Research that Changed Research: Who will live longest: Underweight, Overweight, or Obese?

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The prevalence of obesity and its association with health issues has been a growing concern in the United States. Many people are aware that obesity and overweight increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and disabilities. However, is the hype about obesity distracting us from health outcomes at other BMI levels?

Katherine M. Flegal, Ph.D, and her colleagues looked further into the association of body weight and excess mortality through reports from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. By using baseline data from past surveys, researchers were able to estimate the deaths of U.S. individuals who are classified as underweight, overweight, and obese according to their Body Mass Index (BMI) levels. Body mass index was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. The BMI categories are as follows: underweight (BMI <18.5), overweight (BMI 25 to <30), and obesity (BMI ≥30).

The table below shows the risk of mortality at each BMI level broken down by age groups.

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Dr. Flegal found that underweight and obesity increase the likelihood of mortality compared to those with normal BMI levels. However, improvements in medical care and cardiovascular treatment has led to a decrease in morality rates of obese individuals. These results are consistent with the increase in life expectancy in the United States. The passage below is from the original article:

“We did not find overweight (BMI 25 to <30) to be associated with increased mortality in any of the 3 surveys. Our results are similar to those of a previous analysis of NHANES I and II data that found little effect of overweight on life expectancy… In many studies, a plot of the relative risk of mortality against BMI follows a U-shaped curve, with the minimum mortality close to a BMI of 25; mortality increases both as BMI increases above 25 and as BMI decreases below 25, which may explain why risks in the overweight category are not much different from those in the normal weight category.”

The results from this study demonstrates the importance of maintaining a healthy weight. It is also important to note that not only is there an increase in excess mortality for obesity,  but also for underweight. And the most ground-breaking part of this study is that it seems that the lowest mortality risk falls somewhere between overweight and OBESE! Dr. Flegal’s research findings have inspired the DiSH Lab to reconsider BMI as a reliable marker of someone’s health – according to this study, it just isn’t.

NYC Campaign to Increase Girls’ Self-Esteem: The Jury is Out

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NYC campaignNew York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has been involved in numerous efforts to make New Yorkers healthier, some of which have been criticized as disgusting (including an ad showing a man gulping fat ) and invasive (attempting – but failing – to put limits on the size of sugary drinks).

However, Bloomberg’s new initiative has a more positive slogan: “I’m a Girl: I’m Beautiful the Way I Am.” The New York City Girls Project will display girls laughing and playing around, with captions emphasizing ways that girls can be beautiful, such as by being curious, smart, and hardworking. The campaign also adds a girls’ self-esteem curriculum to 200 after-school programs.

As Amelia Thomson-Deveaux noted, It’s not a perfect campaign – some people have criticized the campaign for continuing to put too much emphasis on “beauty,” (Katy Waldman, Slate). The campaign also doesn’t incorporate the use of Facebook, where many girls receive messages about body image and the “thin ideal.” Social media is where campaigns could truly make an impact. Even psychologists understand the importance of Facebook – this blog post will be going up on Facebook today.

So, the Girls Project isn’t a perfect campaign, but it’s a start. A badly needed one.

-This post comes from Britt Ahlstrom, a first-year DiSH Lab grad student.

Dr. Abigail Saguy on her new book, What’s Wrong With Fat?

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Try to imagine someone who is obese AND healthy. It doesn’t make sense because how can someone be healthy if they are overweight, right? The terms obese, obesity, and overweight, already implies medical pathology which begets a lot of stigma and discrimination against people who are heavy.

In Dr. Abigail C. Saguy’s new book, What’s Wrong With Fat?, she discusses the difficulty of talking about fat because it is usually framed as being a medical problem or public health crisis. Obesity under the medical and public health frame influences the government and public to find solutions on how to make fat people thin, instead of how to make thin people healthy and less prejudiced. On the other hand, if fatness is more commonly framed as a civil rights issue, in which the problem is not that societies or individuals are too fat and unhealthy, but societies or individuals discriminate on body size, people would learn to be more tolerant and celebrate body size and diversity. It is important to note that language and words matter, and therefore, the goal of Dr. Saguy’s book is to reclaim the terms fat and fatness as a neutral or even a positive word.

To learn more about Dr. Abigail Saguy’s new book, listen to her podcast on Office Hours, where she discusses the three problematic frames of obesity and the potential outcomes of eliminating the stigma against fat.

 

Let’s Brag on UCLA’s Healthy Dining Hall

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The DiSH Lab is thrilled that UCLA is opening Bruin Plate, one of the nation’s first health-themed dining facilities. At Bruin Plate, students can find a variety of ultra nutritious “super foods” like kale, mizuna, and (MY FAVORITE) quinoa! This dining hall is not only health-focused… the menu looks amazing. On top of all that, Bruin Plate will endeavor to educate about what they are eating and why they should eat it. Overall, we give this initiative a resounding thumbs up. Check it out here!

Virginia Guest Blogs: Top 10 Benefits of Meditation!

