The Multiple Causes of Obesity

Obesity is known to cause physical and metabolic diseases. It is often assumed by people (including the healthcare workers) that the person with obesity lacks self-control in matters of diet and physical exercise, and is therefore responsible for his or her weight. Persons with obesity have to face sarcasm, barbs, and discrimination due to their condition. They often have difficulty in getting jobs or have to accept lower than standard pay for their work. Although weight gain requires calorie intake in excess of calorie expenditure, it is sometimes not easy for the person to restrict calories due to the underlying causes of obesity. The body resists losing weight, and attempts to hoard calories by reducing the metabolic rate. In this chapter we have explained and classified the causes of obesity into endogenous and exogenous. The endogenous causes include genetic and epigenetic causes, maternal factors, and hormonal causes, while exogenous causes include obesogenic environment, lifestyle, and weight-gain promoting medicines. It must be realized that losing weight and keeping it off is not easy for a person with obesity.

Fx Calories Calculator & Fitness Advisor

Calorie counter to record and estimate number of calories we need to consume daily. “FITNESS START WITH WHAT WE EAT”. This project can also provide guidelines for gaining or losing weight. That have heard it way to get started with the very boring term dieting. A number of mobile fitness devices as well as smart watches have emerged on the technology landscape. Body Mass Index is a simple calculation using a person’s height and weight. A BMI of 25.0 or more is overweight, while the healthy range is 18.5 to 24.9. Serious fat-burning activity uses the large muscle groups of the body – the thighs and bottom, chest and back. The greater the overall recruitment of muscle, the higher the calorie expenditure. So in your workouts, That are much better off using, say, the rower than isolating your arms for maximum calorie burn.

Physical activity calorie expenditure (PACE) labels in worksite cafeterias: effects on physical activity

Background Regular physical activity is an important component of healthy living and wellbeing. Current guidelines recommend that adults participate in at least 150 min of moderate or vigorous-intensity physical activity weekly. In spite of the benefits, just over half of U.S. adults meet these recommendations. Calorie-only food labels at points of food purchase have had limited success in motivating people to change eating behaviors and increase physical activity. One new point of purchase approach to promote healthy behaviors is the addition of food labels that display the physical activity requirement needed to burn the calories in a food item (e.g. walk 15 min). Methods The Physical Activity Calorie Expenditure (PACE) Study compared activity-based calorie-expenditure food labels with calorie-only labels at three Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina worksite cafeterias. After 1 year of baseline data collection, one cafeteria had food items labeled with PACE labels, two others had calorie-only food labels. Cohort participants were asked to wear an accelerometer and complete a self-report activity questionnaire on two occasions during the baseline year and twice during the intervention year. Results A total of 366 study participants were included in the analysis. In the PACE-label group, self-reported physical activity increased by 13–26% compared to the calorie-only label group. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) increased by 24 min per week in the PACE-label group compared to the calorie-label group (p = 0.06). Changes in accelerometer measured steps, sedentary time, and MVPA had modest increases. Change ranged from 1 to 12% with effect size values from 0.08 to 0.15. Baseline physical activity level significantly moderated the intervention effects for all physical activity outcomes. Participants in both label groups starting in the lowest tertile of activity saw the largest increase in their physical activity. Conclusion Results suggest small positive effects for the PACE labels on self-reported and objective physical activity measures. Minutes of weekly MVPA, strength training, and exercise activities showed modest increases. These results suggest that calorie-expenditure food labels may result in some limited increases in physical activity.

Accuracy of Physical Activity Monitors for Steps and Calorie Measurement During Pregnancy Walking

Purpose: This purpose of this study was to validate consumer-based and research-grade PA monitors for step counting and Calorie expenditure during treadmill walking. Methods: Participants (n = 40, 24 in second trimester and 16 in third trimester) completed five 2-minute walking activities (1.5–3.5 miles/hour in 0.5 mile/hour increments) while wearing five PA monitors (right hip: ActiGraph Link [AG]; left hip: Omron HJ-720 [OM]; left front pants pocket: New Lifestyles NL 2000 [NL]; non-dominant wrist: Fitbit Flex [FF]; right ankle: StepWatch [SW]). Mean absolute percent error (MAPE) was used to determine device accuracy for step counting (all monitors) and Calorie expenditure (AG with Freedson equations and FF) compared to criterion measures (hand tally for steps, indirect Calorimetry for Calories). Results: For step counting, the SW had MAPE ≤ 10% at all walking speeds, and the OM and NL had MAPE ≤ 10% for all speeds but 1.5 miles/hour. The AG had MAPE ≤ 10% for only 3.0–3.5 miles/hour speeds, and the FF had high MAPE for all speeds. For Calories, the FF and AG had MAPE > 10% for all speeds, with the FF overestimating Calories expended. Trimester did not affect PA monitor accuracy for step counting but did affect accuracy for Calorie expenditure. Conclusion: The ankle-worn SW and hip-worn OM had high accuracy for measuring step counts at all treadmill walking speeds, whereas the NL had high accuracy for speeds ≥2.0 miles/hour. Conversely, the monitors tested for Calorie expenditure have poor accuracy and should be interpreted cautiously for walking behavior.

