Mindfulness affects stress, ghrelin, and BMI of obese children: a clinical trial

Abstract

Childhood obesity is associated with stress. However, most treatment strategies include only dietary and physical activity approaches. Mindfulness may assist in weight reduction, but its effectiveness is unclear. We assessed the effect of mindfulness on stress, appetite regulators, and weight of children with obesity and anxiety. A clinical study was conducted in a pediatric hospital. Eligible children were 10–14 years old, BMI ≥95th percentile, Spence anxiety score ≥55, and who were not taking any medication or supplementation. Participants were assigned to receive an 8-week conventional nutritional intervention (CNI) or an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention plus CNI (MND-CNI). Anthropometry, body composition, leptin, insulin, ghrelin, cortisol, and Spence scores were measured at baseline and at the end of the intervention. Anthropometry was analyzed again 8 weeks after concluding interventions. Log-transformed and delta values were calculated for analysis. Thirty-three MND-CNI and 12 CNI children finished interventions; 17 MND-CNI children accomplished 16 weeks. At the end of the intervention, significant reductions in anxiety score (−6.21 ± 1.10), BMI (−0.45 ± 1.2 kg/m2), body fat (−1.28 ± 0.25%), ghrelin (−0.71 ± 0.37 pg/mL), and serum cortisol (−1.42 ± 0.94 µg/dL) were observed in MND-CNI children. Changes in anxiety score, ghrelin, and cortisol were different between groups (P < 0.05). Children who completed 16 weeks decreased BMI after intervention (−0.944 ± 0.20 kg/m2, P < 0.001) and remained lower 8 weeks later (−0.706 ± 0.19 kg/m2, P = 0.001). We concluded that mindfulness is a promising tool as an adjunctive therapy for childhood obesity. However, our findings need confirmation in a larger sample population.

The Good, the Bad and the Unknown Aspects of Ghrelin in Stress Coping and Stress-Related Psychiatric Disorders

“…While plasma AG concentrations were not consistently associated with disease, they may predict treatment resistance (Ishitobi et al, 2012;Ricken et al, 2017). In several studies, a decrease in plasma AG or total ghrelin levels during therapy was also associated with treatment response (Kurt et al, 2007;Ozsoy et al, 2014;Ricken et al, 2017;Lopez-Alarcon et al, 2020). A lack of changes in plasma AG concentrations may thus reflect decreased sensitivity of the GHSR and dysregulation of its feedback system.…”

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Brief-Mindful Self-Care Scale: A Translation and Validation Study

“…Mindfulness practices can enhance or increase various health-related behaviors, such as having regular checkups, being physically active, using seat belts in cars, and avoiding smoking and alcohol (Karyadi and Cyders, 2015;Cook-Cottone, 2016;Fanning et al, 2018;Koppel et al, 2018). In addition, mindfulness is associated with improved cardiovascular health, as it is associated with lower smoking rates, more exercise and a better BMI (Barnett and Ruiz, 2018;López-Alarcón et al, 2020;Weng et al, 2021).…”

Interventions to Treat Obesity in Mexican Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Most of the publications were full-text papers, except for 3 abstracts, 24 , 32 , 45 1 doctoral thesis, 46 and 1 letter to the editor. 50 Ten studies were RCTs, 20 , 21 , 25 , 26 , 34 , 40–43 , 48 3 were controlled clinical trials, 27 , 29 , 35 3 were cohort analytic studies with >1 group (2 or 3 groups, before and after), 32 , 39 , 46 and 13 were cohort analytic studies with a single group (before and after). 22–24 , 28 , 33 , 36–38 , 44 , 45 , 47 , 49 , 50…”