Sedentariness and Health: Is Sedentary Behavior More Than Just Physical Inactivity?

Sedentary behavior refers to certain activities in a reclining, seated, or lying position requiring very low energy expenditure. It has been suggested to be distinct from physical inactivity and an independent predictor of metabolic risk even if an individual meets current physical activity guidelines. Over the past decades, a shift in the activity profile of individuals has been observed with vigorous physical activity and sleep being partly replaced by cognitive work, a potential neurogenic stress component considering its hormonal and neurophysiological effects, leading to various impacts on health. Mental work, for instance, may significantly increase glycemic instability leading to an increase in the desire to eat and thus, higher energy intakes. Furthermore, screen-based leisure activities (e.g., television watching) and screen-based work activities (e.g., computer use for work purposes) have often been considered together while they may not trigger the same stress response and/or use of substrate. Thus, the problems of sedentariness may not only be attributed to a lack of movement, but also to the stimulation provided by replacing activities. The objective of this review is to discuss the (1) recent evidence and current state of knowledge regarding the health impact of sedentary behaviors on health; (2) potential neurogenic effects of cognitive work as a sedentary behavior; (3) link between sedentary behaviors and the diet; (4) resemblance between sedentary behaviors and the inadequate sleeper; and (5) potential solutions to reduce sedentary behaviors and increase physical activity

Parental Misperception of Their Child's Body Weight Status Impedes the Assessment of the Child's Lifestyle Behaviors

Objectives. To examine if distinct characteristics are associated with parental misclassification of underweight (UW), normal weight (NW), and overweight or obese (OWOB) children and the implications of misclassification on the parental evaluation of the child's lifestyle habits. Methods. Cross-sectional analysis (2004 sample) of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (1998–2010) (n = 1,125). Results. 16%, 55%, and 77% of NW, UW and OWOB children were perceived inaccurately, respectively. Misperception was significantly higher in nonimmigrant parents of UW children, in highly educated parents of NW children and in NW and OWOB children with lower BMI percentiles. Erroneous body weight status identification impedes the evaluation of eating habits of all children as well as physical activity and fitness levels of UW and OWOB children. Conclusion. Parental misclassification of the child's body weight status and lifestyle habits constitutes an unfavorable context for healthy body weight management

Combined effects of red pepper and caffeine consumption on 24 h energy balance in subjects given free access to foods

The effects of red pepper and caffeine ingestion on energy and macronutrient balances were examined in eight Caucasian male subjects. All subjects participated in two randomly assigned conditions: control and experimental (red pepper and caffeine). After ingesting a standardized breakfast, subjects ate three meals ad libitum (lunch, dinner and breakfast) and snacks which were served approximately 2 h after the lunch and dinner over a 24 h period. Two appetizers (2×322 kJ with or without 3 g red pepper) were given before lunch and dinner, and a drink (decaffeinated coffee with or without 200 mg caffeine) was served at all meals and snacks except for the after-dinner snack. It is also important to note that on the experimental day, 8.6 and 7.2 g red pepper were also added to lunch and dinner respectively. Red pepper and caffeine consumption significantly reduced the cumulative ad libitum energy intake and increased energy expenditure. The mean difference in energy balance between both conditions was 4000 kJ/d. Moreover, the power spectral analysis of heart rate suggested that this effect of red pepper was associated with an increase in sympathetic:parasympathetic nervous system activity ratio. These results indicate that the consumption of red pepper and caffeine can induce a considerable change in energy balance when individuals are given free access to foods

Eating behavior traits and sleep as determinants of weight loss in overweight and obese adults

Objective: To examine the associations between eating behavior traits and weight loss according to sleep quality and duration in adults enrolled in common weight-loss interventions. Methods: Participants included overweight and obese men and women (n=150) (mean±s.d. age, 38.8±8.6 years; mean±s.d. body mass index (BMI), 33.3±3.5 kg m−2) who were subjected to a dietary intervention over a period of 12–16 weeks. Anthropometric measurements, eating behavior traits (Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire), sleep quality (total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score) and sleep duration (hours per night, self-reported from the PSQI) were assessed at both baseline and post intervention. Linear regression analysis was used to quantify the relationships between eating behavior traits and changes in anthropometric markers for all subjects and by sleep categories (short sleep: <7 h per night vs recommended sleep: greater than or equal to7 h per night; poor sleep quality: greater than or equal to5 PSQI score vs good sleep quality: <5 PSQI score). We adjusted for age, sex and baseline BMI in analyses. Results: Baseline eating behavior traits were modest predictors of weight-loss success, but they were all significantly associated with their changes over the weight-loss intervention (P<0.01). The diet intervention induced significant changes in eating behavior traits and even more for those having a non-favorable eating behavior profile at baseline. We observed that changes in flexible control and strategic dieting behavior were constantly negatively associated with changes in body weight and fat mass (P<0.05) for recommended duration sleepers. The change in situational susceptibility to disinhibition was positively associated with the change in fat mass and body weight for those having healthy sleeping habits (P<0.05). For poor quality sleepers, the change in avoidance of fattening foods was negatively associated with changes in adiposity (P<0.05). Conclusion: Eating behavior traits and sleep may act together to influence the outcome of weight-loss programs

