Fitness Mantra del.icio.us pageWelcome to “FitnessMantra Weekend”, your once-a-week health news update. As always you can also stay updated with the latest in fitness news by subscribing separately to the Fitness Mantra del.icio.us feed.

Yo-yo dieting means exactly that: a period of weight-loss that is followed by that weight creeping right back on. Adults are no strangers to this annoying phenomenon that can catch us unawares even if we slip just a little in our maintenance regimens. Well, as it turns out, children are not spared from this either. In one of the first studies to look at both the short and long term effects of weight-maintenance on children, “Efficacy of Maintenance Treatment Approaches for Childhood Overweight” [Abstract] appears int eh latest edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The results of most of the kids in the study are quite disappointing:

A team led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that obese children who lost weight kept it off if they were in a maintenance program, but its effectiveness waned over time. [Washington Post]

Friends Holding HandsBut there’s still hope as the study explains. Obese youngsters studied between 1999 and 2004 were first encouraged to lose lose weight and then divided into 3 groups to study the long term effects of different approaches to keeping that weight off. The first group was left by itself and of course this group did the worst (in fact they gained some more when checked after 2 years). The second group was coached on being constantly on the watch for the weight-regain and advised to take corrective action as soon possible. This group did a little better than the first - although they initially kep the weight off, the effect slowly disappeared with time.

The plan for this group was centered around creating a “network of health”. They made friends with other active youngsters and were encouraged to literally “pull a FitnessMantra” (i.e. make fitness a part of their life!). Not at all surprisingly, the best results were to be found in this group.

Terry Huang, childhood obesity director at the National Institutes of Health, which funded the study, said the social group’s better results are exciting. “It’s not enough to focus on behavior modification,” he said. “We have to start looking at obesity in the social context.” [Washington Post]

Indeed, given the number of online social networks like MySpace and Facebook that youngsters are a part of, it would be great to see them take part in a few offline, health-centered ones as well. “Racebook”, anyone?

More health and fitness stories follow:

  1. Scientists Explain Chocolate Cravings: If that craving for chocolate sometimes feels like it is coming from deep in your gut, that’s because maybe it is.
  2. MU researchers find more reasons to drink red wine: Not only does red wine defend against cardiovascular disease, but it and grape juice also can help protect you from common food-borne diseases
  3. Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms: “It’s not a magic bullet, but increasing physical activity is a positive and active strategy to help manage depression and anxiety,”
  4. With Grace Period Over, Compliance Is Seen With Trans Fat Ban: The early returns on the city’s trans fat ban are in, and it seems that most restaurants in the city are finding healthier substitutes to use as spreads or fry oils.
  5. Obesity Linked to Esophageal Cancer: Obesity’s health risks may include a risk of developing esophageal cancer.
  6. Public ‘misled’ on exercise needs: The NHS guidelines say “taking a brisk walk, spending some time doing the gardening or doing a few laps of the local swimming pool on the way home from work” can all improve health. But the researchers from Exeter and Brunel Universities said these activi
  7. Low-Fat Diet May Cut Cancer Risk: Cutting dietary fat may also cut the risk of ovarian cancer, says a study of almost 40,000 older women that found the first hard evidence that menu changes protect against this particularly lethal cancer.
  8. Kids Have Trouble Keeping Weight Off: Heavy children who lost weight kept the pounds off better through weight maintenance follow-up, but even that wasn’t terribly successful over two years
  9. Controlling Type 2 Diabetes Through Diet and Exercise: Overweight conditions […] can also contribute to the onset of diabetes, but can often be controlled with a low-fat, low carbohydrate diet and daily exercise.

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Have a great weekend!

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