1 Lipoic acid supplements promote weight loss
Recently, a study by Oregon State University and Oregon Health and Science University showed that the use of specific supplements-“lipoic acid” for overweight people in clinical trials can help weight loss. The researchers conducted a 24-week experiment of 600 mg of lipoic acid supplements per day on specific overweight groups. The experimental results clearly showed that the weight and body fat of the people taking lipoic acid supplements were significantly reduced. And for women and heavier groups, lipoic acid supplements have a particularly significant weight loss effect. This research has been published in Nutrition.
2 Fat-burning neurons control the breakdown of fat
After decades of research, the biological principle of lipolysis remains a mystery. A new study shows that it is the fat-burning neurons in adipose tissue that actually trigger the breakdown of fat molecules. If these neurons receive the correct signal, they will have amazing growth ability, and this signal is the leptin hormone released by the fat cells themselves. In a mouse experiment published in Nature recently, researchers found that in the absence of leptin hormone, the usually dense network of nerve fibers in adipose tissue shrinks, and when leptin is injected as a drug, the nerve fibers will again regenerate. The researchers said that although the structure of the nervous system can change significantly during the development of young animals, no such deep neuroplasticity is found in adult animals. However, if this neuroplasticity is confirmed in humans, this discovery will promote research on obesity and related diseases.
3 Drinking green tea may help lose weight
In a research report published in Phytotherapy Research, scientists from the Jinan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Shandong, China, and other institutions said that the study found that drinking green tea may be expected to help lose weight. From the beginning of the study to September 2019, researchers searched multiple databases to find relevant clinical trials to analyze the effects of green tea extract on obese people. In a randomized controlled trial, researchers found that the body weight and body mass index (BMI) of people who consumed green tea significantly decreased. Correlation analysis results also found that the consumption of green tea extract had no significant effect on the waist circumference (a measure of abdominal fat) of the participants.
4 Herbal supplements may not be effective in helping weight loss
Recently, researchers from the University of Sydney published the world’s first research results on weight-loss herbal medicines in the past 20 years. The researchers said that although some herbal medicines showed statistically better weight loss effects than placebos, they actually helped the body lose less than 5.5 pounds, which has no clinical significance. The results of this research have been published in Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism. Researcher Nick Fuller said that the results of the study show that there is not enough evidence that we should recommend any herbal therapy to help people lose weight. Therefore, people who rely on herbal supplements to lose weight should be aware that although most herbal supplements seem to be safe for short-term intake, they are expensive and do not provide clinically meaningful weight loss effects.
5 A new non-surgical weight loss method-cryolipolysis has been developed
The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) laboratory invented a popular non-surgical method to reduce subcutaneous fat-cryolipolysis. It is a new technology that can selectively reduce fat almost anywhere in the body by using an injectable ice solution or “slurry”. This new technology was published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, but it has not yet been approved for use in humans. A reviewer of the paper said, “This method may become one of the most commonly used cosmetic methods in plastic surgery practice.” The researchers said that the advantage of this technology is that it is simple and convenient. Patients only need to sit there for nearly an hour to allow enough calories to diffuse from the subcutaneous fat.
6 Drinking coffee may help lose weight
New research has shown that drinking four cups of coffee a day can actually help lose weight. Researchers in Singapore conducted a 24-week survey of 126 overweight men and women to track the impact of coffee on them. The researchers initially wanted to see if coffee could help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by reducing the risk of insulin resistance. But in the end, the researchers did not find evidence of this protective effect of coffee, but found that those who drank 4 cups of caffeinated coffee a day for 6 months decreased their total body fat by nearly 4%.
7 Consistency of exercise time is the key to successful weight loss
In a study of 375 adults who successfully maintained weight loss and engaged in moderate to high-intensity physical activity, most of these people said that they exercised at the same time every day, and morning was the most common exercise time. The study also found that the time consistency of repeated PA (Physical Activity) or PA at the same time of the day may be an important reminder for forming and maintaining PA habits. The time consistency of PA may help individuals to exercise according to plan, which is essential for cultivating high levels of PA. The study also found that exercise should be done at the same time of the day, whether in the morning, afternoon or evening, which may help achieve higher PA levels.
8 Looking for neurons that regulate hunger and energy expenditure to make new anti-obesity drugs
An effective weight loss strategy requires eating less food and burning more calories. For more than 90 million Americans with obesity, behavior change is difficult to achieve, or the effect is not enough. This is why scientists have long been looking for drugs that can help people lose weight. In a new report published in Cell, researchers in Jeffrey M. Friedman’s lab proposed a new way to find anti-obesity drugs. They collaborated with a research team at Princeton University and found that a group of neurons that were previously shown to regulate hunger can also control energy expenditure. “When you inhibit these neurons, they inhibit food intake and increase energy expenditure at the same time,” said Schneeberger Pane, a researcher in Friedman’s lab. In order to determine the targets that can be used to make new anti-obesity drugs, the research team has begun to look for unique receptors in these dual-function neurons.
9 Drinking coffee can stimulate the activity of brown fat
Brown fat is one of the two types of fat in humans and other mammals. It has the ability to resist fat and is the key to treating human obesity and diabetes. Previously, researchers found brown fat in babies and hibernating mammals. Researchers have recently discovered that brown fat is also present in adults, and its main function is to generate heat for the body by burning calories. In recent years, researchers have conducted experiments on humans to find components that can directly affect the function of brown fat. Recently, scientists from the University of Nottingham have discovered through research that drinking a cup of coffee can stimulate the body’s brown fat. Related research results are published in Scientific Reports.
10 Blocking MC4R gene mutation is expected to help develop new weight loss strategies
Melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) is a G protein-coupled receptor, and its destruction can lead to obesity. In a new study, researchers from the University of Cambridge functionally described 61 MC4R variants identified among 500,000 people from the UK Biobank, and studied the correlation between these MC4R variants with body mass index (BMI) and obesity-related diseases. Related research results are published in Cell. Researchers found that although most MC4R variants cause loss of function, some MC4R variants also lead to increased function, and this part of the variants is associated with significantly lower BMI and lower rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and coronary artery disease.