Orlistat (Alli or Xenical) Significantly Reduces Obesity
December 4, 2011 by admin
Filed under Alli, Hypertension, Nutrition, Robert Wascher, Uncategorized, Weekly Health Update, Weight Loss, Xenical, diabetes, diet, exercise, fat, health, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, orlistat
Welcome to Weekly Health Update
New research suggests that the over-the-counter drug orlistat can significantly improve weight loss when combined with a low-fat diet.
ORLISTAT (ALLI or XENICAL) SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES OBESITY Approximately two-thirds of the population in the United States is overweight, while at least a third of all people are obese. Excess weight has clearly been linked to serious illnesses, including high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, cardiovascular disease, lung disease, liver disease, gallstones, and arthritis, among other potentially life-threatening ailments. As I note in my book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, the extremely high concentration of fat and calories in modern processed foods, when combined with the sedentary lifestyles that most of us lead, almost guarantees a high level of obesity in our population. Orlistat, which is available in both prescription and non-prescription forms, blocks the activity of lipase, an enzyme within the GI tract that breaks down dietary fats so that they can be absorbed. Previous clinical research studies have shown that the addition of orlistat to a low-fat diet can significantly reduce body fat, and, in turn, can reduce the risk of illnesses that are associated with obesity. Now that orlistat is available without a prescription, there have been concerns that this medication may be less effective, as it can now be purchased and taken without first having to enroll in a structured weight loss program. A newly published study, which appears in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that non-prescription doses of orlistat (trade names Alli and Xenical) may still be an effective addition to the standard weight loss strategies of a healthy low-fat diet and exercise. In this study, 27 obese research volunteers took over-the-counter orlistat (60 milligrams three times a day, with meals) for three months. At the beginning and end of this study, the 27 volunteers were subjected to specialized imaging tests, including MRI scans, to measure the amount of fat in their bodies. Blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol levels were also assessed. In this clinical study, the use of over-the-counter orlistat, in combination with a reduced calorie, low-fat diet, was associated with a significant 11 percent reduction in body fat after 3 months. Moreover, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate all decreased, as well, following three months of orlistat combined with a prudent diet. The findings of this study suggest that even over-the-counter orlistat, in conjunction with healthy eating habits, can significantly reduce both body fat and at least some of the adverse health effects associated with obesity. Now for the bad news… orlistat works by blocking the absorption of fat from the GI tract, which means that 25 to 30 percent of the fat consumed while taking orlistat will remain within the GI tract until it is eliminated in the feces. Unfortunately, high levels of undigested fat in the stool can lead to some rather unsettling symptoms, including flatulence, greasy/oily stools, bloating, and in some patients, an urgent desire to have a bowel movement. On the other hand, while these symptoms are very common during the first few months of orlistat use, they appear to improve over time, such that only about one-third of patients taking orlistat will still have these symptoms four years after starting the drug. Moreover, in patients who conscientiously maintain a low-fat diet while taking orlistat, the incidence and severity of these GI tract side effects are even lower. (Another potential complication of orlistat is the reduced absorption of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, although vitamin supplements will prevent significant deficiencies of these vitamins.) While orlistat is associated with significant potential side effects, and thus should not be taken by everyone, the results of this small study do strongly suggest that orlistat is an effective option for obese patients who are able to both tolerate the drug’s side effects and remain compliant with a low-fat diet. As always, however, I strongly recommend that you check with your primary physician prior to starting any new diet or medication, including orlistat.
For a groundbreaking overview of cancer risks, and evidence-based strategies to reduce your risk of developing cancer, order your copy of my new book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million,Vroman’s Bookstore, and other fine bookstores! On Thanksgiving Day, 2010, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was ranked #6 among all cancer-related books on the Amazon.com “Top 100 Bestseller’s List” for Kindle e-books! On Christmas Day, 2010, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was the #1 book on the Amazon.com “Top 100 New Book Releases in Cancer” list! Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, professor of surgery, cancer researcher, oncology consultant, and a widely published author For a different perspective on Dr. Wascher, please click on the following YouTube link: I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people, from around the world, who visit this premier global health information website every month. (More than 1.2 million health-conscious people visited Weekly Health Update in 2010!) As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can.
