Obesity: Why are we getting fat? :epizza:

[Dr. Nancy Malik]

How?

What is its botanical name?

Again:-

What is you evidence/reference/experiences of using the herb/weed for obesity?

 

Reference:Phytolacca berry - A homeopathy solution for weight loss - Weight Loss Information

 

Experience: I have used in my clinical practice for the last five years with great sucess

[maikeru]

Probably would be better to supply links to real scientific studies, medical articles, etc. The link you provided for said berries is garbage. It links to a commercial/quack site for diet pills...but that's not surprising since much/most of homeopathy is based on hearsay and quackery.

[Michaelangelica]

Probably would be better to supply links to real scientific studies, medical articles, etc. The link you provided for said berries is garbage. It links to a commercial/quack site for diet pills...but that's not surprising since much/most of homeopathy is based on hearsay and quackery.

Yes very suspicious when the botanical name of the herb is not known.

My guess is that it is phytolacca decantra

-------------------

 

This is another obesity study from left field that shows how complex this area is when we all want to simplify it to "eating too much"

Increased Risk of Obesity Found in Untreated ADHD in Children and Adolescents

 

In a cross-sectional analysis of children and adolescents with ADHD, researchers found that untreated ADHD was correlated with an increased risk of being overweight. The sample, which was collected from the 2003–2004 National Survey of Children's Health, consisted of 62,887 children and adolescents aged 5 to 17. The results were published in the July issue of Pediatrics.

 

Controlling for the effects of gender, age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic factors, and depression/anxiety, Mollie E. Waring and Dr Kate L. Lapane of Brown Medical School found that those youngsters who were not on medication had an increased risk of being overweight as compared to children and adolescents without ADHD. In comparison, those who were on medication were more likely to be underweight.

from Psychiatric Times

 

This is counter-intuitive

You would think that kids, tearing around like mad things, would use up more calories than those "sedated" by amphetamines. But the opposite seems to be true. How come?

-------------------

Perhaps I am ADHD I know a cup of coffee late at night makes me sleepy!

[freeztar]

Probably would be better to supply links to real scientific studies, medical articles, etc. The link you provided for said berries is garbage. It links to a commercial/quack site for diet pills...but that's not surprising since much/most of homeopathy is based on hearsay and quackery.

 

I love the end of that link.

 

The phytolacca berry gives good and fast results if we do some exercise and increse our physical activities like use of stairs instead of elevator.

 

:shrug:

 

Yes very suspicious when the botanical name of the herb is not known.

 

Indeed, but for homeopathy, I don't really think it matters which herb you use or what you call it. :)

[freeztar]

This is another obesity study from left field that shows how complex this area is when we all want to simplify it to "eating too much"

 

from Psychiatric Times

 

Do you have a link to this study?

[Michaelangelica]

Sorry study came from an email subscription

here is the original

Overweight in Children and Adolescents in Relation to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Results From a National Sample

Molly E. Waring, MA and Kate L. Lapane, PhD

 

Department of Community Health, Brown Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island

ABSTRACT

TOP

ABSTRACT

PATIENTS AND METHODS

RESULTS

DISCUSSION

CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES

 

OBJECTIVE. As the prevalence of childhood obesity increases, identifying groups of children who are at increased risk of overweight is important. The current study estimated the prevalence of overweight in children and adolescents in relation to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and medication use.

 

PATIENTS AND METHODS. This study was a cross-sectional analysis of 62 887 children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years from the 2003–2004 National Survey of Children's Health, a nationally representative sample of children and adolescents in the United States. Attention-deficit disorder/attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder was determined by response to the question "Has a doctor or health professional ever told you that your child has attention-deficit disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder, that is, ADD or ADHD?" Children and adolescents were classified as underweight, normal weight, at risk of overweight, or overweight according to BMI for age and gender.

 

RESULTS. After adjustment for age, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and depression/anxiety, children and adolescents with attention-deficit disorder/attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder not currently using medication had ~1.5 times the odds of being overweight, and children and adolescents currently medicated for attention-deficit disorder/attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder had ~1.6 times the odds of being underweight compared with children and adolescents without either diagnosis.

 

CONCLUSIONS. This study provides heightened awareness for pediatric providers about the relationship between attention-deficit disorder/attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, medication use, and weight status. Future work is needed to better understand the longitudinal and pharmacologic factors that influence the relationship between attention-deficit disorder/attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and weight status in children and adolescents.

