Possibility of using sweeteners in the prevention of obesity development

Background. The problem of the 21st century both in Poland and around the world is overweight and obesity, and diabetes. Due to the increased incidence of these diseases, the consumption of intense sweeteners, which are used as substitutes for sucrose, has increased. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sweet taste intensity of selected sweeteners in comparison with the benchmark - beet sugar. Methods. The material for the study consisted of four sweeteners: sugar, xylitol, stevia, and cane sugar. The substances were subjected to dilution in an infusion of black tea. This tea was then divided into 4 portions and each portion was sweetened with a different sweetener at a rate of 20g per 1l of infusion. The samples were coded with 3-digit codes, and the paired method was used for sensory evaluation. A total of 78 people participated in the study. Results. Differences in the intensity of sweet taste between beet sugar and the substitutes used were confirmed. Cane sugar and xylitol were characterized by a lower intensity of sweet taste, but these substitutes were preferred compared to beet sugar. Stevia is characterized by greater sweetness than beet sugar, while survey respondents strongly preferred beet sugar. Conclusions. Consumers, participating in the survey, prefer products with a less intensely sweet taste. Learning about consumers' preferences for sweet taste will allow the use of appropriately preferred substances in the production of food and dishes. This will have a positive effect on the sugar content of the daily ration and its overall consumption

Diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders in obese patients — what do we know?

Obesity-related changes in the composition of the body interfere with the proper functioning of the thyrotropic axis, leading to its disturbances and changes in the structure of the thyroid gland. Distinguishing what is related to obesity and what constitutes pathological changes is crucial for the proper treatment of patients. In this paper authors present a case of a patient with a diet-induced obesity, whose only abnormalities in thyroid assessment included an elevated level of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and hypoechoic thyroid gland on ultrasound. Based on this clinical situation, we reviewed literature in order to establish rules regarding management of thyroid disorders in obese individuals. The most common obesity-related thyroid abnormality is an isolated increase of TSH, without clinical symptoms of hypothyroidism, defined as hyperthyrotropinaemia. In obese adults, autoimmune thyroid disease is found equally often as in the normal-weight population. Thyroid enlargement, increased risk of nodules, and decreased echogenicity, not related to autoimmunity, is frequent among obese individuals. Weight loss leads to the normalisation of TSH levels and thyroid echogenicity. Excessive weight can influence both the TSH level and ultrasound image of the thyroid gland; however, these findings can be reversed by weight reduction. Therefore, in asymptomatic obese patients elevated TSH should not be treated with thyroid hormone replacement

Excess body weight as a risk factor to well-being and performance of flight personnel : potential strategies of prevention

Flight personnel is at risk of excessive weight and obesity. This is due to, for instance, irregular work schedules, irregular nutritional habits, excessive workload, and an inability to plan regular physical exercise or recreation. These factors lead to excessive body weight gains, and hence to obesity. Obesity directly infl uences quality of life as well as readiness to fulfi ll duties by the aircraft maintenance personnel. Obesity is an independent risk factor for various diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, each of which can lead to a loss of medical licence. Obesity is associated with extensive caloric consumption that cannot be controlled by the aff ected person. State of the art research has demonstrated not only hormonal and neuronal changes associated with obesity, but also points to deterioration of cognitive functions; these changes are likely induced by suboptimal diets. Furthermore, we will review prevention strategies, as well as treatments aimed at losing weight in fl ight personnel already aff ected by obesity. Implementation of these programs may prolong the time a pilot is fi t to fl y and improve his/her performance

The knowledge of Polish medical students about surgical treatment of obesity

BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of morbid obesity is becoming an increasingly important approach for the treatment of this condition. However, knowledge about the possibility of surgical procedures among general practitioners is far from satisfactory. The source of the problem might be due to a lack of information about bariatric surgery in university curriculum. METHODS: We assessed the knowledge of students from four Polish medical universities. The survey was conducted among 468 students, in their sixth (final) year of study. The survey included two parts—the first nine questions assessed of the level of the students’ knowledge about the methods of surgical treatment of obesity, and the following three questions allowed for an evaluation of the amount of information on metabolic surgery provided to students during surgery courses. RESULTS: The results demonstrate a low level of knowledge on the possibility of applying metabolic surgery to treat morbid obesity. The students themselves expressed a need to improve their knowledge and favorably assessed the proposition of expanding the curriculum to include more information on the subject of metabolic surgery. CONCLUSION: The awareness of surgical treatment for morbid obesity among medical students should be improved. The development of an interesting curriculum that is based on current guidelines should be undertaken