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Diet and Lifestyle Habits that Decrease Colorectal Cancer Risk
November 7, 2010 by admin
Filed under Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Colorectal Cancer, Nutrition, Weekly Health Update, alcohol, diet, exercise, obesity, tobacco
Welcome to Weekly Health Update“A critical weekly review of important new research findings for health-conscious readers” DIET AND LIFESTYLE HABITS THAT DECREASE COLORECTAL CANCER RISK In the United States, approximately 106,000 people will be newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2010, and nearly 50,000 people will die of this disease. Colorectal cancer remains the third most common cancer (excluding skin cancer) in both men and women, and the third most common cause of cancer death in men and women. Unlike many other types of cancer, an effective method of screening for colorectal cancer is available, in the form of colonoscopy. Fortunately, the incidence of this cancer has been gradually declining over the past 20 years, due in great part to the early detection, and removal, of precancerous polyps from the colon and rectum at the time of colonoscopy. The links between specific lifestyle choices and the risk of developing certain types of cancer forms much of the basis of my new book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race.” The risk of developing colorectal cancer, in particular, has been strongly linked to multiple dietary and other lifestyle factors. Now, a newly published public health research study from Denmark puts a number on the effectiveness of commonly recommended cancer prevention lifestyle strategies in preventing colorectal cancer. In this study, which appears in the current issue of the British Medical Journal, 55,487 men and women between the ages of 50 and 64 were prospectively followed for an average of 10 years. Each of these Diet, Cancer and Health Cohort Study volunteers completed validated surveys regarding their social status, health status, reproductive history, and daily lifestyle habits. They also completed a food frequency questionnaire that included, among its 193 items, foods known to be associated with colorectal cancer risk (including alcohol). All study participants also underwent physical examinations that included measurements of their height, weight, and waist circumference. During the course of this large prospective public health study, 678 participants were newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer. All study volunteers were assessed in terms of 5 modifiable lifestyle and dietary factors that have repeatedly been linked to a reduction in colorectal cancer risk: Increased levels of regular physical activity, avoidance of obesity, abstention from tobacco use, minimal intake of alcohol, and the observance of healthy diet habits (including increased fiber intake, decreased dietary fat content, decreased red meat and processed meat consumption, and increased fresh fruit and vegetable intake). Based upon only these 5 simple colorectal cancer risk factors, the adoption of any one of these 5 colorectal cancer prevention factors was associated with a 13 percent decrease in the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Among participants who generally observed all 5 lifestyle and dietary prevention factors, the risk of developing colorectal cancer was reduced by 23 percent. (Of note, while this observed reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer was noted for both colon cancer and rectal cancer, this finding was only statistically significant for cancer of the colon, specifically.) The results of this large prospectively conducted public health study reaffirm the findings of previous studies, in that the risk of colorectal cancer can be significantly reduced by: Engaging in regular moderate exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight, avoiding tobacco use, minimizing alcohol consumption, and by reducing the intake of red meat and processed meats and fat, while simultaneously increasing the consumption of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and whole grain foods. For a more detailed evidence-based guide to colorectal cancer prevention, order or download your copy of “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race” now.