Overweight in Children and Adolescents in Relation to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Results From a National Sample -- Waring and Lapane 122 (1): e1 -- Pediatrics

[Michaelangelica]

After a two year visit to the United States, Michelangelo’s David is returning to Italy.

After a two year visit to the United States, Michelangelo’s David is returning to Italy. Quipster

[questor]

Could it be that the major cause of fat accumulation is taking in more calories than we burn? Refined carbohydrates and sugars trigger the insulin response which stores excess calories as fat. '' There were no fat people in concentration camps''.

[Monomer]

Obesity And Heart Disease May Be Reduced By Herbal Remedy

 

With unprecedented levels of obesity across the Western world, and incidence of associated heart disease, cancer and diabetes rising, there is a major drive to find new treatments. Scientists from Germany have recently discovered that extracts of a traditional herbal remedy derived from Tabebuia impetiginosa can act to delay the absorption of dietary fat in animal models. They believe that the extract could be incorporated into a food supplement which may not only reduce obesity, but also lessen the risk of development of type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.

 

Dr Roos and his team have shown that Tabebuia extract can reduce levels of triglycerides, a breakdown product of fat, in rats after they have been fed a fatty meal. "This result shows the extract may have a potential use in treating obesity," he observes. "However, as coronary heart disease and diabetes have also been shown to be associated with higher triglyceride levels after eating, we believe a food-supplement based on Tabebuia could reduce the incidence of these diseases as well. What is more, as obesity in developing countries is also on the increase, such extracts, taken as a capsule or added to food, may be a cheaper alternative for the rural population to pharmaceuticals."

 

Although it is clear that Tabebuia extract can act to inhibit the absorption of dietary fat, the scientists have not yet identified the exact compounds within the extract that are responsible for the effects. "The actual substances involved are probably even more active than the extract," says Dr Roos. "We are currently in the process of identifying these compounds, and will then test long-term efficiacy and safety in miniature pigs whose physiology is closer to that of humans than rat physiology is, before moving onto human trials. At this point, we hope to be able to develop the extract, either as a food supplement or in a medicinal context."

[Michaelangelica]

Tabebuia impetiginosa

I remember reading about one of my favourite USA herb writers (Jeanne Rose -California?) using this herb. It was a long time ago so the details are vague. I seem to remember she got very sick with either chronic fatigue and /or allergies. (?)

Tabebuia impetiginosa quickly fixed her- much to her surprise.

I wonder if Tabebuia impetiginosa is antiviral?/bacterial?

As I remember the wood is used and makes a pleasant vanilla flavoured tea. although it probably should be made into a decoction (?)

It is commonly called Pau d'arco .

It is a very pretty tree to grow.

Tabebuia impetiginosa - Google Image Search

.There seems to be a few trees with this common name. I can't find it in Duke's Data base but here (second link) is a list of ingredients for Tabebuia heptaphylla. I could not get the data base to work for "uses" -you might have better luck.

Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

http://sun.ars-grin.gov:8080/npgspub/xsql/duke/plantdisp.xsql?taxon=987

...........................

There are commercial tablets you can buy (Not herbal can't remember their name) but they cost about $50. a packet. They stop fat absorption but give shocking diarrhoea.

[Michaelangelica]

Could it be that the major cause of fat accumulation is taking in more calories than we burn? Refined carbohydrates and sugars trigger the insulin response which stores excess calories as fat. '' There were no fat people in concentration camps''.

Yes (especially corn syrup)

 

But I think it is more complex than that. There are many more variables/causes that we are ignoring and not researching.

Some fat people put on starvation diets in hospital put on weight and complain that they are being given too much food. Do they have really officiant digestive systems? If so how and why?

 

There are fat people in third world countries.

 

Check out the New York Times article listed in this thread, the genetic studies, the war studies and the bacteria studies.

 

If we just focus on the one reason ( as we are) we may me miss-treating the problem. It certainly is not improving, given the way we are treating it now.

[Monomer]

The tree certainly is pretty.

 

I wonder if Tabebuia impetiginosa is antiviral?/bacterial?