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By Virginia Cunningham

When we get sick, we know doctors can offer us medicine to cure us physically. But Health Psychology tells us we need to consider the mind as well. A depressed person is much more likely to develop a cold. Extra stress at work can lead to high blood pressure. If your mind can influence your illness then it stands to reason that improving your health should start with something that targets the mind AND the body. Meditation is one such vehicle with proven benefits for both body and mind.

Here are the top 10 ways that meditation benefits the mind and the body:

THE BODY

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1. Boosted Immunity

A poor immune systems leaves you at risk to get sick from the bacteria and viruses that your body is exposed to everyday. According to research, meditation has shown great results in boosting immunity.

2. Increased Fertility

For those who are having trouble getting pregnant, or simply want to boost their chances, meditation can be just the thing. Just 30 minutes of calming meditation a day can alter the chemistry in your brain resulting in higher fertility.

3. Lowers Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is connected to many different health issues, including strokes, and it is even affected by stress. Meditation can make its mark on your body by lowering your blood pressure. If you’re in the danger zone for blood pressure, consider adding a few minutes of mediation to your daily schedule –  even just ten minutes can make a big difference.

4. Helps Prevent Heart Disease

Heart disease is one of the most common causes of death, and is also worsened by high levels of stress. In order to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, or stroke, the American Heart Association recommends 20-30 minutes of meditation to relieve yourself of the stress that can egg on these health issues.

5. Pain Management

Whether you have a sport’s related knee injury or chronic back pain, regular pain can affect your life negatively. Relying solely on medication to deal with the pain can become addictive and is dangerous for your health. Try meditating a few times a week, and you will likely find a large reduction in your daily pain.

 

THE MIND

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6. Endorphins

Endorphins are basically the brain’s natural high. The pituitary gland sends neurotransmitters to the body which are like happiness signals. Usually, endorphins are produced during exercise like running, but meditation has also been proven to increase the production of endorphins in the body, which reduces stress and controls cravings,

7. Enhances Memory

As you get older, you become more forgetful.  The results of meditation are high in memory improvement and a longer attention span. It only takes 20 minutes a few times a week to get a stronger memory.

8. Fights Depression

If you’re fighting depression and don’t want to become reliant on medication, meditation might be for you. Not only does it release endorphins, it can also reduce the stress and positively affect your brain chemistry.

9. Better Brain Function

Don’t we all wish that our brains were always at the top of our game? Meditation has the potential to increase your quick thinking abilities, which assists you when taking tests, facing a crisis at work, or even just completing a puzzle.

10. De-Stressor

When not dealt with, stress can rule your life and cause a plethora of health issues. The calming atmosphere of meditation and the few minutes you take to rid your mind of negative thoughts can make a world of difference.

Want to get the most out of meditation?

A great way to enhance your meditation experience is by creating a room solely devoted to that. By adding some greenery, a water wall, or even just calming music, you can greatly change the way that stress affects your health. Your room does not have to be fancy–just make sure that it’s only purpose is for meditation.

While meditation is not a replacement for a doctor’s care, it can do a lot to prevent further health problems. It only takes a few minutes a day to see results in your overall health. When you start meditating before your health problems take control of your life, you are better able to actively fight for better health.

 

Virginia Cunningham is a freelance writer and yoga enthusiast based out of Los Angeles. With the stresses of life that can so easily build up, she enjoys practicing yoga and meditation daily to combat these problems. 

De-gendering eating disorders… round 2!

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Read this sentence, “The victim of sexual harassment also had a history of eating disorders.” I bet you thought the “victim” was a woman. Despite society’s tendency to associate sexual harassment and eating disorders with women, these are not purely “female” issues, a topic that our blog has covered before in this previous post.

There is a wealth of research on sexual harassment and eating disorders separately, particularly focusing on women. This fascinating study from the University of Michigan though was the first to investigate a potential relationship between sexual harassment and eating disorders. Findings revealed that while women report greater sexual harassment and respond to sexual harassment with greater shape and weight concerns, men are significantly more likely to engage in purge-type behaviors (like vomiting or taking laxatives) when they experience high levels of sexual harassment. These findings are yet more evidence of the societal trend in where men are increasingly suffering from eating disorders, a particularly worrisome issue considering that most treatment and prevention programs are specifically tailored to women.

Research that Changed Research: The Minnesota Starvation Experiment

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Have you ever been so hungry that you felt like you were starving? Even though you ate just a few hours ago, but it felt like it has been days since your last meal? And you probably experience the physical as well as psychological effects of hunger such as stomach cramps and grumpiness. Well, the Minnesota Starvation Experiment took hunger to a whole new level, but not without a good cause, of course!

