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Hara hatchi bu, the Okinawan people's habit of eating only till they are 80 percent full, is thought to be one of the secrets of their extraordinary health and longevity. In addition to one of the highest percentages of people in the world who live past 100, Okinawans appear to be less prone to heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Indeed, ever since it was discovered in the 1930s that laboratory rats fed a caloric-restricted (CR) diet lived almost twice as long as their well fed counterparts, scientists have pursued caloric restriction research in the hopes of finding novel strategies for extending human life and preventing disease. Given the growing older population at risk for memory problems and the rising rates of obesity, the role of diet in maintaining peak brain performance has taken on added importance.

Reinehr T, de Sousa G, Alexy U, Kersting M, Andler W. Vitamin D status and parathyroid hormone in obese children before and after weight loss. Eur J Endocrinol. 2007 Aug;157(2):225-32. PMID: 17656603 [PubMed - in process]

Obesity-induced insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis are alleviated by {omega}-3 fatty acids: a role for resolvins and protectins. González-Périz A, Horrillo R, Ferré N, Gronert K, Dong B, Morán-Salvador E, Titos E, Martínez-Clemente M, López-Parra M, Arroyo V, Clària J. FASEB J. 2009 Feb 23. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19211925 doi: 10.1096/fj.08-125674

"The major factor which stimulates weight gain in winter months is vitamin D. Human bodies get vitamin D from sunlight; as the hours of sunlight become less with the onset of fall, so our levels of vitamin D decrease. Low levels of vitamin D affect the brain's production of the hormone leptin. Leptin plays a vital role in controlling appetite and metabolism; so as the amount of vitamin D in our bodies decreases so does the leptin, and this causes an increase in our appetite and a change in our metabolism. Researchers at Aberdeen University found that obese people had 10% less vitamin D than people of average weight. The study also found that excess body fat absorbed vitamin D so the body couldn't use it. Scientists now believe that there is a direct correlation between obesity and low levels of vitamin D.

All mothers-to-be should be weighed regularly during pregnancy to help combat the many dangers to women's and babies' health from maternal obesity, a group of medical experts is urging.

Effects of vitamin D supplementation on symptoms of depression in overweight and obese subjects: randomized double blind trial. Jorde R, Sneve M, Figenschau Y, Svartberg J, Waterloo K. J Intern Med. 2008 Dec;264(6):599-609. Epub 2008 Sep 10. PMID: 18793245 Conclusions. It appears to be a relation between serum levels of 25(OH)D and symptoms of depression. Supplementation with high doses of vitamin D seems to ameliorate these symptoms indicating a possible causal relationship.

Results of a new study find that obesity can pose greater dangers when it comes to quality of life than those associated with smoking.

Americans, at least as a group, may have reached their peak of obesity, according to data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Wednesday.

"The "Selfish Brain" theory describes the characteristic of the human brain to cover its own, comparably high energy requirements with the utmost of priorities when regulating energy fluxes in the organism. The brain behaves selfishly in this respect. The "Selfish brain" theory amongst other things provides a novel explanation for the origin of obesity, the severe and pathological form of overweight. The Luebeck obesity and diabetes specialist Achim Peters developed the fundamentals of this theory between 1998 and 2004. The interdisciplinary "Selfish Brain: brain glucose and metabolic syndrome" research group headed by Peters and supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) at the University of Luebeck has in the meantime been able to reinforce the basics of the theory through experimental research. Scientists the world over now consider this work as pioneering for the study of the causes of pathological eating disorders and the development of innovative therapies."

"A new study finds that obese people have brains that eight percent smaller than thin people and those brains look 16 years older. Live Science.com reports that this condition makes it harder to think and puts people at greater risk for Alzheimer's and other diseases. The results, based on brain scans of 94 people in their 70s, represent "severe brain degeneration," said Paul Thompson, senior author of the study and a UCLA professor of neurology. "

Prevention of skeletal muscle insulin resistance by dietary cod protein in high fat-fed rats. Lavigne C, Tremblay F, Asselin G, Jacques H, Marette A. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2001 Jul;281(1):E62-71. PMID: 11404223 These data demonstrate that feeding cod protein prevents obesity-induced muscle insulin resistance in high fat-fed obese rats at least in part through a direct action of amino acids on insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle cells.