The endocannabinoid system: from the receptors to therapy

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) received a lot of attention ever since its discovery. Advancements of the last three decades have shown that there are numerous mechanisms by which the ECS regulates the energy metabolism. These can either be central (regulating appetite and calorie expenditure) or peripheral (adipocyte-specific and other) mechanisms. The current review highlights some of the most important observations leading to the discovery of the ECS first, followed by a part detailing the synthesis and transport of these mediators, the receptor types and second messenger systems involved. The next part is dedicated to the mechanisms by which this system regulates the energy metabolism. Lastly, the drugs that reached the clinical phase and the main targets and strategies for future drug development will be reviewed.

Physical Activity of Workers in a Hospital

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the physical activity of healthcare personnel and the affecting factors of physical activity (PA) in a hospital using an accelerometer device (Actigraph wGT3X-BT). Method: A total of 63 subjects (22 physicians, 19 nurses, and 23 supporting staff) participated and wore an accelerometer for seven days. Among the outputs, the mean counts for a minute, time spent for light, moderate, and vigorous intensity PA, and step count were extracted. As a secondary study, 16 subjects continued for one more week after feedback on their PA of the previous week and counseling to encourage PA. Result: Most of (62/63) the participants fulfilled the recommended amount of PA, which is more than 300 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Physicians showed significantly less PA than nurses or supporting staffs: Mean counts per minute (210.4 vs. 476.0 and 441.8 respectively), time in MVPA per week (904.7 min vs. 1471.3 min and 1451.0 min), and step counts per week (69,029 vs. 87,119 and 84,700) (p < 0.001). Nurses and supporting staff were not statistically different. There was no significant difference in the PA of workers in the hospital regarding gender and marital status. However, the average calorie expenditure of the child raising group was significantly higher. There was no statistically significant difference in PA before and after counseling. No participants reported a vigorous degree of exercise intensity over the study period. Conclusion: Most of the healthcare personnel met the recommended PA, however, only 57% (36/63) recalled having engaged in MVPA during the study period. The group of physicians showed less PA compared to nurses or supporting staff. Single check-up and counseling were not found to increase PA.

Feedback on Physical Activity Through a Wearable Device Connected to a Mobile Phone App in Patients With Metabolic Syndrome: Pilot Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Little is known of the effect of wearable devices on metabolic impairments in clinical settings. We hypothesized that a wearable device that can monitor and provide feedback on physical activity may help resolve metabolic syndrome. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine the objective effects of the use of these devices on metabolic syndrome resolution. METHODS Patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome were recruited. Participants were prescribed regular walking using a wearable device (Coffee WALKIE +Dv.3, GC Healthcare CI, Korea) on their wrist for 12 weeks. Participants received self-feedback on the amount of their exercise through an app on their mobile phone. The information on physical activities of the participants was uploaded automatically to a website. Thus, a trained nurse could provide individuals with feedback regarding the physical activity via telephone consultation on alternate weeks. Blood pressure (BP), body composition, fasting plasma glucose, and lipid profiles were recorded. The primary outcome was metabolic syndrome resolution. The secondary outcome was an improvement in the components of metabolic impairment. RESULTS Of the 53 participants recruited, 20 participants with a median age of 46 (range 36-50) years completed the trial. There was no significant difference in the amount of calorie expenditure at weeks 4, 8, and 12. After 12 weeks, metabolic syndrome was resolved in 9 of 20 participants (45%), and the mean number of metabolic impairment components per person decreased from 3.4 to 2.9. Particularly, the mean systolic and diastolic BP decreased from mean 136.6 (SD 18.5) mm Hg to mean 127.4 (SD 19.5) mm Hg and from mean 84.0 (SD 8.1) mm Hg to mean 77.4 (SD 14.4) mm Hg (both P=.02), respectively. CONCLUSIONS This study found that a 12-week intervention via feedback, based on a wearable physical activity monitor, helped metabolic syndrome patients to be more engaged in regular walking and it improved impaired metabolic components, especially in BP. However, some practical challenges regarding patients’ adherence and sustained engagement were observed.