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For a groundbreaking overview of cancer risks, and evidence-based strategies to reduce your risk of developing colorectal cancer, and other types of cancer, order your copy of my new book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Vroman’s Bookstore, and other fine bookstores! Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, a professor of surgery, a cancer researcher, an oncology consultant, and a widely published author For a different perspective on Dr. Wascher, please click on the following YouTube link: I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people, from around the world, who visit this premier global health information website every month. (As of 9/16/2010, more than 1,000,000 health-conscious people have logged onto Weekly Health Update so far this year!) As always, I enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can. |
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Low-Carb Diet and Risk of Death
September 12, 2010 by admin
Filed under Atkins diet, Weekly Health Update, diet, health, heart disease
Welcome to Weekly Health Update“A critical weekly review of important new research findings for health-conscious readers”
LOW-CARB DIET AND RISK OF DEATH The debate regarding the potential health benefits of low-carbohydrate diets has gone on for over four decades now. During this period, the pendulum has swung, repeatedly, back and forth between “low-carb” and “high-carb” diets, combined with controversies regarding low-fat versus high-fat diets, as various diet and health gurus have weighed in with their recommendations. (Witness one of the more popular and enduring of these “have it your way” dietary fads, the now discredited Atkins Diet, which advocated a reduction in carbohydrate intake combined with a free pass on meat consumption, and other animal-based sources of fat and protein.) Currently, there is really no meaningful controversy regarding the linkage between meat consumption and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, the impact of dietary carbohydrate intake on health continues to be the subject of some debate. Unfortunately, as is often the case regarding debates about lifestyle- and diet-related health factors, there is very little high-level clinical research data evidence available to support the more ambitious claims made by “experts” at either spectrum of the carbohydrate debate. Now, a newly published study, which appears in the current issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, offers a fresh, evidence-based assessment of the impact of carbohydrate and meat intake on the risk of early death. In this prospectively conducted cohort study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the results of two very large prospective public health studies were combined. More than 85,000 women who participated in the vast Nurses’ Health Study, and nearly 46,000 male physicians who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, were included in this analysis. These healthy female and male volunteers were without clinical evidence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or cancer when they entered into these studies. An almost unprecedented duration of clinical follow-up was available for these two enormous groups of research volunteers, which makes this combined cohort study extremely powerful. On average, the male study volunteers have already been followed for 20 years, while the women volunteers have been followed for an average of 26 years. All of these 129,716 men and women completed multiple validated diet questionnaires at various time points in these two clinical studies, and the data collected from these questionnaires was then used to analyze the impact of diet on mortality (death) risk among this huge group of nurses and physicians. Two sub-groups of volunteers were assessed, based upon their dietary preferences, and these two sub-groups of men and women were then compared with the remaining study volunteers. The first dietary preference sub-group consisted of men and women who preferred a low-carbohydrate diet associated with the frequent intake of meat and other animal-based foods (along the lines of the Atkins Diet), while the second sub-group consisted of men and women who routinely consumed a low-carbohydrate diet that emphasized vegetable and fruit sources of protein (instead of animal sources of protein). Over the very long duration of the two combined studies, 12,555 deaths occurred among the women (including 2,458 deaths due to cardiovascular disease). Among the men, there were 8,678 deaths (including 2,746 deaths due to cardiovascular disease). In the group of men and women who favored an Atkins-like diet, emphasizing a low carbohydrate intake but liberal meat consumption (and other animal-based foods, as well), the risk of premature death from any cause (when compared to a low-carb, low-meat diet) was elevated by 23 percent. This same dietary preference was also associated with a 14 percent increase in the risk of death due to, specifically, cardiovascular disease. In contrast, the men and women who consumed a diet low in both carbohydrates and animal products appeared to significantly reduce their risk of death due to all causes, as well as their mortality due to cardiovascular disease, specifically. In this group of research volunteers, mortality due to any cause was reduced by 20 percent, while death due to cardiovascular disease, specifically, was reduced by 23 percent. The findings of this very large prospective public health study, with its extremely long duration of clinical follow-up, confirms the findings of other recent (and less powerful) small clinical studies that a diet rich in vegetables, but low in both carbohydrates and animal-derived foods, confers a very significant benefit in terms of the overall risk of death, and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, in particular. Excessive carbohydrate intake has been previously shown to increase the risk of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other serious illnesses. At the same time, increased meat intake has also been clearly shown to raise the risk of many of these same life-threatening illnesses, as well. From this huge prospective cohort clinical study, we can see highly significant health benefits associated with long-term adherence to a healthy diet rich in vegetables and low in carbohydrates and animal-derived foods. (And there are not many health benefits that can trump a significant reduction in your risk of premature death!)