Yogurt consumption : influence of body mass index and dietary restraint - cross-sectional analysis of the INFOGENE study

Background: Factors such as dietary restraint and the avoidance for fattening foods could possibly guide consumer towards yogurts with a smaller milk fat percentage (% MF). However, a growing body of evidence has linked high-fat dairy food intakes with a lower prevalence of obesity thus showing divergences with the actual dietary guidelines. Aim: The objective of the present study was to determine whether dietary restraint and the avoidance for fattening foods moderated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the preference for fatfree, low-fat or high-fat yogurts. Methods: A 91-items food frequency questionnaire was administered to 664 subjects from the INFOGENE study. Yogurt consumption was evaluated based on their fat content. Restrained eating and the avoidance for fattening foods were valuated using the threefactor eating questionnaire. Results: An interaction was observed between BMI and the dietary restraint status (p = 0.02). Positive correlations were observed between the score of dietary restraint, the score of the avoidance for fattening foods and fat-free yogurt consumption, independently of the BMI status. When groups were stratified according to the median of the score for the avoidance for fattening foods, lean individuals with the highest scores consumed less fat-free yogurt than overweight/obese individuals with the highest scores and more high-fat yogurt. Moreover, when groups were stratified according to the dietary restraint score allowing the dichotomization of restrained and unrestrained eaters, unrestrained and lean individuals consumed significantly more high-fat yogurts (in daily servings) than restrained and lean individuals and overweight/ obese individuals. Conclusion: Preferences and consumption of a particular type of yogurt with different % MF may vary depending on behavioral factors such as dietary restraint and the avoidance for fattening foods

Impact of a health-at-every-size intervention on changes in dietary intakes and eating patterns in premenopausal overweight women : results of a randomized trial

Background & aims : Previous studies have shown improvements in eating behaviors following a Health-At-Every-Size approach (HAES). However, to our knowledge, no study has yet investigated how a HAES intervention could influence dietary intakes and eating patterns in overweight women. Therefore, objectives of this study were to determine changes in dietary intakes and eating patterns in premenopausal overweight women in response to a HAES intervention compared to a social support intervention and a control group, and then to determine whether changes in eating behaviors were associated with changes in dietary intakes and eating patterns in response to the HAES intervention

Eating behaviors, dietary profile and body composition according to dieting history in men and women of the Québec Family Study

The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to compare eating behaviours (cognitive dietary restraint, disinhibition and susceptibility to hunger), dietary profile and physiological variables according to the practice of dieting: current dieting; history of dieting in the 10-year period that preceded the study; no dieting during the same period. Dieting history, anthropometric markers of adiposity, RMR, dietary profile (3 d food record) and eating behaviours (three-factor eating questionnaire) were determined in a sample of 244 men and 352 women. A greater proportion of women (31.8 %) than men (16.8 %) reported that they had been on a diet over the past 10 years(P=0.0001). In both genders, current and past dieters had a higher BMI (P<0.05) than non-dieters and current dieters had lower reported energy intakes than past dieters and non-dieters (only in women) (P<0.05). Current and past dieters also had higher scores for all eating behaviours and their subscales (P<0.05; except for susceptibility to hunger in men) compared with non-dieters (adjusted for age, reported energy intake, percentage of dietary fat, BMI and RMR). Moreover, for each dieting-history category, women had significantly higher scores for cognitive dietary restraint than men (P<0.05). In conclusion, the present study showed that current and past dieters had higher scores for cognitive dietary restraint and disinhibition compared with non-dieters. As disinhibition has previously been associated with a greater risk of subsequent weight gain, interventions aimed at preventing an increase in disinhibition may be promising for longterm weight maintenance

Fat balance and ageing : results from the Québec family study

The aim of the present study was to evaluate changes in participation in physical activity and in fat and alcohol intake associated with ageing. This issue was examined in adults (n 207) who were tested between 1978 and 1982 and re-tested 12 years later. These adults were 42.3 (sd 4.9) years of age at baseline. Their children (n 122) were tested over the same follow-up period. They were, on average, 12.5 (sd 1.9) years at entry into the study. A decrease in the proportion of daily energy intake as fat and an increase in participation in vigorous physical activities were observed over the 12-year period in both groups. The proportion of dietary energy as alcohol remained stable in adults whereas it increased markedly in children. Correlation analyses between baseline and follow-up levels were significant for dietary fat and alcohol intake in adults. In children, the levels of these variables in the growing years did not predict the levels attained 12 years later. Even though the adults displayed changes in fat balance generally following current public health recommendations, a substantial increase in skinfold thicknesses was observed in these subjects during follow-up. This observation suggests that there is a strong effect of age-related factors on fat balance