and watching television, playing Dance Dance Revolution at two skill levels, playing Wii bowling and boxing, and walking at various speeds on a treadmill.
The video games measured up rather well. Compared with watching TV, boxing, bowling and both levels of DDR had energy expenditure levels that were the same as or more than moderate to intense walking. The kids also burned three times moore calories playing the games than at rest. One interesting note: the Wii games, which rely more on upper than lower body movement, still kicked up the calorie burn.
"An important feature of exergaming," wrote the authors in the study, "is the entertainment factor, which may motivate some users more than traditional exercise modes. Active games such as DDR or Wii may offer an alternative to sedentary screen games and could be incorporated into more structured exercise programs as a complement to activities such as walking and cycling."
For teens, being overweight may beget having overweight friends, according to a new study.
Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California conducted surveys among 617 students age11 to 13 in four schools around Los Angeles. About two-thirds of the participants were girls, and most were in the seventh grade. After height and weight measurements were taken, the students' body mass index scores were calculated.
Being overweight was linked to various factors, including being more likely to have overweight friends than other students who were of normal weight. Overweight girls were more apt to name more friends their normal-weight peers, but were also slightly less likely to be named as a friend.
In the study, the authors wrote, "These results have two important implications: the social contagion of obesity may start at a young age, and social affiliations by obesity status may have far-ranging consequences for adolescent development." The study is published in the August issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
The findings were similar to a 2007 New England Journal of Medicinestudy that found there might be a contagion factor in being overweight. Researchers discovered that among study participants, when one started adding pounds, those around them, including family and friends, tended to gain weight as well. Having a friend who became obese increased a person's chances of also being obese by 57%.
Oh, if only it would work in humans. Researchers at Indiana University said this week that they have been able to manipulate two hormones that control glucose processing to reduce body weight in mice. In their study, a single injection of the synthetic hormone in obese mice decreased their body weight by 25% and fat mass by 42% after one week, normalizing body weight and insulin sensitivity. The effect was greater from repeated treatments.
The study, published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, was based on knowledge that glucagon and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GPL-1, for short) are natural hormones that regulate glucose metabolism. Glucose metabolism influences the development of obesity and diabetes.
The researchers combined the amino acid sequences of the two hormones to create a new hormone analogue that activates the receptors for both glucagon and GLP-1 -- leading to the rapidly shrinking mice. The authors of the study caution that more research is needed before hormone analogues, such as this one, could be used in people. They wrote of the sad state of human obesity therapies:
"No single agent has proven to be capable of reducing body weight more than 5-10% in the obese population. Combination therapies using multiple drugs simultaneously may represent the preferred pharmaceutical approach to treat obesity, and there is ample precedent for combination therapy in treatment of chronic diseases. Here we present results that prove the principle that single molecules can be designed that are capable of simultaneously activating more than one mechanism to safely normalize body weight."
We know being overweight can be bad for your heart, but now there's evidence it can be bad for the cartilage in your knees.
A new study looking at risk factors for fast knee cartilage loss found that having a high body mass index can be a liability. Researchers looked at data from the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study of 3,026 people 50 to 79 who were at risk for osteoarthritis or had early evidence of the disease. They studied 347 knees in 336 patients with an average BMI of 29.5, considered overweight and just at the cusp of obesity. At the beginning of the study, most knees did not show evidence of tibiofemoral osteoarthritis, or degenerative arthritis of the knee joint where the tibia and femur meet.
After following the subjects for 30 months, 20% showed slow cartilage loss, and almost 6% showed rapid cartilage loss. Those more prone to rapid cartilage loss also had tears or other injuries to the meniscus or other joint-related problems. However, the only demographic feature that predicted rapid cartilage loss was having a high BMI at the start of the study.
"As obesity is one of the few established risk factors for osteoarthritis, it is not surprising that obesity may also precede and predict rapid cartilage loss," said the study's lead author Dr. Frank Roemer, adjunct associate professor at Boston University, in a news release. "Weight loss is probably the most important factor to slow disease progression."
The study appears in the August issue of the journal Radiology.
The stereotype of cops hanging out at donut shops may not be true (we see them more often at Starbucks these days chugging chai lattes), but some law-enforcement officers, like the rest of the planet, are fighting the battle of the bulge.
Because a leaner, fitter cop is probably a more effective crime fighter than a chubby, out-of-shape cop, some thought it a good idea to give peace officers a little boost in their efforts to lose weight. For the second year in a row, the Battle of the Badges has been waged, a friendly competition among law enforcement officers from the Santa Ana Police Department, the Anaheim Police Department, and the Orange County Sheriff's Department to see which group could lose the most weight. Ten participants from each department agreed to try to lose at least 10% of their body weight in 10 weeks, but we've heard that everyone exceeded that goal. Some teens, many of them related to the officers, also took part.