For an evidence-based review of the critical importance of diet in a cancer prevention lifestyle, watch for the publication of my new landmark book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” later this month.
Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, a professor of surgery, a cancer researcher, an oncology consultant, and a widely published author For a different perspective on Dr. Wascher, please click on the following YouTube link: I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people, from around the world, who visit our premier global health information website every month. As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can. |
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Lactoferrin Reduces Abdominal (Visceral) Obesity
August 2, 2010 by admin
Filed under Nutrition, Weekly Health Update, colostrum, diet, health, lactoferrin, obesity
Welcome to Weekly Health Update“A critical weekly review of important new research findings for health-conscious readers”
LACTOFERRIN REDUCES ABDOMINAL (VISCERAL) OBESITY Disturbingly, two-thirds of the American population already meets the criteria for being overweight or obese, one-third meets the criteria for obesity, and at least 2 percent of Americans are now considered to be morbidly obese. The cost of this rising epidemic of obesity is enormous (no pun intended), both to obese patients themselves, and to a nation that is struggling to pay for the skyrocketing cost of providing healthcare to its citizens. Obesity has been unquestionably linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, liver disease, gallstones, gastroesophageal reflux, arthritis, cancer, and multiple other serious illnesses. Despite these sobering realities, however, the incidence of obesity continues to rise in the United States, and increasingly, throughout the world. In our high-calorie, low-effort modern world, it is very easy to pack on excess weight over the course of our lives. People, being people, are always looking for quick, easy solutions to their problems, including excess weight. Unfortunately, other than decreasing our intake of food and increasing the amount of exercise that we regularly perform, no other cures for obesity have yet been found. However, a newly published study in the British Journal of Nutrition has identified an unlikely new dietary supplement that may be helpful in the battle of the bulge. Lactoferrin, which is abundant in the colostrum and milk of most mammals (including humans), is thought to primarily function as an antibacterial and antifungal agent, and may help to protect breast-fed babies from infection (in some countries, lactoferrin is routinely added to infant formula for this purpose). Recent research has also suggested that lactoferrin may have a beneficial effect on the metabolism of fat within the body, and in particular, the so-called “visceral fat” that accumulates within the abdominal area, and which has been specifically linked to an increased risk of generalized inflammation in the body, as well as cardiovascular disease and cancer. In this small prospective, randomized, doubled-blinded study, 26 overweight men and women with abdominal obesity were randomized to receive either daily lactoferrin supplements (300 milligrams per day) or an identical placebo (sugar) pill (none of the participating patient volunteers knew which group they were in until the study was completed). These patient volunteers were then followed for 8 weeks. All of these research volunteers underwent CT scans to measure the extent of their total body fat, superficial (subcutaneous) fat, and visceral (abdominal) fat. At the end of this 8-week study, the group that had been randomized to receive daily oral lactoferrin supplements experienced very significant decreases in visceral fat content, as well as decreased body weight, decreased BMI (a standardized measure of obesity that considers both body weight and height), and hip circumference, when compared to the group of volunteers who were assigned to take the placebo pills. Additionally, blood tests to evaluate the impact of daily lactoferrin supplements on metabolism did not reveal any apparent adverse side effects associated with lactoferrin supplementation. While this is a very small study (only 26 patient volunteers were included), and the length of follow-up was very short (only 8 weeks), the prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled design of this study, when combined with the rather striking results that were observed, are rather compelling. Certainly, a larger study, with long-term follow-up, needs to be performed before daily lactoferrin supplements can be recommended as both a safe and effective aid to weight loss. Moreover, such a study would need to show that the reduction in visceral fat that was observed in this small Japanese clinical study is not only reproducible over the long-term, but is also associated with a clinically significant improvement in the illnesses that have previously been linked to abdominal obesity. Meanwhile, and until such a study is performed, I find the results from this small prospective clinical study to be very interesting, indeed.
