New research: effects of extremely low calorie diets!

AZKristi

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine describes metabolic and endocrine effects of extreme low calorie diets (550 calories per day).

You can listen to this NPR story about the research online. They do an excellent job of explaining the science.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/10/27/141769832/hormones-and-metabolism-conspire-against-dieters

Just more evidence that slow and steady win the race and that diet alone is not the answer!

jennajava

Yikes!

p0stdramatic

Bumping so I can send to a friend later.

MissSharkattack

bump for later.

katkins3

Yes, I heard this report too.
It concerned a study of people who had been on a 550 calorie diet and how they thought people ate when the diet ended and effects on their physiology.
I would be more interested in effects on people who lose with a more moderate 1200 to 1600 calorie diet. Why do so many of these people gain back the weight. Is it physical?
I often hear the question, "what made you decide now is the time to eat better and lose the weight?". I'd be more interested to know what makes a person who worked hard, made a goal, or at least significant progress, turn about and gain the weight back.
Having had a healthy lifestyle, what makes so many go back to being obese?

Silverkittycat

Long-Term Persistence of Hormonal Adaptations to Weight Loss

Priya Sumithran, M.B., B.S., Luke A. Prendergast, Ph.D., Elizabeth Delbridge, Ph.D., Katrina Purcell, B.Sc., Arthur Shulkes, Sc.D., Adamandia Kriketos, Ph.D., and Joseph Proietto, M.B., B.S., Ph.D.
N Engl J Med 2011; 365:1597-1604 October 27, 2011

BACKGROUND
After weight loss, changes in the circulating levels of several peripheral hormones involved in the homeostatic regulation of body weight occur. Whether these changes are transient or persist over time may be important for an understanding of the reasons behind the high rate of weight regain after diet-induced weight loss.

METHODS
We enrolled 50 overweight or obese patients without diabetes in a 10-week weight-loss program for which a very-low-energy diet was prescribed. At baseline (before weight loss), at 10 weeks (after program completion), and at 62 weeks, we examined circulating levels of leptin, ghrelin, peptide YY, gastric inhibitory polypeptide, glucagon-like peptide 1, amylin, pancreatic polypeptide, cholecystokinin, and insulin and subjective ratings of appetite.

RESULTS
Weight loss (mean [±SE], 13.5±0.5 kg) led to significant reductions in levels of leptin, peptide YY, cholecystokinin, insulin (P<0.001 for all comparisons), and amylin (P=0.002) and to increases in levels of ghrelin (P<0.001), gastric inhibitory polypeptide (P=0.004), and pancreatic polypeptide (P=0.008). There was also a significant increase in subjective appetite (P<0.001). One year after the initial weight loss, there were still significant differences from baseline in the mean levels of leptin (P<0.001), peptide YY (P<0.001), cholecystokinin (P=0.04), insulin (P=0.01), ghrelin (P<0.001), gastric inhibitory polypeptide (P<0.001), and pancreatic polypeptide (P=0.002), as well as hunger (P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
One year after initial weight reduction, levels of the circulating mediators of appetite that encourage weight regain after diet-induced weight loss do not revert to the levels recorded before weight loss. Long-term strategies to counteract this change may be needed to prevent obesity relapse. (Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00870259.)

Supported by a project grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council (508920), a scholarship from the Endocrine Society of Australia, a Shields Research Scholarship from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (to Dr. Sumithran), and funding from the Sir Edward Dunlop Medical Research Foundation (to Dr. Proietto).
Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available at NEJM.org.
We thank Celestine Bouniou, John Cardinal, Sherrell Cardinal, Christian Rantzau, Rebecca Sgambellone, Sherley Visinoni, and Mildred Yim for providing technical assistance.

SOURCE INFORMATION
From the Departments of Medicine (P.S., E.D., K.P., A.K., J.P.), and Surgery (A.S.) (Austin and Northern Health), University of Melbourne; and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, La Trobe University (L.A.P.) — all in Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Address reprint requests to Dr. Proietto at the University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine, Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, 300 Waterdale Rd., Heidelberg, VIC 3081, Australia, or at j.proietto@unimelb.edu.au.
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Kelly_Wilson1990

Very interesting!