Effects of a multiprofessional approach on anthropometric variables, body composition and food profile of overweight or obese adolescents

Introduction: To investigate the effects of a multiprofessional approach on anthropometric parameters and body composition and the level of food processing in adolescents. Methods: Twelve overweight/obese male adolescents between 13-17 years old participated in a series of 12-week multiprofessional interventioms led by physical education, nutrition and psychology professionals. The participants were assessed before the intervention as well as at 6 and 12 weeks into it. Anthropometric assessments were performed, including body weight, stature and body mass index; body composition, with fat mass (FM), body fat (%BF), skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and resting metabolic rate (RMR) and by filling in a three-day food record, in order to calculate the ingested foods, by the level of processing of the food: fresh, minimally processed, processed and ultra-processed. Results: No differences were observed for the anthropometric parameters performed at different stages (p>0.05). Reductions for FM and %BF and increases in SMM and RMR (p<0.05) were identified, all after 12-week of the intervention. There was an increase in the consumption of natural foods/g, and an increase in the caloric consumption of processed foods/kcal, after 12-week of interventions (p<0.05). Conclusion: The model resulted in decreases in FM and %BF, an increase in SMM, RMR, natural foods/g and processed foods/kcal.

The Effects of Non-Nutritive Sweetener Consumption in the Pediatric Populations: What We Know, What We Don’t, and What We Need to Learn

Childhood obesity is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States. This trend carries serious risk of children developing obesity-related diseases including Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are used as substitution for table sugar as a way to prevent weight gain. Their consumption is ubiquitous in adults and children; however the long-term health outcomes of chronic NNS consumption in children are unclear. Conflicting observational studies suggest that children consuming NNS are at risk of obesity and development of type 2 diabetes, while others concluded some benefits in weight reduction. Here, we review the physiological mechanisms that can contribute to the negative metabolic effects of NNS. We will focus on how NNS alters the sweet perception leading to increase caloric consumption, how NNs alters the gut microbiota, and how NNS may disrupt glucose homeostasis and initiate a vicious cycle of pancreatic endocrine dysfunction. Studies focused on the pediatric population are limited but necessary to determine whether the potential weight loss benefits outweigh the potential negative metabolic outcomes during this critical development period.

1043 The Relationship Between Nighttime Eating And Body Mass Index

Introduction Late night eating has been associated with higher odds of being overweight or obese. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between late night eating and body mass index in a nationally representative sample. Methods Actigraphy was used to estimate the average bedtime, waketime, duration and midpoint of sleep in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-04 and 2005-06 cohorts. Given the circular nature of clock time, the average was calculated to be the point that minimized the sum of squares of differences between time points. Dietary data was collected through two detailed interviews of the participants. Nighttime calories were defined as the average amount of calories consumed between the average bedtime and the average midpoint of time-in-bed, based on the data recorded during the dietary interviews. Results Higher average nighttime caloric consumption (in units of 100 kcal) was associated with higher BMI [B(95% CI): 0.062 (0.003, 0.121)]; this remained significant after adjustment for age, gender, and race [B(95% CI): 0.084 (0.026, 0.142)]. Higher nighttime caloric consumption (as a percentage of total average daily calories consumption) was associated with higher BMI [B(95% CI): 1.522 (0.312, 2.733)]. This remained significant after adjustment for age, gender, and race [B(95% CI): 1.718 (0.505, 2.931)]. Conclusion Higher nighttime caloric consumption, both in average amount (in units of 100 kcal) and as a percentage of average daily calories consumption, was associated with higher BMI. Additional study is needed to further elucidate the relationship between nighttime eating habits and body mass index. Support NHLBI T32HL110952

Food Reward and Food Choice. An Inquiry Through The Liking and Wanting Model

What if consumers are getting obese because eating less calories is more difficult for persons that have a higher pleasure and desire towards food (Ikeda et al., 2005) and food companies do not help given only a two extreme option choice to satisfy their needs (i.e., low calories vs. high calories or healthy vs. unhealthy)? Reward systems are being described with a new conceptual approach where liking—the pleasure derived from eating a given food—and wanting—motivational value, desire, or craving—can be seen as the significant forces guiding eating behavior. Our work shows that pleasure (liking), desire (wanting), and the interaction between them influence and are good predictors of food choice and food intake. Reward responses to food are closely linked to food choice, inducing to caloric overconsumption. Based on the responses given to a self-administered questionnaire measuring liking and wanting attitudes, we found three different segments named ‘Reward lovers,’ ‘Half epicurious,’ and ‘Non indulgents’. Their behavior when choosing food is quite different. Results show differential effects on caloric consumption depending on segments. The introduction of more food choices that try to balance their content is a win-win strategy for consumers, companies, and society.

