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Objective: To investigate the effect of weight loss on balance control in obese and morbid obese men. Methods: In a longitudinal and clinical intervention study, postural stability was measured with a force platform before and after weight loss in men. Weight loss was obtained in obese men (mean body mass index (BMI) ¼ 33.0 kg/m 2 ) by hypocaloric diet until resistance and in morbid obese men (mean BMI ¼ 50.5 kg/m 2 ) by bariatric surgery. Morbid obese men were tested before surgery, and 3 and 12 months after surgery when they had lost 20 and nearly 50% of initial body weight, respectively. Normal weight individuals (mean BMI ¼ 22.7 kg/m 2 ) were tested twice within a 6-to 12-month period to serve as control. Body fatness and fat distribution measures, and posturographic parameters of the center of foot pressure (CP) along the antero-posterior and medio-lateral axes for conditions with and without vision were performed in all subjects. Results: Weight loss averaged 12.3 kg after dieting and 71.3 kg after surgery. Body weight remained unchanged in the control group. After weight loss, nearly all measures of postural stability were improved with and without vision (i.e., CP speed and range in antero-posterior and medio-lateral axes). A strong linear relationship was observed between weight loss and improvement in balance control measured from CP speed (adjusted R 2 ¼ 0.65, Po0.001). Conclusion: Weight loss improves balance control in obese men and the extent of the improvement is directly related to the amount of weight loss. This should decrease the habitual greater risk of falling observed in obese individuals.

It has been reported that green tea has a thermogenic effect, due to its caffeine content and probably also to the catechin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). The main aim of the present study was to compare the effect of a mixture of green tea and Guarana extracts containing a fixed dose of caffeine and variable doses of EGCG on 24 h energy expenditure and fat oxidation. Fourteen subjects took part to this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over study. Each subject was tested five times in a metabolic chamber to measure 24 h energy expenditure, substrate oxidation and blood pressure. During each stay, the subjects ingested a capsule of placebo or capsules containing 200 mg caffeine and a variable dose of EGCG (90, 200, 300 or 400 mg) three times daily, 30 min before standardized meals. Twenty-four hour energy expenditure increased significantly by about 750 kJ with all EGCG-caffeine mixtures compared with placebo. No effect of the EGCG-caffeine mixture was observed for lipid oxidation. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased by about 7 and 5 mmHg, respectively, with the EGCG-caffeine mixtures compared with placebo. This increase was significant only for 24 h diastolic blood pressure. The main finding of the study was the increase in 24 h energy expenditure with the EGCG-caffeine mixtures. However, this increase was similar with all doses of EGCG in the mixtures.

The present study investigated the impact of a Lactobacillus rhamnosus CGMCC1.3724 (LPR) supplementation on weight loss and maintenance in obese men and women over 24 weeks. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised trial, each subject consumed two capsules per d of either a placebo or a LPR formulation (1·6 £ 10 8 colony-forming units of LPR/capsule with oligofructose and inulin). Each group was submitted to moderate energy restriction for the first 12 weeks followed by 12 weeks of weight maintenance. Body weight and composition were measured at baseline, at week 12 and at week 24. The intention-to-treat analysis showed that after the first 12 weeks and after 24 weeks, mean weight loss was not significantly different between the LPR and placebo groups when all the subjects were considered. However, a significant treatment £ sex interaction was observed. The mean weight loss in women in the LPR group was significantly higher than that in women in the placebo group (P¼ 0·02) after the first 12 weeks, whereas it was similar in men in the two groups (P¼ 0·53). Women in the LPR group continued to lose body weight and fat mass during the weight-maintenance period, whereas opposite changes were observed in the placebo group. Changes in body weight and fat mass during the weight-maintenance period were similar in men in both the groups. LPR-induced weight loss in women was associated not only with significant reductions in fat mass and circulating leptin concentrations but also with the relative abundance of bacteria of the Lachnospiraceae family in faeces. The present study shows that the Lactobacillus rhamnosus CGMCC1.3724 formulation helps obese women to achieve sustainable weight loss.