For a detailed review of the impact of obesity, exercise, nutrition, and other important lifestyle factors on the risk of developing cancer, watch for the publication of my new landmark evidence-based book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” in September of this year.
Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity
Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, a professor of surgery, a cancer researcher, an oncology consultant, and a widely published author For a different perspective on Dr. Wascher, please click on the following YouTube link: I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people, from around the world, who visit our premier global health information website every month. As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can. |
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Diacylglycerol (Diglyceride) Cooking Oil Reduces Obesity
June 13, 2010 by admin
Filed under Weekly Health Update, cooking oil, diglyceride, obesity, triglycerides
Welcome to Weekly Health Update“A critical weekly review of important new research findings for health-conscious readers” DIACYLGLYCEROL (DIGLYCERIDE) COOKING OIL REDUCES OBESITY
Diacylglycerols (also known as diglycerides) are dietary fatty acids that are found, in small concentrations, in many vegetable-based cooking oils, including canola and soybean oils. However, triacylglycerols, known more commonly as triglycerides, make up the vast majority of the fat content in vegetable-based cooking oils. Triglycerides, which are the most common sources of dietary fat, are rapidly absorbed by the body and are easily converted into body fat. (High levels of triglycerides in the blood have also been linked to obesity and cardiovascular disease.) Compared with triglyceride fats, diglycerides are more rapidly metabolized in the human body, and are less prone to being deposited as body fat. In laboratory studies, dietary supplementation with diglyceride oil has been shown to reduce the accumulation of body fat in rats, and to improve overall fat energy metabolism. A newly published clinical research study, which appears in the current issue of the Journal of Nutrition, further suggests a potential role for diglyceride oils in the prevention and treatment of obesity in humans. In this study, 26 overweight women with elevated blood triglyceride levels participated in a “crossover” study of diglyceride oil dietary supplementation. In the first phase of this study, these women volunteers were secretly randomized to receive either diglyceride-enriched vegetable oil (Enova oil, 40 grams per day) or an oil blend containing standard sunflower, safflower and rapeseed oils (40 grams per day, in a 1:1:1 ratio) for 28 days. After a 4-week break, these patient volunteers were then switched (or “crossed over”) to the opposite dietary oil group for an additional 28 days. In this study, diglyceride oil supplementation did not appear to alter overall energy metabolism, nor did it reduce blood levels of triglycerides. However, the daily intake of diglyceride-enriched cooking oil did, indeed, significantly decrease the accumulation of body fat in these overweight women during the course of this small, brief clinical research study. While switching to diglyceride-enriched cooking oil, alone, is unlikely to prevent or completely eliminate obesity, this vegetable-based fat source may have an important role to play as part of a lifestyle- and diet-based approach to maintaining a healthy weight. Now for some bad news related to diglyceride-enriched cooking oils. Kao Corporation, the manufacturer of Enova oil (also sold as Econa oil), has recently suspended the sales of this product due to concerns about high levels of potentially carcinogenic glycidol fatty acid esters in this and other diglyceride-enriched products. (These same fatty acid esters are also present in other vegetable-based cooking oils, but at much lower concentrations.) Hopefully, though, Kao Corporation, or another manufacturer, will find a way to reduce the concentration of glycidol fatty acid esters in diglyceride-enriched food products, and these products will then return to the marketplace.
To learn more about the critical roles of diet and weight control in the prevention of cancer, look for the publication of my new landmark book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” in the summer of this year. Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, a professor of surgery, a cancer researcher, an oncology consultant, and a widely published author For a different perspective on Dr. Wascher, please click on the following YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Tdv7XW0qg I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 1000,000 new and returning readers who visit our premier global health information website every month. As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can. |
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