Thursday, July 06, 2006

At the recent International Conference on the Global Obesity Epidemic at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, it was reported that 1 billion adults are overweight globally. Highlights of the conference were that weight loss drugs were virtually useless. Insomnia and other forms of chronic sleep dsturbance can result in a greater susceptibility to weight gain and diabetes due to insulin resistance. The benefits of eating slowly were discussed as there is a 20 minute lag between gut fullness and brain recognition which could be a major cause of overeating. At a cellular level, obesity induceslow grade chronic inflammation linked to insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance as well as increased free radical damage. In this respect anti-oxidant supplements were considered useful in the management of obesity and to counter the accelerated free radical production. As reported by Robert Buist PhD