Bioresorbable Stent in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

The exact causes of failure of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction are still unknown. A key to successful ACL reconstruction is the prevention of bone tunnel enlargement (BTE). In this study, a new strategy to improve the outcome of ACL reconstruction was analyzed using a bioresorbable polylactide (PLA) stent as a catalyst for the healing process. The study included 24 sheep with 12 months of age. The animals were randomized to the PLA group (n = 16) and control group (n = 8), subjected to the ACL reconstruction with and without the implantation of the PLA tube, respectively. The sheep were sacrificed 6 or 12 weeks post-procedure, and their knee joints were evaluated by X-ray microcomputed tomography with a 50 m resolution. While the analysis of tibial and femoral tunnel diameters and volumes demonstrated the presence of BTE in both groups, the enlargement was less evident in the PLA group. Also, the microstructural parameters of the bone adjacent to the tunnels tended to be better in the PLA group. This suggested that the implantation of a bioresorbable PLA tube might facilitate osteointegration of the tendon graft after the ACL reconstruction. The beneficial e ects of the stent were likely associated with osteogenic and osteoconductive properties of polylactide

An assessment of the knowledge concerning obesity among the adult Polish population — a preliminary study

  WSTĘP: Częstość występowania otyłości w Polsce dramatycznie wzrasta w ostatnich latach i dotyczy obecnie około 20% dorosłych mieszkańców naszego kraju. Dla aktywnego współudziału chorego w procesie profilaktyczno-terapeutycznym niezbędna jest jego wiedza w zakresie podstawowych zagadnień związanych z tą chorobą. Celem badania była ocena wiedzy na temat otyłości wśród osób dorosłych należących do populacji polskiej. MATERIAŁ I METODY: Badaniu ankietowemu zostało poddanych 100 dorosłych osób. Ankieta składała się z dwóch części — pierwsza zawierała pytania dotyczące płci, wieku, wzrostu, masy ciała i wykształcenia badanego, dr uga — 12 pytań oceniających wiedzę na temat pr zyczyn otyłości, jej powikłań oraz sposobów leczenia. WYNIKI: Ogółem uzyskano 100 ankiet. Kobiety stanowiły 68% ogółu badanych. Mediana indeksu masy ciała (BMI) wśród ankietowanych wynosiła 24,8 kg/m 2 (zakres: 17,3–39,6), mediana wieku — 54 lata (zakres: 20–89). Otyłość występowała u 13% badanych. Stwierdzono różną częstość występowania nadmiernej masy ciała pomiędzy grupami wiekowymi wydzielonymi na podstawie mediany wieku (74% wśród osób starszych, 26% wśród osób młodszych). Zaobserwowano niejednorodny poziom wiedzy w zakresie zagadnień związanych z otyłością. Następstwa otyłości były znane 91% badanych, 55,3% ogółu posiadało wiedzę na temat przyczyn choroby, a 39,8% prezentowało podstawową wiedzę o możliwościach jej leczenia. Związek pomiędzy posiadaną wiedzą i war tością BMI stwierdzono w gr upie najmłodszych mężczyzn i najstarszych kobiet i miał on charakter zależności odwrotnej. WNIOSKI: Pomimo dużej wiedzy o powikłaniach związanych z rozwojem otyłości, społeczeństwo charakteryzuje się niedostateczną wiedzą na temat przyczyn rozwoju tej choroby, a także możliwości i sposobów jej leczenia. W niektórych grupach wiekowych istnieje odwrotna zależność pomiędzy posiadaną wiedzą a wartościami BMI.    INTRODUCTION: Obesity affects one fif th of the Polish population. A patient’s basic knowledge of this disease is cr ucial for prevention and treatment if needed. The goal of this study was to assess the level of knowledge of obesity among a sample of the adult Polish population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted among 100 adults. The survey included two parts — the first part concerned gender, age, height, weight and level of education. The second part consisted of twelve questions concerning the causes, effects on health, and methods of treatment of obesity. RESULTS: Overall, 100 questionnaires were obtained. More than two thirds (68%) of the respondents were female. The median BMI in the study group was 24.8 kg/m2 (range: 17.3–39.6). The median age was 54 years (range: 20–89). Obesity was recorded in 13% of the sample. There were differences in the prevalence of excessive body weight between the older group and the younger group (74% and 26% respectively), the border between the two groups being the median age. The differences in knowledge were as follow: 55.3% of all respondents were aware of the causes of obesity, 91% had knowledge concerning its effects on health, 39.8% were aware of the methods of its treatment. We noticed a negative correlation between knowledge and BMI only in the youngest men and the oldest women. CONCLUSIONS: There is a lack of knowledge concerning the causes of obesity and the methods of its treatment. A correlation between BMI and knowledge can be observed in some groups of society.

