This study set out to compare the effects that various commercially available weight loss diets have on cardiovascular health. It focused its attention on known cardiovascular “risk factors” such as plasma lipids, plasma lipoproteins, and LDL cholesterol particle size. Larger LDL cholesterol particles in the bloodstream are associated with reduced risk of cardiac events. More importantly, a reduction in LDL cholesterol particle size has been associated with a decreased risk of heart attack. Commercial Weight Loss Diets Four commercially available weight loss diets were selected for the study: Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution The Slim-Fast Plan Weight Watchers Pure...

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The authors of this study note that a major problem exists with our ability to understand and compare the effects of various weight loss diets based on the studies we have available. Most of these studies suffer from high dropout rates and short follow-up times. This means that the results of weight loss diet studies tend to only include people motivated enough to stick with the diet for the duration of the study, and excludes people who dropped out due to adverse effects such as weight gain. Also, because the followup times for these studies tend to be short,...

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The authors of this case study explain that the epidemic of obesity in the United States has spurred the development and utilization of an inordinate number of new weight loss diet drugs to treat obesity and its numerous related health complications. Motivations For Weight Loss Diet Drug Use Desperate patients hear repeated messages from their doctors, families, and sociocultural outlets that they must lose weight in order to be healthy, vital, and socially acceptable. This desperation frequently causes patients to lose sight of or even ignore the serious and well-documented side effects of some of the most popular and...

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The authors of this study note that one of the key factors in weight loss and weight maintenance following gastric bypass surgery is the amount of satiety, or fullness, a patient experiences during the post surgery weight loss diet period. They hypothesize that an effective method for controlling hunger and maintaining a feeling of fullness is to avoid carbohydrate intake and otherwise reduce the glycemic load of the diet foods consumed. Macronutrient Consumption Following Weight Loss Surgery The present study set out to test that hypothesis by measuring the macronutrient and micronutrient values of the foods that patients consumed...

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This study compared the effects of a variety of weight loss diets on obese teenagers. The diets were distinguished by their overall macronutrient composition, or the percentage of calories derived from any of the three macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrate. Seventy one teens were randomly placed on one of the following diet plans for twelve weeks: Low Carb Low Fat Low Carb High Fat High Carb Low Fat An interesting aspect of this study was its focus on a factor designated as “health-related quality of life.” This factor focused on the mental health of the teens in the study,...

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Traditional ayurvedic medicine used the resin of the guggul tree to treat a wide variety of complaints. These primarily included lipid disorders such as obesity and high cholesterol, and inflammation disorders such as arthritis and atherosclerosis. Since the first clinical study of guggul extracts demonstrated benefits in test animals, numerous additional trials have been performed for a variety of disorders. The active constituents of guggul resin, called guggulsterones, have been isolated and found to have a number of bioactive effects. In particular, they produce strong hypolipidemic, antioxidant, and antiinflammatory effects. It is known that guggulsterone compounds inhibit the activity...

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