Read how to measure weight and take healthy steps for reducing fats. Obesity is excess of your calories stored in adipose tissues as fats. BMI is used for calculating body mass in relation to stronger muscles.

ScienceDaily (Nov. 25, 2008) - Researchers at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Canada, have discovered that adiponectin, a protein secreted from adipocytes, is a metabolic link that can explain, in part, the known positive relationship between obesity and both bone mineral density and reduced susceptibility to fractures.

Conclusions: Compared with a low-fat diet, a low-carbohydrate diet program had better participant retention and greater weight loss. During active weight loss, serum triglyceride levels decreased more and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level increased more with the low-carbohydrate diet than with the low-fat diet. A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-fat diet to treat obesity and hyperlipidemia: a randomized, controlled trial. Yancy WS Jr, Olsen MK, Guyton JR, Bakst RP, Westman EC. Ann Intern Med. 2004 May 18;140(10):769-77. PMID: 15148063

Vitamin D deficiency is the cause of common obesity. Foss YJ. Med Hypotheses. 2009 Mar;72(3):314-21. Epub 2008 Dec 2. PMID: 19054627 doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2008.10.005

This week sees the publication of yet another study showing the superiority of the low-carbohydrate diet as compared to the low-fat diet. This study, published in the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, demonstrates that subjects following the low-carb diet experience a decrease in triglyceride levels and an increase in HDL-cholesterol (HDL) levels; and that these changes are accompanied by a minor increase in LDL-cholesterol (LDL), which prompts the authors to issue a caveat. Yes, although just about all the parameters that lipophobes worry about improved with the low-carb diet, the small increase in LDL has caused great concern and has prompted the authors to gravely announce that this small increase is troublesome and should be monitored closely in anyone who may be at risk for heart disease. Since most people who go on low-carb diets do so to deal with obesity issues, and since obesity is a risk factor for heart disease, it would appear that this small increase in LDL often seen in those following a low-carb diet could put these dieters at risk. Does it? We'll see.

Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN diets for change in weight and related risk factors among overweight premenopausal women: the A TO Z Weight Loss Study: a randomized trial. Gardner CD, Kiazand A, Alhassan S, Kim S, Stafford RS, Balise RR, Kraemer HC, King AC. JAMA. 2007 Mar 7;297(9):969-77. Erratum in: JAMA. 2007 Jul 11;298(2):178. PMID: 17341711 Conclusions In this study, premenopausal overweight and obese women assigned to follow the Atkins diet, which had the lowest carbohydrate intake, lost more weight and experienced more favorable overall metabolic effects at 12 months than women assigned to follow the Zone, Ornish, or LEARN diets. While questions remain about long-term effects and mechanisms, a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet may be considered a feasible alternative recommendation for weight loss.

Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for 1 y does not prevent weight or body fat regain. Larsen TM, Toubro S, Gudmundsen O, Astrup A. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Mar;83(3):606-12. PMID: 16522907 CONCLUSION: A 3.4-g daily CLA supplementation for 1 y does not prevent weight or fat mass regain in a healthy obese population.

You would think that someone who eats excessively would be getting all of the vitamins and essential nutrients that their body requires. That is why it is surprising that recent research suggests something very different. We are seeing that among obese teenagers vitamin D deficiency is a very common occurrence.

As we noted in this article back in July, there are several hormones and neurotransmitters that have noteworthy effects on appetite and eating behavior, and as a result are of much interest with respect to weight gain (or loss) and obesity. The two mentioned in that article were NPY and PYY. The protein leptin is another hormone of this sort. It is often discussed in connection with obesity, because it is believed to increase metabolism and decrease appetite (as a signal of satiety). Another hormone, ghrelin, is produced in the stomach as a signal of hunger, and so it increases appetite.