Guest guest Posted January 24, 2003 Report Share Posted January 24, 2003 Very interesting and of potential use to my wife, thanks for posting it. It's amazing how staying slender and eating fewer calories has so many benefits. On Friday, January 24, 2003, at 12:31 PM, wrote: > Message: 12 > Fri, 24 Jan 2003 09:42:47 -0800 (PST) > Allison Nations <allyanne2001 > Fwd: Cutting Calories Via Any Diet Regulates Hormones > >> Cutting Calories Via Any Diet Regulates Hormones >> Thu Jan 23, 6:22 PM ET >> >> By Alison McCook >> >> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women with a hormonal >> problem that can lead to >> irregular periods and infertility experience an >> improvement in their >> symptoms after a few months of dieting, regardless >> of whether they opt for a >> low or high protein diet, researchers reported >> Thursday. >> >> >> >> These findings suggest that for these women, what >> you eat is less important >> than how much you eat. >> >> >> " The diet type is much less important than the >> actual restriction in >> calories, " noted Dr. Sarah Berga of the University >> of Pittsburgh in >> Pennsylvania. Berga did not contribute to the >> current study, but she >> discussed the findings Thursday during a meeting of >> the American Medical >> Association here. >> >> >> For years, some experts have recommended that people >> seeking to slim down >> opt for a low-fat diet, which is usually high in >> carbohydrates, since foods >> that are low in fat tend to be rich in >> carbohydrates. >> >> >> However, accumulating evidence suggests that >> patients may also be able to >> shed pounds on a high protein diet, such as the >> Atkins Diet, which first >> gained popularity during the 1970s. Limited evidence >> suggests it may help >> people lose weight, but many experts remain >> concerned about the long-term >> health effects of the diet, since protein-rich foods >> often contains high >> levels of fat and cholesterol. >> >> >> All of the women in the current study were >> overweight and had polycystic >> ovary syndrome (PCOS). This disorder, which can >> affect between 5% and 10% of >> menstruating women, is characterized by fertility >> problems, obesity, >> increased facial and body hair and a high risk of >> diabetes. >> >> >> Researchers suspect that polycystic ovary syndrome >> is caused by an excess of >> male hormones in the body and by insulin resistance, >> a condition in which >> the body becomes less sensitive to insulin, and, in >> response, produces an >> excess of the key blood-sugar regulating hormone. >> >> >> Just as the cause of the syndrome eludes experts, so >> do effective means of >> treating it. Doctors can treat the condition with >> drugs or surgery, but >> patients often prefer to manage their disorder >> through weight loss, a >> healthy diet and exercise. >> >> >> In the current study, a group of Australian >> researchers led by L.J. Moran at >> the University of Adelaide and CSIRO Health Sciences >> and Nutrition assigned >> 45 overweight women with polycystic ovary syndrome >> to either high or low >> protein diets. >> >> >> The researchers report their findings in the >> February issue of the Journal >> of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. >> >> >> The high protein and low carbohydrate diet consisted >> of 30% protein and 40% >> carbohydrates, while the low-fat, high carbohydrate >> diet included only 15% >> protein. The women were expected to eat a >> calorie-restricted >> diet--approximately 1,400 calories per day--for 12 >> weeks, then to spend >> another four weeks consuming enough calories to >> maintain, but not change, >> their body weight. >> >> >> Study participants were also asked to exercise at >> least three times a week. >> >> >> Only 14 women assigned to each diet were able to >> complete the entire >> program. Comparing the two groups, the authors >> discovered that both diets >> resulted in roughly the same amount of weight loss, >> and the same decrease in >> body fat and insulin levels. >> >> >> Almost half of all participants improved the >> regularity of their periods, >> the authors note, and three out of 20 women trying >> to conceive did so during >> the study period. >> >> >> None of the women reported any side effects from >> following the two diets. >> >> >> " There were really very few differences " between the >> results from the two >> diets, Berga said. " It's nice to know that a little >> bit of dietary >> restriction can help, " she added. >> >> >> SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & >> Metabolism 2003;88:812-819. >> Again and again, 82 year old veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas warned the MIT audience, " It's bombs away for Iraq and on our civil liberties if Bush and his cronies get their way. Dissent is patriotic! " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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