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to compare the effect of a 15-week weight-reducing programme (2 2900 kJ/d) coupled with a calcium plus vitamin D (calciumþ D) supplementation (600 mg elemental calcium and 5 mg vitamin D, consumed twice a day) or with a placebo, on body fat and on spontaneous energy/macronutrient intake. Sixty-three overweight or obese women (mean age 43 years, mean BMI 32 kg/m 2 ) reporting a daily calcium intake , 800 mg participated in present study. Anthropometric variables, resting energy expenditure and spontaneous energy intake were measured before and after the 15-week programme. The calciumþ D supplementation induced no statistically significant increase in fat mass loss in response to the programme. However, when analyses were limited to very low-calcium consumers only (initial calcium intake #600 mg/d, n 7 for calciumþ D, n 6 for placebo), a significant decrease in body weight and fat mass (P,0·01) and in spontaneous dietary lipid intake (P,0·05) was observed in the calciumþ D but not in the placebo group. In very low-calcium consumers, change in fat mass was positively correlated with change in lipid intake. During the weight-reducing programme, a calciumþ D supplementation was necessary in female overweight/obese very low-calcium consumers to reach significant fat mass loss that seemed to be partly explained by a decrease in lipid intake. We propose that this change in lipid intake could be influenced by a calcium-specific appetite control. The hypothesis that calcium/dairy supplementation might accentuate fat mass loss in the context of a weight-reducing programme in obese individuals compared to a non-supplemented control condition has been demonstrated in some (1,2) , but not all (3) studies. One explanation for this discrepancy could be the difference in habitual calcium intake of participants. Indeed, based on results showing that women consuming less than 600 mg calcium/d had an increased percentage body fat (4) , the existence of a threshold of usual calcium intake below which a supplementation in this mineral would effectively promote fat mass loss is possible. The first objective of the present study was to investigate this hypothesis and to assess the impact of a calcium plus vitamin D (calciumþD) supplementation on the outcome of a weightreducing programme in female low-and very low-calcium consumer (VL-CC) overweight/obese subjects.Up to now, the potential effect of calcium on energy balance and adiposity has been explained by a suppression of calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D) which decreases intra-adipocyte calcium influx and concentration (5) leading to a reduced lipogenic gene expression and stimulation of lipolysis and adipocytes uncoupling protein 2 expression (6,7) .Moreover, a diet high in calcium was also shown to increase 24 h lipid oxidation (8) and to reduce lipid absorption due to the intestinal formation of calcium-fatty acids insoluble 'soaps' that are excreted in the faeces (9) . From another perspective, the idea of ...

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Exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a known cause of skin cancer. Sunbed use represents an increasingly frequent source of artificial UV exposure in light‐skinned populations. To assess the available evidence of the association between sunbed use and cutaneous malignant melanoma (melanoma) and other skin cancers, a systematic review of the literature till March 2006 on epidemiological and biological studies on sunbed use was performed in Pubmed, ISI Web of Science, Embase, Pascal, Cochrane library, Lilacs and Medcarib. Search for keywords in the title and in the abstract was done systematically and supplemented by manual searches. Only case–control, cohort or cross‐sectional studies were selected. Data were abstracted by means of a standardized data‐collection protocol. Based on 19 informative studies, ever‐use of sunbeds was positively associated with melanoma (summary relative risk, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.00–1.31), although there was no consistent evidence of a dose–response relationship. First exposure to sunbeds before 35 years of age significantly increased the risk of melanoma, based on 7 informative studies (summary relative risk, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.35–2.26). The summary relative risk of 3 studies of squamous cell carcinoma showed an increased risk. For basal cell carcinoma, the studies did not support an association. The evidence does not support a protective effect of the use of sunbeds against damage to the skin from subsequent sun exposure. Young adults should be discouraged from using indoor tanning equipment and restricted access to sunbeds by minors should be strongly considered. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

This study evaluated the impact of probiotic supplementation (Lactobacillus rhamnosus CGMCC1.3724 (LPR)) on appetite sensations and eating behaviors in the context of a weight-reducing program. Obese men (n = 45) and women (n = 60) participated in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that included a 12-week weight loss period (Phase 1) based on moderate energy restriction, followed by 12 weeks of weight maintenance (Phase 2). During the two phases of the program, each subject consumed two capsules per day of either a placebo or a LPR formulation (10 mg of LPR equivalent to 1.6 108 CFU/capsule, 210 mg of oligofructose, and 90 mg of inulin). The LPR supplementation increased weight loss in women that was associated with a greater increase in the fasting desire to eat (p = 0.03). On the other hand, satiety efficiency (satiety quotient for desire to eat) at lunch increased (p = 0.02), whereas disinhibition (p = 0.05) and hunger (p = 0.02) scores decreased more in the LPR-treated women, when compared with the female control group. Additionally, the LPR female group displayed a more pronounced decrease in food craving (p = 0.05), and a decrease in the Beck Depression Inventory score (p = 0.05) that was significantly different from the change noted in the placebo group (p = 0.02), as well as a higher score in the Body Esteem Scale questionnaire (p = 0.06). In men, significant benefits of LPR on fasting fullness and cognitive restraint were also observed. Taken together, these observations lend support to the hypothesis that the gut-brain axis may impact appetite control and related behaviors in obesity management.