Does long-term high fat diet always lead to smaller hippocampi volumes, metabolite concentrations, and worse learning and memory? : a magnetic resonance and behavioral study in wistar rats

Background. Obesity is a worldwide epidemic with more than 600 million affected individuals. Human studies have demonstrated some alterations in brains of otherwise healthy obese individuals and elevated risk of neurodegenerative disease of old age; these studies have also pointed to slightly diminished memory and executive functions among healthy obese individuals. Similar findings were obtained in animal models of obesity induced by high fat diet. On the other hand, low carbohydrate high fat diets are currently promoted for losing weight (e.g., Atkin’s style diets). However, the long-term effects of such diets are not known. Additionally, high fat diets leading to (mild) ketonemia were shown to improve brain function in elderly humans and in some animal models. Aim. To evaluate the hypothesis that long-term use of a high fat diet was associated with decreases in spatial memory, smaller hippocampi and hippocampi metabolite concentrations in Wistar rats. Methods. Twenty five male Wistar rats were put on high fat diet (HFD; 60% calories from fat, 30% from carbohydrates) on their 55th day of life, while 25 control male rats (CONs) remained on chow. Adequate levels of essential nutrients were provided. Both groups underwent memory tests in 8-arm radial maze at 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th month. 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy was employed to measure concentrations of tNAA (marker of neuronal integrity) at one month and one year, whereas MRI was used to evaluate hippocampal volumes. Results. Obese rats (OBRs) consumed similar amount of calories as CONs, but less proteins. However, their protein intake was within recommended amounts. Throughout the experiment OBRs had statistically higher concentrations of blood ketone bodies than CONs, but still within normal values. At post-mortem assessment, OBRs had 38% larger fat deposits than CONs (p<0.05), as evaluated by volume of epididymis fat, an acknowledged marker of fat deposits in rats. Contrary to our expectations, OBRs had better scores of memory behavioral tasks than CONs throughout the experiment. At one year, their hippocampi were by 2.6% larger than in CONs (p = 0.05), whereas concentration of tNAA was 9.8% higher (p = 0.014). Conclusion. Long-term HFD in our study resulted in better memory, larger hippocampal volumes, as well as higher hippocampal metabolite concentrations, possibly due to increased levels of blood ketone bodies. The results should be interpreted with caution, as results from animal models do not necessarily directly translate in human condition

Metabolic syndrome — a new definition and management guidelines

The joint position paper by Polish Society of Hypertension, Polish Society for the Treatment of Obesity, Polish Lipid Association, Polish Association for Study of Liver, Polish Society of Family Medicine, Polish Society of Lifestyle Medicine, Division of Prevention and Epidemiology Polish Cardiac Society, “Club 30” Polish Cardiac Society, and Division of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Society of Polish Surgeons Reviewers: Agnieszka Olszanecka, Krzysztof J. Filipia