In hopes to produce a dissertation on human starvation in laboratory stimulation of famine and to investigate different methods of treatment for famine victims at the end of World War II, the clinical study took twelve months to complete. With the participation of thirty-six white male volunteers between the ages of 22 to 33 years old, the study had four phases: Control Period (12 weeks), Semi-Starvation Period (24 weeks), Restricted Rehabilitation Period (12 weeks), and Unrestricted Rehabilitation Period (8 weeks). During the Semi-Starvation Period, the participants were given two meals a day that was adjusted to produce a total loss of about 25% over the course of 24 weeks. The participants were also assigned to perform physical tasks and were expected to walk 22 miles per week. Participants kept journals to record personal psychological effects of prolonged famine-like starvation.

The most striking effect of semi-starvation reported by the participants was not the physical discomfort, but the frustration of constantly thinking about food. The following is a passage from the Original Article:

“Food became an obsession for the participants. Robert Willoughby remembered the often complex processes the men developed for eating the little food that was provided: “. . . eating became a ritual . . . Some people diluted their food with water to make it seem like more. Others would put each little bite and hold it in their mouth a long time to savor it. So eating took a long time.” Carlyle Frederick was one of several men who collected cookbooks and recipes; he reported owning nearly 100 by the time the experiment was over.”

Dietary restriction is a big part of our focus in the DiSH lab, and the Minnesota Starvation Experiment showed the effects that dietary restriction has on attitudes and behaviors related to food and eating. Results from the experiment showed obsessive thoughts about food and eating, in which participants had difficulty concentrating on ‘normal’ things. Changes in eating behaviors such as licking of plates and poor table manners persisted after the experiment. In more severe cases, some of the participants had a hard time following their diets and experienced episodes of binge eating. On participant even mutilated his own hand. Results like these help the DiSH Lab examine the role that diet has on an individual and its influence on health.

Put down that not-so-smartphone!

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This post is from DiSH Intern Rachel:

Why leave the couch when you’ve got all you needs on your “smartphone”? With the ever-present temptation of new smartphone technology, it can be difficult to remember the basics of exercise and nutrition. A recent study at Kent State University showed a strong correlation between phone usage and fit lifestyles. The study surveyed 300 college students on their daily cell phone usage and activity level. Sure enough, those who spent as much as 14 hours per day on their phones proved to be much less active than those averaging about 90 minutes per day. Despite the convenient size and portability of today’s phones, they still greatly contribute to an unhealthy, sluggish lifestyle.

 

Research that Changed Research: Restrained and Unrestrained Eating

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We know that everyone has different eating habits. Some people eat very little to feel full while others eat a lot. And considering the spectrum of disordered eating, we know that some people eat less than or more than they should. However, is there something different about the eating behavior of people of different sizes, such as that of an overweight individuals? Herman and Mack’s classic experiment with milkshakes and ice cream provided a breakthrough response in their study “Restrained and Unrestrained Eating.”

In this study, 45 subjects were randomly assigned to three preload conditions: 0 milkshakes, 1 milkshakes, or 3 milkshakes. After the preload, subjects were give three 3-pint container of ice cream in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors. The subjects were simply told that the experiment was a “taste” test, and were given the instruction to rate each flavor. After the ratings were provided, subjects were welcomed to eat as much ice cream as they want until the ten minute time mark. A eating habit questionnaire was administered after the taste ratings.

Of course, the actually variable being measured is the amount of ice cream eaten after the preload. The data showed that those with high restraint consumed more ice cream after a preload while those with low restraint consumed decreasing amount of ice cream depending on the amount of preload. The following passage is from the original article:

“In any event, we may conclude that despite the weak correlation between restraint and percent overweight, it is the dimension of restraint that is the best predictor of behavior in the present (and presumably, analogous) circumstances. By extension, it seems reasonable to conclude, at least tentatively, that restraint rather than simply a large degree of overweight is the critical variable governing the eating behavior of obese individuals. Our small sample of obese subjects was not homogeneous with respect to restraint, and behavior varied accordingly. Presumably, those studies detecting obese/normal differences have “capitalized” on corresponding differences in restraint.”

Herman and Mack’s experiment demonstrated that restrained eaters eat excessively more only when they violated their diet. More importantly, this paradigm set the stage for future eating research, even Dr. T’s  study  “Consumption After a Diet Violation Disinhibition or Compensation?” where she tested whether or not restrained eaters are able to control their eating behavior outside of an artificial setting. Dr. T found that even after a diet violation, restrained eaters do not overeat in everyday life (Read more).

Hungry? How to avoid the Snickers…

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This post is from DiSH Lab intern Rachel:

Your finals week Snickers bar craving may not be purely from stress. While typical comfort foods are characterized as high in fat and calories and low in nutrition, a recent study from right here at UCLA shines a new light on “stress eating.” The study recruited 59 UCLA students, presenting them with an array of both healthy and unhealthy snacks. They were asked  how frequently they typically ate each of these foods, and which of the foods they would want to eat during finals. Results showed that participants were more likely to choose the foods they eat out of habit rather than the junk foods. This suggests that when we are stressed, we don’t necessarily tend to eat more junk food; rather, we fall back on our habits. This finding is very reminiscent of Allison’s post “Stress and poor health behaviors don’t always go hand in hand…” So the key to eating healthy while stressed is eating healthy habitually.