Utility of Automated Feeding Data to Detect Social Instability in a Captive Breeding Colony of Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta): A Case Study of Intrafamily Aggression

Some captive breeding colonies of rhesus macaques live in large outdoor multimale, multifemale social groups. These groups are composed of several matrilineal families, governed by a clear female dominance hierarchy. Aggression within the same or between different matrilineal families due to social instability can result in trauma and mortality. Therefore, a primary management goal is to detect emerging social unrest before the onset of significant fighting and wounding. Accordingly, groups are monitored routinely for changes in dominance and alliance relations as well as for increases in trauma frequency and severity. Decreased food intake is a normal physiologic response to acute stress; therefore, inappetence in key animals or groups of monkeys might be used as an indicator of increased social stress and emerging instability. An incident of intrafamily aggression occurred recently in a breeding group at our facility and resulted in considerable fighting. Because this compound was equipped with an automated feeding system that tracks the caloric intake of individual animals, we retrospectively analyzed feeding data to determine whether significant reduction in caloric consumption occurred prior to the onset of aggression, compared with baseline values. Neither the entire group nor individual families showed any significant differences in total caloric intake between baseline and previous 24 h values; however, the affected family exhibited a 20% reduction in total caloric during the 24 h prior to the aggression. Most notably, the deposed subfamily showed a marked 58% reduction in caloric intake during the prior 24 h, whereas remaining subfamilies showed no significant changes in intake. High-ranking animals of the group, including the α female, β female, and α male, similarly exhibited marked decreases in caloric intake during that period. These findings indicate that automated feeders can assist management staff with monitoring social stability in breeding colonies of rhesus macaque.

How much is a calorie worth? A study of willingness to pay for calorie labels in restaurant menus

We asked individuals about their willingness to pay (WTP) either: (1) for a mandate requiring restaurants to post calorie information on their menus; or (2) to avoid such a mandate. On average, more people were in in favor of the mandate and were willing to pay four times more than those who were against it, thereby leading to a Kaldor–Hicks improvement from this policy. To ensure robustness, we tested the impact of providing three types of information during individuals’ WTP determinations: (1) visual examples of the proposed calorie labels; (2) data on their effectiveness at the individual level; and (3) data on their wider social and economic benefits. For those in favor, providing a simple visual of the label had no impact on WTP. Data on the individual effectiveness of the labels increased the WTP, while evidence on broader obesity reduction and economic benefits reduced it. For opponents, WTP did not change with provision of additional information except when provided with information on social and economic benefits. Under this condition, the opponents increased their WTP 12-fold to avoid a mandate of this policy. Finally, we measured individual well-being under this policy and found directionally similar results, confirming a net improvement in aggregate welfare. Our results suggest that messaging that focuses on private benefits (providing calorie information so that individuals can effectively choose to reduce excessive caloric consumption) rather than wider public benefits (reduction in overall health-related costs and obesity) is more likely to be effective.

Forced vital capacity & oxygen consumption screening at students

This work was conducted with the support of 19-20 years old students during physical education classes across the 1st Semester of AY 2017/2018 at the Bucharest University of Economic Study. The study case starts with the premise that all subjects were under/medium level trained and it focuses on a cross-screening survey which includes body mass index, oxygen consumption, heart rate activity, oximetry, spirometry and caloric consumption rate. The participation of subjects was voluntary and for this they signed a written agreement which allows the results to be published. The surveillance process was made using approved devices and a previously tested methodology. The final results revealed that there is no correlation between VO2, BMI and FVC for the subjects of the group.