 

Take a look at this:

Pau D'Arco Bark ( Tabebuia impetiginosa ) Powder - 4 oz. Bulk

 

Pau D'Arco Bark (Tabebuia impetiginosa) has reportedly been used Native peoples in Central and South America to treat many conditions. Pau d'arco bark is a rich source of iron, which contributes to the elimination of wastes from the body and the assimilation of nutrients. Pau D'Arco Bark contains a chemical called lapachol, known to support the immune system, and it also has antifungal, antibacterial and antibiotic properties. It has been used to treat immune deficiency disorders, cardiovascular problems and high blood pressure.

 

 

There seems to be a few trees with this common name. I can't find it in Duke's Data base but here (second link) is a list of ingredients for Tabebuia heptaphylla. I could not get the data base to work for "uses" -you might have better luck.

 

I couldn't get the database to work either, so perhaps it's a fault at their end.

 

 

There are commercial tablets you can buy (Not herbal can't remember their name) but they cost about $50. a packet. They stop fat absorption but give shocking diarrhoea.

 

:) Maybe it would be better to lower your fat intake!

[Kayra]

Another interesting culprit.

 

Evidence for defective mesolimbic dopamine exocytosis in obesity-prone rats

 

An out of whack reward system would actually explain quite a few observations.

[Michaelangelica]

Good call Kayra

Wonky dopamine and serotonin controls have a lot to answer for

[InfiniteNow]

I read about this yesterday and thought it was pretty cool:

 

 

Exercise In A Pill: Researchers Identify Drugs That Enhance Exercise Endurance

"The team of scientists, led by Howard Hughes Medical Investigator Ronald M. Evans, Ph.D., a professor in the Salk Institute's Gene Expression Laboratory report in the July 31 advance online edition of the journal Cell that simultaneously triggering both pathways with oral drugs turned laboratory mice into long-distance runners and conferred many of exercise's other benefits." <more at link>

 

 

 

Here's a link to the journal article referenced:

 

Cell -- Narkar et al.

 

"In this study, we show that the AMP-mimetic AICAR can increase endurance in sedentary mice by genetically reprogramming muscle metabolism in a PPARδ-dependent manner. We also found that a PPARδ agonist in combination with exercise synergistically induces fatigue-resistant type I fiber specification and mitochondrial biogenesis, ultimately enhancing physical performance. These changes correlate with an unexpected but interesting establishment of a muscle endurance gene signature that is unique to the drug-exercise paradigm. Such a signature is an outcome of molecular crosstalk and perhaps a physical association between exercise-activated AMPK and PPARδ. These findings identify a novel pharmacologic strategy to reprogram muscle endurance by targeting AMPK-PPARδ signaling axis with orally active ligands."

 

<...>

 

Although potentiation of extramuscular adaptations by PPARδ and AMPK agonists remains to be studied, we found that drug treatment can reduce epididymal fat mass, possibly conferring additional systemic benefits. It is noteworthy that PPARδ is important for normal cardiac contractility, as well as for the endocrine function of adipose tissue (Wang et al., 2003, Cheng et al., 2004). Similarly, the activation of AMPK by metformin is thought to mediate its ability to lower blood glucose levels (Shaw et al., 2005). In addition to increasing performance in athletes, exercise has beneficial effects in a wide range of pathophysiological conditions, such as respiratory disorders, cardiovascular abnormalities, type 2 diabetes, and cancer risk."

 

<...>

 

"In this study, we revealed that synthetic PPARδ activation and exercise—and, more importantly, AMPK activation alone—provide a robust transcriptional cue that reprograms the skeletal muscle genome and dramatically enhances endurance."

 

 

 

So, not only does it increase your endurance overall, but it also increases the number of slow-twitch fat burning muscles you have while just sitting there. Those types of muscles are what Olypians and Lance Armstrong and the like get through all of those hours of training.

 

I want some. ;)

[Nitack]

It is still a very simple equation... if energy taken in is greater than energy use then you gain fat.

 

Genetics, diet pills, types of food, viruses, medical conditions, and everything else just effects a side of the equation.

[Monomer]

So, not only does it increase your endurance overall, but it also increases the number of slow-twitch fat burning muscles you have while just sitting there. Those types of muscles are what Olypians and Lance Armstrong and the like get through all of those hours of training.

 

I want some. ;)

 

This is the stuff we dreamed about when we were kids - everything we need in a pill.

 

Now I'm just waiting for a transporter...