The winning team will be revealed Wednesday at a ceremony and final weigh-in at the Santa Ana Police Dept., but some results released show terrific progress: an average 11% reduction in blood sugar, a 48% decrease in triglyceride levels, a 27% reduction in LDL (bad) cholesterol and a 9% reduction in waist circumference. Blood pressure came down too, putting everyone in a normal range. Some who had been on blood pressure and cholesterol medication have been able to go off the meds.
The competition was so popular the first time around at the O.C. Sheriff’s Dept. that program coordinator Donna Muleady said she got almost 50 applications within an hour of her posting. Obesity isn't an overwhelming problem in the department, she added, but some deputies could benefit from dropping a few pounds and getting into shape.
"This isn't just about losing weight," said Cynthia Graff, chief executive of Lindora Medical Clinics, the event sponsor. "It’s about learning healthy lifestyle habits." The program seems to have many factors that can result in successful weight loss: a medical work-up, healthful eating strategies, counseling, nutrition guidelines, encouragement to exercise and accountability via weekly weigh-ins.
Winners don't receive any grand prize, buy participants do get a $50 gift card to El Pollo Loco, where the menu features a meal with a grilled chicken breast, salad and steamed vegetables that comes in at 276 calories and 8 grams of fat.
And what if an officer uses that certificate to buy something more fattening?
Losing weight and keeping it off is challenging, but not impossible. Just ask the men and women on the National Weight Control Registry, an ongoing research study of adults who have lost at least 30 pounds and maintained it for a year or more.
But with obesity starting younger and younger, health experts realize that weight loss efforts and lifestyle changes for children and teens must start sooner, and need to be tailored to that age group to be effective. That's why researchers from the Miriam Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University are starting the Adolescent Weight Control Registry, led by Rena Wing, director of the Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center at the Miriam Hospital, and Elissa Jelalian, associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown Medical School.
"We're doing it with the idea that we could develop better interventions for teens," says Jelalian. "We would also like to track kids over time to see how they do through transitions, such as from school to independence."
Through questionnaires and surveys, adult registry founders Wing and James O. Hill, director of the Center for Human Nutrition, have discovered similarities among successful losers, such as being faithful to regular exercise and diligent about portion control.
But teens lose weight differently from adults, Jelalian says, for many reasons: Teens and parents can initiate efforts; teens are learning to navigate through peer pressure and social situations; they don't always have access to gyms or fitness classes; and they're not always in control of what's served at meals.
The study is currently seeking participants ages 14 to 20 from around the country. Requirements are less stringent than for adults -- teens must have kept off at least 10 pounds for a year or more, and fulfill other conditions.
"I think when you get down to diet and activity," says Jelalian, "inevitably these kids will have somehow cut back on eating and upped their activity. But I think there are lots of ways of getting to that point."
Spending on healthcare for obese American adults increased 82% between 2001 and 2006, according to a new government report.
In 2001, expenditures for obese Americans totaled $167 billion compared with $303 billion in 2006. Costs for adults who were overweight rose 36% during that time period while costs for normal-weight adults increased 25%.
Healthcare expenditures for obese Americans accounted for 35% of all costs in 2006, the report noted. During the years of 2001 to 2006, the number of obese Americans increased from 48 million to 59 million people. Obese people are much more likely to suffer from several chronic health conditions.
One hopes the figures, which were compiled by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, will come to the attention of lawmakers and other authorities discussing healthcare reform. Perhaps the top goal of healthcare reform should be preventing obesity, and the myriad of health problems it causes, in our children.
-- Shari Roan
Illustration credit: Michelle Chang / For The Times
Few people go to fast-food places for low-fat, healthful foods, so it's no surprise that a new study finds that customers accumulate copious calories when they eat a fast-food lunch.
Researchers from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, surveyed 7,750 customers at 167 fast-food restaurants in New York City (before fast-food calorie-labeling regulations began) to see on average how many calories they consumed at lunch. Results were broken down into several categories, including restaurants, foods and what meals consisted of.
Those who ate at fast-food chicken chains averaged the highest number of calories per meal -- 931. Customers of sandwich joints averaged the lowest calories, at 734. Overall, average lunchtime calories came in at 827, but when researchers excluded single-item purchases, that average rose to 961 calories.
Although lunch is only one meal, 34% of all people surveyed ordered meals that averaged 1,000 calories or more. For the three hamburger chains surveyed -- McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's -- more than 70% of all orders were combination meals or dollar meals. Those dollar or value meals averaged more than 800 calories at the three hamburger chains. Not surprisingly, the combination meals (usually consisting of a sandwich, side order and drink) averaged more than 1,100 calories at the hamburger chains.
The study, in the July issue of the journal Obesity, is timely for Californians, since a law went into effect last week requiring chain restaurants with 20 or more locations to give nutrition information (including calorie counts) via brochures, menu inserts or table tents. But next year, calorie information has to be on menus and indoor menu boards.
