BACKGROUND: The melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 1 (MCHR1) is a G protein-coupled receptor that regulates energy balance and body composition in animal models. Inconsistent effects of MCHR1 polymorphisms on energy homeostasis in humans may partly be attributable to environmental factors. OBJECTIVES: We examined the effect of 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs133073, rs133074, rs9611386, and rs882111) in the MCHR1 gene on body composition as well as energy-related lifestyle...

Background: Physicians have limited time for weight-loss counseling, and there is a lack of resources to which they can refer patients for assistance with weight loss. Weight-loss mobile applications (apps) have the potential to be a helpful tool, but the extent to which they include the behavioral strategies included in evidence-based interventions is unknown. Purpose: The primary aims of the study were to determine the degree to which commercial weightloss mobile apps include the...

Download from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/diet-exercise-advice-to-reduce/id43... . Karen Basen-Engquist, Ph.D., professor in Behavioral Science and director of Energy Balance, works with patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center to change behaviors based on nutrition and physical activity. Basen-Engquist’s goal is to find the best psychological and social interventions to alter unhealthy behaviors that increase cancer risk. Listen to Basen-Engquist describe her research and...

BACKGROUND Drinking water is often applied as a dietary means for weight loss and overweight/obesity prevention, but no evidence-based recommendation exists for this indication. OBJECTIVE We summarized the existing evidence on the association between water consumption and body weight outcomes in adults of any body weight status. DESIGN In a systematic review, we retrieved studies from 4 electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and COCHRANE), cross-references by PubMed functions...

Background: Epidemiologic studies have suggested that most cases of sporadic colon cancer can be attributed to diet. The recognition that colonic microbiota have a major influence on colonic health suggests that they might mediate colonic carcinogenesis. Objective: To examine the hypothesis that the influence of diet on colon cancer risk is mediated by the microbiota through their metabolites, we measured differences in colonic microbes and their metabolites in African Americans with a...

Exercise, healthy diet and doing activities to keep you mentally alert are just some of the tips MD Anderson breast cancer patient, Doris Thomas, offers in this video.

Background: Animal models show that periconceptional supplementation with folic acid, vitamin B-12, choline, and betaine can induce differences in offspring phenotype mediated by epigenetic changes in DNA. In humans, altered DNA methylation patterns have been observed in offspring whose mothers were exposed to famine or who conceived in the Gambian rainy season. Objective: The objective was to understand the seasonality of DNA methylation patterns in rural Gambian women. We studied natural...

Background: Epidemiological evidence suggests that fruit consumption may lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases through blood pressure (BP)–lowering effects; little is known on the independent effect of raw fruit and fruit juice on BP. Objective: The objective was to quantify associations of raw fruit and fruit juice consumption with BP by using cross-sectional data from the INTERnational study on MAcro/micronutrients and blood Pressure (INTERMAP) of 4680 men and women aged...

Background: Diet-induced weight loss is accompanied by adaptive thermogenesis, ie, a disproportional or greater than expected reduction of resting metabolic rate (RMR). Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether adaptive thermogenesis is sustained during weight maintenance after weight loss. Design: Subjects were 22 men and 69 women [mean 6 SD age: 40 6 9 y; body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2): 31.9 6 3.0]. They followed a very-low-energy diet for 8 wk, followed by a...

Background: Diet has been suggested to be a potential risk factor for vasomotor menopausal symptoms (VMS), i.e. hot flushes and night sweats. Objective: We investigated the associations between dietary patterns and risk of VMS using data from mid-aged women born between 1946 and 1951 in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. Design: A prospective cohort study of 6,040 women with a natural menopause, who were followed up at three-year intervals over nine years. Dietary...