Rapid Assessment of Reward-Related Eating: The RED-X5.

OBJECTIVE:The prevalence of obesity has created a plethora of questionnaires characterizing psychological aspects of eating behavior, such as reward-related eating (RRE). The Reward-based Eating Drive questionnaires (RED-9, RED-13) broadly and deeply assess the RRE construct. However, large-sample research designs require shorter questionnaires that capture RRE quickly and precisely. This study sought to develop a brief, reliable, and valid version of the RED questionnaire. METHODS:All-subset correlation was used to find a subset that maximally associated with the full RED-13 in two separate samples. Results were validated in a third independent sample. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and ability to explain variance in external outcomes were also assessed. RESULTS:A five-item questionnaire (RED-X5) correlated strongly with RED-13 in the independent sample (r = 0.95). RED-X5 demonstrated high internal consistency (omega total ≥ 0.80) and 6-month test-retest reliability (r = 0.72). RED-X5 accurately reproduced known associations between RED-13 and BMI, diabetes status, and craving for sweet and savory foods. As a novel finding, RED questionnaires predicted laboratory intake of chips. CONCLUSIONS:RED-X5 is a short, reliable, and valid measure of the RRE construct and can be readily implemented in large-sample research designs in which questionnaire space is limited

Long-term calorie restriction in humans is not associated with indices of delayed immunologic aging: A descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Delayed immunologic aging is purported to be a major mechanism through which calorie restriction (CR) exerts its anti-aging effects in non-human species. However, in non-obese humans, the effect of CR on the immune system has been understudied relative to its effects on the cardiometabolic system. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether CR is associated with delayed immunologic aging in non-obese humans. METHODS: We tested whether long-term CR practitioners (average 10.03 years of CR) evidenced decreased expression of T cell immunosenescence markers and longer immune cell telomeres compared to gender-, race/ethnicity-, age-, and education-matched "healthy" Body Mass Index (BMI) and "overweight"/"obese" BMI groups. RESULTS: Long-term human CR practitioners had lower BMI (p <  0.001) and fasting glucose (p <  0.001), as expected. They showed similar frequencies of pre-senescent cells (CD8+CD28- T cells and CD57 and PD-1 expressing T cells) to the comparison groups. Even after adjusting for covariates, including cytomegalovirus status, we observed shorter peripheral blood mononuclear cell telomeres in the CR group (p = 0.012) and no difference in granulocyte telomeres between groups (p = 0.42). CONCLUSIONS: We observed no clear evidence that CR as it is currently practiced in humans delays immune aging related to telomere length or T cell immunosenescent markers

Experimental and observational studies on alcohol use and dietary intake: a systematic review

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153599/1/obr12950_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153599/2/obr12950.pd

Shorter Leukocyte Telomere Length in Midlife Women with Poor Sleep Quality

Background. Accumulating evidence supports leukocyte telomere length (LTL) as a biological marker of cellular aging. Poor sleep is a risk factor for age-related disease; however, the extent to which sleep accounts for variation in LTL is unknown. Methods. The present study examined associations of self-reported sleep duration, onset latency, and subjective quality with LTL in a community-dwelling sample of 245 healthy women in midlife (aged 49–66 years). Results. While sleep duration and onset latency were unrelated to LTL, women reporting poorer sleep quality displayed shorter LTL (r = 0.14, P = 0.03), independent of age, BMI, race, and income (b = 55.48, SE = 27.43, P = 0.04). When analyses were restricted to participants for whom sleep patterns were chronic, poorer sleep quality predicted shorter LTL independent of covariates and perceived psychological stress. Conclusions. This study provides the first evidence that poor sleep quality explains significant variation in LTL, a marker of cellular aging

Assessing the scholarly impact of health psychology: A citation analysis of articles published from 1993 to 2003.

ObjectiveWe conducted a citation analysis to explore the impact of articles published in Health Psychology and determine whether the journal is fulfilling its stated mission.DesignSix years of articles (N = 408) representing three editorial tenures from 1993-2003 were selected for analysis.Main outcome measuresArticles were coded for several dimensions enabling examination of the relationship of article features to subsequent citations rates. Journals citing articles published in Health Psychology were classified into four categories: (1) psychology, (2) medicine, (3) public health and health policy, and (4) other journals.ResultsThe majority of citations of Health Psychology articles were in psychology journals, followed closely by medical journals. Studies reporting data collected from college students, and discussing the theoretical implications of findings, were more likely to be cited in psychology journals, whereas studies reporting data from clinical populations, and discussing the practice implications of findings, were more likely to be cited in medical journals. Time since publication and page length were both associated with increased citation counts, and review articles were cited more frequently than observational studies.ConclusionArticles published in Health Psychology have a wide reach, informing psychology, medicine, public health and health policy. Certain characteristics of articles affect their subsequent pattern of citation

Associations of weight stigma with cortisol and oxidative stress independent of adiposity.

OBJECTIVE: Weight discrimination is associated with increased risk of obesity. The mechanism of this relationship is unknown, but being overweight is a highly stigmatized condition and may be a source of chronic stress that contributes to the development and pathophysiology of obesity. The objective of this study was to test whether weight stigma is associated with physiological risk factors linked to stress and obesity, including hypercortisolism and oxidative stress, independent of adiposity. METHOD: We examined the frequency of experiencing situations involving weight stigma and consciousness of weight stigma in relation to hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity and oxidative stress (F(2)-isoprostanes) in 45 healthy overweight to obese women. RESULTS: Independent of abdominal fat, weight stigma was significantly related to measures of cortisol (including salivary measures of cortisol awakening response and serum morning levels) as well as higher levels of oxidative stress. Perceived stress mediated the relationship between weight stigma consciousness and the cortisol awakening response. CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings show that weight stigma is associated with greater biochemical stress, independent of level of adiposity. It is possible that weight stigma may contribute to poor health underlying some forms of obesity

Weight stigma is stressful. A review of evidence for the Cyclic Obesity/Weight-Based Stigma model

Weight stigma is highly pervasive, but its consequences are understudied. This review draws from theory in social psychology, health psychology, and neuroendocrinology to construct an original, generative model called the cyclic obesity/weight-based stigma (COBWEBS) model. This model characterizes weight stigma as a "vicious cycle" - a positive feedback loop wherein weight stigma begets weight gain. This happens through increased eating behavior and increased cortisol secretion governed by behavioral, emotional, and physiological mechanisms, which are theorized to ultimately result in weight gain and difficulty of weight loss. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the existing literature for evidence supporting such a model, propose ways in which individuals enter, fight against, and exit the cycle, and conclude by outlining fruitful future directions in this nascent yet important area of research