In the study, the authors wrote, "Posting calorie information on menus and menu boards, a requirement for New York City fast-food chains since April 2008, may help guide consumers to healthier choices and increase demand for lower calorie items. It may also encourage companies to reduce portion sizes and increase the availability of lower calorie options, especially in the popular combination meal and value categories."
Living together or being married might have some health benefits, but losing weight may not be one of them.
Couples who marry or cohabit are more likely than their single-and-dating counterparts to be obese, according to a new study in the July issue of the journal Obesity. Those living together for two years or more are also less apt to be physically active, part of the recipe for obesity.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill looked at data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a large study tracking students from Grade 7 through adulthood to age 27. The data also included a couples sample, which included the study participants' heterosexual romantic partners.
Here's the breakdown of their romantic life: about 41% transitioned from single-and-dating to dating, 29% transitioned to single, 17% transitioned to living with someone, and 13% transitioned to marriage. Men and women who shifted from single-and-dating to married were more likely to become obese than those who made the transition from single-and-dating to dating. And women who went from single-and-dating to single, or single-and-dating to cohabiting, were more likely to become obese.
Living with a romantic partner for one year or more increased women's chances of becoming obese. Men who lived with a romantic partner for one to two years were twice as likely to become obese compared to men not living with a significant other.
Marriage didn't seem to have much of a slimming effect. Overall, couples who lived together or were married had less healthy habits for obesity, exercise and screen time than dating couples. Married couples also tended to have one or two fewer active partners in them than those who were dating, and cohabiting couples were more likely to have two sedentary partners in them. Couples who lived together for two years or more were considerably more likely to have one or two partners in them who were obese, less physically active, and more sedentary.
As for the whys of all this, researchers speculate that a couple's living conditions may contribute to the added poundage. The actions of one partner -- eating fattier foods, for example -- could influence the other, perhaps with bad results. But knowing that, they add, may also lead to more effective interventions.
So maybe registering for a Wii Fit for your wedding isn't such a bad idea after all.
Overweight kids as young as kindergarteners are more likely to be lonely, anxious and depressed than kids who have never been overweight, researchers have found.
Here's a synopsis from the University of Missouri. In it, the researcher says: "Overweight is widely considered a stigmatizing condition and overweight individuals are typically blamed for their situation. The experience of being stigmatized often leads to negative feelings, even in children."
The study was published in Applied Developmental Science.
But note that the research is being publicized even as another report -- on the nation's obesity rate -- receives even more attention: Obesity rates are on the rise across the U.S. The story says: "If that weren't bad enough, in 30 states, the percentage of overweight or obese children is at or above 30%."
We appear to be taking care of the loneliness problem.
Tami Dennis, who takes the word "skeptic" to previously uncharted territory, is the Times' Health and Science editor. She's adamant that pitches promoting awareness days, weeks or months are, by their nature, non-stories. And, because she's an adult, she refuses to use words like "veggies," "tummy" and "yummy."
Rosie Mestel, deputy Health and Science editor, studied genetics before abandoning flies, fungi and DNA for health/medical writing. Her hero is the biologist Ernst Haeckel, whose jellyfish paintings inspired snazzy chandeliers. Her favorite toast-spread is Marmite, a British delicacy made of yeast extract. Her least-favorite word is "millenniums."
Melissa Healy is a staff writer for the Health section reporting from Washington D.C. Healy's a veteran of The Times' National staff, having covered the Pentagon, Congress, poverty and social welfare, the environment, and the White House before shifting to Health in 2003. She writes frequently about mental health and human behavior, about federal health policy, prescription medication and ethics in medicine. More wonk than wellness freak, Healy chooses to believe in the health benefits of coffee and wine, and considers water a better work-out medium than beverage.
Karen Kaplan covers genetics, stem cells and cloning. She and colleague Thomas H. Maugh II comprise about 25% of the unofficial MIT-Alumni-in-Journalism Club, and she is proud to have taken more math (5) than English (0) courses in college. Her contributions to Booster Shots will, she hopes, appear more frequently than postings to her mommy blog.
Thomas H. Maugh II has been a science and medical writer at the Times for 23 years. Before that, he was on the staff of the journal Science for 13 years.
He has bachelor's degrees in English and chemistry from MIT and a doctorate in chemistry from UC Santa Barbara.
After a brief stint as a sports writer, Shari Roan turned to health journalism and has covered the topic for The Times for 18 years. She is the author of three books and the mother of two daughters, both teenagers who refer to her as a "health freak." She likes to jog, watch baseball and is very happy that dark chocolate contains some health benefit.
Jeannine Stein writes about fitness, sports medicine and obesity for the Health section. She’s a gym rat from way back and never met an elliptical trainer she didn’t like. Well, maybe one or two. She tempers exercise with a steady diet of reality television because she believes it’s all about balance.
